Missionsfest

Missionsfest and the Vancouver Film Festival are my 2 favorite events in Vancouver. I guess the Sunrun would be up there as well.

This year Tony Campolo was one of the featured speakers. I think its like the 5th or 6th time he has spoken there. It was Campolo's message at Urbana 87 that God used to change the course of my life. I was headed for a career as a lawyer, and his message turned me towards vocational ministry.

I have met Campolo on a couple of occasions to let him know how his message changed my life. On Friday he spoke at a leader's luncheon. I went up prior to the event and told him the story once again. This time he was a lot more animated. I gave him my card, and he said "Look at that! Lead Pastor! Give me a hug!" My buddy introduced himself to Tony. Tony said "If you're a friend of Santosh's, then you're a friend of mine!"

This time I got a picture - I'm normally not really into that kind of stuff, but I thought - I may never see Campolo again, and I want a record of one of the most important people that God has used in my life, hence the above pic.

I also had breakfast with my friend, noted author - Mark Buchanan. Buchanan has about 5 published works, endorsed by Philip Yancey, Eugene Peterson and many others. Mark is a good friend as well - he's Baptist, and I used to be Baptist so we met each other at various denominational events over the years. 

I wanted to pick Mark's brains a bit about writing. I have a few articles published and people have often commented on the quality of my writing. So, I think I'm going to solidify a couple of ideas that I have, and try to get at least one book project going this year.

Other than that, I have a cold now, and have to preach tomorrow, which should be interesting.

3 Strikes

Today, the Ninans headed into Vancouver. One of our closest friends was in a bad accident and broke his leg and arm. So, we decided to pay him a visit at VGH.

I went up to Regent to get him a copy of "Reason For God" by Tim Keller (the best apologetic book since Mere Christianity). The other things we had planned were Granville Island, Kung Bo Chinese Restaurant and an Italian Butcher shop for some specialty meats.

And.... they were all closed. No joke. Every single place we wanted to go to was closed. Basically, the kids were strapped in their seats for like 4 hours in pointless shuttling. Poor kiddies.

We did get some good bar-b-q at one of our favorite places: Memphis Blues Bar-B-Q House. And, that was about it for our big trip into town.

Not much else going on, except the endless demands on a suburban pastor.

New U2 - don't like the new single. It is the first single that has not impressed me at all. It sounds like a B-side throw-away. I hope the album will be way better.

Lost

Lost started its new season with some trippy time travelling. I'm wondering if they are going to start to meander further away from reality like Heroes seemed to.

Speaking of Lost - for some reason firefox has lost all my bookmarks!!!! I am working on Safari from now on, out of protest.

Church continues to be quite hectic. I find my schedule filling up 4-6 weeks in advance now. This coming week, I am gone Wednesday and Friday. Wednesday - prayer retreat with about 30 other pastors. All day Friday I will be at Missionsfest. Missionsfest is awesome. Its just so encouraging to see so many Christians together. Campolo is speaking again this year - I think he speaks like every other year. I think I'm going to finally get my picture taken with him - I am not really into that kind of thing, or getting people to sign books they've written. But it was Campolo's message over 20 years ago that changed the course of my life - so it would be cool to have a permanent record of the man that God used in a fairly profound way in my life. (That was a terrible sentence.)

Looking forward to my sabbath tomorrow. We are going into Van. to see a friend and do some shopping at Granville Island. Should be fun.

Go Barack.... and Thoughts on Pastoral Care

Like the rest of the world, I watched history take place as Obama was sworn in today. The house was empty. I liked Rick Warren's prayer. Obama's speech was simply electrifying. I am also reading his first book "The Audacity of Hope" - the guy is really really eloquent.

I'm pretty excited for America.

I spent pretty much the whole day at the hospital today, with the family of the woman from our church who is very very ill. I can't believe how draining it is just being there with them. There is obviously very little we can do. I read scripture from time to time and prayed. But mainly, just sat there in silence, or making small talk now and then.

There was something quite sacred and peaceful about that hospital room. By the time I got home, I was in no shape to try to focus on my sermon, so I rested a bit and did some light reading. I will head back tomorrow morning again.

Anyways, another learning experience for this pastor.

O Death

Adam, his new camera and Wall-E

Today is normally my Sabbath day of rest. Well, my rest was interrupted when Felicia got home with the distressing news that a woman in our congregation who had been fighting cancer for the past two years was close to passing away.

So I rushed down to the hospital, where I spent most of the morning to be with the family. I came home for lunch and did some work, then headed back later in the afternoon.

Various other church members drifted in and out throughout the day. When I left, she looked a bit better, eating some soup and ice cream.

Tough day - feeling pretty wasted.

Sabbath is postponed until further notice.

Parting Shot

Bye-Bye

On Tuesday Obama takes office. A Gawker blogger posted the following which I enjoyed:

Of all the silly (and, at this point, pretty cliche) George W. Bushisms—his malapropisms, his infamous stumbles in syntax—one stands out for me as my absolute favorite. It's a surreal delight:

People say, 'How can I help on this war against terror? How can I fight evil?' You can do so by mentoring a child; by going into a shut-in's house and say I love you.

—Washington, D.C., Sept. 19, 2002

It's just so magically strange. The image of walking into a shut-in's house and whispering gravely "I love you," then turning around and leaving. Perfect!!

I think comedians will be hard pressed to discover similar oddities in Obama - he is just so eloquent. I am reading his first book right now, and have already had to look up 3 words that I didn't understand.

U2 played today at the inaguration concert. Also, new single drops tomorrow!!!

I can still remember the first time I heard Where The Streets Have No Name, The Fly, and Beautiful Day:

Streets - driving up Cumberland Ave. w. Mark Kleiner
The Fly - in Calgary - driving to meet then President of Samaritan's Purse - I pulled the car over to listen to the song.
Beautiful Day - In Mumbai - heard it on the internet for the first time.

Prayer for Port Moody

The Dock at Rocky Point, Port Moody - December 28 2008

Tonight was quite interesting. I was invited to say grace at a Civic Banquet at City Hall. It was a large event - about 200 city hall staff, city council men and women and a variety of volunteers who sit on a number of civic committees.

I am quite amazed that a civic government would include a prayer as part of their program, and to invite a Christian pastor! I was given complete freedom to pray as I wish - no restrictions whatsoever on what I could say or not say.

I debated for quite some time about how to end the prayer. In my personal prayers I close with "In Your Name, Amen". Since this was a more public and official prayer, I wondered if I should pray in the name of Jesus, or in the name of Jesus Christ. In the end I went with a Triune ending - Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

It was quite a fancy event - free booze! We were seated at the mayor's table. Felicia sat right next to him. I sat next to an empty chair as the mayor's wife was ill. There was one other couple at our table - they own a large pub, and the wife sits on a bunch of local committees.

Our table got to the buffet first which was pretty sweet. There was a couple there who had heard me speak at something at Carey College once - they attend Grandview Calvary - lovely couple. Also, some Bahai guy asked if I would speak at some inter-faith thing they were hosting. We'll see if he ever gets back to me.

All in all it was a really fun evening. I was very honored to have been given this brief platform to pray for our city.

Here's the prayer:

Dear God, we pause tonight to offer our gratitude for your many blessings to us. We thank you for Port Moody, for your blessings on us as a city. I thank you for the men and women here tonight who donate their most precious commodity, their time to serving the rest of us, by volunteering. They are a blessing to our city. I pray your blessing on each one of them tonight – may they know that we all appreciate and recognize their service for the rest of us.

I also pray for our mayor Joe Trasolini, our city manager, gaetan royer, our city council men and women and our staff at City Hall. Fill them with your wisdom and discernment as they also serve us by fulfilling their civic duties among us.

Finally, God, we thank you for the food we are about to enjoy. We also pause and pray for those in our community who are struggling financially. We pray that as a community we would be mindful and responsive for those in our city who need extra help and assistance. We thank you for the Share society, who does so much good for our city.

Help us, as a city to continue to serve one another in 2009.

In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
Amen.

Dang Canadian Geese

It was Geese, Canadian Geese.

A plane crash lands on the hudson river because of ..... Geese.

Now, you would have thought by now that the aviation industry would have figured out by now a way to fight off..... Geese.

The whole plane landing on the river was pretty unbelievable. This new pilot is going to give Obama a run for the money for most beloved living American.

Everyone lived - and the plane looks like its all in one piece. The other thing I thought about was that this story has pretty much launched a sermon illustration for every preacher in North America this Sunday, including yours truly. What's my illustration - come to HMCC to find out - this Sunday at 10:00.

Speaking of preaching, I am reading a good book on that very topic: Modern Preaching and the Ancient Text. It reads more like a technical text book - positing that the roots of contemporary liberalism is the use of the historical-critical method of generations past. The book looks at literary and redaction criticism. It gives a good foundational evaluation of various hermeneutical philosophies, before moving onto more practical matters like... how to write a sermon.

I should write a book on how to write a sermon. My method:
1. Read text several times in different translations, including the original language - both Greek and Hebrew if it is an Old Testament passage.
2. Try to write out your own translation.
3. Write out the "life topics" in the passage.
4. Read 2 or 3 of the top commentaries. (I am currently using 5 on Exodus - 3 conservative, 1 more liberal one and a jewish one).
5. Cross reference any theological themes that need expanding using a theological dictionary.
6. By this point there is usually enough material that the sermon will write itself.
7. So, write the sermon.
8. Re-read and make changes.
9. Practice preaching it at least once.
10. Preach on sister!

Big Week, Bigger Sunday

Three big things from the past week:

1. Toured the Share Community Services Offices - incredible organization serving the poor and needy in Port Moody. Gave me a glimmer of where our church might end up partnering with them.

2. Got a call from city hall. I've been asked to give the prayer at some large civic banquet thing. Pretty cool. Also, invited to meet with the mayor of Port Moody on Thursday to prep. for the prayer, and just to meet each other.

3. Secured the Inlet Theatre for our church to start meeting there. It's an amazing facility and location for us.

And then today - we had like double our regular attendance which was a real shot in the arm after so many poorly attended services due to poor weather.

For the first week, 2009 is looking like a real kick butt year! Did have one major church conflict that I had to manage, which wasn't that fun.

Going to see Benjamin Button - looks a bit odd - hope its good.

Snow Blows

I am officially sick of all this freaking snow - seriously. Today the snow was totally wet and weighed like a ton. The snow banks around our driveway are now taller then me.

I had taken some time off from July 27 until today. But.... when you work out of your home, and then you don't LEAVE your home, its kinda hard to transition into holiday mode. Whenever I walk into the home office, I am back in work mode.

Consequently, I think it would be wise in the future that when I take holidays, I actually physically leave Port Moody. There is a good possibility I will be doing that next month. In part of my negotiating for this position with my church, they asked me apart from my salary, what else I needed. I told them I need to be able to purchase books to help me write my sermons, and keep abreast of current ideas and thoughts. I also needed a small expense account for gas and meals, when I take people out for lunch and coffee. And then in terms of professional development, I asked for a conference budget so I could attend up to 2 conferences per year - one local, and one away. The local one I attend is the Regent Pastor's Conference. This year I will most likely attend the National Pastor's Conference in San Diego. This is the largest conference of its kind, with a lot of great speakers and workshops.

I'm not really gaga or starry eyed about large pump-em-up conferences. My theory is that I can read a speaker's thoughts by reading his book, and don't necessarily need to hear it live. But.... there is something to physically getting away, and placing yourself in a context where you are with like minded people.

So, when I go to San Diego, it is likely that the family will come as well for a mini-holiday. The conference is Tuesday-Friday. So we will probably stay an extra couple of days, hang out on the beach and drive up to Disneyland. I have relatives we can stay with part of the time which cuts down on costs - and then we have some really close friends in the entertainment business in Los Angeles, that we would like to see.

Hopefully, it works out and we can go. Beats sitting in my house surrounded by snow while on "holidays".

Best Movies of 2008

And here they are - out of the 50-60 movies I saw this year, these ones were the best:

1. Slumdog Millionaire - If you didn't love this movie, there's something wrong with you. Danny Boyle gives us another heart churning tale of dreams, hope and tragedy. I lived in Mumbai 8 years ago, this movie triggered all kinds of memories of that incredible caohtic city. Already nominated for some golden globes, is starting to generate some serious Oscar buzz.

2. Wall-E - Possibly the best Pixar film ever. I still think Finding Nemo and Toy Story 1 and 2 are amazing films. Wall-E gives a sobering message to a society determined to shop and eat itself to death. Strong biblical themes emerge - a man and woman and the tree of life start a new humanity.

3. Taxi to the Dark Side - A movie you've never heard of. There were a number of films that emerged, critical of the Bush administration's policies in Iraq and Gitmo. This was the strongest.

4. Let the Right One In - Forget those teenie bop Twilight flicks. This is a REAL vampire film that will freak you out for sure.

5. Dark Knight - Aren't superhero films getting better and better? Heath Ledger is sure to get a post0humous Oscar nomination for the best acting by anyone of the past year. The film was dark, but excellent.

6. Iron Man - Another great superhero flick. Robert Downey Jr. is one heck of an actor. This had all the elements of a block-buster.

7. U23D - The only movie on the list, beside Slumdog that I saw twice. Revolutionary 3d technology was used to capture the greatest band at the top of their form. It would have been neat to see some behind the scenes stuff. The chepaest U2 concert you will ever see.

8. The Visitor - Heartwarming tale of human beings being human to one another. A post-9/11 fable that will touch your heart.

9. Boy A - Are some actions really unforgivable. A harrowing tale of a young man trying to hide from a hellish act from his past.

10. Young At Heart - This film will cause you to smile for a long time afterward. A documentary about senior citizens in a choir that only sings rock songs - coldplay, the ramones, sex pistols, etc. Beautiful, beautiful.

So, there you have it - the movies I enjoyed.

2009

We rang in the New Year with just a couple of other friends. One of the couples had brought their kids, hoping they would fall asleep here. At 10:30, their kids were still running around, so we decided to make 11:00 into midnight and toast the new year an hour early.

So, at 11:00 PST we toasted the new year with sparkling BC shiraz wine, instead of the traditional French champagne - in my opinion the shiraz is better.

It was a nice evening, playing Guitar Hero, eating good food. One of our good friends who was there was also celebrating the fact that 2 years ago on New Years Eve, he dedicated his life to Jesus Christ. So, we spent some time praying and thanking God gor what he had done in his life. It was a great night.

2008 was a pretty tumultous year for us. The biggest change of course was the new job and new home and new city. Well, the new city is a suburb of Vancouver, so not that big a change.

Internally, I think I have changed in the fact that I have more confidence in what I believe I have been called by God to do. I know even 3 years ago, I probably would not be able to do what I am doing now.

Looking forward to 2009, and how the story will unfold.