adam ross beach

Xmas Magic

2007-12-17T18:05:00.000-07:00

Ang caught up with Bennet as he finished off his gingerbread man cookies today.

Christmas cute.

2007-11-27T17:53:00.000-07:00

Bennet ventured out on two wheels last year a couple times, but this year got it dialed. Will was not far behind - in fact, he soon disdained any mention of training wheels and we were ~~terrorizing~~ touring the neighbourhood regularly.

Traveling with Wesley

2007-11-21T08:58:00.000-07:00

Christianity Today has a recent article telling of how Philip Yancey recently took a trip to Great Britain and as he traveled he read the Journal of John Wesley.

The article has some great insights into the thoughts and lifestyle of a 'celebrity' Christian of today, vs. the 'celebrity' of John Wesley in his day.

Says Yancy, More than once I wrote in the margin, "Lighten up, John!"

Wesley once articulated the danger of wealth: "I fear, wherever riches have increased, the essence of religion has decreased in the same proportion. Therefore I do not see how it is possible, in the nature of things, for any revival of religion to continue long. For religion must necessarily produce both industry and frugality, and these cannot but produce riches. But as riches increase, so will pride, anger, and love of the world in all its branches."

see article

New Stuff

2007-11-20T17:45:00.000-07:00

After forgetting my password for the previous server I was on along with the fact that the billing for my web address got mixed up - I decided to move over the blogspot address.

It's quite different from the last time I was here - way more features. We'll see how it goes.

A

Thanksgiving

2007-10-04T08:24:00.000-06:00

I'm so looking forward to Thanksgiving this year. Haven't really been back to Saskatoon for the past year - so it'll be great to chill around the town a bit.

This is my favourite season. Fall, change, leaves, and the cooling temperature all seem to make me slow down on the inside and get into my annual introspective, sentimental, and nostalgic categories.

Life is good. Real good. Life is painful. Real painful.

I love the bittersweet.

I'm walking a tough road with some friends right now.

Marriages falling apart, the spotlight is on some failures there - certain things coming to light that are just tough to face.

Another friend of mine is going through some darkness that he just can't shake. Insecurites, anxiety, stress just seems to have the best of him, and he's one of the most admirable guys I know. I look up to him in a bunch of ways. It sucks.

That's life.

So that's what we do - we walk along side them for now, and there'll be times when they'll walk alongside us...

It's made me evaluate where I'm at, where my relationships are at and be reminded of how good I really do have it. Not that I deserve it - not that I've earned it - not that God has somehow favored me over others... no, it just IS. And I'm thankful.

My wife is so sincere and lovely. My boys are healthy and delightful. The people I work with are dynamite. I love my church. My parents and grandparents are some of the best people I know - the same for my wifes family - and our circle of friends is full.

Joshu's Zen

2007-09-07T12:35:00.000-06:00

Joshu began the study of Zen when he was sixty years old and continued until he was eighty, when he realized Zen.

He taught from the age of eighty until he was one hundred and twenty.

A student once asked him: "If I haven't anything in my mind, what shall I do?"

Joshu replied: "Throw it out."

"But if I haven't anything, how can I throw it out?" continued the questioner.

"Well," said Joshu, "then carry it out."

2007-07-23T14:23:00.000-06:00

Not Far from Buddhahood

A university student while visiting Gasan asked him: "Have you ever read the Christian Bible?"

"No, read it to me," said Gasan.

The student opened the Bible and read from St. Matthew: "And why take ye thought for rainment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They toil not, neither do they spin, and yet I say unto you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these... Take therefore no thought for the morrow, for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself."

Gasan said: "Whoever uttered those words I consider an enlightened man."

The student continued reading: "Ask and it shall be given you, seek and ye shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you. For everyone that asketh receiveth, and he that seeketh findeth, and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened."

Gasan remarked: "That is excellent. Whoever said that is not far from Buddhahood."

The Issues

2007-07-17T15:12:00.000-06:00

Here's a song I like to listen to for cheers - it's quite brilliant how you can really talk about the issues but keep it funky. 'What are your overheads?'

zen for the day

2007-07-16T11:57:00.000-06:00

Obedience

The master Bankei's talks were attended not only by Zen students but by persons of all ranks and sects. He never quoted sutras not indulged in scholastic dissertations. Instead, his words were spoken directly from his heart to the hearts of his listeners.

His large audience angered a priest of the Nichiren sect because the adherents had left to hear about Zen. The self-centered Nichiren priest came to the temple, determined to have a debate with Bankei.

"Hey, Zen teacher!" he called out. "Wait a minute. Whoever respects you will obey what you say, but a man like myself does not respect you. Can you make me obey you?"

"Come up beside me and I will show you," said Bankei.

Proudly the priest pushed his way through the crowd to the teacher.

Bankei smiled. "Come over to my left side."

The priest obeyed.

"No," said Bankei, "we may talk better if you are on the right side. Step over here."

The priest proudly stepped over to the right.

"You see," observed Bankei, "you are obeying me and I think you are a very gentle person. Now sit down and listen."

via zen/koans

Calgary Weather

2007-06-06T11:22:00.000-06:00

June in Calgary has been interesting for the last couple years with average rainfall being significantly high. This June seems to be no exception... last night was heavy rain with some spectacular lightning - a couple nights ago as well, the house was shaking from the thunder. (which the boys thought was cool)

Here are some pics from last night - I was right in the traffic (just missing the heavy flooding by minutes) but it was super slow going with abandoned cars everywhere. Heading north on Macleod Trail I saw a lot of interest heading over the Glenmore overpass - and only imagined what everyone was looking at - here are some pics.

They eventually had to get a zodiac out for these guys.

And the Chinook Mall's parking lot was a car graveyard.

quotes

2007-06-04T15:34:00.000-06:00

So - just been hanging with the boys doing stuff the last few days... and it's so fun to listen to the perspective of 3 & 4 yr. old boys.

We were checking out some garage sales in the area around our house and there were some really cool houses - so chatting about the different styles with the boys ie) brick exteriors, stucco, siding - and different materials people build with... when we came upon a pink house. The boys were not impressed because pink is 'for girls'... they always howl about it - I was looking at a pink shirt the other day and they thought I was a geek, they were like 'dad, that's for girls - what are doing?'

anyway - Bennet said if he saw another pink house he would be 'doomed'. And Will added, 'pink houses make me dizzy'.

fastforward to just the other day - we were somewhere and the boys saw a cool looking guy holding a baby - they were like, 'dad, check out that little baby'. So I said, 'let's go say hi.'

we walked up and the boys just waved at her... anyways, I'm chatting with the dad and Annika is 6 mos. old (really cute too). So I asked Will, 'hey, Will - what do you think if you had a little baby sister?'

to which he rolled his eyes and said right in front of the guy, 'dad, that would make me throw up.'

it's funny because they love playing with their little friends that are girls... they just seem to going through a vivid stage of masculine definition or something... anyways - some good quotes.

mark it down

2007-05-25T09:25:00.000-06:00

hi·a·tus – noun, plural -tus·es, -tus.
1.a break or interruption in the continuity of a work, series, action, etc.

For the last 6-7 wks. I've been in learning mode over at RMFP (Richard McKenster Financial Planning Inc.) here in up-town Calgary. Yeah, it's uptown - not downtown as William reminds me - I must have let that slip somewhere along the way and he's obsessed with the distinction... always correcting me - "daddy, you work UPTOWN not DOWNTOWN...) finicky, persnicky, tell-your-dad-he's-wrong little three year old... i'll learn you uptown...

Anyway... I think I've made the switch to an FP. Financial Planner that is - working in an office in ~~down~~ uptown Calgary.

A couple new/interesting/cool things:

* Well the price of gas isn't... 1.21$ a litre in Calgary, Albuurrta? So for my next vehicle it's either diesel or one of these mothers...

Nissan is marketing it as a 'powered suit' - I think I could find a spot for it in my garage... my other ride is a Gundam.

* We're doing another Resonate Greenhouse next thursday night @ Koi Cafe. J-rod Siebert will be in town to hang for that one - there's been some cool stuff happening with some of the folks involved there lately. More Church Plant conversation - and some possible movement.

*Had a fun May long weekend - Ang's folks came this way to hang with us. Ron and I went to the dirty south of Calgary to check out Mckenzie Meadows on Sunday. Somehow we were able to get 18 holes in between hail/lightening/torrential rain/snow... it was actually amazing. Nice course too - I'd go again - and it's always super fun hanging with Ron 'Howie' Woodley. If you're in the S'toon area and you want/need to get your hair-cut, he's got a great Barbershop on 8th st & Clarence Avenue.

2007-04-18T11:12:00.001-06:00

You'd think this would have it's origins in a city like Calgary

From the Desert Fathers

2007-04-07T19:20:00.000-06:00

An old man said, "Every time a thought of superiority or vanity moves you, examine your conscience to see if you have kept all the commandments, whether you love your enemies, whether you consider yourself to be an unprofitable servant and the greatest sinner of all. Even so, do not pretend to great ideas as though you were perfectly right, for that thought destroys everything."

On Universal Love:

God is the life of all free beings. He is the salvation of all, of believers or unbelievers, of the just or the unjust, of the pious or the impious, of those freed from passions or those caught up in them, of monks or those living in the world, of the educated and the illitrate, of the healthy and the sick, of the young or the old. He is like the outpouring of light, the glimpse of the sun, or the changes of the weather which are the same for everyone without exception.

Abba Pambo said, "If you have a heart, you can be saved."

Redemption

2007-04-06T11:41:00.000-06:00

...With the Sign of the Cross, the old monk Abba
Joseph trapped in his cell a dark and miserable demon
who had come to tempt him. "Release me, Father, and let
me go," pleaded the demon, "I will not come to tempt you
again". "I will gladly do that, but on one condition,"
replied the monk. "You must sing for me the song that
you sang before God's Throne on high, before your fall."

The demon responded, "You know I cannot do that; it will
cause me cruel torture and suffering. And besides, Father,
no human ear can hear its ineffable sweetness and live,
for you will surely die." "Then you will have to remain
here in my cell," said the monk, "and bear with me the
full struggle of repentance." "Let me go, do not force me
to suffer," pleaded the demon." "Ah, but then you must
sing to me the song you sang on high before your fall with Satan."

So the dark and miserable demon, seeing that there was
no way out, began to sing, haltingly, barely audible
at first, groping for words long forgotten. As he sang,
the darkness which penetrated and surrounded him began
slowly to dissipate. The song grew ever louder and
increasingly stronger, and soon the demon was caught
up in its sweetness, his voice fully lifted up in worship
and praise. Boldly he sang of the power and the honour
and the glory of the Triune God on High, Creator of the
Universe, Master of Heaven and Earth, of all things visible
and invisible. As the song sung on high before all ages
resounded in the fullness of its might, a wondrous and
glorious light penetrated the venerable Abba's humble cell,
and the walls which had enclosed it were no more. Ineffable
love and joy surged into the very depths of the being
of the radiant and glorious angel, as he ever so gently
stooped down and covered with his wings the lifeless body
of the old hermit who had liberated him from the abyss of hell

2007-04-01T20:04:00.000-06:00

today was my last 'official' day as a pastor.

tomorrow I go back to being something of a bi-vocational minister again... although I'll have no 'official' capacity in a congregation. what does that mean to me? it actually doesn't seem too grievious. years ago i swallowed the 'every member is a minister' pill and i've been talking about it ever since - it's only now i'll practice it in a personal sense.

more thoughts to follow.

Resonate Greenhouse

2007-03-20T20:59:00.000-06:00

Thursday, 7pm at Cafe Koi on 1st St. SW right near the corner of 11th Ave.

40

2007-03-18T21:43:00.001-06:00

I gave a message this weekend that was talking about the Temptation of Christ - premise: In the Wilderness We Find Ourselves.

Jesus goes into the Wilderness to Fast.
Interesting that the notion of going without can enhance oneself… that denying yourself and the giving up of something can lead to fulfillment and be of benefit to you. Subtracting something can add something.

Jesus went into the Wilderness to finish something.
Any other thoughts – any other desires/temptations – to look himself in the eye and swallow from the cup His Father was offering Him. I’ve heard it said that it was in Gethsemene Jesus accepted the Cross – I would say to you it was in the wild places of Galilee that he took it up. Whereas the Israelites spent 40 days in the desert because of disobedience – Jesus spends 40 years and proves his perfection.

Jesus resolved to become who he was meant to be in the midst of difficulty, temptation, and loneliness.

This is the place where we too must weigh our deepest priorities-
struggling between darkness and light as to how significant we’ll live our lives. Whether we’ll recognize the incredible, expansive Story that God is telling in the World around us and realize our place in it – or instead try to cling to self – to ego – to settle for a much smaller story of our own that amounts to much less.

Jesus went in the Wilderness to begin something.
After setting his face towards the desert, and to the deepest inward questions… he sets his face towards his ministry, walking the road of healing, truth, integrity, and moving towards Jerusalem and the Cross.

Where is your Wilderness? Work? Home? The Future? The Past?

Are you where you want to be?
Are you becoming who you want to be?
What is it that stands in the way of your becoming?

Ministry Thoughts - A Debriefing...

2007-03-17T18:08:00.000-06:00

I was a youth pastor for some of my responsibilities last year.
I was also an associate pastor - often speaking once a month in the church I worked.
My primary responsibility was 'pastor of ministries', but I was also the admin assistant for the last 8 mos. of my job.

Anyways, Jordon had a post on 'things the church has come to accept as normal, but you and I can no longer accept' regarding youth ministry a while ago.
Reading through the list I thought it was an interesting compilation. It's via Mark Riddle. Having worked as a 'youth pastor' I was often interested in the range of approaches I experienced either in talking to other youth guys - or hearing from parents, students, and sr. pastors.
Some points of interest.

9. That so many youth pastors who feel called to ministry, leave vocational ministry before they turn 30.
10. That youth ministry is church for teens.
11. That youth have different basic needs than adults.
12. That youth have been systematically abandoned by adults within the culture and the church has done the same.
13. That having a youth pastor means the youth ministry is taken care of.
14. That the best youth ministries keep kids busy.
15. That it's a sin to bore a kid.
16. That kids don't think about theology or they aren't ready for it.
18. The assumption that kids just want fun and games rather than relationships and theological engagement.

learning to be silent

2007-02-23T11:38:00.000-07:00

The pupils of the Tendai school used to study meditation before Zen entered Japan. Four of them who were intimate friends promised one another to observe seven days of silence.
On the first day all were silent. Their meditation had begun auspiciously, but when night came and the oil lamps were growing dim one of the pupils could not help exclaiming to a servant: "Fix those lamps."
The second pupil was surprised to hear the first one talk. "We are not supposed to say a word," he remarked.
"You two are stupid. Why did you talk?" asked the third.
"I am the only one who has not talked," concluded the fourth pupil.

Keep it in mind as you're acting spiritual this lent

Teach a man to fish and you can sell him bait for a lifetime...

2007-02-22T09:15:00.000-07:00

There isn't one of us who hasn't heard the proverb, 'Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime'. I can remember the statement often being declared by my father as a child... referring of course to self-reliance, the need for development... yet not in the form of hand outs.

It paints a picture of ignorant, hungry people sitting idly beside well-stocked waters, just waiting for the expert to arrive from outside and show them how it's done. A common misconception among the developed world, that they are the hard working, while the poor... simply need to shape up or be left behind.

the rest of this post is worth checking out here.

Clash of Cultures

2007-02-20T10:08:00.000-07:00

My friend Darren posted this interview from 100 Huntley Street.

The first time I watched I turned it off... I was laughing, but also uncomfortable - it seemed like people from two different countries practicing all the cultural faux pas without realizing it. I get a little squirmy about stuff like that... the next time I watched it I finished it - but it was interesting to see how folks react when you're both interested in the same 'ends' but you use (live) very different 'means'.

Skatch Sightings

2007-02-17T10:02:00.000-07:00

I was hanging in the neighbourhood Mac's store over by the church and saw a couple familiar guys.

So I said, 'Hey, you guys look familiar!' It was Keith, a friend I used to see around from time to time that graduated from Holy Cross High School.

So we caught up a bit - he's in construction and loving his work. 'Making good money' was what he told me. Keith's been in Calgary for 5 years - and despite some vigorous ad campaigns, like the one's Jordon is talking about, I don't think he's looking to move back to Saskatchewan.

Clarification - this category of posts isn't about slamming Skatch - because I love the province... it's just about recognizing all the folks out here from there.

Peace out Skatch.

Story

2007-02-15T09:25:00.000-07:00

There were many whose hearts told them that they should begin to tell the secret runes, the word of God, the famous feats that the powerful Christ accomplished in words and in deeds among human beings. There were many of the wise who wanted to praise the teaching of Christ, the holy Word of God, and wanted to write a bright-shining book with their own hands, telling how the sons of men should carry out His commands.
Among all these, however, there were only four who had the power of God, help from Heaven, the Holy Spirit, the strength from Christ to do it. They were chosen. They alone were to write down the evangelium in a book, and to write down the commands of God, the holy Heavenly word. No one else among the heroic sons of men was to attempt it, since these four had been picked by the power of God: Matthew and Mark, Luke and John were their names. They were dear to God, worthy of the work.
The ruling God had placed the Holy Spirit firmly in the heroes' hearts, together with many a wise word, as well as a devout attitude and a powerful mind, so that they could lift up their holy voices to chant God's spell. There is nothing like it in words anywhere in this world!

(Heliand, 3-4)

Early in the ninth century an unknown poet desired to tell a Story. One the poet knew to be true and was passionate to be known among the people of Saxony - not a story to be recited in church, but a tale to be told in the medieval mead hall, where other heroic verses were sung. The poet "rewrote and reimagined the events and words of the gospel as if they had taken place and been spoken in his own country and time" (Murphy)

An illustration of the power of the Story - or the wonder of God's spell (gospel) as we realize the connection to our own narrative.

Happy Valentine's Day

2007-02-14T11:50:00.000-07:00