To have a mentor

To this point in my life I have had two relationships that would fall under the category of mentor/protege. The first developed with Rinus Janson, who was my youth pastor when during my High School days. The mentorship he provided was not so much on the one-to-one level. I was a part of a "care group" consisting of 6 or so teenage guys hanging out with our youth pastor on a weekly basis. Between rounds of hacki-sack and the inevitable wedgie war I know his spiritual influence had a profound impact upon each of our lives. I don't think it is an understatement to say that without Rinus' influence upon my life I never would have went to Bible college.

The second mentor relationship in which I have shared developed during my fourth year of Bible college. John Nicholson was the senior pastor of the church where I was intern. Our working relationship quickly progressed into a genuine friendship where he was able to illuminate so many areas of my own life with powerful advice because he had already passed by the road I was traveling.

Several years has passed from this last point in time and I have known many deep, profound and spiritual individuals but I have not fostered another relationship with another person that I would consider to be a mentor. It is not as though I didn't recognize my need to have one, or that I did not desire a mentor but for some reason a relationship with this kind of dynamic has not materialized.

Perhaps relationships of this stature are few and far between, or maybe there is something within myself that creates and artificial distance making it difficult to build a relationship of this kind.

Fact or Fiction?

And you think you've had a bad day!!!

It happens all the time. You open up your email inbox and there you are confronted by a fantastic image. The accompanying message pushes the boundaries of the believable all the way to the fringes of your better judgement. Initially, the more critical part of your mind casts a shadow of doubt but at the same time you are intrigued by the possibility, "What if this is really true?"

Much to my own embarrassment I recently succumbed, to the kind of judgement found in the latter category, when I embraced one such piece of urban legend folklore. I was able to save a small measure of pride in the fact that I didn’t forward this message to anyone else, but I did show it to several members of my family with great evangelistic zeal. The above photo was accompanied by this explanation:

“Although this looks like a picture taken from a Hollywood movie, it is in fact a real photo, taken near the South African coast during a military exercise by the British Navy. It has been nominated by National Geographic as ‘The photo of the year’”

Not too much later I stumbled across a website specializing in bringing down those of us who allow our heads to drift high into the clouds of contemporary myths. snopes.com My jaw dropped when I found this link (the reality of sharks and helicopters), which unravelled the very picture I had touted to my grandparents and even my father-in-law.

Urban legends are as old as our imagination. The “snopes” website even makes an interesting case when it explores the role they play within the tapestry of our society. In all honesty I must admit I had a long hard laugh when the infamous "shark & helicopter" photo was first sent to me. Yet, with this being said I want to be sure that the “interesting little tidbits” I share from this point forward have a bit more fact and a lot less fiction. No doubt, in an age of digital photography, photo editing and digital animation we can no longer claim, “the camera doesn’t lie!”

Joy in our home!!!

Wesla recently had a promising interview at a dental clinic and she has been waiting all week to hear if she has the job. She was the first of three potential candidates to be considered for the position, and most dental offices have working interviews, so Wesla knew she would need to wait before she heard any news.

Wesla was told to expect a call back on Friday or Monday (of this past week), her wheels were really starting to turn by about 5 pm last night when we had still received no word. She couldn't take the pressure of the unknown any longer and finally called the office last night and was given the good new that she got the position!

God has always provided for our needs and we are so thankful for this great blessing! I also want to offer my thanks to everyone who has prayed for us over the course of this past week.

An example of Spiritual Sincerity

(Click on Image to Enlarge)

Last year a friend of mine gave me a copy of The Confessions of Saint Augustine. Ever since I have found myself turning back time and again to this ancient work of Christian literature, which has been touted as 'the greatest spiritual autobiography of all time'. For me, the intriguing character of this book lies beyond the style of the prose or even its historical and theological significance. At the most fundamental level I am drawn to St. Augustine's spiritual sincerity.

Augustine is often criticized, and perhaps rightly so, for his views of original sin and predestination among other things. But whatever his position on a myriad of issues may be the example Augustine sets as one whose heart is open and contrite before his maker is truly humbling.

Like all his Confessions the above quote is part of an extended meditative prayer to God. Not too long ago I combined these words with a picture I took for the purpose of aiding in my own meditation. (This photo was captured while on a Riverboat cruise of the Grand River in Southwestern Ontario.)

Was sollst du einen Deutscher nicht fragen? (What shouldn't you ask a German)

Every cultural linguistic body has distinctive idioms with a whole range of meanings from the concrete to the abstract. This is a big part of what makes learning a new language so interesting and potentially frustrating and embarrassing all at the same time.

I am just entering my second term of German, which is by far the most study intensive of all the courses I have this semester, but at the same time it offers great dividends. Up to this point our "Deutschlernen" has focused primarily upon how things should be phrased, but today we learned a few examples of how the sense of a word can have a vastly different meaning not only within the German language, but also when you are trying to communicate between German and English.

For example:

"Mir ist heiß" and "Ich bin heiß" have identical literal translations in English (I am hot), however their meanings are vastly different. The first means "I am hot" in the sense of temperature and the second "I am hot" as in sexy. This is not difficult for those of us native to English to understand because these idioms are cognate with our own, but this is not always so.

Example #2:

Again, "Mir ist warm" and "Ich bin warm" have the same literal translation into English. As I'm sure you guessed both these phrases literally mean "I am warm". As before, the first phrase is a reference to temperature and the second also refers to a state of being. However in this second example the German idiom has a far different meaning that it does in English. Let's just say to be "warm" in German is to be "gay" in English. (When phrased in the second way of course).

So, if you ever find yourself on a balmy summer afternoon hanging out at a BBQ (or something of the like) and you have the urge to try out some German on an unsuspecting and shy exchange student just be sure not to say, "Bist du warm?" (Are you warm?) because you might not get the response you are expecting!

The red-headed wonder of "Late Night"

This is a shot of Mike Myers hanging out with Conan O'Brien when he took his show to Toronto for a week last year (remember that?). For me, Conan is the undisputed red-headed wonder of late night television. There is just something about his spontaneous insanity that cracks me up every time. There is also a definite plus to being a Conan fan in Alberta, the NBC affiliate we get here in Lethbridge air Late Night at 10:30 pm!

History paper suggestions

One of my courses this semester is "Writing for History". All the assignments are based around researching and writing on one specific historical subject of the students choosing. I just thought I would throw out the question, what area/issue would you research if you were given the choice?

Married to a "Sugar-Mama"

There is no way to fully prepare yourself for the sacrifice and compromise that come part and parcel with the covenant of marriage. At the same time it is impossible to know the depth of the blessings that are possible when these same marriage vows are truly taken to heart. Wesla and I certainly do not have a perfect marriage but I can unequivocally declare that I am blessed because she is my wife. Even beyond the encouragement she is to me on a daily basis, the sacrifices she is willing to make are such a profound demonstration of her love and commitment.

One of the most tangibly significant sacrifices Wesla has made is what made it possible for me to re-enter full time education at the University of Lethbridge. Wesla gave up her job in Ontario and moved with me to Alberta and is now working full time while I go to school. When my fellow students discover that I am married one of the first questions they often ask is "What does your wife do?" When I explain that Wesla is a Registered Dental Assistant and how she is supporting me while I go to school I am often reminded of how sweet my situation really is.

***

On a slightly different note, I am encouraged to say that Wesla had a job interview yesterday that went very well and she is hoping that she will receive a call back with an offer within the next week or so. She has been working for a Denturist, here in Lethbridge, since Oct 2004 but she has been unable to find work in a Dental office. She (I should say we) are hopeful for this new possibility because Wesla would be working directly in her field of training and the increase in salary would be substantial. If you are of the praying persuasion we would appreciate you saying one for us.

Entering the World of BLOG

This post represents my baptism into the world of BLOG. For the past several months I have navigated my way through several different blogs... in the course of my exploration an interest in starting one of my own has been slowing growing. My aim with this site is to discuss the complexities of this life we live with anyone who is willing to join in the conversation and just perhaps I will learn a little more about my self and my fellow sojourners along the way.

I must also take a moment to give credit where credit is due. It was my old friend Jayson who encouraged me to check this whole world out with the kind of enthusiasm and passion he alone possesses. (Check his blog out at jayson.ca)