Well I am lover of coffee. For the last three years my coffee source has been the 'Black Pearl', a coffee roaster in Winnipeg. Since consuming from 'Black Pearl', I have attempted only to buy fair trade blends, which I must say have always treated me kindly.
Every Christmas the 'Black Pearl' brings in a couple extra treats for the coffee lover. This year their was even a fair trade selection a Uganda "White Nile", which is very nice. Not nearly as strong as I usually drink, but very nice. I imagine over the holiday, Trisha and I will be enjoying a cup of the Uganda "White Nile" a lot. Another fun treat that we pick up is Mayan Hot Chocolate, which is more a syrup than your standard hot chocolate. We we're advised to only have shots of it or add it to a special coffee or liquor.
Well, I hope everyone has some fine beverages over the holidays with friends and family.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Thursday, December 06, 2007
BHF residents and salvation
At BHF in October we had a lot of residents who considered themselves 'ex-Christians' or I use to be a Christians. This was particularly interesting for me and led to many interesting conversations, especially in regards to promises in the Bible about Jesus(ie. he will never leave us or once we have received salvation life is easier-- I know this one is probably more a tenant of a stream of Christianity than what Jesus teaches in the Gospel, but it is so prevalent in churches in North America it is hard to get away from). One resident from Nunavut gave the response that he is no longer a christian because Jesus let him down, so he is going to live life for himself. This resident grew up in a fairly conservative/evangelical family with a literalistic view of the Bible.
As I was having these conversations, it hit me that a lot of their problems with Christianity is that promises they were told in a typical conversion or sinner's prayer experience had no real value in life. While these teens might be extreme cases with having little family to rely on, thus having no supports during the tumultuous adolescence.
I always went back to a song my friend Joey turned me onto by Brand New called Jesus Christ. I have included the lyrics below and bolded the parts that these teens were asking and questioning again and again.
Jesus Christ by Brand New
Jesus Christ, that's a pretty face
The kind you'd find on someone that could save
If they don't put me away
It’ll be a miracle
Do you believe you're missing out?
That everything good is happening somewhere else
With nobody in your bed
The night is hard to get through
And I will die all alone
And when I arrive I won’t know anyone
Jesus Christ, I’m alone again
So what did you do those three days you were dead?
Because this problem is gonna last
More than the weekend
Jesus Christ I’m not scared to die
But I’m a little bit scared of what comes after
Do I get the gold chariot
Or do I float through the ceiling
Or do I divide and pull apart
Cause my bright is too slight to hold back all my dark
This ship went down in sight of land
And at the gates does Thomas ask to see my hands?
I know you're coming in the night like a thief
But I’ve had some time, O Lord, to hone my lying technique
I know you think that I’m someone you can trust
But I’m scared I’ll get scared and I swear
I’ll try to nail you back up
So do you think that we could work out a sign
So I’ll know it's you and that it's over so I won't even try
I know you're coming for the people like me
But we all got wood and nails
And we turn out hate in factories
We all got wood and nails
And we turn out hate in factories
We all got wood and nails
And we sleep inside of this machine
I kept on thinking about these boys, every time i listen to the lyrics and wonder the role of the Church in salvation. I am becoming very skeptical about any understanding of salvation that is separated from a church community. I am hoping to read Scot McKnight's A community called Atonement shortly, I figure he will touch on these topics. I doubt even the strongest of adolescence stand a chance in this world without people to support them and be the Church.
As I was having these conversations, it hit me that a lot of their problems with Christianity is that promises they were told in a typical conversion or sinner's prayer experience had no real value in life. While these teens might be extreme cases with having little family to rely on, thus having no supports during the tumultuous adolescence.
I always went back to a song my friend Joey turned me onto by Brand New called Jesus Christ. I have included the lyrics below and bolded the parts that these teens were asking and questioning again and again.
Jesus Christ by Brand New
Jesus Christ, that's a pretty face
The kind you'd find on someone that could save
If they don't put me away
It’ll be a miracle
Do you believe you're missing out?
That everything good is happening somewhere else
With nobody in your bed
The night is hard to get through
And I will die all alone
And when I arrive I won’t know anyone
Jesus Christ, I’m alone again
So what did you do those three days you were dead?
Because this problem is gonna last
More than the weekend
Jesus Christ I’m not scared to die
But I’m a little bit scared of what comes after
Do I get the gold chariot
Or do I float through the ceiling
Or do I divide and pull apart
Cause my bright is too slight to hold back all my dark
This ship went down in sight of land
And at the gates does Thomas ask to see my hands?
I know you're coming in the night like a thief
But I’ve had some time, O Lord, to hone my lying technique
I know you think that I’m someone you can trust
But I’m scared I’ll get scared and I swear
I’ll try to nail you back up
So do you think that we could work out a sign
So I’ll know it's you and that it's over so I won't even try
I know you're coming for the people like me
But we all got wood and nails
And we turn out hate in factories
We all got wood and nails
And we turn out hate in factories
We all got wood and nails
And we sleep inside of this machine
I kept on thinking about these boys, every time i listen to the lyrics and wonder the role of the Church in salvation. I am becoming very skeptical about any understanding of salvation that is separated from a church community. I am hoping to read Scot McKnight's A community called Atonement shortly, I figure he will touch on these topics. I doubt even the strongest of adolescence stand a chance in this world without people to support them and be the Church.
Hymn of Remorse
Hymn of Remorse
Words and music by Brian McLaren and Tracy Howe, 2007, Brian McLaren.
Publishing, Revolution of Hope Music Group SESAC 2007, all rights reserved. Registered with CCLI
We covered over your colorful earth with grey cement
We cut own trees and stripped the soil wherever we went
We scarred the hills for gold and coal
Blind with greed inside our soul
Our goal to have complete control
Lord we repent
We have children we don’t love so we shove them away
Make sex a drug, the more we take the more we crave
From tender kiss to slamming doors
From sacred vows to lawyer wars
Break ours down to mine and your
With no remorse
Lord, have mercy. Can we be restored?
Lord, have mercy.
What of the lands of tribes and nations who lived here first?
Who took the best with broken treaties and left the worst?
By whom were slaves bought, used and sold?
Who valued people less than gold?
Who told us racist lies until our hearts went cold?
The noise of traffic is drowning out the songbird’s song.
Your voice within us telling us that we’ve gone wrong.
You call us from our selfishness,
To be blessed and to bless.
To turn to you, begin anew.
Lord we say yes.
Lord, have mercy. Can we be restored?
Lord, have mercy.
Words and music by Brian McLaren and Tracy Howe, 2007, Brian McLaren.
Publishing, Revolution of Hope Music Group SESAC 2007, all rights reserved. Registered with CCLI
We covered over your colorful earth with grey cement
We cut own trees and stripped the soil wherever we went
We scarred the hills for gold and coal
Blind with greed inside our soul
Our goal to have complete control
Lord we repent
We have children we don’t love so we shove them away
Make sex a drug, the more we take the more we crave
From tender kiss to slamming doors
From sacred vows to lawyer wars
Break ours down to mine and your
With no remorse
Lord, have mercy. Can we be restored?
Lord, have mercy.
What of the lands of tribes and nations who lived here first?
Who took the best with broken treaties and left the worst?
By whom were slaves bought, used and sold?
Who valued people less than gold?
Who told us racist lies until our hearts went cold?
The noise of traffic is drowning out the songbird’s song.
Your voice within us telling us that we’ve gone wrong.
You call us from our selfishness,
To be blessed and to bless.
To turn to you, begin anew.
Lord we say yes.
Lord, have mercy. Can we be restored?
Lord, have mercy.
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
Is God more like a tailor or iceberg?
Obviously our view/understanding how God works in the world grossly influences us. On Sunday evening Jamie made the proposal that often times we talk about God in terms of a tailor. God with a big needle in the sky occasionally contacts and influences the world. These contacts vary in magnitude, Jesus being the biggest. However, Jamie states that maybe an iceberg would be a better way to understand God's influence. Like a iceberg, God is always present, but we only see what is on the surface.
I found this understanding more powerful. I wonder how understanding that God is ever present(even if hidden a lot of the time) would change the way we live here and now. Do we wait on the big events, such as which the tailor model points towards or do we believe something more all encompassing.
I found this understanding more powerful. I wonder how understanding that God is ever present(even if hidden a lot of the time) would change the way we live here and now. Do we wait on the big events, such as which the tailor model points towards or do we believe something more all encompassing.
Let's Confess it by Brian McLaren
Let’s Confess It
Words and music by Brian McLaren
Let’s confess it: there’s a lot of evil, lust and greed in our world. Oppression and sin
build up pressure within until there’s an eruption of corruption. Beneath the skin, we
skid and spin in spiritual crisis where vice is the norm, and justice, kindness, humility,
and civility are all too rare.
Unaware of our despair, we smile in denial and say “It’s all OK. No need to change, no
need to grow, just have another drink or smoke, tell another joke, and don’t think or
rethink. Make another buck, with some luck you can buy a bigger house, store more
stuff, drive fast, look good, keep up.”
Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy.
Meanwhile, addiction, rejection, and a lack of reflection spawn friction, dejection and a
loss of direction. Every family, community, and nation are shaken. Creation’s resources
are carelessly taken. And pollution scars every ocean, mountain, breeze, and shore, with
visible symptoms of our inner war.
We’re all victims. We’re all villains. We’re stuck in the web that we spun ourselves. But
God lights a spark of hope in the dark to help us cope with all that’s wrong and needs to
be made right. God has come into all our pain, shame, and loss through the cross, and
calls us to a path of life, love, purpose, and peace.
Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy.
If we humble ourselves to believe and receive, a river will flow and a candle will glow in
a secret sacred place within us, very deep, where we have been wasting in shadows, halfdead
or half-asleep. We’ve been falling in a vicious viral downward spiral that leads to
death. Let’s wake up, hear God calling, take a deep, fresh breath.
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
“We confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we
have done and what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart
and we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly
repent. For the sake of your son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and please forgive, that
we may finally and fully learn to live in dignity and unity, integrity and harmony,
delighting in your will and walking in your ways, to the glory of your name. Amen.”
Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy.
Words and music by Brian McLaren
Let’s confess it: there’s a lot of evil, lust and greed in our world. Oppression and sin
build up pressure within until there’s an eruption of corruption. Beneath the skin, we
skid and spin in spiritual crisis where vice is the norm, and justice, kindness, humility,
and civility are all too rare.
Unaware of our despair, we smile in denial and say “It’s all OK. No need to change, no
need to grow, just have another drink or smoke, tell another joke, and don’t think or
rethink. Make another buck, with some luck you can buy a bigger house, store more
stuff, drive fast, look good, keep up.”
Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy.
Meanwhile, addiction, rejection, and a lack of reflection spawn friction, dejection and a
loss of direction. Every family, community, and nation are shaken. Creation’s resources
are carelessly taken. And pollution scars every ocean, mountain, breeze, and shore, with
visible symptoms of our inner war.
We’re all victims. We’re all villains. We’re stuck in the web that we spun ourselves. But
God lights a spark of hope in the dark to help us cope with all that’s wrong and needs to
be made right. God has come into all our pain, shame, and loss through the cross, and
calls us to a path of life, love, purpose, and peace.
Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy.
If we humble ourselves to believe and receive, a river will flow and a candle will glow in
a secret sacred place within us, very deep, where we have been wasting in shadows, halfdead
or half-asleep. We’ve been falling in a vicious viral downward spiral that leads to
death. Let’s wake up, hear God calling, take a deep, fresh breath.
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
“We confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we
have done and what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart
and we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly
repent. For the sake of your son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and please forgive, that
we may finally and fully learn to live in dignity and unity, integrity and harmony,
delighting in your will and walking in your ways, to the glory of your name. Amen.”
Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy.
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