It's over. I'll be easing my way back into the blogosphere at
http://cjlewis.wordpress.com
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Friday, June 22, 2007
one more thing...
A fire started in an abandoned building near the Simple Way in Philadelphia (home of Shane Claiborne) and spread to two Simple Way homes as well as 12 other homes in the neighborhood. Needless to say, this sucks.
You can watch the video below.
More importantly you can make a donation to these wonderful people so that they, along with their neighbors can start to re-build (literally) their lives. I was at The Simple Way a couple months ago and can confirm that they are great people doing wonderful kingdom things.
Please consider making a donation.
(I thought it'd be better to have this on my blog screen for two months than a post about me...)
You can watch the video below.
More importantly you can make a donation to these wonderful people so that they, along with their neighbors can start to re-build (literally) their lives. I was at The Simple Way a couple months ago and can confirm that they are great people doing wonderful kingdom things.
Please consider making a donation.
(I thought it'd be better to have this on my blog screen for two months than a post about me...)
Sunday, June 17, 2007
what dreams may come
When I was 19 my dream was to be married by the time I was 22, kids by 25, job, house, car, fence and dog- that's it. What I have found is that my dream is really just a facade located somewhere outside of real life. I have found that I really have none of those things (except car...) and yet I'm okay with that. That said, there are things that I'm not really okay with.
I'm not okay with floating through my degree.
I'm not okay with pretending that I am awesome.
I'm not okay with current realities.
More than those things, I'm just not okay with whatever it is that God wants with me- incidentally I have no idea what that is. I think I need to figure that out.
On the particularly long drive back to Philadelphia I thought that I would shut down this blog for a while, perhaps until the end of August. I think I need to spend less time worrying about what people think of me, of what I write, and who they perceive me to be and more time figuring life out, what I want, what God wants and how to move towards that.
And so, that's what I'm going to do.
Two things I want to leave up here until then:
Henri Nouwen says this,
God is a God of the present and reveals to those who are willing to listen carefully to the moment in which they live the steps they are to take toward the future."
Bob Dylan says this,
I am hanging in the balance of a perfect, finished plan,
Like every sparrow falling, like every grain of sand.
...living in the tension.
I'm not okay with floating through my degree.
I'm not okay with pretending that I am awesome.
I'm not okay with current realities.
More than those things, I'm just not okay with whatever it is that God wants with me- incidentally I have no idea what that is. I think I need to figure that out.
On the particularly long drive back to Philadelphia I thought that I would shut down this blog for a while, perhaps until the end of August. I think I need to spend less time worrying about what people think of me, of what I write, and who they perceive me to be and more time figuring life out, what I want, what God wants and how to move towards that.
And so, that's what I'm going to do.
Two things I want to leave up here until then:
Henri Nouwen says this,
God is a God of the present and reveals to those who are willing to listen carefully to the moment in which they live the steps they are to take toward the future."
Bob Dylan says this,
I am hanging in the balance of a perfect, finished plan,
Like every sparrow falling, like every grain of sand.
...living in the tension.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
spelling bee champ
I secretly wanted to be a spelling bee champion as a child. I don't think I had a firm grasp of 'the latin' to go very far and I don't think I was awkward enough to be a spelling bee champ (although some may contend that issue).
Saturday, June 09, 2007
white trash
Sometime during 4th year Nathan, Darryl and I attended White Trash Night at what is known as 'the apartments across the street'- we did our best to dress for the occasion. Darryl's face is particularly enjoyable- so young, so innocent. I believe my hair was out of control then- no worries, I'm working on bringing (sexy) back.
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
a couple of things
I went to the bank today to change a $50 CDN bill into American and behold- they do not carry Canadian funds. In fact they said that to get it changed I could have the bank send it away to a company that does that sort of thing for a charge of $17 USD. Now, the dollar is doing pretty well these days but if I did that, I believe that my $50 CDN would end up being something like $23 American.
I think I'll keep it until I get back to my home and native land.
I've been reading a number of different books in the last month- some of them aren't finished but plenty of them are well on their way- they include Rob Bell's Sex-God, Yunus' Banker to the Poor and its sequel The Poor Always Pay Back, Anne Lamotts Grace (eventually), Lauren Winners Real Sex and for school I've been reading Emergency Relief Operations, ed. Cahill and Do No Harm: How Aid Can Support Peace- or War by Mary Anderson.
I have particularly enjoyed the last two...
Here is a taste:
We must learn to be quicker to detect and prepare for crises before they occur. The earlier we intervene, the more likely we are able to have a meaningful impact on the ground. Similarly, we must more consistently enter all crises situations with a clearly defined available exit strategy that guides all of our actions, even in the initial response, toward the ultimate stability and recovery of the affected country" - Emergency Relief Operations
- hello Iraq...
"Many people criticize international assistance, accurately citing examples of ways in which international aid has done harm rather than good. We note such examples, but we do not condemn aid for its failures. It is a moral and logical fallacy to conclude that because and can do harm, a decision not to give aid would do no harm. In reality, a decision to withhold aid from people in need would have unconscionable negative ramifications" - Do No Harm.
I think I'll keep it until I get back to my home and native land.
I've been reading a number of different books in the last month- some of them aren't finished but plenty of them are well on their way- they include Rob Bell's Sex-God, Yunus' Banker to the Poor and its sequel The Poor Always Pay Back, Anne Lamotts Grace (eventually), Lauren Winners Real Sex and for school I've been reading Emergency Relief Operations, ed. Cahill and Do No Harm: How Aid Can Support Peace- or War by Mary Anderson.
I have particularly enjoyed the last two...
Here is a taste:
We must learn to be quicker to detect and prepare for crises before they occur. The earlier we intervene, the more likely we are able to have a meaningful impact on the ground. Similarly, we must more consistently enter all crises situations with a clearly defined available exit strategy that guides all of our actions, even in the initial response, toward the ultimate stability and recovery of the affected country" - Emergency Relief Operations
- hello Iraq...
"Many people criticize international assistance, accurately citing examples of ways in which international aid has done harm rather than good. We note such examples, but we do not condemn aid for its failures. It is a moral and logical fallacy to conclude that because and can do harm, a decision not to give aid would do no harm. In reality, a decision to withhold aid from people in need would have unconscionable negative ramifications" - Do No Harm.
Monday, June 04, 2007
trampolines
When I first started this blog over two years ago there was a high 'Jesus count' in the posts. I would write about passages and sermons and all of these things and what I was learning. I don't really write about those things anymore and I'm not really sure why. It may be because I have less a grasp on the 'authority' of Scripture- that is to say, strict, traditional interpretations of some things have gone by the wasteside for now as I've sort of tried to figure this whole thing out.
In Velvet Elvis, Rob Bell talks about theology as a brick wall and how people are afraid that if you pull one brick out the whole wall will come tumbling down. He suggests theology as a trampoline- where the springs have some give to them and will expand and condense depending on how much you jump, but you don't need to be afraid that they'll break.
I think that was me for a while, jumping up and down on that trampoline and seeing how much I could get those springs to move. I think I still am that person, mostly because I would never want to rest my entire theology on one interpretation with the fear that if that one thing changes it will all be over.
However, the reason I'm not sure about the trampoline right now is probably because of situations and questions that have been coming up about almost everything you can think of- especially those controversial topics. It seems as though living in the gray just doesn't seem like an option. It seems as though these situations call for a right or a wrong, complicated as it may be. If it's wrong then what do you do? If if is in fact right, but the brick used to say that it was wrong- well, how do you get over yourself?...and start jumping...
I think I need to get out of school and read read read (ironic... don't you think?)
In other news I went with Joe Berg to watch Game 4 of the Stanley Cup finals tonight. We went to TGI Fridays in the hopes that they'd have the big game on. What do you think was playing when we arrived? If you guessed women's softball you would be correct. We ended up going to Chilis and asking them to change the channel (as it wasn't playing there either)- they humbly obliged.
In Velvet Elvis, Rob Bell talks about theology as a brick wall and how people are afraid that if you pull one brick out the whole wall will come tumbling down. He suggests theology as a trampoline- where the springs have some give to them and will expand and condense depending on how much you jump, but you don't need to be afraid that they'll break.
I think that was me for a while, jumping up and down on that trampoline and seeing how much I could get those springs to move. I think I still am that person, mostly because I would never want to rest my entire theology on one interpretation with the fear that if that one thing changes it will all be over.
However, the reason I'm not sure about the trampoline right now is probably because of situations and questions that have been coming up about almost everything you can think of- especially those controversial topics. It seems as though living in the gray just doesn't seem like an option. It seems as though these situations call for a right or a wrong, complicated as it may be. If it's wrong then what do you do? If if is in fact right, but the brick used to say that it was wrong- well, how do you get over yourself?...and start jumping...
I think I need to get out of school and read read read (ironic... don't you think?)
In other news I went with Joe Berg to watch Game 4 of the Stanley Cup finals tonight. We went to TGI Fridays in the hopes that they'd have the big game on. What do you think was playing when we arrived? If you guessed women's softball you would be correct. We ended up going to Chilis and asking them to change the channel (as it wasn't playing there either)- they humbly obliged.
Friday, June 01, 2007
the list
Who is craig of craigslist?
Whoever he is, his list works well.
3:01pm:
Matt to Chris: we should get an air conditioner- I heard that Home Depot has them for $100.
Chris to Matt: okay, well let's check online
Matt: deal..oh, they're actually $300... hmmm..
Chris: let's try craigslist
Matt: aha...used air conditioner, great condition, $50.
(Matt calls)
3:30pm Matt picks up air conditioner
1:30am Chris and Matt hook up air conditioner and go to bed.
thanks Craig, you're the man.
Whoever he is, his list works well.
3:01pm:
Matt to Chris: we should get an air conditioner- I heard that Home Depot has them for $100.
Chris to Matt: okay, well let's check online
Matt: deal..oh, they're actually $300... hmmm..
Chris: let's try craigslist
Matt: aha...used air conditioner, great condition, $50.
(Matt calls)
3:30pm Matt picks up air conditioner
1:30am Chris and Matt hook up air conditioner and go to bed.
thanks Craig, you're the man.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
defined by what you're not...
About two years ago Steve and I were writing the business plan for Epiphaneia. I forget the exact words but somewhere in the introduction I had described Epiphaneia as ‘not a _______ and not about ______ (something or other). Steve said that we shouldn’t focus as much on what we’re not about as what we are about.
I drove back to Philadelphia today by myself. I kind of got slowed down at the border but made the trip in a shade under 7.5 hours- which included three different stops (one coffee, one lunch, one gas). Somewhere around hour four I started to think about that comment that Steve made- that we shouldn’t be defined by what we’re not about but instead what we are about.
Of course this can relate to all sorts of different scenarios but the one I attributed it to the most was the Christian life. The ‘world’ (if we want to call it that) knows what we’re not about- we (well, maybe I’ll say- evangelicalism) has drawn the lines pretty clearly in declaration that we are not about lots of things and of particular concern in the last ten to twenty years are abortion and gay marriage.
I think we need people to speak prophetically to governments if what they are doing is wrong. But what would happen if Christians became known for what they were for instead of what they are against? Of course I suppose that what one is opposed to and for exist in tension with one another.
Mulling this over.
I also think its easier to sustain something that you are for than against. Maybe some G8 Summit protesters will disagree with me on this one but I would find it hard to sustain a passion for being against something- because issues always change- there is always something trendy to be against. Would you rather be defined by being for one thing than against something? I think the former. As an example I would rather work actively for peace (a peacemaker...) than just against war. The real question I want to know is what am I for?
A few things that I have decided to be for:
sharing, community, peace, and love (wins).
I drove back to Philadelphia today by myself. I kind of got slowed down at the border but made the trip in a shade under 7.5 hours- which included three different stops (one coffee, one lunch, one gas). Somewhere around hour four I started to think about that comment that Steve made- that we shouldn’t be defined by what we’re not about but instead what we are about.
Of course this can relate to all sorts of different scenarios but the one I attributed it to the most was the Christian life. The ‘world’ (if we want to call it that) knows what we’re not about- we (well, maybe I’ll say- evangelicalism) has drawn the lines pretty clearly in declaration that we are not about lots of things and of particular concern in the last ten to twenty years are abortion and gay marriage.
I think we need people to speak prophetically to governments if what they are doing is wrong. But what would happen if Christians became known for what they were for instead of what they are against? Of course I suppose that what one is opposed to and for exist in tension with one another.
Mulling this over.
I also think its easier to sustain something that you are for than against. Maybe some G8 Summit protesters will disagree with me on this one but I would find it hard to sustain a passion for being against something- because issues always change- there is always something trendy to be against. Would you rather be defined by being for one thing than against something? I think the former. As an example I would rather work actively for peace (a peacemaker...) than just against war. The real question I want to know is what am I for?
A few things that I have decided to be for:
sharing, community, peace, and love (wins).
Monday, May 21, 2007
micro machines...
Right now Microfinance is sexy. It’s happening all around the world as the way to provide the poor with access to credit so that they can generate some kind of business activity. It began in the 70’s with Accion and has gained a lot of momentum with Nobel Prize winner Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Bank. If you don’t know about it- you should start to do some reading.
I’m taking a class on microfinance at the moment. The biggest thing that I’m learning which I previously did not consider is that microfinance is making some people very rich (and I don’t mean the borrowers). In fact some people (such as the founder of ebay) love the idea of microfinance but won’t get into it until they can get a 10-20% return off of their investment. In short- microfinance is becoming commercialized.
So good ideas, generosity and helping the poor come back to this: what’s in it for me? Ebay man would argue that if it can be profitable you’ll have more people wanting to invest in it- and so a greater number of ‘the poor’ will have access to credit and the rich will make even more money! win and win.
Great! Perfect. Wait… what?
Mulling over the ethics of this statement right now... thoughts?
You can read up on this yourself:
Millions for Millions
You too can be a Banker to the Poor
Hype and Hope: The Worrisome State of the Microcredit Movement
I’m taking a class on microfinance at the moment. The biggest thing that I’m learning which I previously did not consider is that microfinance is making some people very rich (and I don’t mean the borrowers). In fact some people (such as the founder of ebay) love the idea of microfinance but won’t get into it until they can get a 10-20% return off of their investment. In short- microfinance is becoming commercialized.
So good ideas, generosity and helping the poor come back to this: what’s in it for me? Ebay man would argue that if it can be profitable you’ll have more people wanting to invest in it- and so a greater number of ‘the poor’ will have access to credit and the rich will make even more money! win and win.
Great! Perfect. Wait… what?
Mulling over the ethics of this statement right now... thoughts?
You can read up on this yourself:
Millions for Millions
You too can be a Banker to the Poor
Hype and Hope: The Worrisome State of the Microcredit Movement
Monday, May 14, 2007
whirlwinds
Tomorrow morning at 11am I'm leaving to go back to Philadelphia for the start of semester two. It is absolutely crazy to think how different the start of this semester is compared to the last....and crazy how much has changed in the last four months. I'm moderately excited to go back- this break went by too fast...
for those who were not big fans about that video where the little kid dropped an A-bomb (not an actual A-bomb)... my bad.
In other news,
I almost missed my flight to Winnipeg TWICE- on the way there and on the way back. Ha...I haven't told Ian and Lauren this yet but I was about to be bumped to a later flight until I mentioned that it was my birthday. Then the WestJet lady said to follow her and she started running through the airport (ala- Home Alone) and put me to the head of the pack at Security check... it was great.
Favorite highlights of the break include:
Nathan and Rachel Colquhouns wedding.
Lawn chairs at 3am
Jays game
Breakfast avec Steve
Lunch avec George
Thai food, movies, hockey and hang outs in Winnipeg
Angela Lynne Wallace
Midnight breakfast avec Jason
being home...
seeing such people as Silas, Chris, Scott and Keith...
Chop sticks
Julia's confirmation
hmmmm... it went by way too fast.
I'm hoping to get back to posting ala Jan/Feb 2007...hopefully I'll be inspired to throw some thoughts on here with some of my new classes.
for those who were not big fans about that video where the little kid dropped an A-bomb (not an actual A-bomb)... my bad.
In other news,
I almost missed my flight to Winnipeg TWICE- on the way there and on the way back. Ha...I haven't told Ian and Lauren this yet but I was about to be bumped to a later flight until I mentioned that it was my birthday. Then the WestJet lady said to follow her and she started running through the airport (ala- Home Alone) and put me to the head of the pack at Security check... it was great.
Favorite highlights of the break include:
Nathan and Rachel Colquhouns wedding.
Lawn chairs at 3am
Jays game
Breakfast avec Steve
Lunch avec George
Thai food, movies, hockey and hang outs in Winnipeg
Angela Lynne Wallace
Midnight breakfast avec Jason
being home...
seeing such people as Silas, Chris, Scott and Keith...
Chop sticks
Julia's confirmation
hmmmm... it went by way too fast.
I'm hoping to get back to posting ala Jan/Feb 2007...hopefully I'll be inspired to throw some thoughts on here with some of my new classes.
Saturday, May 12, 2007
the peg
Yesterday I flew to Winnipeg to see Ian and Lauren for a few days. The trip wasn't looking like it was going to get off to a good start when Jay (who drove me to the airport) and I were still in traffic at 7:45am... with a flight at 8:20am.... but it turned out alright and I made it to the farthest possible boarding station with 3 minutes to spare.
The flight included an orange juice instead of the typical Canada Dry ginger ale- it was rather early.
Upon arriving the three of us took part in many activities which included a quick stop at a local university so Lauren could check out some books, a trip to Chapters, lunch and then- a matinee viewing (for only $2.00!) of Reign Over Me- which I can say without threat to my masculinity, contains two of the saddest scenes I've witnessed on the big screen in a while.
Then dinner at the Mclaren's was prepared specially by Lauren.... it was a birthday dinner... woot woot.
The day then finished off with some NHL playoff watching, The Office and Arrested Development.
----
I think we're headed into the city today for a storytelling festival and hit up some used book stores... what a weekend!
The flight included an orange juice instead of the typical Canada Dry ginger ale- it was rather early.
Upon arriving the three of us took part in many activities which included a quick stop at a local university so Lauren could check out some books, a trip to Chapters, lunch and then- a matinee viewing (for only $2.00!) of Reign Over Me- which I can say without threat to my masculinity, contains two of the saddest scenes I've witnessed on the big screen in a while.
Then dinner at the Mclaren's was prepared specially by Lauren.... it was a birthday dinner... woot woot.
The day then finished off with some NHL playoff watching, The Office and Arrested Development.
----
I think we're headed into the city today for a storytelling festival and hit up some used book stores... what a weekend!
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
semester 1, check.
Last Friday at 7:30pm I sent in the final draft of my last paper of semester one. I suppose this means that 40% of my coursework is complete for the MA. That feels good. In some ways the semester felt like it took forever but I definitely learned more than in any other single semester that I can remember and I'm excited for Summer 1- which includes such classes as Microfinance and Relief and Mitigation for Disasters (that's not the official name...its much longer but I can't remember it).
I'm hanging out with Chris Harris tonight for the first time in possibly close to 1.5 years. I'm looking forward to that- and looking forward to the baseball game tomorrow night avec Angela.... AND I'm looking forward to hanging out with Ian and Lauren this weekend in Winnipeg.
woot woot for this week.
I'm hanging out with Chris Harris tonight for the first time in possibly close to 1.5 years. I'm looking forward to that- and looking forward to the baseball game tomorrow night avec Angela.... AND I'm looking forward to hanging out with Ian and Lauren this weekend in Winnipeg.
woot woot for this week.
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
almost there.
I just finished (minus some edits) my last assignment of the semester.
In the words of Will Ferrel, it was "a performance so scrumtrilescent, I can barely move"
seriously, i can barely move.
We're going to D.C. in the morning to visit the World Bank, USAID and International Justice Mission). It'll be good to talk to these people and see what they have to say for themselves...
Since I've been here I've gotten a pretty skewed opinion of WB and USAID, so maybe they'll say something to change my mind?
The assignment I just finished was a large paper on eschatology and the environment.
I learned a lot writing this thing. I also am developing a love for a book called, For the Common Good by Daly & Cobb.
I end the paper with a quote from that book...
Yet there is hope. On a hotter planet, with lost deltas and shrunken coastlines, under a more dangerous sun, with less arable land, more people, fewer species of living things, a legacy of poisonous wastes, and much beauty irrevocably lost, there will still be the possibility that our children’s children will learn at last to live as a community among communities. Perhaps they will learn also to forgive this generation its blind commitment to ever greater consumption
In the words of Will Ferrel, it was "a performance so scrumtrilescent, I can barely move"
seriously, i can barely move.
We're going to D.C. in the morning to visit the World Bank, USAID and International Justice Mission). It'll be good to talk to these people and see what they have to say for themselves...
Since I've been here I've gotten a pretty skewed opinion of WB and USAID, so maybe they'll say something to change my mind?
The assignment I just finished was a large paper on eschatology and the environment.
I learned a lot writing this thing. I also am developing a love for a book called, For the Common Good by Daly & Cobb.
I end the paper with a quote from that book...
Yet there is hope. On a hotter planet, with lost deltas and shrunken coastlines, under a more dangerous sun, with less arable land, more people, fewer species of living things, a legacy of poisonous wastes, and much beauty irrevocably lost, there will still be the possibility that our children’s children will learn at last to live as a community among communities. Perhaps they will learn also to forgive this generation its blind commitment to ever greater consumption
Sunday, April 29, 2007
monsters = bad news
In the spirit of procrastination I was looking at some blogs and discovered the following video. It reminded me of a puppet show that I put on for my aunt when I was about 5- except my aunt was more in shock about what I said than the mother in this video. The kids expression at the end is priceless...
Monday, April 23, 2007
bagel shop
Joe Berg and I are at the bagel shop working on a project that we are presenting on Wednesday. It's a project we've designed top to bottom that involves putting household water filtration systems in Lyari, Pakistan (a district of the 15 million person megacity of Karachi)
I realised I was ready for a break when I found the following quote hysterical. Joe mused that the project purpose (in our cover sheet) should read the following:
I realised I was ready for a break when I found the following quote hysterical. Joe mused that the project purpose (in our cover sheet) should read the following:
“we will work for the successful distribution of the Playstation 3 in the Lyari community with the purpose of increasing social well beings of the people. In addition we believe that video games are their best answer to increasing hand and eye coordination among students and encouraging them towards a life of software design and engineering, thus lifting them out of extreme poverty and allowing them to be able to compete with
Saturday, April 21, 2007
friday and saturday
On Friday night five of us decided to attend some kind of camp fire at Faiths house. Seriously, is there anything better than sitting around a campfire, outside of the city on a clear night? So after beating Dawn in a quick game of Rock, Paper, Scissors (honestly, everyone knows that you go with Rock first), we piled into Dawn's car and began the 40 minute trek to this little house in the woods. The largest reason why I put this up here is to show the beard progress- this will be important for later.Now, is it just me or are most campfires almost the same. They are great, but generally speaking whenever a group of 10-15 Christian young adults get together you can count on a number of characters being represented. One guaranteed character to be present is what I like to call "the loud guy"- you know who he is. He tells jokes that often make no sense- but he's expressive, so its still funny. The loud guy made an appearance at this gathering but unfortunately I didn't get any spy pics of him.
However, I did get a spy pick of 'guitar guy'. I know you're with me on this one. It's practically a prerequisite that some guy (typically 25 years old and single) brings his guitar and starts with some EMO song and then, just so the girls really like him,- switches to some worship song he wrote while doing his devotions the other week. Classic.
Now, the following character only appears at various times. It's hard to find a solid 'beard guy' at most of these gatherings. To my delight we happened to have one last night. I did feel a little shame around him about my current beard status but was able to admire his beard from a distance. It did not help the situation when Faith (pictured far right) said 'hey 'beard man's name' my friend Chris likes your beard"... ya, that's not awkward. All in all, it was a good campfire.Today was the greatest temperature day of all time. For such occasion I spent most of the afternoon inside watching the Raps lose Game 1 (no worries there- sidenote: ESPN's female commentator is the SINGLE WORST ANALYST IN THE HISTORY OF SPORTS- (this is not because she is a woman, rather because she doesn't know anything about basketball). Later on I took a walk to the forest near the residence for the first time in almost three weeks and shot some pics...
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
____ hope and love
On Sunday morning Matt and I awoke to find this sign posted just outside our door. At some point during the weekend someone had the idea to write EVERYTHING in the world that had to get done onto large sheets of paper- (this is the opposite of setting small goals- remember my pep talk!). Anyway, Matt and I received our own sheet from the Toothfairy or some magical character in a pink dress...
You'll notice that most of the things have been checked off. The unchecked boxes are so for two reasons:
1) I forgot to call the Toothfairy witty.
2) I didn't realise that item #4 was meant for me or Matt to tell two specific girls that are not currently at the seminary (and may in fact be in Florida and Toronto) that we are staggered by their beauty and unassuming grace...until just now... Oh Toothfairy, you are so witty. (hmmm... I think that means item #8 is also complete?)
ps- the toothfairies name is not mentioned but may be discerned through the clue which is present in the title of this post.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
one class down...
It's 7:10pm on Tuesday evening and things are chilling out around here. The weekend was fairly ridiculous in terms of writings and such but it appears that the worst of it may be over. I still have no interviews for a project that is based on getting interviews but I've got at least 10 days to track some down...
Today marked the official completion of the class Biblical Faith and Economics. We still have one more class next Tuesday but my work was finished today when I handed in a paper and presented on Confessions of an Economic Hitman. C'est tout.
The professor is Dr. John Stapleford. He may be the greatest Christian economist that I know (never mind the amount of Christian economists that I know). He also may believe too heavily in the market to fix the world but I am not a Christian economist- so maybe I don't know what I'm talking about.
Without fail Dr. Stapleford says something negative about Canada at least once per week. I take this as a compliment. After all, he never makes fun of Israel or Nigeria. It is the equivalent of a young boy making fun of the girl he likes just so she'll pay some attention to him. I believe that he secretly wants to be a Canadian for the following reasons:
1) hybrid cars are more popular in Canada (I realise that is conjecture)
2) he could spell things with an 's' more than with a 'z'- see 'realise' above.
3) he could partake in protesting seal hunting.
4) he wouldn't need MediCare or whatever its called.
5) he looks sort of British and could be found watching such shows as Coronation Street and no one would even think that he is American.
In other news... I'd like to ask you to help me clarify something.
If you think back to your childhood (or even present day...Paul Randall!), how do you pronounce 'Mario' of the Super Mario Brothers.
Is it: mArio OR maRio?
If you are Italian I would especially appreciate your input- Uncle Frank?
It is possible that a Canadian used one of these pronunciations today and 11 people said 'what did you just say?
Today marked the official completion of the class Biblical Faith and Economics. We still have one more class next Tuesday but my work was finished today when I handed in a paper and presented on Confessions of an Economic Hitman. C'est tout.
The professor is Dr. John Stapleford. He may be the greatest Christian economist that I know (never mind the amount of Christian economists that I know). He also may believe too heavily in the market to fix the world but I am not a Christian economist- so maybe I don't know what I'm talking about.Without fail Dr. Stapleford says something negative about Canada at least once per week. I take this as a compliment. After all, he never makes fun of Israel or Nigeria. It is the equivalent of a young boy making fun of the girl he likes just so she'll pay some attention to him. I believe that he secretly wants to be a Canadian for the following reasons:
1) hybrid cars are more popular in Canada (I realise that is conjecture)
2) he could spell things with an 's' more than with a 'z'- see 'realise' above.
3) he could partake in protesting seal hunting.
4) he wouldn't need MediCare or whatever its called.
5) he looks sort of British and could be found watching such shows as Coronation Street and no one would even think that he is American.
In other news... I'd like to ask you to help me clarify something.
If you think back to your childhood (or even present day...Paul Randall!), how do you pronounce 'Mario' of the Super Mario Brothers.
Is it: mArio OR maRio?
If you are Italian I would especially appreciate your input- Uncle Frank?
It is possible that a Canadian used one of these pronunciations today and 11 people said 'what did you just say?
Saturday, April 14, 2007
paper time!
Today is a big day for paper writing. In preparation for today I read an article by Douglas Moo called Nature in the New Creation: New Testament Eschatology and the Environment. This is one of the most enjoyable articles I've read in a long time. I highly recommend taking some time to read it.
Here's a taste..
"It must be said that the conviction that this world is destined for renewal rather than destruction, as I have argued in this paper, does provide a more substantial basis for a Christian environmental ethic. NT eschatology is not intended to foster Christian passivity but to encourage God's people actively and vigorously to align their values and behavior with what it is that God is planning to do. When we recognize that God plans to restore his creation, we should be motivated to 'work for the renewal of God's creation and for justice within God's creation.' Just as, then, believers should be working to bring as many human beings as possible within the scope of God's reconciling act, so they should be working to bring th created world as close to that perfect restoration for which God has destined it. The 'not yet' of a restored creation demands an 'already' ethical commitment to that creation now among God's people."
and...
"Central to new covenant ethics is the command that we love our neighbors. The harsh realities of the ecological crisis we now face force us to ask seriously whether we can truly love others without caring for the environment in which they live. At the heart of th modern discipline of ecology is the realization that everything is connected to everything else. The same point applies to Christian ethics. My own desire to maintain a luxurious western lifestyle by keeping energy prices low forces power plants to avoid the expense of installing mechanism effectively to clean their emissions and thus lead to suffering and even death for asthma sufferers. But our Christian obligation extends, of course, to all people"
Here's a taste..
"It must be said that the conviction that this world is destined for renewal rather than destruction, as I have argued in this paper, does provide a more substantial basis for a Christian environmental ethic. NT eschatology is not intended to foster Christian passivity but to encourage God's people actively and vigorously to align their values and behavior with what it is that God is planning to do. When we recognize that God plans to restore his creation, we should be motivated to 'work for the renewal of God's creation and for justice within God's creation.' Just as, then, believers should be working to bring as many human beings as possible within the scope of God's reconciling act, so they should be working to bring th created world as close to that perfect restoration for which God has destined it. The 'not yet' of a restored creation demands an 'already' ethical commitment to that creation now among God's people."
and...
"Central to new covenant ethics is the command that we love our neighbors. The harsh realities of the ecological crisis we now face force us to ask seriously whether we can truly love others without caring for the environment in which they live. At the heart of th modern discipline of ecology is the realization that everything is connected to everything else. The same point applies to Christian ethics. My own desire to maintain a luxurious western lifestyle by keeping energy prices low forces power plants to avoid the expense of installing mechanism effectively to clean their emissions and thus lead to suffering and even death for asthma sufferers. But our Christian obligation extends, of course, to all people"
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