I was singing an old Beatles tune today - All my lovin' - I'm not sure why it popped into my head. Maybe I was thinking about old records I have and never listen to and how years ago, I would play them over and over and over and over..... till of course they're skipping and scratched.

Records. Better than 8 track but not exactly quality sound! But what I do love about records was the album art. Some of those covers were absolute works of art.

There are still songs I hear that stir my inner self. No, not because they're profound - probably just because of the memories that surround them. or maybe they just strike that certain chord that hits you in the gut. Gives you the "stab".

Let me try to remember some from years gone by..."Ruby Tuesday" by the Rolling Stones, "Teenage Wasteland" by the Who, a million from the Beatles: "Nowhere man" "Eight days a Week" "In my life" to name a few, or "Imagine" by John Lennon. How about "the Times they are a changin' and "Tambourine Man" by Bob Dylan. Then there "7 Bridges Road" by the Eagles and "Southern Cross" by Crosby Stills Nash & Young, "Piece of my Heart" and "Bobby McGee" by Janis Joplin.

When I hear these songs and many more that escape me at the moment - they just take me back or they make me feel something inside...music can do that. It has to be the music - if you ever took note of the lyrics to some of these songs...well, not to much depth in there!

hmmm it's been a good trip down memory road - think I'll go dig out some albums.

Today I got to spend some time alone. Well, me and a zillion strangers but hey, I felt alone. As I drove it was a good time to let my mind wander.... although not enough to keep me from straying off the road.

What is it to live in the kingdom? How can we live kingdom minded? What does this look like for the local Church? How can we make more of an impact in Hope? Do my friends know that I love Jesus more than anything? Why don't youth like traditional church? Do we change traditional church? Do we start something totally different and call it Church? Do we scrap Church altogether? And by Church I'm talking the meeting together in a building blah blah blah.

I haven't got the answers to any of these questions. Maybe I've got a few thoughts but all my thoughts do is lead me to more questions.

Done. Yes, lots of work - but we had a lot of fun too. It was fairly profitable. I think it worked out to $30 plus/hr. Not to bad... I do like talking with the swarms of people that come. and I do mean swarms. What a hoot. The keeners arrive VERY early and can quickly scan an area, grab what they like, pay and be gone in less than 10 minutes.

One very fun and exciting thing was to have an old room-mate of mine show up. She & her kids and parents are in Hope visiting and she decided to hit a yard sale. What are the odds. I haven't seen her in 12 years. She and her husband live in Buenos Aires. He's a Canadian Foreign Diplomat. Wow. Anyway, it was very fun to see her.

So the excess junk is gone. The goal now is to clean up the residue garbage, and to live clutter free.

As I type this, I am in my basement that is FULL of stuff for our garage sale. I mean FULL. Where did it come from? I am stunned. I am not a packrat. I have no trouble whatsoever chucking or passing on anything that is not sentimental, beautiful (to me) or useful....

And yet here I am in the middle of STUFF. It feels so good to know that come Sat. it will no longer be in our home. I can't wait for the room.

It's also the start of simplification. I've been working on the calender (having lots of white space which means we aren't go go go) and now the house. Simplify. I think that physically it will feel great to have the junk gone (good junk tho'! Come shoppin'!) but it will be an emotional boost as well. A cleansing of sorts.

A fresh start.

I'm in the middle of chaos. We are wrapping up the last of Grade 4 (yay) and we're having a garage sale on Sat. so I've got junk EVERYWHERE ready to be sold or taken to the dump. So of course my mind is wandering......

I'm dreaming today. Ideas. Reality - not sure -

- I'd love to see the SundaySchool classes create art projects that could be framed and hung around the Church.

- I'd love to see art hung in the Sanctuary. Local, First Nations, banners, hangings, sculpture, paintings - pieces that draw a person to their knees in worship

- I'd love to have an evening out with dessert, coffee and storytelling- live music. Babysitting provided.

- I'd like to see more of all arts in the church. Where they belong!

-Maybe a weekend with workshops, displays, entertainment

- I'd like to give artists the opportunity to create and for the church to encourage and give opportunity for this.

- I'd love to be a part of it.

I'm full of ideas. Not so full of ways (or really the time) to make them reality. I guess it's time to start praying and figuring out ways to make at least some of these ideas happen.

I'm in a mood today. Not sure what I'd call it...maybe I feel a bit at loose ends.

I'm starting to again implement structure into my day. It appears I need it. So, up at 7 to exercise, then spend some time praying and seeking God, and then onto my day. The only other thing I am realizing I need is more sleep. I never used to be so pathetic! I really need to go to bed at a decent hour - like 10ish. That realization makes me feel old!

If I can get the day to day under control, then the rest of my life seems to fall into place. I have lots of things hovering in my head....God things, people things, life things. I can't seem to sort them out if I haven't got the basics under control.

So I guess I'm starting. Maybe I can trim up those loose ends a tad.

I've just returned from a funeral. I'm feeling profoundly sad. But I also am feeling inspired. Inspired because his life was inspirational. Vic McMillan changed our family. He was Jesus - not talked about - but LIVED Jesus. It was because of him that my dad came to know Jesus- because while my dad could pick off a hypocrite at a hundred paces, he had nothing bad to say about Vic. And throughout the course of his life, he lived out his faith and in that drew my dad.

I will be grateful forever.

But today I see that it wasn't just my family who was changed. He affected hundreds of lives. Vic was humble, he was a servant, he loved God, he loved the scriptures, he loved his family and he loved people. In his life, he paid attention and listened to people - praying for each one.

The Church was packed today. As I knew it would be. Vic would have been embarrassed. He'd probably be really surprised that God could have ever used him in the way that He did. But God did use him and Vic was always willing and ready.

He will be missed.

How's this for a radical thought....

A Pervasive Spirit of Love
I hope that I will see the day when the church is known not by the person who shouts the loudest but for a pervasive spirit of love. I pray for a renewal in the body of Christ, one that already exists in the beauty of believers committed to one another. The tables will be open to all people, regardless of race, economic status, or sexual orientation.

So what can the church do on a societal level? How does a group of lovers create ways to see love and justice embodied in laws and in policy? We set an example; we lead the way to reform. We lobby, we get arrested when justice demands it, we speak out, we offer alternatives.

So let us lead with passion. Where there are homeless, may we sleep on the streets. Where there are those without healthcare, let us demand inclusion and equal opportunity. Where there is war, let us be the visage of a man who turned the other cheek. Let us love as Christ loved; let our love for the world create a society of mercy and justice from the start to the finish of this dance we call life. Be love.

Matt Enquist
Freshman at North Park University

Just imagine!

Last night we served dinner for the Grads from our Youth Group, their parents and for the rest of the youth. It was tiring but a great night.

Jeff (Pastor that is) gave a 6 min. (very impressive) "talk". His first piece of advice was to remind everyone that if someone came to the door checking for deerticks and requests that you take off all your clothes - DON'T DO IT! It's a scam. They just want to see you naked. Whew! I'm so glad I heard this advice in time. Who knows what might have happened. But then of course he rolled out the wisdom....

A few wise words for the grads to take with them as they head off out of highschool. I don't know if they affected the grads - I'm sure they did- but they have stuck with me. Okay, so I actually forgot point two and had to ask for a lifeline - but on the whole, they stuck!

1. Remember you are not your own.
*I'm a Christian, that means that I belong to the one who created me. I am God's. How comforting,..... how freaky!
2. Live a life of humility.
*As Jeff reminded us, on the night before Jesus, Lord of the Universe, was crucified, He washed His disciples feet. He humbled Himself and asked for us to do just He had done.
3. Live a life of passion.
*Passion for God. Passion for doing what He calls you to do. Passion for this wonderful gift of life.

Not just wise words for grads I'm thinkin'...

We just returned from a weekend on Vancouver Island. It was a mini-family reunion for Reid. His sis & husband were visiting from Nova Scotia, his brother & wife live in Deep Bay/Bowser and their daughter and her partner flew in from Yellowknife. We brought another niece from New Brunswick and a cousin joined us from Parksville. It was a good time of being family. I do love the Island but I hate how much it costs to get there. $160.00 round trip. That's just ferry costs - not the gas used to get there and back. But what can you do - and for this weekend it was money well spent.

Reid's niece has been staying with us from NewBrunswick. She's been with us for 3 monthes and today (minutes ago) we said good-bye. I am sadder than I thought I would be and the girls are missing her already. She's at a great stage in her life - just finished University and the world is wide open to her - the good and the bad is that she has so many options that it is hard to know what to do. A frustrating place to be at times - but oh to have so many adventures left on the horizon!!

So as of today I have my home back, we've got no travels scheduled on the horizon and we are back settling into routine. All good. It's time to reclaim some lost time in terms of lifestyle: what we are eating, how much we are excercising, schoolwork, bedtime...

...time spent being.