Dancer, Warrior, My Daughter

Sarah and I were out last night to a going away party/video game party for Anmarrie, we took Dance Dance Revolution along. Not only did Sarah sweep the competition from the dance mats, she also swept them from the batelfield. She took top spot in more than one round of Halo 2. For the last couple of rounds they handicapped her to keep the game even. I'm so very proud :)

- Peace

The Plan

Well I'm running a bit behind with getting on top of my bike ridding for 2006. Start of April I had a grad total of 42 km done, so now I'm in catch up mode. I'm at 283 km as of this morning. Here's the plan for the rest of the year to get me to 3800 km without having to rely on ridding in December.

	KM for Month	Running Total
Jan to April	400	400
May	550	950
June	550	1500
July	550	2050
August	550	2600
September	550	3150
October	450	3600
November	200	3800

- Peace

Next Blog Upgrade

Part of using the free blogspot hosting is that little menu bar at the top, they call it the Blogger NavBar. Me I ignore it, but it does bring some trafic by the blog and I of course check out the other sites to see if they've linked to IdeaJoy or if it's just random trafic from the Next Blog button. As of late the trafic from Next Blog has seemed less random. The other blogs are often using simillar key words to the current posts on IdeaJoy. Give it a spin and tell me if I'm imagining it.

- Peace
Dave

Leonard Cohen and Last Exile

I picked up the The Essential Leonard Cohen a couple of weeks back, and Mike lent me the anime series Last Exile at the same time. I've been struck by the similarities between the two. Both draw on a wide range of traditions to create a new unique voice. Cohen draws on the western Cannon, Jesus, democracy, the music industry are all in his mix. Last Exile mixes traditional 2d animation with3d CGI effects, while it doesn't always work, at times it's brilliant. Last Exile also draws on wide range of culture, from 1930's Sci Fi to 1800's Military. Neither Leonar Cohen nor Last Exile spend any time explaining themselves. Both just drop you into their worlds, you have to get your bearings as you go.

- Peace

Rachel Hikes with the Shadows

Jesus Needs to be Converted? A Rant.

Then the King will say, "I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you
did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was
me--you did it to me."

Matthew 25:40

Somewhere along the lines evangelism got mixed up with loving people. FRED (Friendship Relationship Evangelism Decision) is a classic evangelical formula. But if the love between Christians is the primary way we reach the world, does that leave us off the hook for taking Christian love to the world? Hell no!

It does free us from 'loving' people because we hope to convert them. It frees us to love them because Christ first loved us. What do you get the God who has everything? You love his kids.

The good Samaritan is the classic story of being a good neighbour. The first people who heard that story could never imagined a Samaritan evangelising a Jew. Even the miraculous healing of lepers had only a 10% conversion rate. Our programs pale by compassion.

- Peace

Sunrise Pilgrims

The indirection of Jesus

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.

I've been haunted by this passage of John for a while now. As far as I know this is the only place where Jesus talks about how disciples would have influence in the world. I've been asking friends for other examples and we've come up blank.

So what if this is it.? The key to reaching the world is for disciples of Jesus to love one another. How insanely indirect is that? Maybe it's not about technique, being relevant, creating sensitive spaces for seekers, speaking with moral authority, being post whatever or any of the other things I've been obsessed with. It undermines much of what I have thought about evangelism and Church life. It's both freeing and scary all at once.

to be continued...

- Peace

Sometimes literal is good

There is far more going on in John 13:1-15 than a literal obedience to wash one another's feet would capture. Still it was enligtening to actually participate in the literal washing of feet. The sense of contact with another. It wasn't just ritual as we'd just finished painting with our feet so they needed real scrubing. We shared our common hesitancy to show our feet to one another. We took the chance to pray for each person as their feet were washed. I was truly moved.

Sarah and I spent Saturday afternoon with some folk from Xalt working on art for their Sunday evening gathering.

- Peace