Frankincense

Came across this short story in the Herald this month, and it really spoke to me. It's called "Frankincense", written by Jack Dueck:

Malls always seem to lower one's IQ: cacophony of warring sounds; flare of garish, eye-piercing lights; crying, stressed babies; epileptic neon promotions. No angels descending under this garish iridescence. Is this how the world ends? Not under a bright Advent sky, but in fluorescent orgy?

Nearby an elderly gentleman in suit, top hat, and cane is confronted by two religious propagandists. For truth, no doubt - but in violation of mall policy. Slipping into a nearby bench, I pretended to read a newspaper as I witnessed the story play out.

But these are things God wants you to know.

Under the cascading mall cacophony, his mild response was barely audible. They insisted.

But do you believe in the Holy Spirit?
Yes, surely.
By what proof?
Schubert, the Psalms, Bach's St. Matthew Passion, Paul's letter to the Ephesians, my rose garden, people who love me and I them...all is ours in Christ. The devil owns nothing' the Spirit pervades everything.

And they left him, thinking, "He's just another unbeliever."
But I was left with the transcending fragrance of another world in the middle of a shopping mall.

Feist on Sesame Street

Feist counts to 4 on Sesame Street...

The Advent Conspiracy

Here's a video from the Advent Conspiracy about the idea of following Jesus' example at his advent and giving the gift of "presence" rather than presents...

Blessed Unrest

I have to give credit to Josh because he sent me this video. As I watched it, encouragement and hope welled up within me. But it also stirred some deep questions in me: How is Jesus' Kingdom part of this "movement"? Can such a "movement" bring true, worldwide change if Jesus is not at the center of it? Obviously, not Jesus or his Kingdom as an ideology, but as The Way of Life.

Watch the video and consider those questions:

The ZENN car

Best Canadian-made car that is illegal to drive in the very country it was made in...

ZENN car

Hell #4

Here is Gordon's fourth and final video on Hell. In this one, he talks about why it is detrimental to focus on hell as Christians, and gives some alternative ways to approach it. My one comment: Right On!

Hell #3

Here is the third installment of Gordon Atkinson's videos on the topic of Hell. In this video he gives his own interpretation and thoughts on the meaning of Hell in the NT witness. I think this is really good stuff - it is very much along the lines of what I have been thinking about and studying in the past 2 years or so. I especially like his thoughts on who is going to hell, and why Jesus used it in the first place. In my own studying and thinking I have come to the same conclusion as Gordon - that Jesus uses hell only to refer to people in the context of the "religious establish". Jesus is taking imagery that the religious leaders of that day were using to refer to outsiders, and turning the interpretation on its head to use it in reference to them! This would have really outraged them. So, what are we doing the same thing today? Why are we using the language of Hell to speak about outsiders, when Jesus used it in the context of insiders? Not only does this at odds with the words of Jesus, we are also ignoring the vary danger that Jesus was trying to make us aware of.

Hell Video #2

Here is Gordon Atkinson's (aka The Real Live Preacher) second video on the topic of hell. In this video he goes through the entire NT witness and talks about every passage relating to hell in the NT (in less than 11 minutes no less!):



Also, here is a very good and very handy pdf reference for each time hell (or its equivalent) is mentioned in the NT:

Hell Reference PDF

Easter Discussion

One of my goals at my family's Easter gathering this past week was to strike up an in depth political and ideological debate. I am proud to report that I accomplished that goal. My Dad, Kyle (brother-in-law) had a long and good discussion on Sunday afternoon. I discovered that my dad thinks more along my own ideological line than I ever knew. While he usually never came right out and declared this or that, he certainly hinted at things that lined up with my own thoughts/beliefs. It's funny that you grow up with one set of thoughts about your parents' thinking, and then discover down the road that somehow you either perceived their thinking differently than was the reality, or maybe you transmuted your outside influences onto your parents beliefs and made them theirs.

Anyway, I gleaned more than one good piece of wisdom from my Dad, but I particularly was impressed by this one. I had asked him how he deals with the reality that two people approaching the same Scriptures in complete sincerity, honesty, prayer, and intently listening to God can derive two different interpretations and meanings from it. And the real kicker is that they both firmly believe that God's Spirit led them to their thinking. How can it be that the Spirit can lead two people to two different thoughts on the same Scripture?

My Dad's understanding of this is that God is trying to tell us that seeking after one absolute truth/interpretation is often a mistake. There is no way that one person can get it all right. Instead, we need to listen to the variety of readings and not be so concerned with zeroing in on one absolute meaning.

Hell #1

Real Live Preacher is doing a 3-part video series on the doctrine of Hell. They are short videos - only 6 minutes each - so very easy to watch and digest. He takes a very good approach to this topic. Here is the first video installment:

Hell #1

Thoughts on Political Debates

I thought that the Real Live Preacher's post on political debates showed some real insight into the value of these debates. You can read his post here:

Why Political Debates Aren't Very Helpful

Discouragement

I heard possibly the single most discouraging comment about Christianity I have ever heard in my Anthropology class yesterday. We are on the topic of religion this week, and the prof was talking about how some people have no problem with combining various religions into one - to suit their tastes. To illustrate, he was giving a story from Korea where, formerly a Buddhist nation, individuals are converting to many different religions. He went on to say that most of the rich and wealthy in Korea are "becoming Christians". "Do you know why they are becoming Christians?", he asked. "Because Christianity is a religion that accepts and welcomes capitalists who oppress and take advantage of others economically in order to get rich. Buddhism does not."

I was simply stunned when I heard this - so stunned that I didn't speak up. And I was deeply saddened. This is what people actually believe about Christianity. The saddest is part is that the prof was right - people do believe this and are doing it. They are using Christianity to support their wealthy lifestyle.

What has happened? How have the ideals of Jesus and the Kingdom of God (those of taking care of the poor, the widow, the weak, the downtrodden) been twisted to serve the economically wealthy? How did this become the picture of Christianity?! The very Gospel of Jesus was good news for the poor and oppressed, and bad news for the rich and oppressors.

What saddens me most is that this statement by my prof, while wrong in terms of the Gospel, is true in terms of what is generally meant to be a "Christian". Do we need to leave that word behind and find something new? Because I can assure you that Jesus has no part in this brand of "Christianity".

Wordle

I plugged our blog URL into an internet program called Wordle - a random word cloud generator. This is what our blog looks like as a Wordle...

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Email Exchange

One of my favourite authors, Don Miller, just posted this "email exchange" with Barak Obama on his website. I quite enjoyed it...

Email Exchange with Barak Obama

Colbert Interview

On June 19, Bishop NT Wright (my favourite theologian currently) was interviewed on the Colbert Report. It was a very good interview, and very long. After watching Colbert for about a year (thank you Kevin for the recommendation) I have noticed that he definitely leans in his theology toward people like NT Wright. He has had some other excellent interviews with people like Anne Lamonte, Tony Campolo, etc. In fact, I hear that Steven Colbert is actually a Sunday School teacher in real life. Interesting...I wonder what it would be like to have him teach Ava Sunday School?

Unfortunately, I have looked long and hard for a clip of the NT Wright interview to post on the blog, but I can't find one that works in Canada. If you live in the US you can watch his show for free online at his website, but of course we Canadians are blocked. You can however buy an episode for $2 from iTunes, if you really want to. Anyway, if you do come across the June 19 episode somehow, definitely watch it for the NT Wright interview.

Viva La Vida

Coldplay recenlty released their newest album, Viva La Vida, and it is excellent. It rivals A Rush Of Blood To the Head. Musically, it is much different from their previous albums, which is a fantastic change. Lyrically, this is a much better and more in depth album. The lyrics seem to reach into me in ways that Coldplay albums have never been able to do.

Here are some of the highlights (songs & lyrics) from Viva La Vida:

Cemeteries of London

God is in the houses
And God is in my head
And all the Cemeteries of London
I see God come in my garden
But I don't know what he said
For my heart it wasn't open
Not open

Viva La Vida

I used to rule the world
Seas would rise when I gave the word
Now in the morning I sweep alone
Sweep the streets I used to own

I used to roll the dice
Feel the fear in my enemy's eyes
Listen as the crowd would sing:
"Now the old king is dead! Long live the king!"
One minute I held the key
Next the walls were closed on me
And I discovered that my castles stand
Upon pillars of salt, and pillars of sand

I hear Jerusalem bells a-ringing
Roman calvary choirs are singing
Be my mirror my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field
For some reason I can't explain
I know Saint Peter won't call my name
Never an honest word
But that was when I ruled the world

I wonder if this is Chris Martin (lead singer) admitting that trying to live his life without God in control was not working?

Here are some beautiful lines from the song Death And All His Friends...

No I don't want to battle from beginning to end
I don't want to cycle or recycle revenge
I don't want to follow death and all of his friends...

And here's my favourite line from the entire album, from the song Violet Hill, which is a commentary on the current wars in Iraq & Afghanistan...

When the future's architectured
By a carnival of idiots on show
You'd better lie low

The overall theme of the album is that hatred and war are not working, and we need to find a different way - one of Love, Peace, and Life. And that humans do not seem to be able to do this on their own.

If you haven't listened to it, or bought it, it's definitely worth it.

Photo Template

My hubby is a great ball player. Take a look at the artical in the Regina Leader Post today.Photo Template Unfortunatly the artical is a bit wrong, Sliver Screen did not will, Suprem did. And I would like to add that my guy went three for four yesterday. A Triple, a Homer and a double.

Im MathMan

So, I had a pretty funny experience today. When my Math C30 (pre-calculus) students walked in today, one of them held something behind her back and told me she was about to change the way I looked at the world. I was speechless. She then produced a comic book. It's called "The Add-ventures of MathMan", and I'm the main character. They were making this in their spare for the last month or so. Unbelievable. I was even more speechless. They gave me a nice laminated hard copy, but also threw it up on the web here:

http://mathmanaddventures.wordpress.com/

Sometimes, being a teacher is a lot of fun.

BookMooch

I just ran across a really neat site that I thought I should share with everyone. It's called BookMooch, and it basically lets you trade books you don't want for books you do want. Check it out at http://bookmooch.com

Hee Hee

I read the post I made about my jobs( thanks Josh), it made me chortal. Yeah I still think very fondly of my job with RBC and sometimes wish that I was back there answering the same question for the 60th time that day. It was the best employment I have had. Being self employeed has its good side and its down side. Good side is that I can do what I want, bad side is that not always is what I want to do the right thing to do. All and All I have no regreat about leaving CIBC when I did. Some times I think that mabey I should go back, or mabey I should work at a different bank ( 'cause I really was very good at my job, and that is something that I can hang my hat on....) but then I remember all the moments that I had panic attacks in the middle of the night, waking up thinking about mtg deals and the like. I DONT miss that in the least. I miss visiting with some of the clients and staff but just not enough. I do miss the regular, I can build a budget on this, pay cheque, but its comming.
I really do like that I can be a blessing to a family and take care of something for them that will let them have more time for each other. And I can do that and be that for MY family. I love them so much and its so great to have this time together. Kevin and I have not had this much married time together since the fall of 98 when we were both still in Unni. I love that I can spend my days with Micah and build into our relationship.
The way I look at it is that I have mabey 15 years at the most where I can make Micah a part of my life, after that She has to want me to be a part of her life. So if I invest in her, in my family, now as much as I can, then mabey, just mabey She will bless me with a life time of friendship. Oh how my heart hopes in the Lord for that!!!
Well I am going on and I had just come to the computer to check my email and now look I have spent the past 40 min romming the bowels of the internet and I have missed my bed time again. Grrrrr.

Demetri Martin video

Dan showed me this video. I love flow charts. One of my favourite ones is "Breakdown of Hummer Owners"...

More Than Words

I just read this blog article this morning. I was moved by it...

"More Than Words"

More Great Poetry

Here is another poem by Billy Collins. This poem seems to have a wonderful calming effect on me.

November

After three days of steady rain-
over two inches said the radio-
I follow the example of monks
who wrote by a window, sunlight on the page.

Five times this morning,
I loaded a wheelbarrow with wood
and steered it down the hill to the house,
and later I will cut down the dead garden

with a clippers and haul the soft pulp
to a grave in the woods,
but now there is only
my sunny page which is a like a poem

I am covering with another poem
and the dog asleep on the tiles,
her head in her paws,
her hind legs splayed out like a frog.

How foolish it is to long for childhood,
to want to run in circles in the yard again,
arms outstretched,
pretending to be an airplane.

How senseless to dread whatever lies before us
when, night and day, the boats,
strong as horses in the wind,
come and go,

brining in the tiny infants
and carrying away the bodies of the dead.

A Short Story

Let me recommend a short story for you to read. This is a re-imagining of the account of Jesus' 40-Day fast and temptation in the wilderness. It is in 3 parts. Here are links:

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

Discovering Poetry

I've never been a big poetry reader. In fact, I haven't read much poetry at all. But one of my favourite authors (Don Miller) recommended the poetry of Billy Collins on his blog. I just picked it up today from the library and have already read about 20 of his poems. Let me share with you a couple of my favourites:

Earthling
You have probably come across
those scales in planetariums
that tell you how much you
would weigh on other planets.

You have noticed the fat ones
lingering on the Mars scale
and the emaciated slowing up
the line for Neptune.

As a creature of average weight,
I fail to see the attraction.

Imagine squatting in the wasteland
of Pluto, all five tons of you,
or wandering around Mercury
wondering what to do next with your ounce.

How much better to step onto
the simple bathroom scale,
a happy earthling feeling
the familiar ropes of gravity,

157 pounds standing soaking wet
a respectful distance from the sun.


My Number
Is Death miles away from this house,
reaching for a widow in Cincinnati
or breathing down the neck of a lost hiker
in British Columbia?

Is he too busy making arrangements,
tampering with air brakes,
scattering cancer cells like seeds,
loosening the wooden beams of roller coasters

to bother with my hidden cottage
that visitors find so hard to find?

Or is he stepping from a black car
parked at the dark end of the lane,
shaking open the familiar cloak,
its hood raised like the head of a crow,
and removing the scythe from the trunk?

Did you have any trouble with the directions?
I will ask, as I start talking my way out of this.

Mr. Deity - Season 2, Episode 9

From Crackle: Mr. Deity and the Help Meet - Season 2, Ep 9

Jeff Healey 1966 - 2008

I was never a huge fan of Jeff Healey, but I often felt I should be. I didn't realize until today that it was cancer than blinded him. The cancer got the rest of him yesterday.

Check out any of these youtube clips:
See the Light (incredible blues solos - he even plays with his mouth for a bit - great blues voice, too).

Angel Eyes - the classic Jeff Healey song.

Jamming with the Scandinavian Rhythym Boys - Jeff is the one on the right playing the trumpet. Then he sits down and plays an accoustic guitar.

He was 41.

Hello

Well looks like I have been able to declutter my mind enough to recover my pass word to get onto the blog. YEAH. So I have some cute videos I thought I would put on and share with you all.

Romeo & Swiper

More Panorama

Here are some pictures of our family ski trip to Panorama:

Panorama Ski Trip

Just got back from 3 days of awesome skiing at Panorama. Just thought I'd post this little video that I made to make you jealous.

Mr. Deity & the Good - Season 2, Episode 8

From Crackle: Mr. Deity and the Good - Season 2, Ep 8

Afghan opinion poll

According to an Environics poll of Afghans (like, people in Afghanistan), "one in three people believes suicide bombing is sometimes justified."

Mr. Deity and the Limbo - Season 2, Ep 7

From Crackle: Mr. Deity and the Limbo - Season 2, Ep 7

Another Mr. Deity

Here is the latest Mr. Deity. Season 2, Episode 6:

From Crackle: Mr. Deity and the Murder - Season 2, Ep 6

Access Pandora out of the US

Hey all,

Go check out http://globalpandora.com/

Sweet.

Here's something different...

Never thought a talented underground-type musician would take Aerosmith seriously? Well Leo kottke and Mike Gordon have something to say about that with this remake of the classic Sweet Emotion. The link here is for a youtube video that shows some of the background work that went into the song - it isn't the actual track that ended up on the album. This is a very interesting clip if you love the campiness of Aerosmith rock.

Steve Earle new-ish album

Check out Steve Earle's new album Washington Square Serenade.

I especially appreciate Satellite Radio, City of Immigrants, Sparkle and Shine and Come Home to Me. (scroll down to hear clips of tracks from the album)