4.2/5 rating

Rob Bell’s latest book Jesus Wants To Save Christians is passionate manifesto for a church who seems to be asleep and needs a major wake up call. Throughout the book Bell traces the ancient story of Israel’s fall and exodus from Egypt, how Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of all of the longings of the nation of Israel, and how the church fits in the story today. He also looks at the disparity between the many global crisis around the world and the state of the North Amercan church and how we are to respond. Bell also traces the roots of Empires and looks at the faulty ground in which the empire of America has built itself upon.

It was not my favorite Rob Bell publication (Velvet Elvis and NOOMA / Everything is Spiritual are much better). I felt like he spent too much time focusing on the ancient and not enough time focusing on the present situation for the church. His discussion of the history of Israel is definitely relevant but I felt he could have given more practical application for the church.

The last 2 chapters are the manifesto for the church. I found this section very insightful and practical for the ministry context I am working in. Overall I would recommend this book to a friend and also point them to Rob’s other stuff as well. Read it if you get a chance

I made it through camp with most of my dignity and sanity in place (although many people made fun of my man scarf). It was a really great weekend and I know that the youth and leaders who went had a really great time. They especially enjoyed the underground church night game that we did.

I also learned an important lesson: Don’t do too much! It was exhausting being both the worship leader and the youth pastor to my group. I don’t think I was able to give enough attention to either role and so both roles suffered. The worship was rushed, the sound was not great (lots of feedback), and we didn’t get a chance to practice the whole weekend. It wasn’t bad, but it also wasn’t great.

I also didn’t get to fully engage with all of the youth because I was being stretched in too many directions. I was late to the small group time and always running around. I can’t do everything - and I especially can’t do everything well.

I think pastors often think they are invincible and can handle anything and everything that comes their way. We can’t. We need boundaries and balance. The weekend was a lot of fun and I can’t wait for next year. Let’s just hope they get a different band to lead the worship.

I am getting ready to take a bunch of rowdy jr. higher students and leaders to winter camp at Camp Evergreen. This is an annual event and I love going up there for the weekend. I think that getting out of the city to spend time with a bunch burping smelly jr. high kids is one of the funnest things to do on a weekend. Well, maybe there are some things that are funner but I gotta stay positive right.

They have a great speaker coming who doesn’t know how to pronounce coyote (he pronounces it KEY-OH-TEE) and there is a really fun night game that involves the underground church. I did it at sr. high camp and our team was the first team to leave (10:00pm) and the last team back (2:30 am).

In addition to bringing the group up, I am also bringing a worship team up to lead worship. We were asked last minute to help and I am super excited to be a part of the band. The camp band is always the coolest group at a camp and I will finally be part of the cool kids. Maybe we can be like an exclusive club or something - we all have really cool scarves so that could be our “thing”.

Pray for the youth and leaders while we are up there. Jr. high camp in Big Bear is where I made the decision to follow Christ and I hope that all of the youth coming will be changed by this weekend. Now I just need to find my earplugs, air freshener, and a large bottle of Aleve.

Well I started my list of 50 things by building a snow fort with noah yesterday. I made it big enough for both of us to fit in. We dug in the snow for about an hour but when we were done we had a warm place to stay in the snow…then we went inside where it is actually warm.

Here is a clip from McGee and Me that tells more about what happened:

Only 49 more to go!

I feel inspired to make lists of things I want to do in the future. I made my 9 for 2009 and on New Years Eve 08 we did a little game as a family of making a list of a bunch of silly things we want to do in the new year. Some of my friends made lists as well of 101 things they want to do. 101 is a lot of things to think of. I think 50 is a bit more reasonable for me.

My brother David (jokingly) and others believe that the world is going to end in the year 2012. There are movies, books, and websites dedicated to the theory that the world is going to end in 2012. It is just as likely that the world will end in 2012 as it is that it will end next week.

So, if I only have 3 years left in life I might as well accomplish some things before the apocalypse. So here is my list of 50 things I want to do before 2012.

1. Have another child - preferably in July ‘09
2. Travel to another continent (Africa, Europe, or Asia)
3. Write and record an album of music
4. Read a book written before Christ was born
5. Read through the entire Bible
6. Develop my juggling skills
7. Take a road trip with my brothers David and John
8. Go on a missions trip with my family
9. Read and finish one book per month for the next 3 years (36 books total)
10. Go on a road trip with my family - somewhere we have never been
11. Develop a friendship with someone outside of the church
12. Take a Greyhound bus trip somewhere
13. Write a book
14. Get another tattoo (or 2)
15. Paint / Create a piece of art to be framed
16. Play a concert in a bar
17. Read Catcher in the Rye
18. Get involved with an non-profit working in Africa
19. Learn how to cook Vietnamese food for Malora
20. Visit the Simple Way and have a good discussion with Shane Claiborne
21. Work on getting my Master’s degree
22. Get an article published in a magazine or blog
23. Go to a Denver Broncos game
24. Travel to Winnipeg - drink coffee with the Ghost
25. Make a snow fort
26. Go water skiing or tubing
27. Teach Noah how to play the guitar
28. Learn how to play the drums
29. Take Malora on an unexpected romantic vacation
30. Read a biography about a famous musician / band
31. Go to a U2 concert
32. Take a winter driving course
33. Finish immigration to Canada
34. Go on a camping trip with Noah (boys only!)
35. Go on a trip with good friends
36. Learn how to play the banjo / get a used banjo
37. Eat at an Ethiopian restaurant
38. Climb a mountain (a hard one)
39. Run a marathon
40. Go to a Radiohead concert
41. Learn basic auto repair skills
42. Take a canoe/ raft/ kayak down the Bow River
43. Write a love poem / song for Malora
44. Build a go-kart for Noah
45. Read a book about a non-violence hero like Gandhi or Mother Theresa
46. Watch 3 classic movies and review them
47. Go snowboarding in the Canadian Rockies
48. Take a course in web design or movie / picture editing
49. Get involved with an organization in Calgary working with people in need
50. Spend extra quality time with friends and family

Some of the items on the list are easy - some are very difficult. Some I have done before - some i haven’t. I wanted to think of things that I could actually measure and attain. 50 things in 3 years.

I will journal about each goal that I accomplish on emergentjourney so that I can have a record of what I have done and I can share that experience. I would encourage you to think of some things you have always wanted to do - and do them.

With only 2 days left in the year of 2008 it is time once again to start thinking about the year coming up. I always make some resolutions for the new year, but hardly ever keep them. This year I want to try something different.

I would like to accomplish 9 things in the year 2009. Instead of making silly resolutions these are things that I would like to accomplish or continue throughout the year. So here is my list of Nine for 2009

1. Blog at least once a week. I really enjoy writing on my blogs but I often forget to do it. I would like to keep a journal of my thoughts, experiences, and awesome videos of people eating squirrels throughout the year.

2. Read and finish one book a month. I have started reading a lot of really good books this past year that I have finished. I often start a book, get really excited, read a couple chapters, and then move on. I would like to finish 12 books in 2009.I just finished Shane Claiborne’s new book (but it doesn’t count for next year). I will also try to write a review of each one on my blog.

3. Read through the Chronological Bible. I picked up a Bible at Goodwill that is in chronological order from the Genesis to Revelation. It is a one year Bible and orders the Bible chronologically instead of by books. It should give a different perspective to the story of God’s redemption.

4. Floss consistently. I was doing really good for  couple of months with flossing and would like to get back on board. A healthy mouth is a happy mouth.

5. Run a half marathon. I ran my first 10k in less then an hour in August and I would like to train to run a half marathon or even a full marathon in 2009. I really enjoy running and I would like to get back into it throughout the year.

6. Write 3 songs and record them. I would like to write and record a few songs in 2009 and even release an EP that you can download on my site. Of course, I can’t do this alone - I need the help of my 2 musical brothers with John on bass and David on acoustic. The Mulhern Bros. EP.

7. Learn to cook Vietnamese food. Malora and I love Vietnamese food and I would like to learn how to cook some of our favorite dishes. I do not know what they are called because Vietnamese food is ordered by numbers not words.

8. Get involved with an organization working in Africa. I have been talking with Matt from Invisible Children and I would love to see them come to Alberta. There are also organizations like the waterschool and others in Alberta who are working to impact the lives of people in Africa. Africa has been on my heart for a while and this year I want to do something about it.

9. Build a non-churched friendship. I would like to build an authentic relationship with someone outside of the church. Not to trick them into becoming a Christian but to gain a different perspective on life and to share my life with someone who does not have anything to do with the church. I think it is important for Christians to build relationships with those outside the church and I would like to find a buddy who is not a Christian.

Well, that is my list. I would encourage you to make your own list and then link it in the comments section so I can share it with people. I have a feeling that 2009 is going to be a really great year.

My other blog ourcompactlife.com has been getting some media attention in the last couple weeks. Our compact life is a journal of our year long experiencement (experiement / experience) of not buying anything new. We were originally profiled in the Calgary Herald which is the main newspaper for Calgary. The story came from an interview we did at a church in Cochrane, AB.

This story was picked up in the Mennonite Brethren Herald. The magazine for all of the MB’s throughout Canada. It was cool to get a magazine that we were in and to have our story go across Canada.

The Calgary Herald did a follow up story in November about our progress this past year (link). This story was carried throughout Canada from BC to Ontario. We got emails from people who read our story in newspapers we had never heard of. We are also going to be in the Cochrane Times…sometime this week I think.

Since the follow up story we have had other media outlets asking us for interviews. We are doing an interview with 104.9 the WOLF in Regina tomorrow morning @ 7:45am. We are going to be on the morning news on wednesday. We were also interviewed by another local news station who will carry our story in January. We have also been contacted by a BC radio station and the CBC.

It is really cool getting some attention about what we are doing, and I hope that we use what little spotlight (more like a pocket flash light without much battery life left) we have to bring awareness to more important things. I posted some links to some great organizations on the blog and I hope that someone who hears our story will go to one of these sights and make a difference. I don’t care what people think about us, but if we can inspire someone to invest in a business in Africa through KIVA or get involved in the Advent Conspiracy then it is all worth it.

I am not sure what is next for ourcompactlife.com. Maybe something new, maybe not. We’ll just have to wait and see. Make sure to go and check out the blog and see what you think.

Last night was the premier of 24:REDEMPTION. A made for TV movie based off of the amazingly awesome TV show 24. In this 2 hour movie which takes place between 3:00- 5:00 on the day of the presidential inauguration Jack finds himself once again running from the American government for his past sins. A subpoena is issued to take Bauer in to custody but he runs from it across 3 continents and over a year. It finally catches up with him in Africa where he is working at an orphanage.

War breaks out and finds its way to Bauer and the kids, and Bauer has the choice to save the kids from the pursuing war or turn himself in and save the children. It is a set up for season 7 which starts in January and over all a pretty entertaining 2 hour made for TV movie.

The most striking thing about 24:REDEMPTION was the portrayal of the horrors of war and the use of child soldiers. The issue of child soldiers has been an important one in my life ever since I got involved with the organization Invisible Children. Invisible Children works to bring awareness about the issues of child soldiers and displacement camps in Uganda through film and programs aimed at youth and young adults.

I have been trying to get Invisible Children to come to Canada, but so far all I have seen is a facebook group and some emails. They are an amazing organization who is using media to inspire an entire generation to make a difference in the lives of people in Uganda and Africa. I would love to see them come to Canada because I think Canadians are very open to ending suffering and injustice.

The exploitation of children is the worst crime that can be committed. Whether that exploitation is in a sweat shop making Old Navy clothes, a brothel in Thailand, a child soldier in Africa, or an abusive step father in Tennesse. Any explotation or abuse to children can not be overlooked. We must fight for the freedom of children who can not fight for themselves. I think Jack Bauer made the right choice of putting his needs behind the needs of the children he was protecting. We could all learn a lot from Mr. Bauer.

This is a song my brother david wrote in the 90’s. I dont know the lyrics so I made up the lyrics as I played. It was a lot of fun figuring out the song and I hope that the Brothers enjoy it!

Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. _Ezekiel 16:49

Yesterday I posted an article from Reuters where Bono shared some harsh words with America and the West regarding their imbalance in the issue of global poverty. I didn’t comment on the article because I felt that it spoke for itself. If you want some good thoughts and commentary about the article check out Josh Barton’s blog part of thejourney or rethinking youth ministy.

Ezekiel 16:49 has been rattling around in my brain for the past two weeks. It was a part of the discussion that I have been having with my youth regarding social justice and the Get Uncomfortable bible study. In the verse Ezekiel is speaking about the unfaithfulness of Israel and he compares Israel to Sodom. Sodom was a town that God destroyed because of it’s sin and degradation. Amongst the long list of sinfulness which destroyed Sodom, Ezekiel states that they were arrogant, overfed, and unconcerned. They did not help the poor and needy and this led to the complete collapse of their society. An imbalance of concern where there was too much concern for self, and no concern for others. A society that sought pleasure first regardless of the consequences.

Here is another scary comparison: America and the West are Sodom! We live unconcerned lives, overfed, overindulged, and over in debt. We are arrogant and have no concern for the poor and needy. When there is a treat of poverty to the wealthy they cry out for a bail out from the government and get $700 Billion. A small fraction of that would ease the suffering of the entire world, but we sit in our comfort and say, “Woah, that was close - I don’t know what I would have done if I had to cut back on spending”

The news reports are about how Americans are having to cut back and buy less cars and movies. Not being able to buy everything we want…now that is true suffering. Quick do something fast the millionaires are suffering and might have to sell one of the beach homes to make ends meet!

Where are the cries for those dying of hunger EVERY 5 seconds? Where is the response by our governments to the tears shed for those who are dying as a result of poverty? America and the West are partially responsible for the state of the global poverty crisis but we are unconcerned.

It is a moral bankruptcy and America and the West deserve everything that they have coming to them. We live in an impenetrable bubble and when the walls begin to crash in around us we freak out. The level at which most Americans live is unsustainable and impractical when you look at the condition of the rest of the world. We are an imbalanced society fighting to rebalance the scales, but the truth is that it is all futile and no matter how hard we try it is all going to come crashing down.

God does not overlook the imbalance of concern within a society who gives more concern to the wealthy then the poor. God’s heart is for the poor and if that is not where our hearts are then our hearts are out of balance.

We need to use this financial crisis as a wake up call and become a society that is humble not arrogant, generous not overfed, concerned with others not unconcerned. A wake up call to address the issues of the poor and needy and find a solution. We need to get over ourselves so that we do not end up like Sodom - a broken and destroyed society. I believe in change and we have the ability to create a new imbalance of generosity and love for those who are truly suffering.

By Michelle Nichols

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. financial crisis making global waves is no excuse for governments and companies to walk away from helping the world’s poor, former U.S. President Bill Clinton and rocker Bono said on Wednesday.

As Congress debates a White House-proposed $700 billion bailout for the worst financial crisis since the Depression of the 1930s, Bono questioned why wealthy countries had not been able to come up with enough aid for the world’s problems.

“It is extraordinary to me that you can find $700 billion to save Wall Street and the entire G8 can’t find $25 billion to save 25,000 children who die every day of preventable treatable disease and hunger,” the U2 lead singer told Clinton’s fourth annual philanthropic summit in New York. “That’s mad, that is mad.”“This crisis is not an excuse to walk away from the world’s challenges, but a compelling reason to intensify our efforts to meet them, around the corner and around the world,” said Clinton, who has focused on humanitarian work since leaving the White House in 2001.

The Group of Eight wealthy nations vowed in 2005 to raise annual aid levels $50 billion by 2010, $25 billion of which was to go to Africa. But under current spending plans, the G8 will fall $40 billion short, according to a June report by the Africa Progress Panel set up to monitor implementation.

“Bankruptcy is a serious business and we all know people who have lost their jobs,” Bono said, referring to the bankruptcy declared by Wall Street investment bank Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. “But this is moral bankruptcy.”

More than 130 chief executives are mixing with world leaders, humanitarians and celebrities such as performer Barbra Streisand and singer Bob Geldof at the three-day Clinton Global Initiative, which started on Wednesday.

The summit seeks to address global problems in education, energy and climate change, health care and poverty. Experts have warned the financial crisis would likely hurt charitable efforts by individuals and corporations.

(Editing by Daniel Trotta and Peter Cooney)

© Thomson Reuters 2008 All rights reserved

Link to article

Youth ministry is an odd thing. Youth group is an even odder thing. The fact that teenagers would give up a friday night to hang out at a church to learn about God and play four-on-a-couch or give up their spring break to build a house in Mexico is…well…odd. I do not always feel comfortable with a lot of the conventional programs that happen at churches, especially conventional youth ministry. As a youth pastor this makes my job very difficult. To find a balance between babysitting and seminary.

This year to overcome the oddness and uncomfortable trappings of traditional youth ministry; I have tried to steer the focus of our youth ministry towards more of an outreach and social justice focused group. We are still doing the conventional components of youth ministry (teaching about Jesus and stupid silly games) but we are also trying to become a community of youth and young adults that reaches out past our church doors. This is a shift for both our church and my own thinking.

So, we started a monthly outreach to our community (Calgary). We are planning to do different outreach events every month to give youth the opportunity to find where they are passionate serving. We worked with homeless families last month and we plan to do some yard work, go to an old folks home, and some other servant based ministry.

We are also planning a youth missions trip in the Spring and Summer. The youth have not done missions trip for a long time so there is a lot of excitement about going on one this year.

Sunday morning I have been leading a discussion (aka. bible study) about social justice and serving the poor. It is so encouraging to see 15 teenagers wake up early on a Sunday morning to find out what the Bible has to say about these issues. There has been great discussion and the youth seem really excited about making a difference in the world. Their homework this week is to watch the documentary by Invisible Children about the sufferings of child soldiers and displaced people in Northern Uganda. I watched Invisible Children with a group of Jr. High boys last night who all seemed moved to action by it.

It is exciting to see a generation excited to make an impact on the world around them by stopping injustice and serving people in need. It will be an interesting journey to see what issues ignite each of the individuals within the group. I am getting more excited about the ministry God has placed me in as I see the possibility of inspiring youth to do something with their faith instead of just going to church.

Not too many videos leave me with a bewildered and squeamish look on my face during the whole video, but this one did it. I can not look away (I still have Jesus is my friend playing in my head).

Unbelievable that this lady is so nonchalant about making squirell melts. You are eating a squirell…I am left in awe!

this song is the greatest song ever written!

My First Wedding

Well…actually my first officiating of a wedding. I had the chance to marry Sonia and Shaun Ulmer at a gorgeous park near the bow river on Saturday. I met the Ulmers through a friend who had planned to do their wedding but was unable to do it - so I stepped in. It was such a blessing and a privilege to be a part of their day. I met with them a few times throughout the summer and know that they are going to have a long and happy marriage. Their main strife is over CFL (Canadian Football) teams.

The ceremony went really well and I was not too nervous. Thankfully the sun was out and the weather was nice. Malora and I attended the reception and got to the privilege of sitting at “Table 5” (aka. the drunk table). We sat with Shaun’s cousins and had a lot of fun. Despite the inebriated state of the table it was a refreshing time of being with normal people who are not connected to the church or Christianity. It is essential that from time to time we completely get out of our Christian bubble subculture and interact with the people of TABLE 5.

10k: Nike Human Race

I ran my first 10k on Sunday night in the mist and rain of Lethbridge. The NIke Human Race was a worldwide race that people with the NIke+ running system can join in on. I ran my 10k in 57:42, which is better then the average for Canada. It was an amazing achievement that I have been training for all summer. The run wasn’t actually that difficult (I did dry heave a bit when I stopped though). My next goal is to run a half marathon (21km). So I plan to train throughout the winter at the local YMCA…if we can afford it.

I am very proud of the achievements of this past weekend. It is rewarding to work towards goals and complete them well.

We had a really great day yesterday in Lethbridge. even though it was the hottest day of the year, which in Arizona terms is nothing, it was a beautiful and memorable day.

First we had the pleasure of attending our friend Tim McAlpine’s wedding. Tim was my roommate at Capernwray and CBC, and has had a long journey of grace over the past few years. He met Arian in December and knew that it was true love and that she was the one. I am so happy for them and know that God is going to bless their life together. It was great to see old friends like Joel Gorrie, Tommy O, Joe Vidal, Tammy, Lottermoser, The McAlpine clan, Tim Moore, and other old friends. It was a wonderful wedding and the reception, though long and speechy, consisted of pizza and wings…awesome!

Second, we got an email back from the Basset Hound Rescue that we adopted buster to. We have wondered what happened to Buster but have not heard anything back. Here is the email:

He spent a week or so with Christine but they were having agression issues with theit Jack Russell (not Buster’s fault at all - he was being a complete sweetheart, but their JRT was completely spoiled and they weren’t likely to fix the issue, so we pulled him and he went to stay with one of our rescue members. She and her family thought he was wonderful - he got on beautifully with their other basset and t5heir disabled grandson so they decided that his home would remain with them, permenantly. He’s doing well and he’s with a wonderful family (they’re not in Calgary itself - they’re down in Lethbridge).

We are so happy that buster is in a good home even if it is not our home. So, that is our good day and I hope yours was just as good, if not better!

Love,
Canada

Here is an early mac vs. pc advertisement. click on it to read the descriptions. it is totally from the 90’s!

This one is sweet too!