Leaning

My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?

My tears have been my food day and night, while men say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”

These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go with the multitude, leading the procession to the house of God, with shouts of joy and thanksgiving among the festive throng.

Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Saviour and
my God. My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you...

Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me.

By day the LORD directs his love, at night his song is with me--a prayer to the God of my life.

I say to God my Rock, “Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?”

My bones suffer mortal agony as my foes taunt me, saying to me all day long, “Where is your God?”

Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Saviour and my God.

Psalm 42

Mondays

I like Mondays. Sunday is over and a new week is beginning. There aren't too many pressures on Mondays (they come later on in the week).

I'm a person who likes to reflect a lot on life and Mondays are my day to do that. I usually take time to write in my journal while enjoying a cup of tea. Today it's more likely going to be over a cup of hot chocolate because I have a couple of free drinks coming to me at Starbucks and so I feel the need to get the most expensive drink I can!

My friend Chad gave me a jar of honey about a month ago. It was really good but now I'm sad because all the honey is gone. I wonder if this is the season for honey? I fear that not every season is a season for honey. But is that really true? What about the figs? What point was Jesus making when he became upset that there were no figs on the tree, despite it not being the season for figs? I think that there should be honey available year round!

And where do you go to get honey? Would it not be in the same isle as oil? Sure, you can get go and grab a jar of honey in most stores, but I don't just want any ol' honey! I want the really good stuff! (shun-dy) You can't just run around the corner and get the really good stuff.

I seem to go through phases. Sometimes I'm in a honey phase and there's nothing better than a good peanut butter and honey sandwich! You eat one and then you want another, but by the time you eat the second one, you kind of realize that your eyes might be bigger than your stomach. That's the problem with honey: it always leaves you wanting more. Discontentedly content!

But then I go through a phase where I'm not quite as into the honey as I was before. Never sure what causes the switch. However, all it takes is for me to have another PB&H and I remember all over again how good the honey really is!

Did you know that a colony of bees will eat between 100 and 120 pounds of honey in a single year? Looking at that from a weight ratio perspective, those bees are consuming several times their own weight in honey! They're really drinkin' in the honey!!

Anyway, it seems I'm out of honey. Chad says he'll get me some more. In the meantime I'll reflect a bit longer about where the honey has gone and what can be done about it. I know that honey needs to be cultivated. Maybe I should be a bee. Then I'd be swirlin' in the honey! (but then bees are dying off at a very alarming rate, so maybe being a bee wouldn't be the best thing right now! say that 5 times in a row!!)

Well, I'm off to Chapters for my drink. I'm not sure now if I'll end up having the hot chocolate or not. I might get my Earl Grey tea.... I always put a generous helping of honey in my tea!
:)

slow

Do you ever have a day where you're just moving slow?
Some days it's physical, some days it's not.
Today is one of those days...

Anyway, so I'm working on message for this coming Sunday about God and loneliness.

We actually entitled it 'God and being alone', but as I've come closer to the message I realize that was the wrong title. It's about loneliness and that's different than 'being along' It's a challenging topic. (okay, so the entire series is challenging!)

We're surrounded by people a lot of the time and yet so many people feel lonely. It's a longing for deeper relationships, in a facebook world that excels at shallow ones. It's like we've become so mistrusting of people and society in general, that it is becoming more and more difficult to actually have deep meaningful friendships.

Take blogs for instance (since you're reading one!):
Some people use them as public diaries, and simply spew unfiltered thoughts onto the world-wide web for anyone to see. On one level I understand the attraction. There is a desire to vent one's spleen on a regular basis. Many times I have wanted to blog but I simply have not had anything appropriate to blog about! (especially as a pastor, one has to be careful about what one writes in public forums) The problem with using blogs for deeply personal stuff is that there's no discretion being used in terms of who you are venting to. It's like you're trying to share your life with others but from a safe, often anonymous distance.

I've been doing some interesting reading about how people are exploring links between loneliness and issues like depression and addiction. One author wrote that we have bred a generation of isolation. We keep the people around us at a distance. "Never let them see you sweat", right? Remember that TV ad?

A friend of mine was commenting on how many people think that 'nobody understands me', and how in his mind, this is a load of crap. It may well be a load, but the point underlying it seems to be a longing people have to be understood.

There's little point in decrying the evils of technology that are facilitating our own isolation tendencies. We're social people, so we will inevitably be drawn into social settings. The problem is that we seem to be losing our abilities to socialize in meaningful ways. Increasingly people struggle to be truly vulnerable with any close friends, or even to have close friends.

The unfortunate part of human relationships is that it's inevitable that we're going to get hurt from time to time. Each time we do it often makes it more difficult for us in the future because we don't want to get hurt again.

The result in a loneliness that is pervasive in our society.

So that's about it for now.

Too Good

My friend Al shared a book with me called "This Beautiful Mess" by Rick McKinley who is the pastor of the immensely popular church Imago Dei, in Portland Oregon. It's a big church now but he writes about the humble beginnings in the following quote. It's set in a larger context, but for right now, I'll just include the story.

For obvious reasons, I think this is a fantastic quote and I laughed very hard when I read it.

I am a church planter, which simply means that I started my church. At Imago Dei Community, we started from nothing and have grown to a decent-sized little church. You know what makes a church planter depressed on a Monday morning? Low attendance or a low offering the day before. If the poor pastor happens to get hit by both, he may need to be put on suicide watch.

For the person attending a young church, the perspective is different. Let's say that person is you. This week you decided to go to church. But come Sunday, you decide not to. You have a birthday party to deal with. Or a relative to visit. A bunch of friends are going snowboarding. Real life stuff. Anyway, you think your church decision is yours to make, and no one else really cares.

But someone-the pastor- cares, and I am sad to admit it's not always about your spiritual well-being, though that concern is down there somewhere. Nickels and noses. Levels. That's what makes or breaks Sundays for most people starting a church.
I remember one Sunday when we were first starting out. We only had about thirty people. We met on Sunday evenings in a Baptist church that was kind enough to rend us space cheap. That particular Sunday also happened to be the seventh game of the NBA championship, and Portland was playing LA for the title. As you can guess, I was in for a kick in the groin.

We sat in a darkened room with candles lit. Seemed like an artistic, atmospheric thing to do. But when I stood up to preach to twelve young women who didn't care if Portland won or lost or that Portland even has an NBA team, it felt more like a funeral for a bunch of sorority sisters whose cat had been hit by a car.

That night we slid from thirty to twelve, and even though rationally I could tell you why our turnout was low, my heart was reeling. Here I was, trying to jump to the next attendance level, and our church had slid. A 60 percent drop in one week. Where was God? What did I do wrong? Why were we both failing?

I love the story, but I also love the title of the book, 'This Beautiful Mess'. The church is a mess. It's easy to write off local churches; there are a million and one different reasons... some reasonable, others not.

However, it's refreshing to hear someone like McKinley express the tension: the church is a mess, but it still is beautiful.

Talking Snakes

Today a new movie hits theaters called 'Religulous'. It's a 'documentary', or more correctly a 'mockumentary' on organized religion starring everyone's favorite sarcastic comedian Bill Maher. I have not seen this movie and have no real interest in seeing it, however as I read the review in the Edmonton Journal today, I was irritated enough to blog about it.

According to the review, Maher's main goal in the movie is to create doubt in people about the foundations of religion, obviously in context of sarcastic attempts at humor. One summary of the movie says "Religulous describes religious ideas, beliefs, or claims that are patently absurd, comical, or ridiculous"

One of his main issues focuses around the Genesis narrative of the garden of Eden and the presence of a talking snake, which seems to Maher to be a classic example of the ridiculous nature of religion.

While the movie is a 'comedy' of sorts, seeing a trailer for it was enough to get my undies in a bunch because it makes clear that the film does have more serious undertones. With that in mind, I offer some of my own thoughts on the 'talking snake' narrative:

1) The presence of a talking snake is not the central idea or purpose of the passage, and to focus on it is to miss the entire theological thought that is being developed.

2) What is being developed is the theological truth that God is the one who sets the terms in His relationship to humans. We don't get to set the terms. We may not like it, but that's simply the way it is. Deal with it.

3) Another major point is that of choice. While God sets the terms, he allows us choice in terms of how we respond.

4) The last major point I'll mention is that we humans don't get the change the consequences later on. Again, we may not like the terms, but God sets them and we don't get to change them. Period.

Why is this so significant? Quite simply because these same principles apply in the matter of salvation through Christ. God has set the terms for salvation: Jesus Christ alone. No other name. We don't get to set the terms. We do however get to choose how we respond to those terms. Free will. Finally, we don't get to change the consequences later on. People can be as angry about them as they like, but that doesn't change the fact: God sets the terms and we don't get to change them. Period.

Those are some really major theological premises and to trivialize the narrative of the garden by focusing on how 'ridiculous' we find the idea of a talking snake, simply reveals a complete ignorance of the purpose of the story.

Anyway, it feels better to get that off my chest; certainly my undies feel better! So that's my theological rambling for today. The end.

Time

Time is one of those subjects that I just can't get my mind around. Specifically time management.

I'm looking at the assortment of books that I have on my desk, the majority of which are ones that are there because I really want to read them. Or do I? Somehow they sit there and I keep allowing myself to do other things: some things are urgent and thus I'm caught up in the 'tyranny of the urgent'; other times I'm just getting caught up in other activities. Reading is something I have to make time for; it doesn't just naturally happen (much to the horror of my wife, who is a book-aholic).

Have you ever wondered what it means to honestly like something and want to do it, yet somehow it doesn't actually happen in your life? Some would argue that it means it's not a value in your life. One the one hand I understand that, but on the other, I know what it is to really want to do something, but not get around to it, so I'm hesitant to dogmatically say 'it's not a real value'.

I think everybody has areas like that in life. For some it's exercise, for others it's scrap-booking, for others it's going to church or praying, or like me, it's reading.

Last night I didn't sleep very well at all. I've often thought about how much time we spend sleeping, and how much more we could do and experience if we didn't need to sleep. Think of all the reading I could do if I didn't need to sleep.

Strictly Business Pt. II

Many years ago, as I was studying 1 Thessalonians 2:8 the Lord spoke to me the following phrase: 'Whom you would change, you must first love'.

You can see in Scripture that Paul was passionately committed to helping people to grow in spiritual maturity (change) and seeing churches grow up into the 'fullness of Christ'. His first letter to the Corinthian church clearly shows how much that congregation needed to learn and grow into related to the gospel of Christ. In short, there was a lot of change needed in the people of Corinth and the apostle knew it.

There isn't a day that goes by that I am not confronted with some area of my life that needs change, as I seek to live a life that is worthy of the Lord (1 Thess. 2:12).

Some would argue that we don't bring about change; God brings about change. Okay. I agree. However, we are very often his agents of change in this world. Quite clearly Paul sought to teach and instruct in order to bring about change. "We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ." (Col. 1:28) That's change folks!

I'm not saying that loving people is separate or distinct from helping to lead them toward change; the problem is that often when change does not occur then discouragement and frustration with can be stirred up, either towards ourselves or others we are working with.

I believe it was about this reality that the Lord was speaking to me about when I sensed him say, 'Whom you would change, you must first love'.

So the first priority needs to be on love for people and then the priority of being an agent of change (in this case meaning spiritual maturity). It's a matter of having things in the right order. When they are not in the right order, then it can lead to discouragement and frustration.

Another aspect of all this that I find very challenging is applying this to myself! I am remarkably good at getting all this mixed up when it comes to myself. I am often frustrated and discouraged with myself and the areas of my life that need to be brought into alignment with Christ. The idea of 'loving myself' can feel at odds with Biblical ideas of self-sacrifice and self-denial, but that is not the case. We must have a healthy and appropriate love for ourselves.

By this point, I've strayed off course from my original intent with the post 'strictly business'. That point was that it's very risky to love people because you often end up getting hurt. That's why I find Paul's words, 'we loved you so much that...' in 1 Thess. 1:8 to be so amazing.

It's easier to relate to people on a 'strictly business' level. It's less messy and lower risk, but it is NOT what God calls us to.

Strictly Business

There's a great line from one of my favorite movies, The Godfather: "It's not personal, it's strictly business'. It's a powerful line about not allowing personal sentiment and emotion to influence sound judgement. It sounds good, but often it's hard to do.

In stark contrast to that is a statement the apostle Paul wrote to the Thessalonian church:

We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us.
1 Thess. 2:8

It's a little warm and fuzzy for me, but the point is clear: for Paul, it was personal!

It's an incredible statement to me. Think of all the churches that Paul travelled to and was involved with; think of how busy he was; think about how radically committed he was, not only to the introductory message of the gospel of salvation, but also to seeing the church grow into spiritual maturity!

That phrase, 'we loved you so much...' is a huge challenge to actually live out. When it is, you end up with deep and powerful community, but you also take some real risks because your heart is on the line. It's the very thing that Michael Corleone, in The Godfather, was working to avoid.

As a Christian, I am compelled to strive to follow Paul's example. It's an incredible goal to pursue and one that continually challenges me.

Near & Far

Like many people throughout history I wonder why God often feels near by and yet far away. There are times in prayer and worship when I sense the Presence of God quite clearly and times when I sense His voice and direction. And yet there are other times when I feel very much alone and wonder where exactly God is at. There are circumstances that I pray about and very little seems to change; there are issues where His direction seems shrouded in mystery.

There are times when I feel God leading the way and dynamically at work in my life and yet there are others when it feels like God has gone on vacation or put his MSN/ichat on 'Be right back'!

This has been the experience of multitudes throughout church history, including King David and the other Psalmists. Certainly that is why so many of the Psalms bring comfort in such challenging times.

All this has led me to recent meditation on Psalm 43

2You are God my stronghold. Why have you rejected me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?
3 Send forth your light and your truth, let them guide me; let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell.
4 Then will I go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight. I will praise you with the harp, O God, my God.
5 Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Saviour and my God.

Previously in Psalm 42 (which traditionally is considered the first half of Ps. 43), the Psalmist asks "Why have you forgotten me?" (v. 9). Then is Ps. 43:2, he says that he feels that he has been rejected by God and oppressed by the enemy. He cries out for the Lord to cause His light to shine and His truth to guide him, and asks God to lead Him to His holy mountain, which is a reference to God's Presence (it's also a clear reference to the House of Prayer, but hey, that's for another post!).

The Psalm is concluded with a confident assertion that the Psalmist will experience God's nearness and will respond with joy and delight and worship. He ends with a recurring statement to stop feeling sorry for himself and remember to trust in God.

I love the Psalms because they're so dramatic. Some might say melodramatic! I'm a melodramatic kind of person, so I connect very easily with statements of feeling rejected by God and then turning around and stating that God is my joy and delight!

So which is it? Is God near or is He far? I believe that the answer is that we experience Him as both near and far. It's not at all satisfying an answer, but given the testimony of Scripture itself, that has been the experience of countless people and seems to be the way God chooses to reveal Himself!

Some people have become so tired of this kind of roller coaster experience of faith that they have chosen to get off the ride entirely. While I understand that temptation, I am 'haunted' by the reality expressed in Psalm 42:7

7 Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me.
8 By day the LORD directs his love, at night his song is with me--a prayer to the God of my life.

It's that experience which causes me to continually pursue God...when He feels near and even when He feels far.

No Other Name

I'm here at House of Prayer Edmonton. It's 1:30 a.m. and as I've been praying I sensed the Spirit speak to me about the power of the name of Jesus.

Consider the following verses:

that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth
Php. 2:10

Salvation is found in no-one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.
Acts 4:12

Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name--the name you gave me...
John 17:11

It is no wonder that the name of Jesus has been made to be a curse word that is on the lips of multiplied thousands in Edmonton and around the world.

How amazing that Jesus would pray and ask for the Father's hand of protection over the disciples through the power of His name! That the name of Jesus would push back and destroy the devil's work and result in protection over the hearts and minds of people... Incredible!

Of course I'm not saying that the name of Jesus is some kind of magical formula... nothing could be further from the truth!

But there IS power in the name of Jesus; the man Christ Jesus; the lamb of God who was slain and who purchased men for God!

Jesus, you are the King of Kings and your name is the highest and the best. You are Savior and Lord and I love you!

Lately

Lately I've been getting back into the fall routine of life with Pam and the kids. Pam's coaching the swim team again and the kids are in sports again and I'm still running quite a bit. It all makes for a busy schedule and a lot of laundry!

Lately I've been trying some different things in my spiritual walk with God and it's going pretty well, but I'm also discovering that God is responding by causing a lot of internal issues to bubble up to the surface. Thus at times it feels like life has become more difficult than before, and yet I don't desire to go back; I must press through and into new things God has for me.

Lately I've been praying in tongues quite more than ever before. Not hours a day or anything; more like just daily. It works well in the car because you can't analyze too much about it when you're driving.

Lately I've found myself noticing motorcycles more than ever before. Perhaps that's because my friend Eric is now a 'biker'. Regardless, I'm also finding that I can't stand all those really loud obnoxious motorcycles that are on the road. Some of them are deafeningly loud. Perhaps that makes me sound old.

Lately I've been thinking that less is more.

Lately I've been wanting less than more.

Lately I've been finding that time flies by and I wish I had more of it. What would I do if I had more time? Why am I not doing those things now?

Lately I've been reading a book to the kids that I really enjoyed when I was a kid. It's been fun to read the story again; it comes back to me as I read it, but I can't remember what's going to happen next, so it's kind of even better than the first times I read it!

Lately I've been trying to be more organized, but not finding as much success as I would like.

Lately.... well, I'd better go now or I'll be late

I Can't Stand Lou Dobbs!!

Tonight Lou Dobbs began an 'Independent Convention', which follows the Democratic and Republican conventions. (it sounds far more grandiose than it actually is. In reality it's Dobbs normal show with a studio audience of average Americans that never actually get to take part in the 'convention'!)

Amazingly, this bonehead gets paid to promote his opinions on CNN!

Here is my big beef with Lou Dobbs: he continually insults the American federal government and says how stupid everyone in government is, yet REFUSES to step up to the plate at actually DO anything. He won't run for any public office where he could actually try to fix all the problems he seems to have all the answers to.

I'm not saying that there are no problems in American government, but Dobbs just sits on his high horse at CNN at spouts off all his ivory tower type opinions about what should be done.

Dobbs repeatedly speaks about the 'American people', referring to the average American citizen, whom he believes have all the answers themselves and have more common sense than anybody in Washington. It's just empty rhetoric! If the situation is SO bad and the the American people are SO smart, then why are there not riots in the street seeking to overthrow the 'Washington elite'?

On November 4th, tens of millions of these 'American people' will go out and vote and willingly take part in supporting the electoral system that Dobbs says is so broken and dysfunctional.

As I've said, I think that Dobbs is pointing out some important problems and issues that need to be raised but it's the overwhelming cynicism and insulting commentary that goes on day after day, week after week that gets me so angry.

It's easy to say the 'system is broken', but why doesn't Dobbs get off his high horse, run for office and try to actually fix something?

Ready, Set, Go!

Today the Canadian Federal election began. Despite the fact that Stephen Harper made a law to establish fixed dates for elections, he managed to use the loophole that was built into the law, allowing for exceptions to the fixed dates under circumstances of ineffective government. So while he may not have violated his own law in legal terms, most political observers agree that he has violated the spirit of the law.

Harper's no dummy; he knows that the opposition leaders can't really make much fuss about this because they would be arguing against a chance to campaign to become Prime Minister; there's no way they would do that because it would be politically stupid beyond words.

This may go down in history as one of the most boring elections ever in Canadian history. There really aren't any significant issues; perhaps an argument could be made that the Liberals 'carbon tax' proposal will be the main issue, but I just don't see that being the issue that will grip the Canadian people.

I was discussing the reasons for the election with another father in the schoolyard and he argued that the reason was that Harper knows that the economic climate is going to get a lot worse in the next few years, so he's getting the election out of the way so he can stay in power, rather than fight an election in the midst of an economic downturn.

Hmmm... maybe, but this is also a guy who tried to tell me that the federal deficits in the 90's were a cover-up by the government in order to justify the cutting of spending on social programs (and yes, he does campaign for the NDP!)

Stephan Harper has launched TV ads that portray him as a normal average Canadian family guy. Does this mean that we are going to be asked to vote on who should be Prime Minister based on personality rather than substantive issues and policy differences? That sounds a bit like some of the rhetoric that comes from the political campaign south of the border!

But then again, if there are no major issues at hand, then what exactly should Canadians base their vote on?

For the most part I don't think that the Conservatives have done all that bad a job running the country over the past few years and I'm not at all clear on how the country would end up being better off (or even different) if the Liberals came to power. They are the only other realistic alternative; the NDP and the Green Party are certainly welcome voices in the political debate but we all know they won't form a government.

Somehow I'm still left coming back to the question, 'why exactly has this election been called?'

Barak Obama's Big Night

Last night, I along with millions of others watched the Democratic National Convention in Denver Colorado. It was certainly an historic night. 85,000 people crammed the outdoor stadium to attend the event and the overhead TV shots conveyed the epic nature of the crowd. It must have been an overwhelming event to be at.

Here's a commentary for you: today, the Edmonton Journal carried the story on the front page, while choosing to carry a story announcing the almost certain, soon to be called Canadian Federal election, on page 4!!! Definitely an honest reflection on the state of politics here in Canada.

In the United States, history is being made as Barak Obama became the first African American to be nominated as a major party candidate for President. Next week, the Republicans will nominate John McCain as their nominee and the race for the White House will officially begin. Most likely, that same week, a Canadian election will be called and the vote will take place prior to the American vote on November 4. Thus the entire Canadian election will be drowned out by the much larger, much louder and frankly, more interesting election to the south.

I'm a Canadian and proud of it, but I have to admit that I'm far more interested and captivated by the American political scene. Despite the fact that they have the longest democratic election process on the entire planet, I still can't turn off Wolf Blitzer, Campbell Brown and my favorite Jack Cafferty, on CNN!

Clearly I'm not alone, as evidenced by the choice of the Journal in relation to these two political stories.

Although the Canadian election has not been called, I have to wonder, WHY would they call it now? It strikes me that having an election in the middle of one of the most historic elections in American history is just plain stupid.

I also have to wonder, how many people in Canada will even know that an election is happening in our country? And will they care? Or is having an election now a recipe for the worst voter turnout in Canadian history?

Telus: the present is NOT friendly!

So I'm looking at The Canopy's phone bill today and seeing that we have $6.95 in long distance charges. This strikes me as strange because I know that I didn't make any long distance calls this month, so I go looking for more details. I soon find that there is a line called "Long Distance Administration Fee" for $6.95.

Now I have never noticed this before, probably because usually there are a few long distance calls on our bill.

In hope of gaining more information, I decide to call the Telus billing inquires number. After a few minutes of being irritated by the soft sultry tones of a computer generated female voice asking me a series of questions I arrive on the Telus help desk waiting line. Prepared for a long wait, I put the phone on speaker, where I am tortured by bad country music.

I begin thinking that eventually I am going to be talking to somebody who is physically located in India or Sri Lanka, and soon enough somebody comes on the line. It's a woman, but she definitely doesn't have the same sultry tones of the computer generated version!

I am informed that the 'Long Distance Administration Fee' is a charge for being able to make long distance calls! By this point the irony of the situation is sinking in: Most likely I've been on the phone for over 20 minutes, talking toll-free on Telus' dime, to a woman in India, who is informing me that Telus is charging $6.95 each month for the ability to make a long distance call, even when I DON'T make a long distance call!!

Is this what Telus imagines as a future that is friendly?

I suppose I should be thankful that I wasn't charged for calling India for 20 minutes!
(then again, maybe I was...)

Rain

It's rained pretty much the entire time we've been here in Banff. Incredible. It has been great to be at such a wonderful hotel facility... we've spent more time here than we normally would.

Today we went horseback riding. I haven't done that in nearly 20 years. It was great to see Josiah up on a horse and Rebekah looked so cute with pig-tails and cowboy boots! (Rebekah did a horsemanship option at camp this year, so she had more experience than all of us!)

Josiah was such a trooper on the horse: a couple of times his horse didn't want to cooperate and another time he lost hold of the reigns, which scared him a lot. I was very proud of my 6 year old!

We've been eating in our hotel room most of the time, which saves a lot of money. Tonight we're having mini-pizzas and hot chocolate. (not exactly the peak of nutrition, but hey, we're on vacation!)

I'm going to scarf down my pizza and head off to the hot tub, which I've been enjoying a lot of. I've always loved hot-tubs ever since I was a kid, and this one is a really good one. Josiah likes it too; Rebekah is more like Pam, who can take them or leave them.

That's about it for now. Not too many deep thoughts right now. Just enjoying the day!

Reflections from Banff

Pam and I have been coming for a number of years to the Banff area for part of our summer vacation. In the past years we've stayed at a hotel in Canmore that has been great, however this year we found that they had increased their rates substantially, so we decided to check out other options. Pam searched around and found a place right in Banff that looked pretty good (at least on the internet) and was a really good price.

When we arrived yesterday we were all totally amazed with the place. It feels more like a small condo than a hotel room. There is an upstairs loft with 2 queen beds, so the kids are there. It has a half bathroom and TV in the loft as well. The main bedroom is on the main level, with a small balcony, wood burning fireplace and a full kitchen.

Normally there's no way that we could afford to stay here, but they're doing a major construction project to expand the facility, so during the construction they have lowered their prices.

Oh, and there's a fantastic outdoor hot tub, which I'm all over!

Today we went white water rafting. Since the kids were with us, we were only able to do the introductory level rapids, (which for adults, isn't intense at all) and we had a lot of fun. It rained on and off but since we were getting wet anyway, it wasn't a big deal at all; actually it was a great way to spend a rainy day.

I'm enjoying a real spiritual sensitivity right now. My heart seems soft and responsive to God's Spirit. As I enjoy this time away, I'm aware of 2 things: first, our time of vacation always goes quickly and feels like it just flies by; second, I'm aware more than ever that it's not vacation that renews me. Nowhere in Scripture does it ever say that vacation is what gives inner strength or vitality. I'm not renewed on the inside by a good vacation; it's connecting with God in a meaningful way that brings renewal.

Don't get me wrong... not being all super-spiritual and saying that vacations are no good; clearly not, since I'm on a vacation that I'm enjoying quite a bit.

Yet as I contemplate how quickly the time is flying by, it helps to keep things in perspective.

A Matter of Running

Well before I take time to continue my reflections on the recent trip to IHOP, I thought I would write about my recent experience running in the ING half-marathon. It was held yesterday at 8 a.m., and there were about 1100 participants. It was my first time running that race and I have to say that it was a very well organized event. There were lots of volunteers and water stations.

I had a sweet and sour race. It was sour because I made a really stupid mistake and forgot to take my gels with me on the race. I brought them with me to the race, but then forgot to take them out of my bag; thus they sat unused in my backpack! (for anyone who doesn't know, gels are energy supplements that you take with you on the run to refuel as you run; without them, you can get in to serious trouble)

I won't go into all the details of how this impacted my race, but suffice it to say that I ended up 'bonking' about 2/3 of the way through the race and had no strength in my legs. (bonking is a term used to describe what happens to your body when you run out of fuel).

The other sour dimension was the heat. I've never run a half marathon in that kind of heat, so it was pretty overwhelming. I was sweating within the first 300 m!!

The race was sweet because in spite of my own self-inflicted stupidity with the gels, I still was able to run it in 1:50, which isn't a bad time, especially given the heat the lack of energy.

It was quite a bit slower than I had trained for, but given the circumstances, I can't complain too much.

So there you have it.

I'm going away for a week of vacation, so I'll be posting again once I get back.

Jim & Al's Excellent Adventure Pt. V

Al and I just arrived in Grand Forks, staying at the same hotel, greeted by our old greasy friend, Ole, the night auditor (he's the one with the elbow holes in his shirt)
As I chatted with him tonight, he told me he's been the night auditor for 25 years! Ole cow! (shoot me now!)

One of the advantages of driving all this way is that you see the United States in much more detail than if you just fly. America is certainly a different culture than Canada!

For instance, at stores you are asked if you want a ‘sack’; meaning a ‘bag’!
In a restaurant, when you’re drinking coke, you are asked if you want a refill on your ‘soda’;
and when you go to pay you’re given your ‘ticket’; obviously meaning your ‘bill’.

America loves really big signs. There are LOTS of enormous billboards, advertising everything you can imagine; if you’re ever hungry for some McDonalds, all you need do is look up into the distant horizon and you’re sure to find some golden arches, atop a pole that has got to be 75 feet in the air!

Americans also love casinos. They are everywhere, in all sorts of sizes, and it seems that virtually every city wants to have its own version of Las Vegas, with some manner of casino-hotel. (and yes, there are enormous signs everywhere, announcing each one!)

And of course there is beer. Everywhere. In every corner store and gas station you can get jumbo cans and bottles of suds, many of which are only slightly more expensive than a ‘soda’!

Speaking of soda, that’s one of the great things about America: you can get cherry coke everywhere, and I’ve been enjoying lots of it! (LOL) And for some reason I don’t understand the fountain ‘soda’ dispensers work perfectly! I’m so used to having to poor off the extraordinary excess amounts of carbonation bubbles, but here in the States, all you do is push the button and watch your glass fill perfectly to the top. It’s amazing! (It’s almost as if it’s the way it’s meant to work!)

I also discovered that Jiffy Lube puts all other Canadian car ‘lube’ places to shame. (who knew!!)
It was amazing. They cleaned all the windows by hand, vacuumed the car, drove the car into the shop for me and offered me coffee while I waited (a wasted offer for sure, but nevertheless). Jiffy Lube rules!

The humor highlight on the trip may well have been Al's discovery of the 'pickle in a pouch' for sale at a local gas station (it's a dill pickle in a sealed pouch, floating in juice). He couldn't pass up the chance to buy one for his dad as a gag gift!

Only in America!

Jim & Al's Excellent Adventure Pt. IV

It's 6:15 a.m. The sun is beginning to rise and as I drive up to the prayer room at IHOP, there are several dozen cars in the parking lot. I go in through the doors, which have screws drilled into the locking mechanisms of the crash bars, preventing the doors from ever being locked.

As I walk into the prayer room, there are about 150 people praying and worshiping along with the worship team. The back sections of chairs are roped off except for a couple of rows of people who are in the designated area for prayers for healing. There are about a dozen or more people sitting and soaking, being prayed for by people standing behind them.

On each side of the room there are tables and chairs set up and they are filled with people using laptops, with their Bibles open, studying the Scriptures and praying. It's powerful to see so many people reading and studying their Bibles as they worship and pray!

Right now, as I type this, there is a young woman praying on the microphone for small fledgeling houses of prayer, just getting started in other cities and nations. This will be the theme for the next while. I'm thinking of HoPE and the beginnings of the House of Prayer in Edmonton.

Earlier in the morning there was an emphasis on praying for people in the work place. After some lengthy intercession for those going to work today, they invited people who are on their way to work, to stand and to have people gather around them, praying for their day and for God to use them and open doors for ministry in the midst of their various places of work. There are a good number of people who stand. To my left in the row behind me, there is a young man in a business suit praying. I found it amazing to see the number of people who came to IHOP before they go to work. This is a daily emphasis during the 6-8 a.m. prayer block during the work week.

Al and I are leaving Kansas City today to head back home. We're planning to drive to Grand Forks today and stay overnight and then do a longer day of driving from Grand Forks back to Edmonton tomorrow.

I wanted to get up and come to IHOP one last time before I have to leave.