Appalachian Trail, USA (on foot) I’ve been planning to do this 6 month hike with my son as his rite of passage into manhood since before he was born. I will have to take a spring semester off in 2018, fly Blaise and myself out to Georgia and start walking north 3,507 km along the peaks … [Read more…]
I’m a book collector. But I like reading my books too, albeit slowly and steadily. I finished three great non-fiction books this fall and if I did New Years Resolutions, I would determine to spend more time reading. These are the books I plan to read in the coming months. VIOLENCE by Slavoj Žižek Popular … [Read more…]
Behold Thorin, Ori, Dori, Nori, Bombur, Bifur, Bofur, Oin, Gloin, Dwalin, Balin, Fili and Kili. I’ve been doing my best not to spend too much time checking out Peter Jackson’s latest project – the prequel to The Lord of the Rings: The Hobbit. But I have wandered over to check out some of the updates … [Read more…]
For much of my life, Christianity was defined by my church tradition: Seventh-Day Adventism. It took just over two decades to begin to recognize and even appreciate other protestant denominations. I attended conferences, seminars, and worship services put on by Baptist, Vineyard, and non-denominational groups ultimately leading us to work with Impact Ministries in Guatemala. … [Read more…]
I read N.T. Wright’s astounding book Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church last summer. It’s the best dissertation on the topic that I have come across. I’ve happened upon these great small bite interviews with Wright on the 100 Huntley Street YouTube Channel.
It’s Tuesday. I’ve been off work for 11 days now. I still have 5 left. I was kind of envious of some of my colleagues and students who left for California, Arizona, China, Guatemala, Vancouver, Germany, London, Québec, etc. while I stayed at home in cold Calgary. But I’m really glad I’m home! I hit … [Read more…]
Richard Grafton, a theatre mastermind and teacher at my school, directed a production of Tolkien’s The Hobbit (play by Kim Selody) for the students back in February. He sent out an all call to the teachers to see if anyone was interested in being Smaug – the dragon. I eagerly volunteered. What a blast to … [Read more…]
2001: Shave my head for the first time, work as a youth pastor at Red Willow Community Church in St Albert AB (Events: Just Shoot Me, Gerta’s Eclipse, and fall retreat in Nordegg), canoe the Mackenzie River in NT, camp at Elk Island National Park, attend plays at the Citadel Theatre, travel to Halifax NS … [Read more…]
Earlier this year, before my pastor published his book The Day Metallica Came to Church, I was invited to read through the book with the pastor and a handful of other church members. When we finished the 3 months of discussions around the book, John (the pastor/author) asked me to compose thoughtful discussion questions for … [Read more…]
Chris told me about a fascinating MTV interview (click on USA when the pop-up pops) that J.K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter series, did back in the fall of 2007. I’ve not read the books and I’ve not seen the films, but I have heard the North American Christian uprising against the books … [Read more…]