5 Influences

So I've been tagged... and now I have to think...

#1 Pastor Randy Charlton
This guy got a youth group started in Scandia, Alberta. Without it I'm not sure what interest I might have found in the church...

#2 The Mike's I know.
These would have to me Mike Sonnenburg, and my brother Mike Bell - Bery formative in the youth group, and both instrumental in getting me to CLBI.

#3 Pastor (Now Bishop) Ron Mayan
He was the president of CLBI when I was there and it was during these years that the call to pastoral ministry was probably first really felt. Did you ever feel 'pastoral presence +10' coming off someone... this is him.

#4 Dietrich Bonnhoeffer
He's bold. He writes alot. And influences my call to be a part of building Christian Community everywhere I go.

#5 (The not yet rev.) Erik Parker
Through my pre seminary days and up till how he has been my best friend and tolerated 100's of hours of converstation and random ideas so he makes the list.

I wish there were an honorable mention category... of course... it's my blog so here I go:
Dr. Jan Boyd - Made the liturgy come alive.
Dr. Cam Harder - Makes me ask good questions.
Dr. Gordon Jensen - Confessions... enough said...
Pastor Richard Riemer - Proves that high energy lifestyle can transmit into actions and pastoral presence.
Fleming Blishen - Honest, deep, profound... a skater.
Chris Nissen - a good friend who challenges me to make sense of my faith.
Tim Wray - Whom I love and look forward to years of making up stuff together with.
Jim Appleby - He converted me to Mac - and his good nature makes me glad to be with Christ.
Jeff Decelle - I love this guys brain and organization.
M. Griener (Matt that is... who's name I've probably spelled wrong) for his honesty and principles and dedication to knowledge.
My parrents - Unconditional love and support.
Drew (little bro) - He has passion, integrity, honesty, honour... and inspiration to those looking to live the faith they profess.

And... the list goes on and on... and of course you all belong on the list but I've got to put the kids to be and I've just stolen 15 min's from my family to write this much so I won't be able to get you all on the list... but I'll conclude with a special honoroalbe mention to my wife - who shows me faith active in love and service to the community and devotion to family (as well as how to forgive a spose who is always late.)

I tag... Matt, Drew, and Lindsay. (Which means, hopefully Matt remembers he has a blog...)

Body Praxis writing assignment

How does my body enter into how I see myself as a leader in the church?

I'm the one whose body is invited into people's space.

The most festive, depressing, 

wonderful, painful, 

jubilant, vacuous 

times of peoples lives.

My body shows up.

I'm the one whose body is given the time to be available in crisis

A shoulder 

A hand

A connecting presence.

My body has time.

I'm the one whose body is used as a symbol for the mighty works of God

In Worship

In Protest

In death

And in new life.

My body is a symbol for something bigger than itself.

I'm the one whose body gives voice to the proclamation that the world needs to hear.

I voice healing

I voice comfort

I voice outrage

I voice hope

My body is the voice that proclaims Word

In ministry, my body is bigger than me and yet, it's still just me. Thanks be to God.

Moving Fast

Sometimes this is how life feels... moving so fast!

Winter is coming...

It's a cool and rainy day... it reminds me that winter is just around the corner. This picture is actually pretty bleak with all the colour sucked out of it, but really that was an awesome day of fun in the snow.

Maybe I am called to BC for the mild winters and long growing season...

www.yearbookyourself.com

Here is my actual Grad Year... not that bad really!

1950
'52
'54
'70
'74

Wow... thanks to Andrew Craig for finding this site.

Check it:

Where is God?

This should be a simple enough assignment... just write out where you see God...

So I got on the bike and road home and through the midst of the fall colours and all that is fall I saw... colours and fall.

In my family I saw people. In the food I ate I saw food.

Then I came back to school the next day.

I road again through the fall colours and I saw... fall colours.

I felt the cool morning air on my skin and the tingle in my arms as they got too cold.

I pulled up to the seminary and looked around. 

Bikes, Rocks, Trees, Water, Birds, Air, People, Cold, Sun Sets, Sun Rises, all of these things.

And perhaps this is the problem... God isn't a thing (or perhaps more accurately, God is all things and then some). So the problem looks as if it is me. I'm looking at things and expecting to see the whole. 

And perhaps a new set of eyes is what is required to see. 

And perhaps a new set of ears is needed to hear.

And perhaps a new tongue, nose, sensory system is what is needed to realize what is so far away (or perhaps more accurately, what is so close and and all around.)

So if the assignment was to see "God" then I have not yet done that.

Except perhaps a little.

And not in all the places outside, but inside. Not inside me, but inside the interaction of two creatures - Me and the Janitor.

He talked of oiling the Organ and I talked of enjoying my bike ride. And in a way that is beyond a concrete way of saying, there was a sense of something bigger than both of us in the mundane conversation we had. 

And perhaps this is the lesson, 

just keep looking and don't be surprised when the thing you are looking for is found in the morning conversation with janitor.

Shucking the Corn

So I went for a ride in the country on the cruzbike and came across a corn stand just South of Saskatoon. I happened to have my bag with me so I stopped into buy some corn... they of course didn't take credit cards or interac so I thought I was out of luck... but then, after a 5 min conversation about the bike, the guy loaded up a dozen corn and told me to enjoy. (He also took down the web page for cruzbike.com ... I think I need to get some commission soon!)

So... it was chemical free corn for lunch today!

When you can't think of what to blog: Blog your baby!

Well... here are some more pics of my kids... mostly the youngest one here.
She's really taking on expressions and interactions at an alarming rate... seems like only yesterday she was a newborn and now she's learning new tricks like crazy!

Pic from the Bell front: The one about the best BBQ of the summer.

Kids show the best emotions... what a great BBQ!



Location: The Salash's.

To be the Pastor is to love them...

So, internship ended and I'm starting to draw together some ideas of what it is to be pastor. It seems that to be the pastor is to love them...

A friend is supply preaching at my internship site right away and was asking me what the process would be like. Right away I could think of who was going to pay her, who would likely welcome her, and all these faces came into my head. It was really all about relationship in the end. All about a community of people that were all so different and all so amazing and challenging in all ways.

So all these years of seminary have loaded my brain with theology and new ideas and in the end... it would seem that the biggest challenge is going to be to love the people I'm called to serve. Not just the easy ones either... all the people.

I wonder who would be at seminary if you described the calling this way... just love your people. If you have not love, all the theology in the world isn't going to help. You just make noise.

Do I have the faith in the people? Am I willing to hope with them? Can I actually love them? This is the new challenge to ponder...

Pic from the Bell front: The one I put up to gross out Dyanna

If you thought that Dragonfly was gross, check out this couple of crazy teenagers that landed on my window in the rain just the other day. I love macro!

Location: Back of carpark - Saskatoon

Pic from the Bell front: The one with Dad's home made recumbent.

Well, you all had a chance to see my recumbent bike from www.cruzbike.com

But I wanted to share a picture today of the bike my Dad made. I don't know if even cares about recumbents, but he has listened to me yammer on for years now, and even build this prototype trike. It started as a regular short wheel base underseat stearing recumbent, and ended as a tadpole style trike. So... it's an interesting picture, and a chance for me to show off what my Dad made. I'm so proud of him sometimes!

Pic from the Bell front: The one with the dragonfly closeup...

I wish that I could have the same sort of wonder that kids have when they find a bug like this...

Pic from the Bell front: The one with the swingers.

Real swingers!

I used to make fun of parents who spent so much on these play structures... but totally worth it!

Pic from the Bell front: The one with young Matt and Erik and Lindsay and Chris

This one is a blast from the past.

Contest: Name the year of this photo.

(I know... this isn't as cute as my normal pics :)

Pic from the Bell front: The one about the world's largest dinosaur.

DRUMHELLER!

Pic from the Bell front: The one about the world's largest dinosaur.

Pic from the Bell front: The one with the Freerider

Ya know, I wanted one of these things for over 10 years and have finally got one and... I love everything about this bike.

Today's pic is a shamless plug for www.cruzbike.com

Location: End of the trail Saskatoon

Pic from the Bell front: The one about Spiderman Elijah

Oh yes... that is the amazing spiderman... only with a little plastic hose and a dog collar instead of web slinging power. Almost just as scary really.


Face Paint: Fun Factory
Location: Saskatoon, House, Playroom.

Pic from the Bell front: The one about India's intensity

Ahhh... my sweet little girl's true dark side comes out... look at the intensity in those eyes... look at the cunning... All of you who thought that she was such a sweet little girl can now see the truth of her power as she handles that duck better than any man I know could! (OK... she's a little cute too...)

Location: Kindersley Lions Park, SK.