Mini vids of life in Edson June July 09

Here is a little video of some things we've been up too for those who don't get to see the kids as much... thought rather than perfecting a few videos.... I'd flood the net with these. :)

sean

Dog Swimming in Air

I guess it's instinct... when you see the water coming... and you'd really rather not go in... you just start to swim and hope you don't hit the water.

In other news...

Went camping outside Hinton by flexing a meeting and a couple days off together for a fun family adventure.

I'm one step closer to a cell phone though... I havn't figured out how 'on call' I need to be for pastoral 'emergency.'... (whatever that might be)

Good times :)

And something a little more profound...

Do you want to know what is really neat about being a pastor? I get to visit and listen and hear all about good times and hard times. I get to sit with and stare into the heart of pain and suffering with all sorts of people. And then on Sunday, not matter what else is going on, I get to hand out the Eucharist, that is, no matter what else is said done or happening, there is bread of life and cup of salvation accompanied by the words 'for you.' All are welcome at the Lord's table.

Family Reunions

This last weekend I was at the family reunion of my wife's dad's brothers and sisters. All the things you would expect including food, and wine, and beer, and laughter, and quads for the young and the old. I got to watch my son crash a 50cc quad into a rock, and into a barb wire fence (no injuries), I got to watch my first daughter enjoy the sun and just embrace life running back and forth from place to place, and I got to watch my youngest daughter begin to engage the world in new ways by crawling and running around everywhere. It was awesome.

It's interesting to be an outsider looking in on a family reunion. I don't know all the stories or the history of the joys or the pains of this family, but I do know that it was a great weekend for relaxing, enjoying good company, and good food.

I'm starting to think that 30 something marks a turning point where you realize that you have become an adult... and you can look at other adults and see that for the most part, until you hit the really frail stage, we're all at the same level. And really... nobody is getting more mature that where they are at.

I'm thankful to be a part of a family that makes the effort to get together like this... it's a beautiful community that forms so briefly every two years.

I'm looking forward to the next one two years from now.

A full measure of honesty

These people inspire me:

http://www.houseforall.org/

They seem to come at religion in a very honest way that seems to be authentic from what I can see. Of course, many of these emerging church movements also have some sort of underlying agenda. I'm not sure how these things get started without some agenda but... here it is.

Can it really be as open as it seems? There seems to be indicators that it's Lutheran by the 'nailing to the wall' comments, as well as the 'saint and sinner' thing. But I do wonder what this would look like in small town Canada? And whether you need a city of several million people to make it go, or if it goes because people need this sort of community.

Lots to think about in how to be the church.

The define the Need as:

Why do we need a House for All Sinners and Saints?

House is important because it is experimenting with new ways to do church which make sense to urban postmodern young people. It is a place where:

The Gospel matters, liturgy is recontextualized, and we are free to reclaim the word "Christian".
Scripture is honored enough to be faithfully questioned and struggled with
We no longer have to culturally commute or bracket out parts of ourselves to be in Christian community
We are co-creators of worship, rather than just passive participants; aesthetics and theology both matter
The community is both intellectually and spiritually stimulating
We provide a connection or a bridge to the mainline and to the traditions of the church

House is important because it takes community and relationships seriously. It is a place where:

People can land, they can call this house a home
The work of the spirit is witnessed to through relationships where there is vulnerability, challenge and growth
Our deepest longings can be expressed and heard
True community is offered, people belong to each other so that we share both joys and sorrows
We connect the margins and the mainstream

I'll follow with interest...
The part where they try not to bracket out parts of themselves to be Christian will be especially interesting. It's awesome in concept... but is any community ready for all it's members to let go with all honesty? It would be fun to say the least :)

July 1st, and too many Hotdogs

A successful event to say the least. The Lutherans gathered and sold hotdogs and hamburgers on Canada Day. This means that the night before we gather and clean like crazy to get the rental shed ready, set up a huge BBQ, and make sure that all the jobs are covered.

The people here are like a well oiled machine with years of practice it was amazing. Turned out to be a $1500 day. (Which, if you bread down the number of volunteer hours is not too much but... I think that part of the value is in the working together.)

So... that is my post... why is it short and lame? Because it is fueled by guilt that my father put on me for not blogging more.

:)