What does it mean to follow Christ?

Funny Video.

makes you think doesn't it?

i thought it was funny.

A Few days off

so it's been a long time since i've posted it's november 16th and i am taking a few days off.

this weekend is my moms side of the family Christmas... i know it's early but its still all good.

and so i'm taking a much needed few days off before the business of Christmas.

plus Luana and i are still recovering from the business of my ordination service and get together and then the women's Christmas tea event where Luana was part of the planning team and a presenter that night.

needless to say busy so we are trying to get back to sanity this week...

the best way to do that...

Clean out the laundry room...

Ok i admit it was a stupid idea but it will be nice to have it done..

And i think we'll go to ikea on Friday.

mmmmmm Swedish lingonberry...

Darryl loves Luana

click here to download

17 more sleeps

I'm back in the saddle again

Out where a friend is a friend

Where the longhorn cattle feed

On the lowly gypsum weed

Back in the saddle again

Good to see you today Josh.

Snif.

love bleeds

A poem for Josh.

Alas I cannot count to four.

It is too painful

Four times my heart was crushed.

Four times I hoped for breath.

Four times I shaved my head.

The zebra races.


Four birds sang a dirge outside my window this morning.

It is winter.

Four is a grace when 5 threatens

Cursed be the tires on my car.


I am lost

Like goldfish lie limp in the globe that once spun me

I am sunk

Like grilled cheese torn from the pan of their creation

I am full


I will walk

I will dance

I will shout

I will miss you Josh.

See you in four....

....snif

My Strategic Planning Network

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So i've been dusting off my Black Suit and Fedora because i'm going to Chicago next week. I will be travelling with some fellow pastor's who i meet with 3 or 4 times a year for mutual encouragement and growth... i found some Video of a SPN meeting i had taken. I reformated it to remove most of my wise cracks and what you have left is a brief look into one of those days. I really do enjoy meeting with this group of guys. they're all good folk. They challenge me to grow... up and this coming week will be no different. The Leadership Summit which we are going to is one of the premier leadership training events in the world. This years speakers are brilliant. I can't wait... to have chicago stuffed pizza

weird

weird

Watch the video

Young people these days... sheesh

of the mountains

This was one of our last stops before Vancouver. It is just about 20 minutes past Whistler. The model is a lovely German woman dressed in blue fleese. grrrrrowl.
 

This is the river on the property of our Bed and Breakfast.

... not missing Ontario yet...

(Just our kids) that's it. 

God's Blessing on our holiday.

It was supposed to rain all day.

it didn't rain more than 2 minutes in Jasper and 10 while we were in our bed and breakfast. That rain gave us this.

What a spectacular place. 

A love note to Esther

A love note to Esther

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We miss you Esther. 

 

See you soon.

 

God Bless 

Flight to General Assembly

Flight to General Assembly

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Our General Assembly journal episode 1

Life before OAC

Life before OAC

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Ever try to express your feelings without using words?

mmmm lunch

I'm on fire today.

More for your procrastinating pleasure.

shudddddder

this is the single spookiest thing i have seen in ... well... a long long time

Waiting for a meeting

I'm just waiting for my 2 o'clock to show so i thought i would update everyone what i'm up to.

in just a week or so July 4th Luana and i are flying out to Edmonton for General Assembly. A trip out west should be fun but they fill it with business meetings that aren't that exciting. after Assembly ends holiday begins. We are renting a car and driving out to Vancouver to visit our awesome friends the Jukema's.

should be a fun time.

i still haven't booked the hotels for the trip to van. We are trying to decide what we want to do while going through the mountains.

I want to find Ogopogo but she wants something less adventuresome.

any ideas? let me know.

I think we will stay at one place for 2 nights on that trip so we can do some exploring without having to feel like we have a destination in mind. we'll see.

i'd like to play golf at some mountainous course... that would be cool.

and i want to go horseback riding in the mountains.

i've always had a cowboy thing... that was until Brokeback... but i won't that ruin innocence of riding through the mountains. I'll make John Wayne proud... that or Billy Crystal.

we fly back into town in the middle of July where we will enjoy the rest of our holidays. Just in time for The Children's Fun Fair.

Let me know if you have any ideas for sights we should see while out west.

Esther's First World Cup

Goooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
ooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
ooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaallllllllllllllllll!!!!!!!!

Sunset over Lake Huron

May 24 weekend was cold and wet and windy and then just for a moment... really nice.

my son't first miracle

my son't first miracle

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we were at the cottage having turkey dinner and bam just like that.

Orangeville Jazz and Blues Festival

So on Thursday i met Josh and Hayley @ Hardwick's House for a band. it was the start of the Orangeville Jazz and Blues Festival. It was a pretty nice venue and the band was good. It was fun. Josh beat me 2 for 2 at pool. My nacho's were terrible. which is ok cause then Hardwicks will close and i can buy the joint.

Sunday i woke up from my post church nap and met Mike and Mike @ the park for some more festival activities.

I brought Abi and Shiloh. It is important to continue what i began in utero - that is playing for them quality Blues music. We had a good time.

A Tiring Day

A Tiring Day

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Ok so that was one long day...

A nervous day

A nervous day

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Sing it with me people

ok.

You know that addictive song on Sesame Street.

I know you want to listen to it again. Go ahead i'll wait... ...


that's good stuff eh.

Well guess what....

tomorrow is one of those "only good things can happen when things like this happen" kindof cosmic anomolies.

i encourage you all to do something to celebrate. Sing a song. In fact sing that song.

On Wednesday, at two minutes and three seconds after 1:00 in the morning, the time and date will be
01:02:03 04/05/06.

That won't ever happen again.

Hope you do something memorable!!!!

And don't forget to sing a verse for my sister Pam who is always ready to celebrate "only good thing" cosmic anomolies, and sent to me the tip. Pam this one is for you.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, do do do dodo do.

Renovations

Renovations

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I've been working on renovating our Bathroom. I have learned a lot. Like hire a plumber. It has been one of those jobs that has ballooned in scope to something far greater than i had originally anticipated. I hope my wife will like it when it's done.

MAC is peering into my soul...

can you see it?

the most adorable little girl

Well if it wasn't for the drool...
and the bogey in her snoz...

well she'd be the most adorable little girl in the world.

who am i kidding. What's a little drool? 

Back to Jogging on the spot

Well the Olympics are over now.

This means that i will be in a depression for the next couple of days.

and it also means that i have no excuse not to catch up the books i am behind in.

and it means that I'm going to have to come up with some other way to feed my need for competition.

anyone wanna race?

tough day

I know i haven't posted in a while.

I've been busy.

and i realize that some of you are already put out because "buckle just said that he is too busy for us. hmf."

well.

i am.

i'm working on a bunch of papers and book reports and stuff.

nothing you'd be interested in.

and

trying not to watch the olympics.

I don't have time for the olympics either. and they only come once every 4 years.

but today was a tough day.

i had a meeting that didn't go as planned.

and i got home feeling really tired.

so i did a little more work, broke for lunch and watched olympics.

then abi and i had an afternoon adventure, i got home to watch the men get eliminated and now i am dreading the rest of today's schedule.

tough day.

oh yeah,

and thanks for the email God. Sorry it took so long to get it.

because

because no one else will

because

because Jesus did.

there are so many things i want to say right now.

Groundhog Day

Groundhog Day

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Some things in life just matter. When dark days grow light, and cloudy skies peal back to reveal a warm sun underneath. When Boredom is crushed and mediocrity is sacrificed to hope. Some things matter. Like celebrating Groundhog day with friends. Happy to ya everyone.

Found this amazing site called Droppingknowledge .

I think it is a facinating concept and the question ad gallery is outstanding.

above is the ad from my Birthday last year. 

Coles notes

I love summaries. if i could get through life without reading the book i might. Having said that, don't send me comments shaming me for not reading or not reading the bible or half hearted Christianity. I just like to get to the heart of the matter sometimes.

Read this post from Jesus Creed and let me know what you think

"great sermon on sunday, pastor"

My alter ego.

how ya doin'

Hi everyone...

How's it going...

oh yeah...

buck up now.

Tomorrow's a new day.

Sha la la

I'm up late tonight. I tried going to sleep earlier but to no avail. I think it was the coffee at board meeting... that or board meeting. I love my board. They are wise and witty and they want to see our church become. this was at both an exciting and quite challenging board meeting. We spent the whole meeting evaluating. articulating our niche, identifying our weakness, and dreaming of what we will become.

I am what they call a visionary leader. I see the future. I don't always know how to get there but i can see it alright.

The tough part of tonights meeting was really getting to the nitty gritty of what we are not. We all know it but few of us can define it, and fewer could offer any concrete suggestions on how to improve it.

It makes me long for the day when i can swim in my strength and not have to wrestle so much to prop up my weakness.

they say that when a pastor focuses on his strength the church will reflect his strength, but when a pastor focuses on his weakness the church will reflect his weakness.

on another note.

I got a call from an old friend recently. Such a good man. Godly, gifted and just a really good man. He is as far as i can tell living in his dream. He is good friends still with another great old friend. I just saw her name on tv. - came here and found her website. As far as i can tell she seems to be living her dream now too... I'm so proud of them. I miss them i think. and i think i envy them some.

My life has taken a different path than they. I'm not sorry for that at all... But i am aware that i don't spend as much time as i would like in the places of my dreams. - just a lot of time dreaming.

I've visited my dreams but i'm not living there yet. Part of the problem is that so few people dream the dreams i dream.

It really can be lonely being a joseph. That and you have to live your life embarassed that you actually encourage yourself singing " Go, go, go Joseph you know what they say
Hang on now Joseph you'll make it some day
Sha la la Joseph you're doing fine
You and your dreamcoat ahead of your time"

embarrasing really.

Intercepted communique

I Just got this in my inbox.

this is not a drill.

Screwtape Targets Leaders
This "lost letter" in the C.S. Lewis portfolio reveals devilish strategies to render pastors harmless.



My Dear Wormwood:

Concerning your correspondence about your new assignment, you are correct: preachers must never do anything they can get caught at.

| Finish the letter |

War of the Worlds

for those of you who have seen war of the worlds you know that just when the sky sparkles with light and beauty, the aliens are getting ready to attack. 

a new year's stretch

we used to do these as kids.

here is your new year's stretch.

Burning rope

There are two lengths of rope.
Each one can burn in exactly one hour.
They are not necessarily of the same length or width as each other.
They also are not of uniform width (may be wider in middle than on the end), thus burning half of the rope is not necessarily 1/2 hour.

By burning the ropes, how do you measure exactly 45 minutes worth of time?

let me know when you have an answer and try not to google it too quick.