Video of the week: Stand up desks

Not sure how to embed this video from CTV National but the Cuthill's were in the news again recently! This time it was Lukas' class and their stand up desk experiment! That's Luke in the red shirt. Click on him to watch the video of his class, or on CTV National News facebook page here:

It's not just beneficial for office workers ...

Posted by CTV News on Monday, March 23, 2015

Video of the week - Sylas in Pixels Movie!

So proud of our special little guy Sylas who was recently cast as a gamer in Adam Sandler's new movie "Pixels" which was filmed right here in Toronto! We're so excited and you can see a glimpse of him in the trailer here at 0:48 seconds. Check it out! Great job Sylas!

Video of the week - Turn down for what baby Sylas style

One of the exciting parts of your kids growing up and getting a bit older is they start to experiment and develop their own interests. Recently our special little guy Sylas started making and posting his own YouTube videos on his own channel (here) . Here's his latest:

Video of the week - Amazing girl. Amazing trip.

Recently we had the privilege of spending time at Arkaios in Jolly Harbour, Antigua. It's a villa for folks in ministry that need a break. As you can see from this short video we got a much needed break and so much more. Here's our trip in 3 minutes:

Video of the week - Hoverboards are REAL!!!

Why did no one tell me this before??? Over Christmas I decided to upgrade my VHS copy of "Back to the Future 2" to DVD to see what 2015 had in store. Aside from the lack of flying cars, the movie did get several things right like a proliferation of gadgets, google glass like things, huge flat screens everywhere and Skype style calling. But the most interesting futuristic tidbit was this gem I found in the special features! Prepare to have your minds blown...

Director Robert Zemeckis: "Hoverboards...they've been around for years. It's just that parents groups have not let toy manufacturers make 'em. And we got our hands on some, and we put 'em in the movie"

It's a (not so) wonderful life

We all know that classic Christmas movie: “It’s a Wonderful Life”.

A man ready to jump to his death is given a second chance when an angel visits him.

He then happily rushes home to hold his family, singing as community members pour out love and support.

For many newcomers we work with, this is not what Christmas is like.

They suffer in silence, loneliness and often succumb to abuse and violence as despair sets in.

Crying tears of sadness and depression, rather than tears of joy as “an angel gets his wings”.

That’s one of the reasons we give so many gifts each Christmas.

Trying to reach out and bring hope, love, friendship and Jesus to them.

Each day from mid-November we pack Christmas baskets and gifts for lonely new immigrant families.

Last Saturday was just like any other day. We were packing baskets until the unthinkable happened.

The entire Don Valley Parkway was suddenly closed.

Traffic became unbearable. Ambulances started to fly past us. What was going on?

Sadly what was going on was one of the worst murder/suicides in this country in recent memory.

As we were packing baskets a man living across the street allegedly murdered his wife and kids,

then jumped from a bridge onto Toronto’s busiest highway. The investigation is still underway.

As details emerged, The Toronto Star featured the story on it's front page each day for the next week: "A man killed in a Don Valley Pkwy. collision Saturday is the husband and father of the woman and two children found dead in an East York apartment the same day."

This tragedy is a reminder of how much each of us need to reach out this Christmas!

Thousands of families just like them need to hear of Jesus and his love!

Lonely desperate women in abusive situations need to be comforted.

Children hoping for a better tomorrow need a chance to follow Jesus.

Men must be asked to repent as they are confronted by the claims of Christ!

Sadly it was too late for this family.

Pray that God would lead you to those that need help this Christmas!
As you plan feasts and gatherings with family over the next few weeks,
Remember Jesus' words to all of us :

Luke 14:12: "When you put on a (Christmas) banquet,” he said, “don’t invite your friends, brothers, relatives, and rich neighbors. 13 Instead, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. 14 Then at the resurrection of the righteous, God will reward you for inviting those who could not repay you.”

Is this what your Christmas party will look like this year?
Will the poor, crippled, lame and blind be at your table? At your banquet?
This Christmas, as you watch that classic movie “It’s a Wonderful Life”,
pray for many who are outcasts, immigrants, poor,
and be that angel who visits and rescues them in time!

Wanted: A minister for a growing church...

A great friend & mentor sent this to me recently after it was quoted in one of their sermons. If you can relate please share it with others who may be struggling with the overwhelming burden God has given them to be Jesus' ambassador to the world:

Wanted: A minister for a growing church - a real challenge for the right man. Opportunity to become better acquainted with people. Applicant must offer experience as shop worker, office manager, educator (all levels, including college), artist, salesman, diplomat, writer, theologian, politician, Boy Scout leader, children's worker, minor league athlete, psychologist, vocational counselor, psychiatrist, funeral director, wedding consultant, master of ceremonies, circus clown, missionary, and social worker. Must know all about the problems of birth, marriage, and death; must also be conversant with latest theories and practices in areas like pediatrics, economics, and nuclear science. Right man will hold firm views on every topic, but is careful not to upset people who disagree. Must be forthright but flexible. Returns criticism and backbiting with Christian love and forgiveness. Should have outgoing, friendly disposition at all times. Should be a captivating speaker and intent listener. Directly responsible for views and conduct to all church members and visitors; not confined to direction or support from any one person. Salary not commensurate with experience or need. No overtime pay. All replies kept confidential. Anyone applying will undergo full investigation to determine his sanity.

10 years of ShawnCuthill.com! Happy Anniversary everyone!

It's a historic day for the athensBLOG!! 10 years ago today I fired up this online journal to keep track of the Cuthills adventures as we started in full-time ministry, specifically taking a team to the Olympics in Athens. This explains the name athensBLOG and along the way someone showed me how to register a domain name and www.shawncuthill.com was also used as an easy to remember URL for those who prayed & supported us along the way.


It was a great way to fire off a blog post once a day or so, in the pre-facebook era, and have friends and family updated on everything that was going on.

After a while the athensBLOG got quite a following and comments on my posts piled up along with regular readers. After one contentious debate that went on and on and on, I asked the great people at Quist consulting (ie: Russ) about using server space to host an online forum as an outlet for these discussions. And so after about a year SimpleGathering.com was born. Many of you participated in the early discussions debates and diatribes as the pre-facebook internet lurched toward more social interaction.

The SimpleGathering discussion forum was fascinating and drew many from brethren churches around the world to discuss a myriad of topics. From this collaboration of brethren voices came BrethrenPedia.com, a wiki to help record the history of brethren assemblies. These sites still continue today although I was not able to spend as much time on them as transitioned from Bridlegrove to start our own ministry in Thorncliffe Park.

Our new ministry: www.jesusnetwork.ca

Other sites sprang up like YouTube, then eventually facebook and twitter and challenged blogs for relevance on the web. Posting on social media became the norm and while I bid farewell to regular daily blogging in 2008, I've continued to post on here every couple months. Hopefully some time in the near future all the different online pieces mentioned above can be woven together into one big ShawnCuthill.com experience.



But till then take a look at some of the features on this blog over the years:

The Sayings of Lukas - here        The Sayings of Sylas - here         The Sayings of Olivia - here
Mondays hot topics                     Wednedsay prayer requests        My Jesus years | Only the Injil
My new favorite song                  Greece trips                                Israel trip

So after 1500 odd posts and hundreds of thousands of visitors today I'm taking time to look back on that first blog post on July 21st, 2004 and thank each of you who have been with us along the way! Here's to another 10 years!

http://www.shawncuthill.com/2004/07/2-weeks-and-counting.html

Hello everyone, my name is Shawn and I created this blog for myself and my team who are going to the Olympics in Athens from August 4th to September 2nd. I figured a blog would be the best way to tell everyone what we are doing, and keep everyone updated whilie we are overseas. Be sure to check in OFTEN to get up-to-the-minute prayer requests.

A decision that changed his life - Orlando Franklin in the Superbowl

As my faithful athensBLOG readers will remember, we used to work at Bridlegrove Bible Chapel in Scarborough. We were responsible for youth and community outreach in the Finch/Pharmacy area and made many great connections in the community. We ran a Friday night basketball drop in at the church and hosted various events and retreats. That was 10 years ago. One of the connections we made was with a troubled youth named Orlando Franklin. He was referred to us by the folks at Guelph Bible Camp and had recently got into some trouble with the law. At that camp and one of our youth retreats he gave his life to Jesus and decided to turn his life around. The picture below is from 10 years ago when Orlando was at our place for our youth Superbowl party:

Orlando, center, with other youth from Bridlegrove Bible Chapel

As the New York Post article recalls, Orlando, after getting out of jail made a promise to his mom to turn his life around, and dedicate himself to football. Those who have been following his career know he did just that. Soon after he was involved with our youth, he moved with his mom to Florida, then played for the University of Miami Hurricanes and finally was drafted by the Denver Broncos! He's been a starting offensive lineman for the past 3 years. Today's Superbowl will be the culmination of his promise 10 years ago.

We're very proud of Orlando and what God has done in his life. We continue to track with many of the youth like him that we have known for over 10 years now. It's a good reminder that with any goal you set, it takes time. With discipleship, it takes time. If you want to reach out to others and invest your life in something it will take time. We can't expect that our church/ministry/life will be an overnight success. Don't believe that lie. Instead commit yourself, like Orlando did to getting your hands dirty loving what you do, loving people, making a goal that may take a long long time. 

God is waiting for you to hit rock bottom and make a decision that will change your life. Have the courage to call out to God and ask him to change you. You never know where you might end up.

ps. LET'S GO BRONCOS!!

Toronto: Amazing interactive map from 1998 to 2012

http://www.cbc.ca/news/interactives/before-after/toronto-condos/iframed.html

10 years ago today

This is a bit of a historic day for me! 10 years ago today I quit my job and went into full-time inner-city ministry!! Can you believe it!! For 10 years God has been faithfully providing for our family!

Here's a picture of what our family looked like way back then. Lukas was only 1.5 years old and Hayley was 5 months pregnant with Sylas. haha! We couldn't have imagined all the amazing ways God would lead us and the paths He would take us down, but we're very thankful for how it's all turned out.

Thank God with us for all the things he's done in the past 10 years! What are some things he's done in YOUR life that you couldn't have imagined if someone had told you? Take a minute to think about that and leave a comment with your biggest surprise.

Here's a current picture of our family to compare. I've covered my gray hairs!!

I figured this 10 year milestone would be a great time to reboot this blog and start posting again. We're past the baby stage so I've got a bit more free time. I also want to stay ahead of my kids who are rapidly passing me when it comes to technology! I'll be making a bunch of changes and upgrades to www.shawncuthill.com over the next few months but seeing as today is special I wanted to blog about it and say thank you to God and each of you who have supported us, prayed for us and donated to help us reach out in the city! Let's keep going together for another 10 years!

Keep an eye out for at www.shawncuthill.com for updates and if you've never been on here before cruise through the archives.

Happy 10th anniversary!
Shawn

Amazing Race Good news/bad news

The good news is the teams have been picked for Amazing Race Canada!!! The bad news is that we are not one of them.   

As you can imagine we're dissapointed but we'd like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank each and every one of you who liked, shared, tweeted, viewed our video and cheered us on this journey! It's been very encouraging to see all the support we have and the best way to console ourselves is to think of each of you and what you mean to us.

While we all wish it could have turned out differently, like the Leafs always say around this time of year - there's always next season! Seeing all the responses (70,000 applicants) CTV may have a season 2 in the near future.

As for our page, twitter & youtube channels, someone suggested we turn "The Pastor & The Policeman" into it's own show!  That probably won't happen but stay tuned for future development from this dynamic duo! Also stay tuned to CTV as The Amazing Race Canada kicks off on July 15th!

Thank you once again - The Pastor (Shawn) and The Policeman (Jesse)

Amazing Race Canada!

I'm applying to get on the Amazing Race Canada! Here's the audition video:



And here's a few easy steps to help get us on the race:
1. Like us at www.facebook.com/pastorpolice
2. Follow us on twitter at: www.twitter.com/pastorpolice and retweet us
3. Post our youtube videos on your facebook or twitter: http://www.youtube.com/user/PastorPolice
4. Visit the Amazing Race facebook page here: Amazing Race Canada and leave a comment saying you want the Pastor & the Policeman on the race:
5. Visit the CTV facebook page here: CTV Television and leave a comment saying you want the Pastor & the Policeman
6. Say a prayer :)

Thanks everyone!
Shawn

Lukas graduation speech at Thorncliffe Park

Lukas graduated from Grade 5 today. He was also asked to give a speech about life in a Thorncliffe portable:

The Sayings of Sylas - his first short story

Well we all know Sylas is the creative genius in the Cuthill family. While I usually post interesting sayings of his or one-liners, yesterday he discovered that typing out a story on the computer is much faster than writing by hand. He wrote out his very first short story that I'd like to share with all of you. Ejoy:

once there were 3 mice that lived in a shoe. one day a cat came to the shoe. 3 more came, the mice have backup. 8 more came, cats were outnumbered. 4 more cats came 11 for the mice and 7 for the cats. cats still were outnumbered by 4 so 4 more came 11 to 11. cats werent winning the mice werent winning either. no one knew who was going to win. then an ape came, the fight stopped.
the end.

Thorncliffe Public School Council notice to parents

As my faithful athensBLOG readers know (if there are any of you still left!), we love our neighbourhood - Thorncliffe Park. It's a fascinating neighbourhood that is full of people from so many backgrounds. 35 apartment buildings, 30,000 people, the largest elementary school in North America. There is never a dull moment.

As you may also know, according to Monday's National Post "Toronto (is) the city with the highest concentration of Muslims in North America". And Thorncliffe has the highest concentration of Muslims in Toronto - making Thorncliffe quite an Islamic zone.

Yesterday our kids came home from Thorncliffe Park Public School with a notice about a parenting seminar put on by the school council. This is a great step as many have challenges adjusting to the parenting styles of Canada. You may have seen Russell Peter's youtube video about this :)

What was unfortunate about this parenting seminar is that there was a component titled "Islamic Perspective of Parenting in a Muslim family". Now this is where I start to wonder. I didn't think they were allowed to promote a religious view in a public school?

Below you will see the poster that was handed out to every child in the school:

Thorncliffe Park is a public school. As such I'd like to outline my problems with this seminar. I'd be interested to hear from others in the public school system to see if I'm off base:

1. For me this is a school issue. Not a Muslim or Christian issue. We could be discussing the Baha'i faith or Druze.

2. The school board has to chose to have a "no religions" or "all religions" stance

3. My understanding is that their current stance is "no religions" as they cannot even mention "Christmas" or Easter. There are some variations of this when it comes to holidays like Ramadan.

4. The issue then with this particular incident is that the flyer was sent home *by the school* inviting *all* parents to something that favours one religion.

5. The issue is not even the school hosting the event, but for me sanctioning it and promoting an event which favours and promotes one religion.

This, to me, is unacceptable.

I'd be quite open for comments and will attend this seminar and report back on what it was all about

Blogging from my blackberry!

Well well athensBLOG readers. I have been away for quite some time but not even a new blackberry and twitter account can suppress my need for blogging!

I'm not sure how this will work but wanted to ask the community for tips about blogging from your phones? Or are the days of blogging over? Is there an app I can download? How do YOU blog from your phone?
___________________
ShawnCuthill.com

*Sent from my BlackBerry

The sayings of Olivia v5 - Michael Jackson

At breakfast this morning we were talking about Lions. Out of the blue Olivia looked at me and said:

'When Michael Jackson comes back to life he can teach us how to train Lions? Can we go to his house mommy?'

I think its time for a little talk with that girl

The Sayings of Olivia v4 - boys

Olivia was looking pensive after prayer time. She looked at mom and wondered:

"If God made me, does that mean Satan made the boys???"

I'm sure many sisters have wondered that about their brothers Olivia

The sayings of Sylas v28 - midgets

Sylas came to me the other day with a revelation!

Dad! I know how people became midgets! They drank too much coffee when they were kids!

The sayings of Sylas v27 - Meat shop

The other day we were walking past the local butcher shop and Sylas let me in on a secret:

Sylas: Dad! I know how the meat stores kill the animals!
Dad: How?
Sylas: They have pet alligators in the store!

YouTube comment of the day - volume 1

Well I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks! The dear old athensBLOG has been idling here on the web for the past few years. I haven't spent much time on her but today I came across something I have to post. The old blog now has a new feature "YouTube comment of the day"!

For the past 5 years I've had a YouTube channel www.youtube.com/shawncuthilldotcom. Most videos I post are of my kids or trips I've taken. None of the videos has gained much traction except one. The video below has over 500,000 views and is quite a touching story (originally emailed to me by Uncle Russ). The story is about an autistic basketball player who sinks 6 three pointers at the end of a game. There are hundreds of comments on this video but recently someone posted this beauty:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zENySdFr7M4

I spent quite some time going thru the comments to see if anybody else noticed what I noticed. 6 three-point shots IS NOT 20 points. 6 times 3 is 21. Basic multiplication. So I wonder, how does a video have over 500,000 views and nobody notices this? at least i didnt see any other comments correcting this math. This is a special video, and the ignorant ones make it less enjoyable.

CLASSIC! To read the comment yourself check out the video on my YouTube channel here

The sayings of Lukas v47 - hovercraft

Last night we were dragging the kids inside after they had fallen asleep in the car. Parents, you know the drill. For us with 3 kids it means usually Lukas has to walk since he's the oldest/biggest.

Last night he was quite upset about this and said in his whiniest voice:

"Why hasn't anyone invented a hovercraft chair yet!"

Thorncliffe library to finally re-open

The ground breaking for this project was back in 2005! I wonder if the process would have gone any faster in other neighbourhoods where people know how to hound politicians. We have the largest population of children in Toronto and the largest school in North America and the most people who need ESL and our library is closed for 2.5 years!? I'm thankful it's back open, but to me it is obvious that the project was not high on any of our local politicians priority list

"After nearly two and a half years, the Thorncliffe Park community is finally getting its library branch back...The library closed in December 2007"

http://www.insidetoronto.com/news/local/article/660755

The sayings of Olivia v 3 - laughing cows!

Sitting at the table this morning for breakfast when Olivia had a revelation...

Olivia: When cows laugh, milk comes out their nose!!

Blackberry or iphone?? That is the question

It's a sad day in Cuthill land. I've finally decided to move into the 21st century and ditch my palm treo. :( I just can't handle the incessant reboots, amateur graphics and limited web browsing.

Loyalty is one of my highest values however I cannot be loyal anymore to the treo nation. Ever since I worked at BMO i have been using palm pilots but with the advent of the Palm Pre it seems that my beloved Palm OS has breathed it's last and i just have to move on.

So my question for all my friends out there in cell-phone land:

Blackberry or iphone??

The sayings of Sylas v26 - Let's go!

The other day we were walking in the rain and Sylas was falling behind jumping in puddles as usual. I looked back:

Daddy: "Come on Sy! Let's go!!

Sylas: "Ok!! I'm let's going!!

The sayings of Lukas v46 - mice

Tonight I was tucking the kids in to bed when out of the blue Lukas had a thought:

Daddy, if mice believed in God they would give back all the cheese they stole

Crowded, stressed in Canada's most populated immigrant neighbourhood: Thorncliffe

Amazing article appearing in Toronto Star today:

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/748969--thorncliffe-park-community-crowded-stressed#article

Severe overcrowding and poverty is heightening stress and ethnic tensions in Canada’s most populated immigrant neighbourhood, says a study of the Thorncliffe Park community released today.

The U of T study of changes in the Toronto neighbourhood between 2001 and 2006 found more than 30,000 residents — mostly newcomers — are crowded into 34 highrise and lowrise apartments in a 2.2-square-kilometre concrete jungle behind Don Mills Road and Don Valley Parkway. Front-line workers are worried the population is outpacing programs and services, hindering their ability to quickly integrate.

“Thorncliffe Park will continue to attract high volumes of newcomers, relative to most neighbourhoods across Greater Toronto. Settlement services, therefore, should remain a high priority,” says the report. “If population and household numbers continue to climb at the same rates, overcrowding and other issues will present increasingly greater challenges.”

The study found each household has an average 1.4 bedrooms compared to 2.7 across the city, but twice as many sleeping in a bedroom as in an average Toronto home. Half of residents live below Statistics Canada’s low-income cut-off, three times the rate for Toronto.

Wisdom 102 years in the making...

A few years ago Hayley sat down with her grandpa and wrote a notebook full of information about his life. From this book she compiled the following for his funeral:

Letter from Hayley

I want to share some things that I think grampie would like to say if he were here. Five years ago he gave me a journal full of his memories and reflections on his life. Those writings seem more precious now than ever before. Here are some of his own words:


About life he writes:
“My philosophy in life is to do the best I can for as long as I can.”
“There have been many high points in my life and some low ones. I feel I have achieved a great many things in my lifetime and climbed a few mountains.”


About his wife he wrote:
“The best thing in my life that changed things for me was when I married my wife, Phyllis.”
“Our wedding vows were the usual ones…I was awful proud of my wife to be.”
“I liked my wife’s looks, her attitude, her friendly ways, and the loving attention she gave me.”
“My feelings of love go to my wife for being steadfast with me for over 60 years”


About his children he says:
“I am always proud of my children for their many accomplishments.”
“When my children were young I was busy providing a living and did not have the time to spend with them I’d have liked to.”
“The best part of being a parent was watching my children develop and grow into teenagers and responsible adults, and (later) parents.”


To his grandchildren he writes:
“My wish for my grandchildren is that they live good lives, be generous, make the best they can of themselves and always believe in God.”
“I’d like my grandchildren to respect their heritage, respect their parents, and be true to themselves. I’d like them to remember me for any kindness (I’ve done) and my love for them.”
“I would like to pass on traits of honesty, God fearing, and family closeness.”
“Believe in our Savior (Jesus) as a mediator between us and God.”


“Regarding my Epitaph:
"I would want to be remembered as a just man who did unto others as he would have them do to him.”
“I appreciate that I was able to live my life taking care of my responsibilities and family.
I am proud of my wife.
My happiness has outweighed any regrets.”


“My note for future generations:

Put your faith in God and in Jesus as your Savior
Be honest and trustworthy
Honor your commitments
Be a good a neighbour
Cheat no one,
Help those in need,
Thank the Lord for a true conscience and listen to it.”


Signed,
Daniel H. MacLeod
September 18, 1907- December 24, 2009

Compiled by Hayley on December 27, 2009

The sayings of Olivia v2 - India

Today we were walking through the mall when Olivia said to us:

"Mommy, can we stop at India on the way home? I want to buy something"

Then she pulled out the rupees i had brought back from our trip this summer :)
Some day Olivia, some day.

Remembering Daniel MacLeod 1907-2009 (Hayley's grandpa)

On Christmas eve, Hayley's grandpa passed away. He was 102. Hayley was able to be at his 100th birthday party a few years ago.

http://www.inmemoriam.ca/announcement-29234-Daniel-MacLeod.html

Daniel MacLeod

Peacefully, at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital on Thursday, December 24, 2009, of Daniel Harris MacLeod of Charlottetown and formerly of Hopefield, age 102 years. Husband of 65 years of Phyllis Campbell MacLeod. Father of Verna (Bob) Delahunt, Leamon (Florence) MacLeod and Gerald ( Sharon) MacLeod. Grandfather of Danny, Kimberley, Roberta, Gary, Mark Brenda, Cathy, Matthew, Ryan and Hayley. Great-grandfather of 23 great-grandchildren and nine great-great-grandchildren...

Online condolences may be made at www.macleanfh.com

_______________________________________________

Please pray for Hayley and the MacLeod family in their time of grieving.

More pictures on facebook of our final visit in the spring:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=1759440&l=19f2e3f2bd&id=505085417

Sayings of Sylas v25 - Santa

Well it's appropriate that Sylas' 25th "saying" is about the 25th of December! The other day we were talking about Santa Clause:

Daddy: So Sylas do you believe in Santa?
Sylas: Of course!
Daddy: But Sylas we live in an apartment, how does Santa get in without a chimney?
Sylas: He comes down the garbage chute!

So now you know! Merry Christmas everyone!! Hopefully Santa brings you something nice tonight, whether he brings it down your chimney or down your garbage chute!!

Saying of Sylas v24 - Rent cheque

This morning we were getting ready to head out the door for school when I asked Sylas to help with a big responsibility:

Daddy: Sylas, can you please take care of the rent cheque?
Sylas: Ok, sure!
Daddy: The rental office is closed so you will have to put it through the mail slot. You've done that before right?
Sylas: Ya with rocks!!

Thorncliffe all-kindergarten school?

I saw this article today on CityTv:

http://www.citytv.com/toronto/citynews/news/local/article/64193--tdsb-reportedly-considering-all-kindergarten-school

the Toronto public board is considering creating an all-kindergarten campus, according to a published report.

Thorncliffe Park Elementary...currently has more than 600 kindergarten students and is struggling to find solutions to deal with its ever-swelling student population.

The high numbers of new Canadians that are constantly moving into the area have caused the entire student population at the school to grow to nearly 2,000 – that’s about five times the city average. Thorncliffe Park Elementary, which has already outgrown a 2003 addition, only houses kids in junior kindergarten to Grade 5...

The TDSB is seriously considering the idea of using a new building next to the existing school as a kindergarten-only facility. A new $16 million building is slated to go up in 2011, but how that building will be used and by which students, is still up in the air.

Ok, I'm not sure if any of these people have been to Thorncliffe lately but exactly where are they thinking of putting a new school? There is zero room for anything around here so I'm interested in how this plays out. 600 kindergarten students is more than we had in my entire elementary school growing up. 2000 kids is more than my highschool! Amazing to think of our kids being part of this mix.

**UPDATE** from CBC: The school has 32 kindergarten classes alone, which have about 800 to 1,000 students.

The sayings of Sylas v23 - Generation gap!!

Tonight we sat down for dinner.
Mommy served chicken fingers & curly fries.
The conversation went like this:

Sylas: Yum!! Mommy!! Curly fries!!
Mommy: Sylas...this one is for you...wow, it's so long it looks like a telephone cord
Sylas: um...what's a telephone cord?

I guess we've only ever had cordless or cell phones since he's been alive. oh boy we're getting old!

Thorncliffe balconies

Very cool pic of balconies in our hood.
From http://www.flickr.com/photos/phil_marion/3776371007/

"More than 500 prospective citizens attend Thorncliffe's citizenship classes annually."

Check out this article from today's Star:

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/712232--learning-to-be-a-citizen

Canadian is what each wants to be. These citizenship candidates are here for a six-week class, one of many run daily by community groups in Toronto and across the country. More than 500 prospective citizens attend Thorncliffe's citizenship classes annually.

Need a title v46

Hayley got this picture of Sylas the other day. Can anyone think of a good title??

The sayings of Sylas v22 - MJ lives

Tonight while driving we saw some people randomly lighting off fireworks for what looked like a birthday party. The kids were very excited about it so we stopped to watch:

Sylas: Wow! This is the best day! First we had fun at church, then we played video games at Papa G & Uppas and now fireworks!! What's next...seeing Michael Jackson??!!
Lukas: That's impossible Michael Jackson's dead
Sylas: no no...he's still alive!

The sayings of Sylas v21 - Yogurt

Today Sylas explained to us how yogurt is made:

Sylas: Yogurt starts out as grass, then the cow eats the grass, then the milk comes out the cows milkers, then it's made into cheese, then you cut up the cheese into little pieces and put it in the blender - then you have yogurt!

Question of the day - "as a Christian (do) we need to...oppose all forms of war"??

Recently I came across this article which I had bookmarked and then forgot about. It's from April of this year and offers an interesting perspective from a Christian who refused to fill out the Canadian census because of his anti-war stance. He went through a court battle and was eventually fined $300 but avoided jail time:

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20090410/census_objector_090412/20090412?hub=TopStories

"After learning that U.S. arms manufacturer Lockheed Martin had been awarded the contract to perform the survey, he immediately decided his religious and anti-war beliefs wouldn't allow him to participate.

Supporting Lockheed Martin Ltd. Canada, a subsidiary of the U.S. weapons giant Lockheed Martin Corporation, which Stelmach says manufactures cluster bombs, would have represented that level of compromise.

I feel as a Christian we need to pursue peace and resist and oppose militarism and all forms of war," Stelmach says simply of his decision."

So what do you think about this? Is this guy over the top? Has he gone too far? Or is he right on in his opposition of all forms of war/militarism? Should Christians oppose wars like Afghanistan and Iraq? Should Christians oppose all forms of militarism and war, including arms manufacturers? Thoughts?

Sad day for Thorncliffe

Please pray for a family from our community who is grieving today:

CTV news:

TORONTO — After three consecutive days of devastating news, a Toronto father is struggling to help his two sons cope with the loss of their mother and two sisters, who drowned in a hotel pool while vacationing in an eastern Ontario resort town.

Naila Yasmin, 43, a wife and mother of four, died in hospital on Sunday. Her 14-year-old daughter, Kinza Kaianad, died Monday evening and 11-year-old Sunaila Kaianad died Tuesday afternoon. All died at Kingston General Hospital.

Autopsy results suggest that Yasmin and her daughters, described as "non-swimmers," likely drowned in a ten-minute span Saturday...

Both girls attended nearby Thorncliffe Public School."

Mondays hot topics - Gospels in Early Church

Wow, it's been quite a while since I posted any "Hot topics" from the discussion forum but I saw this one and even though it's not Monday thought I'd post it. Here's a good one from "jpurssey" for us to chew on

http://simplegathering.com/viewtopic.php?f=57&p=27853&sid=6324470da731173e1b93da46a8abda43#p27829

I've been thinking about how the Gospels may have been used in the early church and realise that i have heard or read little about it. it is comparatively easy to imagine the letters being read out at some church meeting and also being studied by some church "elders" (I use the word in general terms as I do not want to provoke an argument, but simply to distinguish those with an ability and interest to study them). Even the letters are sometimes long and are quite complex.

I grew up with a lot of verses being used in isolation, and with a loss of context. A lot oi sermons were constructed that way. I doubt very much that the early church used the gospels and letters that way.

I understand that the written gospels were collations of spoken stories that were assembled to give a message to their particular audiences. These would have been the stories that the early christians told to one another and to their non-christian audience. Given the level of literacy, many would needed to have the gospels read to them.

What would have been the circumstances in which the Gospels were read to an audience?

How was a Gospel delivered in its entirety to an audience?

Does anyone know of any scholarship on this matter?

Thoughts? Comments? Ideas? Post them on the forum or in the comments below

Which businesses are recession-proof?

Found this neat article on the CTV site:

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20081201/recession_proof_081201/20081201?hub=TopStories

* Comfort foods: Campbell's Soup, Stagg Chili, candy-makers, McDonald's and Burger King -- companies that provide low-cost, feel-good foods tend to perform strongly during times of economic recession, and that is expected to be the case this time around.

* Drug stores: With Shoppers Drug Mart set to open a fancy, new high-end new store in a wealthy Toronto neighbourhood, it seems the company isn't too worried about losing its market share during a recession. Indeed, pharmacies are considered a safe-bet for investors during economic slowdowns because they sell products you can't really do without. Well, maybe you don't need the $90 face cream, but you do need toothpaste.

* Education: No matter how bad the economy gets, the school system isn't going anywhere. Teachers are embedded in one of the safest careers going, along with school administrators and support staff. Those who supply the education sector -- pumping text books and other learning materials into classrooms, are also safer than most.

* Security: Airports, train stations, ports, borders -- travel and transport hubs of all sorts rely on security workers to maintain safety and ensure proper protocols are observed. Those jobs also tend to be safe during periods of recession - because there's simply not much fat to cut.

* Wireless service providers: Cellphones have must-have status across Canada and the world. We need them for work, for fun and for just about everything, everyday. So business in the wireless sector isn't likely to take a tumble. In fact it might actually increase as companies try to cut costs and streamline business, turning to technology like video conferencing to reduce travel expenses.

Video of the week - Old people use a computer

This one is dedicated to my beloved parents. They taught me many things in life so I am privileged to return the favour by teaching them how to use a computer.
If you can't see the video on facebook click here: http://athensBLOG.blogspot.com

The sayings of Lukas double-header v45 - kissing!

Today we have a special double-header edition of "The sayings of Lukas" and it's all about kissing.

1. The other day Lukas & I were going door-to-door giving out Faith & Friends magazines and colouring papers to the kids. I wasn't sure if I'd have enough magazines to finish the floor but Lukas was sure we would. So he made me a bet:

"Daddy I'll bet you 100 hugs and 2000 kisses that we have enough"

It was the best bet I ever lost.

2. The second 'saying' was when we were driving home from watching Transformers. Lukas got thinking about the main characters in the movie and said

"Dad, they must have had to pay him alot of money to agree to kiss a girl! yuck"

So there you have it. Lukas is still at the stage where kissing your dad is better than kissing Megan Fox! May this stage never end!

Thorncliffe school gets 12 million!

On Friday our MPP (and education minister) Kathleen Wynne sent a note home with all the kids at Thorncliffe school announcing that the school would be receiving 12 million dollars!

The letter reads: "The Toronto District School Board will receive 12 million to address accommodation issues at Thorncliffe Park Public School. This money will help get students out of portables and into a permanent building"

Exciting stuff. Having 20 portables in the field this year was not ideal. Still, I'm wondering what space there is left on the property and what other cool stuff 12 mil can buy! That's a serious chunk of change considering Thorncliffes community center (Jenner Jean-Marie) is being completely renovated and doubled in size for 4 million. Hopefully Kathleen has more details soon!

Parenting 101 v18 - Freezer light

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 seventeenth edition of Parenting 101.
__________________________

Today Sylas was looking for a snack in the fridge when he asked:

"Dad, why doesn't the freezer have a light like the fridge does?"

Well son...um...uh...anyone know the reason?

Lego Bible Armageddon!!!!

The most amazing Lego Bible segment yet!! Revelation! What does the end of the world look like in Lego? Find out here

http://www.thebricktestament.com/revelation/index.html

Leafs came to Thorncliffe after all!

Check out this video I found of the Leafs at Thorncliffe school!

Dead Sea Scrolls coming to Toronto!!

When I was in Israel back in 2005, I had the privelege of swimming in the Dead Sea, visiting Quamran and viewing the Dead Sea Scrolls.

3 weeks from now the Scrolls are going to be right here in Toronto at the ROM - click here!! I would strongly encourage anyone who has doubts about the authenticity of the Bible to visit this exhibit. Often I hear people saying "The Bible has been copied so many times we can't trust it", but the Dead Sea Scrolls disprove that as they are the earliest manuscripts we have, and show that the Bible we have today is the same as this ancient text.

From the ROM website:

Dating from around 250 BC to 68 Common Era (CE), the Scrolls include some 207 biblical manuscripts representing nearly all of the books in the Hebrew Bible (Christian Old Testament). Approximately 900 Scrolls were discovered; some almost entirely preserved and others in fragments. Together, they comprise one of the most important collections of writings ever discovered. The Scrolls are a collection of biblical writings, apocryphal manuscripts, prayers, biblical commentary and religious laws. Prior to the discovery of the Scrolls, the oldest known copies of biblical texts were written 1,000 years later.

The exhibit starts just 3 weeks from now on June 27th so get on down and check them out!

Thorncliffe Soccer League!! Volunteers needed

We need some volunteer coaches & referees for the Thorncliffe soccer league.
Send me a message if you can help!!

____________________________

http://www.thorncliffepark.ca

Summer Soccer League in Thorncliffe Park for boys and girls aged 7 to 16.

All skill levels welcome. Come out and have fun playing soccer this summer in Thorncliffe Park from mid-June to the end of August. Games will be played at Leaside Park (by the tennis courts & swimming pool),

Cost: Free
Ages: 7 years old to 16 years old (teams will be by age groups)

***Volunteer coaches and referees needed. Community service credit available for high school students. ***

Registration
In person at 38 Thorncliffe Park Drive on these days only:
Saturday May 30, 2009 10:00 am - 12:00 pm Tuesday June 2, 2009 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm

Online: www.toronto.ca/parks/torontofun/to_fun_regonline.htm
By touchtone phone: 416-338-0000

For more information, please contact:
email: soccer@thorncliffepark.ca
website: www.thorncliffepark.ca

Thorncliffe Park - crowded but easy to walk...

From yesterdays Globe & Mail:

When Indian-born Sabina Ali and her family arrived here 10 months ago, they chose to live in Thorncliffe Park, a thick cluster of 1950s-era high-rise apartments overlooking the Don River as it curves through the middle of the city.

What attracted the Ali family may surprise those familiar with the neighbourhood's stereotype as a dense, high-rise community of low-income immigrants with social needs.

"When I visited this place, I really liked it," said Ms. Ali, a married mother of four young daughters whose family has no car. "Everything is accessible - the grocery store, the mall, the school and the mosque - and you can just walk [to them]...

Thorncliffe Park, one of 10 inner suburbs being studied, is surprisingly easy to walk around because high-rises are near shopping, schools and play areas. But other areas are much more spread out, with wide arterial roads, no sidewalks and other impediments to pedestrians.

Preliminary findings from Thorncliffe Park show the power of small fixes.

Ms. Ali, a volunteer member of the Women's Committee of Thorncliffe Park, said her group successfully appealed to the city for additional benches and picnic tables for a small park beside the local elementary school. Over the winter, the city agreed to shovel snow from sidewalks and footpaths.

Now, she said, more residents come out to sit and talk, and walk around the park, adding to a sense of security.

Jane Farrow, executive director of the Centre for City Ecology, said the volume of pedestrian activity in Thorncliffe Park is significant."

Full article - click here

Pastor takes child killer into his home - what would you do?

Found this article on the Salvation Army 'Rubicon' Blog and thought I'd repost it here:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,509585,00.html

CHICHESTER, N.H. — A pastor in this quiet, picturesque New England town opened his doors to a convicted child killer who had served his time but had nowhere to go.

What would you do? Read the entire article - click here

The sayings of Sylas v20 - Lightbulb

Tonight we were talking about what the kids would be when they grew up.

Sylas: When I grow up I want to be a lightbulb!!
Daddy: What do you mean Sylas?
Sylas: Well, when I close my eyes the lights go out and when I open them the lights come back on!

The end result of the "Religious Right"

Saw this article on CNN today titled "America becoming less Christian, survey finds". It details how less Americans call themselves 'Christian' than 20 years ago.

Why is that you ask? One reason given was the rise of the Religious Right!

"In the 1990s, it really sunk in on the American public generally that there was a long-lasting 'religious right' connected to a political party, and that turned a lot of people the other way," he said of the link between the Republican Party and groups such as the Moral Majority and Focus on the Family...The survey polled 54,461 Americans between February and November of last year.

So to all my politically motivated Christian friends - drop it! You may be doing more harm than good.

"To the dreamers" - The origins of Twitter

This post may just end up turning into a new 'feature' on the old rusty athensBLOG. I'm not promising anything but every once in a while I find myself stumbling upon a story that inspires the dreamer in me. A story of desperation and sheer will power in the face of insurmountable odds. A story of someone who pulled through when all they had was a dream.

Recently I was reading about Twitter and found an interesting trail of info leading back to it's origins. Twitter was started by the same folks who started Blogger. Now Blogger, which I'm typing this post from, you may remember made it big when it was bought by Google in 2003.

But before then it was just a small start-up company called "Pyra Labs". Pyra Labs entry on Wikipedia states:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyra_Labs

The co-founders were Evan Williams and Meg Hourihan, and the company's first product, also named 'Pyra'...the rudiments of Pyra were repurposed into an in-house tool which became Blogger.

Blogger was completely free and there was no revenue model. When the company's seed money dried up, the employees continued without pay for weeks or, in some cases, months; but this could not last, and eventually Williams faced a mass walk-out by everyone including co-founder Hourihan. Williams ran the company virtually alone until he was able to secure an investment by Trellix after its founder Dan Bricklin became aware of Pyra's situation. Eventually advertising-supported blogspot and Blogger Pro emerged.

As I read that I wondered what went through Williams mind when he was all alone, working on his dream. Today we have Blogger and Twitter but at that bitter moment all Williams had was a dream.

Here's to the dreamers!

90% of Thorncliffe not born in Canada

Another interesting article about Thorncliffe:

http://www.torontoobserver.ca/2008/12/07/i-vote-toronto-seeks-a-wider-voice-in-civic-elections/

Desmond Cole, project manager for the I Vote Toronto campaign at the Thorncliffe Neighbourhood Office, says that a community grassroots movement is needed..

“There are literally hundreds of newcomers serving agencies in Toronto,” he said...(About) 90 per cent of the people who live in Thorncliffe were not born in Canada.”

Click here for the full article

Thorncliffe school now over 1900 students!

This National Post article from last week puts Thorncliffes public school population at 1,913!! Remember that is only k-5 and it's growing by 4 students per day!!

Pupils of the World.
Natalie Alcoba, National Post
Saturday, Feb 14, 2009

This is Thorncliffe Park Public School, population: 1,913, languages spoken: 54.

The east-end campus bears the same name as the Toronto community that surrounds it -- a first, and often final, stop for new immigrants. Most residents come from Pakistan, and that makeup is reflected in the school. But students also hail from places like Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and a host of Arabic-speaking countries.

Click here to read the full article

Video of the week - Breakfast!

Lukas teaches Olivia to say 'breakfast'

Thorncliffe gets some love from Mayor Miller

1.1 million in the budget is going towards childcare in Thorncliffe!

http://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/552036

$1.1M Open new child-care centre at Thorncliffe Park with 56 spots.

That's pretty handy considering Thorncliffe not only has the biggest elementary school in North America (1900 kids from K-5) but also the largest age demographic from the 2006 census is 0-4 year olds!!! click here for graph

The sayings of Lukas v44 - Obama

Ahhh welcome to 2009. The year of Obama. To start the year off right I thought I'd share an experience I had over Christmas. Lukas & I went to Swiss Chalet for some father-son bonding time. Football games were on the TV. Quarter chickens were warm and tasty. Then our discussion took an interesting turn:

Daddy: Look at that catch by the football player Lukas
Lukas: Daddy, (frowning) stop watching TV!
Daddy: but Luke did you see that catch? It was amazing, he dove and caught it in...
Lukas: Daddy! If you don't stop watching TV I'm going to tell Obama to destroy all computers and TVs in the world!!
Daddy: huh?
Lukas: Obama will listen to me!! So stop it!

"Afghan discourse" in Thorncliffe

Interesting article in the Globe & Mail about challenges facing afghan youth in Thorncliffe:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20081230.AFGHANYOUTH30/TPStory/National

As an Afghan-born youth living in Toronto, Nadera Ahmadi leads a hectic life. The 22-year-old attends York University full time, works part time in a big grocery store, and lives with her parents and family members in a small apartment in Thorncliffe Park.

But on a recent evening, she still took time to join about 30 young people in the basement of a local community centre to hash out a touchy subject: Should young people correct their parents on cultural issues?

The debate, moderated by a new grassroots forum known as the Afghan Discourse, touched on typical intergenerational conflicts. But for Afghans struggling to find work and adapt here, sometimes tensions erupt between tradition-minded parents and children lured to the wrong crowd.

10 bears in the bed and the little one said...

10 people in this Thorncliffe apartment!

http://www.torontosun.com/news/torontoandgta/2008/12/22/7823976-sun.html

Habitat for Humanity also provided new lodging next door for the Rabbani family, all 10 of them. The Pakistani family also got to tour their home yesterday, a welcome relief from the three-bedroom Thorncliffe apartment they've been crammed into for years.

"We're so happy to have this home now," said Mirza Sajid Rabbani, the father of eight. "God has made this easy." Rabbani has been driving a taxi to make ends meet since arriving from Pakistan in 1996. He and his son, Ukkashah, 16, laugh when they are asked if they will miss their tiny apartment.

"There are three boys in my room," Ukkashah said. "We won't miss how overcrowded it is, no."

Video of the week - Christmas baskets!

Here's a quick video of us unloading all the food for the Christmas baskets! Thanks to everyone who has donated so far to help us get all this stuff! Please pray as we give out the baskets over the next week:

Video of the week - Lukas & Cookie freestyle!

Citizenship ceremony in Thorncliffe

When I saw the article and video about Thursday's Thorncliffe Park citizenship ceremony I immediately recognized one of the boys from Lukas' class!

http://www.thestar.com/article/548846

Raza, a telecom worker, moved from Pakistan three years ago in search of a less volatile environment for his two sons.

Yesterday, he and dozens of others took the oath of citizenship in a ceremony at Marc Garneau Collegiate Institute in Thorncliffe Park. Family and friends proudly beamed from rows of benches, many waving miniature Canadian flags.

Thorncliffe Powerpoint!!

I found this awesome Powerpoint on the Thorncliffe school website:

http://schools.tdsb.on.ca/thorncliffepark/whats_happening.html

To go directly to the Powerpoint click here:

http://schools.tdsb.on.ca/thorncliffepark/resources/welcome07-08.pps

Health update - volume 2

Last Friday I visited the specialist to get the results of my CT scan.
The diagnosis was Crohns disease: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crohn%27s_disease, which is sort of what we expected. This is a bowel disorder that is chronic and causes varying degrees of functionality due to unexpected 'flare ups' and discomfort possibly for the rest of my life.

One option is surgery to remove the affected part of my small intestine (about 15 inches). The other option is to wait it out, as the doctor said "You could go on living normally for 5 years before another flare up". I will be meeting with a surgeon in the near future to discuss options. We have really valued the input of others who have similar conditions. The doctor also said that I am pretty much back to full strength and am not scheduled to see him again for 6 months.

So we're really thankful for all your prayers and support during this time! I've never been in a situation where there's uncertainty about my health and all of you have made us feel well cared for over the past few months. Not sure what the future holds but it is difficult at times to slow down and face hard realities when we're so excited about what God is doing.

This is the contradiction of life I guess. Strong when we are weak. As Rich Mullins put it:

We are frail, we are fearfully and wonderfully made
Forged in the fires of human passion
Choking on the fumes of selfish rage
With these our hells and our heavens so few inches apart
We must be awfully small and not as strong as we think we are

Thanks again for your prayers,
Shawn

The sayings of Sylas v19

The other day we were talking about Lukas' latest loose tooth:

Shawn: Sylas, do you believe in the tooth fairy?
Sylas: No way, we keep all our teeth in a jar
Shawn: What about Santa Claus?
Sylas: ...he doesn't believe in the tooth fairy either!

My little girl is 3!!

Happy Birthday Olivia!!

Need a title v45

Can anyone think of a good title for this picture?

The day evangelicalism died

Isaiah 1:5: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.

Today marks the death of Western evangelicalism.

It's 2 years to the day since Ted Haggards fall from grace and only now he feels safe to open up about his deepest wounds

Am I condemning him? No
Am I condemning Christianity? No
I am condemning the evangelical smiley-face system that shuns true openness about sin and problems and pushes things into closets.
I am condemning the church-on-sunday suits-and-pews, pretending we have it all together that keeps people from truly sharing their struggles.

I am heart broken that it has taken Haggard this long to finally speak out about being taken advantage of sexually as a child. In all his years in churches, conferences, seminars was he unable to find anyone to confess to??? Was no one able to help him? In all the glory of the evangelical system did it ever come up? Did anyone pray for healing in this area of his life?

He was the head of the NAE!! There was no one higher in evangelicalism! But still the system would not allow him to open up about his deepest secrets. Think about it. Would you actually feel comfortable opening up about your deepest darkest secrets to those in your church? Could you see yourself requesting prayer for deep wounds you suffered as a child? Or does the evangelical system tend to sweep those issues further and further under the rug each and every Sunday?

Folks, what is the point of this whole charade if our churches are not places where we feel safe opening up and finding forgiveness?

RIP Western Evangelicalism - Rest in Pieces

Lego Bible - King Asa's foot disease!

Yuck:
http://www.thebricktestament.com/king_solomon/asas_foot_disease/2ch16_12a.html

Video of the week - Fix you

New stats on Thorncliffe from 2006 census

Every time Canada does a census the data is released slowly, by category. Recently released statistics confirm some amazing trends in Thorncliffe:

1. Even though Thorncliffe has the largest elementary school - the largest demographic is not even in school yet!! 0-4 year olds!!!

Here -> http://www.toronto.ca/demographics/cns_profiles/2006/pdf1/cpa55.pdf


2. Despite already having the largest South Asian community in Canada, the South Asian population has actually doubled since the 2001 census!!

Here -> http://www.toronto.ca/demographics/cns_profiles/2006/pdf2/cpa55.pdf

Go Thorncliffe!!!

Here is the link to the City of Toronto neighbourhood profile:
http://www.toronto.ca/demographics/cns_profiles/cns55.htm

Video of the week - Worst Birthday countdown ever!

Don't ever start a birthday cake countdown unless you know for sure that your lighter works!

Health update - volume 1

Good morning everyone. I know I've stated before that this blog will be winding down so it may seem strange to start a new feature! But I figured this is the best way to keep many of you updated on some health concerns I've had recently. We've really appreciated all the prayers, cards, baskets etc. that have flowed in from so many of you. It makes me feel cared for at a time of uncertainty so thank you very much. I haven't been very public about this illness because I'm a typical male and would just rather brush it off and move on, but I felt today was a good time to make a bit of an announcement.

So for those who don't know what I'm talking about - here goes!:

Back in August I was hospitalized for a week for what is called an "Upper GI" bleed. This means part of my intestine began bleeding unexpectedly, so much so that I lost significant amounts of blood. Since being released from the hospital I have undergone a number of tests trying to figure out what is wrong. Thankfully the bleeding has not returned, but it has taken longer than I'd like to recover from the hemoglobin blood loss. One possible diagnosis is Crohns disease and another requires surgery for removal of the Ileum.

So today I'm blogging because I go for a CT scan this afternoon and thought it was an appropriate time to mention this more publicly for prayer. Please pray as I go for the scan today and in the weeks ahead when results will be compiled and decisions will be made.

Thank you for standing with us and for so many who have already been helping Hayley while I'm out of commission. More updates in the near future!

The sayings of Sylas v18 - Child proof!

In the car the other day Sylas discovered child-proof lids:

Sylas: Mom, I can't open the lid on this medicine
Hayley: Well Sylas that's because it's a child-proof lid
Sylas: ooh...how does the lid know that I'm a child??

Birthday boys!!

Yesterday was Lukas & Sylas' birthday!!
Hard to believe I'm the father of a 7 & 5 year old!
Happy Birthday little guys!

"Religion helps foster trust", say psychologists

Interesting article on the benefits of religion:

Religion helps foster trust, say psychologists

Religion makes people more helpful, honest and generous but only when they think it will enhance their reputation or when they think about the possibility of a god, according to a report by psychologists.

The study draws together evidence from anthropology, economics and psychology, and its authors say it supports the notion that in early societies religion helped foster social cohesion and larger groups by encouraging cooperation.

"One reason we now have large, cooperative societies may be that some aspects of religion, such as 'outsourcing' costly social policing duties to all-powerful gods, made societies work more cooperatively in the past," said Azim Shariff, at the University of British Columbia, in Vancouver

You must be...BOURNE again!

Saw this amazing video made by a university student here in Toronto:

No more keyboards?

My dad sent me this video about the future of computers: