JUST TWO THINGS...
Came in my email. Posted it here.,
Two Names You Go By:
1. Michael
2. Mick
Two things I'm wearing: (what kind of a question is this?)
1. jammies
2. t-shirt
Two Things You Would Want (or have) in a Relationship:
1. peace
2. quiet
Two of Your Favorite Things to do:
1. Read
2. visit
Two Things You Want Very Badly At the Moment:
1. a peanut butter sandwich
2. a tonsilectomy
Two things you did last night:
1. Read
2. wrote a sermon
Two things you ate today:
1. toast
2. crackers
Two people you last talked to:
1. Diana
2. DuncanTwo
Things you're doing tomorrow:
1. delivering care packages for the salvation army
2. preparing to go home for Christmas
Two longest car rides:
1. Saskatoon to Ottawa
2. Lethbridge to Saskatoon
Two Favorite Holidays:
1. Christmas
2. Easter
Two Favorite Beverages:
1. water
2. milk
Two Things About Me. Things you may not have known.
1. I have chronic tonsilitis
2. I was accepted into McGill for my undergrad degree
Two jobs I have had in my life:
1. Campus Ministry
2. Nightclub bouncer
Two Movies I would watch over and over:
1. Band of Brothers
2. Roman Holiday
Two Places I have lived:
1. Brandon, MB
2. Saskatoon, SK
Two of my Favourite Foods:
1. Lomo Saltado (a Peruvian dish)
2. pizza
Two Places I'd rather be right now:
1. Lima
2. Lethbridge

moving along

Life is going along pretty well here in the Macintyre household. The co-director is done work on Wednesday, after 630 hours of mindless tedium. I've been spending so much time at the hospital lately that I'm debating admitting myself so I at least get a bed to sleep in. I'm trying to get ahead on my clinical shifts for a couple of reasons, not the least of which is that I don't want to be back in the hospital when Spot makes his or her appearance.
The other reason is that I'm busting my buns to keep my mind off other things. The Boy's surgery, for example. Our little boy has a hydrocele and he's in the small percentage of children who need surgery to correct it. I'm not overly thrilled about signing a consent for a doctor to anaesthetize my child and and puncture his little body. Actually, I feel really shitty about the entire process and wish that I could just say a hundred Ave Maria's and wish it away. However, that's unlikely to happen so I trust in the skill and study of his doctor.
(note** at this point in time remarks about being prayerful and trusting in God are only going to start a fight. I pray that God grants peace and wisdom to the surgeon along with steadiness of his hands.)
The Boy goes in on January 3, and should be out the same day. My classes start on the 14th of January, so I'll at least have a bit of time to spend at home with my growing family. That's a lovely blessing that I treasure.

Xmas Eve, take 2

So, this is the second little meditation I've written for my services on Christmas Eve. I anticipate writing two or three more before I get it right. I'm so out of practice writing messages that it's scary -- I think my pastor's five year old could write better. I'm missing something in my message; I just haven't figured out what, yet. Anyways...

IF you've ever picked a book off the New York Times best-sellers list for fiction, chances are you've picked up a mystery – a book where a central element of the plot revolves around a missing piece of information – the identity of a character, an object – is left out by the author. In fact, most works of popular fiction are essentially mysteries, even those we classify as suspense, thriller, or even romance. We like being able to put things together so that they make sense – often, if something doesn't make sense we dismiss it out of hand, or in a tremendous feat of mental gymnastics we alter some the information we have available to make a conclusion ‘fit'.

I think that even in the midst of our own Christmas story lies four mysteries, one of which is the heart of our own Christian faith.

The first is a mystery of time. You may have heard of the debate that goes on as to when exactly Jesus was born – some authorities say about 5 BC; others state that his birth was around 4 AD. Most agree that it was NOT in the year 1. There's even debates as to whether or not Jesus was born on the 25th of December (or a close approximation) – the Eastern Orthodox tradition celebrates Christmas on January 6th; some traditions teach that Jesus was more likely born around March or April. Augustus reigned till about 14 AD; but Herod only till about 4 AD. Timekeeping 2000 years ago was sketchy, at best.

The second is a mystery of place. Luke records that Joseph came from Nazareth, to which his family had probably been sent as part of a forced resettlement twenty years earlier. He went to Bethlehem, because he was of the house of David, the royal house of Israel. Luke records here that "there was no room for them at the inn" - but that's a pretty curious event. How many here tonight have travelled to an ancestral place (even Edmonton) and called a relative out of the blue and been given a place to sleep? Our families now aren't nearly as closely-knit as those of 2000 years ago. So why couldn't Joseph find some lodging for himself and his very pregnant wife?

Thirdly, in this story there's a mystery of space. There's angels flying around all over the place, buzzing shepherds. If the shepherds were terrified, it was probably somewhat tempered by the irritation that someone was disturbing their peacefully slumbering flocks. It begins with one angel, to brings to them the good news of the Messiah's birth, and right on their heels comes a heavenly chorus. Why all this fuss for a couple of illiterate bumpkins? Nowhere else in any religious text do we hear of the birth of a Savior being told to a group of farm hands. It's simply not done. Divine announcements usually come in the form of smoke and fire and shaking on the tops of mountains (read Exodus 19 for a good account), not choirs of angels serenading the salt of the earth, solely for their own benefit. So why these people?

The fourth mystery here, the final one, is the central aspect of our Christian faith. It is the mystery of the Incarnation. As the angel told to the shepherds, "to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ, the Lord". Why? This is the ultimate mystery, the one that defines our faith. Jesus, who was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, came to us in a stable, a Messiah covered in the blood and sweat of labour. And that's not all.

As Paul wrote to Titus about twenty years after the Resurrection, "the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all". To all people. God Incarnate was born to the poorest of the poor. If there was a baby born tonight, in the back alley behind the Mustard Seed Street Ministry, we may understand the revulsion of those circumstances. It's not like the guidelines for salvation hadn't been handed down already from generation to generation. People then, like ourselves today, simply ignored them when it suited, and used them as a bludgeon to terrify and oppress those who held different opinions. Part of the mystery of the Incarnation is that it is that Savior, Jesus Christ, who "gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds".

True to our Lutheran Confessions, we believe that we cannot by any effort of our own attain salvation from our sins for ourselves. Yet we still try. We take the Bible, which is the manger that cradles Christ, and fashion it into a cudgel that we then use to judge and scourge those we think are unfit. But the message remains the same, even as it did to Paul and his disciple Titus – that Christ gave himself for us to redeem us from our sin in order that we might turn in love to our neighbour.

At Christmastime, God came down to us. There is nothing we can do to accept that love – nothing at all because we cannot refuse love that strong. That love was willing to bear all punishment and not just die for us – but to live again for us. If we accept that our relationship with God is made right by the actions of Jesus, who we call the Messiah, then we are free to turn to the good works that benefit the whole people of God. This is what defined the early church, and what will define the church of our future.

Every year we gather together to celebrate this time. We try to blot out the tragedies that have followed us through the year. That's our mystery of this time: why do we try to hide from God things that God already knows? Yes, that baby was born in a manger to the tune of a thousand angelic voices. But he was also born in pain, and in suffering, and in the midst of times of despair and death. Why? Because we need to know that God is with us, and perhaps the hardest thing for us to understand is the love of God – the love that knows no boundaries, not even death, and never leaves us, even though we may try to leave God.

May we, who have gathered here tonight, leave this place with the love of God in our hearts, aware of the mysteries of our faith, content that we will never fully understand – and grateful that we may abide in that love, and share it with our neighbours.

Final Exam

try this on for size:

Theology Final Exam

1. Summarize Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologiae in three succinct sentences. You may use your Bible.

2. St Martin of Tours, Pope Clement VII, and Karl Barth were not contemporaries. Had they known each other, how might the history of the Reformation turned out differently?

3. Define a moral system that satisfies Liberals, Conservatives, Moderates, and the entire population of Rome ca. 3 BCE. Be brief, concise, and specific.

4. Memorize the Bible. Recite in tongues.

5. Imagine that you have stigmata. Would it affect your productivity at work? Would you still be admitted to fine restaurants? Would it be covered by your medical insurance, or should it constitute a pre-existent medical condition?

6. What would it mean to be eternal, co-eternal, and non-existent all at once?

7. St Thomas Aquinas and Augustine of Hippo decide to rob a bank. The note to the teller is 1200 pages long, not counting footnotes, complete with a promise of damnation if the teller does not accept immediate baptism. In the middle of the heist, they engage in an extended debate as to whether or not the money really exists. Are they committing a mortal or a venial sin?

8. Speculate on the current status of salvation history if Abraham had just stayed in Ur.

baby ticker!

A number of people have noted that I don't often talk about the expected baby on my blog. so here's something:

Theology Student's Prayer

Yay! It's almost the end of semester. My friend Clark, surveyor and poet extraordinaire, sent me this (and I made a couple of revisions):

Our Prof, who art not in thy office,
uncursed be thy name.
Thy final come
thy course be done
on paper, as it is in lecture.
Give us today our passing grade
and forgive us our copied assignments
as we forgive you your lecture slides.
Lead us not into post-grad
but deliver us unto the laity
for thine is the stipends
the office and the synod
after four years or more, Amen

7 Random Facts about Me

so I've received a couple of emails lately with the '7 Random facts about me'. I like reading them, but I don't often forward chain emails, so I'll post mine.

1. I talk to myself when I'm writing -- how things will sound, what's best to say, that sort of thing. It helps with final drafts.
2. I 'scritch' as a soothing habit -- light scratching around my neck, chin, and shoulders has a calming effect.
3. '2' is inherited -- my son does the same at 15 months.
4. I seriously considered converting to the LDS church as a young man.
5. I've managed to control several self-destructive pastimes but still yearn for them from time to time.
6. I changed my major from English to Religious Studies during my undergrad.
7. I am almost totally inept working with any kind of construction tool beyond the basics.

what do you do when you only have a little time?
I've got to pick the co-director up from work in about an hour.
The Boy's got a head cold and didn't want to sleep anywhere but on daddy for the last three hours.
I've got a peri-tonsilar infection and antibotics that could stun a horse. I parsed Hebrew words the other day using Greek paradigms(my God!). Only God knows what the assignments I've handed in the last few days look like. For all I know, I've written them in pig latin.
so I blog.
This semester's almost done. I've got three assignments left, and about 15 clinical shifts at the hospital. They're getting easier -- or maybe I'm growing up a bit. Either way, I'm not quite as anxious going in for my shifts. I would, however, appreciate the pain in my throat going away for maybe, say, a day or two, which would be nice. It's not contagious, just painful.
the co-director's only got a month of work left, for which we're thankful. The apartment is already totally decorated for Christmas, the first batch of shortbread has been baked (sorry, Cory), and I think we're thinking about presents. She asked me what I wanted, and my initial reply was neither couth nor polite. But do you know what I'd like for Christmas?
I don't know.

a hundred years

10 years ago today, I was completing high school homework.
5 years ago, I was just beginning the journey with the young woman who became my wife.
2 years ago I was adjusting to married life and doing homework for my undergrad.
Last year I helped put my baby son to bed, sang him a lullaby, read him a story.
Tonight my little boy fell asleep on his own holding the handle of my empty coffee cup, snagged from my desk at I did homework for my Master's Degree.

Gracious God, God of time and transition, of youth and old age, of illness and death, if this should be the total of my days know that I would in this moment die at rest and at peace. Grant me a measure of thy grace, abiding in thy love, that I might be a presence and a joy to my family, bring peace to my friends, and share thy steadfast love with the world.
Amen.

A pittance of time

for my grandfathers, Jack Macintyre and 'Rusty' Stone, who rest from their labours. Jack, who trained as a pilot and nearly lost his life in a crash, and Rusty, who marched into Holland for Market Garden and was wounded twice. To your generation may mine be ever grateful.
to their children, I love you very much.

things not to leave unsupervised

so....I was out at class, yammering my way through a spot of Hebrew exegesis. That being done I moseyed on home, expecting to find the Boy and the co-director peacefully slumbering. The Boy looked...shiny...maybe a little greasy. He also lacked pants. being naturally observant, I remarked to the co-director "hey, did you know he doesn't have pants on?"
her reply was not printable in this g-rated blog. For that matter, due to certain content issues I cannot post a picture of the Boy, covered from head to toe in...vaseline. I could get arrested for that. The co-director had napped a bit in order to nurture the wee one, and the Boy took off to his room just in time to figure out how to get the lid of the squishy stuff.
I'll get the loofa.

homily for a baby

Text: Psalm 23; Matthew 18:1-5, 10b-14
Homily:

Let us pray.
God, we come before you today in sadness, because a baby has died and Linda and her family’s hearts are breaking. I don’t ask you to answer their questions now, to explain this or to justify yourself. I don’t ask you to take away their pain, for each tear says ‘I love you’ to this little baby. I just ask you to help them through this, to provide them with the strength they need, and to be present with the. God, take care of this little soul. We trust you with this baby’s care. Amen.

Linda, I’ve talked with you before and I still can’t even pretend to tell you that Baby’s death is part of God’s ‘plan’ for us, that her death was good, right, or just. It was none of those things. To say otherwise would be for me to deny your grief. Your grief is real – and you have a right to feel like you do. Anger, guilt, pain, immeasurable sadness and all the other emotions you experience right now are warranted. Though some may tell you otherwise, your grief should not be blunted because Baby’s life was so short. In reality, it probably hurts so much worse because of that. But I yearn for you to find something else in your grief. I want you to find hope.

Hope that Baby now rests in the arms of God, who loves all of us. Hope that her memory will become holy unto you even as her life, too short, was holy on this earth. You mourn, Linda, and all creation mourns with you. But you are not abandoned by God, and neither is Baby. Like that one lamb, she now rests with God who has known her from before the first time you felt her in your womb. You are children of God, and you may have confidence that it was not the will of God that your little one would be lost. But it is the will of God that she enters the kingdom of heaven, where she can rest beside those still waters, and even walk through the valley of the shadow of death – for God is with her.

And I know that you want nothing else in this world except for Baby to be here with you – for you to hold her, to comfort her, and to see her smile again. I can’t make that happen – there’s no power on earth that can. But I can promise that you will see your baby again. We are promised a time when our tears will be dry, and our sorrow will be over – the day of Resurrection. On that day we will see our loved ones again, when we are reunited with them to sing the song that began when creation was new. On that day, Linda, the lullabies that you sang out of love for your daughter will flow again from your lips, and you too will feel the perfect love of God. You will be together.

Have hope in that. Have faith that no lamb will be lost for Jesus, who will gather us all together as the shepherd gathers his sheep. The Good Shepherd, who gave his life for his sheep, now watches over Baby, and she is at peace. Linda, as you walk through death’s dark valley, know that God does more than walk with you. God carries you, as he carries your family and all of us, even as he carries Baby.

Amen.

a big drop in the bucket

so hallowe'en was good. now back to reality:

You receive a phone call from a woman who is sobbing. After a few minutes you calm her down and find out it is Linda, who sings in the choir. Linda is a single mom and is relatively new to the church. Her daughter, a three month old who you baptized about a month ago, was found dead in her crib by Linda’s mother while Linda was at work.
Respond:
1. what is your pastoral response?
2. write a homily for the funeral.

eek.
Some of you may notice that I've edited this post quite severely, and I have a perfectly good explanation.

Happy Hallowe'en!

So we had a pretty upset scarecrow the night before Hallowe'en but I managed to get a couple of smiles out of him on the actual night. Hope you like them!

Reading Week

It's reading week, which is a week of classes at the Sem designed to allow students to catch up on reading and other schoolwork and to complete large projects. During my undergrad, this time was called 'ski week' or something along those lines. I'm one of those annoyingly conscientious students that usually has my work done, so reading week is usually time for me to relax. I had big plans -- to indulge in some non school-related reading, to fill a couple more shifts at the hospital, and generally to just take it easy.

I should have known that wouldn't work. It started last Saturday evening with a burr in my throat. By 1 Sunday morning I had a fever pushing 40 Celsius and I could not keep warm, except for the burning sensation in my throat. I have a really bad case of tonsilitis/laryngitis. Those who know me well know it for a stress reaction -- I work pretty hard with high stress for an extended period of time, and then I get sidelined out of the blue with some virulent plague. The only saving grace is that I'm not usually contagious.

So I've been home for this week with the Boy. I get a short nap in the morning, then try to push through the rest of the day without passing out on the couch (we made arrangements last week to keep the Boy out of daycare this week). I hope I feel good enough (and sound alive enough) to get back to my clinicals on monday.

Meanwhile, I've posted some pictures from the last couple of weeks. I've been promising updates for a while, so sorry about the delay.

I'm headed in the right direction...

Eucharistic theology created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as Luther You are Martin Luther. You'll stick with the words of Scripture, and defend this with earthy expressions. You believe this is a necessary consequence of an orthodox Christology. You believe that the bread and wine are the Body and Blood of Christ, but aren't too sure about where he goes after the meal, and so you don't accept reservation of the Blessed Sacrament or Eucharistic devotions. Luther 100% Orthodox 75% Calvin 50% Catholic 31% Zwingli 25% Unitarian 0% thanks to Kevin for this one, who gave thanks to Erin on his blog.

A Full Rich Day

We had a really good day around the Macintyre house today. There was a youth worship band at church today that was quite talented -- 'Watermark Denmark', a group from Youth Encounter that is training to go to, you guessed it, Denmark to do some outreach ministry there. One downside is a definite dearth of theological reflection in some of the songs -- two they sang back-to-back had conflicting theologies and no one seemed to notice. I doesn't really detract from the enjoyment, just causes a little disconnect in my head when I'm singing.
This autumn is beautiful in Saskatoon, so we went for a walk this afternoon with the Boy to enjoy the leaves and get him a little exercise (Ana too, because she's a little tired of sitting all the time at work). The Boy was alseep after about ten minutes of walking, so the adults enjoyed a nice time together.
Speaking of Ana, she had her ultrasound this past Tuesday. If I could figure out how to scan the photplate they gave us of the new baby I would post it here, but I can't. Needless to say, I am once again the proud father of an amorphous blob. One slight problem -- the baby is sitting breach right now, and Ana's placenta is a little low so we have to go back in a couple months for a re-assessment. Prayers are appreciated...
So more about the day. We came back from our walk to a phone message from a friend of mine from Lethbridge who does a lot of supply ministry in the area around my hometown. I gave her a call back, and wound up with two services over the Christmas holidays when we're back home! Two Christmas Eve services 5:00 and 7:00 in two lovely little villages, Milo and Lomond, and I get to do them both. I feel tremendously blessed and happy that such wonderful people support me in this journey towards ordination, and also that they trust me and my abilities enough to recommend me for such a wonderful occasion! Anybody who's remotely in the area is welcome to attend -- hope to see you!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to all!
We stayed here in Saskatoon and enjoyed some really beautiful weather. pictures to come soon.
Take care, all of you!

Asking God

I asked God for strength, that I may achieve,
I was made weak, that I might learn humbly to obey.
I asked for health, that I might do greater things,
I was given infirmity, that I might do better things.
I asked for riches, that I might be happy,
I was given poverty that I might be wise.
I asked for power, that I might have praise of men,
I was given weakness, that I might feel the need of God.
I asked for all things, that I might enjoy life,
I was given life, that I may enjoy all things.
I got nothing that I asked for --
but everything that I hoped for.
Almost despite myself,
my unspoken prayers were answered.
I am, among all men,
most richly blessed.

-- attributed to an anonymous confederate soldier--

really into fall

so happy October to everyone...
The weather's getting colder, the leaves are falling off the trees, and the wind creates that dry rustle that (if you listen carefully) can make all of us remember walking to school when we were very young.
Ana's ultrasound is Tuesday the 9th -- more reasons to love this fall :)

How long, O God, how long?
How long will we see but not perceive?
How long will we hear but not understand?
Do our souls not long for You enough?
Are our cries not loud enough?
Cast us not away from Your presence, O Lord;
for we are lost
and hungry.
Yet You remain silent
and we long for Your Spirit
as the seasons lengthen into darkness
and our bodies wither with age
as pleasant lakes grow dry and bitter with salt
so is the taste of our longing.
We cling to your promise of faithfulness
as the dying cling to their breath
as children cling to their mother's breasts,
we yearn for the coming of our Redeemer.
Stay with us Lord,
for it is evening
and the day is almost over.

Some more pictures of the Boy for your enjoyment. they're taken by the wonderful person who looks after him while I'm in class tuesday and thursday afternoons when Ana's at work. I'm not sure why he's holding a hockey stick, but he was very serious about it.

This past weekend we had our annual Alberta Synod retreat for all the students from Alberta at the Seminary. I had some really good conversations with my relator, and some fantastic news from the Bishop. Apparently, there's quite a good chance of being able to return to south Alberta when (God willing) I'm ordained. I'm pretty excited about that.

I have my first clinical shift at the hospital tomorrow -- it should be good.

Happy Sunday to everybody!

the story so far

I've been up with the Boy since about 3.30 this morning, which is not my favorite way to begin a day, especially two days in a row. With all the transitions going on right now -- Ana starting work, me going back to class, and Himself going to daycare it's no wonder that he's regressing. Apparently it's pretty common and the only thing we can do about it is wait until he adjusts. Yay. Pinch me, I'm so excited. The down side to this is that the Boy is so whiny -- we can't figure out what he wants, he can't figure it out, so somewhere in the middle we sit and stare at each other. Ana's 600 hours is somewhere in the middle or so of December, so we're counting the days.
speaking of the middle of December, even though we haven't had any snow yet like some of you farther west, I came home from the Sem on monday to Christmas music. Christmas music! Ana's crazy about Christmas, so as soon as the weather turns colder she starts humming the carols, but not usually playing them. I didn't mind. It's very incarnational -- and nicely removed from all the commercial imagery that springs up in December. I could get used to this.
Anyways, at the beginning of a very long day, wish me luck.

sunday morning

So, we're all feeling a little bit better around the Macintyre household. The worst of the cold seems over for myself and the co-director, and the Boy is sleeping a little longer through the night.
Ana finished her training at the telecom company on friday, so she's got a three day weekend until she starts her first work schedule. She only needs about 530 hours to go.
I had my first class at the hospital on friday as well. I think I'm really going to enjoy this CPE course. 8 hours of class every friday and two four-hour clinical shifts each week until next March. Like I've said before I feel a little sad about not being around the Sem for classes, but I'll make up for that in the amount of homework I do there.
But at least it didn't snow the other day, and the weather has turned quite a bit warmer.

why am I here?

According to the Weather Network, here in Saskatoon tonight there's chance of snow. Snow! It's the freakin' middle of September! Last year, it snowed in mid-October and didn't melt until April. We bundled the Boy under so many layers of clothes that I once put his snowsuit into the carseat, sans baby and didn't notice...
It should be interesting this year, watching his reaction to snow and having his head and hands covered (something he hates) -- while trying to get a squirmy toddler into yet another snowsuit.
I'm trying heavy sedation this year. That way, I won't feel a thing.

a trip to the park

We just got back from a trip to the park, and I finally remembered the camera. Enjoy!

typhoid mary and other relations

It's official -- the co-director is sick as well. A bad cold right now, although she's also having pretty bad morning sickness. At least, that's what she's calling it. If it morning sickness, then this pregnancy is pretty drastically different that her first. We were talking this morning about the possibility that we may have a little girl this time.
This, however, would be exciting. Particularly that we would have to think of a name, since hitherto we've been working on the assumption that the pollywog is a little boy. (for the feminists in the audience, please don't kill me for that. It's just a feeling). We've been watching a spot of Veggie Tales recently -- what do you think of 'Madame Blueberry' for a name? the Boy seems quite fond of the character.
On the other hand, it could be a baby boy. Just small, sickly and whiny, like my brother. Ah well, I just hope that the co-director is feeling better soon.
Class officially starts this week. I've got three classes -- an exegetical credit class on Isaiah, Introduction to Pastoral Care, and Christian Education. In addition to these, I've got that Clinical Pastoral Education course I've mentioned earlier. Should be good -- I'm disappointed about not being at the Sem more often, but happy that I can get CPE out of the way before this summer.
I'll keep ya posted.

at home....

We wound up staying at home. Really, that works out best -- the Boy's had two nice long naps, and his fever isn't as bad as it was yesterday. He's still a little out of sorts, but I think that may be the result of my being home with him instead of the co-director.
Let me explain that, since some people have asked me about that. The co-director got a job at a telecom company here in Saskatoon, and our childcare plans fell through about the same week. So, we're juggling just a wee bit. I'm now the primary caregiver for most of the week, and we're just trying to get by day by day until the co-director gets her 600 or so hours that then enables her to maternity leave time. So, with three full classes, and a clinical pastoral education class starting for me next week, the Boy may yet wind up at doggie day-care...
But today was really nice. A slow day (the kind that I don't really get that often), we napped, watched a little baby crack (those animated shows like "Max and Ruby" that holds their attention so well), and went for a little walk, so we could both get some fresh air. We looked at the leaves already beginning to change, and babbled back and forth to each other.
When we got back, we had story time. When I was reading, the Boy stood up, sat in my lap, and gave me a big hug and a kiss.
Man, I love being a dad.

Seminary Orientation

so, it's Orientation at the Seminary this week, which is made all the more interesting due to the Boy's presence with me. He's there because our childcare arrangements fell through last Thursday, which is always helpful and challenging.
Today was the orientation at the Saskatoon Theological Union, beginning with worship. The Boy has been funky since last night (up three times or so, just howling) but he seemed to be in better humour during that opening worship. A couple of icebreakers and a little snack later, the Boy was living it up, laughing and being his good self.
But then, during the library presentation, he puked. There's no other word for it. Over himself, over me...luckily it did land on us, because that meant we could quietly make an exit. So we went home, and he's been alseep ever since. Poor kid.
So here's another problem. There's a retreat tomorrow, supposed to be mandatory. If I need to go, so does Duncan -- but do I bring a sick baby to a Seminary retreat? I dunno. I guess we'll see what goes on...

It's our anniversary!

Two years ago today, this wonderful young woman and I were joined in marriage, by three pastors, no less (I think it was to prevent my escape, although one did offer to go for a beer instead. Thanks, Kevin....)

To my darling wife, Happy Anniversary! (I look forward to saying that at least 50 more times)

wedding guests, first birthday, and a big mistake

As promised, here are some pictures from the Boy's first birthday. Pooh bear cakes are delicious when they're in season, and fresh baked by a wonderful 'Ama (see below).
We had a really good visit with D's parents, here sister, and all our nieces and nephews. (so.....many.....babies.....). Had time to stop by and see some cute kitties, and lunch with a really good friend, although we could have used more time.
We actually cut our trip back to sunny Alberta short in the planning, so we wound up missing some people that we really wished we could have seen. Sorry 'bout that, folks -- we'll try really hard next time to see you before the new baby makes an appearance.
The problem with these lightning-fast trips back home is that we're almost always totally exhausted the entire time we're there. Which is what leads me to that dumb mistake that I was mentioning earlier.
We always make a point of seeing the Boy's godparents when
we're back home. They live in High River, which is about 30 minutes from Vulcan, where my mom lives. In fact, they're more like an extra set of parents to us both -- they've known me since I was knee high to a short sheep, and D since we met.
Anyways, their daughter, whom we adore, was getting married in
Okotoks, which is again about 30 minutes north of High River. So we drove out for the wedding, spoke briefly with a few people, and since there was almost three hours before the reception, we then skeedaddled back to Vulcan.
On the way back home the Boy had a substantial poo-related incident, which involved pulling the van over to the side of the road and scrubbing for about twenty minutes. Anyways, add up the time, and by the time we pulled into the driveway at 'Ama's we only had about forty minutes to turn around and go back to High River. The Boy was running a fever, and D was exhausted. 'Ama offered to babysit, but we decided, with reservations, that going to the reception was not feasible.
Now, I know that this sounds totally fine, but those of you who know me also know that I take commitments very seriously -- I've been to events on two hours' sleep out of 48, when the need has arisen, without complaint. D's just as indominable.
So we decided to go back to High River Sunday morning, to drop off our wedding gift and to have a visit with our friends. But they had a tremendous number of relatives coming and going, so we stayed a little while, but had to be back in Vulcan for the Boy's birthday party. The long short of it is, we feel horrible, because we missed seeing people that we love dearly, but worse -- we feel like we hurt them, and treated them badly by not taking the time to visit.
So here, if you're reading this, are my profounded apologies. Our family -- blood or not, you know who you are -- means more to us than anything else in the world, and we hope that you can forgive us. We're ashamed that we did not make the time to visit, to tell you that we love you, and miss you.
May God be with you all.

one more summer done....

So, I finished work this afternoon. Four months of toil, then back to the grindstone. It's not that bad of a deal, really -- three classes this semester, plus an extended unit of clinical pastoral education (think of it as a hospital internship), a little homework, and that's it. sixty or so hours a week, and another $30k piece of toilet paper on my wall...and a bit more student debt. Not that bad, except that a few people seem really uptight about student debt, and really want to give me their opinion about why I need to work harder and pay for more of it out of my own pocket. And then I give them my response, which is neither anatomatically correct nor possible, but is highly entertaining.
I've always been a little touchy on the matters of student finance, particularly in the area where advice in concerned. Especially the kind usually given by people whose own education was paid for by their parents, who then feel entitled to give out their opinion to anybody, or what's worse, when they're appointed to positions of authority in an institution and then feel like it's their duty to be the gatekeeper against high levels of debt.
That really frustrates me. It frustrates me because I grew up in the lower reaches of the middle class, and busted my ass to earn what I have, and met fantastic people whe believed in me (and still do) enough to help me and my family along. It frustrates me because some people still tell stories about working for a summer, which paid for tuition -- and then througout the year. What freaking summer job (except driving, which is my first career) pays the eight grand my tuition costs? And I worked through my undergrad -- forty to fifty hours a week, thank you -- and still have debt.
But I guess the rubber really hits the road when I find so few people who have the same experience -- especially now, when the oilfield is so lucrative -- and meet so many people who still consider a University education a god-given right. It's not a right -- it's a purchase. As much as a new car, or a house, my education is a purchase that I have chosen to make, and it yields much higher dividends than any investment.
Just a little rant for now. I'll update about the Boy's birthday a little later.

Which Church Father are you?

thanks to Kevin for this one.

You’re St. Melito of Sardis! You have a great love of history and liturgy. You’re attached to the traditions of the ancients, yet you recognize that the old world — great as it was — is passing away. You are loyal to the customs of your family, though you do not hesitate to call family members to account for their sins. Find out which Church Father you are at The Way of the Fathers!

how I spent my summer vacation

working, mostly. But, there are some benefits to that. I work for a lawn maintenance company, pushing large pieces of equipment around for 8 or so hours a day. So, since I started work at the end of april, I've lost about 60 pounds off my somewhat corpulent frame. That may sound like a lot, but I don't think the difference between 290 and 230 pounds is the same as, say, the difference between 230 and 170 pounds. But I digress. I'm happy with the change and am going to start cardio training when work ends to ensure that I keep it off -- and hopefully lose more.

The benefit to being slightly smaller than usual (bearing in mind that I still have a 19-inch neck) is that I spent a loooong drive to Ottawa comfortably ensconced in my pal Cory's chevy sportscar. Cory's attending air-traffic-control school in Cornwall, Ontario, and wanted some company for the drive. so, yours truly tagged along. Saw some awesome parts of the country, and managed not to get arrested on Parliament Hill (I thought it would be memorable, but Cory preferred something less martial). Check out Cory's blog here.

the co-director and I are going back home to sunny southern Alberta next week, to celebrate the Boy's first birthday and see some family. Ana's starting work again the week after that, so we actually have to cut our visit short, which really sucks. Ah well -- student life again.

Anyways, here are some pictures from the Ontario trip:

Kenora, ON

The Terry Fox Memorial outside of Thunder Bay, ON

The Parliament Buildings

And the National Library.

chillaxin'

myself and the boy one saturday morning...
pardon the jammies.

I wish I could remember what they were.

So, I've begun my sojourn into the land of blogging. I hope that people can keep better track of me this way -- but also, I hope to keep track of my own meandering metaphysical musings (otherwise known as "the crap I come up with", according to my lovely co-director of contextual parenting).
I'm about to begin my second year at Lutheran Theological Seminary in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, the co-director and I will celebrate our second anniversary in three weeks, and we recently found out that our class will double in size in early March. So, if last year was a year of firsts for me -- I finished my first degree, celebrated my first anniversary, first baby, and first year of seminary all in one (and for the record, it is really NOT very fun to move 700 km with a seven-day-old baby) -- this is my year of seconds, and I hope that many of you will take this journey with me.
keep on the lookout for updated posts, pics, and musings in the future.