My friend Kavin...

Kavin was one of my best friends throughout high school. I think we met while slacking off in a grade 10 business class. He wanted to be a fashion designer. I wanted to be a rock star. We both didn't belong. We connected immediately.

It may have helped that he was one of my first friends with a car. I still think about that beautiful car. It was a junkie burgundy k-car that you could put your feet up on. It didn't only take us places - just being near it was a good time. Sure the door would come out and the muffler would drag while driving, but Kavin's car was freedom from that place called home, which meant a lot as a teenager.

Kavin introduced me to Depeche Mode, and we'd talk about music for hours. Radiohead, nine inch nails, smashing pumpkins, even brit-pop littered our conversations. We'd loiter everywhere we go. We even saved the cups at Taco Bell in the trunk of his beater for the free refills every time we went back. Yes, they were good times.

Looking back I wish I could say that I was a positive influence. I'm sure we had constructive conversations about girls, life, and God, but I really wasn't doing so well myself those days. I recall being a jerk to Kavin on multiple occasions. Still, he stuck by, and I still wonder why.

Kavin was smarter than me and taller than me, and rightly so I think he had better ambitions than me. I think he actually wanted to be somebody. I was a dark cloud never wanting anyone to be anything. I'd laugh at those who were 'involved' and mocked those who 'tried' in life. I find it was so easy being and influencing others to be apathetic, cynical, and aimless. The thought always haunts me that Kavin was one of those people who crossed my path during these darker times.

What I love about Kavin is that he has a spirit that wrestles with things. Sometimes it was hilarious when the feeling of angst was mutual. Other times, when I was more oblivious to what was going on, I think that the angst led him to moments of despair. Before it was cool to have a tortured soul, Kavin had one. He has one because underneath it all, he actually cares deeply in a world that tells him not to.

Kavin is a creative spirit, ridiculously funny, a searcher, and the dude who used to drive me around.

Here's a picture he made of himself. Yes it's all him.

In North Carolina...

I'm in Raleigh, NC this week for business.

It's amazing how the roads cut through the tall trees here.

Check out Riya for photo hosting with facial recognition.

Books i'm reading this week as I travel:

Church planting roadmap

Practitioners

Generous Orthodoxy

Updates...

I just added a couple of my feeds to the sidebar.

Flickr badge allows for a glance at your photos online randomly or chronologically. I've got it set on random right now.

And Del.icio.us if you don't know already is a great online bookmarking/tagging tool. Using 'link rolls' the latest links as i scour the web are dynamically placed on the sidepanel as well.

Experiential Storytelling...

I've just returned from a few days of rest and relaxation in Ottawa. It was much needed and so very cherished. Didn't do much of anything, except enjoyed ourselves.

For those who were interested in my small group leadership training 'book', let me know and I'll pass what I have along. I've got a hundred excuses why not to show it to anybody just yet. But after much thought, it'd be silly not to risk allowing people to have a glimpse into this work in process, no matter how unrefined.

Here's a photo of me and The Rock back in 2000 that reminds me to suck it up and be bold.

I got a bit further in several books, one of them being Mark Miller's Experiential StoryTelling. A few notes from it.

- The real beauty of experiential education is that it places trust in the learner to derive meaning from his or her experience. As a learning environment is created, the active focus shifts from the educator to the student.

- Truth divorced from experience will always dwell in the realms of doubt. (Henry Drause)

- We were created with a curiosity, a complexity, and a need for meaning

- Whether we are Christian's or not, our hearts were created to vibrate with the story of God.

- Every child is an artist. The child is how to remain an artist once he grows up (Pablo Picasso)

- Never let formal education get in the way of your learning (Mark Twain)

- Embracing this new mode of communication means worship becomes collaboration, faith now becomes a journey, and the gospel is now communicated in multiple forms of media

Free at last...

The last few weeks have been brutal. Work's been busy, school work skyrocketed, and silly me, refused to bail out of any community events.

I can't seem to understand why my productivity never kicks into gear until its the very last minute. It's 2 am and I'm driving out to Ottawa tomorrow morning. I should be tired, but I'm so excited to be finally free!

Here's a few interesting links i've collected as my A.D.D. has acted up during this time of busyness.

Goolge Calendar will be coming out. I've been waiting for this for ages.

Life in the Googleplex photoessay. If I was a tech geek and not going into ministry I would totally find a way to join google.

Malcolm Gladwell just started blogging

Anne Rice - the latest on her and... Johnny Depp? If you haven't read it, definitely check out her latest "Christ our Lord"

Secret Message of Jesus - excerpts from Brian Mclaren's coming book.

Clips of MoleMan - yes the guy from the simpsons

Vox book club - join it - Divine Conspiracy will be our first book in April.

my book...

Here's a screenshot of my book. It's more of a 50 page booklet or manual on small group leadership, but let's call it a book for now since i've always wanted to write one.

There's a zoom function on Microsoft Word that lets you see all of your pages. None of it is legible of course, but I just like looking at it and saying to myself, 'look at what you did'.

It still needs some editing, and is by no way complete, are books ever? I wouldn't say it's an even effort throughout, and like an artist, I know the parts that I slaved over and what I rushed through. Anyhow, it's good enough for a school project, for now.

Just one more major paper and a speaking engagement to go, and I'll be able to start sleeping again monday.

stretched for time...

I haven't slept much this weekend, and have been sitting at a computer around 18 hours a day the last while working on multiple papers and projects.

I think I might be handing in my first ever late paper this week, simply because it's of so little interest to me right now (it's on a Greek exegesis of a passage in Galatians). The one project that I'm really enjoying, yet consuming all my time and completely draining me, is the developing of a 'small group leadership manual' for one of my classes. I rarely say this, but I can't wait till this week is done and over with.

As for now, I'll leave you with this lyric from Kanye West's Jesus Walks that I just love.

I ain't here to argue about his facial features

Or here to convert atheists into believers

I'm just trying to say the way school need teachers

The way Kathie Lee needed Regis,

that's the way I need Jesus

Blessings.