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From Ananova:
A US man was arrested after a year on the run after a woman checked his name on Google before meeting him for a date.The woman tipped off authorities in New York after agreeing to meet LaShawn Pettus-Brown in a restaurant on Long Island.
The woman's Google search revealed there was an FBI warrant out for Pettus-Brown's arrest in connection with fraud allegations in Cincinnati, Ohio.
It's a lot harder to hide this days with Google.
The Mike Rowe saga is not over. Sandy writes:
It's not over yet. Mike is squeezing a bit more publicity out of Microsoft by selling his controversy-related memorabilia on eBay.As of this writing, bidding has reached US$25,000.
http://tinyurl.com/2r3y3
Please tell me the money is going to charity.
We're starting to work through Genesis on Sunday mornings at Richview. We're trying something different: a blog that follows through with some of the themes that are introduced on Sunday. We'll see how it goes.
After almost twenty years of driving in this crazy country, I finally sprang for my first set of snow tires today. I swear it had nothing to do with the humiliation I endured as a whole bunch of school moms had to push me up the smallest of hills by Christina's school after my fifth unsuccessful attempt.
But I'm not complaining. This is Canada, after all. Although I do admit to being a little annoyed at those who insist on shovelling snow from their driveways on to the street. What are they thinking? At least there are nice school moms to help out when you need them. Or maybe they just wanted me out of the way so they could leave the parking lot too.
I kind of enjoyed waking up and shovelling the snow this morning.
Blowing snow with winds gusting to 57 km/h. Snow appears every day in the 10-day forecast.
My friend Ian has started blogging. He's already got me hooked with his potty training updates and his talk of Hulk and Spiderman underwear. I'm going to bug him endlessly to add an RSS feed, but it looks good.
on the NHL visor debate. He's in favor.
Actually, he fell near the pool in Cuba (not as good a story, but the truth). He looks a lot better now.
This frantic week is over. I am completely fried. It had some good parts (hello, Terry - thanks for the lunch) but it was too long. I even double-booked myself for a meeting for the first time in years. That's a sign that I need to slow down.
As usual, when I get this way, I know I've been busy all week, but I'd have a hard time telling you what I accomplished.
Doing better than Howard Dean, though. Remind me never to run for political office.
The MikeRoweSoft.com saga is over. I hope that Microsoft learned something.
that nobody over the age of 12 should be able to say "Okeedokee!"
I used to tease Charlene about attending the same high school as Glass Tiger. Now it turns out she was one grade ahead of the possible future Prime Minister of Canada, Belinda Stronach. Here she is in Grade 10. Her Grade 11 picture is even better (remember feathered hair?).
Update: As a public service, I've just added her Grade 11 and 12 pictures, as well as one of her campaign launch on Tuesday. LT says that she looks good for someone my age. I'm not sure how to take that comment.
You gotta love spoofed comments. I just visited the blog of one of the candidates for the Conservative leadership here in Canada, and found this comment:
Love your site. Who did it?
post by: Tony Clement at Jan. 20, 2004 11:55
Tony's running against Belinda, and looking at his site, he should be asking for help. I doubt, though, that he's the one who left the comment. Gave me a laugh, though.
I was invited to a seminary meeting today:
Recently, we have become increasingly aware that questions are being raised and comments are being made...by some pastors and church leaders concerning primarily two issues. Some of this information has come to us directly; some is second and/or third hand.
The main issue is how to handle controversial Biblical/theological issues, such as the issue of gender and leadership. While the statement of faith covers the major issues, some are very unhappy that faculty aren't required to "take a stand" on other issues, or at least take the traditional stand. One faculty member has written a book that has caused some concern.
Almost everyone spoke of their concern that the school is drifting. Someone said that the school has moved from indoctrination to inquiry. They said that as a negative thing. Others spoke up and disagreed with the word indoctrination but essentially agreed with the concept. We don't want our students questioning certain issues.
Understand that I'm not talking about core issues. We're talking about issues upon which many in evangelical circles disagree. Many of the positions condemned are ones that I hold (heretic that I am).
I spoke of a different concern. My concern is that the school will start making decisions based on political issues, primarily what will please the constituency. I'm more concerned that the school does the right thing than how many are happy about it (including me).
I'm out of touch with my denominational circles, and it's only getting worse. What a crazy evangelical world we've built for ourselves.
4.5 hours to go, and he's at entry 81 (as of this minute). I don't know how he's doing it. If you haven't gone over and donated, or left a comment, go now. What a guy - hats off.
If you don't already know, Darren is about to begin a 24-hour blogathon to celebrate a year of blogging and to raise money for a pedicab (like a rickshaw) for a family in the Philippines. If you haven't already donated, head over and make someone's day. You may want to visit later to see if Darren can actually blog coherently for that amount of time. Good luck, Darren!
I'm reading a required text for my D.Min. that is driving me crazy. 275 pages still to go. Everything is preachy and alliterated. Trying my best to have a good attitude but not succeeding. May resolve to start alliterating in Sunday's sermon as an act of revenge. Argh...
From ZDNet UK:
Microsoft is threatening teenage software writer Mike Rowe with legal action for registering and using the domain name mikerowesoft.com.Microsoft has set its lawyers onto a 17-year-old software writer from Vancouver, called Mike Rowe, because he has registered MikeRoweSoft.com, which the company said infringes on its copyright.
Come on, the guy's name really is Mike Rowe. Does Microsoft really need this kind of negative PR?
Update: Okay, this is what Microsoft should have done. They should have told the guy, "Look, we think what you've done is funny, but we have no choice about defending our trademark. But we want to make this painless, so let us pay you your costs and a little bit extra. Say, do you have an X-Box? How many would you like?" This might have played a little better.
Update 2: That's better:
"We do take our trademark seriously but maybe in this case a little too seriously," said Jim Desler, of Microsoft's corporate communications department at head office in Redmond, Wash.Mr. Desler said the company recognizes the spirit in which the young entrepreneur had registered the domain name and was reconsidering its earlier legal moves.
The corporation wanted to resolve the matter soon, he said, and is willing to "circle back" on the issue.
A lot's been happening on the gender issue in our denomination, but I really don't have the stomach to get into it. It's gone from being theological to mostly political, and that's where I lose interest.
I've been critical of the tone of the discussion in the past, and I think that's mostly been deserved. Mostly that's because the most vocal person on the conservative side is, well, a tad excitable and says a lot of stuff that he really shouldn't.
It's time to give someone on that side some credit. Randy Mann has written a good article on the issue. While I disagree with Randy on a lot of his paper, he's at least done his homework and he's expressed himself fairly well. What we need are for both sides to put their best foot forward and express themselves as well as Randy has, and then to hear each other. Kudos to Randy.
Wow, what a week. About the only bad thing about going on holiday is all the stuff you come back to. It's been a frantic week. I've had some stuff go wrong, and I've spent most of the week in a bit of a funk. But that's over (mostly) now.
I found that I didn't have much motivation this week as I faced a couple of huge problems. I think I know why. When you're sure about what you're doing, you can handle problems. When you have questions about what you're doing, every problem seems insurmountable. As I begin my D.Min. and generally probe issues around the established church, I find myself a little less motivated to tackle some of the junk that comes along with the job.
The discussion the other day helped a lot. I really needed to settle the question of whether serving in an established church even makes sense. I think it does, as long as that church is on the road to being missional. Clarifying that question helps a ton.
Good to be out of the funk.
By Jeb Renquist, found through Jordon Cooper:
So after the movie is done, there was a minute to reflect and meditate. And then host came out and with him, the promotional tools. The tools you can use with this movie to reach non-believers and evangelize them, for a minimal price. And all I could think was...they just don't get it.They just don't get it. They don't get the fact that most people who see this will still see it as a film, and within the context of a film. I've read reviews for this film from different authors some being noted atheists and no where along the line was there a moment of relevation, an "ah-hah" where it hit them just what this story truly means and how it could change their life personally...
You know what, people aren't stupid. They can smell a pitch a mile away. And worst of all, they know how Christians like to operate.
Well said.
With the wind chill, it's -32°C right now. That's cold. Just came home to my wife surfing New Zealand property listings and immigration sights. That can't be good. Or can it...
I've just been asked, "Why have you devoted your life to serving the local church and what keeps you motivated?" Those are pretty dangerous questions to ask of me these days.
Here, for what it's worth, is my response:
I’ve devoted my life to serving Jesus, and following him on mission. My commitment is to him primarily rather than the church. I serve in the church, but my calling isn’t primarily to the church but to Jesus himself.If I am in danger of losing motivation, it’s because many Christian leaders are arguing today that most churches have lost the essence of what it means to be the church. I’m motivated by the challenge of recapturing the priorities of Jesus in my life and in my church, but I’m de-motivated by the prospect of potentially maintaining an institution rather than a community that’s living out Jesus’ call on all of our lives.
From ABC in Chicago:
January 7, 2003 (HUDSON, FL) — Bill Martin figures the scriptures are enough to cover folks at a Christian nudist camp.He wants to transform about 240 acres in the Tampa Bay, Florida, area into a modern-day Garden of Eden. Plans for the Natura nudist resort include an open church, a giant water park for the kids -- and -- of course, nude volleyball.
No word on the fig leaves.
From The Shaping of Things to Come:
Right up front we want to confess our belief that the planting of new, culturally diverse, missional communities is the best way forward for the church that views itself in a missional context. The challenging context in which we live in the West requires that we adopt a fully missional stance. While some established churches can be revitalized, success seems to be rare from our experience and perspective. We believe that the strategic focus must now shift from revitalization to mission, i.e. from a focus on the "insiders" to the "outsiders"; and in so doing we believe the church will rediscover its true nature and purpose. Perhaps an established church can plant a missional congregation within its broader church structures. Others might sponsor and support the planting of new congregations on their doorstep to reach those not interested in the conventional church. But it does seem to us that the real hope lies with those courageous leaders who will foster the development of alternative, experimental, new communites of faith.
If Frost and Hirsch are right, where does that leave many of us who are currently trying to revitalize established churches?
Someday I need to search for all the people in the Bible who were asked by God to leave something significant: their jobs (Matthew, Peter), their homes (Abraham), whatever.
Then I need to search for all the risks that people were asked to take. Not many of the people who followed God ended up playing it safe. I remember dens of lions, fiery furnaces, confrontations with leaders, and riots, among other things.
Then I need to read over how many times God said, "Don't be afraid."
It's funny how much I want to hold on to what I have (house, job, income), play it safe, and still follow God. When I think about anything else, I get a little afraid. Safety isn't always part of the package, at least in my Bible.
One of the benefits of being away is realizing how insane one's life has become. Take, for instance, my commute. I live 9km from the office, but I commute at least 2 hours a day when I have to drop everyone off on the way to work. Man, would I like a second car.
Then there's the weather. Unlike those in other countries, like the one I just visited, I can choose to move, and yet I'm here. Why anyone would choose to live in this weather is beyond me.
My main struggle is how hard it is to do what I feel called to do. So much gets in the way. I said to Charlene that it sometimes feels like 80% of my energy is spent getting to my important work, rather than being spent on my important work.
I don't mean to complain, but the routine does feel a tad insane. On the good side: I love my family, and I love the main stuff that I'm supposed to be doing. But would I ever like to escape the commute, the cold, and the distractions.
A few of us went to see a preview of The Passion of Christ today. The film is going to be released on February 25.
It's hard to describe the impact of the film. We were moved beyond words as we watched the depiction of the last hours of Christ. Few spoke when the movie ended.
It's not fiction. It happened. It's not a sterile, sanitized story. It's bloody. It's violent. As I watched, I wished on one hand that it had not happened. I'm grateful, on the other hand, that it did - but man, was it bad.
There will be a lot of hype and criticism when it opens. My first reaction is that it did a much better job of communicating the story than any sermon I've ever heard or preached. Powerful stuff.
If you see LT, it's probably best not to mention the score of the Leafs-Flames game last night.
Temperatures in Toronto were brutally cold last week. I picked a good week to be away.
The week was fun. I'd never go back to that particular hotel. Still, it all worked out. It's hard to mess up a vacation in a setting like that.
On the way back from the airport, I saw a billboard that showed a cup of Tim Hortons Coffee with the words True Patriot Love, and I knew I was home.
In March 2003, 75 dissidents were arrested and charged with sedition and threatening national security. The arrests took place during the invasion of Iraq and were not widely reported. Sentences of up to 28 years were handed down.
The Castro regime has conceded some liberties to citizens and is trying to look progressive. By necessity, the government has welcomed joint ventures with foreign capitalists. Ironically, the resort here carries a book by Castro called Capitalism in Crisis.
Since 1993, Cubans can legally hold U.S. dollars, although they are not allowed to earn them. It's estimated that half of Havana's population has a sideline in dollars. Because U.S. dollars are so valuable, maids, whores, and potato smugglers are much richer than teachers, doctors, and other professionals who do not have contact with tourists. For example, a teacher earns about 400 pesos or $16 a month. A maid can easily make that much in a day or two.
Many Cubans anticipate what they call The Change, when their 77-year-old leader passes on.
(source: January 2004 Readers Digest)
Last time we were here, we watched a woman be taken to the hospital after surviving some kind of fish or shark attack. Today, we watched them drag in a man who drowned while snorkelling. Very sad. Very humbling.
We got a taste of life in Cuba today. We´re in a remote part of the country, not at all overdeveloped. It´s rural. You see a lot of goats and horses wandering around. Everything you think about life in a remote rural area of Cuba - old cars, rusty sheds, rolling hills, cigar smoke, rum, gas fumes - it´s all here.
Despite what I thought, nobody´s really poor. I heard lots of things today that would make any Canadian proud. Six week annual vacations for everyone, universal health care, free housing to anyone who works, abundant food. The best employees from every industry are given a free week´s vacation at the resorts every year. This sounds like communist propoganda, of which there is a lot, but it isn´t. It´s not all glowing, but there are some attractive parts of living here, according to some of the locals we´ve talked to.
We passed a house today, and the children´s worker from the resort told us that her French teacher lives there. Some years ago, she gave birth to a developmentally challenged child. Since then, the government has paid her a full salary to look after her child.
I haven´t fully developed my thoughts, but it seems that we need a more sophisticated approach to viewing the world than the one that I currently hold. While recognizing the political oppression and the low standard of living here, relative to North America, I can´t somehow think that they´ve got something here that we don´t.
It´s easy to romanticize the simple life, but I was struck by how overcomplicated many of our lives have become. A good reminder once again that Jesus said that the truly disadvantaged aren´t the poor, but the rich.
Last night I saw a commercial for Burger King on TV. There are some good things about being slightly out of reach of North American life.
Day three here in Cuba. Things have improved significantly now that we've moved into a different room. It's sad that it took having two kids to get a decent room, but I'll accept it. As one of our new friends said, at least we can go into our rooms without crying now.
I don't understand a lot of things. I don't understand how a reputable tour company in Canada can advertise four stars and offer one or two. I don't understand how the tour rep here is going to survive when every new group that arrives is ready to launch its own Cuban revolution. That job would get tiring fast. I don't know why they offer two television stations in one part of the hotel and about a million in the other. But the vacation is much more enjoyable now, and I can go back to feeling guilty because our standard of living is higher than that of the locals. I'm only partially kidding here.
We've met a lot of nice people. One couple we met lives in Australia. He's Australian, she's Canadian. They decided to live in both places for two years each before deciding where to settle. The second winter in Canada, he turned to her and asked, "Is there really a question?" They now live in Wellington, which, he explains, is not the good weather center of Australia, but they still only endure about a week's worth of bad weather a year. Makes you wonder about those eight month Canadian winters.
I'm lying on the beach reading The Cloister Walk by Kathleen Norris. It's not a book, it's soul food. I'm loving every page. I hope to review it here next week when I get back, but if you haven't read it yet, it's one of those books you should just get out there and buy. Don't even think about it. She reminds me of Anne Lamott. It has a depth that many of us (I include myself) with evangelical backgrounds long for but have not always experienced. This isn't the most profound passage in the book, but I could relate:
Taking Jeremiah to heart, day in day out, I got much more than I bargained for. I found it brave of these Benedictines, in late twentieth-century America, in a culture of denial, to try to listen to a prophet at all. The response of these monks was illuminating, and sometimes comical. "Know what you have done," Jeremiah shouted at us one morning (2:23), but before we could get over the ferocity of that command - it's much easier to live not knowing what we've done - the prophet had gone on to a vivid depiction of Israel as a frenzied camel in heat, loudly sniffing the wind, making directionless tracks in the sand. This was imagery we could smell; the poetry of scripture at its earthy best.Monks are not used to being compared to camels in heat, but they took it pretty well. I noticed eyebrows going up around the choir, and then a kind of quiet assent: well, there are days. Monks know very well how easy it is to lose track of one's purpose in life, how hard to maintain the discipline that keeps (in St. Benedictine's words) "our minds in harmony with our voices" in prayer, the ease with which aimless desire can disturb our hearts...
As I said, soul food. I'm loving it.
That's it for now. Peace to you no matter whether you live in 51 weeks of good weather or 8 months of winter. See you soon.
Ah, Cuba. It's warm and beautiful. We're right on the ocean, and it's stunning. It's good to get away, especially since there's snow in Toronto now.
Last time we were here, I felt guilty that we were living in luxury for the week while Cubans live in relative squalor. The good news this time: I don't need to feel quite as guilty. Our three star plus hotel is really closer to a one or two star place. It's old, tired, and tacky. We've got three single beds and four people. We could complain (and believe me, we have) but we got exactly what we paid for, and we're all together in the incredibly beautiful sun. And it's what we could afford if we brought the kids, so it's not all bad.
Lesson learned: you never know what you're getting when you book through the Internet. I should have called our agent.
Kids are at the swimming pool. I'm going to go try and find another mattress. I don't miss the snow, but life in Canada is very good. We don't always realize how good we have it.
But it is sunny here, and the bananas are delicous...
Our hotel has an Internet Cafe. I may or may not log on, depending on how I feel.
It's a good time to escape. Snow is on the way!
See you all for now.
A list of trends identified through the Easum Bandy Advanced Forums:
Team ministries replacing charismatic leadershipDeveloping cultures of equipping where every level of the congregation is seens as potential leader
Church planting movements underway throughout the world and now in the US
Alternate styles of church configuration such as house church, cell church, cyber church
Emergence of multiple site churches and use of satellite video
Emergence of just plain evil spiritual warfare
Continual decline of mainline and most established sideline (example would be Brethern)
Continual decline of seminary education
Rise of bivocational pastors
The rapid rise of evangelical, supernatural, prayer filled fanatics (in the best sense of the word)
Noticably absent is any mention of the megachurch movement. Easum says of megachurches:
I think their days are coming to an end...I am seeing far more smaller new congregations than I am megachurches. They will still be around and more of them, but they will not dominate the landscape. The only reason they do now is because in the US size is all that matters...I'm seeing a few large megachurches doing well, but many seem to have peaked.
Madonna's on Letterman telling Dave he should get married now that he has a child, and she's also describing how she doesn't allow any TV in their house because she wants to protect her kids from bad influences.
We live in a strange world.
Pat Robertson has declared a winner, citing a very credible source:
NORFOLK, Va. — Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson said Friday he believes God has told him President Bush will be re-elected in a "blowout" in November..."The Lord has just blessed him," Robertson said of Bush. "I mean, he could make terrible mistakes and comes out of it. It doesn't make any difference what he does, good or bad, God picks him up because he's a man of prayer and God's blessing him."
God could not be reached for comment on the anticipated federal election in Canada.
We're continually overwhelmed with and distracted by our stuff. (Living the Simple Life)
We visited friends the other day, who talked about food porn. They love watching cooking shows and reading food magazines. It got me thinking of all the other kinds of "porn" that we take in: house porn (looked at any dream houses lately?), technology porn, even church porn.
I helped a friend shop for a computer today. I thought of a million reasons I need to buy an iBook, before I reminded myself: What I have is enough. In fact, it's more than enough. Macs are nice, but I don't need anything more than I already have.
What a similarity between porn and materialism, though. It promises more than it can deliver, makes you feel like you need and deserve it, and leaves that unsatisifed feeling after.
2003 was a good year with a lot of new friendships online. It hasn't always been comfortable, but I learned a lot.
There are some of you (you know who you are) who have become true friends. It's strange having friends that I've never met, yet I know I could to to you in a pinch and know that you would be there. That's kind of cool.
Hope 2004 is a good year for you.
