This Christmas season has been marked by food.... lots and lots of food!
Of course there was the usual Christmas Day Feast! Mac and I joined my family (Mom, Dad, Margaret, Grammie, Grandma, Grandpa and my bro and his girlfriend) as well as a couple family friends for a feast on Christmas Day. It was a great day to sit and enjoy each other's fellowship, generosity (thank you again everyone!!) and some wonderful food!! Mmmmm turkey, stuffing, potatoes, salads, cookies, spanish cream, fruit/gumdrop cake.....mmmmm chocolate!!!!
Boxing day was a slowish day, but then on the 27th we met up with the Cairns and Shihs for some Japanese foods. Everyone else had some form of sushi, while I broadened our scope of Japanese food by having Yakisoba. I had to laugh during the meal. At one point Drew Shih mentioned that there was "non-sushi" options for those who are more conservative in their food preferences. However, having been to Japan and eating tonnes of Japanese food I would argue that only eating sushi is conservative -- there are so many other Japanese foods that are sooooooo yummy! I love Japanese food as a whole, its the sashimi that I don't like -- though ate plenty of -- and in reality that makes up only a small portion of the typical Japanese diet.
On the 28th Mac and I joined friends of mine from High school (though Stacey and Megan were in grade school with me too!) and headed down to the Toronto Food bank. There we sorted people's donations for 3 hours and packed them into boxes. Mac was taken to help unload the packed boxes of various foods and stack them on palates to be taken to the "shopping" area and used to stock shelves. It really was amazing to see what was donated. If you are thinking about donating to the Foodbank, here are some helpful suggestions:
The foodbank is overflowing with: pasta (even gluten free sometimes!!), pasta sauce, vegetables (specifically peas, cut carrots and cream corn) and soup. There was also a lot of beans (i.e. plain beans in cans or dry beans in a bag). What there isn't a lot of is: hot drinks (coffee, hot chocolate, teas), canned fruits, baking supplies (flour, baking soda, baking powder etc), and sugar is also in low supply.
After the foodbank we went back to Mike and Ryan's place for a potluck dinner! We all brought parts of a pasta dinner and Ryan made wonderful little cakes with icing, and ice cream with lemon curd for dessert. I will eat her baking anytime!!!!! For dinner we were joined by a few other friends and it was truly a joyful evening!!
This holiday has also been marked by food in another way: baking! Before Christmas (the friday-Saturday) I made some six different kinds of cookies! I decided to try some new recipes this year that i found on a wonderful little christmas cookie website: www.christmas-cookies.com.
Then on Sunday I decided to make sourdough starter so Mac and I could enjoy homemade sourdough bread. Monday I took a break from baking to make the potato dish for Christmas. Tuesday being christmas, I took a break. But on Wednesday I made 2 loaves of bread (which ended up in the freezer because we don't actually need it right now), on Thursday I made cranberry muffins (and the pasta sauce for friday), Friday I was out all day with the foodbank and following potluck), Saturday i didn't bake anything but on Sunday I made pizza crust for lunch (mac took over once i made the dough), and then made butter tarts (with apples instead of raisins) in the evening. So baking.... mmmm i'm enjoying it!! I even asked my parents if they want me to make them bread because i'm enjoying getting back into baking bread, something I did a lot of in High School but not since. But sadly they didn't need any when i asked.
Tonight we head to friends of my Family's (the Van Sickles) for their annual New Years Eve Fondue night! Its always super fun and super yummy!! Sooooo much yummy food. We'll have a late lunch and then munch all evening long!!! mmmmmm
This holiday season needs to end soon -- or my waistline is just not going to recover!!
PS if anyone wants some fresh bread! Let me know.... i'm looking for excuses to bake!
Monday, December 31, 2007
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Happy Christmas!!
Greetings friends and a merry Christmas to all. I was lying in bed last night thinking about why I enjoy this season. Reflecting on my childhood, I recall the excitement of anticipation. Waking at 6 AM was not unheard of (much to my parents' chagrin). The anticipation of getting that special toy was too much to contain. But, as with all childhood requests, some were way over the top for Santa to fulfill (here I am thinking of the authentic fighter jet).
I think this anticipation has a deeper meaning and providentially so. As with Israel in bondage and exile, they yearned for deliverance and Messiah. And so now with the Church, we desire the Bridegroom. Christmas is not for toys and large meals with friends and family, although these are great symbols of the ultimate reality of the new heaven and earth and the great wedding banquet. The Church season of Advent focuses our eyes on Christ's first coming and hopefully turns our hearts towards his return. This is why I love this time of year. The excitement of anticipation does not abate as the years go by.
Everyday, there is that hope of seeing the sky roll back or a strange looking cloud carrying a Man. The anticipation of the fully remade Creation existing with Heaven is the reason that Christmas does not lose its profoundly good flavour. The ability to explore the created order for the rest of eternity, walking along side lions without fear of being lunch, not worrying about my gimpy hip-flexor muscles as I run; these are all things I anticipate and wonder over each Christmas (and each day for that matter).
Whether you are young or old, the excitement of anticipation can be realized because as the old hymn says, "For He came near and the soul felt its worth." We all desire to know that feeling. As young kids, it is manifest in that caring gift. As teenagers...well I can only guess, maybe it is that unconditional acceptance in this awkward time of life. As a younger adult, it is that desire to see Christ coming on the clouds in those days. As an older adult, it is knowing that one day soon they will see Him as He is. We will always yearn for Christ until he returns because the curse will not be fully undone until the parousia (triumphant return of the King after defeating all enemies). Just as with Christmas in our youth, we don't always get what we ask for, so it is with Christ's return. But, there is always next year...
I think this anticipation has a deeper meaning and providentially so. As with Israel in bondage and exile, they yearned for deliverance and Messiah. And so now with the Church, we desire the Bridegroom. Christmas is not for toys and large meals with friends and family, although these are great symbols of the ultimate reality of the new heaven and earth and the great wedding banquet. The Church season of Advent focuses our eyes on Christ's first coming and hopefully turns our hearts towards his return. This is why I love this time of year. The excitement of anticipation does not abate as the years go by.
Everyday, there is that hope of seeing the sky roll back or a strange looking cloud carrying a Man. The anticipation of the fully remade Creation existing with Heaven is the reason that Christmas does not lose its profoundly good flavour. The ability to explore the created order for the rest of eternity, walking along side lions without fear of being lunch, not worrying about my gimpy hip-flexor muscles as I run; these are all things I anticipate and wonder over each Christmas (and each day for that matter).
Whether you are young or old, the excitement of anticipation can be realized because as the old hymn says, "For He came near and the soul felt its worth." We all desire to know that feeling. As young kids, it is manifest in that caring gift. As teenagers...well I can only guess, maybe it is that unconditional acceptance in this awkward time of life. As a younger adult, it is that desire to see Christ coming on the clouds in those days. As an older adult, it is knowing that one day soon they will see Him as He is. We will always yearn for Christ until he returns because the curse will not be fully undone until the parousia (triumphant return of the King after defeating all enemies). Just as with Christmas in our youth, we don't always get what we ask for, so it is with Christ's return. But, there is always next year...
No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.
Friday, December 21, 2007
More Debate
Take off...To the Great White North!!
Those are the great lyrics from the 1980 hit tune by the McKenzie brothers, a couple of Canucks. Well I took their advice and with Tim Cairns decided to see what all the fuss was about (not really, Tim was moving to Ontario, and our true goal was to see if we could eat every meal at Tim Horton's as we drove the Trans Canada). Our departure from Vancouver was early, and by Kamloops we found our first Tim's. The BC roads were the most treacherous. Snow, slush and ice along with a broken windscreen wash made for exciting moments. Golden, BC was our second Tim's. Finally, we arrived in Banff for the evening. Great little town, but strangely they do not label the main street of the town. Guests are left to figure out that they are traveling down banff ave.
Skiing and travel to Calgary was our second day's tasks. Calgary was a bustling town with Christmas parties on for the evening. Even though it was cold it has a warm place in my heart (where's the bucket?). Then we went from Calgary to Minneapolis. Oh how I wish that was true. The plains are long and flat and without distinction in the Winter. Luckily, the speed limit is 110 km/h so travel to Regina was at least quick. Regina was a small town with deserted streets. Probably the -15c temperature kept many off the street, but strangely enough, there were masses of people outside each hotel smoking cigarettes. Wanting to watch the Canuck's game, we walked in that cold for an hour looking for a place that had a TV tuned to hockey night in Canada that served decent food. After leaving Regina, we thought we would be in better luck with the larger city of Winnipeg. Oh, how wrong we were. Update later.
Skiing and travel to Calgary was our second day's tasks. Calgary was a bustling town with Christmas parties on for the evening. Even though it was cold it has a warm place in my heart (where's the bucket?). Then we went from Calgary to Minneapolis. Oh how I wish that was true. The plains are long and flat and without distinction in the Winter. Luckily, the speed limit is 110 km/h so travel to Regina was at least quick. Regina was a small town with deserted streets. Probably the -15c temperature kept many off the street, but strangely enough, there were masses of people outside each hotel smoking cigarettes. Wanting to watch the Canuck's game, we walked in that cold for an hour looking for a place that had a TV tuned to hockey night in Canada that served decent food. After leaving Regina, we thought we would be in better luck with the larger city of Winnipeg. Oh, how wrong we were. Update later.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Visa Update
Hello All
I got a call from the US Consulate office this morning.
Turns out we missed two things -- 1) they changed their fee and 2) they need proof of Mac's status in Canada (too bad neither of these requirements were obvious on the website ANYWHERE!!!). But thankfully, instead of sending a refusal letter to us, and us having to restart the whole process, we have been given the ability to send in the two missing items soon, and then with any luck we'll get in for a short interview (if they don't have any issues with me) sometime in January. and then after that.... again we wait! But at least we might have a better idea of what kind of time frame we're looking at.
that's all, just thought I would update you all as to the process....
I got a call from the US Consulate office this morning.
Turns out we missed two things -- 1) they changed their fee and 2) they need proof of Mac's status in Canada (too bad neither of these requirements were obvious on the website ANYWHERE!!!). But thankfully, instead of sending a refusal letter to us, and us having to restart the whole process, we have been given the ability to send in the two missing items soon, and then with any luck we'll get in for a short interview (if they don't have any issues with me) sometime in January. and then after that.... again we wait! But at least we might have a better idea of what kind of time frame we're looking at.
that's all, just thought I would update you all as to the process....
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Snow Snow Snow!!
Well, if we weren't sure before, its now official! Winter has hit Southern Ontario.
In the past few hours some 20-30 cm fell on the GTA (other places had more snow) creating a winter wonderland and slowing the pace of the city.
There's something that happens when the unexpected happens in the city so that it has no choice but to slow down. In the blackout of 2003 (I think) there were spontaneous neighbourhood block parties as people pulled meat out of freezers and had massive bbqs. Well today there were no bbqs, but the community was out in full force -- on foot of course! Though some were out driving, Queen Street was quieter than i've ever seen it. Families walked down the street, all clad in snow suits, dragging tobaggons and sleds, enjoying the snow world we'd been blessed with. Neighbours talked with each other and passers by as they shoveled their drives. As I wandered in the area, snapping pictures of the snow covered beaches, and waves that crashed onto rocks with the force of oceanic waves, and snow ladened trees, I marveled at the pre-Christmas beauty. It certainly looks like we may have a white Christmas this year after all!
I know that not everyone enjoyed the slower pace today. Delays on the transit systems frustrated some, many airlines were canceling flights and stranding people in Toronto, and preventing others from arriving. Some were unable to make it to their places of business, while others (myself included) felt somewhat stir crazy at being unable to go out as freely and easily.
It is too bad that Mac missed this, the first big snowfall of the winter. Though, as he reported on the phone to me tonight, he and Tim have been surrounded by snow throughout their entire trip. "The legend of the Great White North is true!" he exclaimed. And, truthfully, with the state of the roads around here, I'm quite thankful that he and Tim are still a few days away from the areas hit by the storm. It give road crews plenty of time to get things cleaned up so they can arrive safely.
For those looking for the guys' progress, tonight (Sunday) they have made it to Winnipeg. Tomorrow they head to Minneapolis and then Chicago on Tuesday evening. Wednesday evening will find them back in Ontario!! I'm certainly looking forward to his return!!
I hope this finds you all well
In the past few hours some 20-30 cm fell on the GTA (other places had more snow) creating a winter wonderland and slowing the pace of the city.
There's something that happens when the unexpected happens in the city so that it has no choice but to slow down. In the blackout of 2003 (I think) there were spontaneous neighbourhood block parties as people pulled meat out of freezers and had massive bbqs. Well today there were no bbqs, but the community was out in full force -- on foot of course! Though some were out driving, Queen Street was quieter than i've ever seen it. Families walked down the street, all clad in snow suits, dragging tobaggons and sleds, enjoying the snow world we'd been blessed with. Neighbours talked with each other and passers by as they shoveled their drives. As I wandered in the area, snapping pictures of the snow covered beaches, and waves that crashed onto rocks with the force of oceanic waves, and snow ladened trees, I marveled at the pre-Christmas beauty. It certainly looks like we may have a white Christmas this year after all!
I know that not everyone enjoyed the slower pace today. Delays on the transit systems frustrated some, many airlines were canceling flights and stranding people in Toronto, and preventing others from arriving. Some were unable to make it to their places of business, while others (myself included) felt somewhat stir crazy at being unable to go out as freely and easily.
It is too bad that Mac missed this, the first big snowfall of the winter. Though, as he reported on the phone to me tonight, he and Tim have been surrounded by snow throughout their entire trip. "The legend of the Great White North is true!" he exclaimed. And, truthfully, with the state of the roads around here, I'm quite thankful that he and Tim are still a few days away from the areas hit by the storm. It give road crews plenty of time to get things cleaned up so they can arrive safely.
For those looking for the guys' progress, tonight (Sunday) they have made it to Winnipeg. Tomorrow they head to Minneapolis and then Chicago on Tuesday evening. Wednesday evening will find them back in Ontario!! I'm certainly looking forward to his return!!
I hope this finds you all well
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Beautiful British Columbia
Its been awhile since either of us have posted, so i thought i should catch everyone up on what's been going on in the world of the Davises.
In November I filled in for the Secretary of Blythwood Baptist Church in Toronto for 3 weeks. When i was otherwise occupied, Mac played secretary. (Needless to say my father had great fun playing pranks on Mac when he was playing secretary.) We were very thankful for the provision of this temp job so close to Christmas!
On Nov. 21 we headed stateside to celebrate Thanksgiving with Mac's family in Virginia Beach. I have to say, as a Canadian married, being married to an American makes Thanksgiving so much less stressful. We can spend Thanksgiving Day with BOTH families and there's no conflict over the issue! So this year we had two Thanksgivings, both of them being celebrated in unusually warm weather!
We attempted to take part in some of the "Black Friday" sales (the US equivalent to Boxing Day) by going to Best Buy at 5am (when the store opened), but when we realized there was absolutely NO parking within a mile of the store and the line=up to get in was out the building around the side and just way too ridiculously long, we went home and went back to bed.
En route back up to Toronto, we spent Sunday night with my great aunt in Lancaster, PA. It was great to see her, and we hope to spend a few days with my PA cousins in January.
We arrived back in Toronto on th 26th and then flew west to visit friends in BC on the 28th. It's been great to be out here, to visit old hang outs and see friends. I spent 2 full days at ACTS visiting former profs and fellow-students. It was absolutely wonderful and it felt like coming home. It makes me want to move back here and enroll in classes again, though I'm sure those thoughts of lunacy will soon cure themselves. Tonight we are going to a pot luck with my ACTS friends, tomorrow night Mac and I will be going to a favourite pub in Vancouver with Regent friends and on Saturday morning (dec 8), Jen and I will be heading to the airport to fly back to ontario. Mac and Tim will start driving East on the 13th and are expected back in Ontario on the 19th! (We're praying for NO snow!)
In November I filled in for the Secretary of Blythwood Baptist Church in Toronto for 3 weeks. When i was otherwise occupied, Mac played secretary. (Needless to say my father had great fun playing pranks on Mac when he was playing secretary.) We were very thankful for the provision of this temp job so close to Christmas!
On Nov. 21 we headed stateside to celebrate Thanksgiving with Mac's family in Virginia Beach. I have to say, as a Canadian married, being married to an American makes Thanksgiving so much less stressful. We can spend Thanksgiving Day with BOTH families and there's no conflict over the issue! So this year we had two Thanksgivings, both of them being celebrated in unusually warm weather!
We attempted to take part in some of the "Black Friday" sales (the US equivalent to Boxing Day) by going to Best Buy at 5am (when the store opened), but when we realized there was absolutely NO parking within a mile of the store and the line=up to get in was out the building around the side and just way too ridiculously long, we went home and went back to bed.
En route back up to Toronto, we spent Sunday night with my great aunt in Lancaster, PA. It was great to see her, and we hope to spend a few days with my PA cousins in January.
We arrived back in Toronto on th 26th and then flew west to visit friends in BC on the 28th. It's been great to be out here, to visit old hang outs and see friends. I spent 2 full days at ACTS visiting former profs and fellow-students. It was absolutely wonderful and it felt like coming home. It makes me want to move back here and enroll in classes again, though I'm sure those thoughts of lunacy will soon cure themselves. Tonight we are going to a pot luck with my ACTS friends, tomorrow night Mac and I will be going to a favourite pub in Vancouver with Regent friends and on Saturday morning (dec 8), Jen and I will be heading to the airport to fly back to ontario. Mac and Tim will start driving East on the 13th and are expected back in Ontario on the 19th! (We're praying for NO snow!)
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Environmentalist Craziness
The biggest problem facing humanity has always been and continues to be discerning truth from error. This is one of the core teachings of Christianity. God is Truth and all truth is found in him, in his perfection. The result of sin is error and a turning away from Truth and that which is true. Daily, we are bombarded with a new biggest problem facing humanity and that is environmental degradation with its climax in global warming. This has become such an ingrained religious movement, that people have succumbed to lunacy. Case in point a recent headline: sterilization to 'save the planet.'
The shrillness of catastrophic language and the hubris of these self-proclaimed prophets is exacerbated by their unquestioned moral authority. If you choose to disagree, you are labeled a shill for the fossil fuel industry, a denier (like holocaust denier), or a hater of your children and grandchildren. What is truly sad is the return to Molech worship. While not the same Idol of the Ammonites, some people have chosen to sacrifice their children to appease Mother (Molech) Nature. A consistent digestion of the Gaia theory and James Lovelock's book, "Revenge of Gaia," pointing towards and metaphorically angry, vengeful planet due to human activity, exacerbates this madness. These misanthropic undertones make me question the agenda of these people.
Some questions:
Why is it okay to destroy children in order to control population? This section of humanity seems to be outside the realm of human rights, a position agreed to by many in the Church (See Princeton 'Ethics' Professor Peter Singer for you answer)
Are humans a legitimate part of creation? Is there a ceiling on the number of humans allowed on the earth? Is God overwhelmed by/unable to commit Himself fully to the increasing population?
Has the concept of sustainable-development become the neo-colonialism of the 21st Century? The West has used this moral baton to subject the third world to the West's concept of development. I think you could draw parallels between sustainable-development and the Eurocentric colonialism of latter centuries.
Update: Another misanthropic article from a supposed "Doctor"
The shrillness of catastrophic language and the hubris of these self-proclaimed prophets is exacerbated by their unquestioned moral authority. If you choose to disagree, you are labeled a shill for the fossil fuel industry, a denier (like holocaust denier), or a hater of your children and grandchildren. What is truly sad is the return to Molech worship. While not the same Idol of the Ammonites, some people have chosen to sacrifice their children to appease Mother (Molech) Nature. A consistent digestion of the Gaia theory and James Lovelock's book, "Revenge of Gaia," pointing towards and metaphorically angry, vengeful planet due to human activity, exacerbates this madness. These misanthropic undertones make me question the agenda of these people.
Some questions:
Why is it okay to destroy children in order to control population? This section of humanity seems to be outside the realm of human rights, a position agreed to by many in the Church (See Princeton 'Ethics' Professor Peter Singer for you answer)
Are humans a legitimate part of creation? Is there a ceiling on the number of humans allowed on the earth? Is God overwhelmed by/unable to commit Himself fully to the increasing population?
Has the concept of sustainable-development become the neo-colonialism of the 21st Century? The West has used this moral baton to subject the third world to the West's concept of development. I think you could draw parallels between sustainable-development and the Eurocentric colonialism of latter centuries.
Update: Another misanthropic article from a supposed "Doctor"
Sunday, November 18, 2007
On the Road again...
Well its that time again...
we're headed back stateside!
The last three weeks have been busy. We got back to Toronto on Monday, October 29th, the day after our "Welcome to the Neighbourhood Party" that was held by our Virginia Beach neighbours. It was great to meet more of the people on Pinewood Road.
Highlights from the last few weeks?
There's a bunch :)
We worked tuesday-friday at Blythwood filling in for the usual church secretary who was spending some time with her daughter in Australia. I (Melissa) did most of the hours, but Mac filled in for me when i had to take care of other stuff for the fundraising campaign.
We spent a weekend in Montreal! On Saturday, November 10th my good friend Alexandra got married to a guy who is absolutely perfect for her. his name is Mark. It was so much fun to share in their day and a few friends from back in Langley. We also saw Mac's friends from Regent: Drew, Sarah and their cute daughter Jordan. We went to their church on Sunday morning. Then Mac was able to get together with him for breakfast on Tuesday when they were in Toronto visiting family.
This week also marked the end of another phase in the development of "The Glocalization Project" -- the fundraising campaign that i've been working on since september. 2 weeks ago we got our logo, and this week i finished up the main part of the campaign book. It was sent out to three churches for review. I also made up a "Glocalization in one page" that will be used as of next weekend to start promoting the fundraising campaign which starts in February next year. So i am pretty much done with that until December 10th, when i get ot hear the good, bad and uglies of the campaign from those who have reviewed it and then take their feedback into consideration as we prepare the final version of the campaign.
I have also been asked to consider leading a team that will plant a church in London Ontario. But there is a small issue with timing. We need to be down in Virginia for the next little while (once our visa comes through, whenever that is), but they would want to start planting this church in the next 6 months, which won't work for us. So we're praying and trying to figure out what's going on there.
Tomorrow we head down to Virginia for US Thanksgiving and some Christmas shopping. with any luck we'll have it all done (or at least mostly) by the time we come back. We head back to Toronto next monday (the 26th) or so and then fly to BC on November 28th to visit friends out there and help our friends Jen and Tim with their move back. Mac will be driving east with Tim.... for details on that click here. Jen and I will be flying back to Toronto on December 8th.
So we hope you are all doing well
till next time!
we're headed back stateside!
The last three weeks have been busy. We got back to Toronto on Monday, October 29th, the day after our "Welcome to the Neighbourhood Party" that was held by our Virginia Beach neighbours. It was great to meet more of the people on Pinewood Road.
Highlights from the last few weeks?
There's a bunch :)
We worked tuesday-friday at Blythwood filling in for the usual church secretary who was spending some time with her daughter in Australia. I (Melissa) did most of the hours, but Mac filled in for me when i had to take care of other stuff for the fundraising campaign.
We spent a weekend in Montreal! On Saturday, November 10th my good friend Alexandra got married to a guy who is absolutely perfect for her. his name is Mark. It was so much fun to share in their day and a few friends from back in Langley. We also saw Mac's friends from Regent: Drew, Sarah and their cute daughter Jordan. We went to their church on Sunday morning. Then Mac was able to get together with him for breakfast on Tuesday when they were in Toronto visiting family.
This week also marked the end of another phase in the development of "The Glocalization Project" -- the fundraising campaign that i've been working on since september. 2 weeks ago we got our logo, and this week i finished up the main part of the campaign book. It was sent out to three churches for review. I also made up a "Glocalization in one page" that will be used as of next weekend to start promoting the fundraising campaign which starts in February next year. So i am pretty much done with that until December 10th, when i get ot hear the good, bad and uglies of the campaign from those who have reviewed it and then take their feedback into consideration as we prepare the final version of the campaign.
I have also been asked to consider leading a team that will plant a church in London Ontario. But there is a small issue with timing. We need to be down in Virginia for the next little while (once our visa comes through, whenever that is), but they would want to start planting this church in the next 6 months, which won't work for us. So we're praying and trying to figure out what's going on there.
Tomorrow we head down to Virginia for US Thanksgiving and some Christmas shopping. with any luck we'll have it all done (or at least mostly) by the time we come back. We head back to Toronto next monday (the 26th) or so and then fly to BC on November 28th to visit friends out there and help our friends Jen and Tim with their move back. Mac will be driving east with Tim.... for details on that click here. Jen and I will be flying back to Toronto on December 8th.
So we hope you are all doing well
till next time!
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Warren Buffet...Again?
Sorry folks, I usually like to diversify my observations and thoughts. But, as I have learned during my studies, we must speak truth to power and Mr. Buffett is a very powerful man. Grover Norquist, a bit of a crank, has written an article overviewing how Mr Buffett has accumulated much of his wealth. While I think most of his wealth was accumulated through prudent and informed investing, I was troubled to see Mr. Buffett profitted off of the oppressive estate tax system in the US. Until recently, modest small busisnesses, where the owner has died, bore the brunt of this tax burden as asset value rarely equals available cash to pay the death tax. This forced heirs to sell businesses that benefitted the communities in which they were located, sometimes for decades. Not only do you have capital leaving a community, but a loss of jobs would be a standard outcome as well.
Buffett is pressing for a reinstatement of the death tax. While I understand his hesitancy to create an aristocracy through inheritance, I chafe at the heavy-handed use of tax laws to go after those we don't like. A prime example is the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) in the US. Upon its creation, the tax targetted 155 'super-rich' people in the USA. In 2005, 4,045,459 tax payers were subject to the AMT. Most of these people are average middle class families not the 'super-rich.' This is why I have trouble with an estate tax. While designed to tax only people like the Buffetts, Kennedys, Feinsteins, Gates, etc, it inevitably reaches down to the small business owners who employ 75% of the country's workforce. When the tax receipts start to roll in, congress conveniently forgets to index the taxable threshold. Thus, the law becomes a form of injustice and oppression as businesses are forced to sell (to Buffett no less) at firesale prices.
Just a reminder, every tax law is legally enforcible at the point of a government employee's gun.
Buffett is pressing for a reinstatement of the death tax. While I understand his hesitancy to create an aristocracy through inheritance, I chafe at the heavy-handed use of tax laws to go after those we don't like. A prime example is the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) in the US. Upon its creation, the tax targetted 155 'super-rich' people in the USA. In 2005, 4,045,459 tax payers were subject to the AMT. Most of these people are average middle class families not the 'super-rich.' This is why I have trouble with an estate tax. While designed to tax only people like the Buffetts, Kennedys, Feinsteins, Gates, etc, it inevitably reaches down to the small business owners who employ 75% of the country's workforce. When the tax receipts start to roll in, congress conveniently forgets to index the taxable threshold. Thus, the law becomes a form of injustice and oppression as businesses are forced to sell (to Buffett no less) at firesale prices.
Just a reminder, every tax law is legally enforcible at the point of a government employee's gun.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
The First Snow
Living in Toronto means a few things. First, traffic will be bad during the day. Second, the Maple Leafs will break your heart (thankfully, I am a Canucks fan) . Finally, snow will fall in November. Today, I saw snow (flurries mind you) for the first time this winter. This is by far the earliest I have witnessed snow. Today's flurries were the result of lake effect weather. When the wind blows off the Great Lakes, it carries moisture inland and deposits it in the form of rain or snow. I like snow, so it was excited to watch what little precipitation there was.
Monday, November 5, 2007
Climate Change
This article from Newsweek magazine is a must read for everyone. The teaser pull-quote to wet your appetite is, "The evidence in support of these predictions has now begun to accumulate so massively that meteorologists are hard-pressed to keep up with it." I cannot argue with the science, these guys are always right. The last paragraph says it all. Are we ready to face this grim reality?
Sunday, November 4, 2007
The visa is in!
Ok so here's the news that people have been waiting to hear
We finally have our visa into the consulate -- or mostly anyways.
It was a bit of a saga i must admit:
Last wednesday Mac travelled down to the US consulate office in Toronto to hand in our visa application. When he got there he found out 1) they don't accept Visa applications on a walk-in basis, they must be mailed in, and, 2) on top of everything listed on the visa application that we have to do there is a Toronto-specific list of things that visa applicants must do.
So he brought home the list and the application to finish it up. He had called me at work on Wednesday to tell me that i needed a copy of my birth certificate (which i took care of). But then, later in the evening upon closer inspection, we realized that the little wallet card that most people have is not sufficient. Nope. We needed the long for, i.e. the form my father filled out on Oct. 29, 1979 to submit. So after a bunch of phone calls to nail down a guarantor (can't just apply for your birth certificate, you need someone to prove who you are) $35 for the form and another $30 for speedy service (we didn't want to wait the 3 weeks to get it otherwise) we had the form ordered, and it arrived on friday. So we picked it up yesterday, and then walked to the post office to send everything off registered mail -- can't be too careful these days with all those identity theft folks out there.
So here's where "we go next" as far as we understand the process.
At some point we will get a phone call asking us to come down to the consulate office and present the originals of the identification stuff that we handed in copies of. While we are hoping it'll happen before US thanksgiving, there's a good chance we won't make it down to the consulate for this interview until January due to our travels south for Thanksgiving US-style and then our trip out west to see people and then travel back east with Jen and Tim (Tim and Mac are driving, Jen and I are flying).
Then, at some point, we'll be heading (we think) to Montreal for a second interview. We don't know when this will be.
After that... we think we get a visa, but we could be mistaken by that. There could be more steps, we're not sure.
How long should the whole thing take from this point? Officially, 6-12 months. But we've heard from an immigration lawyer acquaintance of Mac's that it could be as little as 4-6 months.
One way or another we'll get down south, we know it'll happen, we're just not sure exactly when.
until then, we'll keep enjoying married life in Toronto and Virginia Beach and finding jobs as God provides them!
We finally have our visa into the consulate -- or mostly anyways.
It was a bit of a saga i must admit:
Last wednesday Mac travelled down to the US consulate office in Toronto to hand in our visa application. When he got there he found out 1) they don't accept Visa applications on a walk-in basis, they must be mailed in, and, 2) on top of everything listed on the visa application that we have to do there is a Toronto-specific list of things that visa applicants must do.
So he brought home the list and the application to finish it up. He had called me at work on Wednesday to tell me that i needed a copy of my birth certificate (which i took care of). But then, later in the evening upon closer inspection, we realized that the little wallet card that most people have is not sufficient. Nope. We needed the long for, i.e. the form my father filled out on Oct. 29, 1979 to submit. So after a bunch of phone calls to nail down a guarantor (can't just apply for your birth certificate, you need someone to prove who you are) $35 for the form and another $30 for speedy service (we didn't want to wait the 3 weeks to get it otherwise) we had the form ordered, and it arrived on friday. So we picked it up yesterday, and then walked to the post office to send everything off registered mail -- can't be too careful these days with all those identity theft folks out there.
So here's where "we go next" as far as we understand the process.
At some point we will get a phone call asking us to come down to the consulate office and present the originals of the identification stuff that we handed in copies of. While we are hoping it'll happen before US thanksgiving, there's a good chance we won't make it down to the consulate for this interview until January due to our travels south for Thanksgiving US-style and then our trip out west to see people and then travel back east with Jen and Tim (Tim and Mac are driving, Jen and I are flying).
Then, at some point, we'll be heading (we think) to Montreal for a second interview. We don't know when this will be.
After that... we think we get a visa, but we could be mistaken by that. There could be more steps, we're not sure.
How long should the whole thing take from this point? Officially, 6-12 months. But we've heard from an immigration lawyer acquaintance of Mac's that it could be as little as 4-6 months.
One way or another we'll get down south, we know it'll happen, we're just not sure exactly when.
until then, we'll keep enjoying married life in Toronto and Virginia Beach and finding jobs as God provides them!
Philipe Calderon Hates People from Tabasco
Sadly, Kanye West was at it again. Another destructive storm has devastated an area of the world leaving hundreds of thousands in peril. After Calderon declared that government aid was a long way off, Kanye flew in for his truly clever announcement a la Bush and Katrina. I wonder if Sojourners is going to run a cover story on this human tragedy blaming the government for ignoring the plight of people in Tabasco. Probably not, because the Religious Right cannot be blamed.
Satire off. Mac
Satire off. Mac
Friday, November 2, 2007
Media Bias
Harvard has released a new study which confirms the obvious; the media is biased in favor of the Democrat Party and biased against the Republican Party. No surprises here. UCLA released a similar study a couple years back (go to the bottom of the report to see the compilation of data). True to form, the Libs are asking, "What liberal media bias?" I am sure that these studies were funded by ExxonMobil, Halliburton, Bushco, the Israel Lobby, the Religous Right, and Cheney. This seems to be the fall back position of the liberals when they have nothing to support their argument.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Paying Taxes
Well, 'ole Warren Buffett (the richest man in the world) is at it again. He complains that he does not pay enough tax. This is just his latest installment in foolishness. As for his complaint, I would think he is better at number crunching than he appears to be. If the top 96% of federal taxes are paid by the top 50% of wage earners, how is that unfairly tilted towards the rich? This means that roughly HALF of the American population does not pay income tax.
To break down the figures even more:
-The top 1% (The extremely wealthy) pay 34% of the US tax burden.
-The top 5% pay 54% of the US tax burden.
-The top 10% pay 66% of the US tax burden.
In my home state of Virginia, a special fund was set up just for people like Warren Buffett to pay more taxes when they felt under taxed. Guess what? The fund has received a paltry few thousand dollars over its lifetime. Sad.
To all of my wealthy liberal friends, feel free at any time to write a check for whatever you believe you owe the government over and above your tax burden. Ted Kennedy, Leo DiCaprio, Jim Wallis, Hillary Clinton, John Two-Americas Edwards, Al Gore...hello anyone.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Where are we now... an update
Hello all
so we thought we'd give you a bit of an update as to where we are now:
A couple weeks ago both Mac's dad and Melissa's grammie fell and broke their hips. If it weren't for the amount of pain and frustration that comes with having a broken hip, it could be said that Grammie was trying to keep up with Winston (as she fell the day after he did). Thankfully they are both recovering well now. They've both had their surgeries and are in rehab -- Mac's dad was able to get a bed in the rehab/nursing home where they have a condo (he'll be going home once he's up and around again) and Grammie was able to return to her room at Christie Gardens where the physio will work with her. They are both relieved to be out of the hospitals.
Due to the fall and fracture, Mac and I headed down to Virignia Beach a week and a half earlier than expected. So we've spent some time with his parents, have enjoyed biking on the boardwalk by the beach (its still quite warm down here) and have been working around the house. Mac has started cleaning out cluttered spaces, and i am continuing to pull together the fundraising campaign. The change of pace has been nice!
We head back to Toronto on Oct. 29th (so i can start work at Blythwood the next day). By then i should be finished the major development work of the campaign and we (there are 3 of us working on it) will be sending it to three churches and one missionary family for a preview and feedback. Its exciting to see it come together!
hope you're all doing well
so we thought we'd give you a bit of an update as to where we are now:
A couple weeks ago both Mac's dad and Melissa's grammie fell and broke their hips. If it weren't for the amount of pain and frustration that comes with having a broken hip, it could be said that Grammie was trying to keep up with Winston (as she fell the day after he did). Thankfully they are both recovering well now. They've both had their surgeries and are in rehab -- Mac's dad was able to get a bed in the rehab/nursing home where they have a condo (he'll be going home once he's up and around again) and Grammie was able to return to her room at Christie Gardens where the physio will work with her. They are both relieved to be out of the hospitals.
Due to the fall and fracture, Mac and I headed down to Virignia Beach a week and a half earlier than expected. So we've spent some time with his parents, have enjoyed biking on the boardwalk by the beach (its still quite warm down here) and have been working around the house. Mac has started cleaning out cluttered spaces, and i am continuing to pull together the fundraising campaign. The change of pace has been nice!
We head back to Toronto on Oct. 29th (so i can start work at Blythwood the next day). By then i should be finished the major development work of the campaign and we (there are 3 of us working on it) will be sending it to three churches and one missionary family for a preview and feedback. Its exciting to see it come together!
hope you're all doing well
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Handing out birthcontrol.... in middle school ?!
Usually Mac uses this blog to rant, but today its my turn!
We're in VA again (which is beautiful and lovely) and today while we were out running around doing errands we had talk radio on. The announcer on the radio was talking about a middle school in Portland, Maine. It seems that there has been an increase in pregnancies among middle school aged girls (17 pregnancies in 4 middle schools over the past few years) and so a school in Portland, Maine has joined the ranks of one in Baltimore, MD and Seattle, WA in making birth control available to children in middle school. That's right they are giving children 11-13 birth control, condoms and other contraceptive devices ... and while parents have to consent to their children attending the medical clinic, they are not allowed to know what happens there with their child -- confidentiality and all that.
Ok, so children are having sex ... we must make it safe for them, right? WHAT?! Has no one stopped to ask the question as to WHY children, yes that's right CHILDREN, not young adults, or teens, are having sex? Have we stopped to examine the culture these children are being raised in where it is permissible for kids to have sex? No, we simply make it easier or them!
Now i know that there are many in this society that would call me all sorts of names for thinking that sex and marriage go together, and sex should only happen in the context of marriage, but regardless of that.... i think most people would find the idea of children having sex disgusting. And quite frankly, i think that a society that condones such behaviour is at best irresponsible.
Children 11-13 are children and we should be protecting their innocence. Its still an age where girls play with barbies (or at least i did), and maybe guys play with G.I Joes. They are starting to realize that the opposite gender may not have as many cooties as we had originally thought. Over all the world is good, life is happy (though school work gets in the way), and recess is the highlight of the day. Shouldn't we as adults be protecting that reality for children? Allowing them to be kids for as long as possible, because we know this world will take their innocence soon enough?
As i think about my good friend's almost 10yr old daughter, it pains me to think that in just a couple years, if she went to the right school, she could be getting the pill. It is frustrating to think that kids think that sex is an appropriate pass time. Why has this happened?? How do we turn the tide and let kids be kids again? Perhaps this is evidence that the amoral teaching of sex ed isn't working the way educators thought it would and maybe, just maybe, telling kids to wait is not a bad thing? Kids should be kids, not engaging in activities to make more kids....
We're in VA again (which is beautiful and lovely) and today while we were out running around doing errands we had talk radio on. The announcer on the radio was talking about a middle school in Portland, Maine. It seems that there has been an increase in pregnancies among middle school aged girls (17 pregnancies in 4 middle schools over the past few years) and so a school in Portland, Maine has joined the ranks of one in Baltimore, MD and Seattle, WA in making birth control available to children in middle school. That's right they are giving children 11-13 birth control, condoms and other contraceptive devices ... and while parents have to consent to their children attending the medical clinic, they are not allowed to know what happens there with their child -- confidentiality and all that.
Ok, so children are having sex ... we must make it safe for them, right? WHAT?! Has no one stopped to ask the question as to WHY children, yes that's right CHILDREN, not young adults, or teens, are having sex? Have we stopped to examine the culture these children are being raised in where it is permissible for kids to have sex? No, we simply make it easier or them!
Now i know that there are many in this society that would call me all sorts of names for thinking that sex and marriage go together, and sex should only happen in the context of marriage, but regardless of that.... i think most people would find the idea of children having sex disgusting. And quite frankly, i think that a society that condones such behaviour is at best irresponsible.
Children 11-13 are children and we should be protecting their innocence. Its still an age where girls play with barbies (or at least i did), and maybe guys play with G.I Joes. They are starting to realize that the opposite gender may not have as many cooties as we had originally thought. Over all the world is good, life is happy (though school work gets in the way), and recess is the highlight of the day. Shouldn't we as adults be protecting that reality for children? Allowing them to be kids for as long as possible, because we know this world will take their innocence soon enough?
As i think about my good friend's almost 10yr old daughter, it pains me to think that in just a couple years, if she went to the right school, she could be getting the pill. It is frustrating to think that kids think that sex is an appropriate pass time. Why has this happened?? How do we turn the tide and let kids be kids again? Perhaps this is evidence that the amoral teaching of sex ed isn't working the way educators thought it would and maybe, just maybe, telling kids to wait is not a bad thing? Kids should be kids, not engaging in activities to make more kids....
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
God provides again!
It really is amazing how God provides! Last week (or so) i was moaning to Mac that soon (the end of October) the bulk of the work for the fundraising campaign that i'm working on will be finished and then i wasn't sure what i would do with my time. Well then this week we hear from my parents that their church secretary and her hubby are going on vacation for 3 weeks to visit their daughter in Australia and needs someone to fill in while she's away. Her first thought was to see if Mac or I could fill in for her. With Mac being a US citizen it complicates him taking the job, so I will be working at Blythwood part-time as the secretary (something i did when i was 18 for 4 or so months) and Mac will fill in when i have meetings and commitments with the campaign that i need to fulfill. It is wonderful to have the added income just before the holidays and i must say, i am very excited to have something else "to do" so that i don't drive myself and Mac crazy!
God is good and He truly is our provider!
Such a good day -- we find out our marriage certificate is in the mail AND God also provides a temporary job!! Thank you Lord!
God is good and He truly is our provider!
Such a good day -- we find out our marriage certificate is in the mail AND God also provides a temporary job!! Thank you Lord!
We're finally married!!!
the title of this blog may give you pause. You may think, wait i thought they got married back at the beginning of August?! Wasn't that what the white dress, and the service and the big party was about?? And wasn't that celebrated again on Sept. 16th?? Well you would be right in that thinking, but until yesterday, Oct. 15th, our marriage hadn't been registered with the province. Yep that's right, it takes 10 weeks to fill in a few blanks in a marriage license that's already on file with the province. But all is good -- now we are recognized as married by the province and the papers are in the mail to us! Soon I will be able to finish changing my name on the rest of my documents, and more importantly, we have the last piece of paper (almost) that we need to send off our visa application.
So next steps:
We're heading to VA on Wednesday (oct 17th), so we won't be here when our documents arrive. But we're going to be leaving our visa package all read to go with the exception of the marriage license with my (Melissa's) parents so they can pop everything in the mail for us while we're away.
Once everything has been received, we'll get notification of that, a file number (so we can track stuff online) and notice of what we have to do next. There will probably be an interview at some point (we think in Montreal) and who knows what other hoops to jump through... but at least we're (almost) one more step ahead!
:)
So next steps:
We're heading to VA on Wednesday (oct 17th), so we won't be here when our documents arrive. But we're going to be leaving our visa package all read to go with the exception of the marriage license with my (Melissa's) parents so they can pop everything in the mail for us while we're away.
Once everything has been received, we'll get notification of that, a file number (so we can track stuff online) and notice of what we have to do next. There will probably be an interview at some point (we think in Montreal) and who knows what other hoops to jump through... but at least we're (almost) one more step ahead!
:)
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Elitism
I don't know why this frosts me so much because I am not very surprised. Democrat staffers in the House of Representatives received immunizations against hepatitis A, hepatitis B, tetanus, diphtheria and influenza for a fact finding mission to the Amazon Basin. Why does this get my blood boiling? I myself have been immunized when I have traveled to countries where infection is highly possible.
If only these liberals were going to such a remote area. They are not going deep into the wilds of the Amazon Jungle, they are headed for North Carolina specifically to a NASCAR race. I guess the simpleness of NASCAR fans scares the liberal politician. These fans don't ride in limousines, they stand for the National Anthem, and bow their head at the prayer of invocation. All frightening stuff to liberal elitists. Perhaps these liberals are worried about being in the South; a place that doesn't much care for liberal holier-than-thou elitism and constantly votes against government intrusion. Maybe the Dems believe that type of thinking is contagious.
If only these liberals were going to such a remote area. They are not going deep into the wilds of the Amazon Jungle, they are headed for North Carolina specifically to a NASCAR race. I guess the simpleness of NASCAR fans scares the liberal politician. These fans don't ride in limousines, they stand for the National Anthem, and bow their head at the prayer of invocation. All frightening stuff to liberal elitists. Perhaps these liberals are worried about being in the South; a place that doesn't much care for liberal holier-than-thou elitism and constantly votes against government intrusion. Maybe the Dems believe that type of thinking is contagious.
Friday, October 12, 2007
"Christians" in the media
I have pretty much gotten to the place that i don't expect the media to depict Christians as anything other than idiots, fundamentalist freaks, or as people with a simple, narrow-minded and bigoted world view. Unfortunately this is the reality for Christians in the media, for the most part anyways. But every so often I see things that frustrate me!
There are three shows that Mac and I try to make sure we watch because we enjoy then: House, Shark and CSI (Las Vegas). Shark doesn't tend to deal with religion at all, but faith and religion are semi-frequent themes in the other two shows. This past week on CSI (i'm sorry if i ruin this for you) featured the case of an entire family that was murdered, save for one girl who was apparently kidnapped. The first suspect in the case was a man who had formerly been convicted for sexual crimes (sorry, can't remember what) and the crime scene matched his prior "handy work." Well one the investigators caught up with this man he was now a reverend, serving the broken in society. Of course, the investigators don't trust this "new persona" and continue to investigate him. Now I really really wish he was just a run of the mill pastor, but, of course, he is performing (and documenting) exorcisms on people!! Give me a break!! This is NOT a usual part of ministry these days!! (Its not that maybe they aren't needed in some cases, but in Canada they don't seem to be the norm.) Anyways, the show completely depicted this pastor as a lunatic and at the end of the show, he throws the once-missing girl over the balcony in order to free her of the demons. And as he's arrested, all he's saying is "I saved her."
GIVE ME A BREAK!!!! First of all, if an exorcism is needed, it has nothing to do with the person performing the exorcism -- any "success" is purely derived from the person and authority of Jesus Christ and Him a lone! And pastors are not demented lunatics!! Please CSI, for once, could you have some "real" pastors on you show? I remember a nun who killed a woman, and other religious people who have done bad things on that show.... nothing even slightly realistic to life. CSI has made the Madame of a S&M brothel look normal and well adjusted, but pastors are always the lunatics with the issues!
At least with House, there's always skepticism about faith, but it is portrayed in a somewhat more balanced perspective. The character with faith is naive maybe, but usually not an idiot (although there was one show where a young 15 yr old had the ability to divinely cure people, but his powers turned out to come from having genital herpes).
bah! common people!!
There are three shows that Mac and I try to make sure we watch because we enjoy then: House, Shark and CSI (Las Vegas). Shark doesn't tend to deal with religion at all, but faith and religion are semi-frequent themes in the other two shows. This past week on CSI (i'm sorry if i ruin this for you) featured the case of an entire family that was murdered, save for one girl who was apparently kidnapped. The first suspect in the case was a man who had formerly been convicted for sexual crimes (sorry, can't remember what) and the crime scene matched his prior "handy work." Well one the investigators caught up with this man he was now a reverend, serving the broken in society. Of course, the investigators don't trust this "new persona" and continue to investigate him. Now I really really wish he was just a run of the mill pastor, but, of course, he is performing (and documenting) exorcisms on people!! Give me a break!! This is NOT a usual part of ministry these days!! (Its not that maybe they aren't needed in some cases, but in Canada they don't seem to be the norm.) Anyways, the show completely depicted this pastor as a lunatic and at the end of the show, he throws the once-missing girl over the balcony in order to free her of the demons. And as he's arrested, all he's saying is "I saved her."
GIVE ME A BREAK!!!! First of all, if an exorcism is needed, it has nothing to do with the person performing the exorcism -- any "success" is purely derived from the person and authority of Jesus Christ and Him a lone! And pastors are not demented lunatics!! Please CSI, for once, could you have some "real" pastors on you show? I remember a nun who killed a woman, and other religious people who have done bad things on that show.... nothing even slightly realistic to life. CSI has made the Madame of a S&M brothel look normal and well adjusted, but pastors are always the lunatics with the issues!
At least with House, there's always skepticism about faith, but it is portrayed in a somewhat more balanced perspective. The character with faith is naive maybe, but usually not an idiot (although there was one show where a young 15 yr old had the ability to divinely cure people, but his powers turned out to come from having genital herpes).
bah! common people!!
Thursday, October 11, 2007
ALGORE May Get the Nobel Peace Prize
...But it will be just as worthless as Yassir Arafat's. We all know that Arafat got 90% of what he asked for during the land for peace negotiation with Israel. However, Arafat walked away from the 1998 Wye River table and called on his thugs to start killing Jews again (specifically blowing up women and children on buses). I am not saying Gore is Arafat; I'm casting doubt on the Nobel Institute. It is clearly a form-over-substance institution.
Anyway, in Britain the courts have determined that "An Inconvenient Truth" is political propaganda. Read the excerpt from junkscience.com below for details:
Anyway, in Britain the courts have determined that "An Inconvenient Truth" is political propaganda. Read the excerpt from junkscience.com below for details:
In order for the film to be shown, the Government must first amend their Guidance Notes to Teachers to make clear that:
- The Film is a political work and promotes only one side of the argument.
- If teachers present the Film without making this plain they may be in breach of section 406 of the Education Act 1996 and guilty of political indoctrination.
- Eleven inaccuracies have to be specifically drawn to the attention of school children.
The specified inaccuracies are:
- The film claims that melting snows on Mount Kilimanjaro evidence global warming.
The Government’s expert was forced to concede that this is not correct. - The film suggests that evidence from ice cores proves that rising CO2 causes temperature increases over 650,000 years.
The Court found that the film was misleading: over that period the rises in CO2 lagged behind the temperature rises by 800-2000 years. - The film uses emotive images of Hurricane Katrina and suggests that this has been caused by global warming.
The Government’s expert had to accept that it was “not possible” to attribute one-off events to global warming. - The film shows the drying up of Lake Chad and claims that this was caused by global warming.
The Government’s expert had to accept that this was not the case. - The film claims that a study showed that polar bears had drowned due to disappearing arctic ice.
It turned out that Mr Gore had misread the study: in fact four polar bears drowned and this was because of a particularly violent storm. - The film threatens that global warming could stop the Gulf Stream throwing Europe into an ice age
The Claimant’s evidence was that this was a scientific impossibility. - The film blames global warming for species losses including coral reef bleaching.
The Government could not find any evidence to support this claim. - The film suggests that the Greenland ice covering could melt causing sea levels to rise dangerously.
The evidence is that Greenland will not melt for millennia. - The film suggests that the Antarctic ice covering is melting
The evidence was that it is in fact increasing. - The film suggests that sea levels could rise by 7m causing the displacement of millions of people.
In fact the evidence is that sea levels are expected to rise by about 40cm over the next hundred years and that there is no such threat of massive migration. - The film claims that rising sea levels has caused the evacuation of certain Pacific islands to New Zealand.
The Government are unable to substantiate this and the Court observed that this appears to be a false claim
UPDATE
Al Gore has won the Noble Propaganda prize and the BBC has a shockingly honest report on what was posted above. I like the final comment which basically condones lying if you can win a political argument.
mac
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Obama Almighty
Barack Obama, the savior of the Religious Left when it comes to politics, has declared his intent to create a "Kingdom right here on earth." Finally, the radical religious left will have its chance at establishing a proper theocracy. We all know that GW Bush is not the right kind of Christian (or he is too much the 'right' kind of Christian). Why, he is way to patriotic to be a real follower of Jesus. But when Barak declares his intention to bring in the Kingdom, we cannot help but stand up and cheer, "Our savior is here!" Well, at least Jim Wallis and Tony Campolo will do enough cheering for me.
This is probably the most theocratic statement I have heard from a candidate since Pat Robertson ran for Pres. I wonder if the same people in the media, academia and religion will take Obama to task for desiring to set up a New Theocracy the same way they deride Christian politicians who simply try to get the country to stop killing babies?
mac
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
The Preferred people of God ?!
It seems these days that there are many people who argue that God has a preferred group of people that He loves more. Recently i was at a church service in which a passage of Scripture was preached from Deuteronomy. The person preaching noted that the text shows that God loves the fatherless, widows and aliens (foreigners) more than others. There are some that argue that God prefers the poor to the rich, that He loves them more than others. But is this really the case?? Yes Jesus touched the lives of those who were disenfranchised by poverty, health and cultural backgrounds, but does that mean he loves them more??
Today i was working on a sermon from Deuteronomy 10:12-22 for the fundraising Campaign. For those wondering, the passage answers the question: "What does God want from me?" In it we are called to love, serve and fear the Lord, to hold fast to Him, and to love the alien. This passage does an amazing Job of defining who God is: He is Yahweh your God (often translated Lord your God), God of Gods, Lord of Lords, great God, mighty and awesome, who owns all of the heavens and the earth and all that is in it, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. He is also the God who chose to show affection to Israel, and defends the cause of the widows, fatherless and the aliens.
So what is going on here? Does God have partiality or not? He chose the Israelites out of all the peoples of the world to be "His people." And singled out of His acts are his defense of those who are disenfranchised. A quick survey of Israelite history would show that while the Israelites are chosen by God, they are not given partial treatment: they have to answer for their sins towards God, not given any kind of leniency. God may have been patient in calling a disobedient nation to repentance numerous times before punishing them, but He did not relent when the sin continued. This is an aspect of God's love and mercy rather than preferential treatment.
But what of the widows, orphans and aliens? Those who are on the outside of the Israelite community? This too goes to speak to God's character. Unlike other gods who were regional/territorial, limited and power and could be bought on bribes, God (Yahweh) does not ignore the "lessers" of society. Rather than spiting them, He defends them and cares for them. Other so-called gods show mercy etc. to those who can pay for it. Yahweh cares for those who cannot "buy" His affections. THIS DOES NOT MEAN THEY ARE MORE IMPORTANT IN HIS EYES, or that the kingdom is JUST for those who are impoverished, it means that the kingdom includes them! God's defense of the powerless, those who have no way to earn His defense of them, speaks to HIS character, not a greater worth by those who are disenfranchised or a preference for poor people on the part of God.
But then, let's think about this on another level. Really, who is in a position to "earn" God's defense? Who is good enough, strong enough, smart enough, pure enough on their own to earn His love and defense? Romans is clear -- ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. All of us are aliens in the kingdom of God, because we first were citizens of the world, but have been welcomed into it by God and those who serve Him. Aren't we all disenfranchised in some way, regardless of our income level?
Do the poor need to hear the gospel? YES!! And so do the rich, and all those in between those two classes of people. Let's stop focusing on God's "preferred people" and bring God's full gospel to all peoples.
melissa
Today i was working on a sermon from Deuteronomy 10:12-22 for the fundraising Campaign. For those wondering, the passage answers the question: "What does God want from me?" In it we are called to love, serve and fear the Lord, to hold fast to Him, and to love the alien. This passage does an amazing Job of defining who God is: He is Yahweh your God (often translated Lord your God), God of Gods, Lord of Lords, great God, mighty and awesome, who owns all of the heavens and the earth and all that is in it, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. He is also the God who chose to show affection to Israel, and defends the cause of the widows, fatherless and the aliens.
So what is going on here? Does God have partiality or not? He chose the Israelites out of all the peoples of the world to be "His people." And singled out of His acts are his defense of those who are disenfranchised. A quick survey of Israelite history would show that while the Israelites are chosen by God, they are not given partial treatment: they have to answer for their sins towards God, not given any kind of leniency. God may have been patient in calling a disobedient nation to repentance numerous times before punishing them, but He did not relent when the sin continued. This is an aspect of God's love and mercy rather than preferential treatment.
But what of the widows, orphans and aliens? Those who are on the outside of the Israelite community? This too goes to speak to God's character. Unlike other gods who were regional/territorial, limited and power and could be bought on bribes, God (Yahweh) does not ignore the "lessers" of society. Rather than spiting them, He defends them and cares for them. Other so-called gods show mercy etc. to those who can pay for it. Yahweh cares for those who cannot "buy" His affections. THIS DOES NOT MEAN THEY ARE MORE IMPORTANT IN HIS EYES, or that the kingdom is JUST for those who are impoverished, it means that the kingdom includes them! God's defense of the powerless, those who have no way to earn His defense of them, speaks to HIS character, not a greater worth by those who are disenfranchised or a preference for poor people on the part of God.
But then, let's think about this on another level. Really, who is in a position to "earn" God's defense? Who is good enough, strong enough, smart enough, pure enough on their own to earn His love and defense? Romans is clear -- ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. All of us are aliens in the kingdom of God, because we first were citizens of the world, but have been welcomed into it by God and those who serve Him. Aren't we all disenfranchised in some way, regardless of our income level?
Do the poor need to hear the gospel? YES!! And so do the rich, and all those in between those two classes of people. Let's stop focusing on God's "preferred people" and bring God's full gospel to all peoples.
melissa
Melissa's update
Recently Mac's been doing all of the blogging, so i thought i should take a moment and update people on what's been going on in my portion of the Davis world.
God provided a job which is perfect for our situation right now, and I am so thankful! While its not exactly what I thought i would do right out of seminary, it is a fantastic opportunity. I am working for the Ontario Mennonite Brethren Board of Church Extension to develop a fundraising campaign for gateway churches in Ontario. At this point the MBs just have 2 gateway churches, both of which are in toronto, but they are doing awesome work! It is amazing to be able to see how God is using these two very different churches to build His kingdom. The two lead church planters for these ministries are also working with me on the campaign, which is also amazing. Tara and Shawn are gifted and passionate people who long to see God glorified in their communities.
Through this "job" i get to spend time with both of the churches, seeing what they do and interacting with their communities a bit. I also get to put my theological and homeletical (ie. preaching) talents to good use as I develop sermon plans (not full scripts or outlines) and Bible studies for churches to used during the campaign if they so choose. I also get to revisit my youth ministry days by pulling together some youth events that coordinate with the campaign. New skills will also be developed as we work together to create brochures, videos and other media resources for the churches in Ontario to make use of.
This campaign is really exciting me. It is an awesome opportunity for people within and outside of the MB church to pull together as the greater body of Christ and support these churches who are reaching out to those who have immigrated to Canada and desperately need to experience God's love and hear from Him. I am excited to see what God will do with the campaign -- where He will take it, and how it will effect the lives of all who participate in it.
God provided a job which is perfect for our situation right now, and I am so thankful! While its not exactly what I thought i would do right out of seminary, it is a fantastic opportunity. I am working for the Ontario Mennonite Brethren Board of Church Extension to develop a fundraising campaign for gateway churches in Ontario. At this point the MBs just have 2 gateway churches, both of which are in toronto, but they are doing awesome work! It is amazing to be able to see how God is using these two very different churches to build His kingdom. The two lead church planters for these ministries are also working with me on the campaign, which is also amazing. Tara and Shawn are gifted and passionate people who long to see God glorified in their communities.
Through this "job" i get to spend time with both of the churches, seeing what they do and interacting with their communities a bit. I also get to put my theological and homeletical (ie. preaching) talents to good use as I develop sermon plans (not full scripts or outlines) and Bible studies for churches to used during the campaign if they so choose. I also get to revisit my youth ministry days by pulling together some youth events that coordinate with the campaign. New skills will also be developed as we work together to create brochures, videos and other media resources for the churches in Ontario to make use of.
This campaign is really exciting me. It is an awesome opportunity for people within and outside of the MB church to pull together as the greater body of Christ and support these churches who are reaching out to those who have immigrated to Canada and desperately need to experience God's love and hear from Him. I am excited to see what God will do with the campaign -- where He will take it, and how it will effect the lives of all who participate in it.
Monday, October 1, 2007
Art, What is It?...No Really, This is a Legitimate Question.
I just attended an all night art festival in downtown Toronto. The concept was really inventive. The crowds were huge. Some of the 'art' however was less than stellar. My favorite was the bunch of balloons with a string of lights attached. They were supposed to be diamonds shimmering in the sky. Another great 'installation' was on Globull Warming with the proactive message of 'How are you going to cool the Earth?' Read my post below. Do you see the arrogance in the notion that I control the climate?
There were some pieces I enjoyed. However, I don't understand what makes something art. For one, who decides what is art? Second, who decides what is good art? Finally, what is the point of art? I don't know the answers to these questions, but I do know that we are very uncritical of artists and their art. At Regent, art was exalted and anything artistic was acceptable. Now, they have built an artistic wind tower. For a cool million bucks, Regent is the talk of Canada. Great, but I am going to be a bit critical. Why not hire another faculty member or two? Classes are way overcrowded and a chief complaint of students is the lack of face time with professors.
Back to Toronto. It seemed that any and everything could be considered art. So much so that at the end of the evening as we passed a couple of toilets (yes actual units) decorating the sidewalk I made a joke about the artistic qualities of these pieces of sanitation equipment. They were not actually part of the show, but with a number and a description who knows. Having read the description of several installations, the chief end of art seemed to be to explore, to raise awareness or create discussions about whatever. I think the best part of the night was the almost-full moon rising over the city. It stopped many people in their tracks, including me.
mac
There were some pieces I enjoyed. However, I don't understand what makes something art. For one, who decides what is art? Second, who decides what is good art? Finally, what is the point of art? I don't know the answers to these questions, but I do know that we are very uncritical of artists and their art. At Regent, art was exalted and anything artistic was acceptable. Now, they have built an artistic wind tower. For a cool million bucks, Regent is the talk of Canada. Great, but I am going to be a bit critical. Why not hire another faculty member or two? Classes are way overcrowded and a chief complaint of students is the lack of face time with professors.
Back to Toronto. It seemed that any and everything could be considered art. So much so that at the end of the evening as we passed a couple of toilets (yes actual units) decorating the sidewalk I made a joke about the artistic qualities of these pieces of sanitation equipment. They were not actually part of the show, but with a number and a description who knows. Having read the description of several installations, the chief end of art seemed to be to explore, to raise awareness or create discussions about whatever. I think the best part of the night was the almost-full moon rising over the city. It stopped many people in their tracks, including me.
mac
Thursday, September 27, 2007
The Pastor's Ass
Got this from a friend of mine today via email (thanks Jon!) and had to share it with you all!
Enjoy!!
Enjoy!!
The Priest entered his donkey in a race and it won. The pastor was so pleased with the donkey
that he entered it in the race again, and it won again.
The local paper read: PASTOR'S ASS OUT FRONT
The Bishop was so upset with this kind of publicity that he ordered the pastor not to enter the
donkey in another race.
The next day, the local paper headline read: BISHOP SCRATCHES PASTOR'S ASS.
This was too much for the bishop, so he ordered the pastor to get rid of the donkey. The pastor
decided to give it to a nun in a nearby convent.
The local paper, hearing of the news, posted the following headline the next day: NUN HAS BEST ASS IN TOWN.
The bishop fainted. He informed the nun that she would have to get rid of the donkey, so she sold it to a farmer for $10.
The next day the paper read: NUN SELLS ASS FOR $10!
This was too much for the bishop, so he ordered the nun to buy back the donkey and lead it to the plains where it could run wild.
The next day the headlines read: NUN ANNOUNCES HER ASS IS WILD AND FREE!
The bishop was buried the next day.
The moral of the story is....being concerned about public opinion can bring you much grief and
misery...and even shorten your life. So be yourself and enjoy life... Stop worrying about
that he entered it in the race again, and it won again.
The local paper read: PASTOR'S ASS OUT FRONT
The Bishop was so upset with this kind of publicity that he ordered the pastor not to enter the
donkey in another race.
The next day, the local paper headline read: BISHOP SCRATCHES PASTOR'S ASS.
This was too much for the bishop, so he ordered the pastor to get rid of the donkey. The pastor
decided to give it to a nun in a nearby convent.
The local paper, hearing of the news, posted the following headline the next day: NUN HAS BEST ASS IN TOWN.
The bishop fainted. He informed the nun that she would have to get rid of the donkey, so she sold it to a farmer for $10.
The next day the paper read: NUN SELLS ASS FOR $10!
This was too much for the bishop, so he ordered the nun to buy back the donkey and lead it to the plains where it could run wild.
The next day the headlines read: NUN ANNOUNCES HER ASS IS WILD AND FREE!
The bishop was buried the next day.
The moral of the story is....being concerned about public opinion can bring you much grief and
misery...and even shorten your life. So be yourself and enjoy life... Stop worrying about
everyone else's ass and you'll be a lot happier and live longer!
A Chance to Win $125,000
Having gone to Regent College, I now know that humans are nothing more than a parasite destroying its host by causing global warming. The Kyoto Treaty says so and so does Al Gore; that is good enough for me. The deniers don't have the love of Christ in their hearts. To all my friends who believe the science is a slam dunk, there is a contest which pays lots o' cash to the person who can scientifically prove that the climate is changing for the worse because of human activity. I hope someone at Regent wins the money because tuition is going through the roof.My position is this: The climate gets warmer and cooler on its own. We should not be spending billions of dollars on a theory that places man in charge of the climate. In an sense it feels like Nebuchadnezzar standing on top of his palace declaring his sovereignty over all he sees. To think humans control the weather is arrogant. Spend the billions helping the poor get ready for the warmer weather that will probably last 200 more years (we've already experienced 100 years of warming and based on past warming cycles, it should be done in 200 years or so). Cleaning up pollution is a good thing. But let's not go over the falls in a barrel because of some fear-mongering.
mac
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Dropping F-bombs With My Homey J
Seems to me that the current relevance movement within Christianity is nothing more than a 'I hope these people think I am cool' movement. Why, we Christians are willing to do almost anything to distance ourselves from the 'uncool' pejorative of Fundamentalism and throw some epithets at the old-school evangelicals ourselves. The younger Christians like to swear more and wear tattoos and get rowdy. I am wondering how this coolness is any different than the much maligned suburban Christian coolness which is marked by keeping up with the Joneses?
This trend towards the cool is starting to get on my nerves. Even at my College, there is a professor that many consider really cool. I wonder if it has anything to do with his propensity to speak with potty-mouth? I digress, it's cool to hate again, and there are certain groups out there that we are told it is okay to hate. In the name of the prophetic tradition, I have heard slanderous remarks made by professors and students alike towards other Christians. My favorite occurred at my dining room table when a young man said, "I think Reformed Theology is the greatest threat to the world." I called the man a bigot. I think I was right to do so.
Now, I have and continue to use the random expletive when I am frustrated or injured. What bothers me is the coarseness of language that betrays a coarseness of heart. This coarseness has allowed us to marginalize groups within the Church that we don't like. Just watch how certain people treat the so-called 'religious right' (I prefer to call them my brothers and sisters), and it is really cool to hate the 'religious right'. As much as I try to imagine myself doing it, I cannot picture dropping F-bombs with my Homey J (Jesus).
mac
This trend towards the cool is starting to get on my nerves. Even at my College, there is a professor that many consider really cool. I wonder if it has anything to do with his propensity to speak with potty-mouth? I digress, it's cool to hate again, and there are certain groups out there that we are told it is okay to hate. In the name of the prophetic tradition, I have heard slanderous remarks made by professors and students alike towards other Christians. My favorite occurred at my dining room table when a young man said, "I think Reformed Theology is the greatest threat to the world." I called the man a bigot. I think I was right to do so.
Now, I have and continue to use the random expletive when I am frustrated or injured. What bothers me is the coarseness of language that betrays a coarseness of heart. This coarseness has allowed us to marginalize groups within the Church that we don't like. Just watch how certain people treat the so-called 'religious right' (I prefer to call them my brothers and sisters), and it is really cool to hate the 'religious right'. As much as I try to imagine myself doing it, I cannot picture dropping F-bombs with my Homey J (Jesus).
mac
Moving
Having moved twice in the past month, 3 times in the past year and 8 times over the past 4 years, I am truly sick of moving boxes and furniture. As crazy a it may seem, Melissa and I are scheduled to move one more time this winter, hopefully to a more permanent location. Don't be fooled by the smiles of a couple under paid actors, moving is annoying and painful (I've still got the bruises to prove it).
Monday, September 17, 2007
Why Actors and Musician Tend to be Nincompoops
Here we go again with an elitist Hollywood type making a fool of herself. Sally Field decided to take the obligatory plunge into American foreign policy in her acceptance speech at last night's Emmy Awards. Once again, a limited knowledge base plus an arrogant know-it-allness sets the stage for hilarity.
Her parting shot (after babbling) declared that mothers are not violent and war would end if mothers ruled the world. Really? What about the mothers of suicide bombers who, for $25,000 from Saddam Husein's Iraq, encouraged their children to blow themselves up? Are those the mothers she is referring to? Perhaps it's Golda Meir, or Margaret Thatcher, or Indira Ghandi?
Such rhetorical bullying and simplistic analysis continues to frustrate me. Whats more, the media gives the media a pass when it comes to such pedestrian ways. I'm sure that the code pinkos will call on Sally to be the keynote speaker at their next die-in rally (warning, saucy language).
mac
Her parting shot (after babbling) declared that mothers are not violent and war would end if mothers ruled the world. Really? What about the mothers of suicide bombers who, for $25,000 from Saddam Husein's Iraq, encouraged their children to blow themselves up? Are those the mothers she is referring to? Perhaps it's Golda Meir, or Margaret Thatcher, or Indira Ghandi?
Such rhetorical bullying and simplistic analysis continues to frustrate me. Whats more, the media gives the media a pass when it comes to such pedestrian ways. I'm sure that the code pinkos will call on Sally to be the keynote speaker at their next die-in rally (warning, saucy language).
mac
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
We're in!
Yes at long last we're in our new apartment... though as i write this, i'm sitting in what will be our bedroom in our virginian home. We arrived on Tuesday with all our stuff and the apartment was ready to move into -- save for a broken toilet seat cover, a tap that needed to be installed and some very dirty surfaces. But thanks to the hard work of some family friends, my dad and aunt the place was looking good by dinner time on tuesday (though we admit it was also very very cluttered still with boxes everywhere!!) After trips to Ikea, Canadian Tire and the garbage bin (to get rid of boxes and such) it really is quite cozy -- if a little cramped. It's home!
It was quite comical though -- the first meal we make (chilli in the crockpot) we discovered we had no can opener -- which not only made opening the cans of beans a challenge but the tin of coffee for Mac as well. To the rescue: Melissa's swiss army knife (never move in without one)! Then at dinner we realized that we were seriously lacking in serving utensils. But all has been worked out and slowly missing pieces to the kitchen and the rest of the apartment are being added! Life is good.
then shortly after settling in, Mac and i packed up and headed south --- yessiree we're in Virginia Beach right now. On sunday (the 16th) is our Virginia/Stateside reception. We also need to empty Mac's furniture out of storage down here... so after moving in once we get to do it again! But i figure by now we're moving in pros and it shouldn't be a problem (that and Mac has less stuff than me so it won't be as much to move!) We're looking forward to seeing friends and family at the reception from both sides! It should be fun.
Well its time to be off -- need to shower or nap or unpack a box or something before dinner!
It was quite comical though -- the first meal we make (chilli in the crockpot) we discovered we had no can opener -- which not only made opening the cans of beans a challenge but the tin of coffee for Mac as well. To the rescue: Melissa's swiss army knife (never move in without one)! Then at dinner we realized that we were seriously lacking in serving utensils. But all has been worked out and slowly missing pieces to the kitchen and the rest of the apartment are being added! Life is good.
then shortly after settling in, Mac and i packed up and headed south --- yessiree we're in Virginia Beach right now. On sunday (the 16th) is our Virginia/Stateside reception. We also need to empty Mac's furniture out of storage down here... so after moving in once we get to do it again! But i figure by now we're moving in pros and it shouldn't be a problem (that and Mac has less stuff than me so it won't be as much to move!) We're looking forward to seeing friends and family at the reception from both sides! It should be fun.
Well its time to be off -- need to shower or nap or unpack a box or something before dinner!
Monday, September 3, 2007
Saturday (Sept. 1) is moving day... no wait we mean Tuesday (Sept. 4)
So somethings just never go as planned.
Sept 1 was supposed to have been our moving day.... but oops Someone had other plans!
On friday (August 31) we showed up at our almost-ours apartment... only to find there was no door knob. Well that was the least of the issues. There were two sinks waiting to be installed, the plumbing in the bathroom was not yet completed, the linoleum was still yet to be replaced, the drawer on the stove was broken and there were tonnes of paint tubs in the living room (we think the painting might have been completed). So in a less-than-impressed mood I (melissa) called the super to find out what was going on. Well the guy we signed the lease with had been fired for (surprisingly) not following through on anything he said he would do.
So new plan: move furniture only into a corner in the living room and stay for a few more days at my parents. So we go to waterloo Friday night to stay over at my grandparents and wait for U-haul to call us with a truck. 1pm still no truck. So Mac called to find out what was going on -- all their computers had crashed and they were having troubles linking clients with trucks. So We rescheduled until Tuesday (and have received a 50% discount!). We also talked (again) with the interim super and it sounds like our apartment SHOULD be ready for tuesday (which happens to be tomorrow) when we move in. So here's hoping. Oh, and it is possible that Mac might be able to get some work as an "independent contractor" to help with stuff around the buildings. So things look like they are going to work out pretty well.
As all of the interruptions of the move started to begin, both Mac and I were getting pretty frustrated and disappointed. We were really looking forward to moving into our own place. We just kept praying that God would work things out in such a way that everything works well -- and now we have just that! Thank you Lord!
So now... its off to finish prepping for the move!
Sept 1 was supposed to have been our moving day.... but oops Someone had other plans!
On friday (August 31) we showed up at our almost-ours apartment... only to find there was no door knob. Well that was the least of the issues. There were two sinks waiting to be installed, the plumbing in the bathroom was not yet completed, the linoleum was still yet to be replaced, the drawer on the stove was broken and there were tonnes of paint tubs in the living room (we think the painting might have been completed). So in a less-than-impressed mood I (melissa) called the super to find out what was going on. Well the guy we signed the lease with had been fired for (surprisingly) not following through on anything he said he would do.
So new plan: move furniture only into a corner in the living room and stay for a few more days at my parents. So we go to waterloo Friday night to stay over at my grandparents and wait for U-haul to call us with a truck. 1pm still no truck. So Mac called to find out what was going on -- all their computers had crashed and they were having troubles linking clients with trucks. So We rescheduled until Tuesday (and have received a 50% discount!). We also talked (again) with the interim super and it sounds like our apartment SHOULD be ready for tuesday (which happens to be tomorrow) when we move in. So here's hoping. Oh, and it is possible that Mac might be able to get some work as an "independent contractor" to help with stuff around the buildings. So things look like they are going to work out pretty well.
As all of the interruptions of the move started to begin, both Mac and I were getting pretty frustrated and disappointed. We were really looking forward to moving into our own place. We just kept praying that God would work things out in such a way that everything works well -- and now we have just that! Thank you Lord!
So now... its off to finish prepping for the move!
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Gifts without a giver...
Hello friends
We have recieved two gifts, for which we're thankful for, but don't know who to thank for the gifts! So if you can help us out with this little mystery... that would be great!
We recieved a stove-top tea kettle from Linens'n'Things via the mail a couple months ago. Usually they come with a little note attached and the name of the giver, but this one did not.
We recieved a popcornmaker at the wedding itself with no card attached (or if there was a card it became unattached).
So if you or someone you know gave either one of these items to us, please let us know so we can thank them!
We have recieved two gifts, for which we're thankful for, but don't know who to thank for the gifts! So if you can help us out with this little mystery... that would be great!
We recieved a stove-top tea kettle from Linens'n'Things via the mail a couple months ago. Usually they come with a little note attached and the name of the giver, but this one did not.
We recieved a popcornmaker at the wedding itself with no card attached (or if there was a card it became unattached).
So if you or someone you know gave either one of these items to us, please let us know so we can thank them!
Honeymoon
We have just returned to Toronto from two weeks in the Dominican Republic. The weather, for the most part, was hot and sunny. Hurricane Dean turned one day into a little overcast and rainy with some wind. So, what did we find to do on our vacation? The resort was very international with several cultures seasoning this small stew pot of humanity. Being unfamiliar with the people there, Melissa and I had to figure out how to quickly identify the people we interacted with. We came up with some names, but as a qualification when you read naked only think topless. That said, there was Naked-Smiling Lady, Funny-Fat Guy and His Wife, Speedoman, Naked Family, The Couple, Old-Pipe smoking-German Speedomen, Loud-Toronto Girls, Huge Family (ie lots of people not really fat), Mean Family, and One Naked Friend. Now these people received nick-names because we always seemed to run into them around the resort. There are no photos, so don't expect them.
Along with naming the other inhabitants of the resort, we also enjoyed the beach and took a few excursions. The day after the hurricane, we went sailing on a catamaran. The seas were 8-10 feet so everyone with the exception of Melissa, myself, and a few others got seasick. I thoroughly enjoyed the waves crashing over the bow and soaking me that was until my sun cream washed off and I began to feel the sun too much. We snorkeled some coral reefs where the fish came right up to you hoping to be fed. We also toured the Dominican countryside visiting a school, a family, the beach, with some horseback riding to finish the day.
Dominican Traffic Jam
Pool Aerobics
Our Beach
The Catamaran
On the Beach
My Lovely Bride
Hurricane Dean
On Our Dominican Tour
Beach Side Restaurant
Along with naming the other inhabitants of the resort, we also enjoyed the beach and took a few excursions. The day after the hurricane, we went sailing on a catamaran. The seas were 8-10 feet so everyone with the exception of Melissa, myself, and a few others got seasick. I thoroughly enjoyed the waves crashing over the bow and soaking me that was until my sun cream washed off and I began to feel the sun too much. We snorkeled some coral reefs where the fish came right up to you hoping to be fed. We also toured the Dominican countryside visiting a school, a family, the beach, with some horseback riding to finish the day.
Dominican Traffic Jam
Pool Aerobics
Our Beach
The Catamaran
On the Beach
My Lovely Bride
Hurricane Dean
On Our Dominican Tour
Beach Side Restaurant
Friday, August 24, 2007
Finally ... Wedding Photos!!
Here are some wedding photos.... they are in no particular order
enjoy!
The Girls getting ready to go to the Church!
L to R
Back: Jenn Kerr, Jen Cairns
Middle: Melissa
Front: Megan Spoore, Erin Coffey
The Happy Couple
Jewel Davis and Barb Lane
Elizabeth Ferguson and Melissa
(Melissa used to babysit Elizabeth for the first 10 years of her life or so)
The Wedding Party
Groomsmen (L to R) Bridesmaids (Lto R)
Dave McAllister Jenn Kerr
Kerry O'Brien Megan Spoore
Mike Weiglien Erin Coffey
Tim Cairns Jen Cairns
Mac
Ryan Mandeville
Mac and Melissa :) with Jewel and Winston
Heather McKenzie ..... the amazing woman who did all our hair starting at 6 am!!
Mac and Melissa with Harold and Barb Lane
The Lane family (L to R)
Trish Naulls
Phil Lane
Mac
Melissa
Harold Lane
Barbara Lane
Melissa's Grandparents (L to R)
Grammie (Emma) Lane
Grandpa (Harvey Lammert
Nana (Sally) Lammert
After the Service ... the weddding party
Aren't we good looking??
My Lil Bro..... Such a poser!
enjoy!
The Girls getting ready to go to the Church!L to R
Back: Jenn Kerr, Jen Cairns
Middle: Melissa
Front: Megan Spoore, Erin Coffey
The Happy Couple
Jewel Davis and Barb Lane
Elizabeth Ferguson and Melissa
(Melissa used to babysit Elizabeth for the first 10 years of her life or so)
The Wedding Party
Groomsmen (L to R) Bridesmaids (Lto R)
Dave McAllister Jenn Kerr
Kerry O'Brien Megan Spoore
Mike Weiglien Erin Coffey
Tim Cairns Jen Cairns
Mac
Ryan Mandeville
Mac and Melissa :) with Jewel and Winston
Heather McKenzie ..... the amazing woman who did all our hair starting at 6 am!!
Mac and Melissa with Harold and Barb Lane
The Lane family (L to R)Trish Naulls
Phil Lane
Mac
Melissa
Harold Lane
Barbara Lane
Melissa's Grandparents (L to R)
Grammie (Emma) Lane
Grandpa (Harvey Lammert
Nana (Sally) Lammert
After the Service ... the weddding party
Aren't we good looking??
My Lil Bro..... Such a poser!
Friday, August 17, 2007
Yep.... we're married :)
Yes its true
We got hitched on August 4... and it was a wonderful day!
We couldn't have asked for a nicer day to celebrate our wedding with friends and family!
thank you to all who joined in on the festivities :)
There will be pictures posted.... once we get some. For some strange reason we were both too busy to take photos and those who did take photos all left town the same day or the day after the wedding (was it something we said?). So once we get back from the domincan we'll post some at some point.
Oh and for an "extra special" honeymoon gift... Mac's giving me a hurricane :) should be fun! Water, wind, lightning... thunder... you know all the usual! (Actually the worst of it will pass on the southern (read opposite) side of the island so while we'll be wet, we'll be safe).
cheers!
The Davises :)
We got hitched on August 4... and it was a wonderful day!
We couldn't have asked for a nicer day to celebrate our wedding with friends and family!
thank you to all who joined in on the festivities :)
There will be pictures posted.... once we get some. For some strange reason we were both too busy to take photos and those who did take photos all left town the same day or the day after the wedding (was it something we said?). So once we get back from the domincan we'll post some at some point.
Oh and for an "extra special" honeymoon gift... Mac's giving me a hurricane :) should be fun! Water, wind, lightning... thunder... you know all the usual! (Actually the worst of it will pass on the southern (read opposite) side of the island so while we'll be wet, we'll be safe).
cheers!
The Davises :)
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Living in Toronto
Greetings all, Mac here. Having only one week to go before the wedding is very exciting. I am tired of living out of a suitcase in friends' and parents' houses. Don't read this as scorning generosity, rather hear my desire to finally settle into living. Our new place on East Queen is in the heart of Toronto's beaches. The neighborhood is great although I am not so sure about Castro's Pub (I get a little queasy paying homage to brutal dictators). The strange thing is that the beer prices are really high. But, I must remember that this is the country of Trudeau. For my Vancouver friends, I have finally taken the plunge and gone East Side (being in Toronto, I'm even farther east than you), although I don't think my car will be stolen as many times as Suzy's.
Friday, July 27, 2007
We have a place to live!!
Yep that's right folks!
we found it!
a place to live!
We'll be living in a one-bedroom down on Queen East in Toronto -- right in the midst of the beaches. Its a great area, walking distance from the lake and tonnes of shops! We just need to find a good church in the area and it'll be great!
Thank you Lord for our home!
we found it!
a place to live!
We'll be living in a one-bedroom down on Queen East in Toronto -- right in the midst of the beaches. Its a great area, walking distance from the lake and tonnes of shops! We just need to find a good church in the area and it'll be great!
Thank you Lord for our home!
Thursday, July 26, 2007
House Hunting
So here we are, 8 days from the wedding and still without a place to live.
We've seen a few places, and have called a number. (We have a list of about 15 possibilities.) Our hope is to find something by the end of the week. we recognize that we don't really need it until the end of August/beginning of September, but we are hoping to have it set by the end of this week. Planning for the wedding is going really well. We've got most things finished up.... Favours are ready, florist is confirmed, numbers are in, we'll get the programs finished up today and then i'm not sure what we're missing (i'm sure there'll be stuff next week that will come up that will need our attention). So things are really coming together well! And its exciting. Now if we can just get the housing situation taken care of that would be great. We are confident that God will provide, He always does! He just has this habit of waiting to the last minute -- probably has something to do with teaching patience and faith.
In other news...... our honeymoon is booked!! Woohoo we're going to the Dominican :) I'm excited! I've never been to the Caribbean before! Yippee!
We've seen a few places, and have called a number. (We have a list of about 15 possibilities.) Our hope is to find something by the end of the week. we recognize that we don't really need it until the end of August/beginning of September, but we are hoping to have it set by the end of this week. Planning for the wedding is going really well. We've got most things finished up.... Favours are ready, florist is confirmed, numbers are in, we'll get the programs finished up today and then i'm not sure what we're missing (i'm sure there'll be stuff next week that will come up that will need our attention). So things are really coming together well! And its exciting. Now if we can just get the housing situation taken care of that would be great. We are confident that God will provide, He always does! He just has this habit of waiting to the last minute -- probably has something to do with teaching patience and faith.
In other news...... our honeymoon is booked!! Woohoo we're going to the Dominican :) I'm excited! I've never been to the Caribbean before! Yippee!
Monday, July 9, 2007
Less than a month to go!
Greetings friends!
Its hard to believe that there's less than a month to go until our wedding day! This past Friday we headed to the location of our rehearsal dinner to have a meal (we hadn't eaten there before) and it dawned on us that in exactly 4 weeks we'd be back there to eat. Which means that on Saturday there were 4 weeks left until the big day :) Time is ticking down! Sometimes all too quickly other times not quickly enough! We are looking forward to the wedding day and working on pulling together the last few details before everything kicks off!
We'll be heading back to Virginia Beach on Wednesday (probably arriving on Thursday). Its hard to believe that the 2+ weeks in Toronto are already over. Its been a busy time of preaching (Melissa preached at Blythwood on July 1), getting car details figured out and working out some of the wedding details. We still have a list of stuff to accomplish before we head out. It was also good to be able to connect with some friends in Waterloo and Toronto :) giving Mac a chance to meet more of Melissa's people in Canada.
We're looking foward to being in VA Beach for a few days and helping Mac's parents move into their new home on July 19th. Then its back to Toronto for the evening of the 20th with exactly 2 weeks left until the wedding!! Wow! Time is gonna run right past.
We are still looking for a place to live for after the wedding, and are trying to figure out vocationally what we need to do. Its hard make definite plans when we feel like we are living in limbo most of the time. So your continued prayers would be most appreciated. We know that God has things under control and that He will provide. We just need some patience between now and then.
Its hard to believe that there's less than a month to go until our wedding day! This past Friday we headed to the location of our rehearsal dinner to have a meal (we hadn't eaten there before) and it dawned on us that in exactly 4 weeks we'd be back there to eat. Which means that on Saturday there were 4 weeks left until the big day :) Time is ticking down! Sometimes all too quickly other times not quickly enough! We are looking forward to the wedding day and working on pulling together the last few details before everything kicks off!
We'll be heading back to Virginia Beach on Wednesday (probably arriving on Thursday). Its hard to believe that the 2+ weeks in Toronto are already over. Its been a busy time of preaching (Melissa preached at Blythwood on July 1), getting car details figured out and working out some of the wedding details. We still have a list of stuff to accomplish before we head out. It was also good to be able to connect with some friends in Waterloo and Toronto :) giving Mac a chance to meet more of Melissa's people in Canada.
We're looking foward to being in VA Beach for a few days and helping Mac's parents move into their new home on July 19th. Then its back to Toronto for the evening of the 20th with exactly 2 weeks left until the wedding!! Wow! Time is gonna run right past.
We are still looking for a place to live for after the wedding, and are trying to figure out vocationally what we need to do. Its hard make definite plans when we feel like we are living in limbo most of the time. So your continued prayers would be most appreciated. We know that God has things under control and that He will provide. We just need some patience between now and then.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Living on both sides of the line
Hello Again
So after some discussions between Mac and I this afternoon we've come up with a plan of sorts, and it will flex as it needs to. We are going to set up our place of residence in Canada, specifically in southern ontario somewhere. We're hoping that we can find a room to rent in someone's house, or perhaps someone has a granny suite in their home we can occupy for awhile (hopefully 3 months or less). So if anyone reading this knows someone who might be able to help us, please pass our info along to them!
Our plan is to spend a couple weeks in Ontario and then drive down to Virginia Beach to work on the house for a couple weeks and then come back up. So we'll (hopefully) be spending our time 50/50 on both sides of the border.
So now we are looking to the Lord to provide us with a place to live, and a job that is super flexible (i.e. will let one of us work 2 on and 2 off). Your prayers are still very much needed.
blessings
melissa & mac
So after some discussions between Mac and I this afternoon we've come up with a plan of sorts, and it will flex as it needs to. We are going to set up our place of residence in Canada, specifically in southern ontario somewhere. We're hoping that we can find a room to rent in someone's house, or perhaps someone has a granny suite in their home we can occupy for awhile (hopefully 3 months or less). So if anyone reading this knows someone who might be able to help us, please pass our info along to them!
Our plan is to spend a couple weeks in Ontario and then drive down to Virginia Beach to work on the house for a couple weeks and then come back up. So we'll (hopefully) be spending our time 50/50 on both sides of the border.
So now we are looking to the Lord to provide us with a place to live, and a job that is super flexible (i.e. will let one of us work 2 on and 2 off). Your prayers are still very much needed.
blessings
melissa & mac
Visa Prayers Needed
Hello Friends!
Yesterday we returned to Toronto after a wonderful time in Virginia Beach visiting with Mac's family and friends and then a few days in Lancaster PA visiting with my cousins. Both were great! As I get a chance i'll write more about those adventures later, but right now, i need to ask you all for your prayers.
As we crossed into Canada yesterday we stopped in at the US Customs to ask them some questions about moving my stuff into the States and visas. Here is the short version of the stories. I cannot move any of my stuff or live in the States until after I have status in the States. I cannot get status in the States until after I have applied for and received my marriage visa -- which i cannot apply for until AFTER we get married. In fact the only way i will be able to travel into the states after we get married is if we have our permanent place of residence in Canada. Thankfully Mac still has a student visa for Canada and he is going to extend it for another year so he can be in Canada as needed.
So this throws all our nicely laid plans into the air and brings out a lot of questions.
What are we supposed to do now? Our plans were to move my things into the house in VA Beach in mid-July, and it looks like that will not be happening at this point. Then after the wedding we were going to be living in Mac's parents house to prep it for sale over the next year or so (they have moved into a seniors residence).
We have some options. Two of them are:
Your prayers would be deeply appreciated.
Yesterday we returned to Toronto after a wonderful time in Virginia Beach visiting with Mac's family and friends and then a few days in Lancaster PA visiting with my cousins. Both were great! As I get a chance i'll write more about those adventures later, but right now, i need to ask you all for your prayers.
As we crossed into Canada yesterday we stopped in at the US Customs to ask them some questions about moving my stuff into the States and visas. Here is the short version of the stories. I cannot move any of my stuff or live in the States until after I have status in the States. I cannot get status in the States until after I have applied for and received my marriage visa -- which i cannot apply for until AFTER we get married. In fact the only way i will be able to travel into the states after we get married is if we have our permanent place of residence in Canada. Thankfully Mac still has a student visa for Canada and he is going to extend it for another year so he can be in Canada as needed.
So this throws all our nicely laid plans into the air and brings out a lot of questions.
What are we supposed to do now? Our plans were to move my things into the house in VA Beach in mid-July, and it looks like that will not be happening at this point. Then after the wedding we were going to be living in Mac's parents house to prep it for sale over the next year or so (they have moved into a seniors residence).
We have some options. Two of them are:
- Proceed as we had planned, filing everything the day after the wedding via mail or hand delivering the applications to the consulate office on the Monday after our wedding and hoping for the best. In the mean time finding some short term lodgings in CAnada until the visa comes through and we can proceed as planned.
- I enroll in classes at Regent Divinity School in Norfolk, VA and take a class or two (whatever is necessary to fulfill the requirements of the Visa). If i did this i would take some more biblical languages, which is something i wanted to do anyways. I'm not excited about this option, as i had hoped to be off school for longer, but as i don't have a job anywhere yet, this would provide me with something to do with myself. The other issue with this option is that i have missed the international application deadline (April 1) and so i would not get in until January 08 at the earliest. So it is not helpful, that we can see, for starting school in the fall.
Your prayers would be deeply appreciated.
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