Unedited Ravings 3.0

The Arc of Storytelling by Bobette Buster

2011-12-30T13:48:00.001-06:00

40 Year Old 3D Computer Graphics (Pixar, 1972) on Vimeo

2011-12-28T13:59:00.001-06:00

I had no idea they were doing this as early as '72. Very cool to see the first steps in CGI. A long way from Avatar and X-box.

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This is my ex...@twitter

2011-12-10T22:16:00.001-06:00

My love affair with Twitter is officially over. Even if it came groveling back on it's 140 character hands and knees, I'd be forced to shun it's superficial ovations to woo me back into it's faithless arms.

Why the distain, you ask? Well...

Once upon a time, I was known to many twitterites as @nathanpederson, which is conveniently my real name, as anyone reading this blog already knows. For reasons I still cannot explain I was altogether forgotten and forsaken by Twitter. I could not log in to my account.

"Okay," you say, "just request a password reset an check your email... all will soon be set right."

Wrong.

I never got that email. The reason? Suddenly the email that had always been associated with my account no longer was. Even though I still have evidence to the contrary; emails from Twitter to this email account. Did I mention that it's my primary email account?

Unbelievable? It gets better.

Twitter for Mac is a great app that I've long since settled into using over all the other choices out there. And it's a good thing, too. Because this is the only app that... get ready for it...

Is STILL linked to my @nathanpederson account. Meaning I can still post from that account, read @replies and direct messages, etc.

So what's the big deal? Big deal is this is my only and final connection to this account and the best proof I have that it was ever mine. The best... But not the only.

You see... When I check in with Foursquare, it posts to this @nathanpederson account... which in turn is linked to my facebook account; ironically, also dubbed Nathan Pederson.

So I have email proof, active links both to and from the account, but because I cannot identify an email account, whatever mystery email account they have on file, as being associated with @nathanpederson, and it's against Twitter policy to assist me.

They cannot and will not reveal the email associated with my account. But they happily send reset links to said email to said account if I request them.

So, if there are any relational therapists out there with minors in business law and computer science, please... Help me regain my identity.

2011-11-19T00:58:00.001-06:00

I'll be posting here again. Stay tuned for more from the land of ice and snow; from the lofty peak of this Pleasant Hill; from the teeming depths of my imagination. You've been warned.

The aftermath of the Oakland Police's continued assault ... on Twitpic

2011-10-26T01:47:00.001-06:00

via twitpic.com

Rubber bullets and tear gas against peaceful protesters in Oakland. Not hoodlums as we'd be lead to believe; seniors, children and the disabled minged through those gathered.

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Becky Garrison – Mystics, Satirists and the Church

2011-10-23T17:16:00.001-06:00

via theooze.tv

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Angry Birds Recovery Group

2011-09-25T16:27:00.001-06:00

Angry Birds Anonymous

AwkwardSpaceship's Channel - YouTube

2011-09-25T16:20:00.001-06:00

What if computer problems were real.

Star Wars SURFING TROOPER - Photo Journey Across the Globe - News - GeekTyrant

2011-09-04T17:47:00.001-06:00

via geektyrant.com

Way too funny. From a galaxy not so far away. Star Wars geeks enjoy.

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cartoon: a united vision | nakedpastor

2011-09-02T21:19:00.001-06:00

via nakedpastor.com

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Following Paul

2011-08-17T23:37:00.002-06:00

Good Christians prefer Paul.

I recall friends voicing their opinion that, although Christianity is centered around the person Jesus, his life and his teachings, it was actually Paul who founded Christianity as we know it. And you know... I don't think they're so far off the mark.

The Christianity we have today, especially the North American flavour, is only a couple hundred or so years young and in that short time has largely fallen out of step with the Way of Jesus, opting for instead an amplified version of Paul's various teachings to the fledgling followers of the Way in the first century.

I don't think that his intention when he wrote letters to these early disciples from his prison cell was that they should dissect and analyze each phrase systemically to plum the depths for nuanced meaning. I'm pretty sure he longed for their hearts to catch what he was saying and run with it.

Anyway... I don't have an issue with Paul so much as with what we've done collectively with his letters to the early churches; and how somehow we're now deceived into being hearers and not doers.

And... I can't keep my eyes open.
Other upcoming thoughts: "What's up with heaven?", and "Pray this way to get saved."

The Poached Egg Apologetics - Bono Interview: Grace Over Karma

2011-08-16T23:07:00.001-06:00

I really believe we've moved out of the realm of Karma into one of Grace.

via thepoachedegg.net

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diverged

2011-08-16T02:35:00.001-06:00

Stand at the crossroads and look. Ask for the ancient paths. Ask where the good way is... and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.

But you said, "We will not walk in it." Jeremiah 6:16

(p.s. that's in the Bible)

I've come to a crossroads; one that I'd never have imagined I'd be standing at. I've wavered back and forth knowing the whole time which way I was going to take yet pushing the choice back because I hate the thought of the consequences and the potential, perhaps inevitable wrangling it's bound to stir up among friends and family and acquaintances.

So here it is. I'm pulling back; I'm stepping away from Christianity... but not in the way you might think. I've come to the conclusion that, for the most part, Christianity is standing in the way of following Jesus. It's taking up all the space, and wants the best seat. Also, it's adversarial and inaccessible to the world. And so I'm choosing one over the other.

For you theologically ambitious sorts... ask away with your questions. I can't promise I'll have satisfactory answers, but I will respond to you. I have very distinct and growing differences in my thoughts and views from that of what is, I suppose, the common Christian faith and they've been growing for years, though are only recently beginning to take shape.

Anyway... If anyone's still reading this blog (especially after today) I'd love to dialogue with you.

my rambling thoughts on faith from another discussion...

2011-08-14T23:08:00.000-06:00

Over the expansive time frame in which the Bible was written and subsequently compiled into it's current varied forms: slavery was acceptable; women were deemed, if not inferior, then at least second-class; war was glorious; everyone who was not with you was against you.

One of the things that intriges me about the Bible is that it doesn't pick favourites. By that I mean it shows the many sides of the characters in it's pages; the successes and failures and human weaknesses; their stuggles and longings, their selfishness and faith and doubt.

History, it's said, is written by the winners... but the Bible is full of failed attempts at faith and obedience. If anything it stands before us as a mirror; confronting us with our nature and ego and the consequences of our self-centred actions. If the winners wrote the Bible, they sure didn't paint themselves in a very good light.

One other thing. If it's true that we humans are made in God's image or likeness, divinely inspired... how is it that God, who's defined as BEING love can't seem to get past spanking his kids. I mean, I'm not the greatest dad in the world, but I do know that punishment is not the same as consequence... that punishment is not justice served... that lessons are learned through love and mercy and supportive encouragement and not a stick across the backside. I certainly wouldn't kill them to make a point. Worse yet, punish the siblings for the offence of another. Ludicrous.

So does this make me more God-like to be compassionate and loving and merciful; to want to spare my children harm and suffering? Or am I more human? This raises another question.

Does God learn as he goes? Is God in the journey along with us? Some would say so. Punted from Eden, wrath poured out via flood, plagues, genocides... enacted and commanded... A change of tactic with the Jesus maneuver?

I'm more of the opinion that as one of the "wise" Bible writers said, "Prophecy is subject to the prophet." Meaning, there's a lot of editorial license taken in the recording of scripture. Biases are not easily shaken, nor are one's dreams or personal ambitions.

Vespoe | love making things

2011-08-12T19:31:00.001-06:00

via vespoe.com

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Practicing the Way of Jesus

2011-07-11T21:24:00.000-06:00

Mark Scandrette, author of Practicing the Way of Jesus from InterVarsity Press on Vimeo.

Badass Custom Made TOY STORY Action Figures - Buzz Lightyear & Woody - News - GeekTyrant

2011-07-05T21:45:00.001-06:00

via geektyrant.com

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Nightmarish Versions of the Super Mario Bros. Villains - News - GeekTyrant

2011-07-05T21:44:00.001-06:00

via geektyrant.com

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Power Pole Art

2011-06-27T23:47:00.001-06:00

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Cohn's 1 year old today!

2011-06-24T20:17:00.001-06:00

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Father's Day Local

2011-06-24T04:53:00.001-06:00

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Diskyples

2011-06-23T17:36:00.001-06:00

via youtube.com

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"willful blindness" MPs slam Tories for blocking asbestos listing

2011-06-23T17:28:00.001-06:00

"Asbestos is the greatest industrial killer the world has ever known. More people die from asbestos than all industrial causes combined, yet Canada continues to be one of the largest producers and exporters in the world. We are exporting human misery on a monumental scale," said NDP MP Pat Martin. "Our position is morally and ethically reprehensible."

Liberal MP Marc Garneau says despite Industry Minister Christian Paradis' insistence that asbestos can be used safely, he should know that's not the case in developing countries.

"This minister knows full well that it's very difficult to use chrysotile in the proper working conditions. The procedures, the training, the complex equipment to use it in a safe way so that fibres aren't accidentally breathed in," Garneau said.

"He cannot assure us that this is not being used improperly in countries that import it, Third World countries ... This is willful blindness."

via cbc.ca

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N0W - TH3 V10LET BURN1NG - the violet burning

2011-06-03T17:53:00.001-06:00

via thevioletburning.com

the violet burning from the violet burning on Vimeo.

My copy of The Violet Burning's new offering arrived just shy of a potential Canada Post strike, so Yay for me. [JOY]

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- News/Comment - This Is What Actual Democracy Looks Like

2011-06-03T17:44:00.001-06:00

via matthewgood.org

Matt Good sums up my thoughts on the matter.

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Get Over It

2011-05-02T00:42:00.001-06:00

via iamfromthepast.tumblr.com

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The Civil Wars

2011-05-01T17:34:00.001-06:00

via johnpaulwhite.com

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Vote on May 2

2011-04-28T21:57:00.000-06:00

Seriously, though... Whatever your political persuasions may be, get yourself educated on the issues that really matter and then get your well informed butt out there and make a well informed decision. Vote on May 2.

between

2011-04-23T13:36:00.000-06:00

It is the liminal space... the in-between. What was is gone and is to be has not yet materialized. Hope has faded. Left is a place of longing, angst, and the recognition that what was assumed factual was in fact misread, misunderstood, and misinterpreted. It is the day when mustered strength is seen for what it really is... trembling weakness. Even those few who've not fled into the shadows are undone; crushed by disbelief that the world they'd hoped in has just died before their eyes. Nothing remains but to comfort each other in silence as dreams are laid to rest.

Genus Aves Iratus: Angry Bird Ornithology

2011-04-08T19:34:00.002-06:00

via gameranx.com

I'd watch an Angry Birds movie if it looked like this. These are great illustrations.

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Gimme That Ol’ Time Religion | Steve Bell | Singer, Songwriter, Storyteller

2011-04-05T11:25:00.001-06:00

If a man walked onto the field during the Super Bowl and began to wreak havoc with a baseball bat, I would be surprised if there would be a public outcry about the evils of football. Reasonable folk would simply conclude that that wasn’t football.

So when I’m asked to publicly comment on the Christian religion’s propensity to promote hatred and violence, my response is simply, that’s not Christianity.

People are fond of listing a litany of malicious misdemeanors as proof of Christianity’s (religion’s) destructive core. I’m always a little awestruck by this insatiable appetite for low-hanging fruit. And I acknowledge and repent of my own.

In the case of the recent Koran burning by Florida’s Rev. Terry Jones and the murderous response his mind-numbing irresponsibility triggered, there are just a couple of things I’d like to say:

1. In my own city of Winnipeg alone, there are several hundred churches that have not, have no plans to, and wouldn’t if they could get away with it, burn the Koran. Indeed, in my 20 years and 1500 concerts in Churches across the world I have never knowingly met any person or congregation disposed to such a reprehensible deed. I know they exist, I’m just pointing to their rarity.

a
2. In Winnipeg there are also several Mosques. As far as I know, not one has advocated for a violent response to Mr. Jones’ actions. This doesn’t surprise me. In my travels around the world I have met and worked with many Muslims. All have been lovely folk with gentle souls. I’m just sayin…
a

The word “religion” derives from the Latin religare from which we get the word ligament suggesting that true religion is that which connects and binds together, not that which dissects and alienates.* In the case of Christian specific religion, it is the Bible (Old Testament, no less) that suggests that true religion is this: to tend to the orphan and the widow – the marginalized (the de-ligamented.) The New Testament suggests that God “knows” those whose devotion to God is evidenced by their self-giving kindheartedness. Conversely, those whose lives are marked by self-securing callousness, God simply… doesn’t know. Indeed, the witness of Jesus in the face of “religious” intolerance and imperial aggression was to absorb the toxicity in his person (the buck stops here) allowing for the possibility of a new way of life made possible through the mechanism of humble self-donation born of an unwavering faith in the counter-intuitive power of love.

It is my opinion that Mr. Jones and those who have responded to him murderously need not shed religion; rather, they need to get some.

Below is a song from my recent album Kin.dness. The song is in no way meant to be uncharitable to those committed to scientific progress, or dismissive of legitimate boundaries (be they ethnic, political, religious, gender, emotional etc.) My point is this, that bereft of re-ligamenting love, it’s hard to imagine any human endeavor coming to a good end.

* Thanks to Brian McLaren for drawing my attention to the etymology of the word religion

Click song title to listen…

ABOUT LOVE | Steve Bell/Diana Pops/Mike Janzen

It’s not about science
or benefits the dead contest
but there’s some strange reliance yet
on particles to fix the mess.

Who knows if this thing we call life
Looks fine in another one’s eyes
Or bellies-up with the goods everyone can approve of

One thing that I’ve learned in my time
You can’t win if you have to draw lines
When it comes to the struggle to show and to prove love

Oh… It’s always been about love!

It’s not about borders
Borders have their place no doubt
But who gave the orders
To abandon hope for common ground

Who knows…

a

ABOUT LOVE is available on Steve’s 2011 release KINDNESS. To view CD, listen to audio samples or purchase, click HERE…

To visit a website dedicated to Steve’s 16th career release KINDNESS click HERE…

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 5th, 2011 at 7:59 am and is filed under Homepage, Musings. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

via stevebell.com

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Cockburn

2011-04-04T17:45:00.001-06:00

See the full gallery on Posterous

Last night Krista and I took in the fantastic sounds of Bruce Cockburn, Jenny Scheinman, and percussionist Gary Craig. I'm always blown away by two and three piece ensembles that can fill a room with music.

Along with us was Cohn, who, despite having to be escorted out for an unfortunate diapering incident was captivated by the sights and sounds of the performance and managed to keep his usual enthusiastic vocalizations to himself.

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Close match

2011-04-02T11:36:00.001-06:00

Ian's direct elimination bout was awesome enough to get me off my chair to vet a closer look. Sure made the other guy have to work for the win. Way to go, Ian!

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Mike Janzen Trio

2011-03-26T23:16:00.001-06:00

via youtube.com

We just saw Mike perform with Steve Bell. Both Kris and I have crossed paths with him in our Manitoba pasts lives. An amazing musician and human.

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Muppets alignment chart - Holy Kaw!

2011-03-10T13:50:00.002-06:00

Download full size (398 KB)
Via MightyGodKing. H/T @brazentone
Fuzzy skin, googlie-eyes and Muppets. Or role playing games.

via holykaw.alltop.com

Wow... does this ever explain a lot.

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Tony Porter: A call to men

2011-02-27T17:05:00.001-06:00

via ted.com

A shout out to my uncle Alfred who pointed to this via facebook.

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STAR TREK Bathrobes! - News - GeekTyrant

2011-02-24T14:45:00.001-06:00

via geektyrant.com

Boldly going where no man has lounged before.

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The truth about shower faucets - Holy Kaw

2011-02-21T22:59:00.001-06:00

via holykaw.alltop.com

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Yellow belt

2011-02-06T11:32:00.001-06:00

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Magic eyes

2011-02-04T09:28:00.001-06:00

Ian and I playing with the reflection of the fluorescent kitchen light.

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the way of things

2011-02-02T21:38:00.004-06:00

I don't make new years resolutions because I know that I won't keep them. The bar gets set too high; I cheat a little too much... and then wind up flogging myself as penance. The one thing that I'd like to do this year is reestablish this blog. 'Bout time it comes out of it's comatose state to echo the goings on of self and family.

Had a good chuckle with mom about her blog. Her last post was in January 2010 about blogging more. (heh) It would seem I come by it honestly.

Been a tumultuous year; both good and bad. Family is good. Cohn has brought us immeasurable joy. Work on the other hand licks. Short version is we went from two shifts down to one and my job dissolved. Still have a job, but with lower pay and no shift premium. About $3.65/hr less. Things are picking up, however, and we are now working 10 hour shifts. Four days a week... rotating day off. Not bad, except it starts at 5:30AM.

We've been attending a church on and off... enough that we're missed when we're not there. I'm finding that I'm still not comfortable attending anywhere, though I really miss the hanging out with people part of church. You may be asking what a church that I'd be comfortable attending would look like...? Me too. Maybe I'll wade into that pool in another post.

Speaking of posts: I have a few lined up. I'm going to be doing a book review in the near future which I'll put up here. Also, I'll link to a roughed out song I wrote for one of the worshiptraining.com courses I've been taking. On hiatus at the moment, but will be back at it 'round April.

So that leaves me with three up and coming topics to springboard off of; and hopefully the blog bugs poison will have taken hold by then 'cause I quite enjoy it.

Flow with it until then.

Schlopp, Schlopp, beautiful Schlopp - Preposterous

2010-11-21T13:52:00.001-06:00

via nathanpederson.posterous.com

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Opera Company of Philadelphia "Hallelujah!" Random Act of Culture

2010-11-15T19:09:00.001-06:00

via youtube.com

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Arizona water warning makes you wonder - Holy Kaw!

2010-11-15T19:03:00.001-06:00

via holykaw.alltop.com

The comments posted to the original article at Gawker are hilarious.

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Aesthetics vs anaesthetics | soundings

2010-11-12T14:32:00.001-06:00

Aesthetics vs anaesthetics… that which sensitizes vs that which numbs.

Contemporary society has shaped us into people who live life on the surface. Our deepest and truest feelings are for the most part hidden away or covered beneath a facade we present to those around us. Particularly tucked away are negative, painful, or fearful things.

We actively and regularly strive to numb our senses and avoid feeling these things deeply… but in so doing we become desensitized to other things. In our fumbling attempt to escape pain we become disconnected from things of beauty and joy as well.

Real feelings are powerful… too powerful to reign in completely. So out of fear of loosing control we default to medicating in an attempt to manage our feelings. The resulting flip side to this is that people want to feel good. It’s as if having first taken a drug to numb the pain we then seek out another in order to get a buzz.

Someone once asked that I sing songs that were more up… you know, more celebratory. The issue for me then as now was that being truthful and having integrity has always taken priority. I didn’t wanna be the one handing out people’s Sunday morning “fix” like some back alley dealer pushing a plastic pseudo-Jesus.

Reflecting to God all of who we are in spite of who we are, where we’ve been, what we’ve done, and what’s been done to us is critical… an honest expression. The deep that calls out to deep like the roaring of a waterfall.

The art and music we create needs to be from a deep place that draws people out… that sensitizes enough that they come to realize it’s safe to feel deeply. We as leaders need to allow the Spirit reveal this to us too. We can’t lead were we haven’t journeyed.

via members.worshiptraining.com

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posterous + iPhone = joy unspeakable

2010-10-21T23:10:00.001-06:00

Together at last. I for one am glad that it's finally happened... but why did it have to take so long. Anyways, thank-you for at last bringing a posterous app to my happy little 3G iPhone. Gonna love the additional freedom and make good use of it.

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the times and places

2010-10-21T20:22:00.005-06:00

As a child I was surrounded with music. There were seasons where it was predominantly my grandpa’s old-school country and western albums played on one of those stereos that filled the living-room. The kind that looked like they should have had four bar stools bolted to the floor in front of it. But for the majority of my childhood I was surrounded by church music of one flavour or another. I absorbed everything from The Gaithers and Dion to Christ for the Nations (are they still around?) praise and worship cassettes… a few were by choice, but most were by osmosis.

I learned to love music at home. I learned to love worshipping in a little church in Edmonton. Then in a little town North of Edmonton I learned to play my uncle’s hand-me-down guitar by cross referencing chords from his hand-me-down chord book with a Keith Green song book I’d confiscated from my aunt’s place (she wasn’t using it). I followed Keith’s well worn path on into God’s throne room and crawled right up onto His lap. That was 22 years ago.

While in college (Pentecostal) I was invited out to a Vineyard (not Pentecostal) conference in Edmonton. I wasn’t sure what to expect as there were mixed reviews floating around the campus. Arriving at the really large venue I sat down and flipped through the small song book which had been handed to us when we entered. I recognized two songs… TWO SONGS!… and one of them was a hymn. Five minutes into Brian Doerksen’s set and I was hooked. I’d never heard anything like it and my heart hadn’t resonated like this in years. I was thirsty and I’d just heard flowing water.

Fast forward to a large bachelor suite lit by a single candle. A notebook scratched full of barely legible scribing and a lost young man clinging to God. Here’s where I started writing songs out of sheer desperation because the resonance I’d once felt was no longer there, nothing spoke what was in my heart. I needed a voice.

2010-10-12T23:50:00.000-06:00

Giving a heads up to all you who still pop by that I've been digging around my faith roots for the last little while. I was talked into signing up for credit courses through worshiptraining.com where I'm just wrapping up my first course: Essentials Blue, which tackles Christian worldview and the theology of worship.

I have two blogs (and so two more excuses to not update this one) which are directly or indirectly connected to the course work. soundings is a general blog about loosely related topics that roll through my mind, and moORiNgs is where I interact specifically with the course material.

Hope you make your way there; feel free to leave comments if something catches your attention... or sticks in your craw.

Grace and Peace, yo.

Superman’s real kryptonite? His mom on Facebook.

2010-10-09T12:01:00.001-06:00

via holykaw.alltop.com

Ha! This is too funny.

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Photographer David Sacks

2010-09-25T15:02:00.002-06:00

www.davidsacks.com

The Work of the People: Comfort Vs Challenge

2010-09-20T14:54:00.001-06:00

via theworkofthepeople.blogspot.com

An outtake from a recent interview with contemporary liturgical artist Tony Alosno on glossing over the difficult things in life during our community gatherings.

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moORiNgs | mUsiNGs on hAwsERs, bOllaRds, & esSENsiaLSbLUe

2010-09-14T14:33:00.001-06:00

“The element of Earth speaks of the grounded life. This is a life deeply rooted in things that don’t change.”

To a plant, assume for a moment that it’s a self-aware plant, the soil it’s growing in is fixed and permanent. It absorbs heat and light through the day… the roots of the plant remain cool and refreshed as the earth passes along moisture and nutrients. To the plant, the earth is a constant, though in truth it is constantly being displaced by and is slowly giving way to the growing plant.

Extend the self-awareness a bit further… to see water rushing over and around immovable stones in a stream. The plant, which has grown into a towering redwood beside the stream, has watched this endless flow of water eroding the face of stones and carving and reshaping the earth from before any of my Viking ancestors set foot on the other side of the continent. To the tree this ever moving water is more constant than the earth where it’s standing tall and rooted deep.

Constancy and change may seem incongruent on the surface, but they’re not. They’re deeply intertwined. Change is a sign of life and growth while constancy is a sign of strength. Even those things which seem most immovable are slowly yielding and giving way. Like mercy trumping judgement.

via members.worshiptraining.com

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A few shots of Cohn

2010-08-29T00:01:00.001-06:00

See and download the full gallery on posterous

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…and at night your song surrounds me… | soundings

2010-08-28T02:50:00.001-06:00

photo by: Jan Sandberg

When I was a kid I was fascinated by the solar system. I loved looking at books filled with pictures of planets and comets and strange lunar surfaces. However, in all that time I’d never actually looked at anything through a telescope or seen firsthand the planets and stars that held my imagination.

We’d bought the family a telescope this Christmas past and have only recently hauled it out and set it up. Tonight I took it to the backyard and pointed it towards the moon and got to be a kid all over again. Felt like it was shining right into my soul. Then I spun it over and up a bit towards what could only be a planet, though I didn’t know which. Was delighted to find Jupiter staring back at me as clearly as in the picture above. Felt as if I’d just proved that the universe in all it’s entirety was really out there.

via members.worshiptraining.com

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Q | Conversations on Being a Heretic

2010-08-18T01:55:00.001-06:00

via vimeo.com

Props to Jason Clark for highlighting this.

Brian McLaren responding to three questions posed by Scott McKnight.

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GeekTyrant - News - Awesome Collection of Comic Book Superhero/Supervillain Poster Art!!

2010-08-17T12:29:00.001-06:00

via geektyrant.com

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Saskatoon ReggaeFest in Rotary Park

2010-08-14T19:40:00.001-06:00

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Reggae!

2010-08-13T19:41:00.001-06:00

Errol Blackwood with Natural Flavas at Lydia's Pub. The Saskatoon Reggae and World Music Festival is all this weekend.

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Girl quits her job on dry erase board photos... emailed to the entire office.

2010-08-10T17:17:00.002-06:00

via thechive.com

This girl is my hero of the day. Absolutely brilliant.

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Turns out that this was a hoax (see here). But a very entertaining one, so I'm not choked at all.

Anne Rice and “quitting” Christianity | soundings

2010-08-10T03:26:00.001-06:00

Brian McLaren’s post on Anne Rice’s recent announcement that she has “quit Christianity” is telling of my own thoughts and experiences over the last few years. I’d love to hear what people think of this. Below are bits from Brian’s post.

Novelist Anne Rice recently made an important announcement: She has “quit Christianity.”

She has concluded that she will never truly belong to the “quarrelsome, hostile, disputatious, and deservedly infamous group” known as Christians unless she becomes “anti-gay … anti-feminist … anti-artificial birth control … anti-Democrat … anti-secular humanism … anti-science … anti-life.”

But that’s not the whole story. Really, it’s not the story at all. Anne explains that, “My faith in Christ is central to my life.” She is still “an optimistic believer in a universe created and sustained by a loving God.” “But,” she says, “following Christ does not mean following His followers. Christ is infinitely more important than Christianity and always will be, no matter what Christianity is, has been or might become.”

And so, she concludes, “In the name of Christ… I quit Christianity and being Christian.”

I reached a conclusion very close to Anne’s in my book A New Kind of Christianity: “I do not believe in Christianity the way I believe in Jesus. I am a Christian who does not believe in Christianity as I used to, but who believes in Christ with all my heart, more than ever.”

via members.worshiptraining.com

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The Milky Way in time-lapse [video] | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

2010-07-21T17:02:00.001-06:00

via flickr.com

This is fantastic.

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The Concentration of Services in Riversdale has broke my weblog – JordonCooper.com

2010-07-19T14:44:00.001-06:00

Ever since The StarPhoenix’s Dave Hutton wrote an article covering Pat Lorje’s suggestion that the concentration of social services in Riversdale has become a problem, I have been thinking about it, had to conversations with Councilor Lorje, read some material she gave me, and spent a lot of time looking at city demographics, urban planning theory, and even spent a lot of evenings walking around Riversdale, Pleasant Hill, Caswell Hill (it’s on the way home), and King George… sometimes looking around, other times just soaking up the vibe. Oh yeah, I started to write. In what was supposed to be a short reply grew from 500 words to 5000 words and last night moved a little past 10,000 words. As I was about to push post, I realized that at 10,000 word post was insane and I a) needed to hire a good editor or b) needed to break my thoughts into a series.

So hopefully between 8:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. tonight, the series will be uploaded and linked together and I finally have some measure of closure in my life.

Other Related Posts You May Want to Explore
June 25, 2009 -- Public Meeting
April 19, 2010 -- Drugs for Sale
April 16, 2010 -- Sold
April 15, 2010 -- Broadbent’s: The Home of Quality Furniture
April 14, 2010 -- Under Construction

via jordoncooper.com

I'm looking forward to reading this.

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Revisiting

2010-07-12T16:20:00.002-06:00

Back when I was a regular church-goer, and one of those worship leader types, I was also a song writer. Recently I started to revisit and play these songs again; mining my cranium, unearthing the chords and melodies from deep caverns, sounds that haven't been heard in the light of day literally for years. In so doing I'm recalling the paths I've taken. Like flipping through an old photo album, I've made buoyant memories that otherwise would've stayed submerged. The lyrics echo times where I've trudged through unimaginably dark valleys, each time emerging into light on the other side.

When I was young we attended Pentecostal churches for the most part and imagery like that of valleys and mountaintops, deserts and springs of water were everywhere. Though now to use such language feels cheap and trite and kinda makes me cringe, it's still my native tongue in many respects and so is the first thing that comes to mind when I attempt to give some defining shape to the state of my soul.

The image that best fits (and causes me the most cringing) currently is that of a desert. [ugh] Now... Not to belittle the sojourning of others, but I've known folks who could be "going through a desert" one day,"passing through a valley" the next, and be "on the mountaintop" with God two days later... and all while crooning By the Rivers of Babylon. Personally, that strikes me more as like a Holy Land tour-bus route. To each their own. For me, however, change comes much slower and is most often liminal.

I started into this desert sometime in 2004. I've been living in the borderlands my entire life. They say hindsight is 20/20 so it's clear to me that I've been wandering around in barren forsaken lands for years. What's not clear is how to journey beyond this place or even in which direction to go. I say "this place" because I'm confident that I'm still a desert dweller. Some say one truly hasn't experienced the desert until they've run themselves out of water. Others would say it's when you've forgotten the taste of water altogether, and further still... that you've given up any hope of ever tasting it again. But there's another state which lies beyond this despairing thirst and that is this... when one ceases believing in water at all.

So all that to say this... I'm remembering through these songs of mine that life's in constant motion and is always changing. For me that's a hopeful thing. That seasons come and go and come again... That day's followed by night which gives way to day. It may look like nothing's changed in eons or that it ever will, but I'm reminded that it has. And I know it will again... even though it feels more like I'm waiting for a returning comet than for the sun to rise.

Klocki - LEGO Bricks for Adults » Jerac Bends the Time-Space Continuum

2010-07-06T12:23:00.001-06:00

Few days ago AFOL community were laughing over this hilarious comic strip by Peter Lea:

But even this challenge is a piece of cake for Jerac. This took him 5 minutes, including 4 minutes for searching camera batteries:

There is no cheating here, no photoshoping. Can you see how he did it? It took me a while…

This entry was posted on 9 January 2009 at 11:52 AM and is filed under Lego, Model, Curiosities, Funny, MOC. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

via e-klocki.com

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Gorilla Munch

2010-07-05T22:51:00.001-06:00

Gotta get me some of THAT wholesome goodness.

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The infinity pool - ReflectionOf.Me

2010-06-28T11:40:00.001-06:00

via reflectionof.me

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15 facts about caffeine - Holy Kaw!

2010-06-28T11:34:00.001-06:00

via holykaw.alltop.com

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15 marijuana facts - Holy Kaw!

2010-06-28T11:33:00.001-06:00

via holykaw.alltop.com

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Cohn Lars - a set on Flickr

2010-06-28T02:05:00.002-06:00

via flickr.com

Here's the latest pics of Pederclan's newest member.

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New Romance

2010-06-27T16:25:00.003-06:00

via gizmodo.com

iPhone users beware...

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CBC News - Canada - G20 protest violence prompts 150 arrests

2010-06-26T23:14:00.001-06:00

via cbc.ca

Way to ruin what could have been an otherwise peaceful protest. I'd hoped that the over the top security measures, police state tactics and the total disregard for the Charter of Rights and Freedoms were all to be proven unnecessary. Oh well, rich people suck so let's go torch a Starbucks...right after they're done making my Frap.

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Pxleyes Top 50 Photography Contest Pictures Of May 2010 - Pxleyes.com Blog

2010-06-26T17:02:00.001-06:00

via pxleyes.com

Not new news, but fantastic photos from the Pxleyes.com.

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Cohn Lars Pederson

2010-06-24T18:51:00.001-06:00

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Baby Cohn was born at 3:40AM. He was 7 pounds 8 ounces and 19 3/4".
Mom and baby are both very healthy and very happy... as are all the siblings and the papa.

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Inside a vuvuzela - ReflectionOf.Me

2010-06-22T14:54:00.001-06:00

via reflectionof.me

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"You are not here to serve my story."-Samir Selmanovic

2010-06-20T16:00:00.000-06:00

Samir Selmanovic – Experiencing Your Neighbor’s Faith

via TheOoze.TV

We need to encounter brothers, neighbors, even strangers of different faiths. We need a perspective that says, “There must be more about you, about others, than just to serve MY story.” Samir says, “I cannot argue for the absence of grace and say that YOUR story must be a lie for mine to be true. We are called to judge things by their fruit. Take a close look at our theology and if it sounds reprehensible, then we need to admit that.”

Linking Life » Porn Movies and Disney And What They Have in Common

2010-06-19T15:57:00.001-06:00

via linkinglife.com

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50 amazing photos of animals in camouflage mode - Holy Kaw!

2010-06-19T13:33:00.001-06:00

It’s tough finding yourself on the lower end of the food chain. But hey, necessity breeds innovation. That’s how these little creatures got to be such effective hiders.

Click to view large
Download full size (29 KB)

See all fifty astonishing camouflage masters at Pxleyes.

Love animals? So do we.

via holykaw.alltop.com

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Staggering aerial photos show Gulf oil slick - Holy Kaw!

2010-06-19T13:25:00.001-06:00

TED conference photographer James Duncan Davidson traveled to the Gulf of Mexico with five fellow photogs and videographers to capture images of the oil spill for the TEDxOilSpill Expedition. Snapped from aboard a plane over the Deepwater Horizon accident site, Davidson’s photos reveal the startling scope of the oil slick.

Full gallery at TED Blog.

All the top TED tidbits.

Photo credit: James Duncan Davidson, TED.

via holykaw.alltop.com

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Inside the Chinese suicide sweatshop where workers toil in 34-hour shifts to make your iPod

2010-06-17T14:28:00.001-06:00

via dailymail.co.uk

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Blogger on my iPhone?!

2010-06-10T22:53:00.000-06:00

Since I nearly never use the Google app on my iPhone I hadn't noticed that there's now a Blogger icon to add to my googlicious tool list. Don't know what I was expecting, but it's pretty much just the Blogger Dashboard page in a web browser. oh well.

Twitter / Over capacity

2010-06-09T10:09:00.001-06:00

via twitter.com

I hate that fucking whale.

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The New Pornographers

2010-06-04T22:38:00.052-06:00

The only thing better than having this Wednesday evening off work is the reason why... I'll be soaking in the indie goodness of The New Pornographers at the Odeon Event Centre. I've had my ticket from the moment they went on sale and have been looking forward to the show for longer than that. If you haven't heard these talented folks before, just crawl out from under that rock, stretch big, and expand your musical horizons. Sample some of their wares wherever possible. I suggest CBC Radio 3 to get you started down the right path. All the listening pleasure you want without the legal, sticky residue of those 'other' online options.

Sink hole in Guatemala

2010-06-01T14:24:00.001-06:00

via boingboing.net

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Tetris in Hell

2010-05-30T16:19:00.001-06:00

via swfme.com

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Marvell to kickstart education tablets with One Laptop Per Child | VentureBeat

2010-05-28T01:20:00.001-06:00

via mobile.venturebeat.com

Wow... this makes OLPC's previous attempt look like a Radio Shack TRS-80.

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May Long Weekend - a set on Flickr

2010-05-25T01:45:00.001-06:00

via flickr.com

Took a walk by the river on the only day it wasn't raining before returning to the routine tomorrow.

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May Long Monopoly

2010-05-23T15:48:00.001-06:00

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Lord Save Us From Your Followers

2010-05-20T01:45:00.002-06:00

via lordsaveusthemovie.com

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Saskatoon Fire

2010-05-18T14:28:00.001-06:00

Yesterday afternoon's apartment fire that happened just a block down the street from our place.

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Mother's Day outting

2010-05-09T18:21:00.001-06:00

After Krista's Tai Chi class at the Y (the kids and I bummed around at Toys-R-Us) we all went out for dinner at Joey's Only for fish and chips.

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Who I hate based on my mode of transportation - ReflectionOf.Me

2010-05-09T15:33:00.001-06:00

via reflectionof.me

Way too true.

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Philip Clayton on TheOoze.tv

2010-04-27T02:40:00.000-06:00

Every Now and Zen

2010-04-25T01:03:00.002-06:00

via riddleofsteel.net

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Bacon Flavored Goodness

2010-04-24T21:01:00.001-06:00

via store.baconsalt.com

via mcphee.com

via jdfoods.net

All of this and more from an IM chat with my good friend, Fred Quan.

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2010-04-24T14:11:00.002-06:00

The following post, 'It's not about the knots' is from my original blog, 'The Spaces In-between' from Monday, October 13th, 2003.

A couple of weeks ago I had what was probably one of the deepest, most profoundly moving experiences during worship in my entire life... and it was all because of a piece of string.

My wife and I went to the worshipfreehouse on Oct. 2nd, something that we will definitely be doing as often as we can, at the jazz bassment.

When we arrived we were given a prayer rope; like a long necklace with knots tied in it and four beads on it. The evening was about silence; noise vs signal. We used the prayer rope to focus our minds on God and on praying so as not to be distracted by the things that were around us. The way it works is that, as you come to each knot on the rope, you say a prayer ; something like, "Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner," but it could, of course, be anything you want. As I did this I became aware of the spaces in between the knots. At first this was just a point of observation, but then it was like God's Spirit flooded through me and then I knew that those spaces were the point. I began to pause, to linger at each space and to just quiet myself. The longer the space, the longer I waited. When I came to a knot I'd offer up my petition for mercy. When I came to a space I would wait and rest. God's peace began to meet me in those spaces.
Lately, over the last little while, I've heard a lot about "God space." If I've learned anything from this experience it's that "that God space" can be found anywhere and at anytime. When I turn to God and offer up the knots in my stomach... the knots in my life; He'll be there in the spaces in between. It's those spaces that I need to find. They're there all the time. Like the silence in the song. It is the spaces which make the music distinguishable and give it shape and form.

In the beginning God created...
The earth was formless and void...
Darkness was over the surface of the deep...
the Spirit of God was hovering, brooding over the waters...

Find me here...
...and bring form and shape, light and life from my chaos.

Hubble (20 years today) sees galaxies galore

2010-04-24T03:36:00.001-06:00

Hubble sees galaxies galore

Click to Enlarge

Galaxies, galaxies everywhere - as far as the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope can see. This view of nearly 10,000 galaxies is the deepest visible-light image of the cosmos. Called the Hubble Ultra Deep Field, this galaxy-studded view represents a "deep" core sample of the universe, cutting across billions of light-years.
The snapshot includes galaxies of various ages, sizes, shapes, and colours. The smallest, reddest galaxies, about 100, may be among the most distant known, existing when the universe was just 800 million years old. The nearest galaxies - the larger, brighter, well-defined spirals and ellipticals - thrived about 1 billion years ago, when the cosmos was 13 billion years old.
In vibrant contrast to the rich harvest of classic spiral and elliptical galaxies, there is a zoo of oddball galaxies littering the field. Some look like toothpicks; others like links on a bracelet. A few appear to be interacting. These oddball galaxies chronicle a period when the universe was younger and more chaotic. Order and structure were just beginning to emerge.
The Ultra Deep Field observations, taken by the Advanced Camera for Surveys, represent a narrow, deep view of the cosmos. Peering into the Ultra Deep Field is like looking through a 2.5 metre-long soda straw.
In ground-based photographs, the patch of sky in which the galaxies reside (just one-tenth the diameter of the full Moon) is largely empty. Located in the constellation Fornax, the region is so empty that only a handful of stars within the Milky Way galaxy can be seen in the image.
In this image, blue and green correspond to colours that can be seen by the human eye, such as hot, young, blue stars and the glow of Sun-like stars in the disks of galaxies. Red represents near-infrared light, which is invisible to the human eye, such as the red glow of dust-enshrouded galaxies.
The image required 800 exposures taken over the course of 400 Hubble orbits around Earth. The total amount of exposure time was 11.3 days, taken between Sept. 24, 2003 and Jan. 16, 2004.

Credit:
NASA, ESA, and S. Beckwith (STScI) and the HUDF Team

via spacetelescope.org

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Earth Day

2010-04-22T04:43:00.000-06:00

If you're from here you should give a shit.

Leif

2010-04-21T04:28:00.002-06:00

via flickr.com

I've been back to work for two days and my feet are killing me again. Gotta get to a doctor and find out what's going on with them. Shouldn't be gimping around already at 38 years old... and far too soon to retire, though Leif asked me not long ago when I'd be finished work. I thought he meant that day. "No, I mean when will you not have to work anymore?" Damn good question. Not soon enough, I'm afraid.

I think that we do things backwards. Wouldn't the world be a better place if people with families were encouraged and empowered to stay home and be parents to their kids instead of slaving away the days while their kids grow up under their noses rather than in front of their faces?

It's Leif's 10th birthday tomorrow and we'll have cake and presents at lunch time and revolve the attention of our little clan around this most amazing kid. And then I'll go to work at 3PM and we'll continue our B'day ruckus on the weekend. Fun times, to be sure, but it sorta seems unfair to have to be sliced up by the stuff of life like that.

For the record... I'd rather make a difference than make a living.

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Ian about to ride the Swing of the Century

2010-04-15T14:35:00.001-06:00

Nathan

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Pederclan at West Edmonton Mall

2010-04-13T20:16:00.001-06:00

See and download the full gallery on posterous

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