Revenge of the Sith

saw RotS on Sat and yeah it was much better than I & II combined. Favorite bits, R2D2 kicks some @$$! Lucas has a great take on the Knowledge of Good and Evil.

Worst bit: completely irelevent walk on for Chubaka. I love the big hairy guy, but really, it was a throw back to some of the worst moments in episode I. Why look a character from the original movies, awkward pause. But that's about it, the rest was good to great!

- Peace

Searching for the Joy - 7

De 16:14 – “You are to keep the feast with joy, you and your son and your daughter, your man-servant and your woman-servant, and the Levite, and the man from a strange country, and the child without a father, and the widow, who are living among you.”

Again talking about the “feast of the Lord” (that’s three in a row). The interesting thing I read a couple times here was the list of people to bring with you. God doesn’t seem to want anyone left out. He wanted everyone to celebrate with his people. It does raise some questions about having strangers and children celebrating communion (the new covenant equivalent of the feast). It also encourages me. Having a church social or potluck in the near future? Invite someone and share it with them.

I met Paul Bellows

Not like it was hard to meet Paul, Kim and I went to see him play at the Karma last night and there were about 12 people there. What makes this blog worthy is that I hadn't met Paul before last night, I know two guys in Splendour Bog, Paul was in Splendor Bog. I know two of the guys he works with, I worked with them first. And I knew one of his brothers back in the early 90s on IVNet. Though I never did meet Andrew face to face. So I finally met Paul Bellows after unconsciously avoiding him for almost a decade.

Paul and Brock Skywalker (Brock is an x-Captain Tractor) put on a great show. They took the stage together and traded doing songs back and forth, singing back up for the other. Two guys who write good songs about bad relationships, and hockey moms.

- Peace

Searching for the Joy - 6

De 12:18 - "But they will be your food before the Lord your God in the place of his selection, where you may make a feast of them, with your son and your daughter, and your man-servant and your woman-servant, and the Levite who is living with you: and you will have joy before the Lord your God in everything to which you put your hand."

Here again the passage is talking about the Lord’s feast* but now it’s expanded the scope of the joy saying that by doing it we will have joy before the Lord in everything we do. (*I am also reminded that in some churches communion is called the Lord’s Supper. Hmm,.. supper,.. feast,.. Kind of a connection there I think)

So here’s how I read the two verses together: The Lord’s feast, (supper, or communion) combined with the bringing of our offerings should be done with joy. God wants his service to be a delight not drudgery. If we will do that and be kind to his servants (Levites as it is rendered or our brothers and sisters in the Lord) then we will have His joy in all the rest of the things we do as well. Invest a little joy in the His service and He promises to return a big joy dividend.

Dances with wolves

Okay, okay, sits and watches the wolf with awe.

If you liked it, please go and see the rest of my wife’s fabulous online photo album and comment for her.

Searching for the Joy - 5

De 12:7 - "There you and all your families are to make a feast before the Lord your God, with joy in everything to which you put your hand, because the Lord has given you his blessing."

The scripture is talking about bringing their tithes, offerings, the offerings of oaths, and the offerings given freely.

The passing of an offering plate is one of the very few leftovers we have from the old covenant worship. I can only imagine what it would be like to be in a church where people were singing their hearts out, eagerly anticipating like giddy school children the arrival of the offering plate so that they could put their part in.

And why? Because the Lord had blessed them. How could we have forgotten? We of all peoples on the earth so richly blessed to point of opulence. We have forgotten, I have forgotten, that EVERYTHING I have is a blessing from Him. Lord help me have the joy of giving it back to you.

Eugene Peterson's First Convert

In Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places Eugene Peterson (a man now in his 70s) tells how in his first year in shcool a boy, a year older than himself, would beat him up everyday after school and call him a Jesus-sissy. His mother told him that was the way it was for Christians so he'd better get used to it. The bullying went on from Sept till March when something unexpected happened.

Something snapped withing me. Tottally uncalculated. Totally out of character. For just a moment the Bible verses disappeared from my consciousness and I grabbed Garrison. To my suprise, and his, I realized that I was stronger than he. I wrestled him to the ground, sat on his chest and pinned his arms to the ground with my knees. I couldn't believe it -- he was helpless under me. At my mercy. It was too good to be true. I hit him in the face with my fists. It felt good and I hit him again -- blood spurted from his nose, a lovely crimson on the snow. By this time the other children were cheering, egging me on. "Black his eyes! Bust his teeth." A torrent of vengeful invective poured from them, although nothing nothing compared with what I would. later in my life, read in the Psalms. I said to Garrison, "Say 'Uncle.'" He wouldn't say it. I hit him again. More blood. More cheering. Now the audience was bringing the best out of me. And then my Christian training reasserted itself. I said, "Say 'I believe in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior.'"

And he said it. Garrison Johns was my first Christian convert.

That's the funniest thing I've read in a long time. I just lost it at the line 'a lovely crimson on the snow', he's just so poetic. I also love the way he works in a reference to the Psalms, a signature of his style. Peterson is clearly mocking himself in this paragrah, absolutly brilliant.

- Peace

998 kms and holding

Just found out that my bike frame is cracked. Will find out from brodie what they can do about it. I've heard that frames are in short supply this year, and I take a 20 inch frame that's hard to get at the best of times. Second brodie frame that I've cracked in six years. Sigh.

- Peace

Searching for the Joy - 4

Num 10:10 "And on days of joy and on your regular feasts and on the first day of every month, let the horns be sounded over your burned offerings and your peace-offerings; and they will put the Lord in mind of you: I am the Lord your God."

What were these “days of joy?” The Hebrew word is simchah which is also translated as gladness, mirth, delight, and happiness. So pretty much, “a party.”

So if I’m celebrating, fighting, or just moving forward I should do something which will remind me that He is the Lord my God. Sounds like good advice to me.

Pro Life?

Pregnant High school senior was barred from graduation ceremony, but student who fathered child could attend.

[Story]

Happy Birthday Kim!

Love you :)

- Peace

Searching for the Joy - 3

Ge 31:27 "Why did you make a secret of your flight, not giving me word of it, so that I might have sent you away with joy and songs, with melody and music?"

Laban pretends they would have been treated with respect at parting. Matthew Henry in his Complete Commentary on the Whole Bible notes, “It is common for bad men, when they are disappointed in their malicious projects, to pretend that they designed nothing but what was kind and fair. When they cannot do the mischief they intended, they are loth it should be thought that they ever did intend it.”

Now where can I find the true joy in this?
This strange meeting between Jacob and Laban ended with a mutual treaty of sorts. It would be on this journey that Jacob would get a new name, a name that his country bears to this day, and it was the beginning of Jacob being reconciled to his brother Esau.

In order for the new to come the old must give way. Sometimes the journey is hard and I am pursued from behind and threatened from in front. In spite of all this God seeks me that I may know Him, even if He must wrestle with me to do it.

Searching for the Joy - 2

Ge 30:13 "And Leah said, Happy am I! and all women will give witness to my joy: and she gave him the name Asher."

Asher was the 8th son that Leah, and Rachel and their handmaids gave Jacob.
It isn’t very nice that Leah named the son Asher (which means joy) to spite her sister.
Maybe the good way to look at it is that I have many things that other people don’t have: a nice place to live, a good job, a cool car, more than enough food to eat. Today I will try to be thankful that I have them.

Searching for the Joy

Part 1
Somewhere I lost it.
I lost something precious.
I lost my joy.
I've become cynical, doubtful, and sometimes outright mean.

So I decided I had better go look for it.
In hopes that God remembers where I put it, I'm looking in His word and asking for His help.

This is the journey as it begins.
The version of the bible with the most references to joy (that I know of) is "The Bible in Basic English" with 358 references.

The first:
Ge 29:11 "And weeping for joy, Jacob gave Rachel a kiss."

Jacob fell in love with Rachel the moment he saw her, and she with him. This Thursday is my 15th anniversary to Carol. It took a bit more than the fist sight for it to happen but it has never left me. Today I will remember the joy I have in her, give her a kiss and maybe weep again for joy.

Improbable Ride Home

Friday about 6:30 pm, I was head south on 3rd Street, waiting to cross 6th ave on my bike. Half way between 6th and 7th ave there was a group of three women, late 20s early 30s, biz casual dress. One was trying to hail a cab, having passengers it passed her. She stepped out into the empty street and made big exaggerated waves to the cab next to me, but he turned onto sixth ave. So in the middle of the street with no more cabs to wave at she did a little arm waving dance. When she finished I clapped. She and her friends laughed. She then flashed me her breasts. I have no idea why. It wasn't the Red Mile and we don't have hockey play offs, it was 6:30pm, there isn't even a bar for a couple of blocks. That's all I have to say about that.

As I rode up out of Fish Creek there were some guys doing jumps beside the rode in an wild grassy area. One of the guys saw me and asks how I'm doing. I stop but just look at him. Turns out he was with a bunch of people who saw me get hit by a truck last year. So I told he I recovered ok and needed to work through some insurance stuff. I asked him what happened cause I still don't remember it and police were short on details. The guys was pulling a trailer and had extra wide mirrors and that's what hit me on the back of the head and sent me flying. After that they called 911. I thanked him for that and got his contact info.

That ride going on my list of most unique commutes, right after getting hit by the truck.

- Peace

Ambiguity

Life is ambiguous. There are loose ends. It takes maturity to live with the ambiguity and the chaos, the absurdity and the untidiness. If we refuse to live with it, we exclude something and what exclude may very be the essential and dear -- the hazards of faith, the mysteries of God.

Eugene H. Peterson, Run With the Horses.

y: for the music

From the same shop on Beale Street that had the wire sculpture in the window.

o: Big Round Sky Light

In the concourse between north and south terminals at the Atlanta air port.

J: Zimbabwe: A Tradition in Stone

On display in the Atlanta airport. On my first trib back from Atlanta, I missed my flight so I had 6 hours to kill. I happened to find a collection of sculptures on the bottom floor that connects the six concourses. Between T and A or A and B. Wonderful stuff.

- Peace

a: Elvis' pinball machine

What can I say, I like pinball.

Kung Fu Hustle

Kim took me to see Kung Fu Hustle last night, we had a great time. It's a hoot! Take Looney Tunes style humor mix it with Kung Fu choregography and special effects that make the Burly Brawl look clumsy and you'll get the general sense of the movie. Not much depth, but alot of fun.

- Peace