My New Hobby

'Tis the Season...almost

Okay, maybe I'm rushing things abit, but seeing as I've been working Christmas since April it seems about time! Besides, it wasn't raining this morning, so you have to make hay while the sun shines. Actually, the sun wasn't shining either... But we'll see it soon. Maybe in May.

Getting the lights up are actually a HUGE moral victory. I had lights up and down about four times last year before I finally gave up in disgust. First it was the stupid light clips that were a total joke, then it was stupid light strings that either didn't work, broke whenever you touched them, or were pink, white, or purple when they were supposed to be red. Hmmph. So this year, Santa is happy, and my girls are very impressed with Dad.

By the way...notice the grass? Day 57.

Lumber Jacks

Yes, we have real, live lumber jacks out here in BC. I heard the chain saws buzzing and was surprised to see them trimming up a huge tree in the school yard above our house. He lopped off the lower branches on his way up, and I guess they are going to take the tree down. It may have been damaged in the huge wind storm Sunday night, making it unsafe, particularily for a school yard. As of tonight, it was still there, so maybe they had concerns about which way it was going to come down and needed to bring in some different equipement. Wouldn't want to wipe out a house or something...

I hope this guy isn't afraid of heights, 'cause he's a looooooooong way up!

Beautiful Bride

Yes, I'd marry her all over again! Gotta love the '80's poofie sleeves - all we need is the poofie hair to go with it! Even more beautiful almost 20 years after the first time I saw her wear this.
The girls dug it out for a bridal party fashion show that's coming up this weekend for a young lady in the church. And yes, it still fits perfect.

Church on the Move...very slowly

Here is an interesting visual metaphor to think about.

Here's the story: Heuersdorf, Germany, October 25, 2007—A flatbed truck slowly drags the 660-ton Emmaus Church toward its new home in the town of Borna, 7 miles (11 kilometers) away from its native village of Heuersdorf in eastern Germany. More than 700 years old, the Romanesque stone church had to be relocated to make way for open-pit coal mining near Heuersdorf. Traveling at a speed of 1 miles-an-hour (1.6 kilometers-an-hour), the church will arrive in Borna on Wednesday.

Compare the above picture to this one. Any thougths?

Mark and Katie

Some friends of mine have moved to New Delhi India for a bit to help launch a marketplace missions project. Check out Mark and Katie's blog...they are having quite and adventure!

Day 43 - Guess What I Did Today!

Guess what I did today...I put custom stripes on my new lawn. Okay, so it probably really didn't need mowing, but I needed to mow it. I mean, what's the point of having a lawn mower if you never use it?

I love how you can alter the colour in the computer and make things look really green. Actually, I just made it look as green as it looks in real life!

Single Leadership Structures

Okay, I'm bored with watching grass grow. It looks like I won't get to mow my lawn until next spring, which is a huge disappointment...Oh well, I just have to get over it and move on.

Here's a provoking thought from Alex McManus (Erwin's brother):

"Take this first list:
1) The single leadership structures that are assumed at every popular leadership conference are unbiblical.
2) The leadership structures of almost every church in America are not scriptural.
3) There are no examples of single leadership in the NT.
4) Practically every Pastor we admire leads from an unbiblical leadership paradigm.

Do these ideas cut against the current corporate church leadership culture? You bet they do."

A question I have is whether church leadership structure a cultural issue rather than a 'biblical' issue. Was plural leadership a reflection of the culture of the NT and is singular leadership merely a reflection of today's culture?

Another thought is that I don't think the leading pastors we admire today are a 'alone' as they may appear. I bet everyone of them has an close leadership team that works with them. They just happen to be the 'face' of the organization, which is merely a cultural reflection of the way we do things. So maybe McManus' comments are much to do about nothing...

Day 30

One of the great things about living on the Coast is that you get to plant winter flowers! (Eat your root seller out, all you prairie people suffering through killer frosts and serious snow!)

Day 29

Things are green, but not thick or long enough to need mowing. I'm begining to think that the lawn mower will sit until next spring. Also, with all the rain, the ground is really soft, so at this point it would be good to avoid walking on it. Now If I can just get the deer to cooperate!

Day 24

Day 21

Day 15

The difference a couple of days make...

Day 13

Things suddenly look green - if you get it from the right angle! Looks like the big rain didn't hurt.

Day 12 - the big rain

Well, we had our first big rain of the season last night - about 50mm in 12 hours. I'm not sure how much damage was done to the lawn...time will tell.

Day 11

Day 10 - you can see the green

This is the best part of the lawn. I think it has a little more shelter and a little more warmth. But the rest is coming along.

Day 9 - all reved up

This...leads to this... Yes, it's an experienced machine. With the grass being new, and me not having a lawn to mow for the past 8 years, I thought it would be good to have someone that knew what it was doing. Any ideas for a name?

Day 8 - The real thing at last!

Hold on to yer seats, folks! I think we have the real thing starting to show. The previous two blades have obviously been imposters. Now this is something you can SEE and FEEL! You have to look really, really close (you can actually see grass in the picture below), but if you brush your hand just over the dirt you can feel the new blades! It is just on one section of the lawn, but it is the area that is the most sheltered with the most sun, so hopefully the others areas will be showing signs of germination soom...like maybe TOMORROW?

Day 7 - signs of life?

Another sign of life?