Dreams Unlocked

This morning it was just me and the boy. First stop Starbucks - I thought I could read my bible and Exclusion and Embrace while Adam sat in the high chair for an hour. when we got there I realized I hadn't brought anything for Adam to play with or read. So I grabbed some stir sticks, straws, venti size caps and a couple of brochures. I tried to turn those things into toys for him. Adam split his time between playing with the stir sticks and opening up a big brochure that has all the nutrional information of every Starbucks drink. He stayed entertained for about 7 minutes. I did manage to read Matthew 9 and 1 page of Volf before I knew we had to start to move. So back to the apartment. We took a soccer ball to the courtyard in the back - its a nice grassy area, sort of a common backyard - here we kicked the ball around. I would sit down and read Volf and Adam would come running over and make me sit up. Then we went back up - I finished something I was working on - Adam ran around. T...

I am a pop culture junkie. I like popular books, movies and music. So, in my attempts to continue to stay relevant, I went to hear Douglas Coupland read from his latest book: J-Pod. It's a book about people working in the gaming industry. The parts he read were very entertaining. He took a few questions after the reading and then signed his books. He signed my Generation X and Hey Nostradamus! I asked him about reading at Regent College. He said he was supossed to do it a long time ago but it never happened. Then I asked him how he researched the Christian club that is described so well in Nostradamus. He said he just made it up. I told him, but it was bang on! He said, yeah, that's what he's heard. He even heard that some Christian clubs are using the book to teach their member how NOT to act. Coupland also mentioned that when he was in high-school he wanted to go to the Christian club, but they told him he couldn't come. Sad, huh? This brilliant writer's life tra...

I am still sooooo sore from yesterday's torture. Decided to take it easy. Had Burger King with the family. New rule - no more hamburgers, unless it's In&Out, Fatburger or Fuddruckers. At Mcdonald's, Burger King and Wendy's I'm only going to get their grill chicken sandwiches. Because their burgers are bad. Saw United 93 finally - sheeeesh - what a tense movie! I was almost sobbing at the end of it. It re-opened all those feelings form that hellish day - now almost 5 years ago. Tomorrow - hit the week running.

I ran a half marathon today. I know, I know, you're wondering when I'm going to run the other half - hee hee. So here are 2 things I learned about running 21 kms: 1. Don't try to run 21 kms. when you have only run 4 times in the past 2 months. 2. Don't try to run 21 kms. when you only get 4-5 hours sleep the night before. The run started at 7 AM at UBC. It ended at Stanley Park. I had to stop and walk 2 times. I had hoped to do it in under 2 hours and I did it in 2 hrs. and 20 minutes!!!! It was so hot today - I was sucking back Gatorade and water at all the aid stations. When I crossed the line, I started to weave back and forth. A medical team came running up to me and threw me in a wheel-chair, asking if I was ok. I was fine!!!! (I had never been closer to death). I got a medal - everyone who ran got a medal. I was SOOOOOO sore - I am stil SOOOOOO sore. I had to speak at a sr's home in Yaletown - I limped all the way there. Right now I'm working on a newspape...

My friend Patricia became a Canadian citizen yesterda (see above). Patricia is from Cloumbia - I met her through the Shelter program at First Baptist Church. She is really nice, as was evidenced by the 20+ people who came to her citizenship. We all cheered when she got her certificate - no one else got a cheer! What was interesting is that Patricia had people who were clients of the Shelter program, as well as colleagues form work - she works for a large finance company. So you had people at either end of the socio-economic spectrum with Patricia as the connector. People whose clothes came from someone else and people whose clothes come straight off the Banana Republic rack. This is an image of the Kingdom. Diveristy, yet unity. We were unified by our friendship with Patricia. Christians are unified by their friendship with Christ - no jew/gentile, etc. Also yesterday, some of you know I had a meeting with a girl who has been having a difficult time lately, so much so that her mom flew...

tonight was our last homegroup 0 went out with a bit of a whimper - only 5 of us. still it was ok. trying to rearrange my home office - I HAVE SO MANY BOOKS!!!! reading "exclusion and embrace" by volf - what a writer, what a thinker! even though first@night has slowed down - i still feel so behind the 8 ball. i always feel like i am carrying around a big weight. where is the love, the peace and the hope?

I saw Locke form Lost last night in Yaletown. We had gone out for gelato with Keith and Julie. We were walking home. Locke and 2 friends were going in and out of restaurants on Mianland - He actually looked lost! Diffficult day - working with a family in deep crisis. If you pray, pray for me. Am attending the United Nations World Urban Forum this week. It's pretty cool - lots of talk on the effects of urbanization on the world. Habitat for Humanity built a house in 1 day which will be sent to a family that lost theirs in hurricane Katrina. The C.E.O of Habitat - Jonathan Reckford spoke at first@night on Sunday. what an amazing guy! He's only 42! He was so inspiring and humble.

we had planned this really special family day for today - where i was going to go to the aquarium and spend some quality time with adam and felicia. ...... the morning starts with a hysterical korean girl phoning me - a girl from our congregation is in some serious trouble, which has involved an intervention with the police and health care professionals. so my happy family day now has to accomodate 2 seperate trip to the hospiral and several calls with hospital staff to try to figure out what has happened. i also have to try to comfort others in our church who are sick with worry. still managed to go to the aquarium which was fun, although i was weighted down with this issue. went to a saskatchewan roughriders game with a few friends. they were soundly thrashed by the b.c. lions, so the game was not that fun. it is almost 11 at night - the city looks beautiful - neon flickers, traffic lights flicker and false creek reflects back.

mission centered church vs. church centered mission - there's the rub. do we have a church that is centered around the missio dei (mission of god) or do we have a mission that is centered around a selfish church. had lunch with our church moderator and the head of church planting of our denomination. the institutional church in north america is in management mode - that's why god raised up the emergent movement to bring mission back to the church in north america. by careful cultural exegesis and listening to the holy spirit's leading, maybe we will start to see something happen.

not much to say - we sold felicia's 7 yr. old computer, printer and keyboard for 40 bucks on craigslist. now we're trying to sell both the desks in my office - any takers? it's also on craigslist. craigslist rules - its free and such an easy way to sell stuff.

i have recently seen an increase in spam in my inbox - it all goes to another file, thank goodness. usually they are products that will increase a certain part of my anatomy. today there was one in which the subject line read "amateur babes show all!!! these girls are classy!!!" -- an oxymoron if i ever heard one. had a great evening getting together with a few missional minded folks all involved in various church plants or similar ministries in vancouver. it was through the hospitality of a friend named paul. now what's interesting is that paul and i had never met before - only corresponded by e-mail. well, he is a fine fellow and his wife is awesome and his kids are cute. it was a fantastic evening with some high quality people. i am so grateful that god has brought these choice people to vancouver to do his work. had brunch at milestones - haven't had that in awhile. it was fun although i have been feeling rather fatigued lately - i haven't been able to sleep u...

i've never been hit by a car - that's pretty amazing. i have lived my wholelife around cars and they've always missed me. i am a lucky man. i'm sitting in the pastor's meeting this morning, feigning interest in whatever is going on, when all of a sudden i start to feel this incredible pain in my back and neck. i have never had this kind of pain before - i actually got up and went to the office to get some pain killers. i was in so much pain i thought i would have to go to the emergency room at st. paul's. but instead i gritted my teeth and tried to ignore. i did ask the other pastors to pray for me. reading "in the parish of the poor" by jean-bertrande aristide. i'm getting on by all these liberation theologians speaking for the poor and powerless. they sound more like jesus then some of the right wing nut-jobs i see on my tv screen.

listening to sujan stevens (above pic). his voice is calming me. sun is hot on my face in my glass box in the sky. i've been trying to write a topical sermon all day and have just been facing a blank word document - I CAN NOT WRITE TOPICAL SERMONS. i need a text of scripture in front of me. started a book on the poor in haiti by jean bertrand aristide- the former prime minister - he was formally a catholic priest of a church next to a slum. i've been thinking and praying about haiti a lot lately - it is the poorest country in the western hemisphere.

this is the book i am reading. it is one of the most challenging christian books i have ever read. shane claiborne is a radical - or maybe he is what someone who loves jesus with their whole heart, mind and soul looks like. he grw up in the christian sub-culture. in college he started to question that sub-culture and started hanging out with the homeless. this sparked a fire inside of him for social justice that has grown into a huge fire. he has travelled to iraq and witnessed first hand the hell of war there. he also assists in various american justice causes, usually including the poor. it reminds me a lot of our own jacobs well here in vancouver - jacobswell.ca joyce heron is sort of like our shane claiborne speaking truth to the church.

Saw Da Vinci Code last night. It is terrible. I'm serious - this is one of the worst films I have ever seen - if not the worst. I can't explain how bad it sucks. After an hour I felt like walking out because I was so bored - I should have, the rest of the film just got worse. It is a real miracle that Ron Howard could screw up what is such a thrilling book. I would boycott this movie, not because of the subject matter, but because it wastes 2 hours of your life. I am sick today - was supossed to go to Surrey for a conference but had to cancel. My head is completly congested - i have an earache and a sore throt - this sucks. Anyways, watch this trailer, its pretty funny: http://grrrlmeetsworld.com/2006/05/this-is-your-penance-for-making.html