LONDON (AP) - He's loathed by sections of his own party, has been heckled by voters and accused of lying over the Iraq war.
Yet Prime Minister Tony Blair heads into the final days of Britain's election campaign leading the polls - partly thanks to alienated Labour party stalwarts who will hold their noses and vote for him anyway May 5
The rest here.
Could the same thing happen in Canada once folks in Ontario start hearing four words: Prime Minister Stephen Harper?
Saturday, April 30, 2005
Friday, April 29, 2005
A great question.
If the Gospel of Christ turned out to be a fable, would you lose anything? Have you risked anything for your faith? Do you believe it so absolutely that if it wasn't true, you have much to lose?
Thanks, Ono, from your Newman blog.
Thanks, Ono, from your Newman blog.
An epiphany or a confession; I'm not sure which. Maybe both.
My wife and kids have been away for a week and I’ve already fallen back into my pre-marriage habits.
I haven’t eaten a well balanced meal since April 21. I’ve gone through a case of beer. I’ve watched far too much TV (and TV really sucks – except for the Simpsons, CSI, and Law and Order). And I lounge around the house in shorts and a T’shirt (this being Canada, the weather is still hovering around the freezing mark – that’s 0 degrees Celsius, 32 degrees Fahrenheit, for you Americans, still the only country on the planet still using the old imperial measuring system). That's how lazy I feel.
I had wonderful plans of working out. Finishing up the tofu in the fridge. Reading all those novels I don’t get to read because there are two small children exhausting my time at home.
So I’ve come to a conclusion: My wife is keeping me from being a total pig.
I haven’t eaten a well balanced meal since April 21. I’ve gone through a case of beer. I’ve watched far too much TV (and TV really sucks – except for the Simpsons, CSI, and Law and Order). And I lounge around the house in shorts and a T’shirt (this being Canada, the weather is still hovering around the freezing mark – that’s 0 degrees Celsius, 32 degrees Fahrenheit, for you Americans, still the only country on the planet still using the old imperial measuring system). That's how lazy I feel.
I had wonderful plans of working out. Finishing up the tofu in the fridge. Reading all those novels I don’t get to read because there are two small children exhausting my time at home.
So I’ve come to a conclusion: My wife is keeping me from being a total pig.
Canadian Anglicans won't bless same-sex unions for 2 years
WINDSOR, ONT. - Bishops from the Anglican Church of Canada have decided to place a moratorium on the blessing of same-sex unions for the next two years
The rest here.
A lesson for us Lutherans? Maybe we need more time for study, prayer, conversation, and discernment before we vote on the motion before the National Convention. Maybe.
The rest here.
A lesson for us Lutherans? Maybe we need more time for study, prayer, conversation, and discernment before we vote on the motion before the National Convention. Maybe.
Paul Martin booed at U2 concert; fans sign Bono's end-poverty petition to PM
VANCOUVER (CP) - Prime Minister Paul Martin was booed at a sold-out rock show by thousands who have sided with U2's Bono, a rock star who won't let Canada beg off the fight to end poverty.
The rest here.
It's clear the PM is in election mode. Check out this in today's Globe and Mail. If Martin wins the next election (May 18 is suspected as the "kill date"), the Liberals will be in power forever. Stephen Harper's political career will be over. And Alberta just may separate before Quebec.
Relatedly, I'm glad that U2 is using their influence for a greater cause than simply making music. I hope that the PM will listen to the voices of the younger generations and keep the promise he made to help end poverty.
The rest here.
It's clear the PM is in election mode. Check out this in today's Globe and Mail. If Martin wins the next election (May 18 is suspected as the "kill date"), the Liberals will be in power forever. Stephen Harper's political career will be over. And Alberta just may separate before Quebec.
Relatedly, I'm glad that U2 is using their influence for a greater cause than simply making music. I hope that the PM will listen to the voices of the younger generations and keep the promise he made to help end poverty.
Thursday, April 28, 2005
Harper Declares War
OTTAWA — Conservative Leader Stephen Harper said Wednesday he has made up his mind and will ask his caucus on Monday to vote in favour of a non-confidence motion against the minority Liberal government at the earliest opportunity.
Read the rest here.
The Conservatives may win a minority if an election were called, but the Bloc would be the biggest winner. Making Canada the biggest loser.
Read the rest here.
The Conservatives may win a minority if an election were called, but the Bloc would be the biggest winner. Making Canada the biggest loser.
Wednesday, April 27, 2005
This is what happens in a minority parliament
First this:
Liberals in Tentative Budget Deal with NDP
OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada's minority Liberal government reached an agreement in principle on Tuesday with the left-leaning New Democratic Party, which would see increased spending and reduced corporate tax cuts, an aide to Prime Minister Paul Martin said.
(the rest here)
Then this:
Martin says corporate tax cuts will go ahead - if Tories support them
OTTAWA (CP) - Prime Minister Paul Martin says he will push ahead with tax cuts for big corporations despite his budget deal with the NDP - provided the Conservatives support the move.
Of course, critics will spin this as a desperate attempt by the Liberals to keep hold of power. And they would right.
But still, this is how minority parliaments work. Democracy is messy. No one can accuse Paul Martin of governing as though he had a majority.
But my big question is: Can we afford both corporate tax cuts AND increased spending?
Liberals in Tentative Budget Deal with NDP
OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada's minority Liberal government reached an agreement in principle on Tuesday with the left-leaning New Democratic Party, which would see increased spending and reduced corporate tax cuts, an aide to Prime Minister Paul Martin said.
(the rest here)
Then this:
Martin says corporate tax cuts will go ahead - if Tories support them
OTTAWA (CP) - Prime Minister Paul Martin says he will push ahead with tax cuts for big corporations despite his budget deal with the NDP - provided the Conservatives support the move.
Of course, critics will spin this as a desperate attempt by the Liberals to keep hold of power. And they would right.
But still, this is how minority parliaments work. Democracy is messy. No one can accuse Paul Martin of governing as though he had a majority.
But my big question is: Can we afford both corporate tax cuts AND increased spending?
Tuesday, April 26, 2005
A Vacation, of sorts. Part II
Yesterday, I had a Lord of the Rings marathon. I watched all three movies in succession. I drank beer. Ate chicken. And lost myself in the battle for Middle Earth. This is my idea of a vacation when I have no money.
After the movies, I lay in bed thinking about the broad Christian themes of the story. Frodo, the Hobbit, being among the smallest of all people, was chosen to destroy the One Ring and rescue Middle Earth from the evil Dark Lord. The sacrifices made for the common good.
LOTR does what a good narrative should do: challenge, inspire, ennoble.
What is our grand adventure as people of God? What is our great quest? To preach good news (Matthew 28). That’s the official answer. But what does that look like?
For me, the temptation is always toward empire building. My shadow looks like Bill Hybels or Rick Warren.
While I value much of the material they have written regarding church life, I also know that the gospel and culture cannot be so easily reconciled. The gospel always confronts and contradicts that which does not come from God.
The consumerist culture of western society does not come from God. Where the culture tells us that stuff will make us happy, the gospel asks us to “sell all you have and give to the poor.” Where the culture demands safety and security, the gospel tells us to “take up your cross and follow me.” Where the culture esteems the rugged individual, the gospel calls us to “meet together, to break bread and pray.”
I like what Scott Williams has written recently about his pastoral journey.
…early in the whole emergent thing i grabbed a phrase that has come to symbolize much of what i still believe today. i can't remember who said it but the term 'wounded healer' has stuck with me. it has given me freedom and hope. it may no longer be trendy but for me it was life. i began to realize that i was called to share out of vulnerability, not strength. it began to permeate every part of my life. i no longer had to pretend i had it all together. it allowed me to bring into play other important facets of my belief system. vulnerability, raw, real, imperfection, transparency. our church began to look more like a twelve step meeting than a church service. that had it's pitfalls too, but god started to move. (read the rest here. It’s well worth the effort)
The gospel asks us to shed the trappings of a world that values power and wealth and to embrace the vulnerability of the poor man from Nazareth; the vulnerability of compassion and love. Jesus had a way of looking into peoples’ hearts and souls that made them turn from their self-destructive and society crushing behaviours. Jesus could speak truth, love, and freedom because he lived it. He lived the Kingdom that he preached. Some theologians say he “was” the Kingdom (I still don’t know what that means). The Kingdom of life, healing, freedom, and salvation was his good news to a hurting and broken world. That was his message.
He needed no shopping mall churches. Nor any four point sermons on how to relieve stress. All he had, and all he gave to his disciples was the message of the gospel: that the kingdom of God, the kingdom of life and salvation, is present among us.
I still don’t know what the church will look like in the future. I have no grand vision, no great dream other than the simple message of the gospel.
Maybe that’s enough.
After the movies, I lay in bed thinking about the broad Christian themes of the story. Frodo, the Hobbit, being among the smallest of all people, was chosen to destroy the One Ring and rescue Middle Earth from the evil Dark Lord. The sacrifices made for the common good.
LOTR does what a good narrative should do: challenge, inspire, ennoble.
What is our grand adventure as people of God? What is our great quest? To preach good news (Matthew 28). That’s the official answer. But what does that look like?
For me, the temptation is always toward empire building. My shadow looks like Bill Hybels or Rick Warren.
While I value much of the material they have written regarding church life, I also know that the gospel and culture cannot be so easily reconciled. The gospel always confronts and contradicts that which does not come from God.
The consumerist culture of western society does not come from God. Where the culture tells us that stuff will make us happy, the gospel asks us to “sell all you have and give to the poor.” Where the culture demands safety and security, the gospel tells us to “take up your cross and follow me.” Where the culture esteems the rugged individual, the gospel calls us to “meet together, to break bread and pray.”
I like what Scott Williams has written recently about his pastoral journey.
…early in the whole emergent thing i grabbed a phrase that has come to symbolize much of what i still believe today. i can't remember who said it but the term 'wounded healer' has stuck with me. it has given me freedom and hope. it may no longer be trendy but for me it was life. i began to realize that i was called to share out of vulnerability, not strength. it began to permeate every part of my life. i no longer had to pretend i had it all together. it allowed me to bring into play other important facets of my belief system. vulnerability, raw, real, imperfection, transparency. our church began to look more like a twelve step meeting than a church service. that had it's pitfalls too, but god started to move. (read the rest here. It’s well worth the effort)
The gospel asks us to shed the trappings of a world that values power and wealth and to embrace the vulnerability of the poor man from Nazareth; the vulnerability of compassion and love. Jesus had a way of looking into peoples’ hearts and souls that made them turn from their self-destructive and society crushing behaviours. Jesus could speak truth, love, and freedom because he lived it. He lived the Kingdom that he preached. Some theologians say he “was” the Kingdom (I still don’t know what that means). The Kingdom of life, healing, freedom, and salvation was his good news to a hurting and broken world. That was his message.
He needed no shopping mall churches. Nor any four point sermons on how to relieve stress. All he had, and all he gave to his disciples was the message of the gospel: that the kingdom of God, the kingdom of life and salvation, is present among us.
I still don’t know what the church will look like in the future. I have no grand vision, no great dream other than the simple message of the gospel.
Maybe that’s enough.
Monday, April 25, 2005
A Vacation, of sorts.
Apparently I’m supposed to be on vacation today. Yesterday was a vacation Sunday for me, so I preached in a neighbouring church where my wife serves as the unofficial interim pastor. Then I slept all afternoon. Drank beer. Watched a movie, the Simpsons, then went to watch TV at a local pub.
My wife and kids are visiting the in-laws in Edmonton. So I’m a bachelor again. The house is a mess. Pizza boxes and beer cans scattered around the house.
I hate vacations. I’m bored out of my tree. So I thought I’d catch up on my blogging.
Yesterday, this appeared in the local paper. Pulled from the Anglican Journal.
Damn.
I’ve been trying to keep The Issue off the radar screen of the congregation until some time in June when I’ll talk about the motion on Same Sex Blessings (SSB) before our National Convention in late July. Even discussing about the motion will cause division in the congregation just as we are beginning the initial phases of a building program preceded by a capital campaign. Not to mention amalgamation talks with two other Lutheran churches in the Lethbridge area. One of which, has threatened to pull out of the ELCIC and join the Lutheran Church - Canada, if the National Convention passes the motion regarding SSB.
So, it feels like future plans hinge on the outcome of the Convention.
One of our bishops apparently conceded that the Church "will be smaller" after the convention, no matter what the outcome. Both sides are deeply entrenched. The debate has been framed as social justice vs biblical authority.
Many in my congregation, who believe that social justice arises from biblical authority, feel like they are given a false choice. Some are conservative on The Issue but are also caring and compassionate. They decry the hate-filled rhetoric being spit by some very conservative pastors. We also have some very liberal parishioners who are uncomfortable with the ease with which the word "homophobe" is being thrown around.
But I fear the rhetoric will heat up as the convention creeps closer. The biggest loser in this fight may be the gospel itself.
My wife and kids are visiting the in-laws in Edmonton. So I’m a bachelor again. The house is a mess. Pizza boxes and beer cans scattered around the house.
I hate vacations. I’m bored out of my tree. So I thought I’d catch up on my blogging.
Yesterday, this appeared in the local paper. Pulled from the Anglican Journal.
Damn.
I’ve been trying to keep The Issue off the radar screen of the congregation until some time in June when I’ll talk about the motion on Same Sex Blessings (SSB) before our National Convention in late July. Even discussing about the motion will cause division in the congregation just as we are beginning the initial phases of a building program preceded by a capital campaign. Not to mention amalgamation talks with two other Lutheran churches in the Lethbridge area. One of which, has threatened to pull out of the ELCIC and join the Lutheran Church - Canada, if the National Convention passes the motion regarding SSB.
So, it feels like future plans hinge on the outcome of the Convention.
One of our bishops apparently conceded that the Church "will be smaller" after the convention, no matter what the outcome. Both sides are deeply entrenched. The debate has been framed as social justice vs biblical authority.
Many in my congregation, who believe that social justice arises from biblical authority, feel like they are given a false choice. Some are conservative on The Issue but are also caring and compassionate. They decry the hate-filled rhetoric being spit by some very conservative pastors. We also have some very liberal parishioners who are uncomfortable with the ease with which the word "homophobe" is being thrown around.
But I fear the rhetoric will heat up as the convention creeps closer. The biggest loser in this fight may be the gospel itself.
Friday, April 22, 2005
Pastoral Letter: May 2005
Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel once wrote,
“Listening to music is a shattering experience, throwing the soul into an encounter with an aspect of reality to which the mind can never relate itself adequately…This shattering experience of music has been a challenge to my thinking on ultimate issues. I spend my life working with thoughts. And one problem that gives me no rest is: do these thoughts ever rise to the heights reached by authentic music?...Music leads to the threshold of repentance, of unbearable realization of our own vanity and frailty and of the terrible relevance of God. I would define myself as a person who has been smitten by music, as a person who has never recovered from the blows.”
Indeed.
For me, I am very aware of the power and limitations of words and the captivation of music. Some of my most poignant worship experiences haven’t been in church. They have been while sitting in the back of an orchestra with a trombone stuck to my face, blowing away in a Brahms symphony or Mozart’s Requiem.
In worship, especially when I preach, there’ve been times when I was overwhelmed by the inadequacy of my words and I approached the pulpit with much fear and trembling. Given the power of many of our hymns, I was almost ashamed or afraid to speak my little words after a particularly moving musical selection. Music boldly ascends to heights where mere words fear to tread.
But, in our day to day lives, words are what we are stuck with. We talk, chat, muse, reflect, gossip, instruct, inspire, bore, harangue, lecture, spiel, blather, and pontificate. These are the tools of everyday communication. Even given the limitations of language, there is something divine about the spoken word.
The bible says that God spoke creation into being. John’s gospel says that Jesus is the “Word made flesh.” So our words, however frail and limited, are vehicles of grace, sacraments of salvation, when speaking the good news that Jesus calls us to share with the world.
Jesus knows that words, with all their limitations, can heal, liberate, and save. They can also condemn, wound, and enslave.
Some folks have expressed concerns of some of the language that I’ve used in the pulpit. I welcome such concerns. It shows that language is dynamic. Even dangerous. We have a God who speaks hard poetry through the prophets; poetry that judges and poetry that redeems. We have a God who speaks life and creation with a single Word. We have a God who tells us stories of forgiveness before we even know we have sinned.
So, I’ll continue to grapple with language. Some days I will succeed. Some days I will fail,even offend. I ask your forgiveness ahead of time as I struggle to find words for what cannot be described; as I labour for language to illuminate the saving love of God revealed in Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit.
The day will come when music and words will converge and we will all sing the song of salvation together in the Kingdom of God.
Grace to you and peace,
Pastor Kevin
“Listening to music is a shattering experience, throwing the soul into an encounter with an aspect of reality to which the mind can never relate itself adequately…This shattering experience of music has been a challenge to my thinking on ultimate issues. I spend my life working with thoughts. And one problem that gives me no rest is: do these thoughts ever rise to the heights reached by authentic music?...Music leads to the threshold of repentance, of unbearable realization of our own vanity and frailty and of the terrible relevance of God. I would define myself as a person who has been smitten by music, as a person who has never recovered from the blows.”
Indeed.
For me, I am very aware of the power and limitations of words and the captivation of music. Some of my most poignant worship experiences haven’t been in church. They have been while sitting in the back of an orchestra with a trombone stuck to my face, blowing away in a Brahms symphony or Mozart’s Requiem.
In worship, especially when I preach, there’ve been times when I was overwhelmed by the inadequacy of my words and I approached the pulpit with much fear and trembling. Given the power of many of our hymns, I was almost ashamed or afraid to speak my little words after a particularly moving musical selection. Music boldly ascends to heights where mere words fear to tread.
But, in our day to day lives, words are what we are stuck with. We talk, chat, muse, reflect, gossip, instruct, inspire, bore, harangue, lecture, spiel, blather, and pontificate. These are the tools of everyday communication. Even given the limitations of language, there is something divine about the spoken word.
The bible says that God spoke creation into being. John’s gospel says that Jesus is the “Word made flesh.” So our words, however frail and limited, are vehicles of grace, sacraments of salvation, when speaking the good news that Jesus calls us to share with the world.
Jesus knows that words, with all their limitations, can heal, liberate, and save. They can also condemn, wound, and enslave.
Some folks have expressed concerns of some of the language that I’ve used in the pulpit. I welcome such concerns. It shows that language is dynamic. Even dangerous. We have a God who speaks hard poetry through the prophets; poetry that judges and poetry that redeems. We have a God who speaks life and creation with a single Word. We have a God who tells us stories of forgiveness before we even know we have sinned.
So, I’ll continue to grapple with language. Some days I will succeed. Some days I will fail,even offend. I ask your forgiveness ahead of time as I struggle to find words for what cannot be described; as I labour for language to illuminate the saving love of God revealed in Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit.
The day will come when music and words will converge and we will all sing the song of salvation together in the Kingdom of God.
Grace to you and peace,
Pastor Kevin
Paul Martin Pleads for his job
"I'm sorry, I didn't do it, I'm cleaning it up, let Gomery finish his work, I'll call an election within 30 days of the report being published, please please please please please don't call an election right now, I hung out here on Parliament Hill when I was a kid, let's get back to the real issues."
From Daimnation! via Kinsella.
I was hearing from Liberals over the last few days. All of them thought that Martin going on TV was a BAD idea. They were right. It was a terrible speech. Plus, he gave the opposition far too much time to prepare a pre-buttal. Now Gomery, election fever, and Paul Martin's speech will dominate the news, not their legislative agenda. And he effectively called an election, now NOTHING will get done on Parliament Hill.
Ladies and Gents, I give you Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
From Daimnation! via Kinsella.
I was hearing from Liberals over the last few days. All of them thought that Martin going on TV was a BAD idea. They were right. It was a terrible speech. Plus, he gave the opposition far too much time to prepare a pre-buttal. Now Gomery, election fever, and Paul Martin's speech will dominate the news, not their legislative agenda. And he effectively called an election, now NOTHING will get done on Parliament Hill.
Ladies and Gents, I give you Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
Thursday, April 21, 2005
Details Emerge of How Benedict Became Pope
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict acted to preserve the legacy of John Paul on Thursday as details emerged of how he swept to an overwhelming victory in a secret conclave.
The rest here.
The rest here.
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