Matt and his Godfather Al went for a 30 km bike trip today! Pretty cool.

 

 

 

So I recently read a complicated kindness by Miriam Toews. D has read it but I have not spoken with him about it yet. I have only met one other person who has read it and he enjoyed it. I have met a lot of people who absolutely think it’s an awful book – somehow inherently evil – but not one of them has actually read it so I am left somewhat puzzled.

 

It is well written and unique in its style (if not the approach). The story revolves around the life of a teenage mennonite girl and disolution of her family. Woven throughout the narrative is an intense critique of the mennonite culture and the community the girl grows up in (East Village). She has no kind words for the church either.

 

Of course one has to remember when reading that this is a work of fiction (even if it is a thinly veiled attack on various aspects of the author’s past). The perspective is also from a 17-year-old girl’s persepctive.

 

It’s an incredible read and has already turned up in literature classes at university. I’d be interested in talking with others who have read the book.

 

Remember – you don’t have to agree with a book to enjoy it or to learn from it.

 

 

 

It is August 23. That is important to remember. We were driving back from picking up D&A this afternoon and what did we see but a group of geese flying south…it is August 23…I fear the coming Winter.

 

As I type I can see on my desk in my leftward peripheral vision my new copy of Bioshock for the Xbox360. The game was released in North America this morning and I have been eagerly awaiting it’s arrival. It’s a shooter with a 1930’s art deco feel to it. Can’t say too much because I have only played the demo. Stunning graphics – best I have seen so far but this is not a game for everyone due to the violence. I will keep you posted on gameplay.

 

 

SPOILER ALERT

 

I went to see Invasion tonight with B. and it turned out to be a pretty good movie. It’s a re-make of Invasion of the Body Snatchers and stars Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig. The movie has a good amount of suspense pretty much all the way through with some interesting transitions between scenes.

 

The premise is simple enough – the space shuttle Patriot crashes scattering wreckage across the United States. Attached to the wreckage is some form of alien spore that inevitably end up infecting a huge number of people. It turns out the spores are individually intelligent and when they infect someone they become part of a collective intelligence. The old person’s memories are available but they are essentially driven to the unconscious. At any rate the movie progresses pretty much the way you would expect, all the while a sub-plot unfolds in the background television news programs and newspapers – as the infection spreads world peace breaks out, accords are being signed between historic enemies around the world. The movie ends fairly suddenly and in a way that makes you ask whether there is a twist coming – but it never does. It’s a typical happy ending…until you start remembering the subplot and you begin to realize the happy ending might have been if people had remained infected. Interesting.

 

I’d like to see Starlight as well – it’s based on a graphic novel by Neil Gaiman and looks pretty good.

Title? Who knows?

I was just playing a demo of Bioshock on the Xbox360 – STUNNING graphics! What an incredible shooter. Very cool. Mature game though, language etc. etc. Might get it – I also have my eyes on Two Worlds when in comes out. Halo 3 is a must of course.

The other day I got a copy of Manga Messiah mailed to me (Janet – you would love it). Manga is the name for Japanese comic books or graphic novels. They tend to be far more serious than a North American comic. When I was in Tokyo people of all ages were absorbed in various Manga while riding the trains. Anyhow – a team from Japan has taken the four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John and synthesized them into an incredibly well done, well drawn manga. Matthew has already read the whole thing and thoroughly enjoyed it. They are also advertising a Manga Bible for Christmas. Check out the website at http://www.nextmanga.com/.

This past Friday I volunteered at a local charity golf tourny. As much as I would have enjoyed playing I did have fun running the putting challenge all day. I met a lot of great folks including a new pastor in town who’s at the Evangelical Lutheran church. Part of the deal was dinner and a speaker. The speaker was former NHL player Ryan Walter. As he spoke he handed out his 1986 Stanley Cup ring which of course I had to put on. Check out the picture below.

 

In case you haven’t guessed it we’re back. We survived the drive and made it back home Saturday night. Amazingly the drive back was even better than the drive there. No fights. We had a good vacation but it is great to be in Morden again.

 

Thanks to the S’s, the R’s and the P’s for the welcome home! Greatly appreciated!

 

One of my good friends in Florida gave me some books while we were there. Right now I am working my way through Watchman Nee’s book The Body of Christ: A Reality. Nee has been a great fascination to me. Intensely honest and way ahead of his time (he was writing at the turn of the last century). I think his Chinese heritage gave him a perspective on Christ that we lack. Some quotes to come as I remember to post them.

 

Ciao.

 

Whewww! I can tell you I am going to need a vacation m this vacation. Things have been busy (which is why the lack of posts for a couple of days). It is a good sort of busy but busy nevertheless.

 

Monday morning was shopping day at the designer outlet mall (don’t tell anyone but I actually enjoy shopping). I got loads of what I think are awesome shirts for great prices. We’ll see how they go over.

 

The afternoon was spent at Universal Studios again but this time at the Islands of Adventure Park. What a blast that was. Itsy is definitely a roller coaster kid – Caleb is definitey not. We got home just before midnight. 

 

Tuesday came waaay too fast…we were up at 7 am and spent the day at DisneyWorld’s Magic Kingdom. When I say the day – I mean the day. We were there from 9 am straight through to midnight – 15 hours of walking. Thankfully we rented a stroller for Itsy. She was begging for water before we even got past the front gate.

 

The day was filled with rides, rides, rides and shows as well. We saw maybe the best fireworks on the planet (yes better than Morden’s, even better than Winklers). The electric light parade was pretty cool as well. With all the power used at this park I’m guessing Disney is going to have to buy a whole truckload of energy credits. I mean the air conditioning alone must require a small power plant.

 

I’m guessing there were well over 100,000 visitors in the park that day.

 

Today, if all goes well, we will see the shuttle launch at 6:20 pm EST (stay tuned for video). I had breakfast this morning with my old senior pastor and friend Glen (you’d like him Paul) and this afternoon is going to be time spent around the pool with old friends Eric and Amy and their daughter Ericka. That’s it for now. Ciao.

 

 

 

 

Sunday! A great day! We spent the morning at our old church – Faith Community Church ( www.faithcomm.org ) and were blessed to see so many new faces and of course old friends too (so much like family). Glen’s sermon was a great treat (as always) and he asked me speak for a few minutes to share details of our journey.

For those of you who don’t know back in 1997 I moved with my family to Florida for a job at an IT Research company as an analyst. So I was this know-it-all atheist who only went o Faith Community because my neighbour and friend Ryan invited us.

The community was (and still is) a place where people are welcomed in genuine love and acceptance. One visit and we were hooked. Glen began to meet with me and mentored me. Four or five months later after relentless questioning and challenges on my part of God, and Jesus and pretty much everything else I sat alone in my living room and accepted Christ. I lost the atheism (but may have retained some of the know-it-all-ism). I was baptized in the presence of my family and friends (I still have it recorded). Glen poued himself into me and discipled me into leadership roles that led me to realize God’s call on my life into vocational ministry. So we sold everything, went to seminary for three years and now we’ve been two years in awesome Morden with some spectacular folks and a great church – Morden Alliance, where I am anassociate pastor with co-workers who I am pleased to call friends.

Anyhow – we took some pics. They are below and include a pic of our old house, a pic of us with Glen, Bev, Robin and Annette, a pic of Josh and Karen with their daughter and a pic of Randy and Maybelline and their kids.

 

Today was an exhausting blast. We spent the afternoon and evening at Universal Studios and are back in the pool for a late evening swim (plus it’s the only place I can access internet). Here’s some more pics.