From the New Brunswickers in the news dept.

Death of Red Cross worker brings tragedy home

Vatche Arslanian, 48, a Canadian who was in charge of logistics for the International Committee of the Red Cross in Iraq, was killed Tuesday when the vehicle he was travelling in was caught in a cross-fire between U.S. and Iraq forces. Arslanian, a former deputy mayor of Oromocto, N.B., was one of six International Red Cross workers in Iraq.

-Peace

There’s No Such Thing as Premarital Sex by Daniel Harrell
as seen on djchuang's pensive journal

I'm sympathetic to the argument made in this article, that sex == marigage. Pastor Harrell makes some good arguments, and I'd agree with much of what is in the article. There's just one thing that bothers me, and it's what Jesus said to the woman at the well

The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband.
- John 4:18

Jesus seems to make a distinction between having sex with someone (the man you have now) and having a husband (the fist five guys). Doesn't seem to jive with the line taken by Pastor Harrell, tough I'm open to ideas.

-Peace
Dave

PS there's a related thread over at theConnexion.net.

Just discovered PasteMusic.com

We promote artists that deserve to be heard, and that you'll be glad to discover. The big corporate music machine tends to pass over some of the best art for the sake of commercialism and "risk management" - well, we don't. The styles you'll find here are as varied as alternative pop, rock, electronic and traditional, with perhaps a concentration of modern singer-songwriter folk rock. While the vehicles may differ, the commonality is in the poetry, the stories, the truths, and the emotions of the artists. We're sure you'll find some compelling reasons to Go Beyond Pop Culture.

Found them via a link on Bill Mallonee's web site. They've got some of my favorite artists Daniel Amos, Lost Dogs, the late great Mark Heard, the 77's.

It was also greate to catch up with some artists I've listened to in the past but lost track of: John Fischer, Loudon Wainwright III, Midnight Oil, Pierce Pettis, Buddy and Julie Miller

And I've found a new (to me) artitist of note: Pedro the Lion, whom I just read about at the Cornerstone Festival site.

I've also been enjoying their radio feature that plays random songs from their collection of 200 online songs. A great way to sample new music.

So visit PasteMusic, it will be bandwidth well spent.

-Peace
Dave

PS make sure to hit the more info link on the album listings, if their is an MP3 from that album that's where it will be.

Powerful thoughts from Kevin Barbieux, 'The Homeless Guy'

There is definitely hope though faith, but because of the manner in which Divine hope is displayed in most faith-based homeless facilities, this hope becomes ineffective. Most people working in faith based facilities are too busy trying to get "sinners" to feel condemned, instead of getting sinners to feel the hope available through Divine forgiveness. What they seem to miss is that these sinners already feel condemned, they condemn themselves perpetually. To then hear some preacher reconfirm their own condemnation only deepens their hopelessness. Most people misinterpret the behavior of homeless people, believing that homeless people are actually enjoying themselves in their state of homelessness. Nothing could be further from the truth.

-Peace

my reading for the train ride home:

Mob Software: The Erotic Life of Code
An Essay in First Person by
Richard P. Gabriel & Ron Goldman

-Peace

Mike’s Spot On The Wall
Looking For A Pastor
I’m sure Dave would laugh and say “luxury” at my churches trials in finding a new senior pastor. (I think Dave’s church has been through 3 or 4 in the last couple years). But it still is quite a growing experience to be searching God’s heart for something so important to the life of a church. I hope in our desire to fill the position we don’t overstep God’s will for us. I am constantly reminded how Samuel went through all Jesse’s children to find David.

Mike’s Walk
Thinking about King David (as opposed to David King (not that he doesn’t bear close observation))
1 Samuel 16:6-12

6. When they entered, he looked at Eliab and thought, "Surely the LORD'S anointed is before Him."
7. But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."
8. Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, "The LORD has not chosen this one either."
9. Next Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, "The LORD has not chosen this one either."
10. Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse, "The LORD has not chosen these."
11. And Samuel said to Jesse, "Are these all the children?" And he said, "There remains yet the youngest, and behold, he is tending the sheep." Then Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here."
12. So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with beautiful eyes and a handsome appearance. And the LORD said, "Arise, anoint him; for this is he."

There is so much here.
How God chooses people in a way that is so very different from how the world does it (anyone who, like me, was chosen last for every team in phys-ed knows what I mean)
How God seems to enjoy finding the least probable candidates for His grace and for His highest callings.
How if we are not careful we might miss God’s best for us by not listening. Samuel had to listen very carefully to hear Gods voice. May I do so as well.

12 Steps for the Recovering Pharisee (like me)
by John Fischer

1. We admit that our single most unmitigated pleasure is to judge other people.
   
2. Have come to believe that our means of obtaining greatness is to make everyone lower than ourselves in our own mind.
   
3. Realize that we detest mercy being given to those who, unlike us, haven't worked for it and don't deserve it.
   
4. Have decided that we don't want to get what we deserve after all, and we don't want anyone else to either.
   
5. Will cease all attempts to apply teaching and rebuke to anyone but ourselves.
   
6. Are ready to have God remove all these defects of attitude and character.
   
7. Embrace the belief that we are, and will always be, experts at sinning.
   
8. Are looking closely at the lives of famous men and women of the Bible who turned out to be ordinary sinners like us.
   
9. Are seeking through prayer and meditation to make a conscious effort to consider other better than ourselves.
   
10. Embrace the state of astonishment as a permanent and glorious reality.
    
11. Choose to rid ourselves of any attitude that is not bathed in gratitude.
    
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we will try to carry this message to others who think that Christians are better than everyone else.
    

John will be speaking at Cornerstone 2003, I wonder if I can find my copy of Real Christian's Don't Dance and get him to sign it.

-Peace

From a CBC Radio commentary by Brian Lee Crowley [real audio] the head of the Atlantic Institute for Market Studies

In the commercial republic to the south they do love to make money, but they love their families, their communities and their country more. To misunderstand this is to misunderstand everything about America.

I think that's a key insight into the collective American psyche that's often missed by Canadians, when dealing with our neighbours to the south.

-Peace

New policy at IdeaJoy, we will only link to sites that have linked to us first. We will clean up the blog roll to reflect this policy ASAP.