Saturday, December 31, 2005

Twelve Most Intersting Pictures of 2005

Street HumorWalking to SchoolThe DreamIt MovedSun DogAllan Bill Pond
Urban GridAlanaElbow RiverElbow RiverMustang SkyLeaves Grid Reflection

Flickr rates photos on 'interestingness'. When a pic breaks into my personal top twenty, I add it to the Most Instersting of 2005 set. Fifty One Photos from 2005 that flickr thought were somewhat interesting. I'll let you know when I get my first 'interesting' shot of 2006.

- Peace

Thursday, December 29, 2005

Treasure Box Game

Treasure Box an artistic point and click puzzle. Great artwork and interesting sound.

As seen on the Resonate Canada E-mail Discussion List.

- Peace

Friday, December 23, 2005

B.B. King Christmas

iTunes says I have 9.7 hours of Christmas music on file. It's an eclectic mix. Bruce Cockburn singing traditional Christmas songs from all over the world, One Bad Pig's Christmas Time from Swine Flew, Six pence None the Richer's cover of You're a Mean One Mr. Grinch from a radio sampler I was sent back in 96. It started out as a random collection but over the few years I've started looking out for unique Christmas music. I have six versions of Silent Night, got to have something to break that up.

I was in A&B Sound hoping to snag a last minute gift, no luck. While hunting I did stumble on B.B. King The Christmas Collection. I've always been attracted to the dark side of Christmas, so a collection of Christmas songs by a blues master just spoke to me. It's a great disk mixing classic blues and themes of Christmas both joyful and painful. B.B. King fits right in with the punk, techno, classical, metal, celtic and jazz that makes up my giant Christmas mix tape. May your Christmas have room for a little Lucille.

- Peace

Merry Christmas

Angel
We're getting ready to head to Edmonton for Christmas and fighting the flue. Yay! I didn't want to forget to wish you all a Merry Christmas!

- Peace

Thursday, December 22, 2005

Prayerful Imagination

crowds of people
traveling back to their home town
things to do
arrangements to make
our frantic Christmas season
same as the first

I don't know anyone
who would travel like that
with a mother expectant

why was Marry there
was it not safe at home
perhaps those who thought
Joseph should have divorced her, punished her
would make it so
if she did not journey as well

did some of then make it Bethlehem first
talking of Joseph and his 'bride'
and what should be done
and so there was no room at the inn

The manger was a safe place
simple, dirty but safe

Is that why they were still in Bethlehem
two years later?
Even in the days of Cesar Augustus
it did not take two years to be counted

the Prince of Peace has been entering
dark and painful situations from the beginning

my entry in our advent journal.

Tuesday, December 20, 2005

Pause for Christmas

1 Corinthians 13 - A Christmas version.

- Peace
Dave

Show us your beaver

While our City Council debates what to do with our zoo (half want to tear it down the other half want to make it a world class zoo) some of us just enjoy it while we have it.

This is Bo who was orphaned and rescued young so she can’t be released back into the wild. Bo loves attention and for the record beavers are VERY soft.

Watch out for the killer-vampire-beaver…

Bo isn’t biting she is actually doing a mating display. I guess my wife looks and smells good to all species.

Have a merry Christmas everyone; always remember whose birthday it really is.

Saturday, December 17, 2005

Fish For the Element

Now that I have the brag plate I guess I need to get one of those Fish for the Element.

- Peace

Friday, December 16, 2005

Not Clear on the Concept

I got this from a reliable source. It's a real goodbye email. The names have been changed to protect the silly.
As tomorrow is my last day with SomeCompany, I want to take this opportunity to say goodbye.

I have enjoyed my time with SomeCompany both professionally and personally, with the friends I have made here. I will miss SomeCompany but am looking forward to new challenges that await me in my new position.

If you wish to stay in touch, my email is bob@somecompany.ca

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year,

Bob

Sorry to break this to you Bob, but when you leave, they will turn off your email.

- Peace

Thursday, December 15, 2005

With Friends Like These

With conservative friends like Ralph Klein and George Bush does Stephen Harper need enemies?

- Peace

Tuesday, December 13, 2005

Dallas Willard on 'Quiet Times'

Quiet times as we have construed them do not work for most people. I suggest people set aside longer periods of time less frequently. We must have space for extended periods. Intensity in any discipline is so important. A shower ever few days is much more effective than a few small drips every day.

As seen on not all who wander are lost.

- Peace

Monday, December 12, 2005

Man loses bet by staying alive

Who needs life insurance when you've got bookies? Man loses bet by staying alive

- Peace

Sunday, December 11, 2005

Genuine Intimacy

Our culture is starved for community. It is hungry
for genuine intimacy since we no longer have the basic
social structure, skills or time to learn how to
develop it. Genuine intimacy requires deliberate and
dilligent practise. Simply to have the name church
does not mean we are a real community. Most churches
are quite atrocious when it comes to truly welcoming
strangers. If our churches will truly be Church and
nurture profound intimacy and generous hospitality for
which our culture is desperate, it will require
schooling, sanctification, sacrifice and suffering.


Marva Dawn's with Eugene Peterson from The Unneseccary Pastor. Another Peterson book I'm adding to my to read list. Thank Santosh for the quote.

- Peace

Heritage Park

Heritage Woman Spent a couple of hours on Saturday at Heritage Park with some folk from the Calgary Flickr Group. I've tagged pics from the adventure as CalgaryFlickrMeetUpDec05.

- Peace

Thursday, December 08, 2005

Anne Rice on the Historical Jesus

"What gradually came clear to me was that many of the skeptical arguments- arguments that insisted most of the Gospel were suspect, for, or written too late to be eyewitness accounts- lacked coherence... Absurd conclusions were reached on the basis of little or no data at all." ("Christ the Lord", by Anne Rice, pg 313, Knopf Canada)
Yes that's the same Anne Rice who was all the rage in the Goth sceen when I was growing up with her Vampire novels.

As seen on Emergent Voyageurs.

- Peace

Tuesday, December 06, 2005

WIFI in Inglewood

The Rouge or someone near The Rouge has an open WIFI point. :)

- Peace

Sunday, December 04, 2005

You Might Be Emerging If...

Mostly Visual Cues of the Emerging Church movement.

As seen on Waving or Drowning.

- Peace

It's Winter in Canada eh?

Yesterday morning it was about -18c (-0.4F) and I was standing out side of Wallmart ringing bells for the Salvation Army. People made a big deal of this, asking me why I was standing out side, would Wallmart not let me inside? They asked the staff who told them that yes they had asked me to come in. One woman bought me hot chocolate to drink, Thanks that was nice. Another said I deserved a medal and then put $20 in the kettle.

It's winter in Canada people! Have we forgotten what it's like to be out side in the cold? What does it say about our Canadianess if we're shocked that someone would prefer to be out side even in the cold. I had a touque, gloves, my warm leather jacket and hiking boots. I wasn't out there in shorts, thought I did see one guy in shorts yesterday. I don't know if it's just Calgary where we've gone form +18c (64.4F) to -18 in week or if modern Canadians have just gotten really good at avoiding the Great White North.

As for me, I'll take the kettle out side. It's Canada, it's Christmas, it should be cold!

- Peace

Saturday, December 03, 2005

For Tim and Jen

Element IdeaJoy
Jen and Tim seemed to need a bit more evidence that the brag plate was real. I hope this does the trick.

Thursday, December 01, 2005

IDEAJOY

Tuesday, November 29, 2005

Thankyou

Born A Couch Potato? Each Persons' Activity Level Appears Intrinsic, Possibly Tied To Genetics as seen today on /.

As big guy, who's a software developer, being active is tough. That's why the 3500km I did on my bike this year is big deal to me. So I'd like to thank the folks how helped make it happen.

Pedalhead Bicycle Works Calgary - their web page seems to be down but they're a great bunch of guys. Always great service in least amount of time for reasonalble $$$. Couldn't have done it with out them.

Rawleigh, Phil andd Joey for the fantastic trail rides. We'll need to do it again. Special extra thanks to Rawleigh for all the tech support on the trail rides :)

Thanks to Tim and Dale for helping me with a flat tire at Cornerstone!

Thanks to everyone who's encouraged me along the way with comments here, emails, IMs and in person. You'll never know who much it means.

- Peace

Friday, November 25, 2005

3500 km down, 3800 km in 2006

On the ride in to work this morning I passed the 3500 km mark, my goal for 2005. Thanks in no small part to a week of Indian Summer I've been able to do over 100 km this week. Just in time too, while I saw two people in shorts this morning they are calling for snow tomorrow. Ah Calgary.

I'm setting my goal for 2006 at 3800 km.

I have a bunch of people I want to thank but that will have to wait till tonight or tomorrow.

- Peace
Dave

Thursday, November 24, 2005

xmas / birthday wish list

I'm told I'm hard to buy gifts for. Luckily my birthday and Christmas are close and I only have to do one list.

One or more piglets!

Serenity DVD (Available Dec 20th)

Nintendo DS & Mario Kart DS

P.O.D. The Warriors Ep Vol.2.

Any of
The Contenplative Pastor,
Working the Angles
Five Smooth Stones
Traveling Light
Eat This Book [not out yet but feel free to order it in advance and just let me know it's coming]
Answering God
The Christmas Troll
Praying with Jesus
Like Dew Your Youth: Growing Up With Your Teenager
The Wisdom of Each Other
by Eugene Peterson

OPUS : 25 Years of His Sunday Best by Berkeley Breathed

Illinois by Sufjan Stevens

Mini Tri pod with flexlegs

Buzz Lightyear - any size.

- Peace

Wednesday, November 23, 2005

Jeremiah Lightyear?

I love the transformation that Buzz Lightyear goes through in the original Toy Story Buzz has to come to grips with the fact that he's not the 'Buzz Lightyear' but a 'Buzz Lightyear' action figure.

God said to Jeremiah:
Before I shaped you in the womb,
I knew all about you.
Before you saw the light of day,
I had holy plans for you:
A prophet to the nations--
that's what I had in mind for you

- Jeremiah 1:5

Buzz, like Jeremiah, was a created being. A being given as a gift, given as a blessing. I wonder if we need to wrestle with that the way Buzz did.

Anyone up for watching Toy Story again?

- Peace

Tuesday, November 22, 2005

Alana

Alana Alana
Two pics of Alana, a young lady who was taking a smoke behind one of the buildings in Victoria Park when the November Calgary Flickr Photo Stroll walked by on Sunday.

- Peace

Sunday, November 20, 2005

Walk the Line

Despite stumbling Walk the Line delivers a painfully beautiful look at Johnny Cash's origins and the love story between Johnny Cash and June Carter. While there are hints at Johnny Cash's faith in Walk the Line it's mostly absent, and anyone who's a Johnny Cash fan will notice.

Walk the Line gets the tension between Cash and Church people with a couple of key scenes and one of the best lines in the movie. What's missing is the tension between the music business and his faith. Sam Phillips is portrayed as the man who saved Johnny Cash from being a Gospel singer by getting him to sing songs he really believed. Columbia execs are concerned he'll alienate his Church going fan base by recording a live album at Folsom Prison. Missing is Cash pushing to record Gospel songs. Look back through the Johnny Cash's music catalog, the gospel songs are there over the objections of management, they're just missing from this movie.

While we're told that the Carter's are true Christians, we get no direct evidence of their faith other than their love for June and Johnny. [side note keep your eye on Ma Carter there's a great moment with her and a shot gun, but if you blink you'll miss it.]

OK so on the spiritual side Walk the Line loses it's nerve and swerves. You should still see this movie. Joaquin Phoenix is Johnny Cash. Reese Witherspoon as June Carter carries a perfect romantic tension that's slow, beautiful and painfully honest.

Other than the lack of Gospel tracks, the selection of Cash tunes in the movie is well done. I particularly enjoyed Joaquin's take on Johnny Cash finding his voice at the begging of the movie. Hearing Johnny Cash classics on the sound system at the teater is a treat in it's self.

Go see Walk the Line. Enjoy the Love story and the music. Then pick up the The Man Comes Around: The Spiritual Journey of Johnny Cash to fill in the blanks.

- Peace


Friday, November 18, 2005

Men in Black

Larry and I caught the Calgary Premier of Walk the Line, on Thursday night and we both showed up all in black. Neither of us would have thought about it except they were giving away Johnny Cash CDs to anyone all in black. I got the essential Johnny Cash and Larry got Cash. A free movie and free CDs not too shabby.

Review to Follow.

- Peace

Tuesday, November 15, 2005

Napoleon Dynamite Utah State Fair Ads

Who knew the Utah State Fair could be so hip? Vote Napoleon for Best State Fair Spokesman Ever!

Thanks to the Soul Pastor.

- Peace

What Is True Freedom?

So, since we're out from under the old tyranny, does that mean we can live any old way we want? Since we're free in the freedom of God, can we do anything that comes to mind? Hardly. You know well enough from your own experience that there are some acts of so-called freedom that destroy freedom. Offer yourselves to sin, for instance, and it's your last free act. But offer yourselves to the ways of God and the freedom never quits. All your lives you've let sin tell you what to do. But thank God you've started listening to a new master, one whose commands set you free to live openly in his freedom!

I'm using this freedom language because it's easy to picture. You can readily recall, can't you, how at one time the more you did just what you felt like doing--not caring about others, not caring about God--the worse your life became and the less freedom you had? And how much different is it now as you live in God's freedom, your lives healed and expansive in holiness?

As long as you did what you felt like doing, ignoring God, you didn't have to bother with right thinking or right living, or right anything for that matter. But do you call that a free life? What did you get out of it? Nothing you're proud of now. Where did it get you? A dead end.

But now that you've found you don't have to listen to sin tell you what to do, and have discovered the delight of listening to God telling you, what a surprise! A whole, healed, put-together life right now, with more and more of life on the way! Work hard for sin your whole life and your pension is death. But God's gift is real life, eternal life, delivered by Jesus, our Master.

Romans 6:15-23

Sunday, November 13, 2005

WWII FPS

Got to Love those World War II Shooters.

- Peace

Thursday, November 10, 2005

Saddleback Community Church

Mecca

Wednesday, November 09, 2005

The address says it all

Microsoft Corporation One Microsoft Way Redmond, WA 98052-6399 USA. Just screams Evil Empire doesn't it?

compare with

Apple Computer One Infinite Loop Cupertino CA, 95014 United States.

or

Sun Microsystems, Inc. 4150 Network Circle Santa Clara, CA 95054.

- Peace

Tuesday, November 08, 2005

The Kelowna Trip

I've heard people come back from conferences with the phrase "I was really blessed by this" and thought it was pretty much church speak for "nothing that really changed or challenged me happened".
Well, I was changed by it, challenged by it, and unspeakably blessed by it.

The most powerfull moments:
A girl talked about having been through a long period of self examination and feeling a failure. So she began to lead what she called "the un-examined life". Simply accepting God's love for her was now her daily struggle.

The leap of faith was metaphored using a spider and a long and philisophical discussion ensued. Then Dave used Spiderman 2 to bring it back to relationships and the importance of authenticity. Who knew Spiderman 2 was so profound? (well apparently Dave did)

Just hanging with Dave and LT. Two big guys with gigantic hearts. Four and a half days that grew my mind, my heart and my spirit.

Thanks Dave and LT. and the conference organizers. It was awsome

kelowna forum

Len has posted a quick summary of the day. I enjoyed hearing various bits of people stories, as they were shared. While I'm a big fan of the net, meeting in person comunicates so much more.

I'm posting my pics of the Kelowna Pilgramage on flickr.

- Peace

Saturday, November 05, 2005

Kelowna

In Kelowna with LT, Mike and about twenty other folks takling about
Faith, Hope and Love in a liminal space. Wish you were here. Random
details when I get back.

-Peace

Thursday, November 03, 2005

Blog Via Email

The hotel we'll be at this weekend says it has free wifi. So I should
be able to blog updates from my Ipaq. Gmail works well from my ipaq
so I thought I'd test the blog via email feature.

- Peace

2nd Leighton Tebay Celebrity Breakfast

Read with you best monster truck announcer voice.

Leighton Tebay of TheHeresy.com fame with be in Calgary for breakfast
on Friday Nov 4th. Joining him will be Michael Fox, Kris Hill and
Dave King of IdeaJoy obscurity.

If you'd like to join the celebrity breakfast drop me an email. We'll
be meeting at Humpties on Southland and Elbow drive at 7 am.

- Peace

Tuesday, November 01, 2005

Nov 1 First Snow

Snow Streetlight
Ok we've had fluries before now, whiteouts even but nothing that really stuck. Tonight was our real first snow. If you're thinking, "That's a day late" you're an Albertan. More First Snow Pics.

- Peace

Monday, October 31, 2005

Dallas Willard, Forcing Religion

Forcing religion on the young, even though it makes no sense to them is a major reason why they graduate from Church about the same time they graduate from high school and do not return for twenty years, if ever.
From Willard's discussion of Pearls Before Swine: when good things become deadly in The Divine Conspiracy. One example of where Willard takes quite a different view than most. Here he focuses not on the swine being the issue but the pearls. A pig can't eat pearls, what else would they do but attack one who feeds them pearls.

- Peace

Friday, October 28, 2005

Skywalker

Skywalker

Thursday, October 27, 2005

Blogger and Comment Spam

From Keeping Comments Clean in the blogger help files.

Blogger has several built-in measures for dealing with comment spam and other associated dastardly behavior.
...
3. You can choose to receive notification by email when new comments have been posted on your blog. This way, you can monitor them for spam and delete them when necessary.
4. You can enable word verification for your comments. This will require an extra step in the commenting process, which will deter automated comment spamming systems.


They need to improve #3 by adding enough information so you can find the comment. The post title and perma link needs to be included in the email. I now I have two comment spams sitting in my archives, but no idea where. One of them came after enabling #4.

- Peace

Wednesday, October 26, 2005

Does Visual Studio Rot the Mind?

reminding on the Psychology and Aesthetics of Coding By Charles Petzold. As seen on /.

Been wondering the same thing about Eclipse. After using it for a couple of years now, I find wring code in plain old jEdit quite a jump. When I taught I used jEdit and PFE before that. Students raised on VB would complain and I'd point them to The dumbing-down of programming part one and two. Seven years later and I now use code completion cause it comes with eclipse and a bunch of good refactoring tools. Is it a step forward? I'm not always sure.

- Peace

Tuesday, October 25, 2005

Time Waster

Grid Game reminds me of the Game of Life. Best Score so far 1905.

Thanks Shane.

- Peace

Saturday, October 22, 2005

home wifi working

Did this post on my ipaq.

-Peace
Dave

Update: so while the post came through I had to log onto blogger to publish it. I guess I need to find and up to date pocket pc blogger tool.

Friday, October 21, 2005

Dreamer

Normally I'd handicap a family sports movie at something like 80 to 1, but Dreamer paid off. It's a heart warming movie about a Father, Daughter and Grandfather following their dream of raising a champion race horse. Dreamer plays lightly on your heart strings drawing you into this family of horsemen. The group I saw it with cheered at the end.

My daughter was the cynic of the group, saying it was just like Seabiscuit (2003) . The last horse movie I saw was The Black Stallion (1979), so I can't say.

BTW we were given three free tickets to see the movie.

- Peace

Thursday, October 20, 2005

Millrise Sunrise

Sarah took this while wating for the bus. I think it's breathtaking. Yes I'm a proud dad! She's set up her own flickr account.

- Peace

Wednesday, October 19, 2005

3300 km, best year ever!

I passed the 3300 km mark on the ride home last night. Making 2005 my best biking year ever in terms of distance. Last year I did just over 3200 and previous to that my best year was 2500 km in Edmonton in 96 or 97. Even if I don't get the last 200 kms for my goal of 3500 it's been a good year.

- Peace

Sunday, October 16, 2005

Making sense of Genesis 1

Further support for this palace-temple conceptualisation is found in the final act of creation: the forming of humanity, male and female, in the image of Elohim. Long the subject of debate, the image of God language makes a great deal of sense within the palace-temple context. After all, what is the last thing placed inside the deity’s house, if not his image? So here in Genesis 1 on the last creative day, Yahweh fashions his own image and places it in his palace-temple.

...

This, it seems to me, is nothing other than the ancient version of the recently formulated Anthropic Principle, which in its various forms reflects the fact that the fundamental structures of this world, the observed values of its cosmological and physical quantities, appear to have been fine-tuned with human existence in view. To observers both then and now there are strong hints that this creation was designed for us. And Genesis 1’s answer, it seems to me, is not so much concerned with the "how" in the technical or mechanical sense as it is with the "who," namely, Yahweh.

A couple of quotes from Making sense of Genesis 1 by Rikk Watts. As seen on dead apostle.

- Peace

Batman Begins

Kim and I caught Batman Begins at the cheap theaters on Saturday. Other than the sub par title this a movie true Batman fans [me] and Batman novices [Kim] could enjoy. Did a great job of tying together Bruce Wayne, the murder of his parents, who his parents where and the formation of Batman. Goes into why Batman is not vigilante and where his sense of justice comes from. It comes out on DVD this week, but I'd catch it on the big screen.

BTW you'll need to check what you know about microwaves and physics at the door.

- Peace

Elizabethtown

Saw this film with Kim and Sarah. With Orlando Bloom [Lord of the Rings] and Kirsten Dunst [Spiderman] how bad could it be? It's a movie that about how people sleep walk through their lives and how we need to wake up, but this movie never seems to wake up and sleep walks though everything.

There is some interesting imagery that's just wasted. There's a scene where a giant burning dove descends into the crowd and Kirsten Dunst character goes into stewardess mode and escorts people to safety. Thing is the dove means so much more, but here we have heroine escorting people back to their safe lives. The movie just doesn't gel.

The sound track was a brightspot to the movie and might be worth checking out on it's own. Pity U2's pride in the name of love didn't make the album.

BTW I given three free tickets to see Elizabethtown.

- Peace

Friday, October 14, 2005

Searching for the Joy - 27

1Ki 8:66 - "And on the eighth day he sent the people away, and, blessing the king, they went to their tents full of joy and glad in their hearts, because of all the good which the Lord had done to David his servant and to Israel his people."

God showed up.
The temple had just been completed and as the ark of the covenant was put in its place and just as the priests came out the house was filled with the glory of God. It was so intense that no one could go back in. The people were happy that God had blessed them in this way.

We pray for revival in our church quite a bit. It would be so cool if God chose to show up like that again. And yet this revival in Israel didn’t last. In only one generation they would split the kingdom and begin a downward spiral that would end with them back in slavery from where Moses led them. The real trick is to be faithful and full of joy when there is no evidence at all that He is there.

Wednesday, October 12, 2005

Goat Creek Ride

On Saturday Rawleigh and I rode the 43 km from the top of Goat Creek (up in the mountains, south of Canmore) to Banff and back to Canmore. It's one of my favorite rides. It's mostly down hill. We did it in about 2 hours 45 minutes of ridding, about 3:20 including stoping for pics. We left the Element at the bottom in Canmore. I've posted 76 pics.

- Peace

Monday, October 10, 2005

Happy Thanksgiving eh!

Before Jeremiah knew God, God knew Jeremiah; "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you." This turns everything we ever thought about God around. We think that God is an object about which we have questions. We are curious about God. We make inquiries about God. We read books about God. We make inquiries about God. We read books about God. We get into late night bull sessions about God. We drop into church from time to time to see what is going on with God. We indulge in an occasional sunset or symphony to cultivate a feeling of reverence for God.

But that is not the reality of our lives with God. Long before we ever got around to asking questions about God, God has been questioning us. Long before we got interested the subject of God, God subjected us to the most intensive and searching knowledge. Before it ever crossed our minds that God might be important, God singled us out as important. Before we were formed in the womb, God knew us. We are known before we know.

...

All wise reflection corroborates Scripture here. We enter a world we didn't create. We grow into a life already provided for us. We arrive in a complex of relationships with other wills and destinies that are already in full operation before we are introduced. If we are going to live appropriately, we must be aware that we are living in the middle of a story that was begun and will be concluded by another. And this other is God.

My Identity does not begin when I begin to understand myself. There is something previous to what I think about myself and it is what God thinks of me. That means that everything I think and feel is by nature a response and the one to whom I respond is God. I never speak the first word. I never make the first move.

Before we ate an amazing meal Thanksgiving meal prepared by my amazing wife, I read this section from Run With the Horses by Eugene H. Peterson. Thanksgiving is all about us responding to what we've been given and this section seemed like a good fit.

- Peace

Sunday, October 02, 2005

Cornerstone Festival Web Site Announcement

Starting in mid-October CornerstoneFestival.com will become a much more exciting and interactive place to be. For starters, we'll begin hosting several discussion boards covering music, movies, and current events. And that's not all--you'll have a chance post to reviews and rate select albums, concerts, TV shows, books, and films each month. Please check back soon to sign up and get involved.

[link]

-Peace

Friday, September 30, 2005

The Greatest Game Ever Played

Mark Frost has adapted his novel The Greatest Game Ever Played, to a screen play of the same name produced by Disney. It's the story of how a 20-year-old golf amateur beat British champion Harry Vardon at the 1913 American Open.

It's a very American movie, meritocracy good, aristocracy bad. The movie drives that point home like a punch that repositions your nose. To top it off the reporter covering the story is named Darwin, subtle touch that. Now don't get me wrong, I prefer living in a meritocracy over living in an aristocracy I just don't get all sentimental about it. At least the movie takes a critical look at both American and British aristocracies.

I really enjoyed how the mental aspect of the game was worked in. There are dramatic visualizations showing us how the players tune out the world around them and focus on the hole while fighting their mental daemons. In fact the visualization of the game is one of the strongest parts of the movie. A video game that combined the mental aspect of the game and followed the ball the way it was shown in the Greatest Game Ever Played just might live up to that title, at least for the the golf genera.

Other than those two points the movie is about what you'd expect from a Disney sports movie set in 1913. Underdog takes on champion, wins the girl. There some genuine humor and very touching moments. It would work as a non chick flick date movie if your date is a sports fan.

You can read other reviews at Rotten Tomatoes

Disclosure: I was given two free tickets to see the movie.

- Peace

Thursday, September 29, 2005

It Moved

It Moved

Searching for the Joy - 26

1Ki 4:20 - "Judah and Israel were as great in number as the sand by the seaside, and they took their food and drink with joy in their hearts."

Background:
This is part of the introduction to Solomon’s reign. The people were happy because it was good times and Solomon was a wise king.

Where’s the Joy:
In the story The Last Unicorn, King Hagred became obsessed with the unicorns because they were the only thing that made him happy. Sometimes the secret to happiness is simply to know when you have it good.

Peregrinations anyone?

LT, Mike Fox and I will be heading up to Len's Peregrinations: An
Emerging Church Forum Event the first weekend in November.

LT is going from Saskatoon to Edmonton to pick up Mike and arriving in
Calgary November 3rd, staying over at our place and the three of us
will head out to Kelowna Friday Nov 4. in my Honda Element.

The Element seats four, we have an extra space. This space is for you if:
  • you're headed to Peregrinations or just want to spend the weekend in Kelowna
  • can stand up to 12 hours with three computer geeks
  • can stand being forced to listen to the Lost Dogs and related bands,
  • mp3s from a Pink Floyd tribute band and what ever other odd selections
  • I add to the play list (One Bad Pig to Maesha Brueggergosman)
  • live somewhere along the path from Saskatoon, Edmonton, Calgary, Kelowna
  • don't mind sharing gas costs
Just drop me a line.

- Peace

Wednesday, September 28, 2005

Shane Blake's Review of Serenity

Loved it. Absolutely loved it. First, about the fact that the movie is an extension of a failed television series: On the ride home I wondered aloud how it would be received by someone who'd never seen the episodes of the TV show. Jennifer informed me that she'd forgot most of the characters and almost all of the plot lines, so I'd guess it won't be much of a problem for anyone else.

The movie is nothing if not intense to watch. By the time the credits started to scroll and the house lights faded up, I was experiencing the rather odd mix of exhaustion and adrenaline. The pace is even and quick and the transitions from side splitting humor to absolute shock and/or disbelief are sudden and often jarring. Make no mistake; this movie is absolutely exhausting to watch. Probably a few too many of the boogie-man type gotcha's for my taste, but just as many of those shocking moments are from unexpected plot twists that will have you elbowing the stranger next to you asking "did that really just happen?"

In summation: well written dialog, both witty and sincerely human, coupled with exciting action in a quick paced story line, make for a Grade A movie going experience. Whether or not you were a fan of the TV show Firefly or completely new to its characters and worlds, Serenity will have you wanting to join the crowd of fans begging for the return of the series. My suggestion? Go see it on the big screen.


[link]

On my list of things todo this weekend. That and the Western Canada Java Software Symposium.

- Peace

Sunday, September 25, 2005

The question?

Been wondering if we're asking the right questions lately, but it hasn't crystalized into a blog post, but it did while talking to LT on google talk. So here's it is with some [minor edits].

leightontebay: Are you still thinking of going to len's conference in Kelowna?
[deleted details]

Dave
: is there a link?

leightontebay
: http://www.nextreformation.com/forum.htm

Dave
: Peregrinations: An Emerging Church Forum

leightontebay
: yes

Dave
: he does love big words

leightontebay
: He does

Dave
: you know I think it comes down to the fact that we don't love people
we get all up tight about marketing, post this or that
structure
if we were loving people the church would be growing
all the rest would follow
I think there's a real danger of using all this to avoid asking the hard questions
why aren't we loving people

leightontebay
: You make a good point
I'd also say that we have redefined Christianity in such a way that it doesn't mean following Christ anymore.

Dave
: I wonder if the PoMo thing is the same avoidance as the church growth movement
Yeah I'm reading Dallas Willard and he's making the same point
I wonder if the whole PoMo storm has ripped away what was rotten
but we shouldn't be looking to replace it
cause it will just rot the same way

leightontebay
: You have been doing some thinking

Dave
: The fact that we haven't weathered the PoMo storm well means we're not built on Jesus
It's not about adjusting to the storm
but getting back to Jesus
But that hasn't been modeled for a really long time
or it has but it's not what we've been paying attention to

leightontebay
: You are right
I'm part of something that has totally stripped away most of the structure

Dave
: yeah, need to blog this stream

leightontebay
: In the end we are left with ourselves and we find that we are part of the problem

Dave
: The problem with the world is me [I think I quoted GK Chesterton]
Mind if I blog this rant as is?

leightontebay
: I'll say that I really like being part of a house church, I do find it better than regular churches (and I attend one with my wife off and on now) but if we stopped there we wouldn't be much further than we were when we started.
Feel free to blog this

Dave
: thanks
need some sleep if I'm going to hit my mile stone
- Peace

leightontebay
: ok
good night

I should note that I was talking to LT without reading all that Len has posted about the forum. I think there's some great stuff there, I just worry that more basic things can get lost in the larger PoMo church coversation.

Update: having had a chance to sleep on it I realized I should post the links that got me thinking along these lines. Jordon posted a link to Earl & the AG Pastors and Jason posted a link to Rick Warren's Turning attendees into a part of the family. Now there are great things in both articles , but it struck me that both make church all about me, what you need to reach me as a potential church member. Neither article makes the hard work of loving one another key.

John 13:34 & 35
Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples--when they see the love you have for each other


Jesus still has great appeal in the world, it's the Church people are leaving. It seems clear to me it's because we're (I'm) not living this command. We can avoid the issue by focusing on all the secondary issues of how we reach modern/post modern culture but with out knowing and living in God's love it's waste of time.

- Peace

3000km down 500 to go

Passed the 3000 km mark on the way to church this morning. 86% of the way there!

That puts me at least five days ahead of schedule, I was't planning on hitting 3000 till sometime in October. It's a nice change, I've been behind most of the year.

- Peace

Thursday, September 22, 2005

Mat & Lisa


Had a great time taking pics of Mat and Lisa. Though it seems to have gotten to Mat.

- Peace

Wednesday, September 21, 2005

Is Evolution a Creation Myth?

Is Evolution a Creation Myth? It depends on how you define the words "creation" and "myth." Sometimes the word creation implies the existence of a creator. In other contexts, however, the word creation implies the thing has come into existence or been created and how it came into existence or was created. Perhaps it would be better to say, therefore, "Evolution is a myth about origins -- about the universe, how it came to exist and how it came to take on the attributes we now observe."

[link]

- Peace

Tuesday, September 20, 2005

Top Speed of a Squirrel

19.31 km/h or 12 mph. I was wondering cause one of the little guys was keeping up with me past several houses just after I climbed up out of Fish Creek on my morning ride yesterday.

Welcome to the team!




My brother in law is now permanent resident of Canada. We gave him the Team Canada jersey to celebrate.

Friday, September 16, 2005

New Pedro The Lion Song

David and TW are busy working on the new Pedro The Lion album. We'll be posting a few demos along the way. The first one is called "The Devil is Beating His Wife" and you can hear acoustic and electric versions on our page at PureVolume.com. Keep in mind that these are rough demos... the final versions will be much different. Check back often for more new songs.
as seen on pedrothelion.com

- Peace

Thursday, September 15, 2005

The gift that is given


Took my camera along for the ride to work on Tuesday, on the off chance the Fish Creek was still flooded. If I couldn't make it to work by bike, I might as well get some picutres. Fish Creek was fine but they were blowing out the sprinkler system at a park near here and the sunlight coming through thre trees and the mist was fantastic. What a great time to have my camera with me. Check out the other pics.

- Peace

Wednesday, September 14, 2005

The Real Emily Rose

The Real Emily Rose was a german teenager who's troubles lated from the time she was 16 until her death at 23. It's a sad story.

- Peace

Searching for the Joy - 25

My note:
I have been away for a while and I am glad to be back. I will try to post at least weekly.

1Ki 1:45 - "And Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet put the holy oil on him and made him king in Gihon; and they came back from there with joy, and the town was all worked up. This is the noise which has come to your ears."

Background.
Adonijah and his guests heard the noise from where they were and thought this was a good sign but it was really the end of his bid for the throne.

Where's the joy.
I would make a proverb of this verse:
When everyone is cheering, make sure it is for you before you take your bow.

Jesus said, "If you are invited to a wedding feast, don't always head for the best seat. What if someone more respected than you has also been invited? The host will say, 'Let this person sit here instead.' Then you will be embarrassed and will have to take whatever seat is left at the foot of the table! Do this instead - sit at the foot of the table. Then when your host sees you, he will come and say, 'Friend, we have a better place than this for you!' Then you will be honored in front of all the other guests. For the proud will be humbled, but the humble will be honored." Luke 14:8-11

Finding joy in the humble place is a skill that I am still working on.

Tuesday, September 13, 2005

First Frost


First Frost
Originally uploaded by djking.
This morning was the first time I noticed frost on the Element. It's still offically summer! Ah Calgary.

- Peace

Saturday, September 10, 2005

Silent Bell

Silent BellI started working on 3rd St early 2004, this bell was on the corner of 3rd and 5th ave sw. People, including me would ring it every once in a while. This spring I noticed the clapper had gone missing. It hasn't been replaced. I don't know if it was vandals or bureaucracy that silenced the bell, but a silent bell is a sad comment on the state of our collective spirit. I'm sure Robert G. Peters for whom the bell is a memorial would not be impressed.

- Peace

Friday, September 09, 2005

The Exorcism of Emily Rose

"Well that was stupid" - the comment of a young lady as we filed out of a preview showing of The Exorcism of Emily Rose. I wondered if we had seen the same movie, it was anything but stupid. To be honest, going in I expected to have the same reaction. I was expecting a dreary movie about how evil can get to anyone and there's nothing much anyone can do.

Instead The Exorcism of Emily Rose is a thoughtful and carefully crafted movie using elements of horror to tell it's story. While there are moments that will make you jump, most of the story is told with a very understated, almost documentary style, making the horror elements much more effective than blood or gore ever could. It was very much like watching a mystery, it's not clear till the end what point the movie is trying to make or how this drama will end. Just when I thought I had it figured out there was another angle to consider.

I find that I can't buy into the movies explanation of why Emily is afflicted, and I don't want to give to much away by explaining it. However I did enjoy that there is more than one spiritual battle going on here and they're not all big obvious forms of evil, but some mundane and systematic forms as well. This layered approach gives the movie an authenticity and depth often lacking from movies about the 'devil'.

I should tell you I have given two free tickets to see the preview. Steve went with me and enjoyed it as well. I'm taking my daughter Sarah to see it this weekend, it's well worth seeing.

- Peace


Wednesday, September 07, 2005

[Illiad] THINKING ABOUT KATRINA

Illiad is the cartoonist behind User Friendly, he has a one off strip expressing his thoughts about Katrina that's worth a read.
As a cartoonist I'm expected to make social commentary, using satire and humour to ridicule wrongdoing. Sometimes though, both words and pictures fail. That some humans in New Orleans began preying on the weak and helpless at the first opportunity is a blistering indictment on how little we've progressed as a species. I'm still numb from the stories of serial rape followed by throat-slitting in the women's restrooms in the Superdome. There are times I am convinced that we don't know how to live in this world.
[link]

- Peace

Monday, September 05, 2005

No Wife, No Girlfirend, No Trek

Andy visits the ready-room for some captainly advice from Patrick Stewart.

Ok it's an obvious joke, but it's well done.

- Peace

Elbow Valley


Did a great ride today with Rawleigh and Phil along the Elbow River in Kananaskis Country, just west of the city. We had a blast.

- Peace

Saturday, September 03, 2005

Mohawk

Mohawk
Cause you've always wondered if I could be scarier.

- Peace

Friday, September 02, 2005

20.2 km/h, best ride to work ever!

Ok so 20.2 km/h isn't very fast, but it was my average speed to work yesterday. Last year I was getting up into the 19.x range when I got hit by a truck and was off riding for six weeks. This year has been on and off for riding so my average has been up and down, 15 on my worst days, 19.x on my best, but never over 20 till yesterday. Big Grin! Will let you know when I break 21.

- Peace

Tuesday, August 30, 2005

2500 km down, 1000 to go

Passed the 2500 km point as I crossed 17th Ave on the way home tonight. Felt good. A day early too!

- Peace

Sunday, August 28, 2005

Amanda and Peter

Wedding Party, Pine Lake Alberta Canada

Update: I've uploaded 32 pics from the Wedding.

Saturday, August 27, 2005

Quick Return


What I love about Fish Creek is how you can escape the city, in the city. This sceene brought me back in a hurry. Ok yeah there's an over pass, but you just kinda edit that from your mind when you're there.

- Peace

Friday, August 26, 2005

Prototyping Blues

See if this situation rigs a bell: a manager tells you to build a proof of concept to test the look and feel of a new application. You hack for a week straight, day and night, producing some of the ugliest code you have ever seen to make the Big Demo. After all of your hacking, the meeting is a huge success and everyone loves your prototype. Then someone asks you how long until the application is deployed. You respond with a reasonably worked estimate of six to nine months. The feeling in the room quickly changes like someone just stopped the music in a bad 80s show. No one understands why its going to take nine months to build something that they already see in front of them. No one is happy anymore. Uh-oh.

from Interaction Happens: Prototyping Techniques
by Jonathan Simon

That's a leson I learned early, where the client didn't understand why it would take three months to build a system they 'saw' after three days of prototyping. Good to know I'm not alone.

- Peace

Wednesday, August 24, 2005

Women in Ministry

Mara and I were talking about women in ministry on Sunday and I promised her I'd find LT's post Why I think women should be church leaders. I thought his take on 1 Tim 2: "I permit no woman to teach or have authority over a man" to quite insightfull.

- Peace

Monday, August 22, 2005

DVD Tip: Use subtitles when commentary is on

I'm not a big fan of most DVD commentaries, cause they talk over the dialog in the show. My Big Fat Greek Wedding being a notable exception. Last night while starting to watch Firefly: Out of Gas with the director's commentary on; it dawned on me to turn to go back and turn on the subtitles. Much better, I could follow enough of the show to remember what the director was talking about.

- Peace

Saturday, August 20, 2005

Stacked Rocks, Kids

P8200055

I told the kids who stacked these rocks by the Bow River that they could find the pic by googling IdeaJoy. So here it is.

- Peace

Slept With a Motorcycle Momma Last Night

Yeah I'm surprised too. There was a week of intense activity and then things cooled down. I was wondering if anything was going to happen. Then last night it did. Kim got here Motorcycle license on her second try!

Congrats Love!

- Peace

Friday, August 19, 2005

Pope John Paul II considered Billy Grahm a Brother

Billy Graham had never met a pope until John Paul II invited him to Rome in 1981. Ushered into the papal apartments by the Vatican's famous Swiss Guard, Graham marveled at the pomp. He and the pope chatted like long-lost friends for half an hour, swapping photos, gifts, and travel stories. Before Graham left, John Paul II reached over, clutched Graham's thumb, and told him, "We are brothers."

[Christianity Today]

I wish more of us on both sides of the Cathlolic Protestant divide could follow John Paul II and Billy Graham's example in how to get along.

- Peace

Tuesday, August 16, 2005

In case you missed it

J got engaged! Congrats to the happy couple, you're both in my prayers :)

- Peace

Spare ¢ for Ninja Lessons

Street Humor I thought this guy's sign was brilliant. Most panhandler signs are tales of woe, this guy's sign read: Friend killed by Ninjas. Spare ¢ for Ninja Lessons. An outrageous take on the woe is me sign. He saw my camera and hid his sign, so I told him I'd pay him for the shot. He put it back and I snappedd the shot. I then paid him $3, and he was happy with that. Ssaid he'd use it to buy lunch. I guess Ninja's only work for small change.

I took a few pics of street people on Sunday. One is was a guy sleeping under a tree at Western Canada High School. And the other was a couple of guys on a bench in the park with a guitar. I wondered about taking the pics, I don't want to be voyeuristicc with other peoples pain and difficulty. However to exclude the homelesss from my shots of17th ave would have made them invisible and that's just too easy to do. I went with the 'if it's interesting to me, I take the shot' rule. It's the same rule I used for everything, everyone else.

- Peace

A Day Late and 50 km short

Passed 2200 km mark this mornings, but as the goal for Aug was to go from 2000 km to 2500 km that's a day late and 50 km short. Still doable just need to get at it.

- Peace

Monday, August 15, 2005

I hate Mondays.

At least when they go with news like this. Please insert words that make sense here, cause I just don't have them.

Update:
I just got off the phone with Jordon and he's in very good spirits, he cheered me up quite a bit. How does he do that?

- Peace

CBC locks out employees

As a result there was eyeopener this morning, and it really threw me off. And not only is morning show not there, but they took the web page down too. Now what's that point of that?

It's funny how you get used to things. Sarah says I'm a CBC addict. I used to dismiss that charge, but I may have to reconsider.

[story @ CBC]

- Peace

Guess

Anyone want to take a guess at what this is?

- Peace

Calgary Flickr Meet Up


Shots I took yesterday at the Calgary Flickr Meet Up. Will post some favorites soon.

- Peace

Saturday, August 13, 2005

Poetry and Prayer

Most men and women in North America today are equally uneasy with poetry and prayer. Insofar as we let the culture depersonalize us -- turn us into nonrelational technicians and consumers -- we lose our capacity for intimacy both in language (poetry) and before God (prayer). The recovery of either prayer or poetry doesn't guarantee the recovery of the other, but it certainly encourages it.

Eugene Peterson, note 3 from Chapter 19: Theology -- David and God, Leap Over A Wall.

- Peace

Friday, August 12, 2005

WLW and WRW are down

Dean is reworking blogs4God so Who Links Who and Who Reads What are down for now. Will have to see where things go from here.

- Peace

Wednesday, August 10, 2005

Searching for the Joy - 24

1Ki 1:40 - "And all the people came up after him, piping with pipes, and they were glad with great joy, so that the earth was shaking with the sound."

Background
King David had become ill and was dying. David was so sick that Adonijah was planning to userp the throne without waiting for David to die figuring that David could not possibly oppose him. But King David had another plan. He quickly gathered Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada and instructed them to proclaim his son Solomon king. So in the presence of the people they anointed Solomon and proclaimed him king and the people responded with such an outburst of joy that it literally shook the earth.

Where’s the Joy
“Long live the King” I saw the scene in a newsreel — people shouting, waving, blowing noisemakers. Soon there will be another shaking: Heb 12:26 “Whose voice was the cause of the shaking of the earth; but now he has made an oath, saying, There will be still one more shaking, not only of the earth, but of heaven.” When the king appears I’m hoping to be shaken but not stirred. Well maybe a little of both.

Monday, August 08, 2005

My Morning Commute: Single Track, Butterflies

two wheels on single track
high green grass brushes past me
butterflies, orange and black, scatter by the dozen
a cloud of flight bursting before me

- Peace

Thursday, August 04, 2005

Real Curves?

in the end, you simply can't sell a beauty product without somehow playing on women's insecurities. If women thought they looked perfect -- ?just the way they are -- why would they buy anything?

These Dove ads say it's cool to be round and hefty ... so long as your skin is taut and firm and perfect. But what's that, you say? You love your real curves, but you've got a little cellulite? Girl, run out and buy our hocus-pocus cream right now! Those cottage cheese thighs are vile! Dear God, cover them up!
from When Tush Comes to Dove By Seth Stevenson, a good article on Dove's new add campaign.

- Peace

Searching for the Joy - 23

2Sa 6:15 - "So David and all the men of Israel took up the ark of the Lord with cries of joy and sounding of horns."

I was a long time Calgary resident and as such I was a big, (and might I say die-hard) Calgary Flames fan. This was a pretty disappointing proposition because in those years our rival city, Edmonton, practically owned the Stanley Cup. Then, one year, it finally happened. We won the cup. There was a huge celebration on the ice as the players took turns skating the huge cup around the rink. The entire town went berserk and people literally danced in the street.

This is what it must have been like; the great symbol of God’s presence with the children of Israel entering at last the king’s city.

Where’s the Joy
I should remember that I have a symbol too, a cross. A symbol that He loves me, was willing to pay anything for me. I should be dancing.

Tuesday, August 02, 2005

Predators Needed

When wolves left an area near Banff, elk became more common, a meadow replaced willow trees and songbirds were replaced by sparrows, biologists say in one of the first large studies of the role of predators on the land they live on.

[CBC: Banff food web shows sharp differences without wolves]

- Peace

Monday, August 01, 2005

Faith, Art, Tech...

Have you heard the one about Bono, the Pope and the airport Security guy?

[thanks beth]

- Peace

The police phoned, thank you very much!

thistle  near fish creekWe got a call from the Calgary Police service this morning.

Officer: Mr King this is the Calgary Police, officer [I forget his name].
Me: yes, good morning.
Officer: Have you lost anything?
Me: not that I know off, I misplace stuff all the time, but I can't think of anything at the moment.
Officer: do you know where your wallet is?
Me: Should be in my napsack... Should I describe it for you?

He had my wallet, with all my Id, some money and my PDA. Someone found it in or near Fish Creek and turned it into the police. I went and picked it up. Every thing was there and fine. Only thing I can think of is it must have fallen out when I stopped to take a picture.

A Huge Thank You to who ever turned it in. It's nice to have your faith in your fellow man reinforced.

- Peace

2000 km down 1500 km to go

I passed the 2000 km mark yesterday. I did 250 km in just over a week. I know I said things needed to be perfect for that to happen, but they weren't. I had a bent crank that was causing bizzare things to happen with my shifting. It took them a couple of tries but the PedalHead boys figured it out. And it may have taken two trips but both times they worked on it right away and had me ridding again in no time.

- Peace

Sunday, July 31, 2005

Clip from today's sermon


Powered by Castpost

The clip in question was from point four 'Why I love my bike computer, my digital camera' in my sermon today. The idea was that the camera and the bike computer help me to keep track of the bigger picture not just the here and now of biking. I find I need both. My bike computer is my motivation.

We had a small group, maybe about 30 people. Over all I think it went well, we had a fair bit of participation and I got possitive feedback. Mosty that the change in format really engaged people and kept their attention. Course as somone who fills in once a year or so they go easy on me.

- Peace

Preaching Half a Sermon Today

I'm filling in for Steve and I've decided that I'm only preaching half the a sermon. I'll be sharing ideas about biking and asking for interperation, but not providing any. This will take some discipline, my natural tendency is to explain things.

Here's my out line:
  1. I was given my first bike
  2. A bike is an invitation
  3. Great variety in the types of bikes
  4. Why I love my bike computer, my digital camera
  5. Biking is social
  6. Biking is counter cultural
  7. Everybody falls but we're called to ride
It's will be brilliant or totally crater. I'll let you know.

- Peace

Friday, July 29, 2005

boondogs

listening to the boondogs, a Calgary Little Rock, Arkansas band that Reverend Joyleaf pointed me to. Liking it so far.

- Peace

Thursday, July 28, 2005

Warning Links Ahead!

IdeaJoy is Evil. Course you knew that, but the reasons may surprise you. From Tim, a blogger who prefers blogs without links:
it's often tough for me to venture onto other blogs. My reading addiction takes hold and I loose track of time. With Kiihnworld and IdeaJoy especially, I get hooked into linking and surfing farther than I should. They always provide such enticing links that I have to force myself to stick with blogs that donÂ?t link, lest I travel into the hinterlands of cyberspace. When I go to their sites, I start taking some quiz on what kind of 1960s TV show I am, then I'm looking at comic book characters, then I'm reading Augustine, and I get lost and never update my checkbook or send out the invoices that I originally sat down to do.
That's from a post where he's lamenting that his wife knew about google maps before he did, Thanks to IdeaJoy and Kiinworld.

Speaking of Google maps, they have a new feature: Hybrid Mode. It mixes road and location names with satellitelite images. Here a great example shot of 'Dog River'.

Dog River is the fictitious town from the Canadian sit com Corner Gas. Sarah and I passed the set on the way to Cornerstone and took a few shots, here are a couple of them.



You can view the individual shots here.

- Peace

Monday, July 25, 2005

Lance Armstrong's Victory Speach

Finally, the last thing I'll say for the people who don't believe in cycling - the cynics, the skeptics – I'm sorry for you, I'm sorry you can't dream big and I'm sorry you don't believe in miracles. But this is one hell of a race. This is a great sporting event and you should stand around and believe.

Sunday, July 24, 2005

1750 km down 1750 to go

I passed the 50% point on the way to this year's biking goal. I'm a bit behind, I need to do about 250 km in just over a week to reach 2000 km by the end of July. If this week is goes just perfectly then I'll make it. But perfection is rare.

- Peace

New Logo

The new version of the IdeaJoy logo is made up of small samples taken from my cornerstone pics.

- Peace

Saturday, July 23, 2005

Friends of Cornerstone

Posts here have been a bit light as I've been catching up on posts about Cornerstone over at the Friends of Cornerstone.

- Peace

Thursday, July 21, 2005

User Firendly Grenade Machine Gun

[image]

Scarry thing is I don't think it's a spoof. One of the images that ImageBurst brought up today.

- Peace

Tuesday, July 19, 2005

War of the Worlds

Saw War of the Worlds on Friday with my brother in law in Regina. Bullet point review
  • It's mostly about suspense, and it does that really well.
  • Cruise plays a rouge who can't make it in the domesticated world but does well in crisis.
  • quite faithful to the book, but an Americanized version of the story.
  • Spielburg draws on 9/11 to interpert how we'd react to an allien invation.
  • Spielburg is paying close attention to how we justify things. There is a great sceen where the main character uses a line that was just used against him in a previous sceen.
  • there are a couple of feel good 'hit back at the Alien' sceens towards the end, but this a very dark and depressing movie. Much more than Independace Day or V that both draw on the War of the Worlds concept.
  • well worth seeing, but not a date movie

- Peace

Friday, July 15, 2005

visiting

Kim's having a ladies night so I?m in Regina visiting my in law's wifi.

-Peace

Festival, Funeral, Wedding

Heading to Moose Jaw for a Wedding. Back on Sunday.

- Peace

Wednesday, July 13, 2005

Searching for the Joy - 22

2Sa 6:12 - "And they said to King David, The blessing of the Lord is on the family of Obed-edom and on all he has, because of the ark of God. And David went and took the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom into the town of David with joy."

Background.
David was taking the ark of the covenant back from Judah to David’s city but rather than having the priests carry it by hand they put it in a cart. Along the road the cart became unsteady and Uzzah touched it to stop it from falling and God burned Uzzah up on the spot. The procession stopped and the arc stayed there for three months and Obed-edom was greatly blessed during that time.

Where’s the Joy.
The people were celebrating because the arc signified God’s presence. Can you imagine it? People shouting, “The arc is here, now God will live among us.” I have had a few times in my life when I felt very close to God. They have been some of the most joyfull of my life.

Thank you!


I need to say thank to Roy (left) Tim and Suzi (right) for their hospitality.

It was great to meet Roy, he's soft spoken with a great sense of humor and he bought Sarah and I breakfast at Perkins in Fargo. The Halo effect is from the rain left on the lens after dashing into the restaurant. The back ground pick is shot through the element's windshield at 8 am in the morning. Roy and I agree Rook is evil!

Tim and Suzi are 'Friends of Cornerstone'. Suzi attended my blogging seminar at Cstone 2003 and has been blogging ever since. She's recruited Tim, her Sister and other friends into blogging. Not only did they have us over for a fantastic BBQ at Cornerstone but had us over to their house in Minneapolis for a wonderful evening of food and conversation. That Suzi would even consider having company after getting back from Cornerstone amazes me. We had a great time.

Thank you.

- Peace

Tuesday, July 12, 2005

More Cornerstone Pics!


I've posted more More Cornerstone Pics!

Monday, July 11, 2005

Sarah In a Helicopter At Cornerstone




Sarah took some fantastic shots from her Helicopter Ride at Cornestone. Will post more of out pictures this week.

- Peace

Friday, July 08, 2005

Searching for the Joy - 21

2Sa 1:20 - "Give no news of it in Gath, let it not be said in the streets of Ashkelon; or the daughters of the Philistines will be glad, the daughters of men without circumcision will be uplifted in joy."

David is grieving after the death of Saul. In the passage, that is part of the song he composed after Saul’s death, he is asking the listener not to tell their enemies that the king is dead or else they will have cause to rejoice.

Where’s the joy?
I’m just overwhelmed by David’s compassion. Saul had hunted David and tried on numerous occasions to kill him. David knew that he was next in line for the throne and yet he is deeply sorrowful at Saul’s death. In spite of everything it seems David truly loved Saul. Oh that I could learn to love like that.

Wednesday, July 06, 2005

Back, Heading out to Nova Scotia

Had a great time at Cornerstone 2005, just as I did with 2003. Also like 2003 I've returned to the news that someone close has died. In 2003 it was my friend John who died of brain cancer. Today it was my Grand Mother. She had been in good health but suffered a stroke about two weeks ago. When I spoke to my mother before leaving for CStone they were hopeful that my Grand Mother would recover.

My Grandmother was in her late 80s and lived her life well. Still it's a shock.

I have a 7 am flight to the east coast. Will be back on Sunday.

- Peace

Tuesday, July 05, 2005

Searching for the Joy - 20

1Sa 25:36 - "And Abigail went back to Nabal; and he was feasting in his house like a king; and Nabal's heart was full of joy, for he had taken much wine; so she said nothing to him till dawn came."

I needed to look up the story again to get the context.
David’s men had protected Nabal’s wool cutters and after asked Nabal for his hospitality. Nabal, however, sent back a harsh reply and this infuriated David who swore to kill Nabal and every male in Nabal’s house. One of Nabal’s servants told Abigail, Nabal’s wife what had happened. She took it upon herself and prepared cakes of bread and wine and brought them to David. She pleaded for David’s mercy saying to him that he should not take revenge into his own hands. David listened and relented.

Abigail had to wait until the next morning to tell Nabal because he was drunk. When she did tell him his heart left him. The Lord sent a disease upon Nabal and 10 days later he died. David would then marry Abigail.

Where’s the joy
Abigail got out from under an evil and cruel man and got to marry a king. That’s the stuff of the brothers Grimm.

In Minneapolis

Had a great time at cornerstone 2005. Feels like we got a bonus night, Suzi and Tim had us over for supper and conversation. We talked music, books and culture. A cstone evening for sure.

Will be home on Thursday.

~Peace

Thursday, June 30, 2005

so close

We're having breakfast, we're about an hour north of cstone. Hi lights so far:

We found dog river!

Yesrerday we had breakfast with Roy of Dispatches from Outland.

Pictures and details when we get back.

Peace

Tuesday, June 28, 2005

Searching for the Joy - 19

1Sa 18:6 – “Now on their way, when David came back after the destruction of the Philistine, the women came out of all the towns of Israel, with songs and dances, meeting David with melody and joy and instruments of music.”

David defeats Goliath. It is one of my favourite stories in the bible. God shows his power and blessing on David. I have to confess I’m usually one of the guys cowering off in the corner when the Goliaths of life show up.

Where’s the Joy
The women here are celebrating David’s victory. Somewhere out there, for every Christian, there is someone who is praying for them, encouraging them, and when they have victories, joyfully celebrating with them. Lord help me not to let them down.

Monday, June 27, 2005

Cornerstone or Bust

Element is fuled and packed
IPod play list has been set
Bikes are loaded
Tent has been set up cleaned up and repacked
Idenity Papers, check
US Cash, check
Route ploted and printed

Ok we're good to go. See you in Ten days. Will be camping on the north side of this lake near Bushnell IL. It's Cornerstone 2005.

Mike, Richard, Kris post something eh? I may or may not be able to post from the road.

- Peace

Sunday, June 26, 2005

1500 km down 2000 to go

Just did 22 km that puts just over the 1500 km mark. That's 42.8% of my goal for the year. Was hoping to be at 50% before leaving for Cornerstone tomorrow, but that's not going to happen.

June was just over 500km. Here's my best guess at the way the rest of the year will go:
July 500 km
Aug 500 km
Sept 400 km
Oct 300 km
Nov 200 km
Dec 100 km

That would get me to my goal of 3500 km. Yeah I know that's a dry post, but it keeps me motivated.

- Peace

Saturday, June 25, 2005

Zed's Testimony

For all you going away to camp this summer :)

[link]

- Peace

Why On Earth (Or Elsewhere) Am I Enjoying Christian Rock?

Self described secular humanist and a diehard shoe-gazer Daphne Carr explains why she likes some Christian bands. Love the last paragraph in the article

If there's anything Sufjan Stevens has learned from Christian rock's lectures, or for that matter from 2,000 years of Christian narrative, it's that the best mix of sacred and secular comes by contextualizing lived experience, offering narratives of God's impact on broken lives rather than open-ended invitations to be part of the story. In his songs, the faithful doubt and doubters are not cast aside. There's a place for the dismayed secularist, perhaps even a chance to strike up a chat with a boy in a hoodie about the seemingly irreconcilable gulf between Christian rock's intentions and the alternative nation's focus on resulting aesthetic objects. Now that there's good Christian rock, it's an argument worth having.

Story as seen on Thunderstruck.

- Peace

Thursday, June 23, 2005

Things I learned from my bike

At PedalHead the phrase "If you're not falling you're not ridding hard enough" is quite common. I've been thinking about falls. Nobody aims to fall, everyone does. Yes even Al of PedalHead fame, I've seen it happen. Falls can be celebrated, but we also try out best to avoid them. There's an easy way not to fall - don't ride; but that's missing the point.

I'm thinking this is a close match to sin in my life. We're called to love, and I fall short all the time. It's tempting to focus on sin avoidance by withdrawing from life and love, but that's missing the point. If I deny that I sin I'm liar. I can celebrate my sin but I'm called to love not sin.

- Ride on

Searching for the Joy - 18

1Sa 11:15 - "So all the people went to Gilgal; and there in Gilgal they made Saul king before the Lord; and peace-offerings were offered before the Lord; and there Saul and all the men of Israel were glad with great joy."

My first thought upon reading this was, “These people are crazy. They are celebrating doing the very thing that God told them not to do. God said He would be their king.”

Then I looked a bit more. Just before this God’s spirit fell on Saul and he organized Israel and they won a great victory against the Ammonites. After the victory the people wanted to make Saul their king and called for the death of those who were opposed. Saul, however, showed great clemency in saying, “There shall not a man be put to death this day”.

Where is the joy
The people had someone who could lead them to victory and this gave them confidence and joy. We too have someone. Jesus, who is the rightful king, gives us hope for victory over the enemy, over our flesh, even over death. How good is that?

Tuesday, June 21, 2005

Searching for the Joy - 17

1Sa 6:13 - "And the people of Beth-shemesh were cutting their grain in the valley, and lifting up their eyes they saw the ark and were full of joy when they saw it."

The Israelites had suffered a terrible defeat at the hands of the Philistines. Their army defeated and the ark taken by the enemy but God used to ark to give the Philistines all sorts of problems and they brought it back to the Israelites.

Where is the joy
It is always encouraging to see something which says, “God hasn’t given up on you.” The Lord will never give up seeking us or searching us.

Monday, June 20, 2005

Path to Work



Southwest of Calgary, a dam breech threatened the hamlet of Priddis. It caused a local creek to rise by a metre in a few hours.
[story]

I've been told the Priddis dam is on fish creek, that may explain why bridge 11 is now down stream of where it was. I've posted more Fish Creek flood pictures at flickr.

Looks like I'll have to ride on McLeod Trail at least till the creek goes down and I can see if bridge 10 survived. It was still there on Sunday but was cut off by water.

- Peace

Saturday, June 18, 2005

Zimbabwe a Tradition in Stone


For what it's worth

You scored as Emergent/Postmodern. You are Emergent/Postmodern in your theology. You feel alienated from older forms of church, you don't think they connect to modern culture very well. No one knows the whole truth about God, and we have much to learn from each other, and so learning takes place in dialogue. Evangelism should take place in relationships rather than through crusades and altar-calls. People are interested in spirituality and want to ask questions, so the church should help them to do this.

Emergent/Postmodern

79%

Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan

75%

Neo orthodox

71%

Classical Liberal

46%

Charismatic/Pentecostal

43%

Reformed Evangelical

43%

Fundamentalist

36%

Roman Catholic

29%

Modern Liberal

21%

What's your theological worldview?
created with QuizFarm.com

Friday, June 17, 2005

Searching for the Joy - 16

1Sa 2:1 - “And Hannah, in prayer before the Lord, said, My heart is glad in the Lord, my horn is lifted up in the Lord: my mouth is open wide over my haters; because my joy is in your salvation.”

This is the beginning of a beautiful and awe inspiring prayer by Hannah. She doesn’t really even mention specifically what the Lord had done for her, praising the giver rather than the gift.

Sometimes I doubt God’s salvation. I know I shouldn’t but I do. Herein is the root of my struggle to find joy. If I knew the fullness of my salvation in Christ there would likely be no problem finding joy. 1 Pe2:2 it says “You must crave pure spiritual milk so that you can grow into the fullness of your salvation. Cry out for this nourishment as a baby cries for milk,”

Lord give me the spiritual nuourishment I need so that I will know the joy that is in your salvation.

Thursday, June 16, 2005

Eugene Peterson is my favorite heritic

One of the Devil's finest pieces of work is getting people to spend three nights a week in Bible studies.

Religion, is the major defense we have against God.

By the time you get to be my age you get to be very skeptical about anything where there is a great amount of enthusiasm because it's going to be something else next week.

[link]

- Peace

Searching for the Joy - 15

Jud 19:3 - "Then her husband got up and went after her, with the purpose of talking kindly to her, and taking her back with him; he had with him his young man and two asses: and she took him into her father's house, and her father, when he saw him, came forward to him with joy."

This is probably the only happy bit of this particular story as it shortly becomes an object lesson in how deep into sin Israel had fallen. There is still much joy here. A husband attempts to reconcile with his wife and a father in law greets a son in law with joy.

When we have a break in a relationship we should seek reconciliation. Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God.

Wednesday, June 15, 2005

New Apple Switched Ad

Steve Switched from IBM.

- Peace

Tuesday, June 14, 2005

Searching for the Joy - 14

Jud 16:25 - "Now when their hearts were full of joy, they said, Send for Samson to make sport for us. And they sent for Samson out of the prison-house, and he made sport before them; and they put him between the pillars."

Another tough one. The Philistines are celebrating, they’ve captured the mighty Samson and plan to have a little fun with him now that he is blind.

The joy:
Even after Samson had clearly sinned, and abandoned his vows as a nazarite. God heard his prayer. Samson was redeemed (his hair grew back as a sign (Jud 16:22)). God restore me.

Monday, June 13, 2005

Searching for the Joy - 13

Jud 9:19 - "If then you have done what is true and upright to Jerubbaal and his family this day, may you have joy in Abimelech, and may he have joy in you;"

I had forgotten about the story behind is about so I looked it up.
Jotham is the youngest son of Gideon (Jerubbaal). His other brothers were ruthlessly murdered by their brother Abimelech (Jud 9:5). Jotham’s response to this is to give them a scathing and sarcastic rebuke starting in Judges 9:9.

What Jotham is saying is “You have about as much chance of being happy with Abimelech as king (and he with you) as you as you did right by killing my brothers.” He is calling a curse upon them.

So where’s the joy?
I guess I’m glad that God treats me with kindness and grace and not as I deserve. He could hold a grudge or cast a curse on me. Instead by His Son He offers to cleanse me of all my unrighteousness, forgive me, heal me, and bless me. I can only say “Thank you Jesus for the cross”

Guest blog: the Book Meme

This is Beth, the owner of the blog for Get Up Off Your Knees: Preaching the U2 Catalog. Dave tagged me awhile back to post on the book meme that's going around, and I need to start by thanking him for letting me guest blog my reply here since the U2 Sermons blog has defined itself so narrow and objective a topic that a post about my own personal book habits is out of bounds. And...connect them all to U2, Dave? Just watch me.

How many books do I own?: Gaaa. Like 500? Book-buying is a hazard of being a pastor, I'm afraid. A lot of spirituality, liturgy, Bible commentaries, Bibles, and that kind of thing. Also books on culture and sociology, some poetry, a little fiction, books on cooking, books in French.

Last book I bought: "Charles de Foucauld et la fraternité" (I'm in France now, so English books are slim pickings and very pricey), an anthology of early 20th-century French hermit and missionary de Foucauld's writings with commentary. His prayer "Father, I abandon myself into your hands..." was used often at the first congregation I served in seminary and is still a favorite of mine. Forced U2 connection: He had a call to serve the poorest of the poor in Africa and lived a life centered around adoration.

Last book I read (i.e. finished): "The Debt Threat: How Debt Is Destroying the Developing World" by Noreena Hertz. It's about why debt cancellation in the Third World is not only a moral imperative for the West but is also in our best self-interest. The writing is a tad too casual for my taste but the story behind the debt, which I imagine few American readers know, is staggering to read; and overall of course it's a hugely important topic. U2 connection: Not forced at all. There's a Bono blurb on the cover and the first sentence of the book has Bono in it. Even British PhD experts on economic globalization can no longer write on debt or Africa without bringing Bono into it now.

5 books that mean a lot to me:
The Bible particularly Psalms/ Isaiah /2 Corin. U2 connection: Do you have to ask?
The Seven Storey Mountain, Thomas Merton's autobiography. Played a key role in my conversion, since it was where I caught the vision of an intellectually and aesthetically coherent faith in Jesus. Forced U2 connection: Merton complained in one of his journals about how hard it was to live the Christian life "with the spiritual equipment of an artist."
Confederacy of Dunces. Just a hilarious novel. Forced U2 connection: I know someone on the @U2 staff who also loves this book. "My valve!"
Bird by Bird. When you come down to it I'm a writer, and this is the best book on writing I know, especially wonderful for its honesty about self-doubt and its Christian aura (made much more explicit in later Lamott works). Forced U2 connection: Like some Irish celebrities we could name, Lamott also uses profanity and is madly in love with Jesus.
The Journey of Desire. I went through the workbook of this last fall in connection with decision to take a year of pilgrimage with my husband. I love the point that the Christian life calls us not to settle for less by either killing our desire or misidentifying its true object. U2 connection: "I Still Haven't Found" happens to be quoted as an epigraph, but in a wider sense the whole topic is one of U2's favorites.

Many thanks again to Dave for being such a good sport about this and letting me appear on IdeaJoy.