Cuthill Disney Jamboree 2015 commemorative video

Only took me 2 years to finish this video! Now i need to make a new one of our summer 2017 adventures

7 Reasons Why Your Smartphone Is the Ring of Power

Found this funny, but eerily accurate blog post at On This Rock blog:

7 Reasons Why Your Smartphone Is the Ring of Power

1) You randomly worry that you don't have it, check your pocket, your heart rate quickens, you check your other pocket, find it, and then slowly calm back down again

2) Your phone is powerful and magical.  10 years ago, if you told someone all the things your phone would do, they would have thought of it as magic.  Your phone also gives you the power to do everything you would need to do to run a Fortune 500 company for weeks from thousands of miles away.

3) You think sometimes of getting rid of your phone, but every time you get ready to throw it away, you step back from the edge and change your mind

"I can't believe I was thinking of  getting rid of this thing!"

4) To the observer at a distance, for hours on end each day, you look at it, make faces at it, touch it and stroke it and talk to it.

"It's mine.  My own. My precious"

5) Your phone, as studies suggest, through the course of months and years, slowly changes you into a different version of yourself

6) Your phone gives you the impression that you have great power and are in control (see number 2 above) but it actually ultimately gives much more power to "the great eye" (i.e. Apple, Google, Microsoft, Samsung) who, as everyone knows, is storing and cataloging and quantifying every move we make and every single act we perform with our phones, handing over to such corporations an ability to "dominate all life"

7)  When you use your phone, you disappear to all those around you and are instantly transported to something that is like reality, but is a warped and clouded version of it

"It's like living in reality, only different"

The Longest Concert Ever!

It was great to visit some old friends recently. Kevin and Allan and their Epidemic Music Group" were attempting the World Record for Longest Concert Ever!!.

The concert ran from March 17 to April 4 (at 11:59PM) and actually set two world records - one for longest live stream and one for longest concert! Great job guys! More pics at:

April Fools Recap! (Updated)

Over the years April Fools has been a special day in the Cuthill household. Starting waaaay back in the 90s, an April Fools joke on Hayley when we were dating started a tradition of seeing how many people would fall for my tricks. As the internet, blogs and then facebook emerged it became more and more of a family tradition to see how many people we could "fool". Here's a look back at some of the best!

2022 - Ramadan holiday - 30 days off work!

2021 - Bitcoin boy Sylas, Canada's youngest millionaire buys his Tesla - here

2020 - Coronavirus drove me Amish - here

2019 -  Launched our new ministry: Face Tattoos For Christ - here

2018 - Shawn named Billy Graham's successor - here
2017 - Olivia nabs lead role as Anne of Green Gables - here

2016 - Birthday switched to April 1 - click here and here

               BONUS - Lukas gets in on the fun - here

2015 - Sylas stars in Pixels movie: click here

2014 - Sylas suspended for fighting with Paul (reverse - people thought it was a joke but it was true!)
2013 - My phone is stolen phone, please help by calling it!
2012 - Earth Hour started a fire - click here

 2012     BONUS - Burka church visit - here and here

2011 - Sylas suspended from school - click here and here
2010 - Took a year off after being scolded for fooling an entire church - here
2009 - Eviction notice! Click here and here
2008 - Divorce scare - click here, here, here or here
2007 - We're pregnant - click here
2005 - The Pope ascended to heaven - here

Before the internet: Jail for preaching, 

Best April fools reaction - here

See you next year!!! haha!!

Sing it with me: IT'S TRADITIOOOOOON

Toronto girl replaces lead in CBC remake of Anne

Olivia Cuthill named "Anne" amid controversy
By Sarah Fraser CBC NewsPosted: April 1, 2017 6:12 AM 

Controversy struck the set of CBC's hit show Anne this week as it was revealed lead actor Amybeth McNulty had no Prince Edward Island heritage.

"This is an outrage" huffed Angela McDonald, great-great-granddaughter of Lucy Maude Montgomery, as she protested outside the CBC building on University Avenue with a handful of relatives. "Islanders need to stick together and what they did is just wrong". CBC executives hurriedly snuck in a back entrance to attend a closed door meeting about the fate of their new hit show "Anne".

Released on CBC and slated for a later release on Netflix, "Anne" has been plagued with criticism from Islanders about McNultys Irish roots. "The girl is a green blooded carrot top!" shrieked Andrew Arsenault as he launched into a round of "From away! From away!".

After hours of deliberation, and extensive DNA searches, it was determined by CBC executives in Charlottetown that McNulty was not an Islander, had no Islander family or friends, had never visited the Island and could not locate PEI on a map. Having no choice, the broadcaster cut ties with the Irish actress.

In an official press release CBC named Anne finalist Olivia Cuthill to be the successor and fill in as the lead role of "Anne". "We feel the actor who plays Anne requires a certain Island heritage to understand Canada's Birthplace of Confederation. Olivia Cuthill has family on the Island, visits frequently, bought a PEI dirt shirt and even drank that horrible Raspberry Cordial we unload on tourists each summer"

After learning of her good fortune Olivia could not be reached for comment, but posted on her dad's facebook page: APRIL FOOLS

(Dont feel bad, this happens every year......)

2016 - Birthday switch - click here and here
             BONUS - Lukas gets in on the fun - here
2015 - Sylas stars in Pixels movie: click here
2014 - Reverse April fools - Sylas suspension for fighting Paul (Paul and Sylas!)
2013 - Stolen phone, please help!
2012 - Earth Hour fire - click here
            BONUS - Burka church visit - here and here
2011 - Sylas suspended from school - click here and here
2010 - Took a year off after being scolded for fooling an entire church - here
2009 - Eviction notice! Click here and here
2008 - Divorce scare - click here, here, here or here
2007 - We're pregnant - click here
2005 - Pope ascends to heaven - here

See you in 2018!!! haha!!

Toronto votes to name "Bob Acton Park"

"Toronto City Council voted last week to name an Upper Beach park in honour of the late, great Bob Acton. Following the January 30 vote, the park on William Hancox Avenue – steps away from Ted Reeve Arena, where Acton spent years coaching young athletes in hockey and baseball – will soon be known as Bob Acton Park." - Full article here

Another great honour for my late Uncle Bob!
Follow Bob Acton Sports on Facebook

Passing of a sports legend - RIP Bob Acton

Sad to lose a sports legend. Not Muhammad Ali, but my uncle Bob Acton who coached thousands of kids in hockey and fought ALS for the past 2 years. Yesterday the CN Tower was lit up purple in recognition of ALS Awareness month. They lit up the city for you Uncle Bob! Pray for those suffering with ALS and their families, that a cure would be found:

Sportsnet article:
Putting ALS Ice Bucket Challenge Into Perspective

Beaches Obituary: http://www.beachmetro.com/2016/06/14/20317/

Happy Easter!

Here's an early Easter present folks! Video of the tallest man in the world, Sultan Kosen of Turkey, being baptized!! Enjoy

Want to help defeat ISIS? Welcome some refugees!

Want to help defeat ISIS? Welcome some refugees!! "The refugee crisis is a blow to ISIS - Muslims fleeing a Muslim land...
Posted by Shawn Cuthill on Thursday, December 10, 2015

Saudi + Qatar + UAE + Bahrain + Kuwait = ZERO

Soooo let me get this straight: there is a huge refugee crisis but the rich Arab gulf "neighbours" of Syria have taken in ZERO refugees?? Lord have mercy:

My daughter Natasha Fatah on CBC News reports on the Syrian Crisis and how Saudi Arabian generosity is drowning the refugees.

Posted by Tarek Fatah on Friday, September 4, 2015

Parent of a problem child?

This CBC the fifth estate piece below on Chazz Petrella gave us chills and tears as we thought of our own unique wonderboy Sylas who was similarly very misunderstood by the system (and by us) and was nearly lost forever in a fog of paperwork, suspensions, case workers and disciplinary hearings.

 We thank God every day that Sylas got the help he needed this past school year, taking him 10 years before a proper diagnosis. We would plead with parents - FIGHT FOR YOUR KID! We sat in meeting after meeting where experts, social workers, teachers, principals, childrens aid etc etc told us what to do or not to do with Sylas and watched him slip further and further out of control. From first hand experience we have seen that the system does not have all the answers for these anomaly genius children who are literally one in a million.

RIP Chazz and our prayers for all the parents and teachers dealing with a huge uphill battle to understand and get help for these wonderfully unique "problem" kids:

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!!