Update

Life's just way too busy to blog. For the past couple of weeks, I haven't found the time or the energy to think about much except the wedding and our big move. This Saturday, tho, with some help from a few friends, we moved into our new apartment in Parkdale. I didn't realise quite how awkward the desk was until we had to move it down several flights of stairs to the truck. That thing is a beast - but it fits exceedingly well in the new apartment, under the window, so that's exciting. The pieces are coming together. Sure, we still have things in boxes, and we don't have any living room furniture, but it's more resembling a home (a messy home, at any rate) than a warehouse. Soon enough, we'll have everything unpacked, and we'll be ready to go. The only thing I'm worried about is where I'll be able to put my clothes when I eventually move in, since Ericka's taken up pretty much all of the closet space by now. At least she's pretty, otherwise I might take offense to her hogging all the space. Wonder if she'll hog the covers too. Our last Greenhouse meeting went well, and we had some new people out - people new to the city who are also interested in exploring new areas of service, new ways of being church here in Toronto. All of these things are converging, and we still have some pieces to the wedding to put together. Thankfully, we're getting out of the city next week-end for a relaxing time with Ericka's Uncle in London. It will be nice to just sit back, drink some coffee, read our books, and to work through the remaining details of the ceremony, and the way the reception is going to play out. It's exciting, but a whole lot of work. Thankfully I'm going down to part-time at the office in September, and that will free up a couple more days for schoolwork and writing, maybe even writing a sermon or two for this fall at Grace. I guess we'll see!

Resonate Greenhouse Meeting

The Resonate Greenhouse for Toronto is meeting again next week. Here are the details: We'll meet again next Wednesday August 23 for those who are interested. Same deal as last time - Wycliffe College basement, near the Crux Bookstore (7pm). I'll be flying in from Ottawa that afternoon, so please pray my flight's not terribly delayed. We'll take some time to share more of our stories with one another. We'll update each other on the progress and challenges of our projects. Most importantly, I think, we'll spend time in prayer for the city and for one another, as we seek to be agents of God's shalom here and now. Any questions? Hit me back with a comment. thanks! andrew

Cartoon Bombs

I never dream. Not that I can remember, anyhow, and last night I did. I'm sitting in a chair, just talking, just relaxing, until I hear this sound screaming through the air. It's screaming at me, with eyes of disdain as I turn to look. I turn and see a rocket maliciously chasing me, and I begin to run. It appears to have eyes only for me, and as I run, it twists and turns as I do. As I seek to escape, it draws closer. Dodging and weaving I think I can escape, until the rocket, which may as well be a leftover from the Super Mario Bros. factory finally swoops in, and the earth around me explodes. How very odd.

So Much For That

I promised Dave that I'd post something new to my blog yesterday. And clearly I didn't. Not even backdating can get me outta this mess. Dave is funny. Dave has a beard. Dave claims to be irish, and proves it by drinking whiskey. Dave has a cottage he loves more than, well, most anything. If Dave were a rockstar, I think he'd try to be Bono. Because, like he loves his cottage, Dave loves U2 more than, well, most anything. He'd probably like The Other Dave (TOD), who also likes U2 more than, well, most anything. TOD doesn't have an online presence, however, which he should, because he's a good musician, and should have fans, or at very least, groupies who stalk him online. I know I would, if I didn't have to go to work right now. All that being said, Dave also complained that I've not linked to him as yet. According to my calculations, his technorati rating just went up a whole lot due to the fact that I've linked to Dave at least nine times in this post. I hope this helps, little buddy.

Timing

Does anyone have an old house or other building in Parkdale they want to give us? I'm just asking, but you know, if we're going to start a church, it might be nice to have an address... Whatever happens, it'll work out in the right timing, with the right people, for the right reasons. Maybe a house is not what we need, but it would be an interesting start...

Guidance

It's amazing the difference a little time and genuine attention make to a relationship. Finally today we met with a priest who treated us like people, people with a story to tell. On top of it all, he actually wanted to hear that story, to ask questions about us, our past, and our current relationship. The fact that he offered his own stories and experiences, above and beyond the requirements of his ecclesiastical position, well that pretty much sealed it for us. After interactions with ministers who didn't seem truly interested in us, (and yet interested in counselling us), it's nice to be building a relationship with someone willing to invest himself in the whole thing too. How is it that some pastors, priests, whatever, go through their job looking only at the bottom line, avoiding the story behind the person? How is it then that others are able to slow themselves down enough to talk to real people, to inquire about their story, to be fascinated by the way in which God is moving in their lives, and to offer of themselves as part of the entire exchange? What makes the difference? Is it their training? The number of counselling courses they've taken? Their interaction with scripture? What is it that makes some pastors good spiritual guides, and others, people you'd not trust when push came to shove?