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making great coffee for lots of people

Every company needs a marketing strategy, and for more than three decades Philip Kotler has been one of the business world's foremost brand strategists.

Read More Here

blog one

another site to make poverty history -- check it out

alien in my house

It shows up occasionally. For the most part it acts like my son. Considerate, kind, witty, polite. But occasionally it morphs into something alien like. Since it still looks like my son, I have no idea that it's there until I ask it for help. Like help clear the table, or fold his laundry, or help get groceries out of the van. This particular alien starts ranting, gets into string of amped up excuses -- not my turn, why doesn't anyone else in this family help, why do I have to do all the work around, this family is so stupid, blah blah blah. Of course, I never get suckered into the rant and always respond kindly, patiently and self regulated.

Actually, I'm really thinking who are you and what have you done with my son.

This particular alien, who occasionaly takes the form of my middle class teenager won't really change over time. Really. He may appear to be nicer and more helpful, but from my own personal experience we just get more stealth at avoiding anything inconvienant. When we get older we are just a more sophisticated form of selfishness. More subtle. We get better at keeping a kind face and maintaining our nice persona, but the reality is we hate being interrupted out of our own personal wants.

Why is it that we are this way? And being in this western society that people call individualistic breeds it to new levels. What happened to being truely concerned with the needs of other people? Deeply involved in other people. Spontaneously showing up to help and be with someone in need. Why have we lost that in our day?

hard to fit in

why is it so hard to fit in? everyone is different, yet if we are too different, we're held at a distance. go ahead and be yourself, but not too much.

i have this friend who is, well, different. actually he is just who he is. he feels this pressure to be someone he isn't. and when he is just himself, people look at him and roll their eyes. they say he’s mouthy, weird.

he was talking about this with me and he said, all my life I feel like I can't be me. i have to change, pretend -- just to fit in. if I don't, nobody will like me, and that gets real lonely. which feeds itself and I become angry at everyone. as if they don't have problems.

maybe the problem isn't being different, maybe it's intolerance.

if Jesus was the ultimate at accepting people, why does his church slide so easily into intolerance? oh, they are to young, to old, to emotional, to cold, to talkative, to many tatoos, whatever.

you know who experiences the loss? i do when I don't accept someone. i miss the richness of their personality, their humor, perspective on life. the opportunity to break out of my closed world.

go find someone who doesn't normally fit in and hang with them. you might find someone just like you.

i'm an infj myers briggs ... maybe

dave t is an infj and the other dave t is intj

i'm a infj, dave t and i are bros!

just for fun, take the Mini-Myers-Briggs Type online test too.

make poverty history

from the CRWRC:

Answer the Micah Call

“…what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.” – Micah 6:8

The Micah verse is the very inspiration for CRWRC’s own motto, “Living justice, loving mercy.” CRWRC strongly endorses and supports the Micah Challenge, and calls on all who support our work to commit to its goals.

What is the Micah Challenge?
The Micah Challenge is a worldwide Christian campaign calling on all nations to take action on behalf of the poor and challenging our planet’s leaders to recommit to the Millennium Development Goals- cutting global poverty in half by 2015!

What can you do?
Sign the Micah Call. By signing this online document, you are telling the world’s leaders to work for the eradication of global poverty, and are calling on the world’s Christians to stand shoulder to shoulder with the poor around the world. Sign the Micah Call here.

To learn more about how you can support the Micah Challenge, visit www.micahchallenge.org.

GET the POINT.

Watch the short video, "Make Poverty History" NOW!

Our leaders need to be reminded of their promises -- and held to it!

Make your voice heard at:
www.makepovertyhistory.ca
www.one.org
www.micahchallenge.org

stealing sheep

tim woody talks personally about how a church "grows" through the pain of one and the opportunistic mindset of another. unfortunately, it happens all the time.

Link

bullying in terrace

moving back to the province i grew up in has prompted some childhood memories - some good, some not so good. my childhood was filled with mischief and pushing the limits. growing up in terrace in the 60's and 70's there was no end to it all. terrace was a rough town then. mostly hardworking people with an up and down economy. people trying to make it, many of them immigrants. my backyard neighbor was a logger, the guy up the road worked in the steel mill, the other neighbor next to us worked for the power company. growing up there was like survival of the fittest. fighting, teasing was all part of it. i did my share of it and was on the receiving end of it more times than i care to remember.

in elementary school we all learned the fine arts of teasing, pestering and belittling. it was all about pecking order and toughness. fights after school were quite common, and forming alliances with others was basic survival.

one person was on the receiving end of it for a number of years. we were relentless with her. finding things to pick on, giving her degrading nicknames, leaving her out were all routine. she endured much of it, but occasionally she showed the pain of it -- which has haunted me since. i was a part of it. this culture of intimidation and fear was already in place in elementary school. we were cowards and cowards usually find each other. i caused her pain and grief and these were formidable years. who knows how our harshness has effected her life.

8 months ago i met this person again for the first time. in fact we now see each other often during the week and have developed a bit of a friendship. she came by yesterday and for the first time i brought up the topic. i apologized to her. i said she never deserved any of it, that we were insecure and that she was a beautiful person. we missed out because we didn't get to know her, only as the person to be picked on. she used the word bully. i never thought of it until then as bullying but that is what it was. i attempted to tell her how sorry i was for my behavior, yet i knew that my words couldn't undo what i and others had all done to her. but it was a start.

she responded very kindly to me. i didn't deserve it, but she granted me grace.

today, she still is a wonderful person. caring mother and very capable in her work. she is still her and i am still me. we both need grace and forgiveness in our lives.

mitz n blitz benefit concert

Mitz n Blitz came last friday night and held a benefit concert for our youth's mission trip to Mexico. they were awesome! we had lots of fun. I even learned what two stepping is!

Thanks and blessings to you Mitz n Blitz.

Link

Dave, Michelle, and Randy
Dave Stang
The Mexico Team with Mitz & The Blitz

chilliwack bruins core buisness philosophy

June 2, 2005

BRUINS ADOPT THEIR CORE 2005-2006 BUSINESS PHILOSOPHY

The Chilliwack Bruins announce the business approach to building their organisation over the next year:
• Loyalty to the Chiefs: “We intend to show our loyalty to everyone associated with the exceptionally well run Chiefs franchise in everything we do,” states Porter. We intend to give all Chief season ticket holders first right to renew their seats for the Bruins. We also plan to offer all sponsors, volunteers, game officials, billets, and staff first chance to retain their current positions. Porter stresses “we understand the incredible success this franchise has enjoyed and everyone who has contributed to the ultimate team effort. If it’s not broke, why fix it!”
• Loyalty to the Community: “We will be loyal to our community at every turn. If we can buy our products and services locally, we will do so. We must give back to our community and will work diligently this year to create partnerships with Minor Hockey, Kids Groups, and specific charities.”

Link

chilliwack bruins new website

the bruins have put up their web site. not much there yet, but it's great to see they now have a web presence.

missional emerging

here is another link to an article written about the emerging missional church. i find these discussions interesting. some i agree with others i don't. more than anything i like to be challenged and to think in fresh ways of age old ideas. i believe you have to go back in order to go forward. when you go back, you can uncloth yourself of the current methods and think fresh of the original purposes. this is exhillerating and gives hope. i include this article here not as something we at heartland should do, but for fresh thinking. the whole article is here as a quote, but go to the link since there are other links there that i didn't include.

Things went well with the presentation to our denomination chiefs in Adelaide on Saturday. The response was very positive. I was one of three speakers who each addressed the topic of ‘new forms of mission church/emerging church’.

A few people have asked for my notes - I don’t generally use expansive notes – I tend to go with the flow. However here is a general outline (excluding some of the stories and examples that might not be appropriate for a blog) on the way I went about presenting the topic. It is pretty long (be warned - the session was 1.5 hours and this is around 1600 words) and contains links to other parts of this site that describe some of what I talked about. Hope it is helpful for some. Feel free to add, critique, question, clarify etc in comments. I'm particularly interested in how my experience compares to others experiences in their contexts around the globe. Its a living stream of ideas from a guy who is just bumbling a long trying to make sense of the world he lives in.


Introductions >>
General introduction to who I am and what I do.

Context - Culture >>
we are living in a changing world. We did a very short brainstorming exercise to identify some of the changes we’re seeing in culture – particularly looking at those that impact the way we do church.

Some of the changes identified (to name a few of many) included new ways of:
• Learning/Thinking – I now spend as much time online interacting with others and reading article when I work on essays as I do reading books.
• Communicating – the immediacy of online communication is having major impact on how we communicate.
• Building Community/Relationships – again online interaction and the ease with which we travel is having a big impact upon many of our primary relationships. Along side this the changing nature of family etc.
• Views of Institutions – more and more institutions are being viewed with suspicion. The church is just one institution dealing with this.
• Understanding the global context …..etc

Context - The Church>>
We are seeing significant trends emerging in churches that we can no longer ignore and need to grapple with. They include:

• Overall decline in Church Attendance - The percentage of the Australian population that identifies themselves with a denomination or local church is continuing to decline.
• Non church going Christians as a growing segment of the Christian population. (this is a fast growing segment of the Body of Christ)
• Young Adults haemorrhaging from the church. We are ok at doing relevant youth ministry, but the transition to young adulthood sees large numbers of people leaving the church. The stats show us that in previous decades they would return to the church as they had families (in their 20s and 30s), recent indications are that this is no longer so – they are staying away.
• ‘The Church is a Joke’. Yes I shared my previous entry – ‘Jo’s Joke’. This represents message that I’m hearing more and more. In the past month I’d been told the same thing by three separate individuals.
• There is a growing segment of the population in Australia (and across the West I suspect) that are culturally distanced from the Church and the way in which it operates. 30% of our population are associated with church on some level. 10% of the population are ‘like us’ culturally – ie they talk like us, are open to some of the things we do like group singing to contemporary easy listening light pop music, they have similar moral codes to us. This leaves around 60% of the population here in Australia are culturally closed off or removed from the way the majority of the churches in our country operate. They are people like ‘Jo’.
• Most of the Church’s effort goes into reaching out to those who are ‘like us’. Where do the majority of churches put most of their energies, resources and mission? Well apart from the vast amount of energy that we put into the already churched (just ask yourself how much time we put into the preparation of our services, pastoral care etc), most of us are doing mission that aims at the 10% who are ‘like us’. I’m no business person, but this doesn’t seem like a very smart strategy. Very few churches are experimenting with ways of connecting with the vast majority (and growing segment) of the population.

Context - The Church’s Response >>
How has the church responded to the changes in our world and the growing cultural distance? There have been a number of movements that come to mind:

• Contemporary Worship – Worship in the language of the people. New styles of music that people can relate to, more every day language being used in songs etc.
• Seeker Sensitive Services – Communicating the gospel in a language that the ordinary person will understanding. Using multimedia and the arts (often secular) to communicate the messages of Jesus.
• Alpha like programs – systems of explaining the gospel in relevant language.
• Alternative worship – exploring new (and ancient) and creative forms of worship that are more indigenous to culture.

Now hear me right please – I am not attacking or downgrading the importance of any of these methods. I have personally been deeply affected by each of these approaches and know of many others who have come to faith and grown in their understanding of God through each. They are each valid responses to the post-modern world we find ourselves living in.

However (there is always a ‘but’), I wonder (please hold back your stones now) if perhaps these above approaches might still be largely aiming their efforts on the 10% of the population that are ‘like us’ culturally.

You see the interesting thing about each of the above movements/approaches is that they all seem to be about improving the way we do things with the hope that if we do, people will come to us. They all seem to me to be rather attractional – if we build it – and its good enough – they will come.

Jesus says – ‘Go into all the world and make disciples’. He says, ‘You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the Ends of the Earth’.

I’m struggling to find a place where he says, ‘build it and they will come’.

Formation of the Livingroom >>
at this point I simply shared my own personal journey of coming to the place of planting the Livingroom. I’ve previously written about it here and here.

Livingroom Core Journeys >>
As part of this journey we discovered the three core values/dna that will centre everything we do upon. I’ve previously written about them in quite a bit of detail - they are the Inner, Outer and Together Journey.

Livingroom – Some Specifics >>
I shared then about some of what we do at Livingroom, some of the things we’ve experimented with etc. Much of it I’ve shared previously on this blog – I’ve provided links for each where I could find them.

• Gatherings
• Participatory - BYO Worship
• Micro Groups - Renovare
• Ignition
• Redemptive Parties
• Growth through Multiplication - also here
• Storytelling – a lot of our formation came out of storytelling. This continues to be central in a lot of what we do – largely informally.
• Fragility – We are very fragile. This is both one of our greatest strengths and causes for fear!

Global Trends >>
In addition to these features of Livingroom, some of the trends and characteristics of Emerging/Missional Church that I see in the global movement include:

• Culturally Savvy/Incarnational – take culture very seriously
• Participatory – all are encouraged to participate/lead
• Bi-vocational Leadership – Many are lead by leaders with other work/focus
• Attached Businesses – Many are exploring models of business that not only fund what they do but provide proximity spaces to connect missionally
• Ancient/Future – exploring both ancient and new ways of praying and engaging with Scripture
• Question Everything – Scary sometimes but a life giving process
• Creativity – The Arts and outside the box thinking are central
• Food/Celebration – the meal features in many emerging churches
• Practices – Amidst the messiness/chaos of these grass roots communities many are exploring simple disciplines/practices that draw them back to their core values and help them to live them out in daily life
• Networked – denominations feature less and local and global networks are emerging for support, accountability and shared learning
• Dissatisfaction – many have an element of angst/frustration/dissatisfaction with ‘the church’. As with sand in an pearl producing oyster this is healthy, but shouldn’t become the primary reason for the existence of the group – the challenge is to do something positive with the angst and birth something new.

Of course this is only a partial and sweepingly generalised list. This is a pretty similar list to what Steve Taylor came up with in his A – Z of Emerging Church article. I actually handed out copies of this article. He says it better than I could!

Looking Forward >>
In finishing up I wanted to encourage the group to keep the conversation alive. The fact that they are grappling the issue as a denomination and actually funding groups like Livingroom is really progressive. When I share with others around the globe how they support us I get the feeling that many denominations are not willing to engage with this stuff. Its inspiring to be a part of such a permission giving group who not only let us dream, but back us with resources and logistical support however they can. My encouragement was to keep moving forward, keep giving permission, talking up the issues with the wider denominational community and keep exploring ways to resource and develop leaders and groups.

Throughout the session (1.5 hours) we have quite a bit of discussion, questions and throwing around ideas. Over all it was very well received and I’ve come away feeling very positive about the experience. I guess now the question remains what we’ll all do with the conversation. Looking forward to seeing what emerges.

Link

a-z emerging

steve taylor wrote a great article on the a-z of emerging church. it was written awhile ago and since emerging is a conversation, i'm sure there is stuff to add and take away since the list was made. anyone want to comment or point to another link?

In Genesis 2 - "adam" is invited to name creation. The desire to name the emerging church could thus be part of our God-given ability to use language to describe and understand. While “adam” named creation, yet no companion was found. “Adam” remained incomplete. A certain humility is therefore intrinsic to naming. To name is not an act of limitation, but an act of partiality, part of a search for completeness.

We seem reluctant to name the emerging church. Perhaps our naming yet lacks an alphabet. We need some A, B, C’s before we can spell the word. So in a spirit of Genesis 2, and in partiality;

A = artistic, and so the emerging values the creative, the visual, the non-rational as essential to communication and being.

B = blogging, and so the emerging tell stories and learns from the stories of others. We listen, we ask, we grow through the wires of the internet

C = culturally sensitive, atune to the rationalising tendencies of modernity, we speak of a new landscape, a new missionary terrain in which God wants to be enfleshed as the Body of Christ

C= community loving, and so we thirst for deep, honest, emotional, vulnerable relationships with God and each other.

D=DJing, and so we are re:mixing God in a postmodern world, learning to sing the Lord’s song in a strange land

E=experiential, and so we create worship that engages the senses

F=fashionable and so we speak of our music and review our books, talk of our latest video mixers and web browsers and exchange notes on software and RSS feeds

G=global, (in a Western sort of way) and so we link from the US to the UK, we click from Canada to Kiwi, with a nod to Australian friends and partners

H=hyperlinked, and so we are inspired by a worship trick from here and an insight from there

I=intuitive, and so we don’t know where we’re going and we don’t like we we’ve been, but we’re sure it’s not logical and it definitely has no 5 year plan. But it is a journey and it will embrace mystery and contingency

J=journey. That word again. We are emerging, partial, tentative and that’s OK. God is here.

K= (I don’t know, this is written in a spirit of partiality)

M=middle-class. Sorry but we are. It’s a sociological reality. Can’t change it. Don’t beat yourself up over it. But don’t stay there will you. It is a journey. It’s time to partner with the poor.

M= mostly male. Sorry but we mostly are. It’s a sociological reality. So let’s not stay here. It is a journey. It’s time for genuine partnership.

N=new map. No-one before us has had to incarnate God in a video culture, or speak of faith in a world of post-……

O=open ended. We don’t even want to define ourselves. We’re not even sure we are a movement. Let’s keep things … open.

P=participatory. Gone is the pulpit and in is the discussion. Comments are essential to websites, to teaching and to preaching.

Q=questioning. Got lots of those. Faith is mixed with ambiguity and juxtaposed with inconsistency.

R= random – images, words, thoughts.

S=seeking. We still haven’t found what we’re looking for, although some of us seem to know what we’re reacting against.

T=textual. The Bible. A mission manifesto for our future.

T= tactile. Whole bodied, multi-sensory.

U=under-resourced. Mr Jones can’t even buy his kids birthday presents and he’s our guru. Enough said.

V=visual. Images. Please.

W = white and western. Sorry but we are. It’s a sociological reality. But let’s not stay here. It is a journey. It’s time for genuine partnership.

X, Y, Z = 3 blanks. This is, after all, partial. A first attempt at an alphabet.

Link

creating community

I got this from jordon cooper

How To Build Community
• Turn off your TV
• Know your neighbors
• Look up when you are walking
• Greet people
• Sit on your stoop
• Plant flowers
• Use your library
• Play together
• Buy from local merchants
• Share what you have
• Help a lost dog
• Take children to the park
• Garden together
• Support neighborhood schools
• Fix it even if you didn't break it
• Have pot lucks
• Honor elders
• Pick up litter
• Read stories aloud
• Dance in the street
• Talk to the mail carrier
• Listen to the birds
• Put up a swing
• Help carry something heavy
• Barter for your goods
• Start a tradition
• Ask a question-hire young people for odd jobs
• Organize a block party
• Bake extra and share
• Ask for help when you need it
• Open your shades
• Sing together
• Share your skills
• Take back the night
• Turn up the music
• Turn down the music
• Listen before you react to anger
• Mediate a conflict
• Seek to understand
• Learn from new and uncomfortable angles
• Know that no one is silent though many are not heard.
• Work to change this.

expressions

At the wedding we were sitting at a table with some people from the east coast. We got talking and their daughter had sent them a bumper sticker that said, "Keep Santa Cruz weird." We all had a good laugh out of it.

I like Santa Cruz, a lot. I think it is about variety, diversity, and expression. Here are some stuff I noticed while there.

• this percussion guy at the wedding making a wood box sound like a sub woofer and full toms
  
• landscaping with character, some urban shrubs, but lots of wild lawns, overgrown palms and bird of paradises gone wild
• cool tattoos, like the guy with "GARCIA" on his back in gothic font
  
• weddings on the beach, with the public watching, even the guy on the nearby cliff smoking pot and drinking beer while we were singing worship music.
  
• surf spots where there is huge tradition
• genuine concern over the environment
  
• amazing variety of coves, rock reefs, marine life and wonderful point breaks
• la palma taco stand est 1955, the best asada ever
• friendly locals (not so friendly at the breaks)
  
• grid lock traffic at the pch and 17 at 1:30 in the afternoon
• different eco systems within 5 miles of each other, in all directions
• glass beach
  
• 55 degrees water, but everyone is in it
• downtown santa cruz with more culture than national geographic magazine
• beach cruisers
• flip flops
• old cars, lots of them and no rust
• a group of people with bongos n pipes creating spontaneous music, while another dances to it -- at a public beach
• an old vw wagon with surf racks on the top
• jamba juice
• in n out burger, monster style
  
• silver shops
• surf and skate shops
  
• cheap clothes at Ross
• flowering jasmine
• outdoor skate parks with wood ramps
• santa cruz skateboards
• large tray of sushi at trader joes for $4.99
• 20 year old ray bans
• dickies that are not for the work site, but for urban loitering
  
• unselfish people like matt, ryan, jeremy, freddie, who'd do anything for anyone.

he must be very busy

After 6 hours of driving on our way to Santa Cruz we stopped at some friends house. They are both going to seminary and trying to figure life and church and calling out. We got to connect and talk about life and kids, then the conversation turned towards ministry. It was an eye opening experience for me because I made some connections.

When I left the engineering profession in 93' to go to seminary, the church needed some work and I was convinced with a little leadership, wisdom and patience the church could come around to being relevant, missional and effective. It was some tweaking that needed.

Now, over 10 years later, my wife and I were in the living room of someone who was changing careers and now in seminary - like i was in 93. Yet, for some pastors, we see the task of leadership in the church now to be overwhelming. There are conversations of a new kind of christianity, trying to understand an emerging church, wondering about how the church can be meaningful to an culture that has changed in quantum amounts in just a decade. We understand that the focus of church needs to change from what we do to who we are becoming. Which is hard to see the end in mind. The target keeps changing as we understand more of the issues. All the leadership models, mentors, and most of the seminary classes are geared towards the old way, and not much towards the new way. Not everyone understands this. Not everyone sees there are these huge of issues. And for those that see it, like my friends, they have this resolve to see it through.

We were reflecting on this with our friends, and the challenge of being a pastor in this time, and at one point I mentioned a person who specializes in therapy for hurting pastors, and my friend, blurted out without missing a breath, "he must be very busy." It is a tough/adventerous time for the church and her leaders because so much is to be understood and nothing is straight forward. It can create all kinds of tension, and our issues get dragged to the surface.

I thank God for my friends Dave and Sarrah, because I learn so much from them as God is preparing and using them right now for this adventure.

home

good to be home and see the kids again. we had a great trip, met some wonderful people and enjoyed santa cruz. thanks for the prayers and support.

santa cruz

i'm off to santa cruz for a week of vacation. our good friend jeremy is getting married on the beach. i can't wait to get back to the ocean. i'm taking my wet suit and will be looking to bum a long board off of someone. anyone in santa cruz have 8' 5" triple fin with winter wax i could borrow for a few sessions? see ya later dude.

brotherly love

i got this via jordon cooper

This came via One House and was published in Creative Loafing.

BY MICHAEL WALL
• Estimated cost of the new 3,000-seat North Point Ministries church to be built on Lenox Road: $40 million
• Annual budget of the largest church in Atlanta, First Baptist Church: $13 million
• Number of uninsured children in Georgia: 166,000
• Approximate cost to give a basic check-up, without blood tests or vaccines, to all those children: $12,450,000
• Approximate number of Sudanese refugees who've fled to neighboring Chad because of tribal warfare: 250,000
• Cost to shelter and feed those refugees for one year: $13,590,000
• Minimum number of homeless people in metro Atlanta 37,000
• Minimum number of meals provided to homeless by the Open Door Community each year: 15,600
• Annual budget of the nonprofit Open Door Community: $440,000
• Number of times Jesus lost his temper in the New Testament 1** He threw money changers out of a temple in Jerusalem.
Sources: Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Georgia Department of Community Health, Georgia Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Save Darfur Coalition, CARE, Metro Atlanta Task Force for the Homeless, Open Door Community
Link

stay

my friend bill sent this to me:

I pulled into the crowded parking lot at the Super Wal-Mart Shopping Center and rolled down the car windows to make sure my Labrador Retriever Pup had fresh air.

She was stretched full-out on the back seat and I wanted to impress upon her that she must remain there. I walked to the curb backward, pointing my finger at the car and saying emphatically, "Now you stay. Do you hear me?"

"Stay! Stay!"

The driver of a nearby car, a pretty blonde young lady, gave me a strange look and said, "Why don't you just put it in park?"

small is the new big

Seth Godin writes about small is the new big.

online tools for stuff

• prayer labyrinth.
• free bible study site with original languages

bruins choose general manager

Expansion WHL Chilliwack Bruins name Darrell May as general manager

CHILLIWACK, B.C. (CP) - Darrell May will be the general manager of the Chilliwack Bruins, the expansion Western Hockey League club said Monday.

May, 43, a native of St. Albert, Alta., spent the previous two seasons as director of player personnel for the WHL's Tri-City Americans. May spent two years as a goaltender for the NHL's St. Louis Blues and played his junior hockey with the Portland Winter Hawks.

"Darrell's hockey knowledge and work ethic is second to none," Bruins president Darryl Porter said in a release.

The Bruins will begin play in the 2006-07 season.

Link

illusions of ourselves

I picked up an old book that I ripped off from my older brother. It's the book that you know is pure gold but have never read it. You want to leave it for just the right time, like a honey lager in the fridge.

I haven't read much from Brennan Manning, but I get the deep down sense that I'll be turning to his writings more often, particularly after reading this on the opening page of his book, "The Lion and The Lamb":

Losing our illusions is painful because illusions are the stuff we live by. The Spirit of God is the great unmasker of illusions, the great destroyer of icons and idols. God's love for us is so great that He does not permit us to harbor false images, no matter how attached we are to them. God strips those falsehoods from us no matter how naked it may make us, because it is better to live naked in truth than clothed in fantasy.

This relates so close to what I am experiencing right now. He expressed what I have been watching occur within my soul. Illusions being striped away and the pain and depression of it. Have you ever had a time when a something was taken away that meant so much to you, but yet it was as worthless as fools gold? The pain of losing it and then the confusion of trying to replace it with something that can not be taken away. It's kinda like the mastercard commercial.

A good reputation, $100. Secure job, $500. Place to contribute $1000. Honest evaluation of yourself in Christ - priceless.