Sublime

Bless the Lord, o my soul,

and all that is within me,

bless His holy name.

Bless the Lord, o my soul,

and forget not all His benefits.

Who forgiveth all thy iniquity.

who redeemeth thy life from corruption,

and crowneth thee with mercy and compassion.

Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things;

so that thy youth is renewed

like the eagle's.

The Lord executeth righteousness and judgment

for all that are oppressed.

Bless the Lord, o my soul,

and all that is within me,

Bless His holy name.

Glory be to the Father,

and to the Son,

and to the Holy Spirit,

now and ever and unto ages of ages.

Amen.

Bless the Lord, o my soul.

_____

First Antiphon, Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom (1910), Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943)

Mom's 65!

I like birthdays .. so long as they're not mine. :D Today was mom's birthday .. so it was a good day. It was extra-special too, because it was her 65th birthday. After spending most of the morning and afternoon with Eric, studying at a coffee shop, I drove out to Abbotsford, arriving there just in time for mate before dinner.

Besides the usual family members (except Melanie and Heinz who are on vacation in Mexico), my parents had also invited the Janzens, a missionary couple from Uruguay, now living here in Vancouver.

It was a lovely evening with fabulous food, friends, and family. A few people gave tributes to mom, it was a special time. I love her so much.

My nephews Ralph and Neal played a few pieces on the piano, and I was blessed by their talents. Ralph especially, has an amazing musical gift. He played a beautiful Nocturne by Chopin.

Incidentally, for a second or two I even regreted giving up piano (for soccer) over 20 years ago, but then I remembered all the joy soccer has brought me and those feelings quickly went away. Still, musical instruments are a beautiful thing. Music is a beautiful thing.

Also, speaking of music, Mr. Janzen - himself a funny and very gifted man - recommended Sergei Rachmaninoff's Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostsom to me. He said it's his favourite musical piece. He talked about how much of Rachmaninoff's music is only now being discovered because during the communist era it wasn't available.

Tales And Post-Modern Pipe Dreams

"Nuclear man is a man who has lost naïve faith in the possibilities of technology and is painfully aware that the same powers that enable man to create new life styles carry the potential for self-destruction." Henri Nouwen, The Wounded Healer, (New York, NY: Doubleday, 1972), 5.

To capture this situation of nuclear man, Nouwen tells the following Indian tale:

"Four royal sons were questioning what specialty they should master. They said to one another, 'Let us search the earth and learn a special sceince.' So they decided, and after they had agreed on a place where they would meet again, the four brothers started off, each in a different direction.

Time went by, and the brothers met again at the appointed meeting place, and they asked one another what they had learned. 'I have mastered a science,' said the first, 'which makes it possible for me, if I have nothing but a piece of bone of some creature, to create straightaway the flesh that goes with it.' 'I', said the second 'know how to grow that creature's skin and hair if there is flesh on its bones.' The third said, 'I am able to create its limbs if I have the flesh, the skin, and the hair.' 'And I', concluded the fourth, 'know how to give life to that creature if its form is complete with limbs.'

Thereupon the four brothers went into the jungle to find a piece of bone so that they could demonstrate their specialties. As fate would have it, the bone they found was a lion's, but they did not know that and picked up the bone. One added flesh to the bone, the second grew hide and hair, the third completed it with matching limbs, and the fourth gave the lion life. Shaking its heavy mane, the ferocious beast arose with its menacing mouth, sharp teeth, and merciless claws and jumped on his creatures. He killed them all and vanished contentedly into the jungle." Tales of Ancient India, translated from the Sanskrit by J. A. B. van Buitenen (New York: Bantam, 1961), 50-51, quoted in The Wounded Healer, Henri Nouwen, 5-6.

What a great story to convey our self-destructive ways. How much do we trust progress to achieve? Are we really as naïve as this story depicts? Better yet, are we really as proud as the story depicts?

Nuclear man (post-modern man, in my words), says Nouwen, is characterized by historical dislocation (a break in the sense of connection), a fragmented ideology (divergent and often contrasting ideas, traditions, religoius convictions, and life styles), and a search for immortality (a new way to transcend the limitations of being human).

Once the post-modern person awakes from her/his pipe dream, however, s/he's in shock, panics and reacts in one of the following two ways: mysticism (retreat to the inner life), or revolution (activism), both of which, on their own, are completely unbalanced and unable to solve the human predicament.

Jesus, however, is different: "For a Christian, Jesus is the man in whom it has indeed become manifest that revolution and conversion cannot be separated in man's search for experiential transcendence. His appearance in our midst has made it undeniably clear that changing the human heart and changing human society are not separate tasks, but are as interconnected as the two beams of the cross."

Indeed, "Jesus was a revolutionary, who did not become an extremist, since he did not offer an ideology, but Himself. He was also a mystic, who did not use his intimate relationship with God to avoid the social evils of his time, but shocked his milieu to the point of being executed as a rebel." (The Wounded Healer, Henri Nouwen, 20)

A Day With Ralph

My nephew Ralph came over today from Abbotsford. He arrived at 10:30am by bus. I picked him up at the bus station downtown, and then we went to my place.

We immediately got down to business: homework. He worked on a project for his Bible class, and I read my textbook for History of Doctrine. Very cool.

At around 3:30pm I made us some sandwiches: garlic cheese bread, cheese (thanks mom), salami, red peppers, and tomatoes. I also made a sort of paste by combining olive oil, balsamic vinegar, onions, and oregano and basil leaves, and spread it as a base on the sandwiches. Then we put them in the oven for about 15 minutes. Yummy. Yummy is right... !!!

4pm .. made some coffee .. then back to studying.

At 6:30 we met up with my friends Eric and Paul at the 5th Avenue Cinemas, to watch a movie about the battle over this tiny island, Iwo Jima, between the Americans and the Japanese in WWII.

Afterwards, around 10pm, we went to Moxie's, a restaurant on West Broadway. All went well until Ralph tried to convince us that Hitler was a good man. I know he was joking, but what the...?!?!? He's a bright kid, but unfortunately he spends too much time playing mindgames and powergames with people. Seems to me he tries to see how far he can push the button before it detonates. Well, detonate it did, sort of, because my good friend Paul - a historian - put him in his place. I think he will think twice before he tries to play mindgames with us again.

Around 11:30pm we made our way back home. A good day on all accounts.

De-Skunked

The best money I've spent in the last little while is $70, to have my car de-skunked. It'd been just over a week since a skunk sprayed my car while I was driving, and the smell in my car afterwards was so unbearable that I stopped driving it all-together.

So I called a car-detailing company (gonna give them a plug while I'm at it), and they sent two people to fix it. The great thing is that they came to my place .. I didn't even have to go there! Two hours later, my car looks and smells like new.

I'm still a bit bitter about the skunk though. My pacifist convictions are being tested...

The Rock That Is Solid: A Prayer

As we quieten our hearts and minds, we invite you Holy Spirit, to continue your presence in and among us. Keep our hearts and minds focused on you and on what you want to say to us.
_____

Heavenly Father, on this cold, crisp night we come to you in a spirit of praise and adoration.
We worship you, for you are worthy to be praised.

You are our refuge.
You are our strong tower against all that troubles us.
You protect us under the shelter of your wings,
And we long to dwell in your tent forever.

We come to you as broken vessels.
We confess and acknowledge our sins before you and one another.

We turn away from you and seek refuge in other people or things.
We lean on the towers of wealth, education, image, or status,
And we pretend we are self-sufficient, in no need of grace.
Indeed, we sometimes live as though things this side of eternity are everlasting and all-important.
And we forget, or more likely, we ignore
the great things you have in store for us in the life hereafter.

With the Psalmist we say “Hear our cry, Oh God!”
And from the ends of the earth we call to you, as our heart grows faint.
Have mercy on us.

Cleanse our hearts and our minds, and restore within us the joy of salvation.
Envelop us with your peace, your love, your gentle care.
Change and mould us into the likeness of your Son Jesus.
That sweet name,
That precious name,
Exalted above all names.

Lord, in your Mercy, hear our prayer!

We live in a beautiful city,
and in a peaceful country.
Thank you Heavenly Father for the opportunities to work, study, and live in a city like ours.
Thank you Heavenly Father for the safety and peace this nation offers; for the robust economic, health, and education systems.

And yet not all is right. Not all is beautiful in our city.
As we sit here comfortably, the homeless wander the streets hungry, thirsty, cold, and without a place to lay their head.

Have mercy on us, Lord, for being cold-hearted.
And teach us to share the blessings you’ve given us with those who don’t have them.

And likewise, not all is well with our country.
We are spiritually bankrupt,
And self-indulgent.

Increase the compassion of our nation Lord.
Increase the days of peace, justice, and reconciliation in the troubled parts of the world.
And Increase godly wisdom on the part of the leaders of our nation.

Lord, in your Mercy, hear our prayer!

Thank you for St. John’s,
and the many ways we are blessed here.
I pray for the clergy, the staff, and the leaders of services, Bible Studies, Ekklesia, Out of the Cold, Living Waters, and the many other ministries through which you draw people to yourself here.

May our fellowship in the gospel grow stronger.
May the name of Jesus be praised in this church.

Lord, in your Mercy, hear our prayer!

And in the final few minutes, we lift to you the following people.
Please name them quietly in your hearts and minds:

Family members and relatives

Friends and co-workers

We think of the sick, the grieving, the lonely, and the brokenhearted

And we think of anyone else the Holy Spirit places on your heart at this time

Lord, in your Mercy, hear our prayer!

You, Heavenly Father, are our God of love.
You, are our strong and gentle shepherd:

“Surely Thy sweet and wondrous love
Shall measure all my days;
And as it never shall remove,
So neither shall my praise.”

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,
Amen.

_____

Evening Service Prayer at St. John's Shaughnessy Anglican Church. Prayer is based largely on Psalm 61.

5 Days Later..

..my car still stinks. It's undriveable. I called a car-detailing company today. They will come on Monday and make it "smell like a brand new car" again.

In the meantime, I'm getting great exercise walking and bussing everywhere, even in the cold (-4) temperatures.

Oh and also, I think I will give away my microwave. I rarely use it, and it causes cancer.

Winter Semester

My final winter semester began today. I'm taking 3 courses:

Pastoral Care (blah)
History of Christian Doctrine (yay)
Systematic Theology B (undecided)

Skunks Stink

On my way to church tonight I just about ran over a skunk. I slammed on the breaks so as to avoid hitting the skunk, not realizing that in self-defence, he (maybe it was a she, who knows) would spray my car. Well, spray s/he did.

And boy stink it did. Within 10 seconds the interior of my car smelled like a skunk-infested hell, rather than a Volkswagen Jetta. I turned off the heating, as it was drawing in all the spray from outside, but it was too late. The damage had been done.

I continued driving to church. Once there, I thought to myself hopefully the smell's not on me. Within about 10 minutes, 3 people were talking about "this skunk-infested neighbourhood", and that "someone ought to do something about it."

With great innocence, I agreed, "Yeah, you're right, it smells like skunks around here. I wonder where it's coming from."

After I overheard two more people talk about it, I decided that enough was enough. I'd carried the smell of that bloody skunk with me to church, and while s/he had managed to ruin my evening, I wasn't about to let him/her ruin other people's evening too. I picked up my jacket and left church.

I went home and threw all my clothes in the washing machine. I wanted to throw myself into the machine too, but alas, a I had to be content with a normal shower. My clothes are sitting here now on my drying rack. They smell lovely.

My nostrils, however, are still full of the sheit. Plus, the interior of my car still smells putrid. I will not drive my car for at least a week. Hopefully by then the smell is gone. I may even have to get it cleaned professionally. I never thought I'd spend money on a skunk.

Next time I'm not going to slam on the breaks in mercy. Instead, I'm going to aim for the frickin' thing and hope to hit it. We'll see who has the last laugh then.....

Family Pictures, Betty Apple's, & Risk

11:30am - met with family in Abbotsford to take family pictures.

2pm - went for lunch at Betty Apple's, a buffet lunch ideal for people who like lots of food-options, but not so ideal for people who like to eat good food.

3:30pm - played Risk @ mom and dad's with Ted, Karin, Neal, Tanis, and Terrence.

Bearded: One Year Later

It's been just over a year since I started sporting a beard. Here's a pic from just before Christmas last year:

Distant

I feel distant from God. I've been unable to pray lately, and I'm not sure why. Maybe it's because I'm nearing the end of my studies and I'm unsure where to afterwards.

I don't think I trust God to provide for me.

I'm also a bit angry. Not sure why.

NYE @ Cub's: A New Tradition?

I think a new tradition has birthed: New Year's Eve (NYE) at Cub's!

Last year I had a NYE party, and it was great fun. This year I had a party again, and on all accounts it was as good as last year, I dare say even better: great people, great atmosphere, great music, great dancing --> a great evening.

Thanks in VERY large part to my amazing amiga boliviana Claudia, who helped me plan and organize the party, I have to say it was a smashing success. She even took time out of her busy schedule and went shopping for the party with me yesterday. I'm truly greatful for such a dear friend!

So, without further due, here is how things went:

8:30pm - the "faithful" start to arrive; I use the word purposefully. The faithful were those who not only arrived on time, but upon arriving, noticed that Clau & I weren't quite finished with party preparations yet, so they rolled up their sleeves and in an amazing 30 minutes helped us finish all kinds of stuff: decorations, food & drink prep, lighting the candles, and a few other duties. Thanks to Paul, Glenn, Sanjit, and Linda especially!

10pm - people slowly started to trickle in. Many people contributed food, wine, and beer to the party! Thanks! As well, Clau got out the "party tricks" (masks and wigs), and while at first people were a little hesitant (this being in line with our reserved Canadian nature), once a few of us did it, the rest followed:

Sanjit, Connie, Clau, & Benjamin
















Benjamin, Steve, & Dan
















Connie, Clau, & Cub
















Carla & Clau

11pm - most people arrived by this time; the wine was good, the conversation was loud, and the music was even louder... some began dancing to, what else, Tears for Fears, nohting like music from the 80's...

Benjamin & Carla
















Hugh & Benny

11:30pm - I hauled out the sangria that I'd made yesterday: a mixture of red wine, ginger ale, lemonade, rum, gran marnier, and fruits. We filled everyone's glass, formed a circle, and then one-by-one, about 25 of us shared our joys and sorrows of 2006, and the challenges we hope to meet this upcoming year.

12am, Ano Domine 2007 - Happy New Year!!! Fröhliches Neues Jahr!!! Feliz Año Nuevo!!! Hugs, Prost!, estrellitas, kisses, Cheers!, popping ballons, Salud!....

12:01am - at this point the party kicked into high gear with nothing less than some Paul Oakenfold (Creamfields): Point Zero. Symphonic techno. People moving. The rhythm of life filled the room...

12:30am - after a few Oakenfold songs (I Found You, First Sight, Como Tu, 12, and Living the Dream), we switched gears back to 80's music, first Simply Red, then Tears for Fears (again). [I could've danced to Oakenfold allllllllllllllllll night long, but tragically my friends are not into electronica]. ;) Finally, we made one more switch, to Latin music.






























2am - by now, the crowd had thinned out substantially. Only the hardcore remained, still dancing, still having fun, still enjoying a great beat. The sangria was almost gone, all that was left were the fruits, saturated with wine. Oh yeah, and my apartment, it was a mess.

3:15am - I don't remember what time exactly the last people left. But I do know that around 3:45 I went to bed, totally tired, tollay exhausted, totally satisfied.

The party didn't go as long as I'd hoped, but I'm happy nonetheless, because as long as people were here, they had a good time. We laughed, we cheered, we shared, and we danced. What more is there? We had lots of alcohol, but not a single person was drunk. Isn't this how it shoud be? People enjoying fellowship without compromising God's image in us.

Next year I'd like to have a NYE party that lasts all night. Maybe if I provide a breakfast, people will come.... However, this being my last year in school, and unsure of where to after graduation, I'm not sure there will be a NYE's @ Cub's next year. It was a good but short tradition while it lasted...

Keeping in line with last year's post, here are the highlights of the party:

* people came! (a few more than last year)
* sharing-time
* sangria
* Clau's help --> without her it would never have been the same
* Paul Oakenfold
* Dancing

NYE Party Tonight

I feel much better about tonight's party then I did a few days ago. My friend Claudia told me she's coming, and that pretty much guarantees an element of "life" to the party that would otherwise not be there.

We met up yesterday and did all the shopping in preparation for the party: wigs, masks, streamers, balloons, sparklers; fruits, pop, bread, cheese, and chocolate. We even got some prizes to give-away.

Last night I spent a few hours making fruit-sangria (I found a simple recipe): red wine, ginger ale, lemonade, sugar, brandy (I didn't have any so I used grand marnier and some rum), and fruit slices. I used oranges, lemons, limes, pineapple, peaches, pears, and apples.

I expect people to arrive around 9, and my goal is that the party will still be going strong at 4am. In South America that would be a no-brainer --> stopping a NYE party before 6am there would make the party a yawner; but here, 4am would be quite a feat.

I'm also hoping to play a good variety of music: 80's, Latin, maybe some lounge, and electronica.