mike @ heartland blog

Adopt A Player Program

2008-11-19T21:42:00.000-08:00

When the Bruins came to town, we at Heartland began to ask the question how can we support the team and players.

One idea that came was the idea of having people from Heartland regularly pray for the players. We wanted to pray for each player for safety with all their travel, safety during the games and we also wanted to pray for God's blessing on their lives.

So, we created the adopt a player program where a family from Heartland would "adopt" a player and pray for that player every day.

We didn't know how if it would work, or if people would want to adopt a player, not to pray for them, but as a fan with the hopes of meeting them or getting their autograph etc. But we found that Heartland people have been more than willing to just pray. Just serve.

For the past three seasons we have been doing this and it has been a way for us to serve and help where we can.

It's amazing how many ways there are to serve other people. It just takes some time to think of them, risk and try them and learn along the way. This reverses the mindset that church is only to be blessed. Instead church is a place to receive a blessing to pass on a blessing. Without the passing on the blessing part, the church borders on narcissism.

We are still learning how to do this at Heartland

last and this week

2008-11-04T07:54:00.000-08:00

the weekend that was: entered the weekend running on fumes. not much in the tank with time or energy. i sat in meetings/training for about 26 hours last week and entered the weekend with the message about 10% done. take out 3 work days with the same volume of work needed to be done and you have a very anxious mike. needless to say, saturday night was frantic.

on my to-do list this week: working on the curb appeal series still, lots to study and figure out for this sunday yet. i have a backlog of emails I haven't looked at or responded to. my new laptop arrived (15" mac book pro) and i have apps to install and get everything working on it that is important to my work style. currently the usb drivers for my blackberry pearl are not working and no one on the discussion forums have answers. i have 5 book shelves being delivered this afternoon. pull out the screw driver and hammer and put them up. maybe levi can help me. dan is lending me his compactor, so maybe on friday i can compact the crusher gravel in the backyard in prep for paving stones.

procrastinating about: organizing the office, figuring out how filing will work in the new space, updating the church's web site.

books i’m in the midst of: humility, andy murray (still), i picked up a book off the shelf again that i bought about 5 years ago called "emergence: the connected lives of ants, brains, cities and software." its not about church ministry (although the name may suggest it is) its about science and making associations - it reads like an engineering text book. i just started archibald hart's new book, "thrilled to death." absolutely fascinating - again, archibald is helping me make sense of my complicated inner world.

down the road: got some stuff cooking with the bruins that i'm really excited about. we are carving out a concept called, "faith night" where one game has the theme of faith. our goal is to sell out and get the message of faith out to the 5K plus fans in the building.

music that seemed to catch my attention this past week: nazareth greatest hits (remember "turn on your receiver" - i'm in this kick of reconnecting with my high school music preferences, david crowder band

how i’m feeling about this week: relieved last week is in the books, but this week is slipping away fast, so peaceful and anticipitory (is that an emotion?)

Coptic Church Under Siege $60 million ransom

2008-10-23T20:54:00.000-07:00

Patti came home from the pool with a newpaper in hand. "Read this" she said. I opened the newspaper, sat down and began to read the national post article on the Coptic church. It grabbed my attention so fully that I read it from start to finish without stopping -- quite an accomplishment for someone with ADD. It was a shocking to read.

Read it yourself and leave a comment on your thoughts.

It starts here:

Last week I was supposed to interview Father Zakaria Boutros on my television show. It would have been the second time I had spoken to this gentle, thoughtful man, one of the leading figures of the Egyptian Coptic Christian community and now obliged to live in exile in the United States after twice being arrested in his homeland. But on this occasion the interview was suddenly cancelled. A $60-million bounty had just been put on his head by Muslim extremists in Iran and Saudi Arabia, al-Qaeda were thought to be intent on fulfilling the fatwa and it was considered too dangerous to allow him to travel to Canada. The fact that the United States government bounty on Osama bin Laden is a mere $25-million rather puts the case of this disarmingly gentle and jovial priest into proportion.

More here

Sidney Crosby's Top 10 NHL Goals

2008-10-21T11:24:00.000-07:00

I love watching NHL highlight clips. Here is one that has Sidney Crosby's top 10 NHL goals.

Just awesome!

from puck_daddy

Last and This Week

2008-10-15T14:14:00.000-07:00

the weekend that was: a great weekend. Dorothy announced at the church gathering she was officially in remission. we all celebrated. Kassi was gone to Dordt checking the school out and seeing the family. Our thanksgiving gathering at my sisters place in Cloverdale was wonderful. it was the probably the most peaceful time we have had together as a family in a few years, not because of disagreements, but because there has been so much pain and difficulty in some of our lives and this year things are going better for many of us.

on my to-do list this week: alex painted the office and so I'm moving things around and trying to organize stuff. I'm a horrible organizer, actually I can organize but just can't keep it there. i'm too all over the place. I need to value simplicity and minimalism more. I'm a piles guy and to have an office that is neat and tidy doesn't last. i'm sketching out the advent series and the series after church without walls.

procrastinating about: probably more than i realize

book i’m in the midst of: humility, andy murray

music that seemed to catch my attention this past week: little river band - remember "cool change" and "help is on its way?"

how i’m feeling about this week: focused.

Church Without Walls

2008-10-15T13:36:00.000-07:00

I kept Peterson's book, "Church Without Walls" in a handy place for 10 years not thinking I'd use the title for a sermon series. It best describes what we are trying to figure out at Heartland -- meaning how to be the church when we are not within the walls of a church building.

Churches are pretty good at doing events, such as worship services, youth night or bible studies. But churches are lousy at acting like the church when they are not gathered together in some meeting or event. What I mean is that the call do be the church tends to be lost unless there is some official function. The reality is that most of our time we are not at a church function.

So at a church service, we may be friendly to someone new, but not that friendly to new people we meet elsewhere. We may bring cans of food for the food bank collection at a church service, but we pass hungry people on the street daily without thinking that we are the church and what our role with the hungry is.

We may listen intently to a sermon at a church service, but won't crack the Bible after. We may tithe or say we do at a worship service, but don't help someone who needs some furniture or a meal, or shoes.

We are good at doing things when a whole group is doing it or when we are asked, but we as a church are not very good at doing things spontaneous as part of a desire to be like Jesus. We can be busy being a part of a ministry, but we don't engage with culture or people outside of church programs unless we are asked to.

There are several problems with this. How genuine and heartfelt can people be if they are only doing it because they have been asked to? How much more would it mean to the city if people of the church began to look for needs and meet them just because - even if no one is looking.

How can people take individual responsibility for living out their faith when the only time they engage in the kingdom is after the phone rings from a church leader trying to recruit someone? There is so much more to living within the kingdom. Its an everyday, 24 hour a day venture. It never shuts off or takes a break.

How can the church make a dent in the needs of gospel-less living when people will do something only when they are asked?

That is the limiting factor, I believe, of the church. We only get stuff going when a leader within the organization initiates something then invites others to be part of it.

What if all church people considered themselves to be leaders and just met needs as they run into them?

This has been Heartland's philosophy from the beginning and we are trying to figure out how to do this at new levels. We feel that ministry activity follows ministry values. In other words, values first then practices. We are doing our best to live this way, but the dominate culture and the dominated expectation is that people will "serve the church" only when they are asked. So they wait around waiting to be asked.

What if we would turn this around and say we would like to serve as the church - anywhere, anytime. Not just because a leader is trying to recruit others, but because there is a self-motivating, heartfelt desire to serve others because of what we have received from the cross.

This Week

2008-10-06T07:36:00.000-07:00

the weekend that was: a great weekend. the weather was fallish, went for multiple walks, enjoyed the kids. kassi played hard in Burnaby, worked most of saturday on the message and support material, Levi designed a new bike, James won all the games during family night last night. Sunday am was a morning of 1sts for many and the coffee was great but the gym was cooooold..

on my to-do list this week: well, there is a bruins chapel (so, food, setup, talk, networking, etc.), multiple meetings with individuals, writing "going public" material for youth (at the barn), podcast is up already, fix a toilet, and begin planning for new series.

procrastinating about: working out, writing, and some house projects

book i’m in the midst of: unfailing love of Jesus, R.T. Kendall; reimagining church, frank viola.

music that seemed to catch my attention this past week: tomorrow's worst enemy, daft punk, david crowder band

how i’m feeling about this week: peaceful -- it's going to a great week.

Air Quality And Office Space

2008-09-24T11:45:00.000-07:00

I've worked in lots of offices over the years. Some good, some not so good. When I was just starting out as an engineer, there was the first job with the office in the converted horse barn. The walls were drywalled but not painted, the floor plywood and the desk tops were rejected doors bought at discount at the local door factory. There were many challenges with that space. Keeping a regulated temperature was one. It was either blazing hot with kmart fans trying to move air, or really cold in winter with small heaters trying to keep the air warm. There were a few critters that also leased the space with us - mice, cats, and big ol' spiders. Each had to be convinced we had the 8-5 shift and that they should scram until the door closed at 5:15pm.

Then there was the space where we were all in a big open room with low walled dividers. We could hear each others phone conversations, see what we were working on and observe how much coffee or big gulps the other person consumed. From there it was in a multi-floor high tech space with mazes of cubicles. I think there was 3 underground levels of parking. My first day I was shown my cubicle, I left to go to the bif, got disoriented and couldn't find my space back. That's how I got to be good friends with the janitor.

Now, I'm in a warehouse converted into office space place. Where I sit right now, used to be a truck loading bay. Since I've been here we have had troubles with the air quality. Not that it stinks or anything and the temperature control is perfect - there is A/C and a heater. But its the lack of fresh air input into the building that is a problem.

At first I thought it was just me. I'd get here and within 1/2 hour I'd be lethargic, flush cheeks and feeling really old. So, I'd go for a walk and get more coffee to try and salvage the day. This went on for 3.5 years until this summer when the lease was up and I raised the issue again in a firm, I'm not going to let this one go manner. Air quality is important, right? They inspected the HVAC system and discovered there was no fresh air input into the building. None. No fresh air - just the same old air being breathed in and out. It was like being in the car with 4 kids all day with the recirculate on.

They got some tools out and worked on it and they said they "fixed" the problem and it should be better now. But it wasn't any better. So they checked it again on Monday and reported that the filter was very clogged and the fresh air intake damper was not all the way open and it should work now. But as I sit here, the issue is still not fixed. I want some more coffee, need to go for a walk and try and salvage the day. At home, the coffee is better, maybe I should just stay there and work.

Randy Merkley

2008-09-23T07:47:00.000-07:00

With the Chilliwack Bruins season just starting, Chilliwack got their first experience with Randy Merkley, the new Bruins radio voice.

Following the Kamloops game on Saturday, where Randy called his first game here, the discussion boards were buzzing with high ratings. I think he's going to bring another level of passion to an already impassioned hockey town.

Before the game on Saturday he was working the rink doing interviews. At one point, while interviewing a coach, he was so involved with the interview he didn't notice that a Zamboni just about ran him over - what did bother him is that interview may have been affected by the engine noise. Great moment.

Here is a write up in the Chilliwack Progress on Merkley's arrival:

In three years of existence, the Chilliwack Bruins have rolled three different guys through the radio play-by-play role.

In year one, veteran Denny Larochelle handled the gig, followed by Dave Sheldon in year two.

This year, it’s Randy Merkley, and here’s hoping he hangs onto the job for a while, because it’s a position crying out for stability.

“Yeah, I’ll agree with that one,” said radio colour man Jacob Bestebroier, who called his first game with Merkley Saturday night. “I think that’s why Randy’s a good hire. It’s a big move for him and I don’t see him going back the other way any time soon.” More here.

Year Book Pictures

2008-09-22T09:22:00.000-07:00

I have to be honest, it took me a while to graduate from high school. Here are all my high school grad pictures.

This Week

2008-09-22T08:48:00.000-07:00

the week that was: it felt like a great week. the bruins won in OT on saturday, we are deep into the new series and i feel like i have a handle on it now, had some difficult/sensitive conversations, i figured out some technical stuff with the website, glad the belay analogy wasn't a gong show on sunday (but podcast didn't record), we had a great elder's meeting, and our first youth event at the corn maze got things going - it's going to be a great year.

on my to-do list this week: date with Patti tonight, sermon on value #2, prepare materials for bruins chaplaincy promotion, get material ready for youth sunday night at the youth barn, keep going on fixing and updating the web site, pending bruins chapel (first one) and visit some people.

procrastinating about: lots of projects at home that need attention.

book i’m in the midst of: subversive spirituality (eugene peterson), my amazon shipment will be picked up friday!

music that seemed to catch my attention this past week: U2, Creed, Bill Marley and Brian Doerkson's today

how i’m feeling about this week: good, dreading somethings, but this will be a building week. maybe i'll get my CT scan appointment booked this week ...

Your Home's Address

2008-09-22T08:40:00.000-07:00

About 4 years ago, our family moved from Los Angeles to Chilliwack. The moving truck left a few days before we did, and we drove up the I-5 and got to the Canadian border crossing. We had to declare our items, and take care of some paper work associated with moving from one country to another. It helped that we had lived in BC before and that I am a Canadian citizen. When all the paper work was finished and they gave us the approval for entering into the country, we stepped back from the counter and then the immigration officer said to me, “Welcome Home.”

Those words drew considerable emotion from me right then and I have often reflected why.

It could be that I was Canadian and was living in the US for 5 years and now I was returning back to Canada, even BC the province I was born in. That certainly had a part to it but I don't think all of it.

I think there is more to it. Near the end of our time in Los Angeles I experienced personal trouble associated with my work as a pastor. Conflict developed between myself and my co-worker and a few others. We both believed in our positions and they concluded I was a bad person and developed a campaign of sorts to make sure I was “exposed” and that I would leave.

So, when I heard the words “Welcome Home” it was like God saying, "It will be different now. It will be better. I am with you. Your safe here."

Don’t get me wrong. I loved Los Angeles, the weather, good friends, surf, the city – it was home to us. We were not looking to leave, but suddenly our home was no longer there, but here.

I don’t think finding your home has much to do with the address you live at.

Home has more to do with the condition of our heart than the address on the house.

Brother Lloyd Is Now A Doctor!

2008-09-22T08:38:00.000-07:00

Lloyd (my brother in Des Moines) successfully defended his dissertation late last week!

"We’re just back from Minneapolis where we spent the last 36 hours. We were there for Lloyd to defend his dissertation to his dissertation committee. “Defend! Defend! Yea!” “The closest thing to sport in years”, says Lloyd. “Defend” is exactly what he did yesterday afternoon, from 1:00-2:30PM. And he did well! He passed with flying colors, and is now officially DONE with the dissertation process ... " More here.

michael phelps and genetics

2008-09-19T15:34:00.000-07:00

This puts the drug issue to rest. More here.

This Week

2008-09-15T11:35:00.000-07:00

the weekend that was: it was a whirrrr. i remember looking last week into the week thinking, if I make through, it'll be a miracle. so, miracles or miracles i'm here. filled with Bruins stuff, youth, website (it's up now check it out here), council meeting, sermon writing, house projects, and Patti being away all weekend.

on my to-do list this week: learn how to make forms on the website, learn how to tell itunes there is a new podcast, date with Patti tonight, read and write, elder's meeting thursday night.

procrastinating about: looking for office space (still).

book i’m in the midst of: missional leader (roxburgh) and i'm waiting for my amazon shipment to arrive :-)

music that seemed to catch my attention this past week: catchy tunes by metro station, david crowder

how i’m feeling about this week: good, some stuff has already got motion and others need some more work yet (youth).

thx to marko for this idea ...

advice for matt

2008-09-15T11:24:00.000-07:00

Matt's been "in college" for a couple of weeks now. It's going pretty good for him, he's digging his classes, meeting new people and he bought a new winter coat - which is good since he is in Saskatchewan.

We have talked a few times on skype and we trade stories, he shares his experiences etc. It's all thrown me back to my college days (82-86) at Dordt College.

So, I have some advice for Matt about going to a Christian college. It's really important he gets this. I got it from here.

If you live on campus at a Christian college, and you didn't go to church one Sunday and you want to go to the cafeteria for lunch, you better dress up. You better throw on a pair of khakis or a skirt or something else that doesn't instantly scream "I am a sleepy heathen." You wear shorts? People are going to know you didn't go to church. You wear flip flops? People are going to know you didn't go to church.

It doesn't matter if you went to a Saturday night service or are going Sunday night or go to a church where jeans and flip flops are the norm, you're going to get some looks. And maybe at your school, people have developed highly sensitive "that dude dressed up so it would look like he went to church" radar. What to do then? Fear not. I came up with four new ways to look like you went to church.

1. Carry bulletins with you.
When you reach for a meal in your school cafeteria, casually drop a church bulletin out of your pocket. Act like you're surprised it's there, as if you just rushed in from church and forget you even had it with you.

2. Use loads of "church" words and puns.
Everyone knows that on Sundays, the food they serve in college cafeterias is just the food no one ate during the week with a layer of cheese melted over it. Same thing happens at camp. That doesn't mean you can't describe it with really silly church words and puns. Say things like, "Our corn is an awesome corn, its grains, are on top of my plate." Or "I'm not sure I understand the systematic theological implications of sitting on this side of the cafeteria." People will over hear you, especially judgmental people because they have pretty phenomenal hearing, and will think, "Wow, that lady sure sounds churchy. She must have gone this morning."

3. Show up in a group.
If you show up to the cafeteria alone, people are going to know you didn't go to church. That's why it's better to arrive in a group. There's great strength in numbers. Grab a few other friends that are going to the Sunday night service or just went to bedside Baptist. Work out a plan and then show up all together as if you were on your way to a restaurant after church but then remembered the cafeteria is delicious too so instead headed there. Designate a "key carrier," who can swing a set of car keys around to give the impression there's a car involved. That adds a nice touch of realism.

4. Wear a guitar.
Forget looking like you went to church, pretend you actually played some music while you were there. Just walk through the line of food, grabbing things on your tray, knocking plates off with your guitar, bumping into people and saying, "whoa, sorry about that, musician here."

Hopefully those will work for you like they did for friends I had at Samford University. I personally didn't use these methods when I was there. I was too busy church hopping, but that's a whole other story.

This Week

2008-09-08T10:14:00.000-07:00

thx to marko for this idea ...

the weekend that was: a bit of a scramble week trying to line up new things for the fall and preparing the last sermon "exposed" of the "no ordinary joe" series. we started draining our canadian tire pool yesterday.

where i am at the moment: church office, in front of my imac working on the church's new web site.

on my to-do list this week: finish new web site, continue to sketch out the "church without walls series", prepare our 8-10 new youth leaders for the upcoming fall season, council meeting thursday night, try to figure out how to make a podcast. date with my wife tonight.

procrastinating about: looking for office space.

book i’m in the midst of: the tangible kingdom, halter and smay; breaking the missional code, stetzer and putman.

music that seemed to catch my attention this past week: haven't opened itunes yet.

how i’m feeling about this week: cautiously optimistic - some projects are going to come together this week - youth, new site, and new series

Welcome Holly Autumn!

2008-09-03T09:26:00.000-07:00

We want to welcome Holly Autum into this world!

She is a beautiful baby girl, born to Jeff and Maria! She was born Sunday, Aug 17 - 8 lbs 6 oz.

Gowning Around

2008-09-02T11:07:00.000-07:00

I've been following Cam's blog as he vividly describes his battle with cancer.

Today he put up this great post about the hospital gown:

I was reminded today how significant the humble hospital gown is. Its power is amazing.

There are two kinds of gowns I am familiar with. One has three arm holes in it - yes, three, and yes, arms. I am not sure how many other people have embarrassed themselves trying to squeeze their head through the middle arm hole, wrestling about half-naked in a change room with the flimsy floral curtain does little to contain the frantic gasping breaths that accompany claustrophobia. But I know a friend of mine has. Um, then there is the other kind of gown - the one that if you do happen to put it on back-to-front you get to the lowest and final tie before thinking, “Hang on, that can’t be right! Surely?” It happened to another friend of mine.

There are few things in this world that have the power to annul social standing, economic welfare, education achievements, professional accolades or culture affiliation. The hospital gown, with it’s mysterious powers, seems to achieve such disarmament with incredible ease.

After many frustrations experiencing what a hospital gown allows to be revealed to the world, I think it is not recognised enough for what it can hide.

Day-surgery patients, whose conversations rarely get to the next level of conversation after hospital food and the weather, may be in conversation with others they would never know how to relate to in the real world. Every attempt to identify yourself in society has been left behind.

You can’t even vary your garment. You can’t roll up your sleeves to say you’re relaxed at the end of a day, you can’t unbutton your shirt to say you loved the 70’s, you can’t roll your skirt up to show off your legs. It is how it is. You become refreshingly un-categorizable . People’s response to you then has to rely on your countenance and the words that you speak. You come away feeling more connected with people than you expected, and all without having to present your identity through what is worn or adorned.

Such is the power of the hospital gown.

This Week

2008-09-02T10:50:00.000-07:00

thx to marko for this idea ...

the weekend that was: last week i used the last 5 days of vacation. we visited southside church, kassi had a tournament and lost the gold game in the last 2 minutes - heartbreaker. had a wonderful visit with cousins from florida: terri and al.

where i am at the moment: church office, in front of my powerbook g4

on my to-do list this week: get organized, weed through the 150+ emails, write last "Ordinary Joe" message for sunday, rebuild and plan youth ministry, continue to re-build heartland web site, continue to map out the fall series "church without walls." install skype to keep up with matt, council meeting on thursday, keep searching for new office space.

procrastinating about: probably everything, since i've been away last week ...

book i’m in the midst of: transforming mission, david bosch; rainbow 6, clancy; the tangible kingdom, halter and smay.

music that seemed to catch my attention this past week: ramones, david crowder

how i’m feeling about this week: anxious and out of control - overwhelming to have everything hit you at once.

he has left the building

2008-08-27T09:08:00.000-07:00

Matt has left the nest. Welcome back anytime yes, but this is the big first of leaving - off to college. I waved good-bye and when the car was out of site, I went to my room and wept. Not a surprise that I would feel this deep saying good-bye to my oldest. Right now, I can identify a few thoughts and feelings that bring on the strong emotions.

One of the them is pure fear. This summer there have been four deaths of teenagers in our small community. Drowning, stabbing, gun shot etc. The worst fear of any adult is to loose their children prematurely. For the families that lost theirs they are going through the most difficult thing a parent can go through. Matt is away from our home now, and will be making his own choices. I can't protect him anymore. He is on his own.

Another feeling is loss. He is now gone. We raise these kids. We feed them, cloth them, correct them, enjoy them, educate them, beg them to clean their rooms, sow into their lives and have the immense joy of seeing them become the person God intends then we wave good-bye. Wow, it's harsh to say good-bye.

Then there is thankfulness that we got him this far. Before we had kids, Patti and I talked long and hard about the type of home we want to bring kids into. We wanted a home where independence was learned, there is freedom to become their own person - yet appropriate guidance and consequences when defiance crept in. We wanted a home where our children would grow up watching two adults in love with each other and God. Where we risked, trusted God and did our best to live out our faith. We wanted our faith to be contagious. And for them to know God and respect him. And for Matt we see how our attempts at creating this home has positively affected him. He is a spirit filled man, a person of independence and understands consequences. I am thankful for the mission to guide and fill his life for 18 years.

The car was filled to the roof with his stuff. Guitars, keyboard, amp, patch cords, computer equipment, clothes, and his blankets. All the stuff that helps him be him. He has a wicked sense of creativity. His canvas has been many mediums - drawing, painting, poetry, photography, typography, philosophy, but his main expression is music and poetry. Thus the three guitars, midi keyboard and laptop stuffed with Reason. He wants to make music. More music.

So, may God give him courage, anointing, and blessing as he pursues his life's calling. As he sits under the teaching of others, may God shape his soul.

"Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the LORD your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you."
Deuteronomy 31:6

Make A Wish Foundation and Tony Hawk

2008-08-20T14:13:00.000-07:00

We took the Jetta down to Seattle to meet up with Ben and his family. Ben was nominated to the Make a Wish Foundation and when asked his wish he replied I want to meet Tony Hawk. This is where Ben and I are similar. We like skateboarding. Like Ben, I started skateboarding at the tender age of 6. I think I was the only skateboarder in Terrace at that time. I did skate ramps, pipes but mostly street and downhill. I even competed. I did win one competition (I was the only entry).

Yesterday, Seattle was beautiful. Not to hot and no rain. We all took a walk through pikes market. The original starbucks was great and so was the gum wall. I had to haul James away from the wall.

The Tony Hawk event, where Make A Wish set up to met Tony Hawk, was his Boom Boom Huck Jam event. Ben and his family were VIPs and went back stage to meet personally with Tony. They asked him questions and got autograph's and pics with Tony. Ben was star struck and didn't say or do much except stare. It was a great experience for him.

The huck jam was alright. Didn't know if I was at a Tony Hawk thing or a commercial for t-mobile. So much corporate presence that it took away from the show. Tony Hawk was aweseome. He still has it. Can he skate a pipe. Wow.

It was a busy day, but Patti and I were really happy to see Har, Terri and the kids again. We enjoy being with them and especially with this special time for Ben, it was special to see it all happen.

We got home quite late and they are still in Seattle planning to have dinner on the top of the space needle.

hair spray and prayer

2008-08-18T09:50:00.000-07:00

Our Van has been giving us lots of troubles lately - it's 2003 Honda Odyssey. We bought it over a year ago with the thought, lets get a good van and minimize our repairs. It cost us way more than I ever dreamed of paying for a vehicle. I hate dealing with vehicles. Some people like it, I don't. When something goes wrong, I cringe. I hate it that they depreciate in value so quickly. Sometimes you get a good one, and other times they are horrible.

We had trouble with the A/C and had it repaired along with the timing belt and water pump. Big bill. The A/C never really worked after that. So we brought it back it. Another bill. Then we drove it to Seattle this past weekend. The A/C quit again. This is getting old.

On our way back to Chilliwack, with the windows down and the kids cranky from the heat, a huge continuous sound starts coming from under the hood. Lights on the dash are blinking, and it starts smelling like the van has internal problems. Never a good smell. It's 11 at night and we pull into a gas station. Being the man of the house I put my head under the hood and start pretending I know what I'm doing. Poking, looking, prodding - doing something cause we are 1 hour from home and I'm leading two services the next day. My mind starts racing, do we get a hotel, do we sleep in the van, do we hitch hike, do I set it on fire ... there isn't a mechanic open, sober or awake at this hour. No clue what to do.

Out of the gas station an older man walks towards me. He has a sweat stained ball cap and is about 6'5" and asks is there anything wrong. So, I told him everything I knew - there is something wrong with the engine. He came over poked, prodded, looked - but I got the sense he knew what he was doing. He asked if I had any hair spray. I was glad to do something so I got Patti's hair spray and handed it to him. At this point I didn't know if hair spray was something that most mechanics use to fix engines. I wanted to ask what it was for, but risked blowing my cover of someone who knew something about mechanics - like most people do.

As he sprayed the hair spray into the engine compartment, the noise got a little less noisy and he said you should be good to go. After seeing the puzzled look on my face, he added the belt was loose and the hair spray made it stick, you should be able to limp home. We shook hands and I asked him what his name was, he said Ralph. I wondered if there angels with the name Ralph.

So we got going and the noise was still very loud - the loud type that cars in the opposite direction are staring at us when they pass by. After about 20 minutes of this the noise just stopped and the van sounded like it didn't have any problems at all. I looked over at Patti and she looked at me and we both asked each other the same question at the same time, where you praying? We both answered yes.

We got home, thanked God for getting us home safely. The next morning, which is Sunday, I went out to start the van, and again a huge noise. So we packed everything up into the Jetta and drove to church. We had a guitar, keyboard, keyboard stand and 5 of us in the Jetta. Levi was in the trunk. James was crying cause he wanted to be in the trunk instead of Levi.

Now, the van is back at the shop. And the mechanic is probably praying in thanks to God for providing him an income yet another day. The mechanic's name is Ralph. I don't think he's an angel. But we'll see.

Make A Wish Foundation

2008-08-14T08:54:00.000-07:00

We are going to see Ben next week in Seattle. This will be the first time since he was diagnosed with anaplastic large cell lymphoma over two years ago. Patti saw him about a year ago at a relay for life event in Nebraska but even tho I bic'd my hair in his support, I haven't seem him.

The Make a Wish Foundation got a hold of his story and raised a funds and awareness for Ben. He was asked was his wish was. His reply? "I want to meet Tony Hawk." Sweet.

Ben is a skater and when he was receiving treatments, he played a lot of Tony Hawk Pro Skater in the hospital. I personally really like that game.

So, Ben's time has come for his wish to come true. There is a Tony Hawk thing in Seattle next week and we are going to meet up with Ben and his family.

Should be a great time. Ben has his flow back and is doing great.

Golfing In August

2008-08-14T08:44:00.000-07:00

Went golfing yesterday with two friends.

Cultus lake golf course was beautiful. Too bad my game wasn't. August is the best month of the year for me in BC. The weather is perfect, the gardens and trees are in their full glory and I feel better in August than any other month. I find I sleep better, more creative, writing comes easier and August can be a laid back month so connections with people are easier.

The Chilliwack Bruins players come back into town, the office staff is working hard and there is an air of expectation within the rink. In my line of work, August is a month of planning and preparing for the next 8-10 months. I'm visioning and imagining what we as a church could engage in, planning a fall teaching series and inviting people into organized service work.

Golfing in August is awesome. Even when my game stinks.