Ffantastic Fforde

I was just over to Emma's blog, and discovered that there has been a new Fforde released. In the UK. No doubt it won't be released for months over here. I want to know a release date - hopefully the empire can shed some light on the situation after work. Emma knits, eats vegetables, and has, I'm to believe, written a brilliant dissertation on spy literature that I've yet to read. It was in our last year at Queen's that Emma and I came to be friends, tho quite aware of one anothers' presence for several years previous. We spent time under The Bonge studying literary theory, and applying our critical eye to the study of Dracula, James Bond, and other popular fiction. That year provided me with a great deal of opportunity to write what I wanted to write, and to explore my own voice a little more. My favourite project was probably researching Kingston's Sexual History. That was an interesting paper... Last summer I spent a couple of weeks in London, and had quite the time with Emmms and her boy, Matthew. Enjoyed the music, wrote a whole lot in my journal at various pubs and cafés, and spent time relaxing after India. It was a good liminal space for me, wholly necessary before returning to the intensity and expectations of home. It's hard to believe that it's been a year since I was last there. Talking about the day's news, about religion, music, literature, and all the rest, I don't think there's a single time I've walked away from a conversation with Emma unchallenged to think of things in bold new ways. Maybe one day Ericka and I will have the chance to visit London again - or, if the universe unfolds as it should - to live in that city for a year or two. Then maybe the two of them could meet.

House of Heaven

So. Just to pick up from what Ericka wrote in her last entry. Our future landlord called us today and did in fact offer us the house. In this whole process, we've only had to look at three places, and the last one we saw was in the neighbourhood that's been on our hearts and minds for the past few months. I'm sure Jared will want us to plant a church there in the not-too-distant future, but for now its time to focus on planning a wedding, on prepping the new house for living, and getting all of these other important details in order. I can't even believe the journey we're embarking on. Everything about this seems so crazy, and yet, so natural, so right, and so God-led. I am blown away, almost to tears with the provision we've received. With the warm welcomes of both of our families. With the apartment. With the church for our wedding. With everything. Seems Jesus has some plans for our lives, and while I don't know what all that entails, I suspect it won't lack for excitement.

Trippy

It's been awhile since I posted, mostly because I was off on vacation with my fiancée. We flew from Toronto to Castlegar, British Columbia, last week Saturday after getting engaged the day before. So when we arrived at the airport, I was meeting Ericka's parents for the first time. I found it incredibly nerve-wracking to be meeting her parents as their future son-in-law, hoping they didn't hate me. They didn't hate me. That came as some relief. Her family turns out to be really cool, and they welcomed me with open arms and raised eyebrows. They hadn't yet gotten to know me - and probably still haven't - I'm sure they were taking full advantage of the fact I was sleeping in their house to run surveillance 24/7. Thankfully there was no polygraph. The next stage of this adventure is to plan a wedding in the next 81 days. Time to lock down the church, the minister, and a reception hall. Oi. It's a good thing we're both event planners, otherwise this might be stressful. Oh. Hey. Ericka. I love you!

Six Days

Mark Driscoll posts a relatively helpful discussion of Creation, and some things we can learn from the early Genesis accounts. It's nothing terribly new to the discussion, but it's nice to see major church leaders taking this stuff on: I would like to stress that Genesis was not written with the intention of being a scientific textbook. Rather, it is a theological narrative written to reveal the God of creation which means its emphasis is on God and not creation. Because of this, Hebrews 11:3 says "By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible."

Shots Fired

Shots Fired in Toronto. Friend and blogger Josh Lyon tells the story of waking up to the sound of gunfire in his neighbourhood: How you see the world is forever changed when you have a kid. How you see the world the day that you are awoken at 4:30am by the sound of gunfire on the street in front of the house where you are trying to raise that child is a change that I had no pregnancy holding time during which I could at least grow acustomed to the idea... full post

Toronto Greenhouse

Into gardening? Church planting? Dreaming about what the church could do or be if more people took ownership of it and started acting on their faith in the city? We've organised a network for just such a purpose here in Toronto, and you can find all the details here. First meeting is tomorrow (Tuesday) night at Wycliffe College, University of Toronto.