nostalgia

It's September 1st, which means a renewed commitment to my blog. There's a chance that I'll have my own dot com before I move, but for now blogspot will have to do. What's happening? Well, most recently I watched the Tyndale videos that Ernie put together a couple years back. I'm just starting to realise how great those times were. I suppose it caused a sense of nostalgia, which I think is amplified by the fact that I'm not starting school in a week for the first time since kindergarten- strange feeling.

In other news, Ian and Lauren are moving to Manitoba. This move (in less than 24 hours now) is a sad one for me, even though its good for them- three years aren't really that long though- Lord knows the last three have gone by pretty quick.

for Cathy

I'm not sure if it's spelled with a 'C' or a 'K' (I'll go with C), but the last two times I have seen Cathy Mclaren, one of the first things she says to me is "you need to update your blog".

And so, for you Mrs. Mclaren- the blog is officially updated. It was nice visiting with you and Jim today- Pickelbarrel tomorrow- I'll see you bright and early!

A couple thoughts for tonight-
1) Ashley and I went to see Nacho Libre and, to be honest I had that whole Napoleon Dynamite first time feeling after I left. That is to say, after watching N.D. the first time I didn't laugh once through the whole thing, however I did watch it many, many times after that and it got progressively more funny- until about the 13th time, then I think it peaked. This movie had received a lot of hype, so I had high expectations- and it probably would have been more funny if some people in the audience weren't having falling out of their seats in laughter at some parts that really weren't funny- but, at least I got to see midgets wrestling, and that was well worth the price of admission (no offense to little people- I'm a fan of "little people, big world", sort of).

2) This week is crazy for drafts, with the NHL draft yesterday and the NBA coming up on Wednesday. I'm very excited to see what develops with the Raptors, however it's the Leafs who are making some noise. I was pretty happy with their pick and the trade for Raycroft but it seems that multiple sources are reporting that the Leafs are in serious discussions for Pronger. Now, as I Leafs fan I do tend to think that all players in the NHL could eventually end up on the Leafs and the media would have me think that every free agent will sign here this summer etc., but Pronger as a Leaf? holy smokes. For the record I don't think this is going to happen- my hunch is he'll go to Ottawa. Stinkin Sens.

C'est tout.

American up here...

Last Monday Steve and Nathan and I went out for lunch to talk about the conference and where we see this whole thing going next year. In response to something I said Nathan tapped me on the front of my head and said "That's because you've got American up here". This moment was probably the most outraged I've been in a long, long time. It was borderline sin. Well, okay... sin.

Lately I've been thinking about Americana and what it would be like to live there and subsequently what exactly do I think about their culture and specifically-war, because really, most of what I know about the States revolves around war. I have the opportunity to study there next year, so I figured I should really start thinking about these things, in order to avoid blindly becoming a card carrying Republican (or Democrat for that matter), if I end up going.

I think there are a ton of issues to think through here, but my initial sentiment is that I'm a pretty big pacifist. I can't really see a scenario that justifies blowing the hell (they are fighting evil...right?) out of another country- even something like 9/11. Recently I have seen two documentaries that attempt to show the other side of the war coin in America- Loose Change which is about the shadiness of the 9/11 events, and Why We Fight, which shows the war in Iraq as the result of a tradition of lies, increased Imperialism and the rise of the military industrial complex (priorities which are set to benefit corporations as opposed to what benefits the country- ie. contracts given to weapons producing corporations). Why we fight has a number of interviews with people from Iraq, who say that they supported the U.S. until they started bombing them- their neighborhoods- their parks- and until the vast majority of the people wounded or killed in this war were civilians.

I have also been reading a book by Shane Claiborne called Irresistable Revolution. He has some very interesting stories about interning with Mother Theresa and fighting policitians for the rights of homeless people in Philadelphia. He also talks about a trip to Iraq- I found it particularly interestingl- He says "essentially I went to Iraq because I belive in a God of scandalous grace. I have pledged allegiance to a King who loved evildoers so much he died for them, teaching us that there is something worth dying for but nothing worth killing for".

Maybe I only think this way because I was raised in Canada and we're the peacekeepers. Or maybe what I'm really trying to understand is what are the politics, ethics and practices of a people whose citizenship is more about a kingdom than a country.

"dunner" aka: firetruck

I don't think I've posted a picture of these two online yet... welcome to my blog Benjamin and Katrina... nephew and niece..



- they don't look like the blueberry girl from wonka in real life...not sure what is going on with this computer..

Favorite lines from Benjamin include: dunner (a firetruck..), lion, no, and unca Ciss...

Thursday night was my last class ever at Tyndale UC with only 1 exam to complete the undergrad. The last class was a bit of a doozy, with a group presentation that went off the tracks for a solid 7 minutes, (complete with references to the problems with the Emerging Church of all things!) only to slowly return and make an alright recovery. I realized that I have a problem laughing during awkward situations, although I was aware of that before. I don't think that I have stopped to think about what life after Tyndale will feel like, or to reflect on what has happened in the last five years but I've got some time to do some soul searching.

My thesis is finished, marked and handed back. I did okay for blasting that thing out in 3.5 weeks...although it did have some weak points, which Professor Evans was sure to drive home during my defense...thanks dawg..really appreciate that.

Hanging out with Cam tonight for the first time since Christmas, my guess is that the hockey game and a pub will be invovled.

my personal...

The idea of church, its value and function, its life and processes, are formed within us as we learn about and experience it. Everything that I understood church to be was the result of being raised in one. I think this may be true of a lot of what we might call "the younger evangelicals" (book still on my shelf... summers coming!), who grew up in the albatross that is the evangelical church. Now, I must admit that I did not have a particularly negative experience in my 'home' church. In fact, I still have a lot of family friends there and speak with the youth pastor on a regular basis. The trouble was not with my church but more so with my understanding of it, which at some point contributed to my very elitist, personal church.

I was an idiot.

To be quite honest, I really had no time for churches from other denominations, let alone the Catholic church- dear goodness-we should drop off some tracts. I suppose I had no concept of church history, the universal body of Christ or the notion that my church might ever be (gulp) wrong. I'm not saying that it is, or was, only that I didn't understand the church as a group of people whose messy lives are connected in this thing called salvation, and that its not, and probably never will be a perfect community.

All of this to say, I think that the idea of personal church is what has caused so much anger when people dissect and critique the Emergent Church because it is different than what we have come to know as 'the church'. We think that if there is another way to 'do' or 'be' church, that our way is wrong and thus the Emergent Church is an attack on our 80 year old traditional church. We think that we have to defend our church and our church practice, that we must go on the offensive to prove that EC is wrong and thus be validated in our own experience of church. After all, if our church isn't wrong, our church doesn't need to change.

I don't think that right or wrong is the question I'm asking. I was speaking with Craig Carter the other day and he made this statement, "I'm more concerned about why 450 people are showing up on Saturday than whether Mclaren's understanding of the atonement is orthodox". Regardless of right or wrong, why is this happening?

I don't expect many answers soon, its probably hard to pinpoint and involves a lot of, shall we say...conversations. Nonetheless, I'm happy that its happening and am more excited about the future of the church than ever before.

the day after

An entire 13 months of planning all came to a head yesterday- and I honestly need to say that I was overwhelmed by how good God is- demonstrated so many times throughout that period, and especially yesterday. Overwhelmed.
Nathan has summed up a few of his highlights, so I'll try not to duplicate too many...but here's a list of my favorite things about yesterday, beginning with...
* The guy sitting on the green couch while Don Miller is being introduced: Chris to Don: "Do you know that guy?" Don to Chris "No. I thought you knew him." Chris to Don "Ah crap".
* The craziness that was 7:30am-9:30am.
* Chris Seay might be one of my new favorite people- I didn't get to sit in on his sessions for too long, but from speaking with him over the couple of days he was around- wow.--- warm, friendly, congruent.
* Our volunteers were absolutely AMAZING- I'm not sure I have words to describe how good they were yesterday- and how God used them to bless people- seriously- outstanding. Thanks Alicia, Siobahan, Dirks, Jardin, Sarah, T-Pot, Nathan, John, Naomi, Rachel, Christina, Joy Beth, Danielle, Sharon, Michelle, Dan, Katie, Fulford and Ashley!
* The random people I met who were so encouraging.
* I wasn't in the first worship time, but I was in the second and I was overwhelmed by presence of the Spirit in that room- never experienced anything like it at Tyndale before. Jay, Big D, Katie and Dave K.- thank you so much.
* Having my arm nearly ripped off by our President as he created a moment that I will never forget- and yet its a blur even now- it happened so fast, but his words will stay with me for a long time.
* The atmosphere, the joy in people, their graciousness.
* An email from George and a phone call from Pernell after the conference.
* The crazy things- such as not knowing where Mclaren or Miller were for the first hour...or losing a large amount of money, only to find it in the garbage- athankyou Lord.
* Encouraging words from our new friends, Don, Tom & George.
* Chris Ricci and his team.- so much preparation- and so well done. To me, IT does well when you don't notice them (ie. not looking back to see why the sound guy has screwed up...)- as long as I've worked with Chris Ricci, I have never looked back- so professional, hard working- and wants it to be as good as we do... thanks Chris.
Finally...
* The boys and all of our MSN meetings, restaurant meetings, the speaker phone, forums, the bp, the emails,- the hours and hours... something good has begun, and I love that its with each of you. Single tear.

Anyway, those are some things off the top of my head. I might post some more later- maybe some pics to go with it. You can find tons of extra stuff at the website- and please, if you were there- take advantage of the forums and try and flush out and wrestle with all that you took in.

four weeks and counting

The time has almost come.

I think the travesty of my time at Tyndale will be that I didn't take advantage of an environment of learning. Somewhere around year 3 I learned how to do well without really learning anything (so I may have learned one thing...). This, I think is what Garber talks about in the Fabric of Faithfulness when he says that students "'getting all A's but flunking life' is a possibility lurking around the corner of everyone's life.."

One of the things that I am most looking forward to after graduating is learning.
Although my thesis has been great and I have learned a ton of interesting things-- mostly that the authors of Scripture had some serious literary talent, that the history has a message, and that understanding life through personal wants/desires was part of the lowest point in Israel's history-- so how much of it should be part of my life?

The rough copy of the thesis has been handed back- one week until the final copy is due.
The Boys Next Door clinched a playoff spot.
OCCAA volleyball championship- I announced my official retirement in an emotional press conference - Canon 25 didn't show up.
OCCAA basketball championship- M. Mackneer, Kyle and BIG BOY!- three peat baby! I would like to thank Nathan for some serious heckling- I feel like together we accounted for at least +7 tyndale points and -8 Redeemer points...
The conference is SOLD OUT! holy smokes.
Going to the Leaf/Sabres game with Ashley and the Boadways on Thursday....I'm nervous...its in Buffalo.
I saw Dave Arnold last weekend- woah- its been too long between visits.
Elections are coming-- should be very interesting-- no..I have decided not to run.
Spring Banquet with Bodner is coming up- Mar. 31
Concert....Robbie Seay Band, Chris Seay, Ginny Owens, Waterdeep, and...an artist named Rob Pepper-- April 7th at Tyndale.
Oh..I friggin love my housemates-- and I realize that's a fairly girly thing to say but what can you do?...maybe the most fun I've had in a long time! Paul, can I have a cookie?...two?
Ah yes, the biggest decision of my life is coming... the fork in the road, which way to go? I applied to Eastern's Graduate School in Pennsylvania (is that how you spell it?) to do an M.A. in International Development... so Lord... ?

four weeks and counting.

the NBA

If you've followed the NBA in the last 5-10 years or so...this article is hilarious-- especially Babcock's 'comments'.

the week so far

We knew this was coming. You never want to say it out loud (unless you're Harry Neale or Bob Cole) but Team Canada was terrible. Terrible you say? Maybe its not that they were terrible as much as we weren't 2002. That was an epic time in my life and produced many moments that I will never forget. Where was the Sakic Supreme this time around? Where was the pass between the legs, the dazzling stickhandling Theo Fleury, the "the whole world wants us to fail, but we'll be there"--remember that?

Death where is thy sting? Ovechkin- that's where.

I like him, except when he plays for Russia- that kid is good. Maybe the best player in the world right now.

We looked lost the whole tournament and today wasn't a surprise based on how we've played. Hindsight is a beautiful thing and we could argue about who would've made the big difference. But, we look forward to you 2010 and revenge on home ice. We look forward to you our Captain, J. Iginla (strangely ineffective this tournament) playing along side the likes of a battletested Staal, Spezza and Crosby, Nash, Phneuf... with Luongo in net- fresh off a Stanely Cup victory with the Leafs.

Well, it's hump day and the thesis is a lot further than it was on Sunday night...13/60 or 47 to go! Is that glass half full or what!

reading week

It's you and me thesis, let's do this.

emerging churches

Andrew Jones said this way better than I ever could.

"I have been listening to the latest wave of criticism against the emerging-missional church in USA and I don't know if i am more angry with the critics for getting it so wrong, or angry at emerging church practitioners for either not communicating the heart of what we (the global emerging-missional church) are doing . . or not knowing it in the first place.

The emerging church, if i listen to the more extreme critics, is just about changing the style of church to attract people and keeping them happy, of accepting any wind of doctrine without critique, of finding the coolest hippest trends and adopting them in a sunday service. Of being postmodern to attract postmoderns. Of careless adoption of any ancient practice regardless of its origin or affect, of finding identity in protest against the Modern, Enlightenment or Constantinian models of church. What the heck is that? What does that have to do with the emerging church? If there are one or two new emerging churches who have lost the plot, or never saw it clearly to begin with, and are now giving the other hundreds of emerging churches a bad name, they should be lovingly confronted with the better way of Jesus. Do it yourself before other traditions do it for you. A little yeast impacts the whole lump....

Read the rest here.

k[no]w Emergent!?

As some of you may already know, I’m organising a conference with a couple goods friend called The Evolving Church. We invited Brian Mclaren, Donald Miller and Chris Seay to come because their writing has struck a chord with us and we feel like they are saying things that we needed to hear. We think this is a good thing.

What I have found in the last couple months of planning this thing is that a) people think this is an Emergent conference and b) there are some people who think Brian Mclaren and company are the anti-Christ. First, I’d like to clarify some things about this conference. We are in no way pushing the Emergent ‘agenda’ (whatever that may be), but are really concerned about the Church and feel that there are a lot of people our age who may be thinking the same thing. Our experience inside church was not necessarily detrimental to our understanding of the Church, but we think that Church, especially in North America, has not been in operating in the manner which God has called it to.

Yes, Brian and Chris are forefront in the Emergent movement but this isn’t a conference to discuss Emergent, its to discuss how we, as the Church in Canada can take on the vocational attributes that we may be lacking. It is not a ‘local church’ bashing conference, but a chance to understand where we can go from here.

It’s sort of my running joke with Fulster that Emergent has left itself undefined, contributing to the overall stigma that it is simply pushing a post-modern agenda. Ie: what do they believe? "we don’t know, they just won’t say…" While I will admit that Mclaren has been more publicly inquisitive than affirming in regards to issues of doctrine, Emergent has defined itself here at Emergent Village

Some people may not agree with this or other Emergent ideas, or the things that some people who associate themselves with this movement write, (Sweet, Pagitt etc.) but that doesn’t disqualify them from speaking about the state of the Church in the 21st century, does it?

I have come across some blogs that spend way too much time dissecting every sentence of these people as their act of service. I have found that every time I read these blogs it leaves me disappointed, not because I’m pro Emergent but because it is often done with a mean spirit, using absolute propositions and leaving no room for dialogue. It has been my experience that these statements only lead to putting people on the defense, which only further a separation between the two sides and certainly isn't edifying. Emergent may be wrong about a number of things…its true! But saying ‘you are wrong and I’m right and that’s that’ is only widening the denominational divide among believers. It’s like I have to take sides between Emergent and non-Emergent. To think this way is to miss one of the points of the movement, which is to recognize that denominations have destroyed us and if we could only talk about our differences with open minds and a heart that is seeking to be faithful to God, then we’d be much more effective as ambassadors of Christ.

In other news, I dropped C.S. Lewis and picked up Managing Non-Profit Organisations. I like it. Our floor hockey record: 2- 0- 1, but that may change soon as our goalie will be away for most of the rest of our games, so I may be strapping on the pads—seems like a fitting end to a my last season (Lord willing!).

tagged

I don't normally respond to these kind of things but since Nathan Colquhoun has requested it, I will defy his (usually correct) instincts and reply. I was tagged...

Four Jobs I've had:
Blockbuster "rewind boy"
Selling Snowboards @ Skiis and Biikes (why two i's in bikes.. ? not sure either)
Relief Worker @ The Gateway
Maintenance @ Fair Havens

Four Movies I could watch over and over:
Braveheart
Home Alone
Magnolia
Back to the Future

Four Places I've lived:
Smithville
Toronto
Huntsville
Beaverton

Four T.V. Shows I love:
Arrested Development
Wonder Years
The West Wing
Seinfeld

Four Vacations Spots I've been to:
northern Ontario..
Peru...not exactly a vacation though..
Boston...
Philadelphia

Four Favorite Dishes
spaghetti
chili
pizza
rolaids!

Four Sites I visit often:
www.yahoo.com
www.theglobeandmail.com
www.epconference.net
www.thestar.com

Four Places I'd rather be right now:
Smithville
Beaverton
anywhere with AJ
Blue Mountain

Four Bloggers I'm tagging
http://www.puritas.blogspot.com
http:eemc.blogsome.com
http://www.thebrooks.blogspot.com
http://thesilverstrian.blogspot.com

the election.

For anyone who wants to know what Stephen Harper is really up to...these may be the funniest commericals I have ever seen- no jokes. Yum Yum is my favorite, but this one is good too!

Jack

1143 times. That is the amount of times that someone has asked me if my middle name started with an "S". Imagine if it did? Two C.S.Lewis' in the world- no way! Unfortunately, or otherwise my middle name does not begin with an S. The only reason I bring this up is because I chose a class specifically devoted to the writings of C.S.Lewis as my very last class at Tyndale- the last one! Where does the time go...

I think over the next little while much of what makes in onto this blog is going to be devoted to sharing what this 20th century literary artist has to say. I begin with a quote from book one of Mere Christianity,

"The most dangerous thing you can do is to take any one impulse of your own nature and set it up as the thing you ought to follow at all costs. There is not one of them which will not make us into devils if we set it up as an absolute guide. You might think love of humanity in general was safe, but it is not. If you leave out justice you will find yourself breaking agreements and faking evidence in trials 'for the sake of humanity,' and become in the end a cruel and treacherous man."

Absolutism... it's destructive. Thinking that I am right, that I have all the answers to the most pertinent questions is destructive. Now, there are things that I believe to be absolutely true and I don't think that Lewis was essentially arguing for an absolute principle. But in the context of the church...here is exactly what I wrestle with: who is right, who is wrong and does it really, honestly, truly matter? At the moment, I'm not convinced that it does. Of course, if someone started baptizing in a church with pig's blood while wearing little to no clothing...my 'not caring' would probably go out the window and I'd look for some sort of standard by which to function as the body of Christ. The bible you say? I just need to talk to Nathan Colquhoun about this...

Jokes. Really, he's a great guy who's asking some questions too.

In other news, I'm also going to be giving a thesis report every now and again. So far in terms of page numbers I'm 0/70, but that's not terrible...it could be worse, right? I could not have a topic... well, let's not get into that.

surprise additions

Beth Veale has been added to the list of conference workshop leaders. Don't know who Beth Veale is? She is a principle at a gradeschool in Toronto, and in the words of Darryl Silvestri, "she's money baby, money". Also, Jarod Siebert has been added as a workshop leader- I believe he was part of a church plant a while ago called Next Church in Kingston. Now he works for the Mennonite denomination as a church advisor. Everything is coming together...and REGISTRATION IS OPEN!

church practice.

I heard a story the other day. Apparently the underground church in China is exploding. The first thing that struck me as different from church in the West in that this church is led almost entirely by women. The reason for this is largely unknown, however its speculated that the native men may think that the Christian faith is the equivalent of being a panzy and so they stay away. This sounds funny coming from a country where freedom of religion doesn't really exist.

The second thing I heard about the underground church in China is that a lot of the churches (which are unconnected) have their own little quirks that sound fairly ridiculous to us. For instance, before embracing Christ, one of the current leaders of a church spent three days in mourning because of their sin. And so the church that this person leads requires each person to spend three days in mourning once they choose to follow Jesus. Another leader vomitted just before conversion. Apparently they thought this should be common place and so now the true mark of a Christian for this church is to vomitt at the point of conversion.

This sounds ridiculous and totally unbiblical but...

Think about our churches. Is there anything we do that is like these traditions? Think of this- the altar call. We know what it means. It is not unexpected in some of our churches and it is usually associated with a conversion experience or the first step towards salvation. The altar call was first used by Charles Finney as a way to sign up recent converts to fight for the abolition of slavery. Of course, the altar call experience is not found in Scripture but somehow we manage to make it a focal point of our evangelism services. Oh well, I guess that's just part of becoming a Christian...right... no?...

podcasting

I'm looking for some good podcasts. Any suggestions?

the Outrage of Grace

I'm reading this book. It's a shock to the system-- the good kind though. The first third of the book is a novel about two people having an affair. They are purposely never condemned or interrupted by the narrator with random acts that may reveal their rendevous - scandalous. The author comments intermittently and is often quite funny and sarcastic. Here's a taste:

"I said grace cannot prevail until law is dead, until moralizng is out of the game. The precise phrase should be, until our fatal love affair with the law is over- until, finally and for good, our lifelong certainty that someone is keeping score has run out of steam and collapsed. As long as we leave, in our dramatizations of grace, one single hope of a moral reckoning, one possible recourse to salvation by bookkeeping, our freedom-dreading hearts will clutch it to themselves. And even if we leave none at all, we will grub for ethics that are not there rather than face the liberty to which grace calls us. Give us those parables of the Prodigal Son, for example, and we will promptly lose its point by preaching ourselves sermons on Worthy and Unworthy Confession, or on The Sin of the Elder Brother. Give us the Workers in the Vineyard, and we will concoct spurious lessons on The Duty of Contentment or The Moral Aspects of Labor Relations.

Restore to us, Preacher, the comfort of merit and demerit. Prove for us that there is at least something we can do, that we are still, at whatever dim recess of our nature, the masters of our relationships. Tell us, Prophet, that in spite of all our nights of losing, there will yet be one redeeming card of our very own to fill the inside straight we have so long and so earnestly tried to draw to. But do not preach us grace. It will not do to split the pot evenly at four A.M. and break out the Chivas Regal. We insist on being reckoned with. Give us something, anything; but spare us the indignity of this indiscriminate acceptance.

Lord, let your servants depart in the peace of their proper responsibility. If it is not too much to ask, send us to bed with some few shreds of self-respect to congratulate ourselves upon. But if that is too hard, leave us with at least the consolation of our self-loathing. Only do not force us free. What have we ever done but try as best we could? How have we so hurt you, even by failing, that you should now turn on us and say that none of it makes any difference, not even our sacred guilt? We have played this game of yours, and it has cost us."

Christmas

Okay, I realize this is about one day too late, but get over it.

This Christmas was different. Leading up to the big day I felt differently about Christmas than ever before. I don't really know why, it's not like there have been drastic family changes, or that I have done anything intentional to celebrate Christmas differently, however like most things these days, I'm changing the way I think about this whole event.

First of all, the whole debate about xmas bla bla blah- can the church really make this argument? Like most things we debate about, the root of the matter stems from the fact that we really only care because it means we will have less of a voice in Western culture. I think that in all likelihood (and this is pure conjecture) that most families probably celebrate Christmas exactly the way most pagan families do- presents, food, family, church. The only difference is that we are free to send Christmas cards that say things about Jesus on them.

I would argue that maybe we should start saying Happy Holidays because that is all it is. My friend Andrew wrote an article about the name of the Lord, using the Hebrew words qatan (small, insignificant) and qavod (heavy). He basically says that Rabbis refused to use the name of the Lord because it was too heavy, and they didn't want to risk treating it with insignificance. I think we throw Christ onto a holiday that is essentially about ourselves, 'the haul' and the time off to relax. It has nothing to do with Christ- he is small, insignificant.

And so, maybe Happy Holidays is appropriate- at the very least its more reverent than saying Merry Christmas and then spending a billion dollars on gifts and gorging ourselves on turkey.

Oh the bitterness, where does this all come from?

It's not all bad. I did get to spend Christmas eve at the shelter and let me tell you that I loved it. Over the course of the evening, a couple people stopped by. My favorite was a family of five, with three little kids. They were handing out some gifts that they brought- nothing extravagant- but everything is significant when you have nothing. The highlight of the night had to be when the five year old boy of the family went up to a couple of scruffy homeless guys and said 'merry Christmas', and then handed them the gift. That was probably the most 'Christ-massy' this I've seen. I think if I ever ended up with a family that that is what we might do on Christmas eve...

Please don't get me wrong. I really want to say Merry Christmas, but honestly, if its just a thing to do, a tradition that we accept, then really Christ means nothing in it and I'll take happy holidays. Of course, I want it to mean something...the trick is figuring out how to do that. The first step may be to recognizes the epiphany of the Christ as a daily reality... the savior who was born- born into reality first with 10 fingers, 10 toes... smelly, pukey and adorable and then bruised, beaten and glorious.

"Suddenly, God's angel stood among them and God's glory blazed around them. They were terrified. The angel said, "Don't be afraid. I'm here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Savior has just been born in David's town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master".