Confirmation

At church this weekend my wife and I (and three friends) celebrated our confirmation. It was a really great service. We have such wonderful leaders in the Diocese of Qu'Applle. Our priest, Fr. Allen Doerksen, has been such a formative influence for my wife and I throughout these past 12 months of exploration. And this area is very fortunate to have the very wise (and hilarious) Bishop Gregory at the helm.

It's interesting that after growing up in free-church traditions, such as Mennonite Brethren and Christian & Missionary Alliance, I've really come to feel at home in an Anglican context. Liturgy has a way of gluing itself to your bones. Once it's in you, it's there to stay.

A few funny moments from the morning:

At our rehearsal before the service, we were up at the front, reading through the confirmation liturgy with the Bishop, and I realized I had accidentally turned to the "Ordination of Bishops" section. Woops! A little ahead of myself... I got that straightened out before "showtime"...

Also, after the service concluded, a sweet old lady came over to me, shook my hand and said, "Welcome to the club!" I love old people! They are an inspiring bunch, those who have remained committed to their faith for almost as many decades as there are seasons of Smallville! What better "club" to be part of than one full of these kinds of folks!

During the Bishop's sermon, he noted that "the Church is always one generation away from extinction." One elderly man told us, "It can be discouraging to imagine what will become of the church in the next generation, but when I see young people like you doing this [becoming confirmed], I'm filled with hope."

I doubt I'll ever sign up for ordained ministry, but I'm definitely in for the lay-person long-haul. I'm excited by the need for leadership in the church today, and the great challenges that are sure to come.

It's a good day to be Anglican!

Prayers for Oliver

This afternoon a mudslide hit my old hometown (and present home of my brother), Oliver, BC. It sounds pretty fierce. A wall of mud from a blocked up creek in the mountains came crashing down the mountainside, sweeping away more than 10 homes, and destroying many acres of vineyards and orchards. But God is merciful: there are no reports of injuries or deaths. Pray for Oliver, if you think of it. This sort of destruction will take years to restore. Check out CTV for more.

Musical Chairs

The last few months I've been playing musical chairs with employment. I've gone from construction to educational assistant to security to Prairie South sub desk to Academic Services. And now, one more switch. It wasn't an easy decision, but I've made it. Starting first thing in July, I'll be assistant to the Webmaster at Briercrest College & Seminary, to eventually take the main seat myself. It will be a few rigorous months of training because of the steep learning curve, but I'm very excited! The new position allows me to pay for Seminary as I study, and to gain some pretty awesome experience that will allow me to make money while I wait for that proverbial academic post in the future... whenever that will be. Anyways, web development is fun, so I'm looking forward to digging in.

Oily Mess: this is not subduing the earth...

When God commanded Adam to subdue the earth, I doubt he meant, "Lubricate my fish in a slimy haze." But that is what has been happening the past few days. Resulting from an explosion on an off-shore oil drill on April 20, 750,000 litres of oil spew up into the Gulf of Mexico every day. This spill hasn't yet reached the catastrophic levels of the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska in 1989 (40.9 million litres spilled), but it is expected to become the worst in history if a solution isn't found soon. Today the placement of a compression dome is being attempted to cap the leak in the underwater oil well. (See Vancouver Sun's article for more.)

Hopefully this sort of diaster will get people moving on the fuel cell so we can leave behind such a nasty dependence on crude oil. Sorry, little fishes.

Seminoid

I'm in! This morning I received my confirmation email telling me I'm an official seminary student. Good news to receive on the day I found out that I can have the week off of work to take Wes Olmstead's Gospels class. Full steam ahead!

Official Things

Today two good and official things happened that spur on my plans for the next little while. My passport arrived, which allows me to go to the US, which allows me to attend the Wheaton Theological Conference in under a month. Secondly, I completed my application to Briercrest Seminary. I'm hoping to start my seminary studies with Wes Olmstead's Gospels Seminar, which kicks off May 31. It's nice to have these important details down. Now I can just focus on getting the necessary reading done.

Vocational Trifecta

Well, the dust has settled. My employment search is finished, and I think I've emerged the victor. I am now a Faculty Assistant (as I have been for some time), Campus Safety/Custodian for Briercrest, and a brand-new member of the Prairie South School Division. In that post I'll call in subs in the early hours of the day and spend the rest of the time cleaning up the paper work I created in the first hours. All these varied shifts leave me with free time in the afternoon, which, hopefully, will be a perfect time for reading and studying (and Olympics-watching).

I'm grateful for the work that has been offered to me. Our needs have been very providentially met and exceeded!

Collective Disjointment: a Rex Murphy Christmas

It's been a great Christmas holiday. Jenn and I enjoyed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in Caronport with my parents, sisters, aunt, uncle, and our soon-to-be-brother-in-law, and then jetted off to Montreal for Boxing Day until New Year's Eve. It's such a nice time to slow down.


One of the funniest things this year has been running into Rex Murphy in the Toronto airport! I've always enjoyed his "Point of View" segments on the news, and his radio show. I'd recognize that face anywhere. I joked to Jenn (after we were out of ear-shot, of course), "Yep. He's definitely as ugly in person as on TV!"  He's the third sort-of-celebrity I've seen in an airport. So far, Regina's mayor, Pat Fiaco, Brent Butt from Corner Gas, and now Rex Murphy. 

It's been a lot of fun here in Montreal with Jenn's family. Lots of relaxing, eating, visiting, music, and napping. All things that make a holiday festive and restive.

I think one of my New Year's resolutions is going to be getting back to exegetical posts...

New Home

Welcome to the new (and hopefully) improved νόες σχεδίων. Everything from Wordpress has been transplanted here. Blogger seemed a happier home, so here's hoping it is!

Delirious?, your future starts today.

Yesterday, Delirious?, a band of five men from Littlehampton, UK, who have led the Church in song and cried out for 17 years for people to get out into the streets and change the world for the kingdom, have hung their hats and their guitars.

Delirious? always said that they would never stop until they had created their very best work. It is clear now that their “best” is beyond the music. Lead voice Martin Smith, along with his wife Anna, have started a charity, CompassionArt, “dedicated to seeing works of art generate income for the poorest of the poor.” Last year they brought together their friends of the music world, and produced a CD full of songs adding commentary to the injustice experienced in so much of the world. 100% of those proceeds went to specific charities funded by CompassionArt.

Martin Smith stated, “As a song writer and a person with a microphone I made a promise to try and do something about it. What better than to call on my friends and do something together. To be people that can make a change rather than just singing about it.”

This is the future for Martin and his family.

I’ve been listening/following Delirious? since their early days in the early 90’s, so it’s incredibly sad for me to watch them exit the stage for the last time, knowing the world has heard the last D:tune. But I’m proud too, knowing this band was never about the fame or the money. They felt called to make a change, to turn hearts toward God, and provide a voice for those who couldn’t speak for themselves. Now they step out of the concert spotlight, costumes, and equipment, and into the world of direct service.

Here’s a song for you from their latest live DVD, in Bogota, Columbia. It’s called “Break the Silence,” which is a call for the Church to find its voice and stand for those who can’t stand on their own.

Citizens with a secret in our hands
That could ignite our shadow lands
Light it up and let it go
Let it shine with love and grace and a redesign
A ray of hope for the common man
Light it up and let it go

Oh, oh, oh,
We’ve got to give it away
And there’s a price to pay
When we give it away

Break the silence, break the silence,
Cross ever boundary that divides us, divides us
Break the silence, break the silence,
Cross ever border that divides us, oh, unite us

We turn the page, to a future just begun
If heaven is real then let our heaven become
Peace on earth, let it flow.
We raise our voice where the colours all but gone
Paint the world with redemption songs
Stir it up let it flow.

A Delirious? Ending

Since the early nineties, Stew Smith, Jon Thatcher, Stu Garrard, Tim Jupp, and Martin Smith have been travelling the world, and writing music to capture the vision of the church and to ignite its heart. For more than fifteen years they have shaped and reshaped the worship genre, and have tried to blur the lines between "Christian" and "mainstream" music. And now their time together is soon coming to a close. Next month Delirious? launches its final tour, "History Makers - Farewell Tour," in Europe and the British Isles. Unfortunately they aren't including North America in their final tour. I've been a big fan since 1995 or so, so there will be a big D? shaped hole in my fandom when November is over... I've had the chance to see them twice, in Edmonton and Ottawa; it's always a treat. If you find yourself in Europe next month, be sure to catch a show if tickets are still available!

Below is Delirious? playing "Investigate" at Willow Creek in Chicago as part of their Now is the Time tour. I've always thought it to be one of their most reaching, desperate sort of songs; straining to allow God to tear into the heart and purify what he finds.

Investigate my life and make me clean
Shine upon the darkest place in me
To you my life's an open book
So turn the page and take a look
Upon the life you've made
Always, my days, I'll praise

Fly away, where heaven calls my name
Fly away, I'll never be the same
Investigate, I can't wait
Excavate, recreate

Investigate my life and take me through
Shine upon the road that leads to you
I know you'd heard the words I'd say
Before I'd even lived one day
You knew the life you'd made
Always, my days, I'll praise

Investigate my life and make me clean
Shine upon the darkest place in me
When I go, when I return you've seen your holy fire burn
Upon the life you made
Always, I'll praise

This song appears originally on their Glo album (short for "Glory"), from 2000. About its writing, Stu Garrard says,

"Psalm 139 is one of my favorites. Whenever I read it, I'm struck by the words "God, investigate my life; get all the facts first hand." I really do want to be an 'open book' and often think about God exploring my thoughts and motives, searchlight in hand. Reading this psalm gives me a feeling of being totally surrounded by God - not being able to escape and not wanting to, either. He knows my thoughts; He knows the words on my lips before I speak. He is before and me behind me; there is nowhere I can go to flee from His presence. He formed me and knew who I was even before I was born. If I could fly away to the ends of the earth, He'd be there waiting for me. The thing is, I don't feel hemmed in - I feel liberated. Psalm 139 closes with the words:

'Investigate my life, O God, find out everything about me; cross-examine and test me, get a clear picture of what I'm about; See for yourself whether I've done anything wrong - then guide me on the road to eternal life (vv. 23-24, THE MESSAGE).'

Determined words of a psalmist on a journey, flavored with introspection and perhaps a little melancholy . . . perfect for the key of D minor, don't you think?"

I Could Sing of Your Love Forever: stories, reflections and devotions. Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 2007; pages 43-44

Remembering Ryan Chute

This afternoon I took in Ryan Chute's funeral along with thousands of others. It was a beautiful service. Below is the text from the back of the program. I was able to chat with his 4-year old son, Rhett. He's an amazing little guy, who loved his dad and wants to be just like him. When I found him, he was drawing on a pie plate. When I asked what he was drawing, he said, "A picture of my dad."