In the news...

Sometimes it is hard not to feel grim about this world, and how badly we take care of it. Wikipedia has an In the News section on their front page. This is what it read this very morning..

• American businessman Bernard Madoff pleads guilty to the largest investment fraud in U.S. history.
• Cougar Helicopters Flight 91 ditches in the Atlantic Ocean near Newfoundland, Canada, killing 17 people.
• An oil spill in Australia's Coral Sea is reported as Queensland's worst environmental disaster (affected Sunshine Coast pictured).
• A school shooting kills at least 15 people in Winnenden, Germany, and another shooting spree kills at least 10 people in the U.S. state of Alabama.
• A suicide attack kills at least 28 people and injures 57 others in Baghdad, Iraq.
• Two British soldiers from the 38 Engineer Regiment are fatally shot in County Antrim, Northern Ireland.

Three shootings, one suicide attack, a crash, and two environmental disasters... Ironic perhaps, that the last item in the news is this...

• NASA launches the Kepler spacecraft, a mission to search for Earth-like planets.

Unless there is some sort of awareness that we are perhaps not doing a very good job at being stewards to this earth at being Ambassadors of Christ's reconciliation why would we look for other Earth-like plants.

It is not the case that I am currently in some kind of state of disillusion and unbelief at our failures. Reading these few news items serves more as a reminder of the enormous task, and our call or renewing - one step at a time.

sporadic ramblings

It is mid February. I must be honest in saying that I have not longed for summer this much before in my life. I am tired of the dark and cold days. I do not enjoy being confined to four walls for most parts of the day. I honestly crave the opportunity of enjoying a meal outside on a patio, I long for the long evenings where the sun doesn't seem to hurry to get to the other side of the world, I desire to go to places randomly and not having to worry about frost-bite.

I also think that is probably the saddest and dreariest way I have ever started a blog. After all things are actually quite well in my life right now. I am listening to Beethoven's Piano concerto No. 4 in G Major and while I don't really know what that all means, it is very soothing. February 2009 means also that I am rapidly approaching my graduating date. This semester has been filled with many responsibilities and opportunities, however, has been cast under a shadow of a significant lack of motivation to achieve the best I can. While being challenged in my classes and even more so in conversations with friends outside of class I am struggling to push myself to critically engage a lot of the big ideas floating around.

Currently I am interning at Cardus (A Public think tank with a comprehensive view of changing our world) for course credit, and it has to be the most interesting course I have partaken in. My official "title" is research intern, which means that I get to assist in the research projects Cardus has going on. For me the most exciting part has been to partake in the Stained Glass Urbanism research. It is hard to describe in few words what I get to do - most simply put, however, I get the chance to research what the role of the church as an institution is within the urban context. How does a church relate to its city, how does it cultivate and nurture a healthy relationship with urban life in the city not just its Sunday worshipers. That kind of stuff gets me going and accordingly I am enjoying this internship quite a bit.

Back to the summer, there are many things to look forward to. The most obvious is my mom's wedding and being able to see all my family and loved ones and having all of us together for the first time in a while. However, that alone doesn't make me excited about the summer. I greatly anticipate living with many of the same guys as last summer at the Catacombs, numerous other weddings, being done school, and going to Holland and Barcelona (Lord willing).

Fear and Hope

It scares me that this thing called black Friday is such a huge happening in our society. I am sure many have heard that a Wal-Mart employee was trampled to death. Some thoughts from people involved as

However, according to ShopperTrak a Chicago based organization that tracks consumer spending we can be encouraged because spending on black friday was up from 10.3 billion to 10.6 billion. Read this "encouraging" testimony by their co-founder.

"Under these circumstances, to start off the season in this fashion is truly amazing and is a testament to the resiliency of the American consumer, and undeniably proves a willingness to spend," ShopperTrak co-founder Bill Martin said in a statement. So please do not worry the life of a person is well worth the 10.6 billion dollars of consumerism.

However, there is something this time that we can be hopeful for, we can face east and realize that while we live in this time of darkness the sun is rising and a new light will come. I find hope and anticipation in the words of Isaiah 9 which bring us this hope

To Us a Child Is Born

1 Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the Gentiles, by the way of the sea, along the Jordan-

2 The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
a light has dawned.

3 You have enlarged the nation
and increased their joy;
they rejoice before you
as people rejoice at the harvest,
as men rejoice
when dividing the plunder.

4 For as in the day of Midian's defeat,
you have shattered
the yoke that burdens them,
the bar across their shoulders,
the rod of their oppressor.

5 Every warrior's boot used in battle
and every garment rolled in blood
will be destined for burning,
will be fuel for the fire.

6 For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

7 Of the increase of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David's throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the LORD Almighty
will accomplish this.

Faithfulness

Currently reading:

The Fabric of Faithfulness - Steven Garber
Jesus Wants to Save Christians - Rob Bell

Currently musical love:

Simon and Garfunkel - Wednesday Morning 3AM and Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme
Sufjan Stevens - 5 set Christmas CDs - it's a bit early I know
Hymns... lots of hymns.

Faith

Sola fide - the doctrine of justification - the idea that we are justified by faith alone. We are made right with God by our faith not by our actions. I think it is something I have assumed for a long time. I don't think I have thought about it to much though. Being raised in the Calvinistic tradition it is perhaps something that is often just assumed. Dr. Payton made me think about this again... these thoughts are mainly his or at least by inspired by his words.

Romans 3: 21-24 tells us "But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." This being made right with God is through faith in Christ. Through faith alone, not through deeds because we all no matter how good fall short to God. However, being justified through faith alone does not mean that we can sit on our lazy bums. It is not a one time, and now we are good for life commitment.

Yes, only by faith we are justified. However, faith is not something that stand on its own, it can't. Without the body of believers nourishing our faith, without being challenged in our faith, our faith stands alone. When it stands alone is cannot be living. Faith in Christ is not an one-time thing, it is something that changes over the span of our life. We sin and get raised again with Christ, we fall down and get picked up by His love that we can see in the body of believes. If this, our faith, is this one time commitment it is dead. We run the danger of becoming a mouse in a cooke jar, to steal an idea from Soren Kierkegaard. All around us are Christians who have made a faith commitment, and their faith might be alive, but they are all around us, and so we assume we are also a Christian whose faith is alive. However, we need to be aware that our surroundings don't determine where we think our faith is at. Perhaps my faith is not something living, and I am just someone trusting on the idea of justification throug faith.

To me being safe in a Christian environment is a huge encouragement, however, within my heritage we run the risk of thinking we are cookies. Whether it is in our church, school, or work communties our faith should not be lazy, it should spur us to a more active life rooted in Christ and the faith we have received by His grace.

The importance of urban places

I am a bit of an urban junky, unfortunately Redeemer's campus is not located int Downtown Hamilton, but right on the rural-urban fringe - (and it is being surrounded at an alarming rate by suburban development and a new fire-station). Therefore, when I visit downtown, I don't have my own place, I don't have a place that I can call my home, sure there are a few friends in that area, and my church is within walking distance of the downtown core, however, I have come to appreciate the importance of urban places. (To define urban places - I mean places within a distinctly urban area, in which one can engage the surroundings, experience the city, share time with friends, or just simply relax.)

Now Hamilton is full of urban places, some a bit dysfunctional, and some on the upbeat. One of these places for me is the Farmers Market. Right amidst one of the less attractive developments downtown Hamilton has seen in the the later half of the 20th century (that is the complex which includes Jackson Square, City Centre, Copps, the Library, and the Market itself) the market is a great urban place. The market doesn't claim to be a true local, all Hamiltonian market and rightfully so. The Farmers Market is kind of a mosaic. Your ethnic foods, breads, veggies, Deli, flowers, or crafty soaps are all available inside this big hall which is the Farmers Market. Whether you need a rabbit for dinner, the best deal on bagels in town, or some ingridients for oriental type of cooking you are at the right place.

Another urban place worth checking out in Hamilton is the FRWY cafe (Freeway). Depending on when you go you will either find the relaxed atmosphere of a coffee house, an art show featuring local artist, salsa dancing lessons, or even church. One thing is always present - good coffee. The Coffee house is run throught the church community that meets in the very same place. The FRWY is a place where community is central - whether meeting there for a coffee or partking in their church community - the FRWY is all about enriching deep community.

Another place is Mixed Media - located on James St. North it has been instrumental in the revival of the arts community in Hamilton. While being mainly an arts supply store, it is also a gathering place for those in the James St. area. One of the main things that Mixed Media has encouraged is the James St. Art Crawl - not only is it a great initiative because the street is closed off dor any moterized traffic, it has also been voted the best place to take a date in Hamilton... Just so you know.

What all these places have in common is that they provide the Hamilton community with unique experiences and places. They seek to enrich the life of the city, they increase the public life of a city, they provde places where we can engage with others, places where we can live out the gospel, places where we can challenge and be challenged.

Some things YouTube has to offer

Feist alters here 1,2,3,4 song for Sesame Street - I like.



Simon and Garfunkel and Frank Lloyd Wright - A combination of great architecture, with great songwriting



Worth every single minute of the 8:55 - Bob Dylan - Hurricane



A brief reminder

What's keeping my thoughts busy...

Here are a few articles and topics that have kept me busy (at least my thoughts) - maybe I will expand on this in the near future.

Regarding Worship I think Brian McLaren gives us an insight into the state or church worship today. Read the article here.

Cardus (formerly known as the Work Research Foundation) published an article by Steven Garber on Proximate Justice. This article gives us an insight into what Mr. Garber was talking about.

How can we as Christians within this post-modern (ultra-modern, creative-anti realistic) world keep to the truth - to Christ. How can we encourage people to seek for the truth, but not become relativistic regarding our own faith.

Why do people equate being Conservative or Republican to being Christian... Shane Claiborne has some things to say about this in his book Jesus for President. <---- that's a link to a short video

Lastly, when will there be proportional representation in Canadian elections!! Please!! See this submission to the Ontario's electoral reform committee or if you are interested and have some time, here are a number or thoughts about the issue of proportional representation.

Hamilton

Uncle Willem

Tuesday April 15th, 2008 I became an uncle - I am so excited! Her name is Anna Jasmijn. And she is beautiful. I am so happy for Jeroen and Jacq -I can't wait to see them sometime hopefully soon.

The baby girl and the new family

It was my birthday the week before, and I had the opportunity to see the Jays for the first time. It was a blast, they look a bit streaky right now, but I think they can make the play-offs this year - for sure!

In other news - 3 more exams (2 - gym 1 - take home). I love exam time, it is quite relaxing especially with weather like this (24C) I can't wait. The last Church in the Box is tomorrow. Syd Hielema is speaking - the theme will be Christ the Redeemer - come out of you can. 7PM.

Future plans

So, lots of future plans all confirmed in the last couple of weeks - God is Glorious

1. Finish this school year
2. Live with awesome guys and have a great summer on Glancaster rd. - staying in Hamilton
3. Painting - lots of it, it will be my summer job, and I am very excited, I will be working with some awesome people
4. RAing with James Cuthbert
5. Leading a ministry that I have come to love (CITB), very exciting, should be very stretching and challenging as well.
6. I am sure there is a six... but I forget.

The greatest albums ever

Best albums ever, perhaps, according to me...

(just so you know I love live concerts made into albums)

Simon and Garfunkel - Concert in Central Park

The interaction you get to hear between the two artist on stage is amazing. Like they say, "there is nothing like a neighbourhood concert". Simon and Garfunkel give us stories, it is like every song is another narrative, it makes you feel at home.They were and still are amazing.

Babyface - MTV Unplugged 1997

Mainly a song writer for R&B ans soul artist, babyface is a musical genious. Besides that, the songs that he records himself, comparatively there are only a few are masterworks, in which he cuts deep by talking about pretty significant issues. Songs like How Come, How Long, and Change the World are just... brilliant.

David Crowder Band - A Collision

They are just awesome, they combine, old school traditionals, hymn's, and their own songs with key-tar's, synth's, weird voice overs and Jesus. Let's say it's a beautiful collision of melodies, words, creativeness, and meaning.

Bob Dylan - The 30th anniversary Concert Celebration

Bob is brilliant, on this double-disc great legends come together with him and vocalize some of his greatest tunes. People like Tom Petty, Willie Nelson, Johny Cash, Stevie Wonder, Tracy Chapman, Lou Reed, and of course Bob Dylan himself give a new character to each song, it is really refreshing, in an old folk songwriter kind of way.

Nelly Furtado - Folklore

She reached her artistic and musical peak with this album. Songs like Try which became quite popular are honest and brutally open stories. Saturdays the best song on that album (according to me) is a one-time recording without any practicing in which the laughing and mistakes are not cut out, it shares the story of her youth helping her mother clean hotels on saturdays. Please old Nelly come back, I don't like the promiscious girl you are trying to be.

Thanks Felix.