First week of seminary...

After four years of taking part-time classes, I've finally taken a much anticipated step of entering full-time studies. It was difficult integrating with the community as strictly a night student because those classes by nature were always over-sized with predominantly other students who worked full-time like I did and were in and out with our other obligations.

I'm just starting to scratch the surface of the community here. I know I'm forgetting people, but shout outs to Sharon, Grace, Troy, Adam, Carolyn, Bernard, Amy, Yuling, Morgan, Peter, Jake, Jeremy, Joel, Brian, Natalie, James, Ivan, Anita, Leo, Selwyn, and Jason. I'm glad we were able to connect, if even for a moment.

On a more disappointing note. My first attempt at starting a church planting and kingdom advancing student network completely flopped.

I'm going to need to process this some more, learn from it, and try again.

On the brighter side, my classes have been phenomenal so far. I'm taking five this term (some thing that's ridiculous, but with the baby on the way, I'd like to get as much as I can done to lighten the load later). My classes are:

Practice & Theology of Ministry

Youth at Risk

Old Testament Theology & History

Preaching

Leadership Development

I've been hammering away at the more academic core and language classes all these years so I can finally take some of these more practical sessions that I've been waiting for. Content for all of them look fantastic and the profs are excellent as well.

Leaving my job this summer I have to admit I teared up a bit. It was a life I loved, that I know I will never be returning to. At the same time, I felt that God had poured something new, something extra, into my spirit as I made the transition. Walking through the halls of school now, I still shudder at the tremendous blessing and privilege of having the hand of God guiding my life.

Who is this King of Glory, that pursues me with His love...

latest entries at htpp://onelife.voxtropolis.com

An excellent question...

A while back, I was corresponding with Jack Popjes (With Wycliffe Canada, who spent a bulk of his life as a missionary in Brazil), and discussing my future. He asked me a fantastic question that I ask myself every year.

Where would you honestly put yourself right now on a scale from 1 to 10. With one being the lowest risk and the most comfort, and ten being maximum risk, pain and possible reward. And why?

latest posts at http://onelife.voxtropolis.com

For the geeks...

If you've been using skype for free long distance this year, check out Hullo. It's much like the Avaya, which I use to use at work. You type the number via the client, it calls you locally, then calls your other party locally, and the conferences you together, phone to phone, for free!

For those of you who followed me into the land of zooomr, a bulk uploading tool just got released for it. Check out juploadr here.

Calgoo lets you take your google calendar offline.

For those of you who are wondering how to keep site stats on voxtropolis. You can paste html code from different stat providers into the 'text' sidebar widget when you hit 'look and feel'. I just started using statcounter.

And to top it all of, it looks like Jesus is back and living in Miami.

*Update. I just made my first 'portal' on Zooomr. It's a neat little new feature that allows you in a sense to place a picture within a picture. Click below to see one of me getting slapped and a portal into the split second reaction afterwards.

See the latest entries at http://onelife.voxtropolis.com

Rampant reading...

With the time off and in an attempt to get ahead of school before the baby comes, i've devoured several books the past few weeks.

Working the Angles - Eugene Peterson

Confessions of a Reformission Rev. - Mark Driscoll

Getting to Yes - Roger Fisher

The Story we find ourselves in - Brian McLaren

From Paradise to the Promised Land - T. Desmond Alexander

Being Leaders - Aubrey Malphurs

Biblical Preaching by Haddon Robinson

Preaching to a postmodern world by Graham Macpherson Johnston

Anyone else read these before? I often feel quite affirmed in my own thoughts after reading books, but wrapping up this latest set, I feel like I know less than when I started and more challenged than ever.

See http://onelife.voxtropolis.com for the latest entries

More videos of me...

Here's two more short lightsaber videos.

One is a practice duel, which is pretty funny right at the end if you know chinese.

The second is another lame one of Yvz defending herself against my saber as she lays on the couch.

Finally here's a large video you can download if you wish that I just stumbled on. Some university kids ambushed and nerfed me at our church's Summer Sojourn gathering. (My portion's around the middle of the clip).

Update: two of the videos that include Yvz have been made private (she's a bit embarassed... yet i'm so proud of her!). I can add you to my youtube friends list if you want to check'em out!

See http://onelife.voxtropolis.com for the latest entries.

My lightsaber...

I just got back today from visiting Ottawa for the past week. I was beginning to develop migraines from having zero internet access. Anyhow, it was a fabulous time of family and friends.

One of the highlights was fiddling around with my brother in-law's lightsabers. They are so very cool. Here's my first ever youtube video. A short video of me rescuing my pregnant wife, it's so very very lame.

I can't figure out how to embed it, but check it out here.

We're back...

We're back. Refreshed, and ready to take on the world.

Lots to catch up on, and more updates to come.

Latest entries at http://onelife.voxtropolis.com. Best viewed in anything but IE.

Leaving work...

After giving my six-weeks notice, I finally packed my stuff and left the office today. I was flooded with words of appreciation and encouragement as I leave behind this fantastic place I've worked the past four years. It's easy to leave something behind when you hate it anyways, but to pick up and leave something really good in hopes of something even more extraordinary is no easy task.

I'm going to miss the friendships and the actual work itself. It's still a bit of a surreal that I won't be seeing many of these faces again. I'm even missing the tedious parts of my job already. I'm very happy with the work that I've accomplished and the people I've connected with along the way. I've taken just about every chance to grow professionally and to point people towards a life beyond the visible. It's one of the few things that I've felt good about from start to finish.

I hope to finish this next leg of the race strong as well as I head back to school.

More immediately, I'm about to fly out to Vancouver, celebrate our anniversary in Whistler, explore Seattle, and really just get some time to rest and reflect. Life's been incredible, but I have no doubt the best is yet to come.

The latest at http://onelife.voxtropolis.com

Confessions...

I'm adding a new category to my vox called 'confessions'.

I think there's something liberating about confessing. Just as the scriptures call for us to confess our sins, and as Peter confessed that Christ was the Son of the living God, I believe that confession is something that is raw and profound.

I love writing and teaching and discussing, but there's something to be said about simple confessions. Maybe in doing so, we come one step closer to who we really are. Maybe in the midst of it, we discover the person God's always seen and still continues to embrace.

Here's one.

"If people knew how hard I worked to get my mastery, it wouldn't seem so wonderful at all." ~ Michelangelo.

I'm not sure what context Michelangelo said this, but it resonates with me deeply. I tend to make things look easy. I wish raw talent just naturally flowed from me, but anything worthwhile I've ever done, has usually been a result of a painstaking amount of work.

I often sleep less than most people, just to get done what regular people do in a normal day. My superman complex brushes off any effort as if it were nothing. Though seemingly humble, I've found what it really does, is set unrealistic standards for others, and devalues and belittles any effort they make.

and yet the Creator of the universe still embraces me.

latest entries at http://onelife.voxtropolis.com

Free Zooomr pro account...

VOXers - I posted a while back about Zooomr, a photos hosting site like flickr but considerably slickr... v2 of it just relaunched and right now bloggers can get a free pro account offering 2.5 GB of uploads per month!

Instructions are here. It just involves posting a single picture on your site like I just did below. See my zooomr site here. I'll be flooding it with many more pictures as they release their bulk uploading tool soon.

This is me in San Diego during one of many business trips. I'm going to miss all expenses paid business trips!

more at http://onelife.voxtropolis.com

What have we done...?

If you have ten minutes today, watch/listen to this photo essay on Chernobyl.

Feel free to share what it made you think or feel.

And so I handed in my resignation letter...

It's been four years since I graduated and began working at IBM and it's been 4 years since I've known that this is the summer I'll be leaving it all behind. Much praying and planning has went into this journey. I recently extended my thirty year plan into a sixty year plan… just in case I live that long.

I've never had a doubt that this is what God wanted me to do, though I've got to say, that a twinge of nervousness has crept up on my recently. With this next step I'll be leaving the common and familiar for the seldom and unfamiliar. I'll be trading a steady and solid income for unknown periods of debt. Most of all, I'll be giving up a job I love and daring to live a life of love.

One of my managers was relieved it wasn't due to any type of job dissatisfaction. "Well, I can't compete with God", he exclaimed. It turned out my other manager was on staff with Willow Creek earlier in his career. We ended up talking for a couple hours about life, discipline, and vision. It's interesting how as I've talked to others about this, what I'm hearing is that I'm "one of those people" who actually try to do something different; something they love in this life.

I've got a lot that I want to do in my life, but the truth is, after looking at my life from a sixty year perspective, I was starting to draw blanks on what else I might want to do. Most of us over estimate what we can do in a year, and drastically underestimate what we can do in ten or twenty years. The way I see it, with the pace of life as it is these days, we have the opportunity to live multiple life times, having different and worthwhile careers and passions during our time on earth. I know plenty of people who have things they want to do in life, but the reality is, they're just wish lists. Real dreams must be attempted.

I'm leaving this career, and taking the next step towards my dream of unleashing hope in others because I must. My heart demands it. And anything less would be a violation of who I'm called to be.

See the primary blog at http://onelife.voxtropolis.com for comments and other entries.

Links of the week...

- One voxer ponders the increasing evil in the world...

- If you haven't heard already Buffet's giving away his billions

- Guy Kawasaki's keynote speech on the Art of the the Start

- Download google and youtube videos with this

- inbreaking - Social bookmarking for the emerging church... do we really need a seperate service for this?

- Some sad statistics on Pastors

- PastorHacks - Productivity tips particularly for those in ministry

- 20 reasons why you should plant a church

- Clips of Mark Driscoll and Tim Keller on the coming DesiringGod conference

- ELI - Emerging Leadership Initiative for church planters. I'm usually assessed as a prime candidate for church planting but didn't fair as great on ELI's. Supposedly I don't have enough experience doing actual church planting. odd.

- The Evolution of Dance - both brilliant and hilarious

- Google Picasa Web Albums. I've mentioned this one before, but I hope enough people get on this that they really invest in creating more features. Here's my current album.

- And finally. Tabblo. I thought this was kind of neat, as it gives you slick templates for storytelling through pictures. Below's an example of one of mine

Will took the plunged and joined me in the monk look for the summer. ... See my Tabblo

Being Superman...

Quotes from the upcoming Superman Returns movie.

Jor-El to Kal-El (Superman's father to his son):

"Even though you've been raised as a human being you're not one of them. They can be a great people, Kal-El. They wish to be. They only lack the light to show the way. For this reason above all - their capacity for good - I have sent them you… my only son."

Superman to Lois Lane:

"You wrote that the world doesn't need a savior… but every day I hear people crying for one"

Many articles and articles have already been written about the comparisons of Christ with Superman, but what about the followers of Christ and Superman?

In the Scriptures they mistook John the Baptist for Christ, anyone ever mistaken you for Superman?

What would it look like if followers of Christ, though different from those around them, were the leading examples of what it meant to be fully human? to be the very best of humanity?

How might we impact and influence others if we saw the greatness, and the beauty, the hope, and the good within them?

Where would you be today if you were living as a person sent to bring light into the darkest crevices of humanity?

What would happen if you heard the inaudible cries for a savior from the people around you?

When people saw the extraordinary life John the baptist was living and calling others to, he was able to point them to One even greater than himself.

What would happen if we became heroes in our towns and cities, and before people began calling us super men and women, we could point them towards the greatest Hero to ever walk the earth?

See the primary blog at http://onelife.voxtropolis.com for other entries and comments

Church planting and kingdom advancing network...

I plan on launching a Church Planting and Kingdom Advancing network (I need a shorter cooler name) on campus at Tyndale this Fall term. See the post that brought this about here.

Knowing next to no one, as I begin my first year full-time there as a student, I'm trying to make things 'legit' with student council, and hope to find a way to draw out those that might be interested in something like this.

i'm currently imagining the gatherings to be provide and be driven by...

Networking - Awakening and connecting with like-minded and like-hearted people.

Equipping - through Students, practitioners, professors? Material from Acts29, IMN, or others?

Resourcing - Tools, books, sites, experiences, networks

Visional Environment - A place to pray, dream, innovate, create, cultivate, and inspire one another.

One of the first experiences I hope to connect this group with is via a road trip to the IMN (International Mentoring Network) Regional conference in Montreal in september.

Here's what's happening for it:

- Strengths assessment and training

- Steps for guiding people through life transformation

- Voxtropolis–new paradigms for mission and ministry in our cyber-electronic world

- guidance for leaders of the church in a 21st century post Christian west

- access to new networks and relationships

- multi-sensory experience

What do you all think? I'm going to need lots of help with this and hope many can get involved. Anyone interested?

See the primary blog at http://onelife.voxtropolis.com for other entries and comments

Toastmasters...

Is anyone else part of this cult?

I just joined recently. I've been wanting to go for years, but the constant clapping and procedures always scared me off. I finally mustered the courage to become a part of this odd little community that we have on site at work, and delivered my first speech there yesterday.

I actually wish now I had joined this years ago. People tell me i'm a natural (i think raw and unrefined is more like it), but the practice really does help.

Here's the toastmaster's interational link - it's a fairly huge global organzation.

While i'm at it, here's a few other hot links.

Audio's from the consumption of faith and faith in consumption conference

Google Video of a crazy face plant

Audio's from the latest Acts29 church planting regional sessions

Dynamic Church planting international

Allelon - Center for missional leadership

givemeaning.com dedicated to fundraising and philanthropy

Article comparing Rob Bell as the next Billy Graham

Article on how 'God' is the new drug of choice for rebellious youth

yelō awakening the human spirit

lulu.com enabling you to self-publish

From the reform and resurge conference - audio message on how jacked up punks will change the world.

http://onelife.voxtropolis.com for the latest entries / comments.

Baby names...

We still don't know if it's a boy or girl yet, but here are few preliminary names. And yes, i'm serious about them, but I can't say Yvonne's approved of all of them... yet.

For a boy...

Optimus Prime. Hear me out on this one. Leader of the Autobots. Brought hope to humanity, even though he was not like them. Defender of good. Always at the frontline of battles. Empowered others. Rallied the troops.Experienced pain, death, and resurrection.

Maximus - from Gladiator

Freeman - I love Morgan, and it's a great word combo

Luther - for both Lex, and the Martin's out there.

Crash - Great film, forward moving, and unafraid.

For a girl...

Hunter - Imagine guys saying, dude, stay away from her, her names hunter!

Stellar - as in stars and spectacular

Sashimi - I was thinking of some type of sushi theme because it's both raw and refined.

Liv(e) - short, sweet, and a constant reminder of what to do when she wakes up.

Ashling/Asher - I was thinking of something that starts with A, since she'll likely be a december baby, and might be at the end of the line for a lot of things, this might even things out. I like something starting with Ash, but Yvonne thinks it sounds too much like 'ass'.

For middle names, I'm really leaning towards these two...

Ruach - Hebrew meaning spirit, breath, wind, courage... for a boy.

Ecclesia - Greek for sent out, or called out, as in called out from darkness to light... for a girl.

What do you think?

http://onelife.voxtropolis.com for the latest entries / comments.

I didn't know we could do that...

"I didn't know we could do that..." That's what I'm hearing as I bring up church planting to people.

When I've asked fellow students in my seminary what they plan on doing with their lives and dreams, there seems to be this linear answer of 'well, i'm going to be a youth pastor, then an associate pastor, and then if things work out, i'd like to be a senior pastor one day'. It sounds like a great plan, and nothing wrong with that, but could there be more?

I went to Canada's National Church planting congress last year and was the only person from my seminary there (the largest in Canada). I attended a breakout session and what I heard from leaders at all levels repeated asking was - where are all the young, catalytic, entrepreneurial, leaders of the next generation?

I'm convinced that the structures and processes that have been built for raising leaders by previous generations are only producing people who think within those systems (And I'm sure this applies to more than just the realm of 'spiritual' leadership). Many of these frameworks are shrinking our hearts, leaving little room for the extraordinary possibilities that we are all capable of and must bring about.

I've decided that as I make my transition from work back to full-time school this september, I'll be launching a new Church Planting & Kingdom Advancing Network on campus. More on this soon. Thoughts?

http://onelife.voxtropolis.com for the latest entries / comments.

I'm pregnant...

Well, i'm not, but my wife sure is pregnant. At first we were hesitant on telling anyone, since all the books and friends seemed to advise to wait at least three months. But we thought about it some more, and felt that keeping it to ourselves would have been more motivated by fear, and all the "what if's", rather than faith, hope, and love.

If anything did happen we'd want our community's prayers and support throughout the process. I can not explain how excited I am!

Here's our little one at 5cm's (The black is liquid, the round circle on the right is his/her big head, and the body's laying across to left). The process of life is so freaking phenomenal.

http://onelife.voxtropolis.com for the latest entries / comments.

God is not impressed...

I was running outside the other day and just soaking up the beauty and creation around me (See my recent post on our 'God soaked world' on the bookclub vox). I came across this incredibly stunning bird and quickly took this picture! Actually, not really, but I sure wish I did. This one was grabbed off of flickr at this dude's site.

My bird was just perched by the side of the road doing a whole lot of nothing. The first thing that came to my mind, besides all its sleek and bright colors, was how that bird better be doing something more than just sitting there and looking pretty. I found myself hoping it knew just how distinct and attractive it was, and how it ought to be doing something spectactular amongst its fellow birds.

Then God spoke into my heart and reminded me that while He loves and embraces me as I am, He is not impressed by my 'colors'. My natural gifts and talents don't blow Him away. After all, He is the One who placed them in me in the first place.

However, what is astounding and marvelous, is when we use, however much or little we have, for the purposes of expanding good, inspiring others, and ultimately serving humanity and honoring God. That's what God applauses, and that's what I'm starting to become more and more impressed by when I look at those around me.