UPDATE MAY 17th!

As I type this message I am sitting within 100 feet of the doors to the Missionaries of Charity Mother House, the home of Mother Teresa for much of her ministry, and the site of her tomb.
Visiting the other day it was interesting to reflect how one person could so completely follow Jesus, and be almost universally accepted and loved. At the same time it was bizarre struggling with the fact that she was just a person. There was something special about her certainly, but she was still just a person.
We have completed our first week of ministry and are in to our second week already. So you know what's going on here's a break down of our schedule.

6:00- 7:30 Wake up/Shower/Devotions
7:30- 8:30 Breakfast at BMS Guesthouse
8:45- 9:15 Team Devotions
9:30-10:00 Guys Depart for Howrah Drop in Centre/Girls for Kalighat Red Light District
-12:30 Depart for Lunch in Kalighat
2:00- 3:30 Set up and pray for Kids Club Ministry in Kalighat
3:30- 5:30 Kids Club!
5:30- 6:30 ESL/Prayer and Worship

And then the evening consists of eating, debriefing, attending to personal hygiene issues, and often a time of fellowship with at least some members of the Shaw family.

Today at Howrah was especially heart breaking because two of the kids who I had connected with last week were high on glue and sleeping when we arrived. By the end of our time there one had woken up and was starting to come around, but the other hadn't. Some days at Howrah are incredible difficult, other days are a wonderful blessing.

At Kalighat our ministry is to street children. Today I introduced them to my favourite superhero Captain Canada and his alter-ego... Kevin. We then proceeded to talk about one of my favourite super heroes from the Bible who has a secret identity of their own, Esther. Later this week we will be talking about other heroes such as Mary, the Justice League of Babylon (Rack, Shack, Benny, and Daniel), Jesus, and the Hero Kit (armor of God). We are also going to be taking the kids to a water park but SHHH don't tell them that. It's a surprise.

Prayer Requests:

Health - as a team we have been remarkably healthy. We've hit only minor snags and nothing that has prevented any of us from fully participating in ministry. However, the same can not be said of the Shaw family. There is some sickness going around their house right now so please lift them up in your prayers. Also pray for the continued health of our team.

Energy - This week looks like it is shaping up to be a week in which we are physically, emotionally, and spiritually exhausted. Pray that we can find strength in God primarily, but also in the places God has blessed us, with a wonderful team and incredible hosts.

Scripture -
1 Corinthians 13:3
1 Corinthians 13:4-7
2 Timothy 1:7
1 John 3:16-18

Thanks for reading, thanks for praying. I look forward to talking to you all soon,

Water... I mean... Joel

06/06/2010

Here it is! The final pre-trip update!
We board our plane to Delhi via Brussels at 6:10 and then after a 12 hour stopover will continue on to Kolkata!

Some huge praise items to share with all of you.

1 - EVERYONE HAS THEIR VISAS! This is incredibly exciting as it means that we have already sorted through the most significant red tape that we'll face and we can get on our plane knowing that.

2 - I have received all my financial support! Thank you so much to all of you who were able to contribute, and to all of you who were keeping this matter in your prayers.

So here we go, I'm getting on a plane in less than 6 hours. I'll try to update you from India at least once a week depending on Internet access. Thank you so much for supporting me through this time.

Prayer requests:
Culture Shock - Jet Lag - Heat Exhaustion: These are three things that I would love to avoid, as well as malaria, travelers diarrhea and a number of other things that will make me less able to experience India and engage with the people and the culture as we try to bring Christ's message.

2 Timothy 1:7 - Continually pray that we will recognize that God has not given us a spirit of fear or timidity, but of power, love, and self discipline.

The Shaws - Pray that we can truly be a blessing to the missionary family we are going to partner with. It is our desire as a team that we can leave having refreshed, encouraged, and truly helped this family in their ongoing work in India.

India - The country has a lot of needs as it continues to face political, social, and religious turmoil.

Once again, thank you all so much.

Joel

Update 30/04/2010

And so the journey has begun. I packed my bags last night and left home for the last time before the team flies out. Here are some of the things that are going on.
1. Visas
2. Training
3. Malaria Medication
4. Support

1. We have all applied for our Visas and should be going in to pick them up soon... very soon. I don't know if there's any need to be nervous about them at this point. Hopefully everything will work out fine. Peter, one of our team leaders, is South Korean and as a result his Visa may take longer to process. If that's the case he is going to need to apply for an emergency Visa later this week so that he can enter the country with the rest of the team. Pray for the Visas, and especially for Peter's.
2. The team training days are this coming Monday and Tuesday! We'll be using this time to prepare some of the programs we need to have in India as well as go over some last minute information. Pray that these days are impactful, and that we can absorb and retain all the information we need to.
3. Two of us will begin our Malaria medication on Monday. This is a weekly medication that has been known to have some side effects. As exciting as vivid dreams may sound to some, please pray that we don't succumb to any of these adverse effects. The rest of the team will start their medication when we arrive in India with a different set of potential side effects.
4. Thank you all so much for your prayers! With only 6 days until we leave I can really feel their effects, especially as things fall into place. Financial support is doing well but I'm not quite there yet. If you're able to provide financial support it's not too late, and you can continue to contribute after we've left. The address for those of you who are able to provide some financial support is:

Dave Roberts
25 Ballyconnor Court
Toronto, Ontario
M2M 4B3

Cheques can be made out to "Tyndale University" with a memo reading 'India Team - Joel'

Thank you for your continued support and I'll try to update with stories from the road!

Update 12/04/2010

Sorry that it's been a while since my last update. Here's what has been going on!

1 - Our flights are booked!
2 - We got our shots!
3 - We have our directive!
4 - Spring Arts Festival

1 - We are leaving on May 6th and flying via Brussels (a 2 hour stopover) and then Delhi (a 12 hour stopover) before we arrive in Kolkata. I'm super excited! On the way back it's only a 9 hour stopover in Delhi and we'll arrive home on the 29th. Our team leader Peter will be leaving India the day before we are and flying home to Korea.
2 - So we went to the Missionary Health Institute on Thursday of last week and subjected our arms to the various jabs that associate themselves with global missions. I only needed a couple shots, which I was quite thankful for. Afterwards we had a team dinner at an Indian Style Chinese Restaurant. The best part of the meal was definitely the 2.50 Fried Banana and Ice Cream Dessert which was absolutely amazing.
3 - I just received an e-mail forwarded from Monique Shaw who we will be partnering with in Kolkata. Here's what she had to say:

As I have been praying and asking God what the priority should be while you are here, I felt like the focus should be on our street kids and youth from the red-light area. We have been able to rent a room in the area for 10 days from 3:00-6:00pm daily. During that time we would like to do a kids klub with the kids for the ten days and also teach English to the youth. The ages vary with half of them in the 8-12 year range and the other half 13-18 years so it will be challenging to figure out how to do something for all of them in the same room but I will work on that.

4 - We were able to set up a booth at Tyndale's Spring Arts Festival this year! We had a great time hanging out, telling people about our trip, and selling samosas. We brought in just over $100 which we are using to buy groceries for our team retreat at Chloe's house in Haliburton from the 24th to the 25th of April!

Things are shaping up! We leave in 24 days!
Here are some prayer requests.
A) Preparation - As we get songs ready for the Kids Club, prepare skits, and continue in prayer and fasting
B) Team Unity - I'm excited about our upcoming retreat, especially after the amazing time we had over dinner the other night. Pray that we can use that time to really get to know one another and understand how to work as a team to accomplish something amazing by God's grace while we are in Kolkata.
C) Finances - As we continue to fundraise I only know the status of my own personal account. Out of the 3500 I need by the end of the month I currently have $1535. I am trusting that God will continue to provide, though some days that's a little harder than others. Pray that I can continue to trust in God's providence. Pray about whether or not you can support the team. Every little bit helps, whether it's $10 or $1000.
D) India - Continue to pray for India while we are preparing, and long after we leave. There is a lot of brokenness and despair there. Conversely there is also a lot of joy. Pray for systemic change that will free the oppressed and assist the downtrodden.

Update: 26/03/10

Our team is setting up some opportunities to get together for team bonding exercises! In other exciting news, it looks like my cousin Joanna (who is already in India) will be joining us in Kolkata to provide some medical treatment for those we are working with! The details are still being worked out as far as I know, but the possibility is exciting.

Mother India

Hey Everyone!
I'm excited to share this exciting adventure with you. I have an opportunity to travel to Kolkata, India this May with a group of seven other Tyndale students. While we are there we will be working with two groups of people.
The guys in our group will spend our time working at a drop in with children who live on the tracks at the Howrah train station. These children have a reputation for breaking the hearts of the teams that have gone before us. There are many stories of substance abuse, malnourishment, and despair. We are looking forward to bringing some light and some excitement in to their lives.
The girls will be rotating between the drop in and the brothels. While they are in the brothels they will be sitting with the women, talking, having tea, sharing stories and getting to know them. The missionaries we are going to partner with are currently establishing a jewellery business as a means of establishing an alternative source of income for the women so that they are not trapped in such a profession.
There is a lot to be done in the next 7 or so weeks while we prepare to leave and we could use support in a few ways:

Prayer will be huge:
-as excited as we are to go to India we're not there yet and we have a lot of school work ahead of us, pray for discipline and focus
-preparations have begun but there's still a lot more to come. from what we've heard you can't really adequately prepare for India. the spiritual and physical climate have been known to be quite overwhelming
-finances are coming in slowly for the team and is a cause for concern, but we're stepping out in faith trusting that everything will come together by the end of April.

Finances:
-if you are able to provide financial support your cheques can be made out to 'Tyndale University College and Seminary' with 'India Trip' on the memo line and a note attached with my name on it. You can also donate cash
-funds can be sent to

Global Missions Department
Tyndale University College and Seminary
25 Ballyconnor Court
Toronto, Ontario
M2M 4B3

Thank you for taking the time to partner with me in this exciting venture. As much as I can I will try to post notes on here as we prepare, and as we are in Kolkata.

Disney Girls

Wow, it's hard to blog while you're at camp.
It's interesting how time changes the way you think. Well, maybe it doesn't change the way you think, but it certainly changes the way I think. It should, that's healthy. As you experience, and live, your perceptions will change. I find that recently it's been difficult for me to watch a movie without getting in to the thematic messages. This has been especially interesting as I've been watching a lot of Disney.
Don't get me wrong, I still love Disney movies. I still choose to watch them, and I quite enjoy the stories most of the time, but I seem to consistently find something in them that causes me to question what I'm watching. I know, they are cartoons. I understand that. They are also cartoons I grew up watching, and even though I'm not a fox who steals from a lion and gives to the poor, I related to those movies, and I was influenced by them.
I first started thinking this through when I was watching the Little Mermaid about a month ago. They meet, and get married within a few days, most of which she is unable to speak for. What is that relationship founded on? They weren't even able to communicate with each other properly. Was it based purely on physical appearance?
I know I'm probably reading in to things too much. I just can't help but wonder if Disney movies have inadvertantly inflicted damage on a generations perception of healthy relationships. They seem innocent, and almost always have some sort of moral message, but I think that's what makes them more dangerous.
If only I had a critical eye when I was five...

Love, Come Save Me

So I'm at camp, I may have mentioned that already once or twice. I'm here and it's great. One of the things I've been working on while I've been here is compiling a list of organizations that stand for something. Some of them speak out against Human Trafficking, others fight for Workers Rights. Some of them have unique suggestions, others network amongst themselves to accomplish the same goal. There are a lot out there however.
I'll confess I'm a sucker for stellar web design and a gimmick... Maybe part of that is that these organizations need to do that in order to stand out. I don't know. Regardless, there are a lot of organizations and it's hard to take the time to research all of them. I've just been operating based on what I've been told, and what I see. I've read a couple articles, and had a couple conversations, and there are some really fascinating organizations doing really cool work in really different ways.
Unfortunately I can't support them all. I can probably be aware of all of them, and spread the word about them all, but I can't really get behind every organization in the list. I can't even remember most of them.
This is where I start to feel guilty.
Why do I seem to care about some causes more than others? It's not that I think the issues are less important, or tragic. It's not as if there are lesser wrongs being perpetrated in some cases. Some organizations have more compelling stories, but it's often the organizations that are fighting for a cause I'm already concerned about. I look for organizations to draw me out and engage me, which is hard to do with my ADD. I guess I'm just not finding the right ones. Or maybe I'm trying too hard to care. Maybe it's alright to feel more passionately about child soldiers than clean water. It's not that I don't think clean water is important...
I don't know. There's a lot of tragedy going on in the world right now. There's also a lot of hope. If you can think of any great organizations that are out there doing something please post them here. Maybe you know the organizations that will pull my heart in such a way that it will expand and I can be equally passionate about everything...

I'm not thrilled with the post below... there are a few reasons for that and I'll post those here later.

-edit-

Okay now that it's been almost a week I'm finally sitting down to explain why I don't like what I wrote... I don't like the way I wrote it. A lot of the time when I'm writing it's part of processing something. A lot of it is about working through an idea, a conflict, or a point of confusion. With what I wrote below I had already processed it. I had worked through that idea in a few conversations and so I was just writing for the sake of writing.
Even in how I wrote I felt like I was coming across the wrong way. If I want to convince you of something, or argue with you about something, or whatever the case may be... a blog is a terrible place to do that. I would rather have the conversation as close as we can come to being face to face. For some people that's facebook chat, for others that could be a phone call... it doesn't really matter, just a better format than a blog.
This was never intended to be a platform for me to preach from. This is a place for my thoughts. This is a place for me to process. I don't mind people reading it, and I don't mind people responding to it, because that creates a discussion and stimulates new thoughts. My previous post doesn't really allow for that... I'll leave it there... I don't know why... it just feels wrong to remove it. And without it this post would be unnecessary.

So yeah... that's that. For now... I guess...

Messed Up

I know, it's been a while, again. I haven't forgotten about my blog, I just haven't been super motivated to write anything while I've been here. I'm up at camp again and I've just been getting settled in and spending time with friends. But I have something to write about now. I guess technically I have a few things to write about, but I'm choosing to write about this one thing in particular.

So yesterday I was on youtube, and myspace, and all sorts of other websites trying to find good music videos. I was trying to find music videos that actually say something, that weren't made by your friend back home with iMovie and a makeshift green screen... although I'm sure your friend is very talented. Anyways, I stumbled upon this one video with Matisyahu and Trevor Hall. I love Matisyahu, but I had no idea who Trevor Hall was, and I was pretty sure it wasn't the same Trevor Hall I went to middle school with. So I'm listening to the song and watching the video that goes with it, and it's not your standard video, it's more of an explanation of where the song came from and the writing process while they showed it being recorded. You could tell pretty early on that Trevor had some less... conventional views.

take me to the table where we all dine together
pluck me from the crowd and return me to my sender
whatever path you follow for sure until tomorrow
love all serve all and create no sorrow
so many rivers but they all reach the sea
you're telling me it's different but i just don't believe
love is the goal yes and everyone shall reach it
whoever seeks it seen and unseen

i don't want to reason anymore about the one i love, the one i love
i don't want to reason anymore about God above, God above
I just want to melt away in all this grace, drift away to this sacred place
where there's no more you and me, no more they and we
just unity

Then Matisyahu comes in, and I can't figure out what all of his lyrics are so I'm not going to try. I'm fascinated by this song on so many levels. It's coming out of a deeply personal space for both artists, but they are coming from two perspectives that just seem so different. Matisyahu is a Hasidic Jew and knows his Torah and his Talmud. Trevor seems to be spiritual, but unaffiliated. Perhaps Buddhist, but I can't say for certain. I think it's incredible that two people who come from such different backgrounds can join together and write a piece of music about the very subject that makes them different.

Listening to the song it's actually quite confusing because the first verse, sung by Trevor, seems incongruous with what the rest of the song is trying to say. It's apparent that he believes that there is no one way to heaven or to the afterlife or whatever is next, and that you'll get there no matter which path you take. I disagree with that. I've heard people take similar stances before, and have withheld comment just because I may not have been sure myself, or I may not have known what to say. As I was thinking about this yesterday, and trying to figure out why he thinks this way I realized something. He has this overwhelming love. It's even in the lyrics of the song. Love all, serve all. That's amazing. His love for everyone extends to a point where he wants everyone to have the same perfect after life. That perfection is where the problem is.

We're not good enough for heaven. We're just not. Heaven is perfect, and it only continues to be perfect as long as everything in it is perfect. Which we're not. It happens very early on, shortly after we're born, or maybe after we turn two... I'm not quite sure as I've only been directly involved in that process as a participant who doesn't remember much of it. Either way, we're not perfect. So we don't get to go to heaven. Nobody does. I don't think that the world realizes this. And when I say the world I'm definitely including Christians. So many of us act like we deserve to go to heaven. We are good people, we go to church, we've never done anything "that bad". It doesn't matter. We're not good enough. None of these paths are going to make us good enough.

Christianity is supposed to be the one that takes the focus off of us completely. It's not about who we are or what we've done. It's about who God is and what He's done. There's a whole new rant in here that I won't take the time to get in to, but I'll outline it. There's something wrong with the way I used to think. The way I sometimes still think. I don't know where it came from, but I feel like going to church didn't help it go away. I do things on my own a lot. When I do I get tired, and burnt out, and realize that I haven't been doing it right. When I give up my own involvement in things I find that God takes over in some strange way that I never expect, and things don't necessarily go the way I planned for them to, but they always seem to work out somehow. I just get so wrapped up in myself.

That's where I was trying to get to earlier. This song has some good stuff in it. We are all the same. But we're not all the same in finding the afterlife. We're all the same in not deserving it. We're all part of the same flawed, imperfect group. That's where we have unity.

After Today

I don't know what exactly I am hoping to record in this blog. At this point I think I'm vaguely going to dance around the idea of the future. I guess right now I have a pretty good idea of what I'll be doing for the next few years. I've set myself up for a few more years at Tyndale and I'm thrilled with that. My questions, which I've noticed I ask a lot, have more to do with the peripherals. Where will I live? What will I be doing during the summer, or during the year? I have another three months before school even starts and I've already started thinking about these things.
It seems like I have so many options that are so interdependent on so many other factors that it's a little intimidating. A single decision, one way or another, could change my next few years, and potentially even the rest of my life, drastically.
It's an intense thought. I'm tired. It's what I was thinking about and I thought I would share that quickly. I know how to make the decisions... I'm just not in a place where I want to. Afterall, I still have the present to get through first.

Change Is Hard

I am sitting here, in a room I have sat in many times before, in a place where I have had experiences that have shaped my life, and I have that feeling. You know that feeling where you're introduced to an idea? When your perceptions undergo a radical, or maybe not so radical change? It's that kind of nervous expansion in your chest where you're not sure if you're terrified, excited, or on the verge of hyperventilating. More than anything else I would describe this sensation as being overwhelmed.
Last night my Dad and I left work and started talking on the drive home. When we got home we sat and talked for about an hour and a half instead of walking in the door and planting ourselves in front of the TV. We talked about how my sister and I were raised, about what my parents are doing with their lives, about purpose, about meaning, and about making a difference.
This morning in church I ignored the message. It wasn't because I didn't value what my pastor was saying. I was spending that time praying for the people I know who are out there in the world right now. I was praying for my friends in the Dominican Republic, Japan, Alaska, and India. I was praying for them as individuals, and as teams. I was praying for the cities they were in, and I was praying for the people in those cities that I will never know.
More and more I'm finding that my actions are reflecting who I want to be. I want to care about the world, and I want to change it. I don't know how that will look. Will I end my life in relative anonymity, or will I go out with a well cited wikipedia article detailing my exploits? Either way it doesn't matter to me. I just want to make a difference... if I'll let myself.
I'm terrified. I've been talking for months about how I can't wait to move to South America, about how I'm excited to potentially be living in Bolivia next year, about how I'm so tired of the flaws in North American culture, but this is where I'm comfortable. There are times where it doesn't feel right, and I just want to get out of here and live somewhere where warmth is found in climate and in culture, and then there are times like now.
In this room where I'm sitting, in this room where I've experienced a few paradigm shifts in the past, I feel like my chest is about to explode. I just finished reading an article, one that I knew I would like, that I knew would be informative, that I never expected to impact me like this. Reject Apathy.
I have so many thoughts on this topic, on this idea, on these words, that I won't even try to contain them in a blog post. I'll just leave you some key words so that this isn't as vague as I know it's coming across
Social Justice. Sustainability. Real Lasting Change. Freedom.
It's overwhelming. I'm just me. As I was reading the article I almost wanted to give up just thinking about the sheer magnitude of the task before me. The task before all of us I guess... Then I remembered some words I read recently.

"Don't ever let the fact that you can't do everything for everyone be a reason not to do something for someone"
-Larry Jones

I don't know who the someone I'll do something for is. I've been thinking about it a lot recently, and more and more I'm convinced that it doesn't matter. I just want to do that something, for someone, somewhere, anywhere. Even if it doesn't mean the physical warmth that I want. Even if it means somewhere I haven't considered to this point.

Champions of Nothing

So it's been a while since I wrote anything here, and a large part of that is because I don't feel like I've had anything to write. And I suppose that's where I'm going to have to draw the subject of this post from.
Right now I'm in Bancroft, at my parents house, in my comfort zone. I don't know what it is, but while I'm here it is harder to motivate myself to do the things I know I need to than anywhere else. So here come my usual questions...
Am I always this lazy? Does my predicament reveal something profound about the state of humanity? Is this important or just frivolous?
It's tempting to keep writing blog posts about Hanson. They're fun, and I know people will comment on them and have some fun, but when I write those I don't think. I guess I'm frustrated with myself. I need to write about this so that I can figure out what I'm doing, and how I can fix it.
So what have I been doing? I've been watching a lot of TV. Some combination of the playoffs, the Game Show Network, Teletoon, and the Family Channel. (you can comment on my viewing preferences later) I've built some momentum with the geocaching program I'm setting up at Joy Bible Camp. I've placed four preliminary caches, and written up most of the documentation to go with it, and now I've moved on to a children's program to introduce the sport. I've written a letter, and cleared out my closet. Of course a lot of what was cleared out of my closet is now cluttering my room... which I need to finish cleaning at some point. I've also slept a lot.
I think I've gotten so used to my parents place being somewhere to rest. Bancroft is a place where I can shut off and not worry about accomplishing tasks. That's fine if I'm only home for a couple days here and there, but this stay will end up lasting for almost a month, and I can't spend all that time watching the Match Game and playing Tetris.
I have letters to send, a room to clean, applications to fill out, a summer to plan, and more. I feel like I should be able to accomplish this in the next 10 days, but based on how I've spent the last 17 it'll be close at best.
Which leaves me having ranted, without coming up with any sort of solution. To be honest I don't know if I have one. I need more structure, I just don't know how to implement it.

Everybody Get Dangerous

There are millions of Americans who go on short-term missions vacations (oops, I mean missions trips) each year. I say 'vacations' because many well-meaning people evaluate missions trips as if they are on a pleasure cruise.
'What are the bathrooms like?'
'Where will we sleep?'
'Can I bring my hair dryer?'
'Will I be able to call my boyfriend?'
'Is if safe?'
-Tom Davis

The Tyndale missions team to India left today. They are gone for three weeks. For a number of reasons I've been thinking about their trip, and what my wishes for them would be. I've been thinking about how I should pray for them. I don't want this trip to be a pleasure cruise.

I don't want them to fly across the world, do a good deed, and come back feeling better about themselves. I want this trip to mean something. I want this trip to change the world. I don't know if I want this trip to change their world, or the world of the people they interact with, but either way... I want this trip to change the world. But no one ever changed the world by playing it safe.

I think that's what struck me most about the above quote. We laugh off questions about going to the bathroom, and hair dryers, but when someone puts that on the same level as whether or not we are going to be safe, that's occasion for a pause. If we stay safe the entire time, if we are prepared for everything we encounter, if we don't find ourselves beyond our ability, then we will keep on operating under our own strength. It is when we venture beyond these limits that God takes over entirely, not as a gesture, but out of necessity.

We don't have the capacity to change the world that we are in. It requires an outside force. If we give up ourselves to that outside force, I can't even imagine the implications of what the world will look like. So when I pray for this team, when I pray for the other teams, when I wish them well, when I send them messages, I pray for change. I pray that Jesus wrecks their life. I pray that their hearts are broken and they get worn out. I pray that they experience something that is so much more than a vacation.

Where's the Love?

I don't get it. Why does Hanson seem to have such a bad reputation. I mean... sure they looked like teenage girls when they first appeared on the scene, and they had a radio hit that ended up on repeat... and my sister liked them... Okay so I didn't like Hanson at first either. I guess I didn't really start to appreciate them until a few years ago at easter when I went for a Tim Horton's run with a car full of guys, and one girl, and she was the only one who wasn't having an incredible time singing Hanson at the top of her lungs while driving down the street. That song is still one of my favourites for nostalgia, but my appreciation didn't end there. My friend Michelle listened to Hanson. Their new stuff. Then I met Sam and she listened to them also. Then I was at Silas's house and he had one of their newer cd's...
Regardless of how they started out, I really enjoy listening to Hanson these days. There's something incredibly catchy and, in some cases, moving about their music. It also doesn't hurt that they support one of my favourite companies, TOMS Shoes. You may have seen the at&t commercial, the guy who gives away shoes? Hanson went with TOMS to South Africa to give shoes away.
It's been a while since the mmmbop days. They have grown up, gotten haircuts, gotten married, and had children, and their music has done the same.
That may sound like a ridiculous thing to say, yet I can't help but feel like it's accurate. You can check out Taylor Hanson's new side project with members of Cheap Trick, the Smashing Pumpkins, and Fountains of Wayne here.
So in conclusion... I love Hanson. Whether this qualifies as loving them again, still, or for the first time, I can't decide, but give them a chance, listen to Tinted Windows also, and then you can decide as well.

Rescue

So I had an incredible weekend that was a fusion of all things wonderful. There was an epic thunderstorm, a few adventures, some really good, really important discussions, and just a lot of good memories.

Unfortunately some of the memories are a little tainted. I spent Saturday evening, and overnight in Queen's Park with an amazing group of people as part of a rally for Invisible Children. In over 80 cities across the world people came together to wait for their rescuers to arrive. In Toronto we were rescued by Olivia Chow, and had shows of support from Jack Layton, Rick Mercer, and Rob Dyer as well... last I heard they were still waiting to be rescued in Chicago.

In much the same way there are children in Uganda who have been abducted by the Lords Resistance Army lead by Joseph Kony, he trains them to fight. The idea behind the Rescue was to motivate governments to do something, to go rescue these children who have been forced to grow up too quickly, and to commit attrocities that are alien to us in our safe protected culture.
Check out some websites, and write some letters.
Invisible Children

Pictured: Lynn, A Statue of a Man on a Horse, Rick Mercer's forehead

You found me, alive but unworthy, broken and empty, you don't care. Because you are my rapture, you are my saviour. When all my hope is gone I reach for you. You are my rescue.
Rescue - Seabird

Tests on my Heart

Last week I had a word stuck in my head and I couldn't remember what it meant. I could have solved that problem pretty easily by just grabbing my text book, or looking in my dictionary, but I didn't want to. Maybe I was lazy, or maybe I was just enjoying the sound removed from its meaning. Thlipsis. It's a greek word. I think it sounds fantastic.
Anyways, at this point I should apologize to Professor Thomson if he's reading this. I don't know why he would be, but I do feel bad for the next part.
I was sitting in my last New Testament class of the semester and I wasn't paying attention at all. It was mid afternoon, the sun was shining, I had just come from a meeting and I wasn't ready to focus. It didn't help that I didn't have my laptop to try and make notes either. Anyways, as I was sitting there, not paying attention, and reading a graphic novel I tuned in to his lecture just in time to hear him say, "The one word you will want to remember from this, is thlipsis"
It means tribulation.
trial: an annoying or frustrating or catastrophic event; "his mother-in-law's visits were a great trial for him"; "life is full of tribulations ...
I don't know the significance. I just think it's too coincidental for there to not be any more meaning to it.

I Don't Want To Change The World I Just Want To Change Your Mind

Or maybe I do want to change the world... okay maybe I definitely want to do that. Today was the Spring Arts Festival at Tyndale. I was thinking about my favourite art, the best photography I've seen, the best paintings I've had a chance to look at, and that sort of thing. I started talking to a friend about my favourite art and I thought it would be good to reflect on it here. In 2006 I had a chance to go to New York City with my dad and it was an incredible trip, and while we were there I fell in love with some paintings I saw on display. 30 paintings to be specific. It wasn't anything I saw at the MoMA, or any gallery in SoHo, it was at the United Nations.
A Brazilian artist named Octavio Roth created a piece for each of the 30 Articles outlined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and I can't help but think they are some of the most important pieces of art I have ever come in to contact with. They say something about how the world should be, and are presented with an almost hopeful simplicity.
In 2007 after spending a couple days trying to find decent sized copies of the images online I found them on the UN's website. I then noticed that I could request high resolution copies of any of the images they had online. They listed all the criteria for accepting requests and what the images could and couldn't be used for. I sent them an e-mail, they sent me 30 high resolution pictures.
This is the kind of art I want to decorate my home with one day.

how shall we then vote?

So last night I went to Missionfest and I got to see Tony Campolo speak. It was a great message, just like I expected it to be. At one point he talked about Matthew 4 and suggested that when Satan showed Jesus the kingdoms of the world it was all the kingdoms... past, present and future. So what are the implications of that? What if it's true? I don't see any support for that in the Bible, it doesn't lead me to believe that He saw anything more than the kingdoms around at the time. But what if He did? That would mean that he turned down political power across time. Maybe I'm blowing this idea out of proportion but to me that seems to imply that groups like the Religious Right would be acting against this narrative. Tony addressed this in the context of Jesus having all kinds of authority, and not desiring power, not even needing it. I can see that, I agree with that. So why do so many Christians seek power? I don't think Christians should be trying to turn the world in to a big Christian ball of politics and morality, they should keep being Christians, and try to live that out, but I don't think that means enforcing our beliefs on other people.
I know I'm on a touchy subject right now. I don't really want to get too deep in to it. There's a balance, I just don't know what it is. I think Christians should be involved in politics, to the same extent everyone else is. I think they should vote for the issues that are important to them, just like everyone else should. I think they should determine on their own what issues are important to them instead of being told what they are, just like everyone else. Politics is confusing enough on its own without bringing faith into it... but sometimes it's just that hard to separate them.

NAILED IT!

So I intended to blog yesterday, I really did, I was just a little busy. Last night was RA Appreciation Night here at Tyndale and I was trying to pull things together and give the right people the information they needed. Alex and I wrote a musical for our RA's Matt and Allan and it went fantastically. Not perfectly... but fantastically. It was so much fun to get up there and perform it. Perhaps pictures will be forthcoming, maybe a link to a video... I'm not sure. I didn't personally get to take any photos, so I can't put a time frame on when some will be available. Have a fantastic day and hopefully I'll have something more substantial up soon.

Blood & Wine

I was at the Good Fiday Youth Rally at Bayview Glen this weekend, and towards the end of it I found myself at the back of the church praying and talking to my friend Curtis. The reason Curtis and I were at the back is because communion was being served. He didn't know if it was alright to have it twice in a day, and I thought it was being presented as a tradition removed from it's significance. It's interesting how many different thoughts and perspectives there are on a simple partaking of bread and grape juice.
It's something I've thought about a lot recently. I think the bread and wine are important symbolically, though I don't think they are necessary to have "communion". I think the most important part is what's going on inside.
I took some time this week to study Salvation Army doctrine. They don't participate in communion because, among other reasons, they believe the inward reality is more important than the symbolic expression. I think that's why I walked away from the table on Friday. They seemed to ignore the inward.
I would rather take communion with Ms.Vickies and V8 and mean it, instead of bread and wine just because.
I did take communion that night. On my way to the back another Tyndalian asked if I would take communion with him, and that seemed right. Eating and drinking with someone else, talking, praying, reflecting on the cross, remembering the body, and remembering the blood.

Let The Journey Begin

I'm back blogging once again. This time it's a little different. This time I'm going more for a journal approach than a blog. I guess recently I've been thinking a lot about what it means to journal. This week there have been a few times where I have written things down to reflect on later, either on paper, or on my hand. I could copy these thoughts down in a book that no one will ever see, and part of me would prefer that, but as long as these thoughts are private they are incomplete. As long as it's only my voice it's a monologue and there is so much more opportunity for development in a dialogue. So if you're one of the two people who follow this blog, interact, write back, send an e-mail, whatever. And if I'm not blogging yell at me. Let the journey begin.

Great Are You

So this is it... my first rant in a while. I suppose I've ranted other times, but it's been a while since I blogged and, after a quick survey of some recent posts, no rants have been angry, or frustrated, or whatever I'm feeling right now.
So I went to soulhouse tonight. I don't know if that should be capitalized... I feel like it shouldn't be, and that's completely irrelevant. We worshiped, we sat and listened, and while everyone else worshiped again I drew all over my hand.
G-Ram talked about "I" in what I have dubbed, "The Philosophy/Theology of I". I was most interested at the point when he began to talk about totalitarianism, and the idea of people being told to think the same for the benefit of the state. As he began to talk about how we're made to be individuals, and think differently, I had a thought. Individuality frees us from doctrine. We're not meant to think the same, we're not meant to be clones. Why do we provide "freedom" to those who are oppressed by the totalitarian mindset, but give in to the doctrine that has been elevated by the religious right? It was a rather liberating thought for me, I'm not going to lie. Then he talked about the new giving project...
Bring things in for the Pregnancy Centre. Blah Blah Blah, abortion smells, blah blah, yay babies, let's support these people for having children instead of aborting them. I don't remember what he said exactly. I agree with some of the basics. The words he used... his tone... it rubbed me the wrong way. So I started writing on my hand.
LOVE! ADOPT! CHILD CARE! WHY DO WE DISTANCE OURSELVES?
What is pro life? Whose life do we value? Pregnancy isn't just one new life! It is also a series of lives transformed. Do I love too much to be "pro-life" or do people not understand what life is?
WE DO NOT HOLD THE WHOLE PICTURE.

That capitalized are written on my fingers right now. The rest is written on my palm. I don't pretend to be someone who is fantastic at loving, when I wrote that comment about loving too much it wasn't intended to be self promotion, but an expression of sadness at how I feel the way many people handle abortion lacks love. The last thought is a response to the song that was playing as I wrapped up writing on my hand... Great Are You, by downhere.

"Because I'll never hold the picture of the whole horizon in my view
Because I'll never break the night in two it makes me wonder
Who am I?
Who am I?
Who am I and great are You"

There is such a big picture when it comes to issues like abortion that we rarely stop to consider. We look at it as if it's black and white, but the beauty is in the colour. I am not going to advocate abortion. I think it's sad. I also think that the situations that lead to unplanned pregnancies are sad. I also think that as much as it may upset some, it probably upsets the poor girl/woman who goes through the procedure more. I will not love anyone less for having an abortion. I would think that's when people would need love more. Are we going to stand outside abortion clinics? Or are we going to be inside holding peoples hands, and praying with them, for healing. I don't know. I have no clue. I have never been solid on this issue... it requires so much sensitivity.

I think Shane Claiborne sums it up nicely;
"I must say I am still passionately pro-life. I just have a much more holistic sense of what it means to be for life, knowing that life does not just begin at conception and end at birth, and that if I am going to discourage abortion, I had better be ready to adopt some babies and care for some mothers."

The Stand

That was cool. I don't know what made it more beautiful, the emotion, or the unexpectedness. I was helping out with the choir tonight, and Dawn was forcing me to sing. Normally I'm there for crowd control and that's about it, but she really doesn't know Seasons of Love yet. We just finished, we had prayed, and we were about to go when Shannon suddenly declares that she feels we need to pray for Leticia for some reason. We brought her in to the room, and Dawn asked if we could pray for her. She started crying. Shannon prayed first, and was also crying by the end of it. I wouldn't say Shannon and Leticia are friends, I wouldn't say they are enemies either. They certainly don't spend much time together from what I've seen. It was beautiful. The discernment, and care that I saw tonight... that was cool.

Searchlights (Indoor Soccer)

I like Toronto, I'm not going to lie. I do, I like it here. I like some other places a little more, like New York, or a lot of places that are tropical, but I like Toronto. Over the years I've been in and around the city I've figured out how to get around, and I've found some rather cool places, there are more I'm sure, but I've found some good ones.
I also really like the people here. A lot of people are plastic, fresh out of the mold. However for every hundred or so of them, there's someone who just sticks out in such a refreshing way. I saw someone like that yesterday, and then met another.
The first was a street musician at Finch Station. I didn't get to experience his personality, but he was unique in so many different ways. First of all he appeared to be playing something that I can only guess was a lute. It wasn't a guitar, but I can't say for certain what it was. The fact that he was a small person is more of an afterthought. I would have taken a picture if it wouldn't have been so outrageously rude.
Then I hung out with Steph Kreick for a while, and after I said goodbye I went to the subway and, though my reasoning for it escapes me now, I lay down on a bench while I waited for a train. That's when I made a new friend. I don't know his name, but we talked about music from the platform of Bayview station until I got off at Bloor. He told me about his style, and artists like Hector Fonseca. We talked about ballad's and gospel, and becoming tired with the same old sound. I told him about the Swell Season, and how over the years Relient K has grown as a band over the years. He asked me about where to find good unique music and I don't remember what I told him, all in all it was a fun conversation. You don't worry about offending someones taste when you don't know them. You speak your mind. It's great.

Looking Alive

Do you ever see someone who just makes you smile? You don't even know them but you look at them and smile. Not the kind of smile you get when you see someone who looks like Jude Law or Kate Winslet, but one that comes out of an appreciation for that persons actions. I saw such a person today. She clapped on one and three, and danced to the music, and has likely been asleep for a couple hours already. I think that one sign of a good church is a cross section of ages, and appreciation of, what might be considered, more youthful worship, by people long since considered youthful. This woman was late 80's at her youngest and she was in to it. She didn't always clap on 1 and 3 though, just for a few songs. I would say this lady is one of a kind, but I know this to be false.
There is a woman in North Carolina who goes to a church that made me consider moving to the tiny mountain town of Bryson City. She was on the worship team of the grove church... and wow, she played a mean piano. She kept pace with the rest of the significantly more youthful worship team who played songs by Chris Tomlin, and Hillsongs, and other lively modern worship artists. We met this woman shortly before her 93rd birthday. As I said earlier, to me this is a sign of quality churches. Maybe it's just a coincidence, but these are the only times I've encountered such people, and the only churches I could consider to be my home. I hope that I can be that cool when I'm that old.

I Mostly Copy Other People

So here I am, posting for the second time in a week. I know, it's shocking, I know you don't believe it, but it's true. Why am I posting? Because I wanted to share something I guess, and it might just turn in to a rant, but we'll see. I'm just writing at this point. Last night I was coming home from dinner with the other intern and some interns from years past and I was silently complaining about the irregularity of street cars on Dundas. As I neared Spadina I was shocked not only by the sight of restaurants I discovered the excessively late hours of, but by a man on a bicycle. I've thought about him a few times today. Another guy on a bicycle in Toronto, one in a million, one more person on my walk home, one person I'll remember for a while, because he rode a bicycle even though he only had one leg. I didn't watch too closely, because I didn't want to be rude, and stare. I watched enough though. He would push off, and start to pedal, and then he would catch the pedal with his foot and try to pull it back up, and it didn't look like it was working out too well for him. Would he have been better off with crutches? Was it pride that lead him to choose a more common, yet personally ineffective mode of transportation?
I feel like this man deserves my pity, and at the same time I feel like he wouldn't accept it even if it was offered. I wonder if he's the type of person I could sit down and have a conversation with, or if he's just another face without a name. Another character that makes this city so unique.

The Unwinding Cable Car

My personal goal for this blog entry... I don't know. It's been a while since I've written anything here and I'm feeling reflective. Hence the picture. I took this picture during a fantastic thunderstorm that I was a part of from the beginning to about the middle as I stood outside my place with an umbrella. I guess my news goes like this. I'm working, oh am I ever working. The best part is that it's some of the best "work" I've ever done. To give you an idea of what I'm talking about I'll quickly run over my schedule.

Monday - Malvern
Every other week is either a Bible Study or a time of fellowship
Every week from 2:00 - 7:30 I help out with a choir (that might be going on tour in Barbados more
information to follow) Tuesday - Bridletown Every other week or so is a staff meeting in the morning
Every week I meet with my internship director to discuss life, and work and all that good stuff
Every week from 2:00 - 5:30ish I help set up for and run a kids club

Wednesday - Willowtree
Every week I either study urban missions or different aspects of spiritual disciplines
Every week from 4:00 - 6:00 I tutor
7:00 -10:00 I help out with a junior high youth group

Thursday - St.Jamestown
Every week I have built in time to reflect, or meet with people and talk about what I'm doing
Every week from 2:30 - 5:30 I help run a kids club
6:00 - 8:00 I help run a junior high program

And that's what I do with my internship. As you might have noticed, beside the day I have written a name. Those are the communities I work in on those particular days. If you were to look at those sites on a map of Toronto you would see that I make a loop downtown from Scarborough over the course of the week. You'll also notice that I only covered up to Thursday.

Starting on November the 2nd I am going to be running a youth ministry as the Youth Director for Rock and River Congregation in Mississauga. Every other Friday will be youth group, as either a Bible study, or a fun event, as well as a drop in time in the afternoons. The drop in space is primarily for youth in the community to have a place where they can hang out, play some foosball, maybe some video games, listen to music, talk to someone, and just experience a safe atmosphere. The goal is to also open up on Saturday's once we get a team set up to be available to hang out with and talk to.

This is an extremely exciting opportunity for me, and it's also going to be a huge challenge.

Other things I look forward to in November include the release of Southland Tales, and August Rush, and Anberlin and Mae's tour date at the Kool Haus. I also look forward to being a better blogger... but there's no guarantee on that front.

Here It Goes Again

So here I go, trying to get back in the swing of things. I think this time it will stick. I hope it will. I guess I could call this my intern blog, but I'm going to talk about more than the internship. I'm going to talk about things I see. I'm going to talk about culture. I'm going to talk about people. I'm going to talk about photographs. I'm going to talk about life.

To some of you when I say internship you say, "Wha?" So I guess I'll explain what I'm talking about. This year I am interning with the Toronto City Mission. I love the organization, I love the people in the organization, and I love what they do and what they stand for. This organization is about making a difference, a tangible difference in peoples lives. TCM work in 4 communities around Toronto, and they all have one thing in common. People who are hurting. People who are in need. All the communities are comprised of people with low incomes, on welfare, or newly moved to Canada. We get to know these people, we talk with these people, we share life with these people, and we give them options. We run programs to suit our skills and the communities needs. A slogan that I've seen that I really like and believe in is, "Helping to end the cycle of poverty," I start tomorrow.

Today I have something else to talk about. Freedomize. I went today, to this church that I've heard about a few times, it's called Freedomize and usually they meet in St.Andrew's Church beside Roy Thompson Hall, today they met in the chapel at Knox College on the U of T campus. They kicked things off today with a hip hop artist by the name of The Runaway, then there was some really cool worship that was a mix of new and original stuff, and hymns, that was followed by a gospel choir from the First Baptist Church.

There was such an interesting blend of culture there, 20-30 somethings, meeting for church, in a very traditional space, in a less than traditional way... It was cool, and it was real. The message today was about guarding your heart (Proverbs 4:23) and the pastor talked about at least two specific areas we need to guard our hearts against; Self idolatry, and keeping score. There could easily have been more points, but something happened in my mind and i started thinking about other things, important things linked to what he was talking about... but other things all the same. I started thinking about this thing called Pass a Penny, a kind of initiative that a friend of mine and I started up. I started thinking about why, and what, and all those other important things. That's not what this post is about though. If you're interested in Pass a Penny you can check us out on Facebook. Thanks for reading the first post in what will hopefully become The Daily Joel once again.

A Week In The Life

It is June 1st. It is 24-28 degrees outside, and there's a severe thunderstorm warning in effect. It is a beautiful day. I just finished working with a group from a catholic school near Newmarket, and it's fun to have a break. It was a great group though, they enjoyed practically every activity and were a lot of fun to interact with. We went on a canoeing adventure and even had a blast kayaking. The participation level is probably one of the best I've had with a group, especially of grade 7's. Aside from the ridiculous amount of bug bites that I am covered in, the week went really well. I haven't taken any pictures this week, which has me feeling a little lazy. I really miss a lot of people out there. There are 19 days left in LDP and then I have summer camp, so it looks like it's going to be a while before I get to spend some quality time with some people. My plans for next year are coming along nicely, but I refuse to announce anything until it's been finalized. Needless to say, I'm excited about the possibilities. The word for this week is anticipation. The picture for this week, is about anticipation. I'm looking forward to the summer, I'm looking forward to the fall, I'm looking forward to catching up with people, I'm looking forward to life. Right now I'm especially looking forward to a thunderstorm.

This Is Your Life... Are You Who You're Born To Be?

Called by Kary Oberbrunner just might be the kick in the pants that complacent Christians need. A strong statement, I know, but as rebellious as it sounds, it's what I've been waiting for, and I'm sure I'm not alone. Oberbrunner gets things started on an intimate level sharing a coffee shop conversation that resulted in a shift in thinking, and could change you life. As he explores what it means to really live the lives that Christ called us to he speaks with honesty, admitting his own imperfection and humanity, and discussing common misconceptions held not only by people looking in on the church, but by those sitting in the pews as well. Most refreshingly, it's all backed up by the one book that doesn't need a review. Oberbrunner not only references his points with the scripture they're drawn from, but he makes sure that his audience isn't limited by lack of knowledge, a much appreciated gesture. This book challenges it's audience to reevaluate what their life is, what their faith is, and how they've combined the two.