incipiosermo.com

I thought of a new word for the English language that I think sums up the approach I am going to take for my blog over the next while: "Sporactivity." I like to blog and write, but sometimes life is life and it gets busy. Therefore, I am going to embrace some sporactivity (sporadic activity) for my blog in the days to come. I haven't left, I'm just "sporaticizing" the blogging world.

Labels: misc

My TV Appearance
I was recently on TV talking about "The Edge," our Youth Drop-In Center, at Parkview. It was a cool experience to talk about our church's vision for engaging our community by meeting practical needs within. It was facinating to have talked for several minutes on camera and then only see two small clips on TV - but there were good clips:)

New Church Website
Our church is going through a major website overhaul and are launching our new (very cool) site in a few day. If you get a chance check it out www.parkviewalliance.com. We still have a lot of "polishing" to do and the potential of things we can do through it is amazing.

Renovation Overdrive
I been in renovation mode in our house for the last couple months since moving it, but for the next few weeks, I officially move into "renovation overdrive" as I complete our upstairs installing counter tops, new flooring, painting, shelving, lighting, building cabinets and cabinet doors. I like doing it but the pace is a bit much these days.

Mission Re-Think
I have been facinated with world missions lately which has trusted my into several books that I will post about together soon. There are:

• Glocalization by Bob Roberts Jr.
• GloboChrist by Carl Raschke
• Revolution in World Missions by K.P. Yohannan
  

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I have been in both community newspapers over the last week and thought I would share the pictures used with a bit of a caption contest. Here they are:


Leave a comment with your captions...have fun and mock away:)

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As part of our current sermon series on Haggai, this morning we talked about the idea of RE-Tracing our spiritual journey and how God has worked in our lives (individually and together as a community) so that we can then see our present and future with a new perspective.

As part of RE-Tracing our past, I mentioned the Ignatius Prayer of Examine and so I thought I would include a few links here:

• Written Prayer of Examine that you can use to reflect on the end of your day.
  
• Free MP3 Prayer of Examine that you can listen to with your Ipod, Mp3, media or CD player at the end of your day.

I trust these will be helpful in your spiritual journey as you RE-Trace the work of God in the tapestry of your life, knowing that your situation is not a surprise to God and that God is calling you to something more.

As always, I hope my messages get to the route of what the word "sermon" stems from (conversation) and that they would truly start spiritual conversations. Thus. I would always invite your comments, concerns, stories, prayer requests, etc. as we pursue life together.

Labels: misc, sermo

Well, I back to the blogging world after a bit of a hiatus. With moving, doing a bunch of work on our new house and starting my new role (Lead Pastor of Parkview Alliance Church), things have been busy to say the least. Although things have been busy, I am feeling like I am getting into a routine and looking forward to reentering the blogging world. With that being said, I am still trying to decipher the direction my blog should take. I have some interesting thoughts and ideas that I have been working through and at least for know, I am looking forward to examining them here.

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In a few days I will be back regularly posting on incipiosermo.com. I am getting more and more settled and a routine is emerging. I'm looking forward to re-engaging the online blogging world.

Posting soon,

Bryce

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As you may have noticed I have been taking a bit of a break lately with my blog. With school over and with starting a new ministry in a week, I thought I would take a well deserved break from the blogosphere.

For those who check regularly, I am not gone completely and will return soon.

Thanks for reading.

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This last week was Graduation weekend and it was awesome on so many levels. I was honored to be Valedictorian of this year's graduating class, giving the Valedictorian address at the Graduation Banquet the evening before the commencement ceremonies. Because not everyone was able to attend the banquet, I thought I would post a written copy of my address here...

Good evening Board of Trustees, Faculty, Staff, family, friends, honored guests and most importantly, those we are honoring tonight: the Taylor Seminary Graduating Class of 2008.

As I was reflecting on my words for this evening, Taylor’s mission to develop Christ-minded leaders who make a difference in the world kept coming to mind. Consequently, I want to share a couple observations from the New Testament story of Phillip and the Ethiopian Eunuch about some important and vital truths we all must remember as we seek to serve God in his world.

Many of you will probably be familiar with this story that is found in Acts Chapter 8 and I am also sure there are some here who are less than familiar with it. Therefore, let me set the stage for the narrative we will look at this evening.

At the beginning of Chapter 8 we find Phillip ministering in Samaria with great success. We read that “crowds” were coming out to hear him speak and perform miracles. In fact, Luke tells us that not only were crowds gathering, but Phillip’s ministry saw a difference being made in his world. Luke even describes the mood of the entire city being transformed into one of “great joy.” In all accounts, Phillip was experiencing numerical success in ministry that would have gotten him acclaim, popularity, and if this took place in our culture today: interviews on popular TV programs and most definitely a book deal with Zondervan. He was experiencing numerical success and in that success, God does something completely unexpected, He sends an angel to tell Phillip to “Go south on the road – the desert road – that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.”

As Phillip walks along the road he notices an important Ethiopian official reading the Book of Isaiah and the Spirit tells Phillip to go and stay near him. God calls Phillip away from a ministry to thousands in order to travel to a ministry of one. As Phillip asks the Ethiopian questions and explains the meaning of Isaiah, the Ethiopian comes to know Christ and like a good Baptist, he sees water on their journey and asks to be baptized.

In the middle of great numerical success, God calls Phillip to take a lonely journey down a dusty desert road and moves Phillip from ministry to hundreds/thousands to a ministry of one, shattering what I term the “exaltation of efficiency.”

We live in a culture that values efficiency at a rapidly growing pace. In fact, recent studies say that fuel efficiency has now become the number one customer concern for new cars, topping safety which has led the way for many years. You see this translated into appliance and furnace purchases, employer/employee relationship strategies, leadership material, and time management programs. The value of efficiency is pervasive and even sneaks its way into “ministry” as well. Although we will all serve and lead in different ways and in different ministries, we will all be faced with this “exaltation of efficiency” at some point as we lead.

Some of us will face the “exaltation of efficiency” when our ministries are not experiencing numerical growth. We serve in a culture (Evangelical Church culture) that often defines ministry success solely in numerical terms. If God is calling you to be a pastor, you will experience this with attendance, commitment, membership, or baptism numbers. If God is calling you to be a missionary, you will experience this when you come home from the mission field as people ask you how many people came to Christ. If God calls you to be a Sunday school teacher or Bible study leader, people will ask how many are coming to your class every week. And sadly, it is not just those on the outside who ask these questions but we ask them of ourselves (consciously and sub-consciously), often making decisions on our future and self-worth solely based on a numerical evaluative scale. The problem is that success is not simply numbers. Success must always be holistic in nature. The problem is that, we as leaders, too often assume our definition of success is God’s definition. Phillip’s ministry to the Ethiopian was no less successful than Philip’s ministry to the crowds in Samaria. We must always remember that in God’s economy the ministry to the one is equally important as the ninety-nine.

Some of us will face the “exaltation of efficiency” when God calls us to a ministry that doesn’t make earthly sense. In the story of Phillip and the Ethiopian, we notice Phillip being called by God from a large ministry to a ministry of one. In our culture where we exalt efficiency, it is difficult to imagine moving down the “corporate ladder” of ministry; however, I would suggest there are times when God might be calling us to do just that. God may call one of us to walk down the corporate ministry ladder and walk alone on a dusty road, not because he is punishing us but because in his economy efficiency and productivity are viewed on a different dimension. May we have the courage to follow God’s call wherever it leads, even if it breaks our culture’s view of what we should be doing or what is “successful.”

Some of us will face the “exaltation of efficiency” when ministry is extremely difficult - when we struggle with discouragement and disillusionment. Some of us will serve in ministries that are less than numerically successful and will be tempted to quit. Some of us will be called to serve in places that make no earthly or career sense. But all of us will experience the fact that ministry and leadership is hard, ministry and leadership is demanding, and serving against the tide of efficiency can be very, very difficult.

As we attempt, with God’s help and empowerment, to be Christ minded leaders who make a difference in our world, we must always have a Christ-centered view of ministry that understands the one as equally important as the ninety-nine, we must always be willing to serve and at times follow God down the corporate ladder, and we must always remember that although it is hard, we are not alone and it is worth it.

Our world is in desperate need of Christ-minded leaders who will not just make a difference but who are radically different in both their character and their perspective.

May we be those kind of leaders, seeking God’s glory and not our own.

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This is a glass mosaic I did for my Music and Arts in Worship class.


The following is the text I handed in to help understand the mosaic:



I chose this portion of Scripture because it is so visual in its depiction of the events and the tension described is palpable throughout. I chose to use the medium of glass because I have yet to do anything like this and I was intrigued with the potential textures and colors as well as the additional dimension of transparency and opaqueness that glass allows.

As you examine the picture, notice several things. In the background, you will see a tree (more visible when lit from behind) showing the nature of the garden with explicit reference to the tree of knowledge in the Garden of Eden. You will also notice the torches in the background that, when lit from behind, appear more visible, displaying transparent orange flames. These torches represent the soldiers brought by Judas to arrest Jesus.

In the foreground there are two distinct figures. The one on the right is Judas, the betrayer, in the act of his betrayal, kissing Jesus on the check. Judas’ profile demonstrates an intentional action and he leans into kiss Jesus, recognizing and reminding the viewer of this deliberate act. Jesus is the other figure, shown in contrast to Judas (presented on the left). He is cloaked in white and his eyes are deliberately portrayed as disappointed and betrayed, identifying Jesus’ emotion and abandonment from his friend and disciple. If you look closely, you will notice that both Jesus and Judas’ eyes are completely transparent and when lit from behind, draws your attention to the human drama of the scene.

This is the first time I have attempted a piece of art of this nature and medium and it was challenging to get started. I wanted to visually depict the human drama of the betrayal and went through several different ideas and concepts and came up with this finished project. It is not exactly as I had originally imagined, but that is the case with all art as reality collides with vision and the resulting piece emerges. I found it particularly helpful and insightful in my reflection on the human interaction of Jesus and Judas.

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I know I mentioned Kiva.org before but want to recommend it to you again. We are Kiva lenders and it is an awesome organization to which I would encourage you to become apart.

Bill Clinton does a great job of explaining it here.


Kiva.org

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Now that finals are over I wanted to give a brief update on life and then break till after Christmas with a plan for a New Years resolution of daily blog postings of sorts. First the update:

1. Finished the fall semester and think I did well.
2. I am looking forward to taking a couple weeks off until I have to begin the pre-work for classes in January.
3. I found out recently that I am going to Vancouver in March as Taylor's representative for the 2008 Canadian Theological Students Conference. This should be more than interesting, given the topic and speakers.
   
4. We are going on a family road trip to Saskatchewan in February as I am taking one more class at Briercrest. Laurie and the kids are going to come with me this time and visit friends in Regina.
5. Christmas shopping is almost done - the craziness is almost over.
6. I am very proud of my kids at their Christmas concerts - they were awesome.

In terms of my New Years blogging resolution, I think I am actually going to try and post a question a day with some of my thoughts about it. I get the sense that we don't ask enough good questions about things and want to grow in that area. I think it will be easy enough to do each day...watch for it beginning January 1st.

Have a great Christmas season.

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I thought this picture would give you a quick update on my reading over the last couple months. Because of the amount of reading I'm doing, I do not have time to blog about the specific books I have read. Therefore, this picture will have to suffice. The crazy reading schedule isn't over yet as my books for next semester have already begun to arrive in the mail. The new stack is at least as big as the stack in the picture.

Labels: book review, misc

I recently became aware of this great non-profit organization (Kiva.org) that matches people in need from around the world with micro-loans from people who can afford to loan as little as $25US. It is a great organization with a unique model.


I would encourage you to check it out and consider loaning someone some much needed funds to better their life. It is fun, easy and unlike many organizations, the people in need get 100% of the money you loan them.

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I was tagged by Mike to compile the soundtrack to my life. I was surprised by some of the song selections...I now tag James and Tammy.

The Rules:
1. Open your library (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, iPod, etc)
2. Put it on shuffle
3. Press play
4. For every question, type the song that’s playing
5. When you go to a new question, press the next button

Here we go (according to my iTunes):

Opening Credits
Dave Matthews "All Along the Watchtower"

Waking Up
John Butler Trio "Betterman"

First Day of School
U2 "Beautiful Day"

Falling in Love
David Crowder Band "Sing Like the Saved"

Fight Song
Jeremy Camp "Wonderful Maker"

Breaking Up
Amanda Marshall "Trust Me (This is Love)"

Prom
John Mayer "In Repair"

Life
Bruce Springstein "We Shall Overcome"

Mental Breakdown
ABBA "Dancing Queen"

Driving
Chris Tomlin "Let God Arise"

Flashback
David Crowder Band "Come and Listen"

Getting Back Together
United Live "Consuming Fire"

Wedding
U2 "Love Comes Tumbling"

Birth of Child
Collective Soul "Energy"

Final Battle
U2 "Drowning Man"

Death Scene:
Amanda Marshal "Last Exit to Eden"

Funeral Song
Evanescences "Solitude"

End Credits
Barenaked Ladies "Maybe Your Right"

Labels: misc

It is "crunch time" for school these days and consequently I haven't been keeping up with my blog. I have been writing at prolific pace and as a result there has been a shortage of extra words. So I thought I would go simple and give a short update on life and school (these days it is hard to distinguish between the two):

1. Been working on a ton of papers for school. I think I have a total of about 70 pages due over the next three weeks.
   
2. I put up our outdoor Christmas lights (Our house is bright!!! I am not sure if Al Gore will be happy with our electricity consumption or if we will confuse the planes coming to land at the Edmonton International Airport, but it looks good).
3. I have been trying desperately to get through the stack of books I have for school. I forget what it was like to read by choice?
   
4. I've watched a few average movies over the last few weeks.
   
5. I am still in shock over the thought of loosing my weekly dose of "The Office" due to the writers strike. I am also depressed that they are talking about permanently canceling 24.
   
6. I am thankful for my Laptop and the ability to work in various locations (my office, coffee shops, Devon's A&W, etc), at least it provides some variety to my life. I feel like a school hermit as it is but it would be even worse if I had to do all my work in my office.
   

Although life is busy, I am so grateful for the opportunity to take this year and be in school full-time.

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With my favorite TV shows on hiatus due to the writers' strike I am in deep mourning - there is only one more episode of The Office and 24 has been put on hold.

It is sad but after watching this video made by The Office writers during their picketing (it is informative and quite funny), I understanding their point. I just hope the strike will be over soon because I am NOT going to watch reality TV...I'm NOT!!! Unless, of course, they bring back "Fear Factor" (just kidding).

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I thought I would begin my reentry into the blogosphere with an update on my life over the last few weeks:

1. I've begun full-time studies at Taylor Seminary and so far so good...but ask me in November when all my paper/presentation due dates converge.
2. I took a week-long extensive class at Briercrest a couple weeks ago in Saskatchewan and survived. The class was good but it was lonely. Briercrest is literally in the middle of nowhere with one choice for food (Subway) besides the high school cafeteria (I stood in line for about 30 second and came to my senses). Consequently, I ate at Subway every night for supper. I've had my fill of subs for a while.
3. I met a guy from my youth group back in Regina for lunch while I was at Briercrest...it was great to hear what God was doing in his life and his passion for ministry and missions.
4. I finished at the church and survived the roast at my farewell...it was very encouraging and affirming. Laurie and I both feel commissioned into this next chapter of our lives.
5. I am finishing my resume and will be getting ready to engage the long process of looking for another ministry.
6. I found this great website with a daily cartoon on the church. This guy has a unique way of putting on screen what people write entire books about. Brilliant, provocative and timely are some of the many words you could use to describe it.
   
7. I was introduced to this great software (Mindjet) which has changed the way I organize papers, do my to-do list, etc.
8. I am doing some detailed study on Martin Luther for an independent study class I am taking. I've found it to be very interesting. I am actually in the process of writing a major paper on antisemitism in the writings and Sermons of Luther and it's effects on the nation of German, leading to Nazism and then its contemporary response on behalf of Evangelicals today. I will try writing a blog post on some of that soon.
9. Our twins are in Kindergarten and our oldest is in grade two...time goes so fast!
   
10. TV has begun and I am excited about getting back into some mindless TV entertainment.
    
11. I've seen some good movies lately on DVD & in theaters. If you haven't seen "King of Kong" yet, you need to get a copy of it.

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Due to the fact that these last couple weeks have been crazy and the next few weeks look even more insane, my blogging life has to take a bit of a hiatus. I will still try and post some (I have a tendency to come up with great ideas when I am procrastinating) but with finishing at the church, starting up at school and traveling to Briercrest (Saskatchewan) Seminary next week for a class, things have and will be pretty hairy.

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Sometimes you just need to get an honest glimpse at humanity. As such, take a look at this official PostSecret video.

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It is finally done...

bryceashlinmayo.com is finished. As a compliment to this Blog (incipiosermo.com), which will continue, bryceashlinmayo.com will host some of the basic information about me, my ministry, my family, and my speaking schedule.

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This last week I had the privilege of hanging out with two of my favorite people for a few days in Calgary. We went to a movie, almost died on a hike, ate good food, talked theology, and stayed up way too late but above all, I experienced the intangible, a deep ecclesiology. In other words, I experienced deep church.

So to all my friends...thanks for being you and walking through life with me and allowing me the privilege of walking along side of you.

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I found this great app on The Simpsons Movie site that allows you to create Simpsons characters that resemble you. I did one for each of our family and put them together as one image - this is the picture I ended up with.

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It has been a while since I have posted. I have some intelligent blog posts in the making but for now I thought I should just give you a quick update on my life:

1. I've read a number of books that I have haven't gotten around to doing any sort of blog reviews for including: "Technopoly," "Politics of Meaning," "Good to Great," "Courageous Leadership" and I'm sure I've forgotten some others.
   
2. I've watch some good and not so good movies. On the good side, I've seen "Live Free and Die Hard" and "Transformers." On the bad side, I've seen "The Contractor." There are many in betweens but "The Contractor" (staring Wesley Snipes - yes, he is still making movies) is so bad that nothing in recent memory even comes close.
3. I've begun doing some prep work for a leadership class I'm taking in September and I'm now officially over my head in work for an "External Studies" class on the Theology of Martin Luther. It doesn't seem right to be doing homework in the summer.
4. I had the privilege of preaching at the Baptist church in town a couple of weeks ago. It was an honor, privilege and loads of fun to bring God's Word to them. Incidentally, I am also preaching at Regency Christian Church in town in August.
   
5. We had good friends over last week which brought a spark back into my life in a way that only good friendships can. Miss you guys:).
   
6. I am pumped about a road trip planned with two of my best friends for a few days next week. I am pumped...did I say that already.
7. I have been busy at church as I conclude my ministry...leaving is always a weird feeling full of mixed emotions.
8. I am also excited to begin filming the next, and sadly, final promo/intro video to our church's fall kick-off. We (RGB Productions) have some great ideas this time. They are always fun to make, even if no one else finds them amusing.
9. It has been crazy hot lately and I don't want to complain but it's too hot...my office at the end of the day gets to 29 degrees with no air flow.
10. My son Nathanial turns 7 this weekend...where has time gone???
    

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I came across the word "triskaidekaphobia" and though it would be fun to use it as many times as I could today given it is Friday the 13th. I don't suffer from "triskaidekaphobia" and don't really know of others who do, I just think it is a fun word and maybe for a day I'll sound smart...

Labels: misc

I was tagged by Mike to post the first 10 Songs that showed up in my Ipod shuffle list - I thought I would go one step further and post the top 20....here they are:

1. "Holy Is The Lord" - Chris Tomlin
2. "Send Your Mind" - Van Morrison
3. "Elanor Rigby" - The Fray
4. "Hello Again" - Dave Matthews Band
5. "There Will Never Be Another Tonight" - Bryan Adams
6. "We Will Bow" - Brian Doerksen
7. "Walking Away" - Lifehouse
8. "Free" - Delirious?
9. "Cannot say enough" - Mercyme
10. "Sky is Falling" - Lifehouse
11. "Great Provider" - BNL
12. "If God Will Send His Angels" - U2
13. "How Great" - David Crowder Band
14. "Trying to Throw Your Arms Around" - U2
15. "Thank You for Hearing Me" - David Crowder Band
16. "He is Yahweh" - Vineyard Canada
17. "Lord, We Turn" - David Ruis
18. "Stealing Time" - Delirious?
19. "Mission" - Chris Cornell
20. "This Love" - Maroon 5

Labels: misc

About a month ago I was given the phone by my my wife with the words: "The Police are asking for you?" I thought she was joking until I talked to the person on the other end. She informed me that they (the RCMP) had a subpoena for my at the police station. I have watched enough TV to know a subpoena had something to do with court, but not enough real knowledge to understand exactly what it meant. I asked for more information, which the lady was happy to provide, including the name of the accused (not me), court date and offense. I did the detective work in my head and realized that the trial had to do with our van being stolen about a year ago (see this link for the post I did about it) and I was being called as a witness.

Well, the trail date finally came and after the confusing gong show of finding parking, going through security and finding the courtroom, I was really to testify. Seriously...it was confusing...there was no one there to help (even the information desk was frustratingly empty), but after tracking down someone who didn't look like a criminal, I got instructions and I was off to court.

I was lucky enough to meet the prosecutor at the courtroom doors and she gave me the "low down." She also introduced me to the two officers who arrested the individual. She informed told me she didn't think the accused would show and that if he did, it would not go to trial as he didn't have a case. However, as a precaution, she began to brief me with what could happen if the trial began. I wasn't nervous until she began briefing me for cross examination, then I got a little nervous as to what to expect and the specific questions that could be asked. To this day, I still am not sure why I was called to testify, as Laurie and I were not present during the theft and all I could do was say that it was indeed my van and the accused did not have my permission to drive it - I would have thought that the broken steering column would have cleared that bit of information up.

All that said, I was happy to do my duty and in the end, the guy didn't appear. His attorney believes he is serving a several year sentence in B.C. (Why the provincial computer systems aren't linked still mystifies me). Anyway, it was an interesting experience to say the least and one that provided me with many stories.

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As many of you may know our family's life will be taking a major change in the coming months. Yesterday, we resigned our current ministry position at Devon Alliance Church (effective mid-September) with the plan to attend school full-time in September (for 8months) in order to complete my Master of Divinity degree from Taylor Seminary. This is a decision that took months of careful discerning as we pursue God's calling in our lives in the direction of Lead (Senior) Pastor after I graduate in April '08. I thought I would include the letter I read in church on Sunday to explain why and what we are doing.

Devon Alliance Church Family,

It has been my sincere privilege to serve on staff at Devon Alliance Church. It is a rare experience to serve at one's home church and I have been honoured with the opportunity. You have welcomed me with open arms and supported my ministry and family in so many ways.

Hence, it is with mixed emotions that I inform you of God's leading in our lives. We believe that God is leading us into a new chapter in our journey. We have not come to this decision easily or lightly but with months of reflection, counsel and prayer. This new chapter revolves around God moving in my heart, gifts and passions to the area of Lead Pastor. God has been moving in my heart for a while but it has surged to the point where we feel we need to pursue this new calling with all our attention and energy. Many of you have known that I have been going to school part-time for several years working slowly on my Master of Divinity at Taylor Seminary. In preparation for this new direction, I will be attending school full-time in September to complete my Master's degree (I should graduate in April). My hope is that during my studies I will be able to do some preaching in area churches as well as job search for a Lead Pastor's position for employment after completion of my degree.

I want to make clear that we are not leaving for any reason other than trying to authentically and completely follow God's leading in our lives with passion and obedience. Thank you for your support over the last several years and I look forward to sharing with you how and where God is leading us into our future.

Thank-you for your thoughts and prayers as our family takes this step into our future and I promise to keep you apprised of how and where God leads us in our future.

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Here is a quick summary of my last few weeks:
1) Finished the book The Unhealed Wound: The Church and Human Sexuality which is about the Catholic's church struggles with issues of sexuality - specifically in the priesthood. I will write something on it soon.
2) I was served a subpoena to go to court as a witness - stemming back to the theft of our van a year ago.
3) We had a great family holiday in Kananaskis with lots of good family memories.
4) I got to see a take down of a fugitive in the hotel we stay at in Calgary on vacation.
5) We finished a five-week Family Leadership Conference on issues related to the inclusion of people with disabilities that was both eye opening and challenging.
6) I am heading out tonight with a great friend of mine who works at a home for street kids in Bolivia - looking forward to it.
7) I am now on Facebook and spent way to long online last night getting nothing done.
8) I am slowly working on a Blog article about the past, present and future of the Church that has dominated my thinking over the last while.
9) I am currently finishing reading Technolopy by Neil Postman and Organic Church by Neil Cole.
10) I'm learning Blues Bottleneck Slide Guitar.
11) Laurie and I are currently working through the first season of Jericho and have been faithfully watching On The Lot.

Labels: misc

Voluntold refers to those moments when someone is "assigned" a project due to their absence or by a supervisor to their subordinate. Voluntolding someone is an easy solution to a recruiting problem but it is often frustrating to be on the other end of a voluntolding situation. Voluntolding is also a great way to "punish" someone for not attending or leaving a meeting early.

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I would like to enter a new word into our vocabulary: Questusation. You have probably had them thrown, or better said fired, at you or maybe at times you have been behind the trigger yourself. A Questusation is a carefully calculated and crafted accusation in the form of a question.

If you have been in any form of leadership, you would have undoubtedly experienced them. The main problem with a questusation is that you never know how to answer them or if you should answer them. They are not an outright question and not a straightforward accusation. So I propose that we need a predetermined culturally and socially acceptable response to these attacks beyond readjusting our Kevlar vests following their impact.

Any ideas???

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I'm not sure if there are words to describe this video....

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The last week has been less then fun. I have had a fever, headaches, body aches, runny nose, and chest congestion. I have been taking Cold FX and it just doesn’t seem to be working. How can this be true…Don Cherry is never wrong, is he?

Consequently I haven’t gotten around to my Blog posts or anything else that isn’t necessary for pure survival. Hopefully, Don Cherry won’t let me down and the Cold FX will kick it into overdrive and I’ll feel like a $1,000,000, or at least like $10.85.

Labels: misc

1. School is over for the semester and I finished Hebrew (Did you hear that? That was me patting myself of the back.) ☺
2. Now that school is over I’ve started reading two new books: “Leadership Secrets of Billy Graham” and “Technopoly”
3. I am off to our District Conference today...As tedious as meetings can be, I am looking forward to hanging out with friends and of course, riding my motorbike down to Red Deer.
4. Laurie, my wife, posted a great Blog post recently.
5. My office is finally clean, it has been a while since I’ve been able to get to filing and putting some “event stuff” in our infamous storage “crawl space” at Church.
6. I bought five great books for under $20.00 at Chapters the other day.
7. The sun is out, Spring is here, and yard work has begun.
8. I went to Pre-School the other day with our twins and experienced all that they are learning – I was very proud! I also had the privilege of having my son read “Curious George” to me and am amazed at his reading skill. Kids grow up way to fast.
9. I have about three unfinished Blog posts on various subjects that I’ve been working on – I hope to finish them next week.

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I just read a post from the Blog of a friend of ours (Laurie & I) that got my attention. She wrote about an article she read about Pastor’s Wives from Time magazine and her reflections on it. I would encourage all those Pastor’s wives who frequent or stumble on my Blog to read Erin’s thoughtful remarks and begin a conversation on this subject that until recently has had little diversity and reflection. I am not going to comment on it personally, as I am not a pastor’s wife (although I am married to one), but I would encourage all of you to begin talking, writing and speaking on this subject. The conversation on the call, role and individuality of the pastor’s wife has not been proportionately updated with the rapidly changing face of pastoral ministry in the last few decades. With changing roles of pastors including multiple staffs, spouses with careers, women in ministry, etc., there are a lot of new avenues and issues that need to be addressed and I think it is vital that more women begin and join this conversation.

I look forward to reading and hearing your reflections in the coming weeks, months and years.

P.S. Highlighting the changes in pastoral ministry is the new and sometimes awkward role of Pastor's husbands - I know of several guys who fall into this category and I rarely, if ever, hear of conversation (retreats, books, articles) on their calling and role.

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I heard of this real company, 1and3 Trinity, that makes a "Christian" energy drink that as the drink's can says is "Fused with Fruit of the Spirit." Has Christian marking really gone so far where it has its own over priced energy drinks? I have seen the "Testa-Mints" at the local Christian Bookstore but an energy drink that uses Scripture referring to "walking in step" with the Spirit of God as a marketing tool - seriously folks?

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control..." (Galatians 5:22-23a, NIV)

Something in it doesn't sit well with me and to borrow a phrase from my friend Mike...this can't be normal, can it?

Labels: misc

Maybe it's spring but I felt like giving my blog a new look.

Hope you enjoy.

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I’m frustrated…Our ADSL (High Speed Internet Connection) has been down for almost a week now and it is frustrating to say the least. I haven’t been able to blog, check emails, do online discussions for school from home and I’ve realized how dependant on the World Wide Web I am. But hope is near; the Telus guy is coming on Wednesday to check that it is our modem that is busted and that I haven’t connected a cable wrong. I sat on the phone with Tech support forever (or at least what seemed like an eternity) and tried all their simple tests to end up with where I was before I called (the modem must be broken). In the end, they will come out, give us a new modem and we will be connected again.

So...I apologize for the lack of communication but I’m unplugged.

Labels: misc

With our family being sick with the flu over the last week or so there hasn’t been time for things like blogging. I have some great ideas for articles and have begun to work on some but they have been slower going as of late. So I though I would do a list of some things I have been up to over the last while:

1. Two friends and I are preparing for our next Church Easter Video. We are in the process of finishing the script and story-boarding the video (Lyca Reel).
2. I have been asked to speak to a bunch of social workers at a government function this week.
3. I am anticipating in our third Small Group Pastor’s DeConference next week. All our previous DeConferences have been great and this is looks like it will be no different.
4. I am going a bit crazy with Hebrew. I am taking a Biblical Hebrew class on Tuesday nights and it has been challenging and interesting. The Hebrew language is challenging in many ways including: lack of vowels, right to left, completely different characters than English, there are no spaces between words, etc..
5. Believe it or not, I had a planning meeting for Christmas last week…that was bizarre. It is always good to plan in advance, but to think of Christmas at the start of Spring is bizarre.
6. My kids are now into Pirates…so Nathanial (my oldest) was walking around the