800 km down 800 km to go

Biking to work this morning I passed the 800 km point for the year. I also passed the 400 km point for May. So I think I can safely set 1200 km as my goal for end of June. Even in Calgary June tends to have less snow than May, so I should be able to beat 400 km for June. You may or may not remember that 1200 km was my total distance last year.

- Peace

It's a little long, but I think this quotatin does a decent job of summarizing Peterson's point in Under the Unpredictable Plant.

"...I was with a person who treated me with great dignity. Or, more particularly, he treated my God-interest, my prayer-hunger with great dignity...It was accomplished by means of Reuben's prayerful listening. He had nothing to tell me, although he freely talked about himself when it was appropriate...Reuben assumed a stance of wonderment. In his company, I also began to enter into wonder. For his attentiveness was not to me, as such, but to God. Slowly his attitude began to infect me - I gradually began to lose interest in myself and got interested in God in me."

Although this book is about the vocation of a pastor, this seems like a good stance for all Christians to aim for.

Roll up the Rim and say ah

Roll up the Rim and say ah
That wouldn't be a bad idea in Calgary. Getting a familly Dr. is like playing the lotto. Anyone else had problems getting a Dr. in Canada or else where?

- Peace

Survived my first group ride in two years.

Did the Sibald Flats Ride, last night. Talk about a misnomer, the first half of the ride is up and down like crazy. I was able to keep up with one young lady who's a new rider, she was very timid heading down hill. I was much slower going up so I caught up with her at the base of each climb. Two other guys bailed and took the short cut to the easier part of the path, so I guess I wasn't dead last ;) Realy need to work on my climbing.

Took one unplanned dismount, but didn't bend, twist or break anything on the bike or myself so it's all good.

The next PedalHead Group Ride is June 2,in Fish Creek, at the south end of Elbow Drive. Just 3km from my house. Luckily it doesn't conflict with the Stanley Cup Schedule.

- Peace

Attitude and Behaviour Survey

Bene Diction links to an American survey on Christian Attitude and Behaviour towards the poor. The major draw back of the survey is that it never defines the term poor, but asks what you think of poor people, are they lazy, unlucky, hardworking, kind?

There are lazzy poor people, there are working poor people who most of us could never keep up with, there are people who are down on their luck and people who are trapped in addiction. I just don't think the survey captures the complexity of poverty, or allowed me to express the view that the causes are specific to each person.

- Peace

Old School NHL Fan

From Greg Grant of the Online Folk Festival via email.

Old School NHL fans pull for teams in this order in
any playoff series:

1) Your team
2) The team playing the team you most enjoy hating
(ie, Red Wings fans may pull for whomever is playing
Colorado, and Maple Leafs fans may pull for whomever
is playing Montreal before invoking the remaining
rooting precedence structure).
3) The Canadian team
4) The Original 6 team not from Canada. In the event
two Original 6 teams are playing each other, you
should root for the team that is not the Rangers.
They won their Cup a few years ago, and if it takes
another 40 years to win it again, that's just fine for
the true Old School NHL fan.
5) The first set of expansion teams (Buffalo, Pgh,
Philly, etc.)
6) The team north of the Mason-Dixon line and east of
the Mississippi
7) The team west of the Mississippi and north of the
Mason-Dixon line

Corollaries to the above: since an Old School NHL fan
holds grudges, has a long memory, and has a sense of
history, you may not in any event pull for:

1) Any team that has moved out of Canada (Phoenix,
Colorado)
2) Any team that has moved out of Minnesota (a.k.a.,
the Canada of America) [Dallas]
3) Any team that has been in the league for less than
5 years

Therefore, it is clear that if you are an Old School
NHL fan, you will be pulling for the Calgary Flames in
the finals over Tampa Bay, since they carry the banner
for Canada (see Rule 3) and Tampa Bay is below the
Mason-Dixon line (and may only be supported if it is,
indeed, your team. Of course, since no Old School NHL
fan would have the Tampa Bay Lightning as their team,
this point is truly moot). The Root Canadian Rule
would also take precedence over the Flyers.

In the event that two teams below the Mason-Dixon line
would end up in the finals then it doesn't matter whom
you root for, since Old School NHL fans would be
thoroughly disgusted and will simply be watching in
hopes of catching some really fierce checks, since the
presence of both teams in the NHL is truly an
abomination and they cannot really root for either team.

BTW my daughter has invoked rule #2 to cheer for Tampa, having been born in Edmonton she just can't cheer for the Flames.

- Peace

640 km down, 60% to go

On Thursday night I passed the 640 km mark. But the weather has been ugly (wet, cold and the verge of snow) so this week will need to be a solid week of biking to make 800 km by the end of may. Also I'm hoping to head up to men's camp and pine lake next weekend, and I'd rather leave the bike behind. The ridding at pine lake isn't the best, it's just gravel roads all around the lake, and it's lots of loose gravel, tough to ride in.

Wed I'm planning on heading out to Sibald Flats for the PedalHead group ride. Should be quite the humbling experience, the people are always great and the slow group waits up, but I hate always begin last. The folks on the wed night ride are always great, but I just hate being last. Oh well it's the challenge I'm looking for.

- Peace

just wondering

Have you ever wondered "Who Listens to What?" (hint, hint, Dave)

Raw Faith: Doesn't Vern Make You Mad?

- Peace

Doubting the Doomsayers - Philip Yancy

As a journalist who often travels internationally, I am well aware of the major problems that face our planet: global warming, income disparity, terrorism and wars, SARS, AIDS and other diseases. At the same time, I find it genuinely heartwarming to learn of the progress that has occurred during my lifetime.

A century ago, theological liberals rightly complained that conservative Christians cared for souls but not bodies. Liberals led the way in social reform. Now, evangelical organizations such as World Vision, World Concern, and Opportunity International are among the most prominent and effective dispensers of 'common grace' to a needy world.

After several days of research, I paused to give thanks for this remarkable progress. I have learned not to believe everything I read on the Internet, and not to believe everything I hear from doomsayers.

- Peace

Pastor?

I'm coming to the end of "Under the Unpredictable Plant: An Exploration in Vocational Holiness" and I'm getting a feel for what Peterson thinks a pastor isn't moreso than what a pastor is. This is probably b/c I'm so used to thinking of a pastor in the wrong way, according to Peterson, that I'm having trouble picturing the day-to-day life of Peterson's model.

Having said that, I'm interested in hearing what you consider a pastor to be, i.e. who is a pastor and what does a pastor do?

On the way home

I'm at the tourist center near the world's tallest teepee in Medicinehat Alerta. We've stopped to eat our lunch and let the dog use the dog run. They have free net access in the gift shop. More when I get home.

- Peace

Bill Hybels of Willow Creek visits U2 in Dublin

sad news

My father in law passed away yesterday. Kim left for Moosejaw last night. Sarah and I will stay in Calgary for a couple of days till funeral plans are made.

- Peace

Beautiful Letdown

Sarah, (my 11 year old daughter) picked up a copy of Switchfoot's The Beautiful Letdown, and in small doses it's good, enjoyable alt/rock/pop. As an album the biggests drawback is most of the songs center around wanting more, being dissatisfied, longing. And on their own they're fine songs, but with 11 songs I find my self longing for some emotional and spiritual range.

- Peace

New Logo?

Just playing with Gimp 2.0 so what do you think?



Can I use it as my logo or has it been done?

- Peace

Native Comments

I've turned on the native blogger comments. Not sure when blogger got comments, but there are days where haloscan is just so slow... Course they lasted longer than any of the other commenting systems I tried. So leave a comment and tell me what you think.

- Peace

Reading Week

Durring the winter I do most of my reading on the train, one of the plusses of public transit, then durring the summer I ride my bike. Looks like I'll get caught up on some reading this week. Here's the forcast in brief

(Today)Chance of showers
Tue Snow
Wed Snow
Thrus Chance of flurries
Friday Showers or flurries

BTW I'm reading: The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master and I should be able to get start on: THabits of the Mind: Intellectual Life As a Christian Calling
by James W. Sire

- Peace

Christian Curses

Do you ever find yourself overwhelmed with righteous indignation, but without the words to express it?

If phrases like these would be useful in your arsenal of chastisement you can find more here.

"Listen, O thou breaker of the commandments, for you will be pursued into the mountains by sex-mad baboons!"

"Hear this, O ye sad Pharisee, for you will be cast onto a steaming dung-heap!"

Calgary in Spring

A poem

Birds are returning
Flowers are blooming
Trees are in leaf
and filled with snow

Yup we got hit with a May snow storm. Calgary gets an average of 10.2 centimetres of snow in May. My fith spring in Calgary, you think I'd get used to the idea, but it still just seems wrong.

- Peace

480km down 70% to go

I was kept a wake last night by the Calgary Flames fans, who partied well into the wee hours. But I didn't mind, the Flames did what no one thought they could, beat the best (and one of the most expensive) teams in the NHL. And that enought to make even me a fan.

Dispite the late night, I got up early and biked to my 7:00 am breakfast meeting (ok I was 10 minutes late), and then onto work. One the way home I was chased by raind clouds, but a the wind was at my back as I past the 30% mark and it felt good. Not getting past first round of play offs for the first time in 15 years good, not even two playoff shut outs good, nor a last minute goal to win in six good, but good.

- Peace

Blindside: About a burning fire

picked up the new Blindside CD, cause they're opening for POD here in Calgary June 8th!

Going to listen to it in the car on the way to Edmonton, my sister is graduating from Taylor University with a Masters in Cross Cultural Ministry.

- Peace

Good news for Grits!, Bad news for the country.

LT is helping with the election campaign of the Liberal candidate in his riding, and so he was understandably happy with the news that the Liberals may be looking a fourth majority government.

But while a bounce in the polls is good news for the grits, I think it's bad news for the country.

Goverments are like underwear and should be changed on a regular basis, that applies to the Liberals in Owtawa and the Conservatives in Edmonton.

Minority governments can be good for the country, they force people to be creative and work together, allowing more voices to be truly heard in the house of commons.

Jack Leighton has promised support for a proportional representation system would be an NDP demand to work with the Liberals in a minority situation. First past the post is an unhealthy system, you can win 80% of the seats in the house with less than 50% of the votes. A proportional system would significantly reduce the regional politics we have now, allowing Liberals to be elected in the west (a least a few) and conservatives to be elected in Ontario.

- Peace