January & Music

A catch-up blog is long overdue. I have become a bad blogger, and I don't know if any of you even read this anymore, due to my long absences. The month of January started with a great dance party and ended with a trip to Breakforth in Edmonton.

Which was an odd experience. I loved getting to hear Shane Claiborne speak, I went to all three of his sessions and I was encouraged and challenged! The rest of the weekend was just odd. I'm not sure what I think of the glossy mega-conference, with celebrity speakers and worship leaders. That's the short version. I wrote pages about it in my journal and I've had many discussions, in short I don't think it's something I would go to again.

I did enjoy a concert with NewWorldSon! If you get the chance to see them live, GO! They aren't my favourite anything, but seeing them live, what a show! I danced and jumped my heart out alongside the Wiebe boys for the whole set, what a blast!

This past weekend Scott, Barry, Andrew and I hosted The Gallery, a coffeehouse venue for local art and music that we love. This was our second go at it, and it was incredible! I got to showcase my photos, which was really fun. And the evening started with my sister's first gig with her own tunes, included the local act This Conviction and Chanda Cooper with some of her musical friends. What a great night! I love good music!

This Conviction

Chanda Cooper (w/ Bob Cooper on the kit, and Daxid Stobie all blurry on the djembe)

Martin Johann Kloppers (playing w/ Chanda)

"Jesus Changed My Life" Mad-Libs

After a week of intense theological study with our High School students, we were talking about telling the stories of how God has intersected our lives. Which naturally led to testimonial mad-libs over lunch. Here's what we came up with:

Before I jumped to Baltimore I was always ugly. But then I gave my girl to mewithoutYou and they make me so sloppy. I am so dead that he changed my frog.

...and then...

My life used to be full of sea monkey, but since I farted Jesus into my coffee pot my life is full of grey apple pie. Jesus has slapped everything.

I hope these don't offend you. They brought us great joy, which will be to all people. Hence why I'm sharing them now.

New Years

So this was New Years, in many many pictures. Let's just say it was a total blast, and very very cold outside! So that is my justification. Thank you Kayte and Nyla for such a good shindig!

We're time confused.

Kayte edited these, hence her calling me cool.

We may have found Nyla's old dresses, wedding, bridesmaid and grad! It was snazzy, and required dancing and posing! Here's a classic bridal magazine shot, plus a shower curtain.

And I guess I should explain, the pictures you are about to see are intended to be a sequence. This is the birth of my adult child.





Oh my baby, she's so beautiful! I'm so proud!

Remember, it was cold. Happy New Year!

A Merry Photo Shoot

As I said, Kayte and I had a photo shoot, here are some of the results.

Hope you enjoyed.

Family Christmas

Well first we decorated the tree. But that was weeks ago...

And then we dug in for a feast, but that was two days ago...

And well Ben's always been tall...

So Kayte and I had a photo shoot, and there's more to come...

And brothers were never supposed to be normal...

But sisters get to be pretty...

And occasionally an elf visits.

Merry Christmas!

Ben had to head back to Edmonton early, so we celebrated Christmas on the Eve. We had a nice little Christmas, with gifts more meaningful, and less abundant. For which I'm grateful. It was good to enjoy Christmas dinner on the 23rd, with Liz and Emmy and the whole family. And Kayte and I got to be a part of the Christmas Eve service. Well actually, Kayte, Barry and God planned it. And I got to read the Christmas story, light the advent candles and tell the kids, that the answer "Jesus" was coming, but not yet. And today the rest of the continent is on pause, and we are finished and already scattered about. Ben heading back to Edmonton with D, Kayte at work, Lisa with her mom. So I wish you all a Merry Christmas. And the awareness that Christ IS Come. The wait is over. Don't miss the fact that our giving gifts is only a mimic of the great gift Giver, One we can not surpass. And must not shove out. Blessed Christmas to all of you.

Loss

Last week my cell phone was mostly stolen, and yesterday morning in the -30C my car would not start, and as I have been alone at my place, and have no cell phone or internet connection right now, I was totally stuck. I wondered to myself how long it would be until someone would come looking for me. Not to mention that I needed to be at church, it's kind of my job.
The solution I came to was to bundle in many extra layers, and venture out into the cold, and walk in the direction of the rest of the church staff's homes. Since we almost all live within a 10 block radius of each other. I walked in the direction of the tightest gathering of homes, thinking if someone wasn't home, I could go to the next, and so on. I was lucky enough to get a ride from the first home I tried, which was good, because I was beginning to think that in that cold, I might not make it back home, if all my pursuits failed me. It was a great start to the day.
I arrived at church in time for the second service, which was 2 hours late, for "work", but just in time to catch my parents coming in. My dad pulled my sister and I aside and told us the news we had been waiting day-to-day to hear. My Granddad had passed away in the night. Mostly my heart breaks for my dad, I think I'm better at empathy, than at feeling for myself. I feel the emptiness in this loss. For someone raised and firmly certain of the salvation of those whose trust is in Jesus, the loss of a family member who did not choose that trust, is decidedly empty. And somewhat surprising, I've always couched death in terms of "going home." What do I say now?
So now my task is trying to figure out how to support my dad, how to think and speak about this, how to pray.