Good news!

After years of hard work and prayers on the part of many, many people, it's good to get the news that this process is complete and ABC has been granted accredited status with the Association of Biblical Higher Education. I know that my years of work at the College helped in this process and feel a shared sense of relief and accomplishment at the news. My prayer is that this will only prove to further the Kingdom impact of the College and that the staff will be able to find a much deserved reprieve from the "extra" that has been expected of them to make this possible.

Current Read

The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde

Mac or PC?

I never thought that I'd be one of "those" mac users. You know the ones. Whatever a PC can do, Mac can do better and then some. It never fails, is easier to use and is frighteningly easy to use and seems so intuitive that one might be tempted to call it smart. Yes, I'm becoming one of those.

Then I read this article in the Calgary Herald this morning. Hmmmm...

Current Read

The Subtle Knife, Philip Pullman

So much for the home team.

It doesn't seem to matter how bad a day was or how good a day was, a 5-0 Edmonton victory, especially when it's against the Flames, can only make it better! Yes, this was definitely a bright spot for me! Doesn't matter whether or not I'm starting to finally call Calgary home, they will never truly be my home team.

I think the only thing dampening the moment was the announcement that Horcoff is out for the rest of the season. I'm thinking that any dreams of the playoffs are only nightmares now. Is it wrong to pray for miracles regarding the NHL? I know it's not on the same level as world peace and an end to poverty. Ah well, today I revel in the smell of victory!

What if...

what if Jesus of Nazareth was right - more right, and in different ways, than we have ever realized? What if Jesus had a message that truly could change the world, but we're prone to miss the point of it?

What if we have developed a religion that makes reverent and honoring statements about Jesus but doesn't teach what Jesus taught in the manner he taught it?

what if many have carried on a religion that faithfully celebrates Jesus in ritual and art, teaches about Jesus in sermons and books, sings about Jesus in songs and hymns, and theorizes about Jesus in seminaries and classrooms...but somewhere along the way missed the rich and radical treasures hidden in the essential meaning of Jesus?

What if Jesus' secret message reveals a secret plan? What if he didn't come to start a new religion - but rather came to start a political, social, religious, artistic, economic, intellectual and spiritual revolution that would give birth to a new world?

What if his secret message had practical implications for such issues as how you live your daily life, how you earn and spend money, how you treat people of other races and religions, and how the nations of the world conduct their foreign policy? What if his message directly or indirectly addressed issues like advertising, environmentalism, terrorism, economics, sexuality, marriage, parenting, the quest for happiness and peace, and racial reconciliation?

What if the message of Jesus was good news - not just for Christians but also for Jews, Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus, New Agers, agnostics and atheists? And what if the message of Jesus contained warnings - for Jews, Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus, New Agers, agnostics, atheist - and for Christians too?

What difference could it make in the lives of individuals, in their families and neighbourhoods and circles of friends, and in the world at large?

These are just a few of the questions that Brian McLaren ponders in the beginning of "The Secret Message of Jesus," questions that I've been pondering for months now, wondering how to truly live a life that reflects the message of Jesus, unencumbered by the "stuff" of religion that is neither required or recommended by the man who was Jesus, the Son of God.

Current Read

The Secret Message of Jesus, Brian McLaren