My Thoughts & Then Some

Moving to A new Blog

2008-07-30T12:27:00.005-04:00

Okay. I've moved blogs. My web hosting company uses wordpress and so I've been using it too. It's very similar to blogger, so it was easier for me to adapt. I've nothing against blogger and love it.

Here is my new blog address: Taylor-Made (http://taylornet.ca/blog/) This is more a family blog - while I'm at least hoping my family will post some stuff too.

I'm still keeping this one, because you just never know when you'll need another blog. ;-)

Messy Living

2007-01-26T12:11:00.000-05:00

Okay - most everyone who knows me, knows that I tend to lean towards the messier side of living. I have papers and books piled up; dishes waiting to be washed; dishes waiting to be put away; same with laundry. I also tend to leave my Christmas decorations up longer than most people. Actually we will be taking down the tree this Sunday (January 28th).

Well I've once again made it a goal (or just continuing in my quest) to keep a tidy house. My first step is in trying to get organized, that's probably more like my 2nd step because in reality I need to de-clutter first, so I know what I have left to organize. Once everything is organized than I will have to figure out a cleaning routine that works for me.

Maybe I'm not really messy but just hate to clean.

Been A While

2007-01-24T12:14:00.000-05:00

It's been a few months since I posted anything to my blog. In case anyone is wondering why, here's why: I got pretty busy and then couldn't think of things to blog. Well not really couldn't think of things, but didn't know how to write about them.

Well I'm still busy, but am going to try to make time for this. I think I need this outlet - it's kind of like talking to yourself. Once you've said it, you can see it more clearly.

So at times I may be too busy, but I'm aiming at posting at the least once a week. Hopefully meaningful posts, but more likely than not, just everyday ones - that probably will only matter to me. Please feel free to add your comments though - always appreciate knowing what others think.

Halloween Thoughts

2006-11-01T10:20:00.000-05:00

All Saints Day is today. Yesterday was All Hallows Eve (Halloween) - another Christian celebration. I'm curious as to how everyone else celebrates All Saints Day and All Hallows Eve - so feel free to respond and let me know.

Here are some of my thoughts the day after Halloween.

My family doesn't "celebrate" the day like many others in North America. We go out to dinner and then to a friend's house to check out their giant pumpkin and eat their leftover treats.

We don't have many issues about the orgins of All Hallow's Eve - they are mainly Christian - mocking Satan and evil. My main problem has much to do about what it has become. It's all about the big scare; how bloody and gory can you make it.

When my oldest was younger (and to a degree now), she was very shy. In normal situations if someone said Hi (including close relatives) she would hide behind me and scream. So we decided not to tramatize her on Halloween when everything was made to be scary.

Another smaller issue is how expensive it's become - the costumes (while much better than when I was younger), the candy, the decorations (getting to be like Christmas :wink:).

The school my kids go to doesn't celebrate it - mostly because of the focus on scary and violent (they have a zero tolerance in regards to violence) and also because of the varying cultures which are in our neighbourhood. Instead it's orange and black day with wacky hair thrown in. Which is fun to see too. Halloween is talked about at school, some special treats, and stories read, but nothing violent or gory.

All of this to say we don't do Halloween because of today's climate not yesterday's. I just wish people wouldn't stare and give us those sad looks because my kids aren't getting to dress up (we have dress up clothes and they dress up all the time) or going out asking for candy. They get lots of candy and we even buy some after Halloween when it's on sale. They are not missing out on any sugar rushes and we know the candy is safe. (Sorry that sounded a little harsh, but sometimes it just gets annoying.)

I don't have any problems with others going out. Most kids look really cute all dressed up. Thanks for my little rant.

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Halloween, All Saints Day

Photo Friday - Silver

2006-09-03T12:53:00.000-04:00

I was surprised when I first looked at this picture. It has a really interesting silver grey look, almost like I took it on a black and white setting. I hope you enjoy!

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Photo Friday, sun, beach

Monday's Top Fives

2006-08-28T16:21:00.000-04:00

43things.com Top All-Time Goals for August 28, 2006

1.lose weight - moved from 4th to first.
I'm working towards this - actually I'm always thinking about it, not accomplishing much though.

2. stop procrastinating - new to the top five
Not on my list at present, but maybe I'm just procastinating.

3. write a book - dropped to 3rd from second
have thought about it, but I know I'm not gifted there. I'd make a good editor, just not a writer.

4. Fall in love - dropped from thrird to 4th
- still falling after 17 years (married for almost 14).

5. be happy fell from second to 5th
- I think happiness is fleeting and can change in a moment so I'm just I'm trying to learn to be content instead.

I think it's interesting to see what people want to do in their lives. To see what my goals are just look at the sidebar or click here.

Technorati Tags:
43things.com, goals, life

No More Planet Pluto

2006-08-24T17:28:00.001-04:00

Pluto demoted under new definition of planet

Definition of a planet - "a celestial body that is in orbit around the sun, has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a … nearly round shape, and has cleared the neighbourhood around its orbit."

The article goes on to say that "Pluto doesn't qualify because its orbit is inclined relative to the rest of the solar system and crosses over the orbit of Neptune."

I'm not really sure how to take this. I think they could leave Pluto in, but anything discovered afterwards that did not fit the definition would not be.

Any thoughts?

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Pluto, planets, Solar System

Blogger Beta

2006-08-19T21:14:00.000-04:00

If you're wondering what's happened to the look and layout of my blog. Don't worry. I'm playing with the Blogger Beta version. Once I figure it all out - I'll hopefully have things back to normal - well as normal as I get anyway.

Technorati Tags: Blogger, blog

Dates with Kids

2006-08-18T10:41:00.000-04:00

Hubby and I have decided to go on dates with our 2 girls (5 & 7). We have decided to allocate 25$ per child.

On our first set of dates, I took the oldest and we went shopping at the mall – she loved it! Hubby took the youngest and they went to see a movie – a movie she wanted to see.

The next day, we switched kids and the youngest and I went shopping while the oldest and daddy went to an Art Gallery – afterward they bought some canvas, paints, and brushes at the dollar store. My youngest is still saying thank you to me and it’s been 2 weeks.

This was an awesome experience for all of us. We got to spend time alone with each child and they got all our attention. My oldest daughter discovered she likes Slushies and my youngest discovered that her and her dad have more in common. Can’t wait to do it again, next month.

See more progress on: be a better mother

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43things.com, mother, children, family

Monday's Top Fives

2006-08-14T12:33:00.000-04:00

43things.com Top Goals for August 14, 2006

1. write a book - have thought about it, but I know I'm not gifted there. I'd make a good editor, just not a writer.

2. be happy - I think happiness is fleeting and can change in a moment so I'm just I'm trying to learn to be content instead.

3. Fall in love - still falling after 17 years.

4. lose weight - I'm working towards this - actually I'm always thinking about it, not accomplishing much though.

5. Kiss in the rain - For sure have done this one many times.

I think it's interesting to see what people want to do in their lives. To see what my goals are just look at the sidebar or click here.

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43things.com, goals, life

My First Avon Order

2006-08-14T11:37:00.000-04:00

I got my first Avon delivery the other day - I was just so excited! I didn't think I would be this happy to get it. I checked over everything I received and organized by who ordered what and then started trying the product I got for myself.

I surprised even myself by how much I like the stuff. It really is great quality. One product really stands out for me - the Nailwear nail polish. I put it on Wednesday night and it's barely worn - so unlike what usually happens to me. Usually my nails need a touch up everyday.

There are many other products I want to try. I'll keep you posted as to what stuff works for me.

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Avon, Avon Canada, nail polish

My Avon Web Page

2006-08-08T15:55:00.000-04:00

I've recently set up an Avon Canada web page, in which you can send me your orders - anytime, day or night. Then I would place your order and deliver it on the usual schedule. This really only works for people who live in my area or with my family (whom I visit often).

If you live outside my area, you can order your Avon products directly from Avon - there is a 5.95 shipping/delivery charge. Remember this is Avon Canada.

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Avon, Avon Canada

Couple Surfing

2006-08-04T00:07:00.000-04:00

"Love me, love my blog," as Netorati couple-surf - Yahoo! Canada News

How interesting! I think hubby and I do this a bit. We IM a lot but nothing racey - just normal "how's work going?"; "could you stop at the grocery store?" and of course talking about the news over lunch.

Boy I must be out of it too - I didn't realize we, internet people, had a name: Netorati. Not sure if I'm keen on it; we'll see if it grows on me.

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couple surfing, Netorati

Just started with Avon

2006-08-01T02:05:00.000-04:00

I just started as an Avon Independent Sales Representative. My first order goes in tomorrow. So far I’ve given away 5 brochures – 3 of them I drove 2 and a half hours and hand delivered them (we were going anyway). I’m so glad I did – they are buying stuff!!!

I know for the first bit, I’ll be buying more for myself than selling it – I need to start using the product, so I can recommend it. I hate when people try to sell me something they’ve never tried or use.

My first goal with Avon is to make enough extra cash to get high speed internet. With buying lots for myself that may take longer than I expect but I think I will make it there before 1 year. I’ll let you know when I make it.

See more progress on: sell avon

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Avon

43things.com

2006-07-27T13:22:00.000-04:00

Wow - I am so enjoying this new site. 43things.com is about goal setting. Registration is FREE and once you've signed up - you can start adding your goals.

You can word them anyway you'd like and add tags to them too. Once you've added an item, you will see how many other members have the same goal. You can also write comments down about how you will get to your goal or how your progress is going. You can also reply to others and encourage them by giving them a "cheer".

I'm having a lot of fun doing this. Just check out my side bar and see all my goals!

Technorati Tags:
43things.com, goals, life

Finding a Good Book

2006-07-19T01:54:00.000-04:00

For the past couple of years, I’ve been wanting to learn PHP. I’ve taught myself HTML and CSS with some really good books and now it’s time to find a good PHP one – one that I can follow and that is in the right price range.

I’m still playing around with it a bit anyway and understand a few bits and pieces – enough to tweak phpnuke and phpbb but not enough to create my own modules or write my own programming.

I really do enjoy creating webpages/sites and would just like to keep up.

See more progress on: learn PHP

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computers, programming, PHP

Cool Art

2006-07-10T11:44:00.000-04:00

I've recently stumbled across some really cool artwork. Daniel is in his late teens, a skateboarder, and an amazing artist. Check out his artwork and let him know what you think. http://www.artmajeur.com/loner/

UPDATE: He has a new site http://danielart.teach-nology.com/index.html

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art, artist, Daniel

Jesus was a Warmonger! huh?

2006-07-06T12:11:00.000-04:00

Nota Bene: The Peacemaker and The Warmonger

I think the blogger here was trying to defend President George Bush's decision for going to war. I'm not really interested in commenting on the politics part.

In the piece the blogger, K. Geffert, says that "Jesus never, ever, taught 'peace on earth' apart from His Kingdom." and that "Jesus is the ultimate warmonger!"

This just floored me. I must say that her comments frustrated me, especially with my strong Anabaptist tendencies. I think a big part of my disagreement is that I view the Kingdom differently. It sounds like she believes that the Kingdom is still to come and I believe that Jesus has already started it here and it continues to grow and when He returns it will become perfect.

Jesus never picked up a sword or tried to force his views on anyone. The conflict comes when some people get what Jesus is saying and others don't. We are to love our neighbours (that includes are loving our enemies as ourselves and treating others the way we want to be treated). Not sure how that constitutes warmongering.

Anyway I could go on and on but I also want to know what others think too. What do you think?

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Jesus, peace, Christianity, Kingdom

Super Heroes

2006-06-19T10:53:00.000-04:00

I just took a super hero quiz and here's the results:

You scored as Neo, the "One". Neo is the computer hacker-turned-Messiah of the Matrix. He leads a small group of human rebels against the technology that controls them. Neo doubts his ability to lead but doesn't want to disappoint his friends. His goal is for a world where all men know the Truth and are free from the bonds of the Matrix.

Neo, the "One" - 67%

Captain Jack Sparrow - 58%
Batman, the Dark Knight - 54%
James Bond, Agent 007 - 50%
The Terminator - 46%
Maximus - 46%
The Amazing Spider-Man - 33%
William Wallace - 29%
El Zorro - 25%
Lara Croft - 21%
Indiana Jones - 17%
Which Action Hero Would You Be? v. 2.0 created with QuizFarm.com

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Super Heroes, Neo

My First Blogaversary

2006-06-09T12:31:00.000-04:00

I was reading a couple of my favourite blogs today (lIfE iN EfFecT and (e)mergent Voyageurs) and they are celebrating their 1 year blogaversaries this week. So I thought of checking when my blogaversary was and to my surprize - it's TODAY!!!

Thursday, June 09, 2005
My First Post
Just testing this out to see how it all looks and how it works.

Mind you, I didn't really do anything with it until 4 months later. Partly because I just wasn't sure what I wanted to put on it, but mostly because I wasn't sure how much information I wanted to share (or should share) with the world (literally the whole world). And then that got me thinking - how much would the world want to know about me.

So once I got up the courage - I haven't looked back. Although it would be nice to have more feedback in the form of comments - I'm quite happy with how things are going.

Thanks everyone for sharing in my growing over the past year.

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blog, blogging, anniversary

Reality TV

2006-06-06T16:09:00.000-04:00

It's time for most of the reality tv shows to start.

IDOL - Just finished watching American Idol and now Canadian Idol is underway. I like the Canadian show better - 4 judges, varied talent, better critic - uniquely Canadian. I've watched every Canadian Idol season, but with American Idol it's been every other season.

So You Think You Can Dance - It's a great filler on boring nights and the judges are always fun to watch and listen too.

Big Brother - Season 7 will be starting soon. I can't say that I've watched every season fully through, some I didn't even bother to watch at all. I think this season will be interesting; it's All-Star time. CBS is having the audience vote on which former players they want to compete in the house.

Rock Star: Supernova - Well it was such a hit last year with INXS, so now a brand new band is looking for a singer. Tommy Lee (Mötley Crüe), Jason Newsted (Metallica) and Gilby Clarke (Guns N' Roses), plus the singer we pick will make up the band. Then they will be releasing an original album. I liked it last year, so I'll probably be watching it again. Tommy Lee should make it fun to watch.

What reality tv do you like to watch?

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Reality TV, Canadian Idol, American Idol, Rock Star, Supernova, Big Brother, So You Think You Can Dance

Time To Butt Out Ontario

2006-05-31T12:08:00.000-04:00

Landmark legislation protects health of Ontarians — Canadian Cancer Society congratulates Ontario government for Smoke-Free Ontario Act

Well, it's finally here - a promise Dalton McGuinty has kept. ;-)

No smoking in any public, enclosed area. I'm happy that smoking is being reduced. I just wish there was a quicker way to ban smoking all together. I know it's been legal so long and it will take a very long time to get everyone to see how bad it really is.

Just wanted to mark the day!

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Ontario, Smoking, Dalton McGuinty

Weakness Christianity

2006-05-29T11:58:00.000-04:00

As I was reading Nathan Colquhoun's blog - Based on a True Story, he mentions this essay "Freedom from Quiet Time Guilt: The rare beauty of Weakness Christianity" by Greg Johnson, St. Louis Center for Christian Study.

I must say that I, too, have felt Quiet Time Guilt; almost since my first day of my Christian journey. The past few months, I have given myself the freedom to not do force myself not to do it if I don't want to. And I've been feeling pretty good. I don't think I'm defying God, I actually find myself praying more. Maybe not reading my Bible as much as people might think I should, but I'm definately connecting with God.

Here's a quote from the article that I thought was good:

There are two religions calling themselves evangelical Christianity today: Strength Christianity and Weakness Christianity. Strength Christianity is that religion which places both feet squarely on the Bible and proclaims, “I am strong. I sought the Lord. I’m a believer. I’ve turned away from sin. I read my Bible and pray every single day. I’m for God!” Weakness Christianity, by contrast, places both knees squarely on the Bible and says, “I am weak, but the Lord has sought me. I believe, but help now my unbelief. I fail and am broken by my continued sinfulness. Have mercy on me, Lord, and grant me favor, for apart from you I can do nothing.”

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Christianity, Nathan Colquhoun, Greg Johnson

Waiting

2006-05-24T10:02:00.000-04:00

I'm so frustrated. It feels like I've been waiting for years. I do the normal waiting - at the doctor's office, in a restaurant, in many lines, but this waiting is different. It feels different; it's inner; it's hard to describe. Sometimes I just want to scream, but know that somehow that won't help.

I'm really just waiting on God. I'm very much a do-er when it comes to God and I like it. I think I'm pretty good at it too. I like to do things and have something to show for it. But right now, I really am not doing anything. Maybe it's more like I'm not doing anything "church" related.

I'm involved in a church plant and you'd think there'd be lots of stuff to do, but I've got nothing. At my previous church, I created the sermon powerpoints, did (and still do) the bulletin, ran the Nursery, organized social and outreach events, and helped hubby with the music (he was Music team leader). I shouldn't say I do nothing at the new church, I am an extra adult body in the Sunday School (no planning or preperation just need to show up and sit with the kids). Mind you I really enjoy the kids, but I am never in the church service.

I guess my biggest thing is that I feel like I'm just waiting to see where God wants me. Maybe it's because I don't know - I'm a person who likes to know things. I wonder if this is how David felt when King Saul was chasing him. David had the promise that he would be King, but had to wait before it came to pass.

I need to learn how to just be. Wait and see.

Needed to get this little rant off my chest. Thanks for listening.

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waiting, Church

Interesting Thought

2006-05-23T12:12:00.000-04:00

Pernell Goodyear wrote this on his blog:

"Christianity began in Palestine as a relationship, moved to Greece and became an idea, went to Rome and became an institution, then came to North America and became an enterprise."

I like it. I think it helps explain Christianity's transition. Which one is the best expression of Christianity? I'm inclined to go back to the beginning and work at relationships. Maybe it's circular and will start back at relationships then move to idea again, etc. Any thoughts?

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Christianity, Pernell Goodyear

Mom's Pay Day

2006-05-16T17:18:00.001-04:00

Salary.com consulted US mothers and has come with a paycheck for a mother's work. At Home Mom's would be bring home on average $131, 121.00 a year while Working Mom's would bring home their regular pay as well as an additional $85,876.00 for "mom work". You can read more here What is Mom's Job Worth?.

Here's the breakdown of an At Home Mom job description:

Housekeeper - 22.1 hours/week - $10,980

Day Care Center Teacher - 15.7 h/w - $10,817

Cook - 13.6 h/w - $10,862

Computer Operator 9.1 h/w - $7,151

Laundry Machine Operator - 6.7 h/w - $3,133

Janitor - 6.3 h/w - $3,713

Facilities manager - 5.8 h/w - $11,508

Van Driver - 4.2 h/w - $3,334

CEO - 4.2 h/w - $35,971

Psychologist - 3.9 h/w - $7,176

A total of 91.6 hours - that's 51.6 hours of overtime on a regular 40 hour week. Giving a total pay check worth - $134,121

Wow that's great!! Dreaming of someday! (wink)

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pay, Stay-at-home Moms

Canadian Census Day

2006-05-16T10:43:00.000-04:00

It's a very interesting time. Every household must submit a census form and if you don't there are consequences. First a person will come to your door to remind you and then after that if you have not submitted you could be thrown in jail. I guess that's one way of making you do it. I'll be filling out the new online form today!

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Canada, census

Sex for Food

2006-05-08T10:11:00.000-04:00

I just read this CBC News: Aid workers giving girls food for sex in Liberia: report and am totally disgusted.

How could they do this?!!!!? I'm really hoping that this report is over-exaggerated, but even if it is - just one case is one too many.

Is this something that will always happen? Aren't there any descent people in the world?

Very frustrated and a tad angry.

Technorati Tags:
Liberia, United Nations, Save the Children, Sex

How To Grow A Church - Part 2

2006-05-01T11:27:00.000-04:00

In Living Color Originally uploaded by eye2eye.

To continue my comments (How to Grow a Church - Part 1) regarding 10 musts the church should focus on (Structuring to grow, not plateau) written by Rick Warren (famous Christian author and pastor of Saddleback Church).

Here are the last 5:

6. You must offer multiple services.

Obviously, to expand the structure, you will have to multiply, and to multiply, you have to offer multiple worship services. Why? Because more hooks in the water mean you can catch more fish.

At what point should you add a new service? I would say when you can have at least 75-100 people in that service. If you’re trying to reach new people, you have to have a large enough crowd so that the new people who just walked in don’t feel like everybody’s looking at them.

I'm not sure how to take this. Is 75-100 people too small to start another service? I think it might be, unless maybe if you've been at 75-100 for a year or two. I think multiple services are okay, but I also think that if you are going to do mulitple services why not start a new church. Or maybe we can think of each service as it's own church. Hmm.

7. You must create affinity groups to enhance community.

The more affinity groups you have, the more ways you have to connect with people. You want to avoid your church becoming a single-cell amoeba, so deliberately structure your church so it won’t become one big group that doesn’t reach out to other people.

This sounds good, but I think there is more to it than that. You have to do a lot of research and evaluate the church and see what groups would be appropriate - what works for one church may not work for another. I think this is where many churches fall short because they try to copy what is working in another church without seeing where their people are at.

8. You must intentionally break through attendance barriers with big days.

Crowds attract crowds! People like to be around crowds. When you have big, special days -- maybe Easter, maybe a Friend Day -- there’s something about seeing an extra 100 people (or an extra 1,000) that expands your congregation’s vision. They see what the church can be, and they see what it can look like. These special days help the church to see itself as bigger and growing and vibrant.

I love celebrations! And I think this is a great idea, even if they don't always attract big crowds. Getting together to celebrate is always a good thing.

9. You must add surplus seating space and parking.

When it comes to building a facility, most churches build too little and too soon. And then the shoe begins to tell the foot how big it can get! You want to build as big as you can, which means having more than enough seating and more than enough parking. Sometimes that means you’ll have to wait to build until you can build big enough. We didn’t build at Saddleback for years because we knew we wouldn’t be able to build big enough -- we were growing so fast. So don’t limit yourself by building too early.

I think adding multiple services would be a first step before building to see if you've saturated the area. I think you also shouldn't have too much more seating but determining that is the tricky quesiton. Although I don't think you could have too much parking. You can always use the extra parking for basketball and other cool stuff. You will really need to evaluate your own individual church situation to see what is viable. Maybe you should be thinking about a new church rather than growing yours bigger.

10. You must continually evaluate your progress.

Take a regular and honest look at what is going on in your church (and where your church is going). If you try to study everything you’ll end up with the paralysis of analysis, so decide to track three or four significant numbers, such as attendance or small groups.

Then compare the numbers of where you are now with where you’ve come from and where you want to be. Don’t compare yourself with a church down the road. Frankly, that won’t help evaluate the health of your own church.

Finally, decide on a standard for measuring the health of your church and shoot for it. The process is constant; you may hit the mark you’ve set today, but tomorrow is a new day. Continually evaluate your progress and make the necessary adjustments to grow healthy while growing larger.

Can't argue with evaluating. Don't just choose to evaluate the numbers though - look at how the church is effecting people. Are they moving forward on their spiritual journey? Are the people in the church speaking positively or negatively about the church and the people in it? Looking at numbers isn't bad, but it needs to be tempered with the spiritual. Don't forget to include God in the process.

There you have it - my thoughts. What are yours? Feel free to share.

Technorati Tags:
Church, Christianity

How to Grow a Church - Part 1

2006-04-24T12:24:00.000-04:00

I recently stumbled upon this article (Structuring to Grow, Not Plateau) from Baptist Press by Rick Warren (famous Christian author and pastor of Saddleback Church). In it he shares 10 musts the church should focus on in order to grow.

Although the article is a couple of years old, I'm wondering if there can be anything learned from it.

Here are the first 5 musts:

1. You must develop an unshakable conviction about growth.

First and foremost, you need to settle on the idea that God wants His church to grow. And He doesn’t want it to stop growing!

You don’t ever need to apologize for wanting your church to grow. God wants His church to grow; it’s His will and His command. The reason churches must grow is because people are going to hell without Jesus Christ. As long as there is one person within driving distance of your church who does not know Jesus Christ, you must keep growing.

Can't argue much with that one. I, too, believe that God wants His church to grow. I think God will use many different ways to grow His church and many different styles of churches (mega, small, house, contempory, traditional, mainstream, etc).

2. You must change the primary role of the pastor from minister to leader.

You can grow a church to 300 with pastoral skills or ministry skills, but growing beyond 300 will require leadership skills. As a leader, you must learn to communicate your vision in very personal and practical ways. You also must learn to motivate your church through your messages, and understand that it’s easier to motivate a group than it is to motivate individuals.

A leader also equips others for ministry. Otherwise, you’ll burn out and the church won’t grow. An expanding ministry also demands you learn how to raise money. Those who write the agenda must underwrite the agenda, and you must learn to manage your time. Effective leaders know where their time goes.

Not too sure on this one. I think a pastor should remain a pastor. I don't think the leading of the church should be done by one main person. I think a good, well-rounded group of representatives from the congregation can lead the church.

3. You must organize around the gifts of your people.

The team God gives you will show you how to structure. Organizing around the gifts of your people will allow the church to focus on ministry, not maintenance. A gifts-based ministry encourages teamwork. It also makes better use of the talent around you (and why do you think God brought this talent into your church?).

Building your structure on the gifts and talents within the church promotes creativity and allows for spontaneous growth. Ministries bubble up, rather than waiting on a board meeting to dissect every possibility. And decision-making becomes more efficient while the structure grows more stable.

I so agree that a church should organize around the gifts and talents of the people in it. How else do the people feel part of the church if they don't get to use their gifts. I, also think that the church should also assist in the developing of gifts.

4. You must budget according to your purposes and priorities.

Obviously the budget of the church shows the priorities and the direction of the church. I’d suggest you take the budget items and ask of each item, “Which purpose does this fit under?” This will help your people visualize what you’re trying to do, and what you’re doing with God’s money.

I think this is a very good thing to do. Always make sure the budget aligns with the vision and direction of the church.

5. You must add staff on purpose.

Build your staff by first adding generalists and then specialists. First, you want to add people who can do lots of things because you’re only going to have one. Then as you go down the road, you can add more and more specialists.

When do you want to add staff? As soon as you can ... immediately, if at all possible. You want to build as many volunteers as quickly as you can and also add staff as quickly as you can. Anytime you add a staff member, that’s a faith step and allows the church to grow to the next level.

I think this one is really hard for me. I lean more towards lay leadership and developing lay leadership and volunteers than having lots of paid people. I'm not sure that adding staff is a faith step - asking someone to commit without pay (volunteer) is a tad more of a risk that we need to rely on God for.

Just some of my thoughts on this - I'll comment on the last 5 musts a little later. (How To Grow A Church - Part 2)

Feel free to share your thoughts too.

Technorati Tags:
Church, Christianity

Blast From the Past!

2006-04-21T11:57:00.000-04:00

realhoser's Hangout: Church at New Location Starting This Week!

Recently, on my hubby's MSN space blog, he got an awesome comment! I just had to share what a great guy he is!

Hey Jeff,

Ok this is a little off topic but I have some things I need to get off my chest. I have tried over the last 8 years to get in touch with you with not a lot of luck. Seeing how I can't get in touch with you I will post this and hopefully you'll get it.

All I've ever really wan't to say to you is thank you! You have no idea what a profound influence you had on me when I was young. Sure I was a bit loopy and somewhat out of control but somehow you saw past that and considered me as a friend. Without your influence I may never have been a man of faith, but not just that I may have not have survived my teens. I will always remember your acts of kindness towards me.

I just wanted you to know that people really do care about you and how your doing. I think your space here is terrific. Keep your head up, live hard, laugh hard, and thank God for Hoser's like you!

||||||
(¤¿¤) Frank
O

Technorati Tags:
realhoser, Life

Ontario Court Ruling

2006-04-18T11:57:00.000-04:00

Toronto, Canada (AP) -A seven year old boy was at the center of a Toronto courtroom drama yesterday when he challenged a court ruling over who should have custody of him. The boy has a history of being beaten by his parents and the judge initially awarded custody to his aunt, in keeping with the child custody law and regulations requiring that family unity be maintained to the degree possible. The boy surprised the court when he proclaimed that his aunt beat him more than his parents and he adamantly refused to live with her. When the judge suggested that he live with his grandparents, the boy cried out that they also beat him. After considering the remainder of the immediate family and learning that domestic violence was apparently a way of life among them, the judge took the unprecedented step of allowing the boy to propose who should have custody of him. After two recesses to check legal references and confer with child welfare officials, the judge granted temporary custody to the Toronto Maple Leafs, whom the boy firmly believes are not capable of beating anyone.

LOL - Poor Leafs

Technorati Tags:
Toronto Maple Leafs

Weight Watchers & Christianity

2006-04-18T11:17:00.000-04:00

I've been thinking about Church a lot lately and stumbled upon this article.
How to Lose Weight and Gain a Congregation - Christianity.ca

At first I thought it amusing and now the more I've thought about it the more I'm beginning to agree with it.

Weight Watchers members feel accountable to themselves and their group. If you lose weight the entire group celebrates. If you have a bad week you share your downfalls in a supportive atmosphere. If you attain your weight loss goal there is a chance for the successful dieter to tell the whole group how their goal was achieved.

What if churches made times in their worship for public confession, personal victories and individual testimonials? Sanctuaries would be packed.

Sharing each others troubles, caring for each others needs, and just being there would be awesome to find in a church - not just in small groups but during the service time. I think making church real for today is very important.

Anyway, just some thoughts.

Technorati Tags:
Christianity, Weight Watchers

Sunset

2006-04-11T10:24:00.000-04:00

sunset02
Originally uploaded by elf_friend777.

I just so love this picture. I don't remember if I took it or if hubby did, but that doesn't matter because it's just soooo beautiful!!!!

We took the kids down to Florida for March Break this year and this is a sunset on the Gulf of Mexico, Braedenton Beach.

Everytime I look at the picture I don't think about the great time we had on our vacation, but I'm always reminded of God. I'm having trouble putting into words what feelings this picture emotes for me. I can see beauty yet so much more, much deeper. A brillant love. Love of creation, love of me.

What do you see?

Technorati Tags:
sunset, Florida, Beach

Evolving Church Conference

2006-04-10T11:23:00.000-04:00

On Saturday, hubby and I attended the Evolving Church Conference put on by Epiphaniea and we loved it! Props to the guys who put it on!!!

The Conference had 3 main speakers - Chris Seay, Donald Miller, and Brian McLaren and then many workshops. I attended Jared Siebert's workshop about the Disconnected Church and Bradon Douglas' workshop about Leadership.

Before I go any further about it I have to thank my friend, Nancy, who watched the kids for us all day (overnight Friday till 9 pm Saturday). She is amazing!!!

Okay back to the Conference - Here are the 2 main things I got out the conference was reassurance and affirmation. Reassurance that I'm not alone and not totally crazy. Affirmation in the things I want to do. There are not many in my circle of "church" friends who are trying to think of new ways of being relevant in the current culture so this was a huge boost for me.

Some other things I brought back with me (besides 3 books - which I will have to talk about later) were:

Live in the tension (holding on to God's hand and my neighbour's hand). Not sure how to do that but am just going to try to "be" in the moment.

Hospitality is NOT coffee and finger sandwiches. It IS all about ENGAGEMENT (engaging the the lives of others).

reminded that Christianity is NOT a religion; it's a relationship

Brains are hardwired for story. Tell how YOUR story intersects with GOD'S.

Brian McLaren asked us to think about this: "Do we have a church that has a mission or a mission that has a church?" I'm still thinking. Maybe it's a bit of both or neither. What is the purpose of church? (Sounds like another blog entry. ;-) lol)

It was just such a great time. And I've got so much to think about and do. Once again thanks to the guys who put it on.

Technorati Tags:
emerging church, Brian McLaren, Chris Seay, Donald Miller, epiphaniea

Christian convert freed in Kabul

2006-03-28T10:16:00.000-05:00

CBC News: Christian convert freed in Kabul

I have been following this story for some time now and have found it rather fascinating.

Rahman, who converted to Christianity 16 years ago, aroused great anger in Afghanistan, where rejecting Islam by converting to another religion is deemed a capital offence by religious authorities, no matter what the courts do.

Rahman was charged with apostasy during a recent custody battle over his children.

After 16 years, they decided to charge him and most likely because of his wanting custody of his children. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like he will even get to see his children for a long, long time.

Technorati Tags:
Afghanistan, Abdul Rahman, Christianity, Islam

Peacemakers in the way?

2006-03-27T12:59:00.000-05:00

This question was asked on CTV Toronto's News at Noon in light of the Christian Peacemaker Teams that was recently released by the military and I was very intrigued by the result.

"Are Christian Peacemakers in the way in Iraq?"

Most people have said YES they are in the way. A reason they gave were that troops had to go rescue you them. They also said that they were non-essential, referring to them as missionaries who are going in to Iraq to convert the Muslim people to Christianity.

A bit about Christian Peacemaker Teams

CPT's slogan on their website says: "committed to reducing violence by getting in the way"

"CPT embraces the vision of unarmed intervention waged by committed peacemakers ready to risk injury and death in bold attempts to transform lethal conflict through the nonviolent power of God’s truth and love."

"A strategy developed thoughtfully over the years has taught us that:

trained, skilled, international teams can work effectively to support local efforts toward nonviolent peacemaking;

"getting in the way" of injustice through direct nonviolent intervention, public witness and reporting to the larger world community can make a difference;

peace team work engages congregations, meetings and support groups at home to play a key advocacy role with policy makers."

I see the CPTs as helping the military, by helping the civilians with peaceful, non-violent protest rather than violent protests with the risk of injury and/or death.

I don't see them as missionaries preaching, but as people who are living the way of Jesus.

Just some of my thoughts.

Technorati Tags:
Christian Peacemaker Teams, Christianity, Iraq war

Left Behind Video game

2006-03-19T13:11:00.000-05:00

Culture: 'Left Behind' Videogames - Newsweek Periscope - MSNBC.com

This gave me a good laugh. I'm still in shock that it's real. Just what Christians want - "violence on the same level as Grand Theft Auto". Unbelievable.

Technorati Tags:
Video Games, Left Behind, Christian,

Updating Template

2006-03-01T19:09:00.000-05:00

A quick note about the graphic:

Please bear with me - I can't seem to find a background pic I like, but I wanted to change the hearts, so here's what I've got so far.

Technorati Tags:
Templates

Walmart & the Amish

2006-02-23T19:07:00.000-05:00

local6.com - News - Ohio Wal-Mart Caters To Amish

I found this interesting and a little odd in the fact that they consider this a strange story. I figure Wal-Mart is just catering to their customers. They know their market. I wonder if other Wal-Mart's have speciality clientelle.

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Amish, Wal-Mart

Post-Charismatic

2006-02-22T10:52:00.000-05:00

Post-Charismatic

This is just fascinating. I've almost finished reading the History portion. Thanks Rob!

While you're there check out his blog too - robbymac.org

Technorati Tags:
Post-Charismatic, Charismatic, Rob McAlpine

Angry at God

2006-02-15T10:14:00.000-05:00

At small group last night, something triggered me to think about a time I had been angry at God. And to be quite honest, I couldn't think of one.

I thought about how I felt when my dad died 3 months before my wedding, which I thought might be a time I would feel angry but I didn't. I felt sad and I asked why but I didn't get angry.

I tried to think of some other times, like maybe before I considered myself "Christian". I thought about my motorcycle accident when I was 17 and was accepted into college but couldn't go because of being in the hospital. I was angry at God then either. Surprisingly, I wasn't even angry at the person who hit us. I forgave him right away.

So I guess I have never been angry at God. I've doubted my faith and the reality of it but never got angry. It seemed that everyone at the group had been angry at God at one time or another (although only a couple of people spoke up about it).

I wonder if it's normal to get angry at God. I wonder if I'm normal for not. Or maybe I have gotten angry at God and just don't remember.

Technorati Tags:
Anger, God, Life

Valentine's Day

2006-02-08T13:34:00.000-05:00

It's almost here - ughh. Now don't get me wrong, I like Valentine's Day. What I don't like is all the pressure but on guys to buy stuff for their women. And the disappointment if a woman doesn't receive any recognition on Valentine's Day. And then, of course, there are the multitude of people, especially women, who don't have a significant other to spend this romantic holiday with.

Personally I have learned to not expect much if anything on this day. I think I've gotten flowers, once on Valentine's Day, but I'm okay with that. I know I'm loved 365 days a year and most days he shows it.

Our girls are still young and so I try to focus on the main theme of the day - LOVE. We try to do something special for each other on this day. Usually we make/give cards for/to Daddy and each other and then we cook a special dinner and eat by candlelight. And we talk about how much we love each other.

I wish the focus was more on LOVE and less on "if you truly love me, you'll give me flowers, candy, and diamonds". Although if they were offered, I wouldn't turn them down. ;-)

Technorati Tags:
Valentine's Day, Love

Bono's Speech at US National Prayer Breakfast

2006-02-06T17:48:00.000-05:00

BONO'S REMARKS TO THE NATIONAL PRAYER BREAKFAST - DATA, Debt AIDS Trade Africa

WOW - I must say I was impressed! I, not being much of a U2 fan, am finding Bono such an interesting person. I'm enjoying discovering more about him and the fact that we actually see some things on the same level.

I wonder if this is truly do-able. I wonder if the US will give 1%. I wonder what I could be doing to help.

Read it and wonder for yourself.

Technorati Tags:
Bono, US National Prayer Breakfast, Poor, Africa

Fraggle Rock

2006-02-06T14:00:00.000-05:00

It's been ages since I've thought of Fraggle Rock (children's TV series with Jim Henson puppets). Well this past week, it's been brought to my attention 3 or 4 times. And then when I saw this quiz on The Colloguy: Weblog of The Freeway Cohort, I just had to take it. Hope you enjoy!

So, which Fraggle ARE YOU most like? Click here to find out.

Technorati Tags:
Fraggle Rock, The Freeway

Christmas is over & Wierd Winter Weather

2006-02-03T17:46:00.000-05:00

Well yesterday was the last day of the Christmas season. It was also Groundhog's Day and I forgot to watch my Jack Frost cartoon. I think hubby packed it away with the Christmas movies. :-(

I was a little surprised at how there wasn't that much Groundhog day talk on the news or at school. There is usually such a hub-bub. I guess with our weather being so mild that 6 more weeks of the winter we're having wouldn't be much of a big deal.

I really hope we get some winter. I don't think it's really good for the ecosystem to be messed up so much and so quickly. I've seen the trees starting to bud and spring flowers starting to come up. I wonder if there's anyway we can help.

Technorati Tags:
Christmas, Jack Frost, Groundhog Day, Ecosystem, Winter

Clean & Tidy House

2006-02-01T10:02:00.000-05:00

It's funny how a clean and tidy house can give you a new outlook. It took me about 2 hours to pick up the toys, paper and general messiness yesterday. I was really proud of myself. Now I'm sure most people don't have a problem with this, but I absolutely despise housework - to the point of leaving it until it is totally out of control and then feeling so overwhelmed and guilty that I can't do it.

Even now as I say my house it clean and tidy I must admit to only having the main floor and entrance way done and even then I have some things shoved away in some corners. Upstairs still needs work as well as the family/playroom.

I also have a huge issue with clutter. For the past few years I've been putting stuff in boxes and marking them for yard sale. We've had a total of 3 yard sales and it looks like each time we get rid of stuff I find more stuff to get rid of to the point that the garage cannot hold a vehicle and we still have so much clutter inside too.

It seems like it will never be done. I'm just thankful we have a dishwasher now. :-)

Technorati Tags:
Life, House & Home

Election 2006

2006-01-23T17:19:00.000-05:00

Today's the big day!!! I think election time is such an interesting time. There's always the potential for change. Even if the previous government gets re-elected they've made certain promises which usually cause some sort of change - sometimes just by breaking them ;-).

I did a little background research (thank you wikipedia) and discovered that there are 15 different parties running in this election. Can you believe it? FIFTEEN!!! In my riding I've seen signs for 3 major parties (no Bloq in Ontario - LOL), in the riding next I've seen 4 signs with different parties. I really wonder how you can be a viable party with only 1 person running (like the Animal Alliance Environment Voters Party of Canada). Oh well - "Only in Canada, eh? Pity."

I would encourage everyone to vote. If you don't vote, you can't complain. Voting gives you the right to complain. ;-)

Here's the Elections Canada website - http://www.elections.ca/

Technorati Tags:
Canada, Canadian Politics, Wikipedia

Did Jesus Exist?

2006-01-23T17:08:00.000-05:00

ABC news had this interesting article. "Italian Court Told to Prove Jesus Existed: Did Jesus Exist? an Italian Court Delves Into the Issue Amid Dispute Between Atheist, Priest"

I read a little blurb about this on Jamie Arpin-Ricci's blog Emergent Voyageurs. At first I thought this was some sort of joke and then I noticed it was from the ABC news (US).

I wonder how the Italian courts will handle this one? It might be very difficult with fighting the RC church on it's home turf.

Personally, I think there isn't much ground to stand on. I think Jesus has been proven historically already.

Can't wait to see how this turns out.

Technorati Tags:
Jamie Arpin-Ricci, Jesus, emergent Voyageurs, ABC, newstruth

Manafest

2006-01-18T12:05:00.000-05:00

blog.myspace.com/manafestca: "Some people think they have to get clean before they can come to God. That's like saying you're too dirty to take a shower, but really we take a shower to get cleaned up. Same with God, we go to him the way we are and he cleans us up..... Word!!!!"

I just love this. Way to go!

If you've never heard of Manafest, give them a listen at their website.

Technorati Tags:
Manafest, Christian Music, Christian, Hip Hop

Book Blog

2006-01-18T10:48:00.000-05:00

I've decided to create a Book Blog - a separate blog where I'll talk mostly about what I'm reading or have read, but occassionally a movie or music review. Right now I'm reading the book of Matthew from the Bible.

Feel free to head on over to Media Musings & Me and share your thoughts.

Technorati Tags:
Book, Bible, Matthew

Star Wars Book

2006-01-13T11:21:00.000-05:00

I just finished reading Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope. A little different from the movie and I must say that in my personal opinion I think George Lucas is much better at creating film stories than writing book stories.

Having seen the movies a few times (most recently the DVD versions), I had to keep asking my did that happen in the original movie or was that in the DVD version or did it even happen in any of the movies (maybe just my active imagination seeing Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and Harisson Ford acting out the scenes). There were a few parts that were changed in the movie - most to the better. I like how the book included Luke with his friends. I wish there would have been some time for Luke to mourn over the loss of his friend.

Just some thoughts I had about the book - now on to Empire Strikes Back.

Technorati Tags:
Star Wars, books, movies, George Lucas

Went Shopping

2006-01-09T11:19:00.000-05:00

I enjoy shopping and this weekend we actually had some money to do it. LOL

We bought a DVD tower. It will not hold all of our DVDs but we want to start to tidy up the clutter (see my 2006 Accomplishment List). Here's the long story - We received a new-to-us TV and stand from hubby's brother and it won't fit in our entertainment unit, so we emptied the unit and moved it downstairs and are using it as a toy storage system for Little People stuff. Now we have no place for all our DVDs, so we bought a DVD tower in the same colour as the TV stand. - end of long story

We bought some clothes for the kids ($8 for 2 long sleeve shirts) and the girls bought some books. I also bought a couple of books - Star Wars trilogy (Episode IV, V, VI) and Messy Spirituality by Mike Yaconelli. I got the Star Wars books because everytime we watch the movies he talks about the books he read when he was younger and I wanted to know what he was talking about. When we came home, I went straight to reading and have read the first chapters of Star Wars IV and Messy Spirituality. I'm trying not to read to fast or else I won't have anything to read for the rest of the month.

Just some of my babbling. What books do you like to read?

Technorati Tags:
shopping, Star Wars, Michael Yaconelli, books

Election 2006 & Quiz

2006-01-07T22:41:00.000-05:00

Okay, I'm a bit of a politcal junky - ONLY when there is an election coming up. I listen at other times but am not always that concerned. I love going to vote and then watching the election coverage on TV.

A friend on the MB Forum found this quiz - CBC's Vote By Issue Quiz - and I thought I'd share it with you.

My results: Layton, Harper, Duceppe, Martin

It didn't really surprise me much. Although I have issues over voting NDP (I still remember the Ontario Bob Rae days), even though I know the parties are different - I think it's just mental. I tend to lean with the Conservatives, knowing they are generally not big spenders. There isn't anyone from the BQ to vote for here so they are out of the question. And I do think I'm ready for some change, so most likely will not vote Liberal. Ah, I don't know who I'm going to vote for. I'll have to watch the 2nd debate and see if that helps.

Feel free to share your results and what you thought of the Quiz; I won't judge you on who you want to vote for as long as you don't judge me and of course as long as you vote. :-)

Technorati Tags:
Canadian politics, Liberal, Conservative, NDP

2006 Accomplishments

2006-01-04T15:01:00.000-05:00

Here's a list of things I would like to accomplish in some form or another - maybe not totally complete but at least have improved upon a bit by the end of the year. The list is in no particular order.

read more (which means lots more trips to the bookstore!!!)
spend more time with family - be a better mother and wife
learn php
blog more
less useless TV watching (that will be hard - LOL)
listen to the wisdom of youth and learn from the wisdom of the more mature
don't spread computer time too thinly - focus better
try harder in keeping house (I totally suck at it)
cook more meals - less eating out
give hubby more space and time to be alone
become personally organized - declutter BIG TIME!!!!
learn more about who I am and how I fit into the scheme of things
delve more into the postmodern/emerging christian/church

WOW! Quite the list eh? I've already started to blog more, so hopefully that will continue on throughout the year.

Technorati Tags:
2006, resoulutions

Evolving Church 2006 Conference

2006-01-04T13:03:00.000-05:00

I so want to go to this and I thought maybe some others who read my blog might be interested too.

Brian McLaren, Donald Miller, and Chris Seay will be the speakers. There will also be workshops with Pernell Goodyear from Freeway (Hamilton, Ontario) as well as a few others.

Should be interesting. Here's the link: Evolving Church 2006

Technorati Tags:
emerging church, Brian McLaren, Donald Miller, Chris Seay, Pernell Goodyear

2005 in Review

2006-01-03T10:53:00.000-05:00

Oh heck everyone is doing one and who am I to be a non-conformist in this respect. ;-)

Let's see what has happened in the past year that matters or makes a difference to me.

I was ill for most of the year, starting January 1st - cold after cold - it was rather irritating!!!!! I was feeling great during July and August, except that it was so hot and with no air conditioning. My oldest daughter got the chicken pox, so we couldn't even go anywhere to cool down. We stayed indoors for the whole month - the first 2 weeks with the oldest the second 2 weeks to see if the youngest would get it (which she never did). It was an interesting time.

My oldest also finished Senior Kindergarten and started Grade 1 and the youngest started Junior Kindergarten. They so love school. I also started volunteering at their school one day a week and I love it too!

Hubby has been at his work for 10 years this year and so got an extra week vacation - so very cool!!! It was nice to have some extra time with him.

Thinking about it 2005 was rather mondane, but I liked it just the same. Maybe I'll remember some more things later and edit this post.

Technorati Tags:
review, New Year, 2005

The Dream

2006-01-02T12:38:00.000-05:00

The Dream
Originally uploaded by djking.

I thought this was so neat and had to find a place to use it - thus putting it in the blog. To quote the owner of the pic "Who knew it was so close?"

What a great way to start the New Year - The dream only 90 yards away!!!!

I'm beginning to wonder what dreams I have and how close or far away they are. What are yours are you only 90 yards away?

Technorati Tags:
Flickr, dreams, New Year

CHRISTmas is upon us!!!

2005-12-23T09:37:00.000-05:00

WOW - it's Christmas!!!

Okay 2 more days to go, but we are on our way to visit and stay with relatives for a few days, so it's CHRISTMAS for me!!!

I've noticed that there are many people who are not feeling in the "Christmas spirit" to them I say don't worry. Expect nothing (or very little) and then when something great and Christmassy does happen they will feel it.

I've learned ages ago not to put too much pressure on myself and others about having the perfect Christmas - "you know with mistletoe and ho ho ho" (to quote Lucy). If something doesn't work then I remember it for next time. I've also found that joining a Christmas community or having someone to talk to about Christmas really helps. Those people totally understand about not feeling it and feeling it.

Boy, I'm wondering if this is even making any sense. LOL

Remember the real reason for the season (so cliche yet true). Have a MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Technorati Tags:
Christmas, Charlie Brown

Christmas Countdown

2005-12-20T13:35:00.000-05:00

Only 4 more days!!!

I've still got so much to do.

Shopping - almost everyone is taken care of, except for my girls and hubby.
Wrapping presents - I'm leaving a few for the girls to wrap.
Laundry
Cleaning the whole house.
Packing - going to in-laws for Christmas.

Or it just seems like there's so much to do.

The kids are out of school for 2 weeks starting Friday!!! I'm really hoping that I'll get at least one day to sleep in over the 2 weeks. I wonder if that will ever happen. ;-)

How's your Christmas preparations coming?

Technorati Tags:
Christmas, shopping

Is There Middle Ground?

2005-12-16T10:55:00.000-05:00

Postmodern vs Modern? Does this have to be the case? Is there a middle ground somewhere? Are religious institutions and/or groups having a more difficult time dealing with this cultural shift than the secular aspects of life?

I honestly think that there can be and is a middle ground. There needs to be people and places that are transitional. I find this more coming from people than from institutions. I think that I might be one of those people. Is that arrogant to say? Probably but I know that I can see both points of view and am having postmodern tendencies within my modern mindset.

I volunteer at an elementary school (with children from the ages of 4 to 7) one day a week and it has truly opened my eyes to the postmodern era. They think differently than I did; they are learning some different things than I did - maybe that's not quite entirely true, they are learning the same things but learning them differently. There is no cookie cutter learning; there is some cookie cutter style, mainly because it's just a large group. But the teachers I'm with are using many different methods in teaching the same thing.

Anyway I grew up in a modern society (with twinges of postmodernity). There were black and whites, rights and wrongs, etc. I guess what I'm trying to express is that our way of thinking and looking at the world is changing. Children growing up now-a-days don't see all the black and white issues, they see and relate to each issue individually; each issue has it's own set of variables which is different from another situation, even if it is similar.

Hope my ramblings make sense to someone out there - and if they don't feel free to ask questions and I'll do my best to explain them or maybe confuse you even more. ;-)

Technorati Tags:
emerging church, modern, postmodern

Truth

2005-12-14T17:25:00.000-05:00

What is it?

I've been struggling with this one a bit. Who defines truth and how can we recognize it? Is truth subjective?

Just thought I'd throw this out for anyone who wants to talk about it with me.

Technorati Tags:
truth

Blog Look Updated

2005-12-14T10:18:00.000-05:00

I noticed a friend on another blog updated her look to a more wintery/Christmassy theme, so I thought I'd do the same. I found a public domain picture I liked and then tweaked the colours.

What do you think?

UPDATE: I've updated the look again. I'm going to try to update it for the seasons and special holidays.

Technorati Tags:
blog templates

Megachurches Close on Christmas

2005-12-13T17:48:00.000-05:00

I read this and found it a little funny - ironic funny.

I can see the reasoning behind closing them and the reasoning for having Sunday service. I prefer having a service on Christmas Day - whether it's on a Sunday or not. Although I am never around for the service. In my community there are many people from other countries who can not be home with their real families for Christmas. So having a Christmas service, they get the opportunity to spend some time with their church family and still feel the connectedness on Christmas.

What do you think? I'd love to hear some feedback. Thanks

Technorati Tags:
Christmas, church, megachurches, Christian

Christmas - 13 Days Away

2005-12-12T09:41:00.000-05:00

I can hardly wait!! I love Christmas!! It's my most favourite time of year.

I found a couple of elf name generators that have given me a bit of a laugh.

The first one is found here. You have to scroll down to the bottom of the page. I'm "Lucky Brandy butter-Gnome".

And the next one is:

Christmas Elf Name

My Christmas Elf Name is

Get your Christmas Elf Name at JokesUnlimited.com

Gotta love 'em!

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Christmas, elves

An Advent Devotion - 4

2005-11-30T12:51:00.000-05:00

SCRIPTURE:
A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him — the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD - and he will delight in the fear of the LORD. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. ~ Isaiah 11:1-4

REFLECTION:
It is sometimes very difficult to not judge or be critical of others. We are all tempted to judge people by their outward appearances. Society rates people by what type or style of clothing they wear, if they have the newest and best things, how much money they make, the colour of their skin, their weight. The Christmas season tends to over emphasize outward appearance - who gets the most and most expensive presents. By judging only on the way people look, we miss out on the opportunity to get to know the person behind the mask; we miss out on developing relationships. This year let us take some time to really get to know someone before we judge them.

PRAYER:
Lord, Help us to be forgiving and generous to others. Help us not to judge, but to extend your grace. Amen.

ACTIVITY:
Make a Jesse Tree.
The Jesse Tree is much like an Advent Calendar. It follows Jesus' ancestors throughout the Bible. Each day you place a decoration on the Jesse Tree and read the Bible verse describing what the decoration represents.
Here are a few links:
http://www.cresourcei.org/jesse.html
http://www.msgr.ca/msgr-2/jesse_tree%2000.htm
http://www.domestic-church.com/CONTENT.DCC/19971201/FRIDGE/FRIDGE1.HTM

SONG: Lo How A Rose E'er Blooming
Theodore Baker
© Public Domain

Lo how a rose e'er blooming,
From tender stem hath sprung,
Of Jesse's lineage coming,
As saints of old have sung.
It came a flower bright,
Amid the cold of winter,
When half spent was the night.

Isaiah 'twas foretold it,
The Rose I have in mind,
With Mary we behold it,
The virgin mother kind.
To show God's love aright,
She bore to us a Saviour,
When half spent was the night.

This flower so small and tender
With fragrance fills the air,
His brightness ends the darkness
That kept the earth in fear.
True God, and yet true man,
He came to save His people
From earth's dark night of sin.

STORY/POEM: Christmas Trees (A Christmas Circular Letter) by Robert Frost
QUOTE: "From home to home, and heart to heart, from one place to another, the warmth and joy of Christmas, brings us closer to each other." ~ -Emily Matthews

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Advent, Christmas

An Advent Devotion - 3

2005-11-30T12:38:00.000-05:00

SCRIPTURE:
"In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near." This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: "A voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.'" ~ Matthew 2:5-6

REFLECTION:
The Lord is coming. Prepare the way of the Lord. We prepare for many big events in our lives. Weddings, births, funerals, moving day, our careers, etc. all involve some sort of preparation. Why do we prepare? If we don't prepare we could run into many problems. We prepare because we want the day to go smoothly; we prepare because we want to fully enjoy and appreciate the occassion. Just as we prepare for these major events in our lives, so we should prepare for Christmas. As we begin our prepartion for the birth of God's Son - Jesus, ask yourself how you can prepare to celebrate the Christ child: in your life, in your home, in your community.

PRAYER:
Loving God, we ask you to be with us in a special way during this time of preparation. Help us to prepare our hearts, as well as, our homes, gifts, and decorations for Your coming. Amen.

ACTIVITY:
Make and/or Send Christmas Cards.
Share the blessings of the season with others.

SONG:
Of The Father's Love Begotten
Aurelius C. Prudentius, John M. Neale, Henry W. Baker
© Public Domain

Of the Father's love begotten,
Ere the world began to be;
He is Alpha and Omega,
He the source, the ending He.
Of the things that are that have been
And that future years shall see;
Ever more and ever more!

O, ye heights of heaven adore Him,
Angel hosts; His praises sing;
Pow'rs, dominions, bow before Him
And extol our God and King;
Let no tongue on earth be silent,
Ev'ry voice in concert ring;
Ever more and ever more!

Christ, to Thee with God the Father,
And, O Holy Ghost, to Thee;
Hymn and chant and high thanksgiving
And unwearied praises be:
Honor, glory, and dominion
And eternal victory;
Ever more and ever more! Amen.

STORY/POEM:
The Wind in the Willows (Chapter 5 - Dulce Domum) by Kenneth Grahame

QUOTE:
"The joy of brightening other lives, bearing each others' burdens, easing other's loads and supplanting empty hearts and lives with generous gifts becomes for us the magic of Christmas." ~ W. C. Jones

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Advent, Christmas

An Advent Devotion - 2

2005-11-30T12:36:00.000-05:00

SCRIPTURE:
"Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour." ~ Matthew 25:13

REFLECTION:
Keep watch! God tells us to keep watch and wait because we do not know when he will be coming. Wow! That requires us to stretch ourselves; it means we didn't plan it; it's not in our schedule book, it's uncertain. It requires patience too and we all know that waiting isn't always an easy thing to do. In our world of fast food, instant communication, high speed, palm pilots, and over-activity, our attitude is changing -- we want it, we want now, and we want to schedule it into our lives. Gone are the days of patiently waiting for something. Standing in the check out line at the grocery store for more than a couple of minutes can fray our nerves. Not knowing is not always a bad thing. There's a thrill in the unexpected. It's like a wrapped present - there's an excitment of not knowing what to expect. Let's take some time to slow down. Look around and admire God's creation. Let's try to bring back some of the awe and mystery. Let's spend some time on the lookout for God -- keep watch!

PRAYER:
Loving God, we ask you to teach us patience in the waiting. Help us to savour every moment. Please bring back into our lives the awe and mystery of who You are. Thank you for doing the unexpected. Amen.

ACTIVITY:
Organize Your Christmas Decorations.
As you get out your Christmas decorations this year, take an inventory of them. Try to organize them - make a list of all the items you have and purge the decorations beyond repair. That way when the sales start you will know what you need and where they will fit.

SONG:
Come Thou Long Expected Jesus
Charles Wesley, Rowland H. Prichard
© Public Domain

Come Thou long expected Jesus,
Born to set Thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us,
Let us find our rest in Thee.
Israel's strength and consolation,
Hope of all the earth Thou art;
Dear desire of every nation,
Joy of every longing heart.

Born Thy people to deliver,
Born a Child and yet a King;
Born to reign in us forever,
Now Thy gracious kingdom bring.
By Thine own eternal Spirit,
Rule in all our hearts alone;
By Thine all sufficient merit,
Raise us to Thy glorious throne.

STORY/POEM:
Little Women (Chapter 2 - A Merry Christmas) by Louisa May Alcott

QUOTE:
"What is Christmas? It is tenderness for the past, courage for the present, hope for the future. It is a fervent wish that every cup may overflow with blessings rich and eternal, and that every path may lead to peace." ~ Agnes M. Pharo

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Advent, Christmas

An Advent Devotion - 1

2005-11-30T12:34:00.000-05:00

SCRIPTURE:
"Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience." ~ Romans 8:24-25

REFLECTION:
God gives us so many things; he asks in return that we believe, that we have hope and faith in him. We have not seen God. We have not seen Jesus. Yet we are asked to believe in what we haven't seen. Even more, we are asked to wait in patience. All this is the very nature of hope and belief. The Advent season is a time of waiting and hoping. We remember that Jesus was born to save us and to give us hope.

PRAYER:
Lord Jesus, Thank You for the hope You offer us and for love that holds us so close to You. Help us to care for others the way You care for us. Amen.

ACTIVITY:
Make your own Advent Wreath.
Your advent wreath could look traditional (circle of evergreen) or perhaps candles lined up, really whatever works best for you.
You will need 5 candles (4 tapers and one pillar). The colors of the candles vary, usually 3 purple or 3 blue candles (the colours of royalty) and one pink or rose coloured candle. The pink candle is lighted on the 3rd Sunday of Advent (or can be lit on the Sunday just before Christmas Day). If you cannot find the colour candles you want, you could use all the same colour candles. The 5th Candle is in the middle of the wreath, usually a large white pillar candle. This candle represents Jesus Christ and is called the Christ Candle. It is usually lit on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.
The 4 taper candles can represent many different themes - Hope, Peace, Love, Joy are the traditional ones.

SONG:
O Come, O Come Emmanuel
Dimitry Bortniansky
© Public Domain

O come, O come Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel,
Shall come to Thee, O Israel!

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse,
Free Thine own from Satan's tyranny;
From depths of hell Thy people save
And give them victory o'er the grave.

O come, Thou Dayspring come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here;
And drive away the shades of night
And pierce the clouds and bring us light.

O come, Thou Key of David come,
And open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high
And close the path to misery.

O come, Thou Wisdom from on high
And order all things far and nigh;
To us the path of knowledge show
And cause us in her ways to go.

O come, Desire of nations, bind
All peoples in one heart and mind;
Bid envy, strife, and quarrels cease;
Fill all the world with heaven's peace.

STORY/POEM: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

QUOTE: "Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love." ~ -Hamilton Wright Mabi

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Advent, Christmas

Christmas is Coming

2005-11-30T11:46:00.000-05:00

My girls had their Christmas party with their school friends on Saturday. We had 9 children in the house. It was great and everyone had a wonderful time. The kids were so good. I just love hosting children's parties, especially Christmas ones!!!

Sunday, we put up the tree, prelit one. I was so worried that it wouldn't work. We bought it in October from Wal-mart and we never tested it. I think I got to hang about 5 decorations - the girls did the rest and the tree looks spectacular!!! I'll add a pic when hubby downloads them off the camera. Hopefully soon.

This year is our first year doing an Advent Wreath. I've always wanted to do one. The girls like lighting the candles, but I have to do something to make it a little more exciting for them and me.

I've started creating Advent Activities too. So I'll add those here too.

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Christmas, Advent, party, Flickr

PCC Prayer & Praise Night

2005-11-08T11:49:00.000-05:00

Last night was the Pregnancy Care Centre's Evening of Prayer & Praise. It was really awesome there were around 40 people there, give or take. We heard some updates about the Centre and had a great singing time and then I really felt the prayer time was the best. We prayed about the abortion issue, clients, the staff, and the volunteers.

Usually when I pray in a group, I feel all nervous and am thinking about what I'm going to say while others are praying. Not last night. I felt totally comfortable and the words really did seem to come easily. I felt the presense of the Holy Spirit. It was just such an awesome time.

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pregnancy, abortion, prayer

Good Day but Yucky

2005-11-03T18:05:00.000-05:00

I started volunteering at my kids' school today. I had so much fun. The kids were awesome. For the morning I'm with my daughter's kindergarten class and for the afternoon I'm with a Grade 1 class. Most of the kids know who I am because I walk my children to school and they see me every morning. Also my girls are friends with them. Anyway that was the good part of my day.

Now for the bad - I feel crappy. I've had a sore throat for a couple of days (I took medicine before I left for school today). And now my head aches - an awful ache. I called hubby and asked him to bring home KFC for supper tonight because I just don't feel like cooking.

And because I feel so yucky I don't feel like writing much either, but I had to mention my wonderful day at school.

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volunteering, school, illness

Halloween

2005-11-01T12:07:00.000-05:00

Why do we "celebrate" Halloween? What's the point?

I've been rethinking my views on this. I don't "celebrate" it. My kids don't go trick or treating and we don't hand out candy. My famiy knows about Halloween and participates in activities in school (the school does not celebrate Halloween either - they have a weird and wacky day the Friday before).

Halloween scares me but not in the occultic sense. There is just too much pressure for the kids to have an awesome costume and to get as much candy as you can. It just seems way too greedy for me. Then at school the kids have to compare and rate how much candy they got (I also don't like this about Christmas either). How much candy is really good for you?

I'm also not too keen on young children being exposed to all the gore. I mean we have restrictions on movies, TV shows, video games, etc. but it's okay to display it on Halloween. I know my daughters don't like it and it bothers them.

I just don't get what the big deal is. Why can't we have fun parties - perhaps instead of calling them Halloween they can be about Autumn, Fall Festivals, Harvest time (maybe an extention of Thanksgiving?).

Anyway enough with my ranting. Just had to share some of my thoughts.

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Halloween

Church invitation t-shirt

2005-10-31T12:37:00.000-05:00

Our church invitation t-shirt
Originally uploaded by Insane Zamboni.

I thought this was really funny.

I might have changed the "We Suck" part to something a little nicer, like "Confused? We are too." Then it would also tie in with the bottom statement.

Such a cool shirt!!!
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church, Flickr

Discussing Faith

2005-10-31T12:11:00.000-05:00

Ever have one of those days - when you have a lot to do but really don't want to do anything?

I have laundry that needs washing, minutes that need typing, a PCC year-end card that needs re-working, and lunch to make. But what am I doing spending it online because I don't want to much of anything. I woke up this morning, with a bit of a sore throat and an overall yucky feeling.

Anyway, I wanted to get some of my thoughts down about the conversation hubby and I had the other day before I forget all about it.

I wanted to pick his brain a bit about what he thought of how Christianity is changing or not changing and if any of these things were bad or good. I don't think we narrowed down anything that was negative about change or no change in the church. We both see the need to reach out to others where they are at. Here's a brief summary of what I thought we talked about - although we have talked more since so it may be a combination of those talks too.

Right now I think (can't speak for hubby, he can do that) there are many (but not most) people (Christian and non-Christian) who are finding the "modern" way of doing church lacking. Most people are still content at the way things are and that is great. But I want to know how to reach the ones who find it lacking because quite frankly sometimes I find things in the church rather boring or old or not really where I'm at (hard to explain the feeling actually).

I want to see Jesus as more relevant in my life. I want to be a closer and understand better. I want to have some more experience. Does this make senes? Let's just say I'm one of the "confused" on the T-shirt (see post above).

Well will have to post more later.

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Christianity, faith

Great Weekend

2005-10-24T10:40:00.000-04:00

I had a great weekend. Grandparents babysat the kids and hubby and I went out. We had thought about going to a movie but didn't like any of the choices. So we went to dinner, then window shopping in the mall, and then to Starbucks for "fancy" coffee. We were able to sit and chat - something that is hard to do with 2 young kids always around.

We talked about all sorts of things. We talked about our love of our children. How much potential we see in them, how much the same they are yet so different. We were able to have a great discussion about faith and how our lives reflect our beliefs.

I'll post more about the last discussion later when I have more time. I just thought I should try to keep up posting.

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family, Starbucks

Been A While

2005-10-20T19:11:00.000-04:00

Well, it's been a while since I started this blog. I just want to make sure that I don't forget.

A lot has happened since June. My mom's cancer returned and she is terminal. She's almost done her chemo treatments. (She decided to be part of a study group which is experimenting with a new combination of medicines.)

Both my girls are in school now. The youngest in JK Tuesdays & Thursdays and some Fridays. I've been given some time on my own and have totally filled it. I'm going to be volunteering one day at the school.

I've had the opportunity to read the rest of Brian McLaren's New Kind of Christian trilogy. I read the first book last year and went to a seminar with Brian as the main speaker. I've just finished the second and third book this week. I couldn't put them down. They've started me on a spiritual journey that I'm sure will change my life and how I view my faith.

Anyway, I better get going and make supper. Maybe I'll be able to write more later.

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cancer, Brian McLaren, christian, books

My First Post

2005-06-09T10:26:00.000-04:00

Just testing this out to see how it all looks and how it works.