Be Nice to those 411 folk.

So I thought I would try my hand at the call-centre gig, and for the moment (half way through training) I enjoy it. Directory Assistance is one of those bizzarre jobs where you work to provide phone numbers as fast as possible to those who (generally speaking) are either Voice-Automated-Illiterate, thickly-accented, or mumblers. The job itself is sort of like the intellectual side of tree-planting (if there is such a thing) because speed and accuracy are the key elements. Everything about the odd keyboard we use in DA is designed toward that. The hard part is the amount of information which must be known in order to deal with all types of situations. Its a kin to the intense physical rigors of crossing swamps, climbing over trees, and enduring crazy weather systems, only in the brain. So I'll give it a whirl, realizing that I have the better end of the deal because (hopefully) these customers actually want the information I gots. So treat your 411 agents nicely, because you just might get me, and I just might not appreciate the breathing-down-your-neck-and-get-me-your-supervisor kind of angry that exists in this field.

On to bigger and better things however:

I was reading John 2 yesterday, writing out a fair bit of the passage, and suddenly my brain turned sideways, and the whole turning water into wine miracle stunned me. Here are some thoughts and observations which I am currently investigating. This stuff is craziness!

1. The jars Jesus told the servants to fill with water were used for Rites of Purification. He changes that water into great wine. Purification, wine... Something is odd here.

2. What is Jesus talking about when he says to his mom: "Woman, what does this have to do with me, my time has not yet come?" Is he saying, "Hey mom, give me a couple minutes" or is he talking about his death, or what?

In any case, the 1st question pretty much blew my mind, particularily when I looked up in Numbers that they sprinkled water of 'purification' before sacrifices and offerings were given. My take is this: Water of Purification is a physical act of what is supposed to be a heart-felt affection. The Jews tended to (and don't we do this too!) associate these commands as having effectual significance, and over time traditionalized the whole ceremony, so that it was not a true representation of what was going on in their hearts. Purifying our hearts is the issue, the water simply reminds us. Jesus changes the reminder from water into wine. What does wine represent? Joy, Happiness. Read Song of Songs, or many other passages, which talks about Wine being a symbol of a 'full life' or enjoyment. This has definitely strayed from exegesis, but stay with me for a moment. The thing which purifies our hearts is that which also enraptures our hearts. Christ. He is our purification (Heb 1:3) and our desire, our joy, our satisfying drink. Why do we take communion? What is that emblem of wine associating? Joy and Sorrow, Life and Death. Perhaps the cool thing is that Jesus made the best kind of wine, not some crappy vintage. Just like the joy he gives is the best kind of joy, because it originates out of him.

Heather and I are doing well, seeing as we worship King Jesus. I like that title. It reminds me to think of Jesus as our champion warrior, gone out to defeat the enemy's champion on our behalf. All our hopes ride in the strength of his arm, and he has a righteous right hand.

Peace friends

News

Heather and I are coming to Ptown this weekend. She works a bit Saturday, and we hope to go to Braidwood on Sunday. We hope to visit with some of you lovely Peterborough folk, take your books, clothes, and chocolate, and retreat once again to Kitchener. Beware the Andersons!

I finished at 11:40, the time here is lying

Kitchener Poem (or Rant)

Edwards' grave cries out to all this fine day,
broiling and roiling tumble tongue tying sentences
with a God-enflamed heart and brain.
Hedonistic Kristiens claiming Christian-like hedonisms
head to worship their favourite preacher, or do they head to feed on his or HER head.
When society exhausts itself in seeking happiness, in hoarding and goarding
and giga-biga biting their way along,
And the end of a life is perhaps the next step away, and the Christians gobble the idea of this
perhaps hateful word called 'access', not to mention participling it,
So that knowing is laughable, discipline is ancient, and the quiet study of the Word is not so
good as a message 'to go' before work.
Joy is Sorrow, Humility is Victory, and Truth is both Ugly and Beautiful, but never sexy.

-the bard

KW

Well, Heather and I made it. We have crash landed in Kitchener Ontario after an exciting time near Alongonquin. Heather is at school, and I am running around shopping, cleaning, cooking, and trying to figure out phone/internet/job issues. Bell Mobility folk are smooth talkers. I think it is a bizzare cultural thing that I missed. First the Employee sterotypes me as a person who should understand all of the high-gimmerick of her electronic trade. She speels out info and questions concerning what I needed, and then (with a slight grimace) realizes I didn't quite understand what she was saying, so she re-stereotypes, grabs a piece of paper, and writes everything down, explaining High Speed, DSL, and Dial-up. It kind of made me chuckle inside. In any case, I am finding out facinating things about life while residing in KW. The highway sections are like this puzzle which keeps shifting around so you never know quite how to solve it. The roads intersect eachother and then run parallel, kinda like a DNA strand. And I am finding out the value of community centres and government run programs as I type away in one. Needless to say, things are fresh, I am in the business of hunting out every internet nook and cranny in this town until I can solidify my own, Heather and I are church hunting, and I'm going to try Chiken a la King (or somesuch) for dinner tonight. I'm going to pull the greek books out and study intently this year, hopefully so I can read my GNT with affinity. I hope the TCF community is doing well, and I miss Braidwood. Church hunting begins this Sunday. We might try and check out some Christian Reformed folks. Who knows!

Gotta run, there is lots to do down here.

God speed friends,

Todd

Time

24 hours 2 mins and counting...

Yep. Singleness is dwindling...