Todd's Thoughts

Resurrection

2010-04-08T20:05:00.004-04:00

Resurrection

Sorrow creeping through the back door
Knives bringing all the guilt gore
Lives sand on a quick shore

And isn't it just easy tonight
To trade your dark for light
mystery for sight
intentions for right

Crime making callous hearts break
Mind steeling so you can take
Blind from all the people that you forsake

And isn't it just easy tonight
To trade your dark for light
mystery for sight
intentions for right
history for might
tension to divide

Oh, did the winter wash you out
Did the songbird make you doubt that you were young
Hey, does the wind go through your soul
Will you give up your control and start again

Sunrise breaking expectations
God-like bringing new sensations
Wide-eyed at this transfiguration
in me

-Todd Anderson April 2010

Getting Harder and Harder to Be Social

2010-04-05T16:46:00.001-04:00

I have not kept a regular blog. For the three or four (?) of you who actually will get this in your news-feeds, this is not new news. But I was thinking today after reading a NY Times post on the use of the word "socialize" as a transitive verb, that it is becoming harder and harder to be a truly "social" being.

What I mean is that it is difficult to develop relationships that inter-face in a medium other than technology (i.e. in real life). I am making some progress, but I find the internet has a tendency to degrade all social situations because of its all-pervasiveness.

For instance, calling my family or my friends with "news" is often redundant because I have already shared it via Facebook, Twitter, Googlebuzz, email, or something else. You pick up the phone and repeat everything you said in the email you sent two days earlier... Sort of weird.

This does not make the internet bad (though not necessarily neutral), but it does mean I have to work harder at being social, even though I can be potentially "mass-social" in an instant.

Brian Williams and Olympics Filler

2010-02-24T22:44:00.001-05:00

So, I'm not sure about anyone else, but I am getting pretty tired of the Brian Williams filler. His latest insight, regarding our Women's Short Track Relay Silver medal ran something like this:

"Well, you've got to feel good for China with the Gold and Canada with the Silver, and you've got to feel bad for those young Koreans who were Disqualified."

Thanks Brian... I feel like my emotions have been seriously manipulated.

Are We Patriotic

2010-02-20T15:23:00.001-05:00

This word, strange to the tongues and consciousness of Canadians across our country is being touted as a locus of national identity. Patriotic. That defines us - and not merely because of the 2010 Winter Olympics on home turf. This reality is merely a catalyst for the dormant (but now surfaced) patriotism emanating from Vancouver.
But, are we really patriotic? Or rather, a much more meaningful question, what is patriotism? Love of one’s country? Love of the success of one’s country? Moreover, how much of our perceived patriotism is a fad, and how much will become a defining feature of our country post-Olympics? My inclination is to say that patriotism has less to do with colours, flags and victory than we might think, and more to do with deep roots of conflict over geography.
In the light of this Olympic Winter Games, movements like “Own the Podium” seem to take the discourse of patriotism in a different direction by placing immense expectations and large quantities of money at the centre of discussions of patriotism. Patriotism, in this context, means the ability to bolster national pride and devotion through media and finances.
What do you think about the “rise of patriotism” in Canadians? Is it merely the Olympics, or is it something deeper? What does it mean for us to be patriotic?

New Song for Christmas

2009-12-12T19:08:00.002-05:00

Wrapped in Rags

There Jesus lay in the arms of virgin girl
And holds in place all the atoms of the world

The mysteries of your great love are here unfurled
Wrapped in rags the King of Ages rules the earth.

Light from above splits the sky with holy fright
There shepherds see flaming servants banish night

Years come and go, infant grows into a boy
Knocking at the door, ancient men with gifts of joy

They lay down and magnify this toddling child
King of Kings in flesh and bone so soft and mild

Hey feel the glory feel the glory written 'cross the sky

Hey see the harmony, melting harmonies drawing nigh

Then Herod slays all the children in the land
Hoping to erase the one who holds him in his hand

{edit: Thanks to a helpful tip, 'lays' in the first line should be 'lay.' Also, I forgot to include the bridge. Enjoy}

Hold the Light for People...

2009-11-06T00:02:00.001-05:00

It?s been a long year, like a sleepless night
Jacob wrestled the angel but I?m too tired to fight
Every Wednesday for two years we?ve met
I?ve showed you all my anger, doubts, and bitterness
There was no judgment in your eyes
Just the silent peace of God that felt so real in you

Will you hold the light for me?
Will you hold the light for me?

And I stay up late, cause I cannot sleep
I don?t wanna face the quiet, it?s just God and me
Cause I?m waiting for the gavel handing me the sentence down
Cause I don?t believe forgiveness or even repentance now
There was no judgment in your eyes
Just the silent peace of God that felt so real in you

Will you hold the light for me?
Will you hold the light for me?

I wanna feel redemption flowing through my veins
I wanna see with clear eyes beyond lust and hate
I want the war to be over and know the good guys won
I want love to hold me and know I?m not alone

Standing round a willow weeping
We?re praying in the backyard
And the chill of the night, the friendship light reminded me
Who we are

words

2009-09-22T02:36:00.001-04:00

My life consists very much in words. Speaking, studying, editing, writing, reading, pondering, translating words.

They keep me up at night

Idylls #1

2009-09-20T00:04:00.001-04:00

Tennyson employs some soul-stirring language in his "Idylls of the King". What stirs the soul is his grasp of the human condition. Consider the following:

Then, before a voice
As dreadful as the shout of one who sees
To one who sins, and deems himself alone
And all the world asleep, they swerved and brake
Flying, and Arthur call'd to stay the brands
That hack'd among the flyers, 'Ho! they yield!'

Have you ever been caught with your hand in the cookie jar when you thought everyone was asleep? And then your mom's shout: What are you doing!? makes you jump out of your skin. Brilliant

I was born before the Internet

2009-09-12T17:19:00.002-04:00

Some day this will be a phrase to make young people gasp in alarm.

"You were alive before the internet, grandpa?"

"Yep."

"How did you survive back then?"

"Mostly we hunted Wooly mammoths and played checkers to pass the time."

"That's not true grandpa! Boogle told me Wooly mammoths died millions of years ago."

"Who's boogle?"

A strange breed

2009-09-09T22:13:00.001-04:00

I found out today that I will be headed back to school (en route to a M.A. in English) at UW.

I paused as the excitement welled up in my heart. I have been waiting patiently (read: not so patiently) for more than two months to hear this news, and the school year starts on Monday.

I realized at that moment that most of my peers and friends rejoice just as fervently for the opposite reason.

I am happily part of a strange breed :)

Call for Captions

2009-08-29T09:30:00.003-04:00

Can anyone tell me why this guy is waving? Need a good caption here folks... I mean, honestly, the rest of the group are strutting their stuff and our guy is having a modern moment: "Oh, maybe we should get a picture of this for the scrapbook"

Give me your best shot.

Reflections on Writing Short Story

2009-08-26T09:30:00.006-04:00

Writing short stories can be perplexing, similar to a child straining to reach a cookie just out of reach. You can see it, perhaps even imagine what it tastes like, but you can’t quite get it.

Why, you ask? Here are two (2) reasons short stories tantalize authors (and readers!):

1. The Nature of the Genre is Truncated

Narratives in novel form usually have enough space to develop robust themes, scenes, characters and plot. In a short story, the author has to make sacrifices in all of these areas – some more than others. The result is a very satisfying (in a literary sense) refinement of purpose and writing style that leaves a reader groping for more.

Just when you think you are getting to know a character the story is over and you are left to fill in the blanks. This truncation forces the reader to become a quasi-detective. However, it also forces the author to be particularly skilled in his choice of words and order.

2. The Style is often non-traditional

Short stories often deviate from normal (dramatic) structures. Most of the time a reader is thrown right into the middle of the action and has to figure out what is going on. This freedom to break from the traditional method gives the genre a refreshing diversity. However, for an author, it can be equally difficult to continually re-imagine core features in a story.

You say, 3000 words isn't that bad! But mankind has always struggled to say what he means in a clear, compelling and concise manner.

God in the Dock?

2009-08-24T14:30:00.002-04:00

There is a bigger problem presented in the Bible than our need for salvation. It is God’s need for vindication. It is not merely that God’s “restraining and providential grace” (sending rain and keeping humans from killing each other outright) toward humanity is questionable – this could be explained finally in his gracious character even toward his enemies.

But, it is unacceptable that a holy God would make enemies into sons. We miss the entire point of the Bible if we try to resolve this problem by assaulting God’s character OR elevating man’s condition.

We should be most offended that God would compromise his character, and perplexed at the thought that “lenient grace” and “human goodness” do not adequately account for the story. We are trying to let God off a hook he intends to stay on; we want to pull him down from the cross – but he will have none of it.

So then, God is in a real bind to explain himself – how can he keep his integrity while at the same time restoring sinners to a robust, healthy, intimate relationship with himself?

Writers: DO STUFF!

2009-08-21T09:30:00.004-04:00

Stumbled across this dialogue the other day. Should the work of an author speak for itself, or should the author be required to promote and market his work?

But… let me say this, on the topic as a whole – you are absolutely correct, and Nathan Bransford, that authors HAVE TO DO STUFF. I’m small press published, but even after that, I’m self-marketing.

I call it the “MTV generation of writing” or “IDOL generation of writing”. Back in the day it was okay to be a good singer/songwriter. You could get a record deal. Now you have to sing, dance, promote products, look good on TV — you can’t just sing, you have to put on a show. It’s the same for writers. You have to put on the show.

Love to hear your thought!

Interesting Etymology

2009-08-19T09:30:00.002-04:00

Do you know where the word 'fact' comes from? We use the term in a variety of ways, be it through idiomatic speech (the fact is...) or technical usage ('Facts' in Science as opposed to 'Theories'). Of course, in the case of the Scientist, his chief error is that he has not done a very good job at distinguishing for the lay-person the difference between facts and theories. That however, is a subject for another post.

The word fact comes from the latin verb facio facere feci factum (remember, in Latin, there are no silent letters and 'c' is a hard sound). You can see the final form, known as the Future Passive Participle (FPP), resembles our English word Fact.

The verb means 'to do/make'. If you combine this meaning with the FPP, you get the modern sense of the word fact: something that 'will have been done/made'. With a complex verb tense like this, it may be helpful to take it step-by-step. The resulting picture is intriguing.

Think about driving a car. The present tense of that action is "He is driving a car". The past is "He drove". Th FPP is:
He will (looks to the future from the present)
have (looks from that future point back toward the past)
been driven (makes the action an 'object' rather than a 'subject')

More fluidly: If I think about arriving in Waterloo at the end of a long drive (which I will be taking in about two hours), this thought (my arrival) at this point in time, will have turned into a fact at the exact moment I get to Waterloo.

The key point is that the 'thought' I had way back before I left becomes a fact. Facts reside in our minds, not in our experience. There are no facts without thinking. You cannot talk about something being 'a fact' unless it has already come and gone in one's experience. You can't talk about the experience you are currently having as a 'fact'. Indeed, nobody does!

There are some interesting ramifications of this etymological data. Perhaps you see one? If so, share away!

Leaning Forward

2009-08-17T09:30:00.002-04:00

There is a kind of intention that suffers continually from practical set-backs. A full heart and determined jaw is no match for a crying baby, or worse yet, a lazy mind.

As a writer, I need the following two things (at least) to help keep me on track:

1. Good Friends who are also Writing

I have found this to be a prime source of motivation and encouragement as I attempt to promote consistency in my writing. For, as a good friend has pointed out, "[I am] probably not that great right now". The key, in my mind, is to face this fact directly; to acknowledge my general lack of skill relative to the genius of others and recognize that writing is like anything else - to get good you must do it.

This is why close writer-friends are an essential part of a writer's life. They can tell you two things: how terrible your writing is, and when they expect to see the next chapter.

2. Lean Forward

As much as a desire to become a 'good writer' is a healthy motivation, it is not significant enough to bring lasting joy. There are deeper reasons to want to write.

One deeper (but not yet the deepest) is love for the craft. It is more than a feeling, but it is not less. I have begun to think of it as more of a stance towards writing. It is the idea of leaning forward - a resolve to write regardless of feeling or mood, but never despite it. To write sadness and pain and boredom and elation each in its season. But not to miss any season.

non-News

2009-08-12T11:14:00.001-04:00

I have been pursuing the possibility of Graduate Studies at University of Waterloo for the past month and a half, unsure whether it is the Lord's leading or another rabbit-trail.

As it stands, I should find out in a week or two (which is good because the fall semester starts in about 3 weeks!). It is a bit of a stressful thing, since all of the information-gathering/decision-making has been compressed.

Please pray! I'll let you know how this path develops soon enough.

Munchkins

2009-08-11T22:11:00.005-04:00

If you are at all infected by Role-Playing games, be it via cards or computers, you should try the card game Munchkins sometime soon.

The premise is simple - make fun of RPG gaming in general while providing a dynamic and scintillating RPG experience without the learning curve.

The first time we played was with another couple, and my wife won.

I think the attraction of the game lies in the learning curve and the humour while the staying power lies in the repeatability and subtle strategy.

And like all of the good titles out these days it comes with a zillion expansions and spin-offs to sink your wallet into.

But seriously, who can resist putting on the boots of butt-kicking:

3 Things About # 2

2009-07-31T10:45:00.001-04:00

So the transition from 1 child to 2 children, and from a girl to a boy has been eye-opening. This, of course, is a severe understatement. Here are 3 things I am learning about this new situation.

1. My Wife is a Super-hero

If I had doubted it before, it is clear to me now. Not only her triumph over labour, but also her continued resilience to the effects of sleep-deprivation have struck me as nothing short of heroic. In addition, she can make milk out of cheeseburgers, pizza and ice-cream - if only we could find a way to reverse-engineer this process...

2. Changing a Boy's Diaper is Treacherous

It is akin to deactivating a nuclear bomb before it detonates (like in Armageddon), except that you don't know when the timer expires. So you just race through the diaper change hoping he won't go. Inevitably it is just as you are pulling the first tab over his tummy that he fires his gun... Sigh... Just this morning my son has managed to lay waste to our bedsheets, soak his mother and hit himself in the face (I'm not sure if he understands the concept of friendly fire yet)

3. Interruption is the normal mode of Operation

At this point, I have already been interrupted six times during this short blog post. It makes me shudder to think what it will be like when Calvin can't sleep through a war-zone. Let's just say, I have never been more excited about the mid-afternoon lull (1-3:30p) and will probably only get more excited as time passes.

May you always have your wits about you, and a towel handy!

A night at the Andersons...

2009-07-22T15:55:00.002-04:00

Todd waking up suddenly: "Where's the baby?"

Heather: "In his cradle."

Todd: "No he isn't, he's right here. I'm holding him!"

Heather: "That's my leg..."

New Song

2009-07-12T22:58:00.001-04:00

I haven't written very much in the last months, but tonight I wrote a song - it came like so many others do: in a flood.

Paradise

verse 1
she takes a swing he throws a punch
she throws a plate he goes to jail
and the child in the room won't stop hollering

he flags a cab and skips the bill
runs down the alley and gets robbed
she turns a pole to feed her kids
to keep them safe from the men she dances for

pre-chorus
tell me why does it not make sense?
why are all the dollars in the wrong pockets?

chorus
go with me to paradise
where the money flows like blood
and the bleeding never die
go with me to paradise
where the moth has come to steal
and the thief to rust your mind

verse 2
she moves some skin and gets a date
they get pregnant and he walks out
and the child in the womb has no fathering

he takes the better choice between two jobs
and gets laid off the following month
she's brave enough to come on out
then all her friends send her straight to hell

bridge
and you know that you're a sinner now
but you cannot see the gospel's power
with all the holiness that's in the way
telling you you're doomed and have to pay

The Dangerous Mind

2009-06-26T23:06:00.007-04:00

A mind trapped unto itself is a dangerous poison. Amidst all of the gears and screws, pins and plates runs a dark oil that lubricates dark thoughts. And that machine designed to dwell and peruse the deep thoughts of God after him - to chase God down the corridors of brooding and analyzing, computing and reasoning - it falls prey to... itself.

Just as a the gears of a clock serve the ultimate goal of proclaiming the time (in the capacity of the instrument), so too our minds are designed to clearly grasp God so that we will be properly moved to worship.

And yet, this oil remains... In fact, this oil used to be gloriously helpful in our efforts to think well for the glory of God. It lubricated our minds so that gears did not grind together, and brought a spirit of unity to the different processes so that they all worked at peak capacity to present clearly our magnificent God.

When our mind tried to replace its focus on God with itself - just to see what it might be like - that spiritual oil became dark. All of the gears begin to rearrange themselves to tell a different sort of time, and the outcome is friction and nonsense.

Left to itself, our minds are coated with crude. Every aspect of our thinking is affected so that we habitually think poorly and wrongly. What is dangerous about this situation is the bizarre condition which all of us suffer from: denial.

The reason we are in denial is precisely because we are looking at ourselves.

If a mirror could look at itself, what would it see? An endless reflection of mirrors with no substance at the end, nothing to look at.

Series on University

2009-05-09T17:51:00.003-04:00

I am writing some copy addressing university students that is slowly morphing into a series. Hopefully it will be helpful. Feel free to drop a comment on things you would like to see addressed in the series!

Freelance Writing

2009-05-05T16:45:00.003-04:00

Some of you may be aware that I was laid off from my (promising) position at AWS. Others of you had no idea I even had the job to begin with. It seems God has other plans for me, and I can only surmise that, in the very least, he means to build my character and trust in him.

My return to the job hunt has caused me to reconsider some of the freelance efforts I began in the areas of editing, tutoring and writing. I focused most of my time on the first two, with great results - I have learned a lot! I updated my professional website today to encourage the writing aspect.

Please visit the site, and spread the word. I am always interested in suggestions for places to check out, or networks to get involved in. My main goals at this point are to write consistently and acquire some freelance writing gigs.

Also, if you need writing solutions, or are interested in supporting the ongoing work of my novel Meta Man, send me an e-mail.

How to Blow your Mind

2009-04-25T16:35:00.001-04:00

Read Titus 1:1-4 and think about this:

"Eternal life is found in the preached word. You don't find out about life in the word, you find the life itself. This means that preaching is vital, that it is 'life giving'. To ignore the preached word is to ignore life."

MyBrute

2009-04-16T15:43:00.001-04:00

All I can say is... wow. MyBrute is funny stuff.

Watch out for my broadsword... Kaswhing!

Jesus

2009-03-27T00:27:00.001-04:00

I have started back into work as an irrigation dude for a company in Guelph. It looks like it will be an exciting season, and hopefully, a long one.

Already I have encountered people with lots of questions and comments about Jesus. I am struck by the tangible and blatant evidence of a perspective on Jesus that is generally thought to be widespread: he was a swell guy.

Now, I realize I shouldn't be surprised when I encounter this comment first-hand, again and again - but I am. And the reason is this: If you read any of the records of eye-witness accounts (Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John), you find out really quickly that Jesus claims to be much more than a swell guy, and he gets killed for saying so.

Examples (paraphrased):

1.
Jesus: Which good work are you going to stone me for?

Bad Guys: We're not stoning you for your any good works; we're stoning you because you make yourself out to be God.

2.
High Priest: Tell the truth; Are you the Son of God?

Jesus: Yep

High Priest (rips clothes off): We don't need any more witnesses, you have heard for yourselves his blasphemy.

This is only two examples. It is pretty obvious that Jesus claims more than just being a swell guy, or even a good teacher who helped people out. And yet, my co-workers think he was merely another nice leader. Why?

Probably because they haven't read the records of eye-witness testimony. They haven't read Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John. Or they haven't heard it. And how will they hear unless someone opens their mouth and tells them?

They won't.

..using your own voice..

2009-02-22T15:30:00.003-05:00

I am sitting here in my office thinking about something which has often crossed my mind. It is the ever-present (and age-old) tension of originality and timelessness bound up in the term "truth". Today, I am exploring a facet of this which I have explored before, but am returning to again. It is what George Herbert agonized over and what C.S. Lewis seemed to do naturally:

How do we give a fresh vision and perspective of the gospel to those around us without merely borrowing the phraseology and mannerisms of others (and thereby not feeling the weight of the vision), or abandoning the truthful proclamation of it in favour of originality?

Conservative brothers and sisters are tempted to the former, and may idolize leaders in the church or their teachings ("I'm of Paul, I'm of Apollos, I'm of Christ..."). This breeds elitism, which is subtle and extremely deadly: death by cold-shoulder is very painful. Liberal brothers and sisters are tempted to the latter, and may idolize the temporal, tangible effects of the gospel (Corinthians, again...), like freedom and equality. This breeds deletism (removal of all distinction), which is not subtle and extremely deadly.

Of course, these descriptions are a touch formulaic - the real situation is thoroughly layered. All Christians are continually being refined; some swing violently across the spectrum from one side to the other, or hop back and forth (tossed by every wind of doctrine). Other people start on one side and never feel the peculiar weight or vices natural to the other side of the spectrum (but perhaps are slow to get to the middle). All Christians, by God's wondrous mercy, will balance out, and often like a fine red-wine: with age.

What does this mean for my initial question then? The fact is, truth has both subjective and objective elements. Gasp! Dear God, what did he say? It's true. The subjective element is the person speaking or conveying the truth; the objective element is the truth conveyed. The substance of truth is never changed, but the mystery is that it cannot be detached from the communication of that truth. How do we know that there is any substance at all? This mystery: The Father begets the Son. The Son is the exact "expression" of God, who is the ultimate truth or substance. Every time God communicates himself to others, it is through his Son. The Holy Spirit reflects and embodies the utter unity of the two. This unity is so intense that it is personal, and this personal being or unity resides in all believers. God is the object, Christ is the subject, and the Spirit is the manner of our Worship.

This is why believers ought to strive to speak with their own voice. Don't worry about what others might think - simply speak and live the truth in the way you know how. All of your life and experiences were crafted so that the truth might be expressed in a unique way through you - like the formulation of a beautiful snowflake around a piece of dust.

So how do you get your own voice? I will be as practical as possible: study the word of God and pray with a seeker's heart. Listen to a wide variety of preaching and teaching from pastors and Christian leaders who elevate Christ. Finally, be mindful of your areas of expression and service. Some might express through the arts (music, painting, writing, etc...) and some might serve behind the scenes. Do it in your own voice and to the glory of God.

Bread

2009-02-01T18:36:00.003-05:00

For both of you who read this blog and wonder what I am up to - I have an exciting post in store for you today. Lately I have been making bread, lots of bread, and I want to share with you one of my recipes. This involves utilizing the 'dough' function of a bread maker and the entire process takes approximately 3 hours.

Todd's Soft Bread
(for Subs or as an appetizer - think East Side Mario's)

I. Ingredients
(DRY)
3 1/2 cups of Bread Flour
1/2 cup of Sugar
1 teaspoon of Salt
2 teaspoons of Yeast (1 packet)
2 tablespoons of Italian Mix of spices (thyme, oregano, rosemary, sage, etc...)

(WET)
3/4 cup of Milk
1/4 cup of Water
1 tablespoon of Olive Oil
1 beaten Egg

II. Directions

A. Into the Breadmaker
-Combine water and milk together and microwave for about 20 sec (or until warm)
-Pour water/milk, beat egg, and oil in breadmaker pan
-Add sugar, salt, and Italian mix to pan
-Add 3 1/4 cups of flour into pan (put 1/4 aside for later)
-Make a small indent in the flour and pour yeast into indent
-Place breadmaker pan into breadmaker, close lid, and select 'dough'. Press start
-When your breadmaker beeps, open lid and add a dash of flour (a couple of pinches)

B. From Breadmaker to Baking
-When dough cycle is complete - remove dough onto a cutting board
-Shake the rest of the flour onto the dough and knead it
-Shape the bread however you like (split it apart into multiple pieces if you desire)
-Grease an oven pan or cookie sheet (depending on what shape and size you have) and place shaped dough onto the pan; I usually shape mine like a sub sandwich
-Cover the dough with lightly greased (oil spray) cellophane wrap to assist with rising.
-Place bread in a warm environment (60-80 degrees Farenheit) for 20-30 min. If you press lightly into the bread with two fingers and the indent stays, the bread is ready to be baked.

C. From Baking to Finish
-Remove cellophane covering and pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit
-Bake bread for 20 minutes
-Remove bread and butter the top
-Switch oven to broil and broil bread for 5 minutes (for golden top)
-Remove bread and serve!

This is perhaps a little too detailed, but you get the idea. This is a softer bread with a strong italian taste. I hope you enjoy!

Facebook

2009-01-23T23:18:00.001-05:00

I'm back!

Tech Guys

2009-01-11T22:10:00.001-05:00

So, this tech guy who simultaneously fixed our internet and installed our phone is my hero. It seems the crazy splitter action and the pierced cable were not the main issue - rather the style of modem we received for our internet use was crappy. So he swapped it in for a Motorolla, shortened the cable line at the puncture and voila, great internet service. Additionally, he used a modem split off the same line our internet comes in on to patch into the phone, something I never thought they could do; works great though!

We also chatted a bit as he worked away - Hannah broke the ice with her 'oohs' and 'ahhs' over his gear and computer and bright orange/yellow overalls. Near the end of the service call, as we were testing the internet on my laptop, he noticed a Starcraft II screenshot on my background. Turns out he's a gamer, getting back into WoW a little bit. We chatted about Blizzard's awesomeness, Starcraft II's release date, and Diablo 3, while Heather rolled her eyes.

All in all, a marvelous experience. The tech guy made my day!

IKEA

2009-01-10T20:35:00.001-05:00

Well we finally got around to spending some wedding presents, in the form of awesome-possom IKEA gift certificates! Seriously though, IKEA is amazing - the wood makes me smile, the crazy designs are groovy and unique, and the build it yourself (with instructions included) makes guys like me feel like fine craftsmen.

A healthy thanks to Jared, Eunice, Mike and Melissa for your generous gift - our home is now feeling homier.

Family Devotions

2009-01-07T20:15:00.001-05:00

Heather, Hannah and I have begun a small series of Bible reading and discussion following one of our daily meals (usually Breakfast or Lunch). We are working through Daniel, and my goal is to continue to incorporate Family worship times into our lives. We started with evening prayer before Hannah went to bed, and added a musical portion to that. God has been gracious to us and given us a good deal of consistency, and I anticipate the same for this next portion. One of the benefits of reading after a meal is that everyone is there - a captive audience per se. One of the detractions is that meals can make people drowsy and less attentive. So far it has given me some insight into reading God's word and developing clear, concise points that we can take to heart as a fam. I'm having a blast doing it!

As an aside, this enjoyment has been on my mind as we settle here in Waterloo. I was driving around, scoping out the landscape, checking for job opportunities and the like. As I drove by places of business, be they automotive to numerous retail stores, I thought to myself: “I would be a terrible salesman unless I really loved the product.” This line of thinking had roots in some material we received from our neighbours – one of these money-making business opportunities with a pyramid structure. A complete scam. The DVD we watched made us laugh and shake our heads simultaneously – It was outrageous, and greed driven. These things made me think of what I truly enjoy doing – reading and thinking about, teaching, and proclaiming Jesus.

So as a family we have been looking at Daniel together. We read a section of the narrative and talk about some of the issues involved. My wife is spectacular and very perceptive when it comes to these things, so our conversations (combined with Hannah’s bubbly thoughts) have been really good.

Daddy Daughter Date

2009-01-06T16:05:00.001-05:00

Hannah and I are off to see the neighbourhood. I am about to dress her in an excessively cute snow suit and take her on her sled.

Enjoy the out of doors!

God bless

Books

2009-01-05T13:43:00.001-05:00

Heather and I just finished some major shopping as we get settled here in North Waterloo. Most of it was food, but we also picked up some odds and ends as well as a book shelf.

The last one makes me excited, because I can finally take my books out of boxes. It will be a significant step to the completion of my new office space, which includes an awesome desk that Heather found for free on someone's lawn (really long, University type desk).

I was excited this Christmas to receive some more books for my library. The following is a list of the titles I acquired this holiday season:

1. ESV Study Bible, Crossway
2. Worldliness, C.J. Mahaney
3. City of God, Augustine
4. Biblical Greek Exegesis, Guthrie
5. Graded Reader of Biblical Greek, Mounce
6. Becoming Conversant with the Emergent Church, Carson

Heather also got a copy of Calvin and Hobbes "It's a magical world" - a piece of home for our home!

Some of you will think that the book selection above places me squarely in the Geek club, and you are probably right. I am excited about these books, and I hope I use them wisely (read: for Godly purposes)

Chat at you later.

T

Unpacking

2009-01-04T16:46:00.001-05:00

So, we made it to Waterloo and are now in the middle of unpacking. We are coming across things we haven't seen since the last time we were in these parts. Exciting times!

Please continue to pray, we are pretty tired. I'll post a little later about Christmas stuff!

Incedo and Motum

2009-01-02T22:27:00.001-05:00

The latin word 'incedo' means "to move forward, to awake, march, go, enter into". In contrast, the verb 'moveo' (moti, motum) means "to move, arouse, affect, influence"

This New Year is an example of both in the lives of Heather and I - a sort of synthesis of the two ideas. There is the physical movement emphatic in the militaristic term Incedo; we march for Waterloo tomorrow - while there is also the spiritual impetus, a calling to be with a group of Christians and work alongside them. We have been moved, and we are moving - one is entirely refreshing, the other, exhausting.

Please pray for us crazy Andersons - mostly that Christ would be exalted in our time here on earth. That wherever we move to, he would move us.

Update from the Jax

2008-11-27T13:54:00.002-05:00

Reminiscent Humour

2008-11-19T19:49:00.000-05:00

I'm Maurice and I will change your oil!

for Jerry and Noah

Landed

2008-11-03T09:42:00.001-05:00

This Anderson family feels a bit more like a gaggle of grasshoppers bouncing around Ontario. For the moment, we have landed in Ajax with Heather's parents. The goal is job shopping and house clearing (we have stored a pile of junk here) before we make a leap to Kitchener.

If you were to ask me why Kitchener I might say something like "the prospects of future vocational ministry". And to be truthful, at this point in our journey, we can't be too much more specific than that. I believe God's calling on a person's life is summed up well by Tim Keller's three-fold description: do you love it, do your friends think you are skilled at it, and is there an opportunity to do it. As far as we are aware, these things are all true in relation to Kitchener.

However, as Cowper teaches us: "God moves in a mysterious way, his wonders to perform..." We ought to remember that all of the plans for our lives are designed to display God to those around us, and even to ourselves that they might come to know him and love him.

So if God's mysterious movings in our lives take us somewhere else, these grasshoppers will stretch their legs and jump again.

Make Something Out of Nothing

2008-10-25T23:05:00.002-04:00

The College and Careers group at Braidwood is currently studying a selected portion of George Swinnock's writings (thanks Stephen for preparing it) - reading the short and accessible chapters and then discussing it. What a thought provoking book! The following thoughts came to me as I read the portion titled "God is Incomparable in His Works".

Swinnock, in writing that God is incomparable as Creator, says the following:

"Man's work may exceed the matter, but man's work cannot make the matter exceed itself. But God can not only make the matter to exceed itself, - as in man, who is formed of the dust of the earth...[but] looks nothing like his parent earth, the matter of which he was made,- but also make matter: he hath brought something, nay, all things out of nothing." (Trading and Thriving in Godliness, 35-36)

These statements which are helpful in focusing the human mind on God. God is amazing and worth following because he wows us with two things: he takes dust and makes it walk, dance, sing and think, and he takes nothing and makes it into dust. We must immediately fall back on analogies, images and metaphors to help us grasp at these ideas, because the raw reality of it is so heavy. God actually succeeded in making something beautiful, perfect, and good out of nothing. That is power!

This idea of making something out of nothing latched onto my brain and I began to muse and wonder about the difference between this incomparable God which Swinnock was describing, and man. I realized that man too has made something out of nothing. The difference is: man has only succeded in making something ugly, imperfect, bad, and simple out of nothing. In a word, he has only succeded in making sin.

To explain my point it may be helpful to return to the title. I am intending a double entendre here, one which describes what God has done, and one which describes what man has done. In the first case I mean quite simply that God has done what seems impossible (or what is) to man - created matter where there was no matter. In the second case I have in mind the idiomatic sense of the phrase "make something of your life" which people use when they mean "find significance"; make something which has no significance significant in its own right or for its own sake.

This second sense has cleared up my thinking about the origins of sinfulness, and how it relates to God's sovereignty. This idea is not new, and I am certain if I sat down and thought about it I could find authors and texts which say similar things in clearer language - but this angle has been helpful for me and so I share it with you.

People often comment that Pride is the root sin which all other sin flows from, and this seems to be a wise understanding. After all it was Satan's pride which caused him to sin, and become the archetypal sinner (the "head" of sinners as it were). When Scripture describes Satan's pride (Isaiah 14:12-17) it comments on his desire to be above God, and to make himself "like the Most High" (v. 14). It is an attempt to make something out of nothing. Satan was trying to find significance within himself - a place where significance cannot exist. In doing so Satan created sin; he created something in a situation where it did not exist before. He got his wish in the sense that he became a god (an independent being) with significance which flowed from himself. However, no angel or being (as Swinnock discusses in other portions) has the ability to sustain itself any more than branch which is cut from a tree can suddenly sustain itself. Satan's attempts at re-creating himself, that is, his attempts to find a different purpose for his existence, was an excercise in making something out of nothing. However, he failed to rise up to God's standard: instead of beautiful, perfect, and good things - he made ugly, imperfect and bad things.

A weak analogy might be that of the potter. God takes clay and makes beautiful pots out of it. Satan takes clay and not only does he not make a pot, but he ruins the clay so that it cannot be used to make anything. And he did this with himself. He tried to make significance originate in himself, and instead he made himself unable to even reflect God's significance. In essence (as Tim Keller might phrase it) he "totalled" himself. If a car is totalled, it is no longer useful as a car, but it is still a car.

Like Satan, humans have followed suit and tried to make themselves gods - tried to find significance within themselves. The great news is that God has provided us a way to find our significance in Him - by throwing away our inclination to find significance in ourselves and trust that Christ has grounded our significance in God.

Sin Slaying

2008-09-28T17:47:00.003-04:00

The Bible - Matthew 18:9

καὶ εἰ ὁ ὀφθαλμός σου σκανδαλίζει σε ἔξελε αὐτὸν καὶ βάλε ἀπὸ σοῦ καλόν σοί ἐστιν μονόφθαλμον εἰς τὴν ζωὴν εἰσελθεῖν ἢ δύο ὀφθαλμοὺς ἔχοντα βληθῆναι εἰς τὴν γέενναν τοῦ πυρός

And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the Gehenna of fire. (ESV)[1]

Look at the intensity of this phrase: ἔξελε αὐτὸν καὶ βάλε ἀπὸ σοῦ Both verbs (in bold) are aorist, active, and imperative. The aorist tense lets the reader know that the kind of action which needs to take place must be complete. Jesus is saying that the part of the body which offends must be torn out and thrown away, implying that it cannot be torn out or thrown away again. If I cut my eye out, the usefulness of that eye is at an end. The active voice lets the reader know that the person who lost an eye was the one who took it out. It is not passive. This person is not a victim, and shouldn't wait to be one. Instead they should actively remove the eye if it is a cause of sin. That sounds painful... Finally, the imperative mood lets the reader know that this is a command. The ESV's rendering "tear it out and throw it away" is helpful here. It is not a suggestion, or a plea, but a command. Do it, and do it right away.

Jesus' point is simple for the mind to hold, but difficult for the heart to accept. If you are not willing to maim yourself in an effort to kill sin, your whole being will be eternally maimed.

Understanding the way sin works is a helpful step in keeping the correct perspective toward it - namely that it ought to be shot dead. Continually reinforcing in our minds how subtle, vigorous, tenacious, and untiring sin is as it seeks mastery in our lives will keep us running to Christ for salvation from it and power to overcome it. Note what John Owen said on the subject in his (highly recommended) work Mortification of Sin:

Sin doth not only still abide in us, but is still acting, still labouring to bring forth the deeds of the flesh. When sin lets us alone we may let sin alone; but as sin is never less quiet than when it seems to be most quiet, and its waters are for the most part deep when they are still, so ought our contrivances against it to be vigorous at all times and in all conditions, even where there is least suspicion.[2]

Let us strive to be active in our killing of sin, complete in our aim. Moreover, let us recognize the command of Christ to be rid of it - because it leads us to things which are much less valuable than Christ.

Footnotes
[1] See the Resurgence Greek Project
[2] Chapter 2, II. "Mortification of Sin" John Owen.

Rhetorical Observations

2008-09-26T23:09:00.003-04:00

I am currently watching the 1st presidential candidate debate between Obama (Demos) and McCain (Repubs), and the follow-up discussion by a group of analysts.

The thing which interests me first in watching these debates is the rhetoric of the two speakers. In particular I am interested in the rhetorical philosophy of the two speakers. Why? Because of James' urgent warning in chapter 3 of his letter:

4 Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.

The way each of these men spoke revealed their philosophy of governance, particularly when it comes to foreign policy issues (as was the primary concern of this debate before the economic crisis). McCain spoke in accusative and proud tones, while Obama spoke in generative and amiable tones. McCain's strategy seemed to be to demonstrate how inexperienced Obama is and would be if he became President. He then proclaimed that he was ready to take on the Presidency without any "on-the-job-training". These are statements of pride. Obama's strategy is to demonstrate that the future ought to be oriented around families, and open communication. He demonstrates this with clarity and a non-partisan spirit - the analysts thought his most important phrase was "John is right". On the surface this may seem to be a poor rhetorical strategy, but at the heart is Obama's willingness to communicate with his opponent while demonstrating how he has not gone far enough.

Watch carefully the rhetorical philosophy of these men as they move into other speeches, and note how closely it is related to their policies.

That was a deep breath

2008-09-23T15:23:00.003-04:00

I feel like a submarine surfacing after a long (and quiet) dive.

Heather and Hannah are well - the former is currently out shopping, and the later is sleeping. My girls... sigh, how quickly the time goes. Hannah is active and adventurous, willing to become involved in anything she can reach. She is very good at saying more and very bad at saying please, but that is expected since we taught her how to say 'more' first. She is very mobile now, which is why her nap time is very precious to Heather and I.

As for me, work is slow and sporadic at the moment, and has been for the past couple of weeks. I have attempted to work on TBS stuff, or job hunt to use the time wisely, but I find it difficult to switch gears from very physical work to very mental work.

Probably the most profound news is that we intend to move to Kitchener/Waterloo/Cambridge by the end of October - which is why I am currently job hunting. This decision has and will continue to test how much we rely on God, as our initial foray into the job scene has been unfruitful thus far, and I imagine the temptation to grow anxious over this and other things will only increase until we actually move.

I hope to get back to regular writing in this space, so please don't give up on me. Hopefully I can produce something of substance for your interest in the coming months. Until then, I plan on staying above water for now...

TrentU

2008-04-15T21:16:00.001-04:00

fin

...the internet is killing us...

2008-04-10T05:45:00.003-04:00

James White

Alongside working through final papers, I have listened extensively to James White in some of his youtube debates with Catholics, Muslims and Mormons. It has been both refreshing and shocking, the former because it is good to be strengthened by sound and consistent argumentation, the latter because of how poorly everyone else seems to do this. God has certainly gifted White, and I desire to imitate his humility, courage, and rigour.

Scholarship?

In pondering some of the shocking argumentation (or lack of it) presented by many of White's opponents, two things dawned on me:

1. Cross examination is a helpful way of discussing and debating.

-It allows people to fully articulate a point without being interrupted.

-It allows for direct questions (yes/no), which helps to uncover the structure of a person's argument. Direct answers to these questions are frequently avoided, and I used to think that this was because the system of questioning was stupid, and people simply did not want to be misrepresented. However, I realize now that this is simply false: you can answer yes or no. If you watch some of White's debates it is interesting to note that during Cross-Examination he first quotes something, and then uses a branding phrase like "is it your position that..."

-It forces people to examine their own statements, and thus is helpful in reshaping the way we speak (which is often like shooting from the hip).

-I have had the great joy of being involved with a community of people who come over to my place every week to study Timothy. There is no question in my mind that God speaks to us through his word. Much of what we do when interacting with the text is this sort of examination - studying the text, making assertions, defending those assertions, and applying them.

2. Scholarship and Discipline

-You are more likely to be quoted than read.

-Many people are amazing at linking and alluding, but poor at knowing. Knowing requires one to engage with material beyond the catch phrase and the outline.

-Who cares about research anymore? We have wikipedia!

Be willing to engage with the best arguments the other side provides. I am surprised by how often people misunderstand and misquote one another. Whatever happened to listening carefully? When you seek to help your opponent find and articulate the best argument they possibly can you have won the debate.

If you are able to do this you have revealed that your intentions are not wrapped up in the debate itself, but in the person you are speaking with. Furthermore, if you can articulate the opponents argument so that they exclaim "that's exactly what I mean" you are 3/4 of the way toward answering that person's objections: they will listen to you now!

Finally, if you are able to understand their argument to the extent that they exclaim in this way, you already know how to deal with it. For you wouldn't understand their perspective with that kind of clarity and still hold to your position without having a reason for doing so. The trick is, you have to go out on a limb and really understand what your opponent is saying - not just the words - but the reason they are asking the questions they ask. And that takes faith - faith that God is who he says he is, and his words are trustworthy. So study hard!

-al'Ander

ps. 1 more paper to go!

1 down 5 to go!

2008-04-06T22:27:00.002-04:00

My paper on Scott and Byron is complete. That leaves:

1. Herbert

2. Shakespeare

3. ENG 2000 Critique

4. Latin Exam

5. Philosophy Exam

Pray dear reader!

The Bridge

2008-04-04T12:35:00.002-04:00

He spanned with stone my heart,

but I preferred to swim and dine

‘midst sweet, cold fluid time,

which ‘tween us lingered by his art.

I often jumped from high

upon the solid homeward path.

Scarce ten more steps to die,

yet I leapt, fell, plunged and bathed.

Then, with a perfect dive,

(which finds its value in the fall)

He deeply drank the wall

of water keeping me alive.

“My wine is much better,”

he said, urging me ‘cross the stone.

“I won’t be a debtor,”

I cried, petrified, now alone.

As the water was drained

my anger to the bridge soon flew.

That he heard me, I knew:

he pulled me up, screaming and chained.

-the bard

This poem came to me as I sat by a window on the third floor of the library at Trent overlooking the river, and the bridge which spans the east and west banks of Symons Campus. It is my attempt to emulate two things from the poetry of George Herbert. The first is his mixing and cycling of metaphors, and the second is his ability to leave things unresolved.

the bell has almost rung

2008-04-04T10:55:00.006-04:00

Here is what is left on my scholastic chopping block:

1. Scott/Byron paper on Landscape painting through poetry
-ENG 4253h (today)

2. An analysis of George Herbert's use of the 'stone' image
-ENG 4153h (wednesday)

3. Critique of Professor's Presentations on Macumba
-ENG 2000 (thursday)

4. Shakespeare's Revisitation of MND in the Tempest
-ENG 4150 (thursday)

5. Latin Exam (saturday)

6. Philosophy 310 Exam (tuesday)

And then... B.A.

Visual Art

2008-03-13T22:46:00.009-04:00

When you think of the connection between visual sensory input and God, what comes to mind? Nature, sunsets and summits; perhaps Old Testament references to Shekinah glory, or the shininess of Moses' face after he had spoken with God. You might suggest liturgical practices of Catholics or Anglicans (or still others).

More than any other time period, ours seems to be dominated by the senses: sight, hearing, taste, touch, smell. If you were to lose one or two of these senses, which would it be? How would you rate their importance to you? I would hazard a guess that taste and smell would be the first to go. It is debatable whether or not a person could function if they cannot feel physical stimuli (how would your body know how to walk, eat, avoid things). Personally, I think sight would probably top my list in terms of importance. But why?

See-Think

Think about a green triangle. Now change the colour of the triangle to blue. What have you done? Can you see the triangle in your mind? How is this possible? Frankly, I don't know the science behind why humans represent thoughts visually, but I experience it all through the day. Think about the word house. Did you imagine an image of a house with a blue, triangle roof? Now think about the word embellish, or the number 73. Did you spell the word out in your mind? Can you see the number 73, and is it blue too? Maybe I am strange and these experiences are not your own, but I think I am likely an average human (whatever average means) and am betting you have a visual screen in your mind which stores and projects whatever you are thinking about.

The connection between thinking and seeing is profound not because it is the sense which stores information the best or the longest - it seems like our sense of smell is the winner in that department - but because the data which I receive from my eyes is the easiest and quickest to bring to mind (it may be a tie with hearing). Try to remember the texture of the shreddies you ate for breakfast. If you are like me a picture popped into your head of your groggy, bent-over body eating a mouthful of square brown stuff. The taste comes to mind too, but it seems harder to place. Or think about the smell of coffee. I bet your memory of the smell of coffee is probably very precise, but you likely saw a picture of a pot of coffee on your kitchen table. Do you remember what it felt like to pet your dog yesterday? Did you get a picture of your dog? The point here is that it is difficult to think about taste, touch, hearing, and smell without a picture popping into the mind. But you can see a picture of a triangle, or a leaf, without adding in the other senses.

What does this have to do with God?

You Can't See the People for the Church

Seeing is like worshipping in that there are no default positions; the blind man and the selfish man have the same problem, and both need a miracle. I think that C.S. Lewis was on the right track by described Hell as being unreal in the light of Heaven's reality in the Great Divorce. When you worship God with your life you are engaging in the most solid, firm, real activity possible. Worshipping yourself is the opposite; you can do it, but it is always faint, light, fleeting, and unreal. These visual terms and ideas are often what scripture uses to bring across spiritual truths. In any case, I digress.

A get together with believers always includes visual stimuli. Some things are very hard to control: the country you live in and the subsequent scenery, while some things are easier to control: colour of your pants, the walls of a building, the size of the collection plate. My encouragement/exhortation to the church would be to think through every aspect of the visual environment you are involved with. If you meet in a building, why do you use a wooden pulpit, or pews, or blinders, or stained glass, or carpet, or hangings, or ties, or cushions, or communion vessels or (insert junk drawer of visual things). Do you overlook the effects visual stimuli have on your thoughts, attitudes, emotions, spiritual posture, etc? Do you believe it matters?

As with all things, we humans struggle to maintain a balanced perspective of visual things with respect to worshipping God. The Catholics paint vivid pictures of Jesus, wear crosses with Christ hanging on them, have statues and pictures of saints everywhere. The Protestants get enraged by this and call any picture of anybody idolatry, refuse to engage artistically in imagery of any sort, and meet in the barest, most uninspiring places. The Anglicans sit in the middle wavering back and forth. This is obviously an overstatement on all counts. But, dear reader, be careful to note that both Protestants and Catholics err in this. The reason why the Catholics use visual stimuli is because it is a helpful tool for stirring up the affections and emotions toward repentance and humility and social action. The thing to be careful of is the fact that these images can become stagnant, at which point they are no longer useful for pointing us to God. So fresh art is needed to challenge and call people to repentance. Fresh effort is needed to contextualize the age old truth of the Gospel within a culture. On the other hand, the Protestants fall into the trap of thinking that we should all be visual stoics. That is, they reason that the rise of internet pornography and the blatant misrepresentation of Jesus as a "tea-drinking, long-haired, feminine hippy" (to borrow from Mark Driscoll) in much of medieval art call us to be not of the world and also no where near it. The visual dangers on the internet, and on T.V., at the movies, and nearly everywhere else one looks are certainly bad things, but since we have already established that it is unavoidable, it is better to spend our time fighting against those things with really good art about real and valuable things than to hide in a hole and close our eyes. Also, the Protestants are right that a painting can only contain one perspective of Jesus, and so it is not a faithful representation; moreover, they are right that we don't know what Christ looked like - and he was certainly not as good looking as James Caviezel. Does this mean that all pictures of Jesus are bad? No, as long as everyone recognizes that the purpose of the pictures are to point to the real thing, not to get caught up on the picture. To emphasize this, I would like to draw your attention back to the discussion of See-Think . When people preach (Jesus included) they are constantly appealing to people's eyes through metaphors in order to communicate truths. No metaphor is perfect, and they were never meant to be. The closer a metaphor is to perfection the sooner the church will split because of it. All metaphors (and the images they evoke) are meant to be pointers to real things, or shadows of things to come. To avoid using these images would mean the death of preaching, because humans are made to visualize things. Try preaching abstractly about justification without using images and you will not only put everyone to sleep in the room, but you will grossly twist what scripture says. Justification is drawn out of the legal image of the courtroom. Redemption comes from the slave-market. Regeneration has to do with dead things coming back to life. Images and visual, tangible experiences are sewn into the fabric of scripture, and pulling them out ruins the holy, seamless coat.

Living Art

So Christian artist, painter, sculptor, decorator. How are you using your gifts to capture an aspect of truth in your work and share it with the church and with your neighbours? Be encouraged, you are needed! There is (as I see it, and believe me I am as close to culturally blind as it gets) a need for truthfully provocative visual art within the church and without. Remember that you can't capture everything in each painting, but we don't expect you to (or at least we shouldn't). Above all honour God with your motives, with your heart.

Check out a recent posting from Desiring God for more thoughts on visual art (thanks Aunt Deb!), or check out a local artist with a desire to honour God in her work.

Thoughts on Ezekiel 36:23

2008-03-09T13:40:00.003-04:00

And I will vindicate the holiness of my great name,
which has been profaned among the nations, and
which you have profaned among them.

Main point: God will avenge the holiness of his name

Q. Why does he need to avenge it?

1. It has been profaned among the nations. Implied is the idea that the nations are the ones doing the profaning (treating with irreverence). They mock God’s holiness.

2. It has been profaned by God’s own people. Not only do the nations disrespect the holiness of God’s name, but God’s own people do so. Moreover, the nations profane God’s name because God’s people do so.

And the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Lord GOD, when through you I vindicate my holiness before their eyes.

Main point: The nations will understand that God is who he says he is: real, personal, and altogether different. He brings about this understanding by avenging his holiness through his people.

Q. How does God avenge his holiness through his people?

1. By making God’s people holy. Setting people apart in the following ways:

A. A new nature – no longer characterized by a natural bend toward self but rather a bend toward God; new thoughts, desires, and actions.

B. A new mission – spreading God’s fame (in this case the holiness of his name) among all the nations, rather than spreading their own fame.

C. A new approach – believers characterized by giving, self-sacrifice and love. Holiness conquers through weakness not strength.

2. By making the nations see God’s people as God’s people.

A. Must be among the nations for this to occur.

B. Must be in relationships so that the nations understand that God’s holiness is on display and is avenged.

Valentine's Day Restaurant

2008-02-16T08:19:00.003-05:00

So, for Valentine's Day Heather and I went to a small wonderful restaurant near the downtown core of Peterborough. It is called Eros Eon (I know a tad odd/weird). However, the atmosphere was perfect. Not only was it quiet and warm, but it had that touch of being familiar all at the same time; there was soft grassy-jazz playing in the background which helped to set the mood. Heather and I decided to order the same thing for a change (something we don't often do because Heather loves taste testing), which was a fairly large Caesar salad, followed by marinated pork side ribs with mixed veggies and creamy mashed potatoes on the side. We ordered a fairly unusual drink called Uncle Tom's Sweet Cider, which had a pleasantly smooth taste, and a round bottom. Finally, for dessert we ordered cheescake with hot fudge. Cheescake is perhaps one of my favourite desserts, so I thoroughly enjoyed it. The service was great, and the price was reasonable (considering Valentine's day). If you get a chance, check it out!

Feeling is the new Thinking

2008-02-16T00:24:00.001-05:00

It is the new phrase going around: "I feel like this is the case". People still use the age old term "I think this or that", but increasingly the idea of feeling something slips into this culture's vocabulary. I would like to think through some reasons why this might be the case.

Right off the top I would suggest that this whole phenomenon is subconscious; in other words, most people either don't realize they are using the word "feel", or don't see a difference between it and "thinking". So why discuss it? Simply because there are implications and signifiers of what our perspective on life is in our use of language. Moreover, this particular linguistic shift is indicative of a cultural shift in attitude which may be a wonderful avenue for conversation and evangelism. We have become a nation of barks, so much so that our teeth have evolved to merely resonate the noises coming from our throats, making them useless as teeth. Try asking the odd person to explain what they mean in a resonable way. This is obviously not a perfect generalization, but I think it is helpful for this particular discussion. By and large, the result of a man-centered outlook on life gradually detaches meaning from everything, which also makes everything that person says difficult to understand and difficult to prove. But, I digress. I would like to show that the up and coming phrase "I feel like this" is a subtle indicator that men and women are attempting to further shield themselves from questions like "What do you mean?"

Thinking versus Feeling

Thinking about something in its own right has been dilluted in the common speech to indicate a ghostly remnant of what it once meant. To think about something in the strict sense generally implies an ability to engage the mind, using all of its various abilities for an extended period of time about a particular thing. In the common speech I interact with (and use) thinking has taken on the lighter conotation: "this just came to me and so I thought it is worth saying". Now, this is not always the case, but I find myself frequently abusing (or at least adapting) the word think to suite the ends of the latter statement. Mostly it seems to appear as I try to get a word in edgewise in conversation, or as I attempt to go beyond what the person previous to me has just said. I would label this "Snap-thinking", and recommend that it be viewed in its rightful place. There seems to be serious error in my listening skills when I engage in this sort of thinking, mostly because the intention of my heart is not to ponder what another person has said and make a substantial reply, but rather to be esteemed in the eyes of others; mostly we see this sort of thinking in the realm of jesting and wittiness. I must be careful to point out that Snap-Thinking places heavy emphasis on stream-of-thought speaking such that as soon as the brain has thought it, the mouth spews it forth. There are times when I think it is necessary to think quickly, or act quickly, or speak quickly. I am not talking about these situations in general, but rather the times when the heart's intention is merely to talk and be heard. The proper sort of thinking is the kind which works through the object being thought of, bringing to bear reason, logic, perceptions, truth, feelings, desires, and actions.

The idea of feeling connects itself to the heart immediately. To feel a certain way about an object identifies it with either love and hate, and all of the emotions which go with these two (fear, desire, delight...). The fascinating thing about feeling something, or being affected by it, is the intricate position this aspect of human life has with regard to action; Human beings do not have the capacity to act without feelings being engaged. It is true that feelings find their object in the mind, but it is false to think that feelings or affections can be dropped from the process of action. The road to action leads through the mysterious woods of the affections. It is true that there are rotten parts to that forest, and parts filled with darkness. Moreover there are many places filled with snares and cobwebs which twist the traveller's perspective on the forest itself. But, there are beautiful parts too: clear, powerful trees in refreshing groves, rooted in zeal. The purpose of the affections is to stir someone to act. The cold truth analyzed, deciphered, projected, and memorized has no power to move a man to action, except only that it be the object of one's affections. To make such a fine distinction between knowing something, and feeling a certain way about it is perhaps a foolish thing, since humans tend to formulate feelings toward things as soon as they have a clear idea what that thing is (and sometimes even when we don't have a clear view). The difference in time, for all intents and purposes, is virtually imperceptible. So why rip these two things apart, call them separate, and make a long deal (if not a big one) about the way people use the words feel and think interchangeably? The main reason is that they have different functions. You don't feel the way you think. Thinking is the contemplation of an idea; Feeling is the perspective of it. Your actions are an outflow of that perspective. The reason feeling is creeping into the realm of thinking is because people are gradually becoming less concerned with knowing the true nature of things, and gradually more interested in developing perspectives. Knowledge really comes down to understanding the true nature of something. Post-modern thought is not interested in that anymore. So the function of the mind is slowly being replaced with the function of the affections: the stirring device or the catalyst. I guess you could say that people are addicted to feeling quite apart from what the object of those feelings. But this never really works. Feelings have to be based on some idea of the mind. But by focusing on feelings one is able to distract, guard, or blind himself from introspective questions like "What do you mean?", which is really a truth question. "How do you feel" is much more relative, and easier for the modern mind to digest.

As I mentioned at the beginning, the "feeling as the new thinking" paradigm is largely subconscious, so I wouldn't suggest an opaque confrontation as a method of developing conversation, or friends. But, think about how you use the terms "think" and "feel" when you speak. How often, when you say you feel a certain way, are those feelings accompanied by actions?

Writing

2008-02-13T14:18:00.004-05:00

I am well into my draft of "feeling is the new thinking" a piece I hope to finish when I get some time to breathe from more pressing Trent papers. I have chosen for one of my courses to write an interpretation of a Shakespeare poem using the deconstructionist approach. It should be fascinating, mostly because I think deconstructionism is, as Paul Martin would say, hoogly! I think there is something helpful about understanding the inner workings of the other side however, which is why I am attempting this paper.

Beyond that I am still being headlocked by the decision making part of my brain (brain locked?) concerning where this little part of the Anderson clan should go in the coming months. I Gotta do what I've been given to do, and not get distracted! God has a purpose, and for now all I can discern about that purpose is my incredible need for patience.

Some of the writing I have been doing in between my more critical posts appear in Todd's Writings (short story developments), and Pakistory (imagination builder/releaser). If you haven't seen anything posted here in a while, I have likely been doing some work in one of those areas.

Write at you later,

Todd

Thoughts on Structuring a Community of Believers

2008-02-07T08:46:00.000-05:00

These ideas have been growing on me as I consider what it might be like to lead a community of believers, or start one, or pastor one, or all of the above. Mainly it is my attempts to deal with what I perceive to be issues ailing the church in Canada, more specifically, in Ontario. There are many who have begun this sort of thinking in what is known as "Emergent conversation"; this is my contribution to the dialogue.

I want to begin by outlining what I perceive to be one of the core issue facing churches here in Ontario. Simply put, it is a loss of the missionary mindset. The root of this, as with everything, is a loss in our understanding of who God is, and who we are. Without a clear view of God and our sin, we are unlikely (read: unable) to get anything right, be it doctrine, action, music, art, etc. But why do I say the missionary mindset is such a big deal for Ontarians?

By missionary mindset, I mean: A person who has at the core a deep desire for the kingdom of God to be manifested wherever he/she is while recognizing that Christ is coming to inaugurate that kingdom in an eternal sense very soon.

Practically speaking, this requires a re-thinking of some of the cultural attitudes we have adopted from Ontario, as well as some of the Biblical tradition we hold to at this time. Re-thinking does not mean changing, but it does mean being willing to change something if it doesn't fit. So what cultural attitudes or biblical traditions don't fit?

Culturally speaking (and most Christians would agree with this), materialism must be squashed in our hearts. This includes not only the desire for newness or new things for the sake of newness, but also re-ordering the way we think about what we have in general. It means taking time to ask about the use and value of all of the things we have (and possibly cherish) with relation to God and his mission to save people. It is truly a frightening endeavour. I say frightening because once you have begun to look at what you own with this mentality; you no longer become the primary decision maker with regard to what you keep or what you get rid of. In my experience of this, it has often shown me where my heart truly lies: an embarrassing thing indeed!

Alongside our perspective of things, our culture has graciously bestowed upon us a healthy dose of ego-centrism. We didn't really need the encouragement, but then there it is. Unfortunately, it has become such a virtue in our culture that you are truly fighting against the ability to be understood if you order your life against this idea. The reason this is the case is because the "self-as-god" perspective has two fascinating characteristics in terms of the common person. First, it exists as a part of a pantheism, not unlike the Greek gods of old. Each person is a little god in comparison to someone else. When you boil it down it means that each person's perspective is equal on whatever issue because everyone is a god. Obviously there are some gods which hold more sway than others, and gods tend to migrate to certain ideas and beliefs, such as Christianity or Feminism, or whatever else. The godding of the human race is as old as the human race. The twist for our time is the second characteristic of the self-as-god perspective. All of this takes place at a masque. You know, one of those mid-17th century balls, where everyone gets dressed up and wear masks over their faces. A gem of high society. The sort of masking which takes place in these days is a severe cultural masking. For the individual, the mask usually takes the form of "general goodness", which should probably be more acutely described as "relativity". Most people, if they were honest, would tend to look at their social sphere and connections, and count themselves as doing "pretty good". And because, deep down, these individuals think of themselves as being autonomous gods, the mask sticks. These sorts of horizontal (with mankind) comparisons epitomize the coping method of choice in this day and age. "I am not as bad as that guy" or "I'm a pretty decent person" or "Well I have not done this sort of thing" or (increasingly) "That's good for you, I'm glad you are into that. It's not for me though..." That last one in particular seems to be the rally cry of my generation. In the end it is still a comparison between humans which puts a mask over the fact that our souls have established themselves as little gods. I think, generally speaking, the human soul would be horrified to see the state of his affairs, if he beheld it truly. They may not repent, but they would be shocked. He would probably be shocked that he had made himself into a god in the face of the God. Sadly though, many don't even realize that this is what they are doing in their lives. Culture has effectively masked these things from their souls. And Satan does everything in his power to keep this culture alive and well. So wherever the Christian turns, Culture will always be tainting all of the aspects of its being: art, literature, relationships, laws, gender, roles, etc... This is not helpful when we are trying to put on a missionary mindset. How do we reach such people?

What about biblical traditions? Surely traditions have merely increased or enhanced the missionary mindset! Some things, perhaps, have been useful. Others, not so much. Remember what I said before, that we must be willing to change if needed. This requires thinking through what we do as Christians week to week.

Preaching – Good idea, bad idea? It has been around for a long time, and it is commanded by Christ in the great commission (Mark 16:15) where the word (or idea) proclaim is used. The idea is to herald or cry out in the streets. It is a command, but what should preaching look like? What does it look like now?

Discipling – Also part of the great commission (Matthew 28:19), with the same force of completion as preaching (both are in the aorist denoting completed action). And the idea of a disciple seems to translate into our culture as a profession. Note what disciples do: They become pupils of a certain person, and in the ancient world (especially the Hebrew world) this is a lifestyle. This is the idea I would like to unpack a little bit more, as the main goal of missionary minded people. First and foremost in the heart and mind is the idea that I am a professional Christian. What does discipleship look like in our churches right now?

The Church “Service” – This development of people constructing a building where everyone can come together and worship God has been around for quite a long time. Sometimes it is in a very ornate and elaborate form (Roman Catholicism and some forms of Anglicanism), and other times it is merely walls and a roof. More than the building though, what about the way we design our meeting times? What about the whole discussion about the audience, and public participation (which seems to be a point of discussion for emergents)? Is the form of our community one which encourages everyone to have that missionary mindset; does it encourage everyone to think about eternal things rather than temporal ones?

Let us return to this idea of being a professional Christian. One of the key features of such a lifestyle must mean we think intentionally about doing our job. Unfortunately immediately when we think of a job, the idea of leisure comes into play. If we apply that model to the Christian life we find the Christian taking moral breaks from his everyday job. I don’t think we need the help in such an endeavour, for our natural inclination is to take moral breaks all the time. Instead, this Christian profession must be our skin. It is what we live in. It is what we breathe, write, paint, speak, swim, and sweat. Ultimately being a professional Christian comes before every other occupation. In a sense, all other lines of work are merely “tent-making” jobs, which allow one to remain with a group of people, in order to proclaim Christ. So think intentionally about things. Why go to university? Why study Chemistry? Why become a carpenter? Why a lawyer? Why a homemaker? Why a missionary?

What would it be like to live in a community which saw themselves first and most importantly as professional Christians, and secondly as business people, machine operators, teachers, etc., with the secondary occupations supporting the profession? I think it would be different from culture in Ontario. It would never be perfect, but I think it is what honours God most (i.e. what represents Him best to everyone around, what reveals that we cherish Him beyond everything else). My concern in this paper is to discuss practical thoughts about the structuring of our churches, but all of the things I have discussed so far are relevant. Before I get to those structural thoughts, let me first say that no structure is universally helpful. This is because structuring things inevitably ties it to a culture and a time period in history. Some structures may be more helpful or needful for Canadians than for Americans, or Africans; to be more specific, some structures may be more needful for Ontarians in the GTA and Golden Horseshoe, than the Balochi people group in Western Pakistan/Eastern Afghanistan. More than this though, every structure fails to provide what is absolutely needed for anything spiritual to happen, let alone for the structure to work. Did you catch that? The formation of a way of living only works if God’s Spirit is the one working in people’s hearts. There are some ways of living which align themselves in such a fashion that they are never helpful for living a godly life. There are others which are exceptionally good. Both are in the same boat without God’s hand at work. And that is why I would always stress internal heart matters (i.e. being intentional for God!) over structure change.

With those things in mind, let me unpack some structural ideas:

1. Commitment to Proclamation in the form of a lecture
-I think preaching is a wonderful thing and God has worked powerfully in my life as a result of sitting and listening to a 1-1 ½ hour message. For Ontarians I think it is helpful because it combats RADS (Rapid Attention Disintegration Syndrome) by building into people an ability to both listen and think critically about a topic for a lengthy period of time.

2. Trans-Generational Mentoring
-Depending on where you are at in the emerging church movement (and believe me you are somewhere in it dear reader) the community of believers you interact with either do this poorly or are doing it well. This is to say that there is a wide spectrum here. I am concerned not only with the idea that older and younger people get together on a regular basis to discuss, talk, write, and enjoy time together in Christ, but with the idea that everyone in the community does so, and does so in very specific terms. Possibly one of the hardest things for Ontarians to grasp is the idea of committing oneself to something through trial, pain, and uncomfortableness. Heck, we can’t even stand to be uncomfortable. In some churches, any sign of discipline, or any hint that someone might address a personal issue in one’s life, and they move on out. Now, our current remedy is to design things so that no one really gets to know one another, which as I said before is an issue which stems from the heart, and that ought to be fixed. However, I think there could be some structural improvements too. I think the idea of “very specific terms” captures what I am getting at. What about the idea of one elderly man (55+), one mid-aged man (30-55), one younger man (20-30), and one teenager (13-20) getting together. The major question is: What do we do with such a large generational gap? Go out for coffee, study God’s word, play a sport. All of those things are valid, and everyone of those age groups needs the other age group (I won’t go into too many details about those dynamics). The key, however, is that, within the group each man feels equally loved, needed, and cherished. Without this it breaks down. From here I would develop ideas for interaction: things like the younger men preparing small papers or lectures which they might present at a get together, everyone joining in and critiquing content and form; or older men leading everyone in a seminar about a certain topic. I need not go into it too deeply, because people can be creative. The point is it ought to be trans-generational and there ought to be a bolstered feeling of equality (not that everyone’s opinion on each matter carries the same weight, but that everyone is valued…) This kind of community base leads into:

3. Gift hunting
-One of most discussed topics, but maybe the least understood. I think structuring a community of believers so that they may recognize and develop gifting is a necessary part of the Christian lifestyle which may be missing today. This flows out of the commitment to a trans-generational setting. Consider how your community of believers goes about encouraging and developing people’s skills, talents, and abilities. Do they even know about them? Do your gifts even fit the structure of the church (i.e. does a gift in writing or visual art get used?) I think gift hunting is a helpful mentality to cultivate, because it forces people to constantly reflect on what skills and gifts they have, and how they are using them for the Lord. A trans-generational community like the one mentioned above may be a helpful setting for developing such skills: men and women writing, reading, drawing, singing, serving, teaching, and challenging one another. Moreover, the younger people can be better counseled about a vocation which best suits them, and which best allows them to continue with a missionary mindset.

4. People Oriented
-I think the sort of Christian community I am discussing, in order to stay true to the great commission, must be intentional about the people they plan to reach out to. And intentional in this sense means a good deal of praying, thinking, and planning about short term and long term issues. Most of all, the Christian community which seeks to grow and thrive within a particular people group must constantly fight to keep an eternal perspective. It is true that they must become part of the culture to be effective. The danger is when culture alone informs the way people think about things, such that you get whole churches which are entirely materialistic. Keep that intentionality focused on a particular people group.

This is (to borrow from the emergent vocabulary) a conversation. It is merely a growing range of ideas which may or may not take shape in the future, but which I crave, and I think, others whom I spend time with crave as well. Here are a few final thoughts on how to develop this sort of structure for a church. First, as always, pray that your own heart will be transformed by the gospel, so you really understand who God is, and desire to live your life wholly unto him. The next thing to do is start something up within the structure you have. Talk with a group of people at your church you might be interested in starting a group with, and set something up. My only other thought is to grab all of the people who are like-minded and go somewhere, plant a church, and apply such principles. Anyone interested?

May God bless us as we think through how to live our lives before Him.

Reasons for Indecision

2008-02-06T17:24:00.000-05:00

This was part of an online letter (I would use email but common use of the term seems to impart the definition of "short", which this email was far from) I wrote which concerned the future happenings of the Andersons. This part had to be relegated to an attachment because it strayed too far from the main thrust of the letter, but it was helpful in that it allowed me to think through what some of the reasons for indecision might be. In any case, I hope it may be helpful for your thoughts.

I believe the first reason for indecision is a generational disposition (and perhaps a cultural disposition at that) toward oscillating between two things. Or more precisely, it is the tendency of my age group to jump to new or fresh ideas at an alarming rate. I don't bring this up to pass blame but to recognize some of these deeply learned tendencies within myself and change them. Some examples of this tendency are the massive entertainment industry, and even within that, the burgeoning entity called 'video games' which are churned out and chewed up by consumers like me. I think the main features are a dislike of things which cannot be replayed or redone, and a love of creative or new things merely for the sake of newness or creativeness. In my life it tends to rear its ugly head in a general "I would rather not make decisions" sort of way, which is not a helpful starting place. The key to overcoming this type of indecision is to simply acknowledge it and commit myself to moving beyond it by making decisions. The more positive experiences I have simply making decisions (in an appropriate way) the more I unlearn this "deeply learned tendency", and promote a better tendency.

I think the second reason for the indecision is my stage of life. About to finish my undergrad, and with no clear practical experience working in the vocations I am interested in, it is no wonder I go back and forth between them. Everything I look into always requires me to project myself into the situation. If it is scholarly English work, I try to think through how I would like writing papers about a particularly specific English topic for the rest of my life; how I would like teaching students at a university setting. On the other hand, if I think about pastoral work, or scholarly Biblical work, I think through whether I fit as an orator, a people person, and a studier of God's word. Whenever I attempt to project myself into these two things my thinking falls short because I don't really know what it is like. This is a problem for decision making because it effectively paralyzes all of my attempts to make decisions. This paralysis really boils down to a fear of God closing a door right in my face; I would much rather see the doors closing from a removed position, and make decisions that way. It is less painful. The key to overcoming this is simply to make a decision; to go for something, and wait for God to work.

Another reason for indecision, closely related to the second, is the contemplation of my skills, giftings, desires and abilities. The point I have taken from the following analysis is the opposite of the point I took from the second, and really joins in the cure of that paralysis. This is what I mean: In thinking about what gifts and skills I have I discover that (given opportunity, training, and humility) I am well equipped to do either type of vocation. Though natural talent and gifting is helpful, I would say that preaching takes a lot of effort and work to become proficient at, just as in the same way writing takes effort and work. So in once sense, I don't know which to choose, or at least, I can't make much of a decision based on affinity (sometimes I wish it were a decision between an astronaut and something else... it would be easier!). In another sense, I don't have to rely on this as the deciding factor for making any decisions, since I could see myself being trained in one way or another.

Fear seems to be the most immediate and potent reason for indecision. This fear takes many forms, but these are the central ones: fear of not being able to provide for my family, fear of failure, fear of cutting off options, fear of the unknown. The first is fairly obvious, but still burdensome. The second, fear of failure, has more to do with failing without recovery than just failing. It has the sense of, "I risked what I had, and I lost, and now I have nothing". The fear of cutting off options is closely linked, but asserts itself as the ideology of this culture. I think to myself "If I do this, then I will cut off any road which might have led to that. You want to keep your options open..." I think the fear of losing options is linked to the sort of wordly wisdom which tries to masquerade itself as shrewdness. The fear of the unknown is perhaps my ultimate stumbling block. "Not knowing" is something I struggle with, particularly with regard to decisions or jobs. All of these things have a temporal aspect underlying them, which is the key (I think) to getting past them and making decisions about life. However, I don't take these lightly, because they are really normal cautionary systems which my sinful nature has taken to the extreme. It is good to be careful to provide for my family, or to work hard to be successful. It is often good to have options in life because it allows one the freedom to serve in different facets. And there is something hard-wired in the male psyche which causes them to plan for the future, to consider carefully where everything is leading.

Resurgence

2008-02-04T21:02:00.000-05:00

This week may bring some changes to this little family. I won't go into details until something has happened, but I think I am feeling a resurgence of some variety.

I am hoping to dive back into my New Testament Greek studies, and I am surprised and excited that the folks over at MarsHill in Seattle have been kind enough to work on and provide a wonderful tool for learning Greek, or continuing in it. I recommend looking at what they have to offer whenever you are looking into the Greek of a passage. Some of the helpful things include vocab lists, flashcards, and study tools which analyze how often a word appears, how often a tense appears, or how often a case appears in a given passage. Definitely useful!

For all of my regulars, I have a great deal of drafts on the go, both on this site and in my mind, most of which revolves around future plans and the struggles involved with killing yourself to save yourself.

but i dont want medication
just give me liberation
even if it cuts my legs right out from underneath
dont give me medication
i want the real sensation
even when living feels just like death to me
-derek webb

Happy New Year

2008-01-01T11:02:00.000-05:00

and carry on...

Guitar

2007-12-22T23:39:00.000-05:00

For a while now I have been searching for a quality 12-string guitar. On my birthday this year my family pooled their resources to make that search viable. For the past month (interspersed amidst papers and exams) I have been doing some serious research in this vein. I came across Taylor in the beginning as an outside option, favouring a 12-string Larrivee I had played a couple of times at Bud's (mainly because my 6-string is a Larrivee). I soon found that the attraction of the Taylor (as much as I had heard, not played) was the bright tones across both the high and low end. As a comparison, Martin guitars tend to be muddier in sound; a delightful mixture of the strings which accentuates rhythm and low end so one gets that blue-grassy feel. Against this Taylor sounds "tinny" which until I had a chance to sit down and play one, was an unattractive quality.

The picture above is of a GA3-12, the lower end of Taylor's new acoustic 12-string lineup. It is a wonderful guitar, and it changed my opinion and my vocabulary from tinny to bright. The brightness of each string is a great fit for my developing style, which I would describe as somewhere in between rhythm and finger-picking: picking through chords.

In any case, God is good in his gifts. But how to use them? The answer is not difficult, but sometimes the doing is. So here is to God to keep the use of this machine in its proper place!

School over Christmas in

2007-12-22T10:22:00.000-05:00

Well the ending of paper-time has passed like the ending of a furious fight: with the winner still punching or kicking before they realize it's over. However, it is over, and the results are better than I expected (excepting delays from UPS).

Bring on the Christmas craziness!

Finishing Well and Starting Well

2007-12-11T19:17:00.000-05:00

My brain is in heightened percolation mode. Last essay of the year, and my retinas are close to being fried from laptop over-stimulation. Besides that there is not much to report, except for:

this!

congrats :)

shortest exam ever...

2007-12-08T20:24:00.000-05:00

Well, I just finished perhaps the shortest, and quite likely the strangest, exam in the history of my trent career. Ask Jerry about it. 20 minutes, and probably less than 200 words in total, and I was picking up my green satchel, my coat, and my sharpened pencil, heading out the door, and driving home. Maybe I flunked it, but something tells me (the prof. I suppose) that the shortness of the test does not belie ignorance.

In any case, things are almost done for this semester. 1 paper, and 1 exam left.

I am looking forward to that feeling of completion. I think it is what Humans were made to long for.

It's funny when inspiration knocks...

2007-12-06T22:34:00.000-05:00

Amidst my second-last paper, during a short break, I wrote up this song. I believe I have some more work to do on it, perhaps another verse, and definitely some transitions, but it has fairly accurately captured what I hoped to capture.

Face

There are words that I have longed
to say with my real soul
There are times when I have gone
over to the illusion

'Cause I change my mind
Just like I change my face
What is underneath
All this plaster and clay?

If goodness is a brick wall
I've smashed my head upon it
If it lurks at my core
Then I must be made of cold

But I see you in the night, wielding nothing but the light
I swear I've never had a face, until I'm looking at your grace

al'Ander

What am I up to you ask?

2007-11-27T17:16:00.000-05:00

Writing. Here's what's left in this year's campaign:

Assignments - 1
English 2000 (Dec. 3rd)

Essays - 4
Romance Linguistics (Dec. 3rd)
English 2000 (Dec. 6th)
Philosophy of Religion (Dec. 7th)
Shakespeare (Dec. 10th)

Tests/Exams - 4
Philosophy of Religion (Dec. 4th)
Latin (Dec. 8th)
Early Modern Philosophy (Dec. 8th)
Romance Linguistics (Dec. 14th)

So, I am busy, but so is everyone else! Nose to the grindstone folks; and a prayer for more discipline. God is good! I'll try and comment after the war is over this semester. Hopefully some of my pencils survive...

al'Ander

Friends, Communication, and Burning Bridges

2007-10-18T12:51:00.000-04:00

So I am currently working on a fairly short essay (by English standards) in the bottom of Bata. Having been sidetracked by my bladder, I returned to my seat with thoughts of 'catching up' on the latest, greatest, and in-between-est, of all my aquaintences, friends, and others whom I have connected with through the illustrious facebook. Half an hour later I have downloaded upwards of thirty peoples current data to my brain's mainframe, and now I am content (read: bored) to return to my paper. En route, my mind stumbled accross a chilling thought about my personality, which I broadened and abstracted to make (momentarily) less painful. It came to me, more or less, in the form of this question: How would you evaluate the way you communicate with people? More specifically (and painfully): Do you tend to burn bridges, and stand amazed that others are able to keep up (what at least appears to be) vibrant relationships with a host of people?

You see, for me, facebook is both a crutch, and a frustration. It allows me the appearance of friendliness, and (at an extreme) promotes pride at the sheer volume of information I can access about people. I tend to be a Fox by nature (and how ironic it is that my name means just that!). In this context it means I will often be aware of what is going on in a person's life, moreover have skill enough to converse with a person on their terms, with enough rhetoric to seem genuine, and enough warmth to invite confidence. What is frustrating, is the sinful part of me which uses these gifts and means as a way to evoke the praise of men. For I have found that there is some internal praise that a person may ascribe to another, which, though not always vocalized, can be perceived in body language, demeanor, and degree of confindence; this I crave. Perhaps it flows from a general fear of man, which is possibly as deep a root of sin as can be described.

Facebook then, is not to blame, for the connective power of the program is both stunning and useful. Used properly, it helps maintain relationships. Used improperly, it is a vat of gossip.

To turn the thought back to my original question, Facebook ultimately represents a catalogue of burned bridges which have been rebuilt. The problem now, is that there are too many people. There is not enough time to re-develop all of these relationships, but I am left in a kind of 'limbo' status, because of the immediateness, and up to date information available in this social tool.

Now that my fingers are warm, I think I'll get away from this brooding and back to my essay.

What do you think?

Birthdays

2007-10-11T16:25:00.000-04:00

Today is my brother's birthday. Now sporting the fashionable age of.... umm... 19. Woah... Well there it is, just staring you in the face. Happy Birthday Caleb. We'll have to do something this weekend, you know plan ahead and tennis it up, or finish that rpg.

don't worry, I'll call.

Unfortunately I don't have enough battery life for something profound, so I'll just tell you in person, and leave the myriads of readers in suspense.

2007-10-04T14:02:00.001-04:00

Time is the corkscrew of glory

Half drinking that sweet wine;
Half defending it. The swelling,
Bubbling light tastes like God.
‘tis plugged by a porous man-God.
Explaining and confusing, stumbling
And making drunk the people, who:
Either, sinking their teeth into him,
Break their jaws with a pull,
Or, safely detach him with a
Church key, and hammer back
The incomprehensible.
The table is ‘bused
The cork is not mused.

-the bard

Hannah Poem - I

2007-09-20T22:34:00.000-04:00

I

There once was a girl named Hannah
who wouldn’t eat her peas.

She stomped her feet and puffed her cheeks
and hit her hands on her knees.

Her mommy exclaimed, “O dear, O no!
why is Hannah acting so?”

Her father mused, “Hmmm hmm, hum hum,
I think I might have to spank her bum!”

With that, little Hannah, being bright, and quick,
picked up her spoon and took a lick.

At first, the taste produced a grim face,
but then she dropped her biased case.

The peas were yummy with a bit of butter,
so much so, that she asked for another

plate.

by todd and heather anderson

Humorous family Things

2007-09-12T18:35:00.000-04:00

My inlaws are down to visit, and to take care of the baby while Heather and I scoot off to a TCF event. We were trying to decide what name Hannah could call Terry (Heather's father). He is not into the whole 'grandpa' thing yet. So we were cruising around looking for quality Japanese names.

We started out looking at the Japanese name for grandpa, which didn't want to stick. So we looked up alternatives. We came accross 'Hiro' which means wise. And then we found this gem:

Toshihiro Intelligent + wise

Heather's mother's comment was: 'That won't do...'

In any case, it was a quality moment in family happenings.

Gotta run.

T.

All things Scholastical Part I

2007-09-12T13:47:00.000-04:00

Ablatae

I breathed upon my Latin text
And felt the flesh of grammar rise.
A substantive thought flew
out of a beloved, dead language.
Languishing nearby, I touched
the hands and feet ablatae
Which tool the useless
And empower beings to limit

If they find your name
You are no longer infinite.

-the Bard

The thought behind this poem connects fairly intimately with Latin grammar, but is hopeful not too inaccessible. The focus of the poem is on the invented (or at least unknown to me) word 'ablatae'[pronounced ab-la-tie], which is a reference to the adverbial case in Latin; The word is in the possessive form [ie.the porkchops of the sailor], and I am playing around with some fairly abstract metaphors concerning how language works.

Basically I am pondering how language is both necessary, and limiting. By letting language rules go slack in culture, we often see msn chat, slang increase, and multiple (sometimes contradictory) meanings of words. In order to have a discussion with someone it takes more effort to understand not only their personal background and history, but also the way in which they use (or abuse) language. It is interesting to me that in order to describe life, we have to limit ourselves. Most of grammar involves understanding how words limit eachother to manageable terms.

Satirically, I suspect most readers of this blog would be happier with the limited versified thoughts on this topic, rather than the lengthier prose thoughts.

Cruise

2007-08-22T22:59:00.000-04:00

"Jesus on the Lock"

"An eerie doorway"

The Pops

2007-08-14T22:56:00.001-04:00

So, I am a father to a delightful little baby girl, whom we call Hannah Joy Anderson, or baby girl, Han (not to be confused with Han Solo), Giant Lungs, and a whole host of other things. She was born 9 lbs. 3 oz. at 1:49 am on Saturday, and she won't stop eating...

In any case, please check either Heather's facebook, or my own, for pictures, since I will reserve the blog for reflective words, and such.

We are well, God is infinitely good, and babies change your whole life.

God bless,

The Pops

Labour Part I

2007-08-10T09:38:00.001-04:00

Currently at home in the early stages of labour. Heather's water has broken, so we went to the hospital. They told us we could stay or go, but to come back whenever we felt the need to. God is good, and the baby may be here soon!

Please continue to be in prayer.

Todd out

Heaven

2007-08-07T21:46:00.000-04:00

Seamless joy
No conflict
Too human
To believe

Thoughts on anticipation

2007-08-07T12:52:00.000-04:00

It is surely a strange thing to anticipate the arrival of your first newborn. Recently I have been reflecting on whether or not it is like waiting for Christ to return. Noone knows the date or time, there are signs of it, and there are a whole host of references that I would include, were I in a dangerous sort of mood, which I am not, but those of you who know your eschatology can deduce and infer all you like.

Needless to say, baby Anderson Mark II has not arrived yet, but plans are being laid for safe arrival if he/she decides to hold out for much longer. Heather is healthy and happy, out shopping with her sister and mother for who knows what! She is however at that classic 'I want the baby out' stage of pregnancy, which is sort of humorous, but really leaves you feeling helpless and powerless, but not impotent.

Ahem... That will be my final dangerous comment in this entry.

In other news, my battles with the wily Trent University Course Calender have been slowly advancing. A few victorious skirmishes have left me re-evaluating the situation, but hopeful of success in the overall campaign. That is to say that I am closing in on the final stages of overload request, and my course list looks different. I apologize Jer, I tried to keep Metaphyz and Epist but it got shot by Philosophy of Religion early tuesday morning in an ambush near a ravine. I tell you, these Registrar people are crafty, but they don't know what's hit them yet!

Butcher's Bill:

English 3150 - Studies in Shakespeare
Philosophy 320 - Metaphysics and Epistemology (for Jer)
MODL 303H - Germanic Linguistics

Current Holdings:

Full Year
ENGL 2000 (205) [Form and Context]
ENGL3250 [Studies in the Romantics]
PHIL 310 [Moral Philosophy]
LATIN 100

Fall
MODL 302H [Romance Linguistics]
PHIL 275H [Philosophy of Religion]

Winter
PHIL 245H [Argumentation and Rhetoric]
MODL 202H [Historical Linguistics]

If I get this excited about the process of registration this year, I wonder what my classes are going to be like...

Anyways friends, keep anticipating, because if you ever stop, you're probably dead.

al'Ander

Soon...

2007-07-24T17:49:00.001-04:00

Its hard to believe, but the ticker timer for our new baby is coming to an end. Approximately 1 week is left before Heather reaches her due date. The calm before the storm is upon us. I have always found this to be the strangest kind of position to be in. It is similar to the moment before you are called to give your grade 6 speech. You are the next kid up, and are frantically flipping through cue-cards in hopes that you have memorized what you are going to say. In other ways, it is far from similar to this. Work keeps me busy, so the time has felt very fast. It is nearly August! Where has my summer gone? Alas! Heather is feeling well, and looks like a beautiful balloon. I love this woman. She is a wonderful helper, and she knows me super well.

I'm going to be a father. Woah. Pray for us friends, in the next week or two, and I will do my best to keep you updated!

Value God above all else, because he is reality.

T

The Sword and the Swan

2007-07-04T20:26:00.000-04:00

Pending on God's miraculous work, and the Trent University English Department, I have tentatively planned the following schedule of mayhem (and possibly learning) for my final bout at beloved Trent. If this was all I had to do I would be busy, but alas, God has determined to discipline me or kill me this coming scholastic year, having given me the responsibility of a wife and child alongside the care of a community of bible-studiers. I used to get those foreboding thoughts of the intensity of the year to come when I was shopping for books for my courses. Now it comes 2 months before classes even begin...

Full Year

English 205 - Form and Context (I refuse to call it 2000)
English 3150 - Studies in Shakespeare
Philosophy 320 - Metaphysics and Epistemology (for Jer)
Latin 100 (for Boyne)

Autumn

MODL 302H - Romance Linguistics
PHIL 275 - Philosophy of Religion

Winter

MODL 303H - Germanic Linguistics
MODL 202H - Historical Linguistics

Besides the madness of an overloaded year (there is a chance I might be able to satisfy the requirements for English 205 without retaking it, thereby avoiding the madness) I am excited about these selections. The Latin is partly to stay in touch with Martin Boyne, partly to satisfy the 'Linguistics Emphasis' requirements, and partly to prepare me for Masters work at TBS. The linguistics is for my own interest, to see if I want to explore that further when dealing with theology. It is always helpful to understand the background of languages and the culture they developed in when dealing with theology, because many arguments and conversations in this day fail to listen adequately, so as to properly refute or affirm what is being said. Understanding language is the root to this. Philosophy of Religion is for sharpening my apologetical skills, because there is ripe opportunity to deal with issues like 'the problem of evil', 'the existence of God', and 'the relationship between faith and reason'. The other philosophy is partly because I am interested in understanding 'ways of knowing', or how people understand knowledge, and partly because I want to spend some time with Jer in some scholastic fashion. The Shakespearean English is my attempt to go as deep as I can in one area of English while at Trent. I think Tromly made me love and hate Shakespeare, and I don't think I gave it as much time as I should have (too many talks with Noah in the O.C. about everything).

One thing I was excited about when choosing courses was the degree of intentionality I was able to suffuse through my selections. My first year resembled Russian Roulette, and my second year was an attempt to do as much English as possible. If everything goes well, this year's selections will mark a development in the purposeful part of my character. Can anyone smell Discipline?... Oh, its only my socks...

Peace,

Todd

Continuance

2007-06-14T22:17:00.001-04:00

Snail-backed words slime
Whale-bone swords white

What is a snail-backed word?
a slowwwwwww
HarD expression,
which is difficult to grasp.

Fast! Whale-boned swords come lasT
In strength and speed.
A club of white wasted in battle.

Stream of consciousness is good for nothing.
nothing.
nothing,

but...

sustaining the muscle we call Creativity,
which ebbs with silence and inactivity.

Crimson flames tie my tongue

2007-06-02T17:57:00.000-04:00

Finally its the end of a work-week! I don't have very much to say at the moment, but I blog in order to keep up the writing. My current project for the week has suffered from my work schedule, which is dissapointing, but hopefully reconcilable. Discussions with my work-mates have lead down many paths, but one which has crossed the threshold from passing comment to conversation is the philosophy of humour. I talked with one coworker about the motives of humour, and why it is human beings laugh at things. In our context, we thought it was interesting that men tend to cover over concern for the well-being of another with laughter. Thus, it is easier to laugh at someone than for that person to find out you care. What gets me is the relative vulgarity of humour. Jokes are relegated to the inferior category of 'wit' and 'pun' if they are not cutting and/or sexual. And really, it makes me sad. We were designed to build one another up, and to glorify a powerful and awesome God in the words we use. Oh how my own tongue makes me to be a flaming hypocrite! Do you find your workplace is a warzone of acid thoughts and dagger smiles? How do you protect your mind and heart?

God's word. Read in the Psalms what David has to say about God's words. Then take steps to confront sin.

Todd

blah...

2007-06-01T21:01:00.000-04:00

Its about 9 pm at the moment, and this week has been ultra busy at work. I had a chance to play some guitar, but I basically strung together whatever of Derek's I felt like playing. Its funny which ones I rotate through. My choice seems to be whatever I have not played in a while, so tonight it was: I repent, I want a broken heart, faith my eyes, high countries(sandra), laden with guilt(sandra), and now and then(sandra). Its funny because I don't listen to a great deal of music. I have only heard demo stuff of Ringing Bells, but I don't really desire to listen to it now. I play stuff over and over, and then go back and find some earlier work, like 'piece of glass' or 'the truth', or 'can't lose you'. Its like my influences go backward too because I am diving more and more into Bob Dylan, working on 'every grain of sand', 'my back page', and 'when he returns'. Well enough musical ramblings for now. For the musician in all of you readers, keep those calluses in tact!

the bard

rip.

2007-05-29T21:16:00.000-04:00

Today, I was asked to take a trip down to the basement of my house. Upon arriving at the last step, I glanced around, noticing hideous spiders, and creepy appliances. On the way back up the stairs, having just retrieved the garden hose, I chanced to look to the right of the bottom stair. There scrawled on a piece of cardboard in black 'sharpie' were the quaint words: "Here lies Frodo, R.I.P."...

thanks Shane.

-Composed by Todd and Heather Anderson (each using one hand)

Recent Happenings

2007-05-26T12:01:00.001-04:00

Well folks, life moves quickly when you dig holes all day... Work has been full of long hours, which means money and exhaustion. It is strange to be so busy when I was at one time so free to use my time as I pleased. Heather and I were able to go on a date downtown, which itself is a blast, but with her is far better. I suppose that means it was something like a large explosion... Strange analogies for time spent together. We were checking out bookstores on Water street, and I need to revisit in order to stock up on some classics, but here is what we decided to add to the growing library on Aylmer street.

Heather - Do it Yourself Gifts (a make it at home gift book idea, which included sewing patterns, and the like. Three cheers for domestication! I love my wife)

Todd
-William Wordsworth biography by E. Hershey Sneath
-Major works of Wordsworth (Red spine classics edition)
-10 Colloquies of Erasmus.

I had my eye on a biography of Augustine, and some of Thomas Moore's works, but now that I think about it, I either have to learn to read like Spurgeon, or be content with the fate of having far to many books on my 'TO READ' list. In any case, it was a splendid day which included a trip to Gator Pita, as well as the splendid experience of getting kicked out of a new patio, which had a very open concept but was intended for customers of "Dancing Blueberries". We ought to observe that one on another outing. Its always good to alliterate. Do you ever get that hankering to Figure of Speech? You lean over to your buddy and say, "Lets go personify some glass!" It sounds like stealing...

We also had a chance to visit Giant Tiger and see Caleb out at HVDC. It was there that we bumped into Dan and Rachel Sargeant, hung out at their house eating Rhubarb muffins and drinking Arab tea, speaking about the most important kinds of things.

My project for the next week is to spend time critically writing about some of the musical issues at Braidwood Bible Chapel. I plan on coming up with some solutions, so as to take practical steps in solving the problems rather than merely critiquing them. As my thoughts coalesce, I look forward to spending time on this, and hope that it may be useful. In one sense it is very foreboding, because I don't really understand the complications invloved. I do know that there are many people who are fired up about change in this area, and I hope to make it a little bit more concrete. Please pray about these things. I am submitting my work to Stephen June 2nd.

In any case, have yourselves a wonderful weekend, and stop by the house. Thanks to Ben and Mel for their lovely note!

Todd

Blur

2007-05-11T17:55:00.000-04:00

Things are fairly busy in the Anderson/Lawton household. We are getting close to the 'unpacked' stage, but somehow I feel like certain things will never be unpacked. We are about to sit down to another supper, but before that, I just want to post that I am alive, and working long hours, kicking myself for the excess time wasted when I had it, and enjoying the new chapter in this existence. My wife is beautiful, and starting to waddle, which is awesome.

Paul wanted me to post that he is the 'King'. Of what I am not sure... Uh oh! Dinner is on the table. Hopefully will post again soon,

Peace,

Todd

School Hangover

2007-04-19T19:48:00.000-04:00

Well, I had one of those weeks, where full-time work meets full-time school. For those of you who have experienced this at any level, you understand that it is a rough go. In any case, after a brief final bout with school I have emerged.

Throughout my class on Worship, I have been inspired to continue to develop musically. Part of this has manifested itself in the writing of new songs, and part of it has manifested itself in my desire to work through the Olney Hymns. So far I have written music to two songs, one of Newton's and one of Cowper's (/cooper/, not /cow-per/), and am considering a CD which may include them, as well as (and more importantly) speaking with the elders at Braidwood concerning this.

I'll post the songs in time. For now, my muscles are recovering...

Work

2007-04-18T16:57:00.000-04:00

Praise the Lord for a job this sunny season! I am working for a landscaping company doing manual labour. Raking, digging holes, etc. Its sort of like a re-run of the gravel days at HVDC. Only this time I get paid!

That's all for now.

Contemplating good music

2007-04-05T22:40:00.000-04:00

Check out this hymn by John Newton. The last 4 lines in particular strike me very powerfully, but take the whole thing together.

John Newton
8,6,8,6

Looking at the cross.

In evil long I took delight,
Unawed by shame or fear;
Till a new object struck my sight,
And stopped my wild career.

I saw one hanging on a tree,
In agonies and blood;
Who fixed his languid eyes on me,
As near his cross I stood.

Sure, never till my latest breath,
Can I forget that look;
It seemed to charge me with his death,
Though not a word he spoke.

My conscience felt, and owned the guilt,
And plunged me in despair;
I saw my sins his blood had spilt,
And helped to nail him there.

Alas! I knew not what I did,
But now my tears are vain;
Where shall my trembling soul be hid?
For I the LORD have slain.

A second look he gave, which said,
“I freely all forgive;
This blood is for thy ransom paid,
I die, that thou may’st live.”

Thus, while his death my sin displays,
In all its blackest hue;
(Such is the mystery of grace)
It seals my pardon too.

With pleasing grief and mournful joy,
My spirit now is filled;
That I should such a life destroy,
Yet live by him I killed.

Sermon Outline - Exchanging Glory

2007-04-02T15:48:00.000-04:00

OUTLINE FROM MANUSCRIPT

Intro
1) Pray FOCUS: verses 23&25 EXCHANGING
2) Story
3) Read Romans 1:18-32
4) Context – church at Rome
Vs 16-17 thesis: God’s righteousness revealed
Man needs this righteousness
5) Intro to Questions:
a) What is exchanged?
b) Why is it exchanged?
c) Effects of this exchange

Questions

What is exchanged?
1) Glory of Incorruptible God
a) Explain Glory – radiance, glow, shiny
WORTH, VALUE.
Example engagement ring
b) Display God – incorruptible, immortal, everlasting, never fading, eternal, Incomparable

2) An image in the form of corruptible man . . .
a) Explain 3-fold degradation
WORTHLESS
Quote - “copy of a copy of a copy” – Piper
Example - $100 bill → monopoly → child’s picture → photocopied

Why is it exchanged?
1) Foolishness of man (21-22)
a) Futile in speculations – because they don’t honour God they’re useless
b) Foolish heart darkened
c) Professing to be wise they became fools [Reversal of natural function of mind and heart]
2) God gave them up/over
- 3 times (24, 26, 28)
- Purpose is twofold 1) Reveal man’s sinfulness
2) Show God’s longsuffering

Effects of this exchange
1) God restrains (Example – dog straining on a leash)
2) Debasement (24, 26, 28)
a) Lusts of their heart – bodies dishonoured
b) Degrading passions – homosexuality
c) Depraved mind – Don’t acknowledge God
- Sin, knowing it is evil and give approval to others (APATHY)

Personal Application
1) Test your heart (What do we exchange?)
2) Nothing you can do to make Jesus look most beautiful to your heart – No matter your understanding
3) Plead with God

Annual Hairstyle

2007-04-02T13:57:00.000-04:00

Alrighty folks. Its that time of year again. Hairstyle time! As many of you are aware, my hair has extraordinary properties. It defies gravity with a simple tilt of the head. It has the ability to appear outrageously messy and calmly cool within seconds. But it is that time of year when decisions MUST be made about the trajectory of this hair.

Should it be:
a) trimmed
b) buzz-cut
c) layered short
d) mullet
e) hold out for the dreads
f) mohawk
g) maybe just washed
h) b + d for the skullet
i) a + g for job interviews
j) none of the above

Send your votes in now!!

Update?

2007-03-26T18:13:00.000-04:00

its a beautiful day... Don't let it get away!

In other news, I am busy, and this is a sorry excuse for an update.

i'll come back later... i hope.

t

Fresh...

2007-03-05T14:10:00.000-05:00

I thought this place needed some sprucing up. Currently in Ajax with the wife (who is doing well). I am hunting jobs in Ptown, and looking forward to moving back in May. My creative side is bouncing around like crazy these days, and I decided to devote some more time to consistent creative writing. I hope to update the looks of this place as time goes on, but I figure after a couple of years it deserves some love.

In everything, live to God's glory. Nothing else is so exciting and enjoyable.

Hey writers, keep writing!

And then there was SNOW

2007-02-13T20:12:00.000-05:00

Heather and I are hanging out in Ajax with her parents. Doctor's stuff tomorrow. It looks to be a pleasant evening. I have thoughts to post some more on constructive reading. Hopefully that comes soon.

There appears to be a massive amount of snowfall scheduled to hit Hamilton through GTA. Looking forward to driving through that tomorrow!

Have a good night!

Communication Theory

2007-02-13T12:06:00.000-05:00

This post has been a long time coming. It revolves around ideas gathered, digested, re-thought, analyzed, broken down, and finally, happily, nay gloriously felt by the heart. (Of course, I wish I could explain the way I feel about these things more clearly, but alas, I am constrained by language)

Observations

1. People want proper communication.

I was thinking about my experience in the realm of communication. I look at the way technology has developed to allow both faster ways of communicating, and more of it. I wonder, alongside many others, whether this increases our understanding of what is being said. But all this has been thought, and talked over, and I don't wish to get too bogged down in it.

When I say "people want proper communication", I am both referring to an older meaning of want, which means "lack", and the more recent meaning: "desire". I think both meanings can be applied to myself in that I lack a proper way of communicating, and a desire to communicate in that way. Lets unpack.

A. Lacking a proper way of communicating

In my own life, I see a few areas which are problematic, and under repair, with regard to communication. I will use these as springboards for discussion here.

i. Need to understand the difference between Informative and Intimate Communication

This refers to the difference between something like MSN, and a genuine chat over a hot-chocolate (coffee isn't my thing..:). It is fundamental in understanding this stuff. I can't expect a massively deep conversation out of every human being I interact with. Yet sadly, in my search of quality conversation, I have stunted the precursor to it, and thwarted many relationship beginnings. This is to say that it is necessary to converse well about people's job, program, time-table, sports, movies, music, etc., before one can go deeper. This is not to say that Informative communication ought to dominate all conversation. While affirming the need for the informative, I would also look at how shamefully I have spent hours with Christians, never delving into Scripture, or probing subjects of God. There is a need for both. Finally, both Informative and Intimate communication is sustained by time spent doing neither. In other words, you need to take a break from speaking sometimes, and go bowling, or skiing, or play basketball, or knit, or watch a flick, or whatever. Honour the Lord in this as well. It will refresh your communication in this way, and lead to conversations which last.

ii. Need to understand the art of listening

This one is close to my heart. I am really excited about learning to listen properly, so that I may communicate better with those I interact with. Fundamentally this means a few things (and Jerry or Paul may be able to help highlight/clarify this point).

---Clarify instead of Assuming---
The first words from your mouth should interact with whatever a person said so that you both agree about the thing being spoken of. Spend as much time as you can here. It is not a shameful thing to ask for clarification. It is rather honouring to the one who has spoken, because you are letting them know that you value what they have said enough to know exactly what they mean.

---Do not be Selfish with your brain---
Paul Lawton honed in on this one. He talked about a need for people (including himself) to stop formulating what they want to say during another person's speech, and rather hold on to the idea in the back of one's head. The result is that there is often spaces of time when noone is saying anything, but rather thinking (which for some reason makes everyone very nervous).

Another part of being selfish with your brain (and something I have experienced), is this idea: "I must say something which sounds intelligent about a given subject of discussion, so that I am heard, respected, and honoured." (of course no one actively says this, but this is essentially sin at its root). Think about it. How many times have you actively supressed the 6 ideas that came into your head during someone else's remarks. How many times have you blurted out this or that, or perhaps even interrupted someone else, because you felt very strongly that you should say something. Watch older, wiser people. Read Job. Stop being selfish with your brain.

---Give the Benefit of the Doubt---
Do you think people intentionally monopolize your conversation time? Most of the time they are not even aware of it. Instead practice...

---Honesty---
You can't have intimate conversations without forcing people to think about changing their lives. My wife and I are constantly seeing eachother's sin, and we could easily avoid this by being dishonest with eachother. Sin is just too in your face. Be honest with those you talk with about the way they are conversing.

---Desiring to Edify while Communicating---
This is a biggy. Have you ever been talking with someone who repulses you with the way they talk? I don't mean so much the relative vulgarity of their language (but that could be included), but the fact that they don't seem to listen, and go on long rants which trail off into subjects which are not common to those in the conversation? Are you this person? I know that I have a major tendency to be like this. And chances are so do you, dear reader.

"Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing." (NASB)

God calls us to work hard at edifying (build up), which ought to include our speech. What this means is that we work hard at teaching others how to be good listeners. Instead of being turned off by those who struggle with this, we embrace them lovingly as brothers and sisters, knowing that they have skills and gifts which are meant to build us up. When you are turned off by it, you are not helping, but perpetuating the problem. Teach them by example, and by exhortation. Spend the hours needed to edify their souls, all for God's glory.

B. Lacking the desire to communicate properly

Its funny how, when I begin a piece of writing with the headings all in place, I tend to lose track of which thoughts go where. I touched on this above fairly extensively, (probably because I am so conditioned by last minute essay writing, I flush everything out right away.... sigh) but let me put some more point form things here for consideration.

-Desire to intimately communicate comes from a desire to know people, not from a desire to have people know you. This being said, there is a part of all of us which desires to be known.

-Don't get too busy in life so that you do not desire to intimately speak with people. A whole day of Informative Communication can drag you down.

-Set aside times to go places like Coffee Pubs, quiet Bars, people's houses, and talk with small groups of people.

-Spend time thinking and praying over God's word, so that your desire to speak intimately (and your conversations) will be based in things of value.

Concluding

Be intentional about your speech, and be caring in it.

Peace,

Todd

Quick note

2007-02-08T15:26:00.000-05:00

The artistic part of me is engaged in a new song with possible thoughts to finally bust out a second album (which will most likely contain a lot of the first one).

Its strange the price you pay to love and laugh and live
But then I think my mind is playing tricks on you
‘Cause I’d jump you like a car,
And watch you drain my batteries.

Truth is, you’re really not to blame for these times
You’re just doing your job, and pulling on the line
‘Cause I’d rig you up some bait,
To find out it’s just what you hate

I can’t force my thoughts under your skin
But I need to know when joy is going swimming again
‘Cause sorrow is the seaweed in this lake
And God knows I’ve been trying to shake it

I’d love to find a way to make you consistent
I’ll rally satisfaction to my cause
‘Cause I’d woo you with my song
To find it never quite turns you on

(I'll comment later on meaning. For now, have fun decontextualizing.)
al'Ander

Keeping up to Joe Cook...

2007-02-04T18:41:00.000-05:00

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By Abigail Anderson

for my people

2007-01-30T19:28:00.000-05:00

My braid is wooden,
my knot is old;
My bricks are red,
my pews won't fold.

We're squawking and writhing,
we're breathing and colliding;
We're changing and arranging
we're living and dying.

-al'Ander

Party in KW this Saturday!

2007-01-26T13:17:00.000-05:00

Drink milk instead of water.

ps. facebook is crazy!

Abortion in Ontario

2007-01-22T19:05:00.000-05:00

Sigh.... Listened to Piper in one of his more recent messages on the subject in the States. Had an odd itch to check out Ontario's situation.

Abort73.com:
Warning. This site begins by showing a movie with graphic pictures.

Abortionno.org
WARNING! This site has an immediate display of abortion footage.

Abortion Organizations with Geographical Locations in Ontario:

Cabbagetown Women’s Abortion Clinic
302 Gerrard Street East Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5A2G7
Phone:	(416) 323-0642

Canadian Abortion Rights Action League
P.O. Box 3134 Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada P7B5G6
Phone:	(807) 344-3660

Canadian Abortion Rights Action League
880 Wellington St, Ste 616 Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1R6K7
Phone:	(613) 789-9956
Website:	www.caral.ca
E-Mail Address:	caral@caral.ca

Choice in Health Clinic
597 Parliament St, Suite 207 Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4X1W3
Phone:	(416) 975-9300
E-Mail Address:	choice.clinic@sympatico.ca

Hassle Free Clinic
556 Church St, 2nd Fl Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4Y2E3
Phone:	(416) 922-0566
Website:	www.hasslefreeclinic.org
E-Mail Address:	admin@hasslefreeclinic.org

Jessie's Centre for Teenagers
205 Parliament St Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5A2Z4
Phone:	(416) 365-1888
Website:	www.jessiescentre.org/
E-Mail Address:	mail@jessiescentre.org

London Crisis Pregnancy Centre (LCPC)
261 Piccadilly Street London, Ontario, Canada N6A1S3
Phone:	(519) 432-7098
Website:	www.loncpc.ca/contactus.html
E-Mail Address:	londoncpc@webgate.net

Morgentaler Clinic
Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4S1V4
Phone:	(416) 932-0446
Website:	www.morgentaler.ca
E-Mail Address:	skb@passport.ca

Ontario Coalition for Abortion Clinics
427 Bloor St W Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S2Z1
Phone:	(416) 969-8463

Planned Parenthood North Shore
15 Hudson St. Blind River, Ontario, Canada P0R1B0
Phone:	(705) 356-0113
Website:	www.northshore.ppfc.info
E-Mail Address:	ppns@bellnet.ca

Planned Parenthood Ottawa
701-331 Cooper St. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K2P0G5
Phone:	(613) 226-3234
Website:	www.ppottawa.on.ca
E-Mail Address:	ppottawa@ppottawa.ca

Planned Parenthood Society of Hamilton
611-20 Hughson St. South Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8N2A1
Phone:	(905) 528-3009
Website:	www.hamilton.ppfc.info
E-Mail Address:	plannedparenthood@hwcn.org

Planned Parenthood Toronto
36-B Prince Arthur Ave. Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5R1A9
Phone:	(416) 961-0113
Website:	www.ppt.on.ca
E-Mail Address:	ppt@ppt.on.ca

Planned Parenthood Waterloo Region
151 Frederick St., Suite 500 Kitchener, Ontario, Canada N2H2M2
Phone:	(519) 743-6461
Website:	www.ppwr.on.ca
E-Mail Address:	director@ppwr.on.ca

Planned Parenthood Windsor/ Essex County
3735 King St. Windsor, Ontario, Canada N9C1P7
Phone:	(519) 254-3807
Website:	www.ppwec.ca
E-Mail Address:	info@ppwec.ca

Scott Clinic
157 Gerrard St E Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5A2E4
Phone:	(416) 962-4108

Women’s Care Abortion Clinic
960 Lawrence Avenue West, Suite 501 Toronto, Ontario, Canada M6A3B5
Phone:	(416) 256-7149

Women's Health in Women's Hands
2 Carlton St, Ste 500 Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5B1J3
Phone:	(416) 593-7655
Website:	www.whiwh.com
E-Mail Address:	whiwh@web.net

Women's Health Services
800 Commissioners Rd. E. London, Ontario, Canada N6A4G5
Phone:	(519) 685-8164
E-Mail Address:	londoncpc@webgate.net

Closest one to me is about a 5 minute drive to Fredrick Street. I'll pass by it tonight on my way to pick up Heather. God is knitting in her womb at this exact moment. And we are so grateful for the privilege!

God bless friends, and listen to Piper when he says we need to befriend people, and care about them rather than be overly fervent and mouthy.

O love that will not let me go

2007-01-16T13:55:00.000-05:00

O Love that wilt not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in thee;
I give thee back the life I owe,
That in thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be.

O light that foll’west all my way,
I yield my flick’ring torch to thee;
My heart restores its borrowed ray,
That in thy sunshine’s blaze its day
May brighter, fairer be.

O Joy that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to thee;
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
And feel the promise is not vain,
That morn shall tearless be.

O Cross that liftest up my head,
I dare not ask to fly from thee;
I lay in dust life’s glory dead,
And from the ground there blossoms red
Life that shall endless be.

Fascinating song by George Mattheson.
-My list of things to write about is piling up, but I would like to comment on this one soon.

al'Ander

A Blast from TO

2007-01-09T17:08:00.000-05:00

Quick update

I am currently taking a course titled "History of the Bible" as part of a masters program I am inching into down in the big smoke of Toronto. For the week, I will be riding the ways/streetcars downtown, hoofing it across these enormously post-pocket-protected-people-packed blocks (that's a before-and-after for you jeopardy fans out there) in order to go to hear a prof from 9-4 discourse on the tiniest details which lead up to the creation, compilation, and transmission of Holy Scripture. Just for a taste of the intensity, it is day 2, and we are still discussing the types of materials used to actually write down the stuff. My dear wife and our baby to be (Lord willing) is in Waterloo, and I miss her dearly! I love you two!

On the side, I listened to Mark Driscoll discuss the Virgin Birth as part of a series they are doing, and as usual, he managed to make both my ribs and head hurt at the same time. I liked his idea for "daughter dates".

"The string that resounds longest was plucked hardest."

al'Ander

1/3

2007-01-05T23:04:00.000-05:00

As my previous post indicated, I was pondering three major things.

1. God's transforming power (in the life of friends)

2. The King's birth

3. True Heroism.

Here goes. 1/3

1. Ponderings about the nature of God's transforming power with a view to the effects seen in the lives of close friends.

A. It is always breathtaking

When I say in common speech that "God moved in my heart" what I am referring to is quite a powerful statement, when analyzed closely. I am explaining that the Creator of the Universe, the sustainer of all life, the fountain of beauty, holiness, and joy is personal. This is breathtaking. The most breathtaking work which God does is to open the eyes of the human heart to see reality. He always does this with those who do not know him, and he is constantly doing it with those who do. By 'eyes of the human heart' I mean do draw an analogy between physical sight and what a person really loves. Before God moved, our perception of real things was whatever appetite was most self-oriented, and least God-oriented. It was whatever pleased self most while displeasing God most. For we thought that pleasure was something that was as far away from God as possible. Fun, happiness, joy, were only found when self was elevated to as high a position as possible. The breathtaking thing, is that when God moves, it restores the perception so that the appetite of the heart is God-centered, which increases joy. It is not as if God is continually pulling us away from something we think will be more satisfying then him. Or wilder, or more passionate, or more valuable, or more knowledgeable. When God shows the eyes what is real in life, that the blind appetites and desires of the heart in all of its self-elevation, the heart will always choose to run after God. And that is why it is breathtaking to watch God work in the hearts of humans.

B. It has eternal consequences and scope

This entry on a specific level, is focused on a mighty work of God in the life of a good friend, and sinner, Jerry Bolton. I can say sinner because I am right there with him, and because recently I have been given further cause to rejoice in his repentance and change. I pray that I will always be called to examine my sin by this dude, be it late night Google-Talk, a friendly chat after Christmas, whatever. Hit me friend, my sin is ugly, and I need your God-given gifts to help fight it off.

Rejoice with me folks, for Jerry has been refreshed in King Jesus of late. This has eternal consequences because it affects those who listen to him, those who know him, and those whom he comes into contact with. Moreover, it has an eternal scope, because the Lord uses this time not only for Jerry's life, but all as a part of his plan to redeem the Universe. God acting in this time, being a personal yet holy God, will cause His name to be loved, cherished, clung to, rejoiced in, sung about, and generally made a great deal of in ages to come.

I would encourage those of you who know Jerry to talk to him. Get some of the flames coming off of his fire at the moment. Soak in the Christ-exalting thoughts and words, and spread 'em around. I need this right now. I need to look at the life of this friend, and rejoice that God is a breathtaking God for doing what He has done. I need to repent of sin, and ask for a passion which refocuses every other passion to serve, honour, and love Jesus.

So talk to Jer.

part 1/3 complete.

al'Ander