Hello I'm...(part 4)

Hello I'm...(part 3)

I AM MAN

The 'Following Jesus' Manifesto

1. Stop talking so much about Jesus. Just stop. If we loved the people around us half as much as we say we love Jesus the rest of this manifesto would be entirely redundant.

2. Live a secret life. Invest the time, effort and vulnerability necessary to delve deeply into the scripture and prayer. Spend long periods of time in stillness. There is no shortcut to this. there is no other way. Without a deep and secret life we soon find ourselves talking about Jesus instead of being like Jesus.

3. Stop pretending. I’m a Christian..... and I suck. So do you! Let’s get that out of the way shall we?

4. Give more than you get. There will always be more than enough.

5. Be present for those around you. Following Jesus has nothing to do with your work, your resume or your income. In fact, nothing that matters does.

6. Treasure broken-ness. Our broken places are sacred spaces in our heart. Honour them. Value them. In doing so you love the unlovely, publicly declaring the beauty of God’s image in everyone. Greet the broken with comfort and cool water.

7. Throw a PARTY!! Invite those who cannot ‘pay you back’. No masks at this one!

8. Know Jesus well enough to recognize Him on the street. This is rather important, because He can always be found on the street - and He usually looks more like a panhandler than a preacher.

9. Accept ingratitude and abuse as a fixed cost. Embrace them, then go the extra mile.

10. IF you follow Jesus, you will anger ‘religious’ people. This is how you will know.

(thanks to dad and rhymes with kerouac)

Hello I'm...(part 2)

Hello I'm...(part 1)

help

Allah in the Family

“Muslims around the world are known for their sense of humour.” This statement may come as a surprise to many as some Muslims have been a touch, um, sensitive to any portrayals of their faith: Salman Rushdie, Danish cartoons, German operas, to name a few. So, when the CBC announced it was going to air a new comedy called Little Mosque on the Prairie, a “halal-arious” comedy about being Muslim in a small Prairie town, I wasn’t the only one who thought this could be trouble.

But so far, no fatwa. Of course the show doesn’t air until tonight, though not having seen the content has never stopped a death threat before. The premise has people buzzing – luminaries such as Associated Press and the New York Times have sat up and taken notice, and for you non-Canadians out there, people here rarely talk about our homegrown TV, let alone the international media. More importantly (at least as far as ratings are concerned) I’m interested in checking it out, as are a few other friends. Did I mention people usually don’t talk or watch much Canadian TV?

The top-rated Canadian show, that isn’t hockey, is Corner Gas, a show about some genial Canuck hosers set in a small Prairie town. Hmm, seems familiar – I suppose success does breed imitators. It’s funny that we like to see ourselves reflected as living the quiet, rural life when the truth is more of us live in large cities, but so be it. With Little Mosque we’ll be seeing some of the increasingly multicultural nature of our nation as well. Meh.

Will it be controversial or will the edges been worn down so as not to offend anyone’s sensibilities? So far the promos, featuring a Muslim lawyer who is moving west to run a small-town mosque, have been good for a laugh. See for yourself:

Caption this 7 ...

1000 !!!!

Oilers Start 2007 with 1000th Win
















The Edmonton Oilers defeated the Florida Panthers 4-1 at Rexall Place on Tuesday night, winning their 1000th game in franchise history. Scoring for Edmonton was Raffi Torres, Ales Hemsky, Fernando Pisani and Ryan Smyth.

THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKIN' BOUT !!!!!!!

the walk...

a church which pitches its tents
without constantly looking out for new horizons,
which does not continually strike camp,
is being untrue to its calling . . . .
[We must] play down our longing for certainty,
accept what is risky,
live by improvisation and experiment.

--Hans Kung

Am I glad to see you!!

WHEW!!!

That was fun last night!!

I've had enough of 2006. I'm ready for 2007.
It was a strange year, yet satisfying. Some words to capture the moments...

finally
embark
family
stamina
goodbye!
community
peace
dance
friends
embrace
students
write
hope
colleagues
wonder
breathe

....more later,
....once I wake up!