Virginia

I was working on my paper at Starbucks (my second office)when Vince, a friend I met there, asked me what I thought about the shootings. Vince knows I'm a pastor. All I could say was, "people are imperfect." Vince's response was classic -"Hmm, I expected you to get all spiritual on me."

The fact is, how is one, even a pastor, supposed to react to the tragic loss of people so young? What is one even to say? The world's messed up, the guy was a complete whack job and 30 families just experienced the worst night of their lives. My heart aches for these families.

God, we need your peace and healing. . .

John

Some things

1. If a lizard ever jumps on your head while your on the can, try this. At the very least read that blog as often as you can. Guaranteed laughs.

2. We watched Pleasantville last night. An oldy (98) but a goody. Rent it, it'll make you think.

3. Apart from Christmas and Easter, this may be the most spiritual day of the year. Do your part! In fact, I hope you already are.

4. The Habs did not make the playoffs. Calgary did, but shouldn't have. The Oilers need God, at the very least a quality defensemen, God's strength is in net, making timely saves.

5. My God analogies could be viewed as cheesy. But that's only because they're nacho analogies.

John

Grid Blog - Consumed

I've been consumed with a lot of things lately. School for one. Actually, that's the main one. In 3 weeks I will complete my final course for my duh gree. I know what your thinking, 'meh'. I hear ya, I feel the same. Still, I've invested so much time and $ into this thing - it would be irresponsible not to finish. So I am. I hope to Graduate next spring.

I was doing some research for my paper tonight and came across this article called "Why the Devil takes Visa: A Christian Response to the triumph of Consumerism." It immediatly caught my attention as I was sure the big D was an American Express guy. I ended up reading it, which took up most of my evening, but it was well worth it. The guy struck a deep chord with me as I've been thinking about consumerism for some time now.

One of the quotes he cited came from the Thompson Red Book on Advertising, ya that one.

"Advertising aims to teach people that they have wants, which they did not recognize before, and where such wants can be best supplied." Anyone feeling duped? If not read again, slower this time.

Another stinger - "No one has ever in his life bought a mere piece of merchandise--per se. What he buys is the satisfaction of a physical need or the gratification of some dream about his life."

These 2 gems were only the tip of the iceberg. By the end of the article I was ready to throw out all 100 of my Dvds, oh yes, I really do have that many, as well as the dozens of other needs collecting dust. Here's the thing, most nights when I sit down to watch something I inevitably surf. Why do I surf? Well, there's nothing on any of the 75 channels we pay for. What about the Dvd's? I've seen them all, in some cases more then 5 times!!

Still, I like to think I'm not a consumer type. After all, I only drive one vehicle, I still don't own an Ipod and I haven't bought new clothes in over a year. Blows your hair back, doesn't it?

What is wrong with me? What is wrong with us? How can we think the way we live is ok? 150 years ago 6 out of 10 people lived completely off the land. Today, we moan because we have to drive to Superstore where the lineups can last more then 15 minutes!!!!!!

How can we escape Consumer living when we live in Capitalist Canada? For us not to consume we'd have to move to a commune, or be . . .Castaway.

What is left for citizens to do when their continent, country, city, community, culture, church, Christianity and yes even their Christ have become things to consume instead of treasures to cherish? I know Dave, 11 c's.

Should we revolt, give in, surrender, take up arms? None of those sound right. So what? What are we to do?

Consider this a Grid Blog. Please, weigh in.

John

Easter Meaning - Part 4

Sunday's here.

Behold, I make all things new.

Amen.

John

Easter Meaning - Part 3

I ended Part 2, Good Friday, by saying "Sunday's comin." The experiences of Good Friday often plague us with doubt, depression, and despair but part of what makes them bearable is the knowledge that things will get better. That's the promise of Sunday. But today's Saturday. What does Easter Saturday hold?

For Jesus it held mystery. Nobody really knows what Jesus did on that Saturday. Some think he descended to hell to minister to the spirits, others think he ascended to heaven to sit at the right hand of God while others think he jumped in a time machine and fast forwarded to 1997 where he helped the Oilers win game 7 against Dallas. The fact is, we'll never know. We can only guess. So here's mine.

I think he waited - which made Easter Saturday just as bad or worse then Good Friday. What's worse then waiting to hear how things are going to turn out. Some of you may be thinking - what do you mean Jesus waited - he was God, he knew! I'm not sure he did. That's not a denial of his Divinity, its a recognition of his humanity. The same humanity that caused him to cry out in the garden and question on the cross also caused him to wait on Easter Saturday, the longest day in history. Was it a good plan? Did I do enough? God, are you really there?

If you've experienced the tragedy of Good Friday then you know the agony of Easter Saturday.
It sucks waiting, its excruciating. . .waiting to hear, waiting for relief, waiting for God to act. Sometimes you think you can't wait another minute but the hope of Sunday and its promise of new life allows you to hold on for one more day.

Tommorow's Sunday. Thank God.

John

Must see TV

I interrupt my Easter series to say this.

Tonight is must see TV on CBC!

Check out tonight's HNIC double header:

Toronto vs Montreal - Winner goes to the dance, loser goes to the course. (I'm cheering for the Leafs, sorry Olsons)

Edmonton vs Calgary - My Oilers have a chance to first of all, win their 2nd game in 20, but even more exciting, with a Colorado win they can actually deliver a serious blow to the Flames playoff hopes. Fingers are crossed and knees are bent.

If you are eagerly awaiting part 3 of my Easter series, it'll be up by midnight. Got some hockey watching to do first.

John

Easter Meaning - Part 2

What is it about cheap Taco's that makes you realize Good Friday may not be the best name that was ever invented? As I sat munching tacos, Krystal, a teen I was munching with, piped up, "so what's this Good Friday all about anyways?" Krystal is not what you'd call "churched" although her natural spirituality causes one to wonder how churched she ever needs to be. Her question kind of surprised me because I assumed everyone knew, including me. Now granted, I knew, but as I began to share I found myself horrified by my own explanation. . . which sounded a bit like this. . . .

"Well you see Krystal, Good Friday is when we remember the day Jesus was betrayed by one of his own, deserted by his closest friends, beaten to a pulp, forced to carry his own cross, nailed to that same cross until he finally died, unable to take another breath." As I finished my explanation the look on her face matched the feeling I had in my gut and so the only thing I could think of doing was swinging my arm and saying "pretty good, eh?" Recognizing I may have destroyed this poor girl's soul I quickly tried to recover, "Krystal, what makes this Friday good is God took this horrible situation and used it to bring about the salvation of mankind." Great explanation John. Now pretend the girl is 15 and not your seminary proffesor. I tried to continue but she had moved onto much happier topics like Urban Planet, and why its the best place to shop. Sigh.

Is it just me? Or am I missing something? Why do we continue to announce to the world that the humiliation, torture and death of an innocent man is GOOD? I know what you're thinking, but that's because you've grown up hearing it and you know how that Sunday's coming. But saying Friday is good because Sunday is Fantastic isn't the best explanation, at least not for the Krystals of the world, who aren't up on their religion. Personally I think Friday is good, we just haven't done a good job of explaining why.

Here's something interesting, the words good and God are so closely related that when translated from other languages, namely German, they are often confused. Suppose that's what's happened here and today really means God's Friday? Would that change things? I'm not sure it would change things as much as explain things. For me anyways.

This day was good because it was God. He was there. On the worst day imaginable, he was there. As his son bared his soul crying out for relief, he was there. As his son was betrayed by one of his own, he was there. As his son's best friends ran away, he was there. As his son was falsely accused, he was there. As his son was beaten to a pulp, he was there. As his son was forced to carry his own cross, he was there. As he son shrieked in pain when he was nailed to the cross, he was there. As his son hung from that cross enduring insults and mockery and saliva and clubs, he was there. As his son cried out for water, he was there. As his son struggled to breathe while wondering "where's my dad" he was there. . .even when that son died.
On the worst Friday in history, when seemingly all went to hell, God was there.

How is that good?

If God can be found in hell surely he can be found in our mess. No matter what situation you find yourself in, God is already there. In fact, he's been waiting for you knowing you'll need him. Good Friday is a reminder that life is messed up. Its chalked full of pain, confusion, suffering and death. Friends can suck, family can betray and enemies can want you dead but nothing can take away the fact that the one who created you, is there.

Armed with that knowledge Good Friday reminds us to Let Go. Not my will but yours be done. The hardest thing about suffering is our resistance to it. How are you resisting? Good Friday reminds us that resistance is futile because life is pain and we were born to die. Our ulimate destiny doesn't lie in achieving comfort it lies in the God who is there anyway. Perhaps suffering, shame, betrayal, pain and death were and are God's way of saying - don't get too comfortable, you were meant for something else.

After all, Sunday's comin.

John

What Easter means to me (Intro)

Note: This is the first in a series of 3 posts on what The John thinks Easter's all about.

Good Good whole wheat Friday today. Not sure if you've done much thinking about what makes the torture and death of an innocent man good, or worth vacation time,"Jesus was tortured and killed -go ahead, take the day off." Definitely not sure what it is that makes us suddenly crave chocolate ears and salad made from eggs. Perhaps its just a spring craving and it'll pass, ha, chocoate and eggs, I'm sure it will. But honestly, how have we allowed chocolate and bunnies to overshadow the life and death of God's son? When I say we, I guess I don't mean you or me or them. I mean us. Our culture. How have we done it? Time for a history lesson.

The early church grew up surrounded by zillions of pagan festivals all celebrating and commemorating their pagan gods. After awhile, some well meaning Christians decided that they should be festivaling too - especially since the God they worshipped was the one true God. This made sense that the early church said "sweet, lets do it."The best part of this decision, besides the hip slang, is they didn't feel the need to reinvent the festival wheel which is why they"borrowed" the ideas from their pagan neighbors and then reinterpreted the symbols through a Christian lens. For example, the ancient Roman's annual Winter Solstice Festival took place December 21 and celebrated the rebirth of their Sun God. They also decorated coniferous trees which symbolized fertility and new life. Ring any bells? Well, the church did the same with Easter.

Each Spring when the pagans would elevate eggs and bunnies to the status of "new life" the church did the same except they claimed the new life was found in the Ressurection of Christ. In fact, they did this with all the Easter traditions. Dyeing eggs? The pagans would dye them blood red to symbolize the new life that is found in spring. Blood and New Life. Hmm. Easter Bunny? Sadly the big guy can't be found in ancient cultures but the fact that Bunnies were held up as symbols of new life it's not a stretch that Christians have used them to help reign in the season of Easter. Easter is about the New life found in Christ. Ok, fine, but seriously, what's with the Easter egg hunt? Um, well. . .we're all on a journey to discover new life? Phew.

My point with all this is these traditions have been around for the better part of 1600 years and can actually be good, healthy, meaningful traditions. What's not healthy or good is how we've taken these symbols and created their physical counterparts so we can buy, sell and ultimately consume them. We've consumed the Holy, which to be honest, doesn't sound right. The truth is, the Bunnies and Eggs no longer point to Christ, so why continue to use them?

Perhaps our North American culture needs to hold a press conference and admit that "although in the past, bunnies and eggs had a high Christological significance, we feel moving forward, they'd be best served making us a boat load of money."

A good question for all of us to ask: What does Easter really mean to me?

So this is my Easter intro. I started off claiming I would give you a 3 part post on what I think Easter is about. Indeed I will. Today I will share what Good Friday means to me, tommorow I'll share what it means to wait on God and Sunday I'll conclude with a celebration of New Life.

So I guess this is going to be a 4 part series. This long intro is Part 1. I'll start a new post for Part 2 just to prevent this from becoming the longest post in the world. Don't worry, I'll post part two later today. Besides, I hear pins and needles are all the rage.

John

I'm trying

Its funny, just 2 hours after writing my blog about not being cynical or pessimistic I come back to the office and find this gem in today's news. Well, who knows, perhaps God will use this movie and even that scene to increase people's love for him. After all, the Lord does seem to work in mysterious ways.

I'm trying folks. Besides its a marathon not a sprint, right?

Cool.

John

Cynical Sarcastic Pessimistic fun

Realizations often suck. I guess they can be good and all but often its just me coming face to face with me and when that happens I don't always see a nice guy grinning back. Too many times its a cynical, sarcastic, pessimistic jerk. Now you all know this, you've just been too nice to say anything, and while I appreciate that, I still think its time I came clean. The truth is, I may have a problem.

My DISC profile says that I bleed red, meaning I'm an intense not afraid to confront kind of guy. It also says I pee yellow which means I love people to death and am very relational. I guess that's what keeps me from being a total spaz. Still, the red leaks too often. I see things that aren't right and I attack them without allowing my yellow stream to guide me. The worst part is often those things are people and I end up getting it all wrong.

This past Sunday I had the privelage of interviewing Henry Schorr. Hen, as I like to call him but don't because he doesn't have feathers or eggs, is the Senior Pastor for Centre Street Church right here in Calgary. The church is what you'd call a "Mega Church" meaning they have no idea how many people attend. Well, they have some idea, Henry says 7000 weekly and 11000 monthly which makes Centre Street the biggest Church of any kind in Canada. I needed to interview him for a paper I'm doing and he was gracious enough to give up an hour of his time. Ok, I'll be honest, the only reason I wanted to interview him was because 1. I wanted the perspective of a Mega church pastor to balance out my paper 2. I wanted to get the goods on what really goes on in a Mega Church. Tee hee, sneak sneak sneaky. The interview was last Sunday.

When I arrived he was still making his way through the crowds so I waited. . .and waited ended up waiting for 30 minutes but it worked out because I got a book idea: "Munch Munch. Tales from the Consumer Church." I hope it sells tons so the irony runs super thick.

Anyways, Pastor Henry finally showed up and directed me through the maze of cubicles to the Mahogony door securing his office. As I stepped inside there was a Gorilla scarfing down the day's communion crackers. Ok there wasn't but that would have been wierd hey? We began the interview even though my cynical, sarcastic, pessmistic arrogant mind already knew what his bull #?@??@# answers would be. Those answers never came.

As I sat, I listened as this humble, authentic, inspiring man told me of the cancer he had when he was 21 and again when he was 31. He said that cancer made his life great because it helped him see who God is. He told me how, when he was 18, he had the choice between taking over his father's multi million dollar company or becoming a middle to low class Pastor. He chose ministry because how could he ignore God's call in order to become a rich company man.

As he continued to share and as I continued to write I felt ashamed. This man was amazing, no wonder God had entrusted him with so much yet I had sat in my High Chair judging what I did not know and being cynical about things I did not understand. He added to my shame by sharing how he and his wife go on prayer retreats twice a year, just them, and how he takes off the entire summer so he can spend every last moment with his 4 boys. At this point I interjected and said "so is your schedule the rest of the year pretty crazy?" He responded no, he goes home at 5pm because family first right? Uh yeah, right. Wow.

As the interview drew to a close I asked him what he thought the church's social responsibilities were. I already knew what he was going to say. He began to tell me of a secret project he was working on with all the CEO's in the city and how he really shouldn't be sharing this but what the hell, he didn't say hell, I shouldn't have said hell, what the heck he said, I'll share it with you. He told me how they are hoping to buy a huge section of land where they will put a small town for the city's homeless. In this town the citizens will be healed of their addictions, taught life skills to exact change and most of all be given back their dignity . Uh. . .wow, that's pretty good, was all I could manage. Apparantly I had no idea what he was going to say. The mixture of shame and inspiration was too much at that point and the office was much too classy for me to lose it.

I stood up, shook his hand, thanked him for so many things and was on my way. As I strolled back to my car I was struck with the realization that God's kingdom is being built at and through Centre Street Church. 10000 don't attend there just because they have great entertainment, programs, worship, preaching etc. They attend there because they sense what I sensed, they're being led by a man of God.

Since that conversation, I've done a lot of thinking, praying, confessing. Most of all I've done a lot of realizing. God will build his kingdom wherever and with whoever he wants and who am I to stand with my arms crossed, eyes set, and shake my head.

The fact is, I too have been called. I too have a choice. And as much as fun as it is using my Red words to shame the you know who's - I think its time I put them away. That being said, I do think there is still a place for calling people or churches or society on stuff but I think first we must get to know the ones we are calling because we might just be judging the same ones God is using. And wouldn't that be shameful.

John

Lexa's Laugh

The mouse is funny. . .apparently.

The Chocolate Jesus

Before you get angry, ask yourself, who fashioned this image, really? The ungodly artist or. . us.

Go here for more. Go here too.

tom waits- Chocolate Jesus

Like all art, you can interpret this however you want. I thought it fit the season.

Inspiring Stuff

Here's a random list of recent things that have inspired me.

1. Maddison was just named to the 66 Club at church for accurately naming all the books of the bible. Apparently she won't recieve any extra credit if she names all the apocraphical books so I've told her not to bother.

2. Angie's new hobby.

3. "Even if I knew the world would end tommorow, I would plant a tree today." Martin L. K.

4. This

5. And This

6. Not this

Always This. In fact, I just had breakfast with Johnny B today. He was passing through Calgary on the way to Banff and wanted to grab some breakfast. That guy always makes me smile. Ha, especially today because he's currently sporting the biggest beard I've ever seen on someone so young and innocent. Ha Ha, so funny.

And finally, it's become a habit that I wake up each morning with these words to start my day:

"God, may I truely live and move and have my being in you today."

That prayer has changed everything for me.

John

Stephen Wiltshire: The Human Camera

This guy is a genius. You won't see anything like it.

John

TONY!

Don't know if you ever watch The Hour with George Abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz but last week he had my man Tony Campolo on and for 10 minutes Tony REPRESENTED, as my teens would say. Jesus got the best hearing in the media he's had in years. Make sure you watch!

Thy Kingdom come. . .

John

P.S. Also, read the comments from those who watched, wow.

The Secret

Apparently, there is one. A secret that is. A universal magnetism that draws things together. Ms. Byrne calls it "the law of attraction." I haven't read her but I think I've experienced what she describes. The basic idea is, humans attract those things that resemble or connect with their present state. For example, if you are a negative person, you will most likely attract negativity. You'll see more of it, hear more of it, experience more of it because you are a draw for negativity. On the other hand, if you are a positive person, the opposite will be true. Rhonda, as she's asked me to call her, has recently made millions off this "secret" and if the hysteria keeps up her little book may be canonized. Who knows.

All skepticism aside, I do think Rhon has identified something worth paying attention to. In fact, I've noticed her secret playing out in my life. Fine, I'll open up.

For the past year and a bit I've been Marty Mcflying my life. Most mornings I wake up, well, all mornings I guess, and after I'm up I drink my healthy green powder OJ thing, exercise if its that time of month, take the dog for a run, shower, kiss the family goodbye, then head to work - scarfing down cold toast with a thin layer of organic jam as I drive. "Because its expensive John, that's why", says Ang. As I drive, I resume the inner monologue from the previous morning asking myself what I plan to do with the rest of my life because as it stands now, life sucks. As usual, no answer comes but merely the reminder that I'm closing in on 6 years in youth ministry, which of course also reminds me that I'm 30 and balding quicker then one would like. I retort, by reminding myself that "Julius Caesar was bald by 30 and look at how many people he killed." I feel strangely better. Although 10 minutes later I'm sitting in my office paralyzed, unable to do.

When I'm at my worst I take the day off and surf which only seems to increase the level of paralysis that I feel -or don't feel I guess. The day moves at a snail's pace and by the time 5ish rolls around I slink back to my mini van, because that's what you buy when you're 30, and head home knowing that once again I was incompetant as a youth minister as I spent 9 hours "ministering" without giving a teen a second thought. As I arrive home, I am greeted by the greatest (and most excited) family you ever did see and after all the hugs and kisses and licks and jumps I collapse on the couch just as Angie asks me how my day was? I'm sick of pretending so I say "horrible." She wants to talk about it but I. . .don't. So I neglect the kids, rebuke the dog, and wonder out loud when supper will be ready. I hate who I am.


As grim as the above sounds that was my life for most of 2006 and a bit of 2007. I was a self consumed, narcissistic, negative bon of a sitch. (no different then saying frick in my books) Because I was that, I drew all that crap to me and the cycle repeated itself. The amazing thing was my exciting family loved me in spite of it all and most days they could still be found excitedly greeting me as I slumped through the door. That being said, all good things must come to an end and so one day as I walked in the house I wasn't surprised to discover that nobody was home. Or so I thought. As I ventured on in everyone was home. And they knew I was home. And that's it. That's about all there was. That's when I realized who I had truly become and knew I had to change.

So I have been. And I gotta tell you, life is gettin good, so much better then it was before. My family is better, my work is better, my lessons are better, my relationships are better and I give my teens multiple second thoughts. . .things are so different.

Yet. . .

I am the same age.
I have the same hair.
I have the same morning routine.
I drive the same van to work.
I work at the same place.
I do the same job.
I come home to the same family.
I have the same wonderings what I'll do for the rest of my life.

So what's my secret?

I've switched monologues.

The new one sounds something like this:

"You're the luckiest man alive John, now live like it!"

John

God Tube

Don't know if any of you have come across this gem yet but you'll be pleased to know we now have an answer to You Tube. I'm still wondering what that means.

I went to the site and watched about a half dozen videos. One of the videos involves a cover of the popular Shrek song "I like big butts and I cannot lie." The author cleverly changed the song to "Baby got Bible" in which he sings "I got Big Bibles and I cannot lie" among other things.

That being said, I believe there are redemptive qualities in all things so I'm sure if you looked around long enough you would find something worth watching. For instance I know they have Christian Music videos. . . never mind, there's redemptive qualties in most things.

John

P.S. Ok, I must share those "other things." He also says "I wouldn't be hanging around girls with those midriffs exposed, those bimbos, I prefer girls who like them devos." He also mentions how we must "only use the KJVs because even Paul wouldn't paraphrase."

busy- sort of

Well, folks, I have been too busy to blog. Who knew I'd cave when John pulled out the sarcasm. It's hardly like I can't handle it. We're one of those rare couples whose marriage is based on making fun of each other (and a couple other nice things like frienship, love, blah, blah, blah).

What have I been busy with, you ask (or more likely, don't ask at all)? Well, let's see. I taught three kids all morning on everything from slavery to light energy to long division. I did 5 loads of dishes. I tried my hand at a little creative writing which I thought I may take up as a hobby of sorts, all though it's turning out I'm not so creative and my writing is, let's see, how should I put it? Oh. Boring. I made supper, cleaned up a hallway full of dog pee, yelled at dog every time he licked his incision, as per vet's instructions (well, not exactly the yelling part, but seriously how many times does he have to do that?), bathed kids, petted cat, looked out window, re-did my ponytail, re-thought whole ponytail thing, changed socks after stepping in dog pee and had several coffees.

So, basically I've had nothing interesting to blog about. That's all.

Oh- I shaved the cat. He had some matted fur I needed to take care of and one thing led to another. You know how that goes. I'll try and post a picture, because I think that's kind of interesting.

Ang

Kisses

I was just telling Angie that she really needs to post something. After all, it is her turn but even more important- "Hugo's manleys" is the only topic you poor people have had to read for the past week. She said she can't because "she's too busy with other stuff " which makes sense because, I'm not busy either Ang, I'm especially not working fulltime plus trying to finish my Masters which includes starting a book report that's due tommorow, studying for a test I have next week as well as beginning a 20 page paper that's due next month. One thing for certain is I didn't just get home from a meeting and there's no way I was up at 6 this morning.
I know this much is true.

That being the case Angie, I want you to know that I don't consider equality with God something to be grasped, so I've taken the form of a servant and decided to blog today so you don't have to tommorow.

I know.

I love you to.

Husband

Congo Lines

I dropped Mr. Hugo off at the vet today. The last few weeks have seen his frequent "introductions" to the children, dancing as Maddison calls it, and so Ang and I decided it was finally time for his "demascunilization." That being said, it has been entertaining watching him initiate congo lines in the hallway. Ha Ha. So funny. The best part is the kids are totally unaware that their pet is in fact not dancing but actually trying to get jiggy with them. Many a time Angie has yelled for me to "do something" but its difficult to be Alpha dog when your in hysteria. So funny. . . and so hard to yell "Hugo, no."

Anyways, as I type he is probably drifting off to sleep completely unaware that his friendly neighborhood vet is at this very moment slicing off all hopes of Congo in the future. At first I thought that we were sons of Lucifer for actually paying someone to do this to our Hugo but as I've read I've discovered its actually the best thing for his future health.
I'm sure Hugo would disagree. In fact, If he could talk I can just imagine the earful I would recieve.

Hugo: Wait, you knew about this?
Me: Well, yeah, but. . .
Hugo: What the heck, you're serious? You actually knew about this.
Me: Hey, its for your own good. The book said. . .
Hugo: The book? What book?
Me: Golden Retriever for Dummies.
Hugo: You cut off my manhood because a book for dummies told you to? (Growls turns into bites)
Me: (panicing) Ouch. Stop it. No Hugo! Listen, if it makes you feel better, Angie made me do the same thing?
Hugo: (growls) Liar.
Me: I'm not lying, just stop it.
Hugo: You're serious.
John nods.
Hugo: (laughing begins)
Me: What's so funny?
Hugo: (laughing continues) Nothing MASTER, or should I say, little man. (Hysterical now)
Me: Just get in the car.

John

The Walrus and the Carpenter

Hey guys. Welcome to Lewis Caroll's famous poem "The Walrus and the Carpenter." I've read it like 10 times in the last half hour and each time the symbolism becomes more apparent.

Read it yourself then let me know what it meant to you, or what you think it symbolizes.

Roberta, Kamara - I especially would like your feedback. You English majors you.

John

P.S. Lewis Carroll is the dude who gave us "Alice in Wonderland."


The sun was shining on the sea, shining with all his might: He did his very best to make the billows smooth and bright --And this was odd, because it was the middle of the night.

The moon was shining sulkily, because she thought the sun had got no business to be there after the day was done --'It's very rude of him.' she said,'To come and spoil the fun!'

The sea was wet as wet could be, the sands were dry as dry.You could not see a cloud, because no cloud was in the sky:No birds were flying overhead --There were no birds to fly.

The Walrus and the Carpenter were walking close at hand: they wept like anything to see such quantities of sand:'If this were only cleared away,'They said, 'it would be grand.''

If seven maids with seven mops swept it for half a year, Do you suppose,' the Walrus said,'That they could get it clear?''l doubt it,' said the Carpenter, and shed a bitter tear.'

O Oysters, come and walk with us! The Walrus did beseech.' A pleasant walk, a pleasant talk, along the briny beach: We cannot do with more than four,To give a hand to each.'

The eldest Oyster looked at him, but never a word he said: The eldest Oyster winked his eye, and shook his heavy head --Meaning to say he did not choose to leave the oyster-bed.

Out four young Oysters hurried up all eager for the treat: Their coats were brushed, their faces washed, their shoes were clean and neat --And this was odd, because, you know,they hadn't any feet.

Four other Oysters followed them, and yet another four; and thick and fast they came at last, and more, and more, and more --All hopping through the frothy waves, and scrambling to the shore.

The Walrus and the Carpenter walked on a mile or so, and then they rested on a rock conveniently low: And all the little Oysters stood and waited in a row.

'The time has come,' the Walrus said,'To talk of many things: Of shoes -- and ships -- and sealing wax --Of cabbages -- and kings --And why the sea is boiling hot --And whether pigs have wings.''

But wait a bit,' the Oysters cried,'Before we have our chat; For some of us are out of breath, and all of us are fat!''No hurry!' said the Carpenter. They thanked him much for that.'

A loaf of bread,' the Walrus said,'Is what we chiefly need:Pepper and vinegar besides are very good indeed --Now, if you're ready, Oysters dear, we can begin to feed.''

But not on us!' the Oysters cried, turning a little blue.'After such kindness, that would be a dismal thing to do!''The night is fine,' the Walrus said,'Do you admire the view?''

It was so kind of you to come!And you are very nice!' The Carpenter said nothing but'Cut us another slice-I wish you were not quite so deaf-I've had to ask you twice!''

It seems a shame,' the Walrus said,'To play them such a trick. After we've brought them out so far, and made them trot so quick!' The Carpenter said nothing but'the butter's spread too thick!''

I weep for you,'the Walrus said:'I deeply sympathize.'With sobs and tears he sorted out those of the largest size. Holding his pocket-handkerchief before his streaming eyes.'O Oysters,' said the Carpenter,'You've had a pleasant run! Shall we be trotting home again?'But answer came there none --And this was scarcely odd, because they'd eaten every one.

- Lewis Carroll

Jesus is not religion

I saw this shirt. It was black and its white letters seemed to plead "Jesus is not Religion." I stared at the shirt meditating on its message, which by the way can seem very creepy if the person in the shirt ain't a dude. So don't be making that mistake. "I was just reading your shirt, honest." Uh huh.

Anyways, as cliched as that statement has now become it still makes me think and think again.
He's not, is he? In fact, I'm quite sure his primary interest in coming to earth wasn't to preach doctrines about himself whilst starting up a religion that gives you tax breaks come spring. He wasn't into all that stuff. The pharisees were. They made out with the law on a daily basis. When Jesus came preaching that they should feel the need to see other people, starting with him, they didn't like it so much. They loved the law. At least they thought they did. I think they were just infatuated with it. Like we are at times.

What if Religion is based on infatuation but relationship with Jesus is based on love? I have been infatuated with many a girl in my day but I've only ever loved one. Perhaps spiritual formation is the act of teaching people how to move from infatuation to love. Perhaps Churches need to move too. To what?

Instrumental Music, Women's Roles, Baptism, Lord's Supper, Small Groups, Budget, Operations, Building extensions - its all Religion in my mind. As a Church we're infatuated with it, so much so we think we're in love. But it feels wrong, like somethings. . .wrong. So we try to fix it. We allow an instrumental service on a Saturday night, we allow Women to pass communion and in some cases even pray, we encourage Baptism but no longer believe its a deal breaker, we make the Lord's supper more celebratory, we move from being a church with small groups to a church of small groups, we step out in faith and raise the budget, we pray at the Operation committee meetings, we paint our building and in some cases even replace the carpet. We do all these things expecting it will lead into a relationship but are disappointed when we discover that we've only perpetuated the very thing we were trying to eradicate in the first place. We've perpetuated our infatuation. The problem with infatuation is at the time it feels like the real thing - but its not. Its only fantasy, the product of our imagination. And if you look closely, it often has selfishness at its root.

Jesus is not that. Jesus is not religion.

Jesus is love. And he calls us to it. And he calls us to him.

Time to leave our adolesence behind.

John

P.S. So what's this mean for church? Now that's something worth spending our time discussing.

Zach Hunter on Be The Change

This guy is only 15!

It makes me think of the quote "we are the ones we've been waiting for."

No more waiting for me.

John

Help.

Hey everyone.

I need your help.

I'm doing a project for my Masters that involves interviewing 5 "seasoned pastors." I am supposed to come up with the interview questions myself and so far I've got about 37 which I hope to narrow down to about 15.

If you're still awake and would like to help here's what I need.

If you could ask your minister/pastor any question regarding his/her views on ministry or church, what would it be?

If I like your question I'll use it for my project/interviews and you can sleep peacefully knowing you helped me secure an A.

Please send all questions by next Monday. The more serious you take this the more helpful it will be. Thanks for participating.

John

P.S. How've you done on "guessing which movie?'

Sigh

I woke up this morning to an article in the Calgary Herald entitled "Salvation in a bottle." Naturally I was excited at such a spiritual ad. While I read my playful cynicism turned angry as I realized that once again Christians had found a new and creative way to make asses out of themselves. Note: John is using asses in the biblical sense so please don't fear for his relationship with God. It's still great, as far as John knows.

Here's the basic gist: Some bozos in America have bottled ordinary everyday H2o and then prayed over it - thus making it holy. So simple yet so freakin moronic.

Apparently the inventor had a "spiritual experience" and felt the Holy Spirit was leading him
to. . . the. . .bottled water industry. Apparently if you look closely on the bottle it says the following:

Caution: May cause burning, intense heat, skin irritations, rashes, nausea and vomitting.

When asked by the reporter "then why would anyone drink it" - which is not a bad question, good job reporter dude - the creator of the bottle said "Those symptoms will only be found in the lives of sinners."

Score another one for the Kingdom of God. Cha Ching.

Sigh.

John

P.S. I'll link the article when it becomes available online.

P.P.S. This rip was in no way connected with the long standing Catholic tradition of Holy water, very different.

worship.

Poor Lex has "chicken pops". I have to admit that at first I was kind of excited because chicken pox are a milestone of sorts and I have fond memories of skipping school, watching TV and being a little spoiled. I forgot about the intense itching, sleepless nights and many reminders to not scratch or pick. So, not as fun as it sounds. Or maybe you never did think it sounded fun. I don't know- that's always a possibility.

John had me listen to some Derek Webb this morning. I mean, he forced me to sit undistracted and listen. He did the same thing with Jars of Clay. The problem with me is I can be very judgemental. I had my mind made up many moons ago (say that 10 times fast) about Christian "rock". Or worship music. Especially worship music. Now before thoughts of What? She doesn't like to worship God? enter your head let me just say of course I do. I believe we all do, but it certainly doesn't have to look like tigger-bouncing to cliched lyrics that transition to calm as the music fades and someone talks softly into the mic about, hey, more cliches about God, followed by soft generic piano and an invitiation. Oh, and a light show. I'm just saying, this was my narrow and rather snarky judgement and why, when John brought home Jars of Clay, I may have made one or two snide remarks. Maybe. I can't remember. But my point is this. I love the honesty, the doubt, the vulnerability of these two cds and I listen to Jars of Clay on a regular basis, and I'm sure it'll be the same with DW (see? I'm already on a shorten to cute nickname basis). It may have started with me slyly putting them on when John left the house because I knew I wouldn't hear the end of it, but I am now boldly saying that if I were to walk into a Christian bookstore the chances are pretty high that I would find a cd or two to buy. And of course there's Means, but that's in a different league altogether, right? And apparently if I don't plug their new cd that just came out I will be excommunicated from blog world. Plus they're really good. And our kids like them, so...great for the whole family. OK, maybe this is more like an anti plug, so I'll stop now.

Ang

P.S. Check out our new Water Day ad. Heck, participate even.

Tihs is cool

I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer bein the rg hit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll ra ed it wouthit a porbelm Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not ra ed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.

Jhon

Goodness

Such a great weekend I had.

My talks were fine but the best part was seeing some of my most favorite people in the world. My big brother Allen, Blair, Wandering J and even Jeremy was there getting a fancy new tatoo and yes, I was the first person to see it. Take that Nic. Nah Nah Nah Nah Nah Nah. I got extended coffee times with all of them and they were blessed for sure. I mean I was blessed. We were blessed. Blessed were we. Love those guys.

The weekend highlight was seeing my brother. I've looked up to the guy my entire life, still looking up in fact, and so to share the stage with him while we talked about "the kingdom of God" was so good. You must understand, next to Angie, Al is the greatest person in the world besides being a very talented preacher so it was an honor and a joy yapping alongside him. Sharing his stage. Besides that, there isn't anyone I laugh as much with. "Walk away Joel, Walk away." Ha Ha. Love ya man.

Another highlight was driving down and back with this man. Although he's called John Smith there's nothing generic about this man and that's what I love most about him. He's completly original, like a mooing duck, and that's hard to find. Besides his originality he's the real deal. He makes everyone around him feel a couple feet taller (which sucks for him because he's already a shortie, ha) but I think that's the best kind of guy. He's also doing great work as the head preach in Red Deer.
I also enjoyed my fellow travelers, Selena Smith, "a biologically sound" girl and daughter to the above man plus Russ Ferris and his kiddos Val and Landon. Although I'm sure they're not reading this I still wanted to give them a shout out. They're all pretty sweet.

Lots of goodness this weekend. Lots of goodness to come.

All things that make life what it should be.

John

The City of Queenage

What's up everyone.

I'll be in Regina this weekend participating in WCC's annual rallying of youth so who knows, perhaps I'll see some of you. If not, well then I guess I'll see you back here, same time, same place on Monday?

That aside,its always a joy returning to the land of the rolling hills and suffocating humidity.

Can't wait.

John