10

Ten years today.

We invited,

People came. We wed,

We ate, actually Tara and I never tasted that cake but that's another story...

We then left on a ferry

Got to drive the boat!

Had a few wonderful days on a honeymoon,

And the 3653 days since have been good. Some great times, some hard times, some funny, some sad, but always have I been happy that we're together.

Ten years is a long time in some ways, but in others, it seems like we're just beginning.

I love you Tara.

For those who might care 10 years is:

From and including: Saturday, July 31, 1999

To, but not including : Friday, July 31, 2009

It is 3653 days from the start date to the end date, but not including the end date

Or 10 years excluding the end date

Alternative time units

3653 days can be converted to one of these units:

• 315,619,200 seconds
• 5,260,320 minutes
• 87,672 hours
• 521 weeks (rounded down)

Sunday

So I sit here on the couch at the end of a Sunday. It feels like it has been a long day. Spent the morning going over my notes for this evening's service, and pouring over the computer trying to get more information on the forest fires in the Kelowna area (Tara's Aunt, Uncle and some other family live in the area). Then I tried to clean our van out some, which took a little more time then expected.

Went at four to help with the setup for our service. You know I love our church, it was good to see them. Good in the same way as a favorite comfort food is good when you're really hungry. Fills you up. Does that make sense?

We have been holding our services outside this summer, it's been really nice. Tonight I enjoyed it greatly, although preaching into the sun can be challenging. Couple of things happened today that I wanted to share.

The usual practice for Sunday afternoons goes something like this, those helping set up meet at 4 and we set up all the gear, when all that is setup and the whole music team has arrived then we take time to pray and then there is some rehearsal and at 6 we start our service. That is, more or less what we do.

Today however I somehow got all mixed up and wh

ile the music team was rehearsing I had it in my head that we had begun the service. Now I don't wear a watch, I often use my camera to tell time (although I have to take a picture first!). There was fourteen people assembled already and I thought that was the group we were going to have.

Interesting little dialogue went on in my head at that point, me and God talking some things through. I was clearly reminded that it's not my church. It's his, and he's called me to serve, to care for those that are there. Then, someone told me the time, still 40 minutes until the service is due to start. Okay, point taken, lesson learned.

Then after the service I realized that one family arrived to church in their sailboat. They had been out on the water all day and decided to take the boat up river and sail to church. That was a first for me. I had never before seen anyone come to church in a sailboat/yacht. How cool is that?!

And, tonight we've started to make some contact with our family in the Kelowna area, so far it appears that Tara's Aunt and Uncle's home is still intact. That seems like a miracle to me, but what do I know?

All I know is that hearing voices on the phone is a good thing. Hearing a voice is better than just receiving word. So that is today.

Scott Kelby Photowalk and some unrelated concerns)

Here are some of the photos from my involvement in the 2nd Annual Scott Kelby Worldwide Photowalk. I had hoped to work on these a little more but have been unable to. In time I will add more pictures and perhaps rework these ones.

The reason I haven't been able to do much is that my wife's Aund and Uncle have been evacuated from their home in West Bank, British Columbia. West Bank and the western part of Kelowna are in flames from a 200+ hectare forest fire that started yesterday. The fire is (as of right now) still uncontained and authorities are evacuating more and more people. There are even rumblings that this fire might be bigger than the fire in 2003.

There are some pictures on one of the Kelowna news websites of them evacuating Les & Shirley here. They are featured in the second and third photos. If you're the praying type, please do so.

This post is duplicated on my other blog

today was a relaxing day

We went to the beach today. A great day. Some pictures are here.

Friday

It's Friday and Sunday's coming. I have been thinking about Sunday all week, and was thinking about it all last week too. Randall was talking about this Sunday on his blog today and it prompted me a little to blog about what's in my head.

I don't know if other pastors are like me, but it seems that summers mess with my head. People are coming and going, vacationing and travelling, busy and resting and it seems that services take a hit in attendance.

It can be hard to tell if people are slipping through the cracks, feeling disconnected from the church or if they are simply running around. Are people really busy, or are they taking a break from things to see how they feel. Are they doing it deliberately or does it just happen unconsciously? Those are the questions that sometimes run through my head. So I pray. So I lift up our people to God and hope that he prompts me to connect with those that need it and that others will connect with each other too.

Just because you can go to the beach, doesn't mean you no longer need community, and encouragement. So this Sunday, I think we're going to look at a Psalm and consider prayer some. We'll be meeting in the Cooper park, if you're around at 6:00pm stop by.

keep

Keep it honest.

Keep it simple.

Keep it up.

Words that encouraged me today. How many different areas of life would be better if we learned this?

self

Ever had a week where you found that your objections to things, are totally dumb. The things you find yourself objecting to could be regular chores, social gatherings, or just simple requests that people ask of you, things that are no big deal. Yet, there is a stubbornness inside that just doesn't seem to dissolve. That ever happen to you? Ya me too.

What do you do? I start praying. I know that sounds like a very pastoral kind of answer. But that's what I am, that and I find that God is the only one who I can verbalize all my stupid rationalizations, he listens and after verbalizing them to him I realize how dumb I'm being.

I start to sense some the things that are good in my life; certainly there are things I need to work on, but I am loved, by a few people and by God.

Now what remains is to keep moving forward, even though you feel like the world has chewed on you a bit.

(For what it's worth this photo very narrowly won a simple Facebook photo contest)