First pics from the first day!!

Today was Lukas' first day of Grade 1 so I did the typical parent thing and took a million pictures of my cute little boy!! Here are a few pictures of the chaos!:

Ready to go out the door!



The walk (video):


The crowd at 8:30 (half hour early)



The crowd at 8:45 (eek!)


Lukas finds his teacher (video):



Where's Waldo:


Lukas with his class & the crowd by 9AM!! Wow, lots of kids!! (video):


Off to school (Lukas got to be the line leader, which he was sooo proud of):


Thankfully we didn't loose him in the crowd and he had a good first day. There were quite a number of kids and parents from the neighbourhood which we knew, and that helped alot. It should be interesting when Sylas goes for his first day of JK on Thursday. You read that right, kindergarten has it's own first day of school. All the kids in these pictures where only grades 1 to 3!!!

First day of school in Thorncliffe park

With the massive influx of new immigrants to the Thorncliffe Park area it's no wonder a program like 'Newcomer Orientation Week' has been set up to help students adjust to our school system. You may remember that the below-mentioned-proud-papa Dave teaches at the local highschool Marc Garneau. Here's a clip from the Toronto Star article about 'Newcomer Orientation Week' at Marc Garneau:

At Marc Garneau, about one in four students has come to Canada within the past five years. Diego, who will be in Grade 9, took his turn to share his hobbies, favourite subjects and the excitement of a new life in Canada.

After mingling, the group toured the nearby Thorncliffe Neighbourhood Office to learn about available youth programs and settlement services for their families.

Mariam Spanos, 18, who arrived from Iraq in March with sister Alis, 16, said being greeted by an Arabic-speaking peer immediately put them at ease.

"Now, I know some people in the school, so it won't be a total shock when I come on my first day. Hopefully, I won't get lost," she said with a chuckle.

Tomorrow Lukas and Sylas start at Thorncliffe Park public school, which was mentioned in a February Toronto Sun article - here as the largest elementary school in North America. Sylas is in one of 32 kindergarten classes. 93% of the kids do not claim English as their first language. This summer the soccer field was paved over to make way for 10 new portables to accommodate the continuing growth. When we registered our kids back in spring, we commented on how well they are doing at handling the 1500 children. The lady looked at Hayley and said 'oh those are old statistics, it's 1700 kids now'! Should be a fun first day of school here in Thorncliffe Park!!

The sayings of Lukas v37 - First loose tooth

Check this out!! On Sunday Lukas lost his first tooth!! Sadly it got stuck in his lunch and was swallowed :( We asked him what he was going to do and how the tooth fairy was going to find the tooth. Without skipping a beat Lukas looked at us and said:

Guys, the tooth fairy is not real!! You're grown ups you should know that!

Sutherland son!

Just got the good news that Dave & Amy Sutherland welcomed a brand new baby boy into the world tonight!! We got a call around 5PM that they were going to the hospital and then at 7PM we got a short message from Dave saying 'it's a boy!'. More details to follow!

**UPDATE** The 7lb 8oz baby boy was given the name Caleb Jonathan Sutherland

**UPDATE2** Pictures now online - click here

Praying for a bomber

There's alot of discussion in the blogsphere about this Lebanese bomber that caused all the commotion Friday and wether or not he's a terrorist. I haven't really thought much about this because...well who cares. People are evil by nature and will do bad things. Is this somehow news? Or is it just news because it's one of 'those people' (read: Muslims)

On Friday we continued with church as usual here in Thorncliffe Park. Every Friday we meet at our apartment for church, a communal meal, prayer and visiting friends in the neighbourhood. Every week people come to visit, share, eat and start to love this area that is filled with 'those people'. We prayed on Friday night for the bomber. I hope that is our reaction when we see things like this happening. I hope we don't find ourselves whining and complaining about 'these people'.

Let's not see this as a curse, but a blessing! God is bringing these people here so we and our super-wonderful western christianity (we think that way don't we?) can help them...right? We're not running away to the suburbs to make sure 'these people' don't get near us...right? How can we say we are following Jesus' example if we remove ourselves from danger, suffering and anything that looks like 'taking up our cross'?

Let me encourage all of you who are following Jesus to move closer to danger. Closer to a terrorist. Closer to suffering. Closer to a place where people will hurt you. That's what Jesus did. He was motivated by love for his enemies and that's why he uttered 'Father forgive them' as they were brutally murdering him. Jesus did not mutter 'Father could you please strike 'these people' down!', as some are muttering under their breaths about 'these people' that are flooding our country.

Lots of news stories popping up today about Thorncliffe Park. Hopefully there are just as many prayers going up!

Thorncliffe bomb scare

The past few mornings we've been doing practice runs with our kids, getting them ready for school. They brush their teeth, put on their shoes, get their backpacks and we try to get to the school by the 8:50AM starting time. This worked wonderfully this morning and we arrived at least 10 minutes early. Lukas had to use the washroom so we found an open door and the teachers let us in.

While inside an announcement came over the PA system : "PLEASE EXIT THE BUILDING. EVERYONE MUST LEAVE THE BUILDING"

We thought this was strange and wondered what the commotion was, only to find out the police were at the local Esso station trying to contain a bomb.

Right now I'm sitting here in Dave's apartment looking at 3 helicopters circling the neighbourhood. More details soon. I've seen CTV, CBC and City so perhaps all of you know more than us.

So if you're planning on coming tonight to break bread with us you might have to get past some police tape. Thorncliffe Park Drive and Overlea blvd are currently blocked off. We'll keep you posted!


**UPDATE** 12:21PM

Looks like this is the lead story on every news station. CTV, 680news etc. The police have removed the bomb from the Esso here in our area and are taking it downtown to detonate or defuse it. All southbound lanes of the Don Valley Parkway are closed as the bomb is transported to an area on the shore of Lake Ontario.

**UPDATE 2** 12:31PM

I've uploaded a picture from the CTV website of the robot that was sent in to grab the bombs out of the car

**UPDATE 3** 1:21PM

I think this is all over now, they have re-opened our street and the bomb is on down the DVP. The Toronto Star has a report, as well as The Globe and Mail, The National Post as well as the Terrosim Research Center?? and a local Canadian blogger who claims the accused letter-bomber is a Lebanese immigrant

Thorncliffe Park - Canada's highest concentration of Muslims

Before the city of Toronto was a big huge mega-city it was divided up into various little 'boroughs' which all had their own mayor. East York is the 'borough' in which Thorncliffe Park is located. Recently I stumbled across this interview with the former Mayor of East York Michael Prue. His comments about Thorncliffe Park are very interesting:

We also talked about the Thorncliffe Park area, for which Michael was responsible when he was Mayor of East York. This area has Canadas largest concentration of Muslim immigrants

The largest concentration of Muslims in Canada - sweet!

Wednesday prayer requests - Greece fires

Seeing as the title of my blog is the "athensBLOG" it would be appropriate to encourage prayer for Greece! Most of you are aware of the deadly fires that have killed 64 people in Greece. Today I saw an article in the Scarborough Mirror about a meeting here in Thorncliffe Park to help the suffering:

The Greek Community of Toronto has opened an account that can receive donations through any Scotiabank branch. The group is meeting at the Thorncliffe Park Community Centre tonight at 6:30 p.m. to plan other forms of relief.

Please pray for these fires, which are still burning all over Greece and on the Island of Evia - the island where we distributed Bibles during the Olympics!!

Monday's hot topic - Eternal security

Forum member Adrian posted on the forum some thoughts on Psalm 103 recently. These thoughts have lead to a discussion on eternal security, since Psalm 103 states:

verse 12 - He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.

The idea being that if God removes someone's sins, there's no way for them to bring those sins back. God has graciously removed all sin and guilt and an individual is free to live a life devoted to God.

Considering this thought I posed the question:

If we say 'once saved, always saved' then what happens in God's eyes when someone 'denies the Lord with cursing'? Are they still saved? Is there a clause in our eternal security doctrine that states that someone is eternally secure until they reject Christ? If so then it isn't eternal security...right?

What are your thoughts on 'eternal security'? Is it eternal? What does it depend on? If someone is a Christian and then turns back what happens to them? Are their sins still forgiven? Post your thoughts in the comments below, or on the forum - click here

Muslim Girl Magazine!!

Those of you who went out and purchased the Burqini, after my post last Thursday, might also want to consider subscribing to Muslim Girl Magazine!!.

The magazine offers modesty-centered fashion tips, profiles of interesting North American Muslim teens, moral and worldwide issues as well as featuring the Muslim girl of the month! I wonder if Hirsi Ali or Irshad Manji will be featured any time soon??

Thorncliffe Murderer turns himself in

A number of news stories are circulating this morning about yesterdays incident.

First City TV is reporting the name of the victim and that the suspect has turned himself in to police:

Relatives of the deceased declined to speak on camera but they said the victim came to Canada from Turkey four years ago and lived in the apartment building. His identity hasn't been confirmed, but neighbours claim the victim was 35-year-old Engin Yilmaz. Later Wednesday Hikmet Dasmedir, also 35, surrendered to police at 53 Division. He's been charged with second degree murder

The Toronto Star has some interesting interviews with residents in our neighbourhood:

""This is the only thing that's happened on our street," said Hannah, a 25-year resident of the Thorncliffe Park Dr.-Overlea Blvd. area"

Later in the article another resident states:

"There are a lot of people who are screaming here all the time – once, twice, three or four times a week," said another resident. "But we never think that something horrible happens. It's (usually) just kids screaming. ... Not grownups."

Please continue to pray for the family and the residents of the building, including our interns & friends who were questioned by police.

The sayings of Sylas v6 - Birds

Tonight I was tucking Sylas into bed when he asked me an interesting question:

Sylas: Daddy, why do turtles eat flies? (Franklin the Turtles favorite food is fly pie)
Daddy: Well everything has to eat something. Some animals eat plants, some animals eat bugs
Sylas: Birds eat bugs don't they dad?
Daddy: That's right Sylas, birds eat bugs...and plants...
Sylas: ..and scientists!!!

Wednesday prayer requests - Thorncliffe murder

This morning I was walking to Tim Hortons to meet Alan Beattie for breakfast around 7:30 when I noticed a large number of police vehicles down the street from our building. Sadly it turns out there was a murder just after 7AM this morning at the very building where our interns live.

More on this story from the City TV and 680 news websites. Please let this motivate you to pray more for this area!

Monday's hot topics - Public vs. Private church

Most of us in the West are used to public church meetings, buildings and freedom to gather as we like. There are big churches, little churches and even The church of elvis. So many churches that it's tough to remember a time when church wasn't public.

In early Christianity however public church was all but impossible without imprisonment, beatings and martyrdom. The Roman Empire tried to snuff out the light any way it could. Back then church had to be underground, secret and could cost you your life. There are modern day examples, like China, where the underground church is growing at tremendous cost.

Seeing this, how do we in the West who have the freedom balance public vs private church meetings? Should we go back to early Christianity and go underground? Or should we use our freedom and meet only in public?

On the forum pherwxristosposted his thoughts on the matter:

Having spent some years in the house church movement and appreciating the advantages of an intimate venue, I'm trying to figure out a way to balance out the emphasis on meeting "in public" (which here i mean at the chapel building) and "from house to house." I think the early church in Jerusalem met in public (various courts at the Temple) and also met to break bread in their homes. I think the earliest church(es) in Ephesus also clearly (from Acts) met in public (lecture hall of Tyranus?) and "from house to house."

So what do you think? How do we strike the balance? Should we go back to house church only? Should we go underground? Or use our freedom to have public meetings and buildings? Post your thoughts in the comments below or on the forum - here

Video of the week - Living without limbs

As if the Burqini wasn't crazy enough, check out this amazing guy Nick Vujicic:

Burqua + Bikini = The Burqini!!

Wikipedia definition: A burqini or burkini is a type of swimsuit designed by Lebanese Australian Aheda Zanetti. The suit covers enough to preserve Muslim modesty, whilst being light enough to enable swimming. It was described as the perfect solution for Muslim women who want to swim but are uncomfortable about "revealing" bathing suits. The name "burqini" is a portmanteau of burqa and bikini.


From the official Burqini website:

My name is Aheda Zanetti, the woman behind the Ahiida label, migrated to Australia from Lebanon at age of 2. Now 38, married with 4 children. I remember growing up in Australia , posted a lot of challenges for a young Muslim / Arab girl. As an active person who liked to participate in community activities and sport, I found myself restricted due to cultural and religious beliefs. As years went by, I noticed there are younger girls and women that are embracing Islam and obeying their Islamic belief in dressing modestly, in turn, having to miss out on opportunities, and taking part in any sporting activities that Australia has to offer. By facing this on a daily basis and seeing girls struggle with what is around presently, we at Ahiida have found a need to make specialized sportswear to suit the Muslim female.

Get yours today!

Wednesday prayer requests - Thorncliffe Park stats

We appreciate those of you who have been praying for our new neighbourhood. To help you pray more intelligently please take a minute to read the City of Toronto neighbourhood profile for Thorncliffe Park - click here. Keep in mind these are stats from 2001. The 2006 census data should be very interesting.

Happy Pakistani Independence day!!

Matt Cook reminds us all to have a Happy Pakistani Independence Day!!

"With Pakistan's Independence Day just around the corner I find myself thinking about this neat country I'm a part of and wondering which thing about Pakistan I appreciate or enjoy the most. As I was walking down the street to day I asked myself, "What is your favorite Pakistani thing?"

Find out what Matt's answer is on his blog - here

Monday's hot topics - How do you know??

On the discussion forum our friend cole has asked the age old question:

how did you know that the person you are married to is the person you were supposed to marry? and what if they took off from God for a while before you were married, would you have waited for them?

How did you know? What would you do? Help cole out by posting your answer in the comments below, or on the forum - here

Video of the Week - Christian and Christ-follower

This week's video is a parody of the PC/MAC commercials, replacing PC with 'Christian' and MAC with 'Christ-follower'. See what you think!:

Need a title v32

Can anyone think of a good title for this pic?

Wednesday prayer requests - Adam House, Toronto

Recently I've been in touch with an amazing little place called Adam House. It helps refugees get on their feet in Canada. I hope to visit them soon to see their work, but judging from all the good stuff I've heard this is a place that needs our prayers and support

Thorncliffe Park Beckham?

Musing about David Beckham's potential MLS debut appearance yesterday, writer Pat Walsh wondered what would have happened if Becks notched his first point in Toronto:

If Beckham scores a goal or notches an assist -- the latter scenario much more likely after he watched his teammates drop a six-spot on the Hoops -- ask if he plans to name his next child Thorncliffe Park to commemorate his first MLS point.

Sadly for all Thorncliffe Park fans, Beckham neither played nor scored a goal

Monday's hot topics - 'God's standards are actually quite low"

On the forum a good friend of mine posted a sermon he preached recently. At the very end he quotes Desmond Tutu as saying “You may be surprised who you find in heaven, God has a soft spot for sinners, his standards are actually quite low.” Post your thoughts on this statement in the comments below or on the forum - here

The athensBLOG :: fun family entertainment

Those who may have objected over the years to the edgy candor of the athensBLOG will be pleased to read the following public service announcement:



You can now return to your Canadian holiday weekend content in the knowledge that reading this blog is as safe and harmless as watching Bambi

John Tory loves Thorncliffe!

Can you smell it? It's in the air. Burgers and hot dogs in Thorncliffe Park! That means it's election time soon! Ontario Conservative Leader John Tory is running in *our* riding and I've been fairly impressed that he gives two hoots about Thorncliffe Park. On John's blog he states:

Saturday afternoon saw a huge picnic in Thorncliffe Park, perhaps one of the most multicultural, multilingual neighbourhoods in all of Ontario, at the very heart of my new riding of Don Valley West

Johnny not only made an appearance at the Neighbours Night out, he actually went to the back of one of the apartment buildings (#65) to put on this barbeque. Hopefully through this election Mr. Tory will be able to shine more light on this forgotten area of the city. Jerry Bolton was there and took some pics. :

Wednesday Prayer requests : Ron Bates, August 10th, 1939 - July 31st, 2007

7 years ago, in August of 2000, Hayley and I went on a trip to help at an orphanage in Romania. This orphanage was run by a missionary couple named Ron & Sue Bates. It was quite an eye-opening trip as we saw the terrible orphan epidemic in Romania. The Bates were an older couple, coming to Romania after their retirement. They where compelled by the great needs in Romania and began feeding street children and helping the blind. Eventually mothers would bring their babies to the Bates to take care of and they were moved with compassion to open up their home to these children. Eventually so many children where living with them that they decided to buy land and start a children's home called 'Inasmuch' - click here.

A vivid memory I have from our trip is feeding the street children soup downtown Bucharest, in the shadow of Nicolae Ceauşescu's palace. Orphans and street children invited Hayley down into the sewers to see where they slept. I was a bit nervous but Hayley climbed down to get a first hand look at the horrible conditions. It's something I will never forget. I'm very thankful for my time in Romania and for the Bates' ministry.

Yesterday I received word that Ron Bates had passed away. In the letter sent by Sue she mentions his work with the street children but also his work and love for the Gypsies of Romania:

His greatest ministry was with the gypsies. Ron’s gift was preaching the gospel and expounding God's word, he loved God's word and always appreciated the hungry, open heart of the gypsy Christians. He frequented the village of Goloshei and because of his great love for them and their common love for the Lord Jesus he wants to be buried in that village, so Thursday we will celebrate his home going.

Please pray for Sue, their ministry, the orphans and Romania

My new favorite song - "In the Living years"

I've had the song 'Living years' running through my head the past little while. Pardon the 'subtitulada' but it was the only version of the real video I could find. Somehow neither the Kids Incorporated, nor the Sims version seemed appropriate:

A tribute to Steve Bourgeois - Up north saying goodbye

It was with sadness in my heart that Hayley and I drove up to Timmins to say goodbye to Steve. It's funny how life goes. The last time I chatted with Steve was last summer when we were visiting Timmins for the first time. He was in Ottawa and I had asked him all about the north and Iroquois Falls where he grew up. He was suggesting places for us to visit (Chez Nous' poutine was a MUST!) if we had time to make the 45 minute drive from Timmins to see his old stomping grounds. Looking back it's sad that we never visited until now.

Steve's last words to me were: take care, we'll catch up soon!


I'd give anything to have a few minutes now to catch up with him. I'm scheduled to be at a conference in Ottawa in November and I was hoping to connect with Steve then. Life is like that isn't it. We get busy and leave loose ends. The biggest sadness I feel is that I never got to tell Steve how much I appreciated him and the times we had together. I never really got to say goodbye. Alot of us are feeling that sadness. Alot of us are thinking of people currently in our lives we should talk to. People who might not know how special they are to us. Who do you need to call? Email? Hug, or write a letter to?

I need to tell those of you who I've known a long time ago but haven't caught up with in a while. I need to tell those of you who take time to read this blog. Those of you who pray for us. Those who support our ministry and especially those of you we haven't seen in a while, but always talk about getting together. I want to say that I love you and let you know you've touched my life.

Therefore, I think it would be a fitting tribute to Steve if we all picked up our collective phones/pens/keyboards and made the effort right now to tell someone how much they've touched our life. As soon as you finish reading this - just do it!

Hopefully God will give each of us just one more chance to catch up

Funeral for Steve Bourgeois

Steve's funeral will be held on Saturday, July 28th at 11AM at Iroquois Falls Bible Chapel. Details can be found on the funeral home website - here, including driving directions and visitation times.

Wednesday prayer requests - Reading and Running

Yesterday I had an amazing meeting with Silvia Ruegger and Brian Warren about their Running and Reading clubs through their organization Kidsfest. The program started in 2004 at Chester Le Junior Public School near Bridlegrove and we have worked with the same kids over the years. I had kept in touch with them, and was very impressed by their work helping inner-city kids in poverty get fit and literate! These clubs are rolling out all over the country and Silvia and Brian are a real inspiration so pray for them as they manage this huge task.

Also continue to remember the Bourgeois family in prayer. We still have no word on when Steve's funeral will be. It's also difficult for them as today would have been Steve's 28th birthday. On the Steve Bourgeois facebook group Mark Jenkinson offered this birthday prayer:

Steve, today we remember your birthday, because your life changed ours forever.

A birthday prayer, "Our heavenly father, we thank You for each and every day that you gave us with Steve. You blessed us so poignantly and profoundly with Steve's smiles, laughs, kind words and selfless acts. Each and every moment was a gift. We reflect on his life and the indescribable impact that he made on ours, and we can't help but offer up our thanks to You Lord, the one who works all things for good, and has ensured this outcome because of the death and resurrection of your One and Only son, Jesus. For it is in His name we pray, AMEN."

More memories of Steve

I found a few more pictures of Steve. One of him with Hayley and one of him with me. Hopefully I can find some more. It was on that trip to Ireland with Steve that I first met my wife Hayley, so those are special memories. I actually have about 6 audio tapes from that trip (this was before digital cameras) and listening to Steve's voice has been surreal. He was always so cheerful...but more than cheerful, he was positively jumpy in a joyful way! I have one picture from that Ireland trip of him scaling an ancient Irish castle with his bare hands! That was the Steve Bourgeios I'll remember

Steve's MSN profile?

I've been looking over old MSN conversations from Steve and remember him having loads of pictures on his MSN profile. He had pictures of Pam and a recent trip they were taking. Has anyone been able to locate that profile or know how to search for it in the google archives?

Steve Bourgeois Facebook group

For the Steve Bourgeois facebook group click here. We want to try and compile as many pictures/stories/memories as we can. Steve's brother is on a cruise in the Caribbean and won't be back until Sunday. No funeral arrangements have been made yet. Our prayers are with the family.

Memories of Steve

Today I'm still feeling shock and sadness by Steve's passing. I'm not sure what to feel or do right now, but I think I'll start by remembering the good times. Here are a few pictures of Steve on our trip to Ireland. It's funny cause Hayley actually liked him first. :)






If others have pictures please add them to the growing facebook group in Steve's memory

Goodbye old friend

I am very saddened to report that my old friend and former roommate Steve Bourgeois has drowned in an accident in Belize. Here is the news story - click here. I'm not sure what to feel except for an aching lostness of missing someone I hadn't seen in a while and the reality that it has now become permanent.

We'll really miss you Stevey B

Wednesday Prayer requests - The lady down the hall

Today I experienced one of the most beautiful things a father can experience: Genuine caring and empathy for others from a pure heart, expressed by his own child.

As some of you know Lukas has been setting up a little lemonade stand outside of our apartment. When the weather is hot we travel down and set up shop next to the man who sells vegetables out of his van. The ice cream truck is also there at the curb but Luke's 25 cent lemonade is a much better deal so he usually sells a jug or two in a sitting. We usually have a number of kids buzzing around asking to help or advertise for us. One time a little boy brought some paper and pens and everyone made posters for the lemonade stand.

Each time Lukas makes a few dollars. We have a deal that half the money has to go to saving and half is for him to spend (he usually immediately blows it at the ice cream stand, or wants to spend it on candy :)

Well today Lukas called me. He had a question. He asked if it was ok for him to give away all of his lemonade money to the little old lady down the hall. She is older and lives alone (we have asked some of you to pray for her) and Lukas said he was worried that she didn't have enough food to eat, so he wanted to give her the money to help.

This was an amazing moment to be a part of. I hope I get to experience many more like it.

Please pray for this lady, for Lukas and for the many others that we have not yet met who need help in Thorncliffe Park.

Monday's hot topics - Why do we do what we do when we do it?

On the forum Meghan posed an interesting questions for everyone - Why do we do what we do when we do it? While there are many ways to apply that statement - personal habits, work, family, etc. Meghan has focused our attention on the pernicious issue of dressing up for church:

*I sometimes even wonder if the people who deem that we must wear a suit and tie, "sunday" dresses, etc. actually have it backwards. The Mennonite men do not wear ties because they believe it is a symbol of the worldly business man. I can't help but think, at times, that if our churches are run like businesses/institutions, then the wearing of ties, etc. is very appropriate. The sad thing is that this is not what the churches are to be...What say ye?

So how about it folks. Suit and tie? Jacket. Sport coat? Shorts? Sandals? Ripped Jeans? Does God care? Post your thoughts on the forum - here - or in the comments below.

The sayings of Sylas v5 - Chicken

The other day we were eating supper when I heard Sylas' little voice.

Daddy, what's chicken made of?

Wasn't really sure how to break it to him :)

Early Church quotes volume 1

Currently I'm writing a paper which means I'm reading alot of early church sources. Whenever I come across a good early church quote, I'll post it up here for my beloved readers to chew on. By early church I mean before 300AD
____________________________________________________


Seeing as today's early church quote is the first here on the athensBLOG, it's appropraite that is comes to us from Athenagoras of Athens who lived in the second half of the 2nd century and wrote, in his 'Legatio 11':

What, then, are these teachings in which we are reared? “I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven, who makes his sun to shine on the evil and on the good, and sends his rain on the just and on the unjust”

Who [of the pagan philosophers] have so purified their own hearts as to love their enemies instead of hating them; instead of upbraiding those who first insult them (which is certainly more usual), to bless them; and to pray for those who plot against them? …

With us, on the contrary, you will find unlettered people, tradesmen and old women, who, though unable to express in words the advantages of our teaching, demonstrate by acts the value of their principles. For they do not rehearse speeches, but evidence good deeds. When struck, they do not strike back; when robbed, they do not sue; to those who ask, they give, and they love their neighbors as themselves

The thing that stuck out most to me was the last part of this quote - they do not rehearse speeches, but evidence good deeds. Seems to me that in modern Christianity too much of our time is taken up with rehearsing speeches, rather than doing good deeds. How about you and your church? Do we have 'good deed ministries'? Or just ministries where we try to get people in to hear our rehearsed speeches? How are you and I doing good in our community? For example, do you have a ministry to help the poor? Not just give to the poor, but help them? Are you helping the widows and fatherless? These are things that we hear alot about on Sunday mornings but are we actually doing them? Are our churches actually developing systems and ministries to make sure that their congregants are doing the things that are heard from the pulpit? Or are we well-rehearsed-speech-pulpit lovers with itching ears? A reading of Ezekiel 33:30-32 reveals this problem is nothing new. The other thing I noticed is the line - unable to express in words the advantage of our teaching. Makes me wonder about all the emphasis on apologetics these days and if it's worth as much as a cup of cold water given in the name of Jesus. Must be the Salvation Army rubbing off on me :)

Wednesday prayer requests - Q2 report now available!

Usually I would post our quarterly newsletters online, but recently we've set up an email subscription list. If you'd like to subscribe leave a comment, email me or send an email to: thorncliffe-subscribe@quist.ca and I'll send you a copy of the Q2!

Thorncliffe Neighbours go wild!!

Yesterday was the second annual Thorncliffe 'Neighbours Night Out'. This community festival was a real treat to be involved with. There was fun for everyone - food, games, jumping castles and vendors. Folks from various organizations and levels of government were also on hand (including Ontario Conservative leader John Tory who I had the pleasure of meeting). Dan & Jerry ran the sound system all day and since Dave & I were on the planning committee we got Jon Corbin, aka 'The Runaway' (click here for his Myspace page) to come with his sweet beats! He did an amazing job and when it was time to give away CD's the kids went ballistic! Check out this video I took of the kids dancin their hearts out:
Thanks to everyone who made this event possible. We look forward to another great event next year

Monday's Hot Topics - Sunday - Sunday - Sunday!!

So what did you do this Sunday? Watch a car race (hence the title)? Did you sleep in? Have a late brunch? Or attend church?

On the forum, our beloved WikkidPerson has once again provoked us, this time to thinking about Sunday:

Obviously, saying "God, I'm only going to give you one day of the week, as I live six others with less to do with You, I'll have one outfit that's dedicated to You and wear other stuff the rest of the week, I'll sing one kind of music for You on that day and sing other stuff the rest of the time, and I'll hang out with certain people on that day, but with my real friends the rest of the week" obviously, saying that is nonsense. What wife would put up with that kind of treatment, let alone our creator?

How to shift the focus from "See God? It's Sunday and I'm at church singing hymns with Christian people!" to "God, I see You in the course of events that make up my day-to-day living."

Do you think Sunday is more important than other days? Does God think it's more important? Post your thoughts on the forum - here - or in the comments below

The Cuthill clan and the Cuthill house

The other day I accidentally found the Cuthill crest online - click here. But after a little investigation I also found a completely different Cuthill Crest - click here.

I have no idea which one is the 'real' Cuthill Crest. I guess that's the price you pay for having sweet Scottish heritage. While I'm not sure which crest is which, perhaps the folks at Cuthill house - here - could help answer the question! Cuthills of the world unite!

Wednesday prayer requests - The Dan & Jerry show

As I mentioned yesterday we have two fine gentleman/interns/minions staying here in Thorncliffe for the month of July:

Dazzling Dan Carlson (picture right with fiance Pam)

and Jovial Jerry Bolton (picture below).



Today we got them checked into their apartment, they rolled out their sleeping matts and thus began a month long adventure of epic proportions. Like any good summer blockbuster the script of their time here is unfolding as they live and move in our sweet hood. They'll be doing a variety of groundbreaking, mindboggling tasks of heroic proportions (read: anything I tell them) so pray for these guys as they huff and puff and build the kingdom in Thorncliffe Park!! Also pray for more and more folks who will want to move in to work alongside us and live among the swarms of new Canadians.

Lego Bible updates

We've got a sweet group of Missourians up here for the week! Also Jerry and Dan, our summer interns are here so stay tuned. Things are a bit busy so here's the latest updates from the Lego Bible - click here

Video of the week - Lukas graduates!

That's right folks, Lukas has graduated kindergarten!! Here's a video of him with his gown and diploma:



Not only was it a gradutaion ceremony, it was also a gym show, with the kids performing for the parents:

Please pray for Lukas & Sylas who will both be starting at the massively overcrowded Thorncliffe Park Public School in September!

Wednesday prayer requests - Thorncliffe services down but population has "doubled or tripled"

I found this article yesterday which accurately addresses the situation in Thorncliffe Park (and neighbouring Flemingdon Park):

"Resources aren't available," he said. "There are talks, but no follow-up and no conclusive results. In Flemingdon and Thorncliffe, services have gone down, but the population has doubled or tripled over the past 10 years. (The government) needs to look at where they are spending."

Please pray for this rapidly growing community, and for us as we seek to reach out and meet the needs of the people here.

Parenting 101 v11 - Milk

When I am confronted with a difficult parenting situation, I'll put the issue out there to plumb the depths of the vast parenting knowledge of my beloved readers....Here is our eleventh edition of Parenting 101.
__________________________


Last night we were driving our good friend Dave Osoup to the airport. In the car on the way, Lukas asked me:

Daddy, why is Milk white?

I wasn't exactly sure what to say. Any suggestions???

Monday's hot topics - KJV only "ill-informed"

What does KJVO mean? Perhaps you've heard of it. This movement states that the only *real* Bible is the English one translated by King James (in 1611). Right off the top there are major questions about how this can be, since the original Bible was written in Greek and Hebrew. On the forum this topic has arisen, and recently forum member IHA took a shot at this idea:

the entire KJVO movement has arisen, and every present-day KJV-onlyite is a direct spiritual descendant of these ill-informed men. And as the movement has progressed from one generation to the next, with each new generation arising from intellectually incestuous in-breeding, the views have become more radicalized and extreme.

What are your thoughts on the King James Version? Is it the only *real* Bible? Are KJVonlyists off base? Post your thoughs in the comments, or on the forum - here

Video of the week - My new favorite song

Lukas graduated from Bridlegrove's kindergarten on Thursday. I'll post some videos of the graduation soon. Friday was his very last day. He starts grade 1 at Thorncliffe Park school in September.

While I was driving to pick him up for the last time on Friday, this song came on the radio. I think it's about a relationship ending. I couldn't find the MP3 so here's the video. In many ways Friday was the end of our relationship with Bridlegrove. Sure there will be visits, but Friday felt like the end. Thinking over the time we spent there brought back many memories. So many people. So much time. Like any relationship, the end is sad even if there's something good to move on to. In many ways Luke's graduation felt like many other 'last days' I've experienced. Knowing it's time to move on. Not wanting to part with people and memories. Wishing it could last forever. Grieving the circumstances that brought it to an end. It's always hard to say goodbye. Why do all good things come to an end?

Thorncliffe Park - home of the 'perfect eyebrow'

I found this blog called 'The balancing act' which details how one woman's search for the perfect eyebrows led her to Thorncliffe Park's mall the East York Town Center:

Recently, a buzz started in East York ( my 'hood and home to many Indian expats especially in the enclave of Thorncliffe Park not far from my home) about a newly transplanted Mumbaite who did fantastic eyebrows from salon in the East York Town Centre. My sis-in-law and I went to check her out and see what all the fuss was about. With a stern look on her pretty face, Lailah asked me to sit down so she could do a "shape assessment". It was so official, and I was loving it - finally someone who took my brows as seriously as I did.

Ladies, it's just one more reason to move to Thorncliffe

Wednesday prayer requests - Gun toting Thorncliffe teen

Yesterday the Toronto Star reported that police where called to a 'building on Thorncliffe Park Drive':

Jun 19, 2007 03:13 PM - Justin Piercy

A 16-year-old has been charged with carrying a concealed handgun. Police say a young man was in the lobby of an apartment building on Thorncliffe Park Drive, near Milwood Rd. and Overlea Blvd. on Monday around 11 p.m.

A person walking past noticed what they thought to be the handle of a gun protruding from the boy's pocket, so they called 911. Police say when they arrived, the suspect ran and discarded something. Officers located a loaded .22-calibre handgun that they believe to be one stolen in a break-and-enter in Mississauga last year.

A 16-year-old boy — who cannot be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act — faces nine charges including carrying a concealed weapon, possession of a restricted firearm with ammunition and failing to comply with probation.

The article doesn't specify which building but since we live in one of these buildings it makes you wonder. While Thorncliffe is not known for gun violence please pray as the summer approaches that there would be no shootings.

Monday's hot topics - 153 fish???

A member of the forum named In_the_Lords_army posted this thought provoking Bible question:

John 21:11 says: Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to land, full of large fish, one hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not broken

Does anyone want to try and explain why the number of fish that they caught is specified? I don't imagine anyone knows for sure...but all suggestions are accepted! Smile

waddyathink? Why 153 and not 154. Is there some hidden code or significance? Post your response in the comments or on the forum - here

Video of the week - Facebook rules (so does Paul...and Alex)

Man I love facebook. It's amazing to reconnect with people you haven't seen or heard from in years. Case in point is my old highschool friend Alex Hindmarch who I haven't heard or seen in at least 10 years. We used to be on the cheerleading team together, although he might not want that to be public knowledge now that he's a radio DJ with hard-rocking Toronto radio station Q107!!(click here) So after checking out Alex on facebook I checked out his blog - here - on the Q107 site and found this amazing video he had posted!! Three cheers for Facebook! If you're not on it, get on it.

So here's the video. Try not to cry too much everybody, and don't forget to listen to Alex Mondays from 7pm - 12am and Sundays 9am - 12pm:

Wednesday prayer requests (on Thursday) - Happy 614 day!!!

I saved the prayer requests for today (Thursday) because today is June 14th - 614!! Hope it's a good one, and don't forget to pray for all of us in the 614

Monday's hot topics - The everlasting Hell challenge!

Our resident heretic on the forum Drew Costen has put a challenge out there to all of us who believe in a real, everlasting Hell:

Demonstrate convincingly that the idea that "those who die without putting their faith in Jesus Christ alone to save them (apart from any works) will end up in a place of torment called hell forever with no chance of escape"

Now, I'll admit that arguing with Drew sometimes resembles trying to wrestle with a greased pig, but he does get us thinking about the afterlife and our eternal destiny. What if hell really exists? What if you end up there? What could you do to avoid going there? What will it be like? Do you believe in Hell? Do you know Bible verses that talk about everlasting torment? click on over to the forum and show Drew your stuff - here

He also raises a counter point in my mind - If we DO believe in Hell....what are we doing about it? Do you believe in Hell? If so then it's time to get warning people!!! So how about it, are you up to taking the Everlasting Hell challenge? Click here to post your thoughts on the forum

Video of the week - Stormy

Yesterday the weather man predicted some 'severe' weather. Here's a short video I took:

Athiest? Agnostic? Get paid to go to church!

I found this on the Drew Marshall show - http://drewmarshall.ca/blog.html:

The Drew Marshall Show is looking for a pagan/new age/agnostic/ atheist/whatever… someone with no church background, to partici- pate in a research project for our radio show. We need you to visit five churches in the Toronto area during the month of June with our host Drew Marshall. In return for your time and opinions based on your non-churched experience, The Drew Marshall Show will pay you $100 per church and invite you to be our guest during our July 7th show to share your experience. No catch, no proselytising, no pressure! We just need you to help the Church see itself as you see it!

Interested in participating in the experiment?
Apply online at www.drewmarshall.ca/fivechurches

Lego Bible - Book of Acts updates

Ever wondered what Paul the apostle would look like as a Lego figure? Click here for the latest Lego Bible updates

Wednesday prayer requests - Evey Dyck update

Last week we asked for prayer for a friend Evey Dyck. Just yesterday I received a very positive report:

After surgery on Tuesday, (8 hours) Evy spent 2 days in ICU, then 2 days in Step-down (less intensive ICU) then 2 days on the ward. Yesterday morning (Monday) the doctors came into Evy's room, and said that pending the outcome of her daily chest x-ray, they would let her go home. Evy felt a bit insecure about going (it is only 6 days after all), but by 12:00 noon we were on our way.

Praise God and please keep praying as she recovers at home.

Monday's hot topics - Church again - Ingredients vs. Recipe

I'm still chewing on this whole 'What is church' topic on the forum - here. Recently someone suggested that there is a 'pattern' or way that church should be done. The idea is that God gave us a sort of 'blue print' and we as Christians just need to follow it and then we will be doing chruch the way God 'designed' it. A recipe if you will. As I thought about this an analogy came to mind that I posted on the forum and wanted to share and get opinions on. Here's how it goes

If someone has an egg, cup of flour, butter and chocolate they could make cake. They could also make cookies. They could make various baked goods. Muffins perhaps.

When we talk about God having a 'pattern' for doing things are we talking about the ingredients that he has supplied (Acts 2:42 stuff are the eggs, flour) or are we talking about the recipe he has supplied us (Acts 2:42 is a cake, not cookies).

I believe they are ingredients. Too often I have seen an insistence on a recipe for cake

Have you seen this as well? Are we inflexible about our style of 'doing church'? Are we so used to cake that we are not flexible when cookies are suggested? Or did God really want us to only make cake? Does God have a recipe for church? Post your thoughts on the forum - here

The sayings of Lukas v36 - School

The other day at the supper table Lukas asked a curious question:

Lukas: Daddy who invented schools?
Shawn: hmmm...good question. You know I think it was the Greeks.
Lukas: No.....I think it started in China....they make everything

Pictures!

I uploaded a bunch of pictures on facebook today - click here, mainly of our neighbourhood, but also a few of the kids so I thought I'd post one cute one here...cause everybody thinks their kid is the cutest in the world! :)


DJ 'Livi' with the headphones!

Creation Museum open for business!

My good friend Andrew Prescott had a post recently on his blog about a new Creation Museum that opened up this week in Kentucky. You can see a video of founder Ken Ham cutting the ribbon - here.

The project was sponsored by Answers in Genesis, which had this to say on it's blog:

The guests and even the secular media expressed praise for the professionalism and quality of the exhibits. Rejoice with us for this historic day and please continue to pray as many more media descend on the Creation Museum, which has created a buzz in the secular media (and Christian media) worldwide.

Hopefully this will give everyone further reasons to believe in the Bible. As someone who believes that God created the earth it is exciting to see this Museum open it's doors.

Wednesday prayer requests - Evey Dyck surgery

I sent a prayer request to some of you on Monday about Evey Dyck who was going in for surgery on Tuesday. She had 2 operations yesterday, one to remove a tumor from her rib cage area and the other was open heart surgery to patch a hole in her heart. I just received word this morning that things went fairly well but please continue to pray!

Monday's hot topics - What is church??

Since moving into Thorncliffe we've been praying alot about how to go about starting a new church. I haven't met too many people that have started a church from scratch so the ideas about how it should be done vary. Add to this the massive cultural mix of non-christian-background folks in this area and the question of 'how to' becomes even harder to answer.

As I've been thinking about these things the nagging question that I keep coming back to is 'What is church"?? I asked this question on the forum - *here* and there have been some interesting comments and discussion. Here are a few responses I've received:

- Our small home Bible study group is to my limited mind "what church should be", much more than the Sunday morning service is.

- I can't help but wonder why people want to cling to the term "church." Can't you just do like the apostles and say "We're getting together to hang out" or "to discuss the bible" or "to pray"?

- so...Church as I understand it is not a thing, a thing we do, or a place we go, she is a person. The Church is the body of Christ.

- my response is "a bunch of morons" lol

- What is a church? It's a bunch of people that get together with a shared mission - to glorify God.

- I believe the time for what we generally think of "churches" has past. A manifestly failed experiment God winks at. I think it's time we stopped using the term too.

Seems lots of people are asking the same question. How about you? What do you think church is? What do you think church *should be*?? Post your thoughts on the forum - click here

Thieves and vandals in Thorncliffe

Breaking news from Thorncliffe - click here.

Over the three-day Victoria Day weekend, a number of businesses and homes were targeted by culprits. A construction trailer on Jamieson Bone Road was entered sometime over the weekend and a Yamaha generator and a Stihl circular saw were stolen.

A garage on Thorncliffe Drive was entered and a cordless drill, battery charger and a grass trimmer were taken...

Huh? A garage...wait a minute, there are no garages in Thorncliffe, it's all high-rises....lemme read that article again....

...Solar lights, a bird feeder and a large metal heron were damaged over the weekend at a Sumac Terrance home. Police say the metal heron was bolted to a nearby rock, however, the vandals managed to remove it and left the item lying on the lawn of the home.

...oh wait a minute it was Thorncliffe Drive in Bellville! Yikes, sounds like a rough place to live. I'd hate for my kids to grow up in that neighbourhood. Maybe people in Bellville should move to Thorncliffe Park drive where it's safe :) No bird feeder vandalism here!

Wednesday prayer reqeuests - Josh in Africa!

My friend Josh Duffy will be heading over to Africa soon with Iris Ministries!! Currently he's camped out in good old PEI after finishing up Bible school. Josh sent out this update earlier in the week:

In the first few months of my ministry in Africa I will be helping to staff a Missions School in Mozambique with Iris Ministries, this school will be raising up African missionaries who will reach their own people; Later in the year I plan to minister in Sudan, where the work is much more raw and pioneering. Children and evangelism are two of the main focus points there. These are exciting times for me as I venture out toward the call of God on my life.

Exciting indeed!! Let's pray for Josh and support him as he heads out (donations can be made through Iris Ministries - click here). May many more young people take risks like this to help those in need!

FEAST!!

This Sunday night, 6PM, Leaside Bible Chapel. Come and eat, sing and watch a compelling drama. It's like Medieval Times only better! Bring anyone that's hungry for food or for God.

'Living with Islamists' and the 'Incarnational Imperative'

A friend tipped me off to a recent article from Christianity Today that really resonates with me, especially since my trip to Pakistan and move to islamic-dominated Thorncliffe Park. As you'll see from the article the author spent 'A year in Pakistan' which 'gave me a glimpse of what Christian witness might look like today'. What might it look like in Pakistan? In Thorncliffe? In your neighbourhood? His conclusion about the 'incarnational imperative' is profound:

We also need to find ways to broaden the way we practice Christian witness in this post-9/11 world...I had been sold a bleak picture of the Muslim world so at odds with my experience of the Pakistani people. What also stung was encountering hundreds of Pakistanis who had never before honestly interacted with someone from my country or of my faith.

Never once in Pakistan did I bring up the subject of religion, yet somehow I was always talking about it. People flooded me with questions: What do you think of the clash of civilizations? What do Christians believe about the prophet Jesus? Do Americans hate Islam? And my favorite, posed by a rather baffled old mullah: What is premillenial dispensationalism? My Muslim Pakistani friends were gracious enough to interpret for me their world and their faith. In light of our incarnational imperative, we Christians ought to be more eager to do the same.

How will we 'interpret our world and our faith' to those around us here in Thorncliffe? What does our witness look like? What will our church look like? As we call people to live incarnationally and move into Thorncliffe, and as I read articles like this, it makes me think we are at least on the right track, asking the right questions so that our main objective is making sure that only Jesus shines through!!

The sayings of Sylas v4 - Tire swing

We were driving on the 401 the other day when Sylas piped up from the back seat:

Hey dad, if the wheel fell off that big truck...then... we could make a tire swing!!

(ps. Don't forget to join my facebook group and help - http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2341259290)

Back from the 'Peg

Hey everybody! Thanks to everyone who's joined the facebook contest. We've got till Wednesday to get the biggest group. If you haven't joined yet, just click on the link:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2341259290

I had a great time in Winnipeg. My course paper is on how the early church (first century) dealt with converts from Judaism. If anyone out there has articles or books that they think would be helpful please let me know.

On the home front everyone is doing great and we praise God for the interest that many have shown to moving into our neighbourhood to help out with our new ministry! Please pray that we would be enabled by the Spirit as we seek to establish prayer groups the would resemble Acts 4:31.

Have a great Victoria day everyone!

Let's get Jesus on the radio!!!

Those of you who are already on my facebook list might have got this invite already. Those who didn't, I'm asking you to join my facebook group and get your friends to invite their friends to invite their friends. If by next Thursday I have the biggest Facebook group a local radio station will give me 7,000 bucks! More importantly we can get Jesus on the radio! Do it for me. Do it for Jesus. Just do it. Click here to join: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2341259290

Question of the day - from 'friendly' Manitoba

Well folks, I'm here typing this from Winnipeg! Land of the Blue Bombers and Winnie the Pooh! I'm here on a course and finding it a nice 'friendly' place (as the license plates say). I'll be processing alot of stuff over the next week on muslim history.

One question I recently has was about a little song kids sing in church - Peter & John went to pray...Question:

Why did Peter and John go to the temple to pray? Why didn't they meet with the other Christians to pray? Does it matter if someone coming from another religion still attends their place of worship, but simply accepts Jesus as the Messiah?

Video of the week - The Lukas beat!

Remember 'animal' from the muppets??? :)

You can also see a bit of our new apartment in the video.

What does 'incarnational' and '614' mean?

Since moving to Thorncliffe Park we've talked alot to people about 'incarnational' ministry and the '614 network'. I like the word network as opposed to church, but that's another post. Well, just what does incarnational mean? John 1:14 describes it best:

The word became flesh and dwelt among us

The ethos of incarnational ministry is actually dwelling among the people you are ministering to. It is intensely and intentionally missional. I know it sounds basic but in today's North America Christianity we are quite used to driving to church and being somewhat disconnected from the community of people living around our place of worship.

The other aspect of the '614' model of incarnational ministry is intentionally moving into the bad parts of town. The numbers 6-1-4 come from Isaiah 61:4 where God says:

They will rebuild the ancient ruins
and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
that have been devastated for generations.

This involves moving towards ruined cities, not away from them. Towards dangerous places, now away from them. Towards devestated people, not away from them. Starting to get the picture?

So what does incarnational ministry look like on a day to day basis? Well for us, it looks like living in an apartment instead of a house. It looks like sending our kids to the big huge muslim dominated Thorncliffe public school instead of homeschooling or Christian school. It looks like being surrounded by our neighbours in the elevator, park, mall and school.

Last night it looked like a fire alarm at 10:30PM. A friends kitchen was on fire. 15 fire trucks. Water and smoke damage in their apartment. No place to stay. A phone call to another friend. A pull-out couch. Comfort.

May this incarnational model spread to everyone in every church. Think about where you live, where you could move to and what impact you could make if you were the Jesus that moved into their neighbourhood.

Tonight on ABC at 11 - Christians vs. Athiests

Have you ever heard of the athiest group called 'blasphemy challenge'? Here's a link.

Have you ever heard of the evangelists Kirk Cameron & Ray Comfort? Here's a link

Tonight these guys will square off on ABC news over the existence of God - Here's the ABC news link

Why are Kirk Cameron, a preacher, and two self-proclaimed atheists coming together in a church this weekend? Because Cameron and preacher Ray Comfort claim that they "can prove the existence of God."

They'll take on the atheists in the first "Nightline Face-Off," a debate to be moderated by "Nightline" anchor Martin Bashir.

Don't miss this!!!

'Toronto Challenge'

I wanted to let my Christian friends in the GTA know about an amazing opportunity right here in our own backyard that I'm a part of called Toronto Challenge". Have you ever wanted to go on a missions trip, but couldn't afford it? Have you ever wondered 'How could I get involved with missions in Toronto, but didn't know where to start? Have you ever drove by a mosque or temple and wondered 'what do they believe'. If you have, 'Toronto challenge' is for you!

'Toronto challenge' is a missions trip to Toronto through Operation Mobilisation. Starting July 14th you can come for one week, two weeks or three weeks, whichever suits your schedule.

Participants will visit people from every religious background and every part of the world. Go to a Mosque, Synagogue, Hindu and Sikh Temple, receive training and actually reach out to people right here in the city! I'll be teaching a bit so it'd be great to see some of you there :)
For more information visit the OM site - here or download the poster and registration form online - here

Here's the write up from last year: Canadian Christianity Magazine

Hope you can make it!

Monday's hot topics - my god can beat up your god!

One of the things I love most about facebook is connecting with old highschool friends. It's been amazing reconnecting with people that I haven't seen in 10 years or more. One of those good old friends is a guy named norm who goes by the username phenormenon. He recently asked a great question on the forum:

what is the difference between the god that you worship and the one that catholics pray to, or the mormons, or the 7th day adventists, or the jehovah's witnesses? is there even a difference between these gods or are we all praising the same divine creator, we just call her by a different name and have different traditions for worship?

What do you think? Do you have an answer for norm? What is the difference? Post your response on the forum - here

Need a title v30

My cousin-in-laws in PEI (Ty & Lisa Stapleton) are expecting their second child. Recently I saw this ultrasound picture they had and had to post it. Can anyone think of a good title??

Prayer time

Thorncliffe Prayer meeting tomorrow at 7. Email if you want to come.

My sister-in law is cooler than your sister-in law!!

A while back I posted a music video from my awesome musician sister-in-law Cindy Davis!! Most of you thought Cindy rocked - and she does - but recently she got an amazing award to prove it! My awesome musician sister-in-law won best song of the year at the 2007 Vancouver Island Music Awards!!!

The 2007 edition of the Vancouver Island Music Awards moved up-Island to Nanaimo this year, where the winners were announced at a gala soiree hosted by David Gogo last Saturday night. Local winners included folkies The Gruff, who picked up Artist of the Year honours, while teen queen Christine Evans nabbed Album of the Year for her Push. Local gal Cindy Davis got Song of the Year for “Clumsy”

Congratulations Cindy!! Check her out at http://myspace.com/cindydavismusic

Wednesday's prayer requests - Thorncliffe cross-walk

The Toronto Star ran an article on Thorncliffe's busy cross-walk yesterday - here. While the issue itself is no shock to those of us who live here, notice the people who are more frequently crossing the street and what this tells you about the community and it's future.

Few places in Toronto are more densely populated than Thorncliffe Park, where dozens of highrise apartment buildings line Thorncliffe Park Blvd.

A focal point for residents is the Jenner Jean-Marie Community Centre, at 48 Thorncliffe Park Dr., which also has a branch of the Toronto Public Library in it. People are coming and going all the time.

To get back and forth across the street, there's a pedestrian crosswalk right in front of the community centre's main entrance that slows traffic on the heavily travelled street enough to allow people to safely get to the other side.

Helena Guan, who lives in the area, emailed to say the flashing yellow lights above the crosswalk – which are supposed to switch on when a pedestrian pushes the activation button on the posts at either end – have been on the blink for a month or so....

We watched for about 20 minutes yesterday and counted upwards of 100 people using the crosswalk – mostly kids and women pushing strollers – while many others ignored it and crossed wherever it was handy