The Pleasure

I talked about the pain...now heres the pleasure...here's the gain!

Several years ago I went to a retirement home to sing. There was an eldergy gent with a bad case of Alzheimers. His son and grandchildren sat with him. He knew he should know them but you could see they were like strangers. The grandchildren sat on his knee and they knew it was grampa but you could sense a sorrow because grampa was so distant. When I began to sing a particular song, he piped up and sang word for word. Big streams of tears flowed down his face when suddenly he knew who he was and who was on his lap. They all cried and hugged and they had a golden moment. For one moment, everything in the world was right again. I often take myself back to that time. You have no idea how much joy was brought into my own life for 1 hour of my time. I gave one hour and have reaped years of fond memory. I thought of that home a number of times and one day hoped to return.

One of my buddies from church asked if I would go and sing for his mom. We all went to church together and I love his mom. She is a dear lady. She had to go to a retirement home around the corner from me. You guessed it! The same home I sang in years ago. I was immediately excited as somehow I knew I'd return.

Well we got together tonight. They had all gathered in the tea room with a magnificent view. Bob and his Ma were there. She was happy to see me and seemed excited for social time. There were a number of other elderly ladies as well and some staff and I guess a daughter or two. We all sang together and I sang a few songs. We laughed and joked and told stories and asked questions and engaged each other. We had tea and some awesome squares. I'm such a pig. As soon as the squares hit the table, I said " LOOK..OVER THERE" Every one looked and I grabbed a square.

There was one fellow amongst all the ladies. His family owns some spinach farms. In fact they own the farm around the corner from us. He engaged me in an entire spinach process from plant to table. He knew each minute detail including the colours of the bins. I asked if there were any birthdays and this gentleman proceeded to tell me the birth date of EVERY loved one he knew....at least a dozen more than a dozen. Incredible.

I'm going to be very brutally and shamefully honest right now. I only remember the birthdays of 4 maybe 5 people at best. I know thats not really appropriate. It gets me in a lot of shit. I live my life in constant fear that I have missed my moms birthday. She laughs and says I'm either a week early or a day late. Anyway, I have a secret ally..my sister. She knows how much of a spazz I am and helps me and prompts me. Her birthday is May 14.....darn...The year???????? I'd have to do a bunch of math but the year doesnt matter does it? Do I have to know which particular birthday it is? There is one lady at the home who will celebrate her birthday in a week and a few days. Thats how I remember it. She actually told me the date, but since I am date handicapped I will simply ask when I return next week.

at the risk of sounding crazy

At the risk of sounding crazy, in the quiet of my mind I feel like I am a musician in King David’s mighty praise band. I feel a deep sense of musical calling that I would worship God with all my heart, mind and soul. I believe God gave me a gift that I would use in order to glorify Him. I find great satisfaction in that role. I feel a very deep spiritual connection between music and God. I feel like He leads me. I have felt the pain of the Israelites as they were carried to exile, and with no hope, left their instruments and music behind. I have danced naked in the street with a jubilant King David. I have sang from the highest mountaintop and cried in the deepest valley. I have heard the music of a new born babies cry as I looked and saw the face of God and a reason to sing and praise a Mighty King.

I have been losing the feeling in my fingers due to a degenerating disk. The nerve gets pinched and my fingers tingle. I have carpel tunnel syndrome from the same source. So I either experience pain when I play OR I dont feel anything. I must tell you that I far prefer the pain over not feeling my instrument. Its the wierdest thing. I can still play out of habit or familiarity, but not feeling the instrument takes away a big part of the connection. The pain of playing is much easier to cope with. You know they say...no pain no gain. I little bit of pain reminds me of my passion for worship.

Anyway, I didnt really want to talk about the pain. I wanted to talk about the pleasure.

My Church

I have been blessed with an incredible bunch of christian brothers and sisters. We have been called together as a church plant in the heart of downtown Acton. Some members of our young congregation antied up and bought one of the bars in town. We are currently under construction. When construction is complete, the facility will serve our community as a coffee house/meeting place/concert venue. The owners are christian and they have a keen sense of community integration and living out ones faith before others. Our congergation, Crossings is blessed with being able to use this evolving building. This picture was taken in the fall. We have had to change the seating a bit to accomodate a growing number of freinds,families, guests and visitors. We are up to about 50 people per sunday and a few services have been up to 80.

We have been blessed with a growing number of youth. We hired a youth pastor who, with his wife, have really begun to make Christ more visible and our presence known in the community. The youth of the town have been quite receptive to our freindship. Our youth pastor has been organizing open mic cofee house in the facility and numbers have been growing. I am told near 80 kids. We are pleased and proud to have them use the facility. A number of the kids now attend services on sunday. These are wonderful kids, full of hope, promise and talent.

We are trying to be very casual and easy going in our approach at church. We are trying to focus on freindship, fellowship and community. Our service style is contemporary yet orthodox. We celebrate communion every sunday. Every week, a differant person leads communion and we discuss the significance of the sacrement in every day personal terms. Our pastor preaches from the Holy Bible in a theme approach. He is conservative and evangelical in thought. At the end of each series we dedicate a service for individuals to recap and summerize our learning. We have a growing number of musicians and have begun to organize some teams. I lead music worship every other sunday.

Lord God..thank You for calling me to this place. Thank You for the many gifts and talents You have given to us. Lord God, like bones and ligaments, You have built a body of beleivers and lovers of Christ. My we continue to rest in Your favour as we boldly pronounce that You are the reigning King of Acton and that You will bring healing, peace and joy to our community. Thank You Lord for my christian brothers and sisters both here in Acton and all over the world. Lord God bless and keep my sister Hanni as she learns and grows. Bless my friend Brian in Asia and my brother and family in Kyrgystan. Lord God help my mom continue to be a blessing to AVP and to the prisoners to which she ministers. Lord God bless my boss Jim and heal his daughter from sickness. Lord God though I come to You with requests, I am eternally grateful for all that You have already done.

My New Watch

Hey everyone. Check out my new watch! I cant beleive she did it! My friend in England sent me this watch. It was destined for the arm of a bloke and ended up on mine instead.

Thanks precious.

Some day we shall meet.....and Lord help me if I have lost or broken this gift...teehee

Hugs and Kisses.....but mostly hugs

A Watch? Like This?

Wow Brenda. That would be way cool! Does it look like this?

I asked Sue if I could accept such a gift and she said absolutely!

She laughed because she thinks I'm a bit of bloke.

She said..haha from one bloke to another.

As it turns out H, I havnt had a watch on my wrist for well over 20 years.

It looks like I will be back out in the field as a data/telecommunications technician. I will be responsible for time billing to my clients and I would find a watch quite useful. In fact I'd be tickled pink because I'd know it was a gift from you. I would wear that watch with pride and pleasure...unless of course it looked like the picture. What am I saying. I'd still wear it with pride and pleasure...just less often...hahaha

My mom and dad got me a pewter watch when I graduated high school. It was cool. It had a fly fisherman on it. It was stolen from me in a break and enter. sorry mom in case I didnt tell you.

Anyway as far a gifts are concerned, if you wanted to give me that watch, I would gladly accept it!

your friend don

Self Analysis, Repentance and Forgiveness

Self Analysis, Repentance and Forgiveness........or is it Self Analysis, Forgiveness and Repentance.....or is it just forgiveness, no repentance required and stop being so self critical?

Thank you for sticking up for me madmoiselle hotlips and offering me the advice about forgiveness. Sometimes we know that we are forgiven but cant forgive ourselves.

In my own mind, I have a hard time forgiving myself, if I do not also repent. I feel that I must have sorrow for what the negative things I have done and a hope that I would change. Maybe I reach too deep, or maybe I over dramatize. Maybe I make mountains out of molehills. Maybe I envision and feel problems where no problems exist. OR maybe I am right about myself....I'm a bit of a goof.

I find self analysis and repentance to be cleansing. It reminds me that I am not the great guy that everyone thinks I am. HHHMM actually, when my issues are brought to my attention by others, then maybe I am not even the great guy I think I am.

But, I'll tell you one thing I learned................

My wife stands beside me with mighty arms of grace. She adores me and loves me unconditionally. She wakes each day with a dedication to me. She is quick to forgive and quick to hug. She knows I'm a goof and I reckon I could be a goof for the rest of my life.

I just think its important for me to think about this stuff.

pssst......sticky toffee.......mmmmmmmm....marmite...hahaha