Graduation

Academia, the apple of my eye! ....................if only for a weekend.

To Steinbach Bible College and the pursuit of learned wisdom, at a Mennonite policy and price.

"It doesn't matter how slowly you go it's that you go" - Lao Zi

I try to remember this when I remember the truth that it's taken me 5 years to complete a 2 year diploma at my motherlands great state to faith, SBC. In all honesty though, I have no regrets at half a decade to travel/work/ministry/life in community and pretty much any other portion of the last 5 years.

I've just returned from one of the most SBC-y highs of my life.

The encourage fest started out with an alumni brunch and a friend playing the fiddle to the most classic of worship songs. Then I went with my parents and sister (the one in Canada) to a banquet for four In which I was honored to have Dr. Hiebert give a short outro to my on and off, love affair with the school. FIVE years of bantering in and out of Bridal school halls and my dear, but still SISTER was my date..... A bitter hearted HURRAH for a life of spiritual celibacy. I could really appreciate the evening though and could totally see the spiritual in several hundred gathered in faith and good company. I suppose it's been a while.

Then on Sunday the 26th, the Graduation. I spent the good portion of the time schpat-ing with Russ Reimer and catching up with Blaine Dueck. Its a little known fact that some of the best men in the world live in Belize. Then it was my turn to shake hands and smile at the crowd. Unfortunate for me, I was one of the few that didn't make it to the rehearsal and unfortunate for everyone else, I was the first up to receive my diploma. I jumped the gun and went for the stage before my name was called. Apparently I was supposed to wait in line until I was formerly addressed; it was fine and funny. Then after the cerimony I shook a line of eternal handshakes with well wishing strangers. Which was fine and fun.

One day later I was back in Thunder Bay and expecting a visit from a crew of my fellow grads and students. Every year there's a group of musicians and actors, from the school, that write a musical and then tour with it in one direction. This year they came East, and I booked them in 'the bay'. The highlight of the evening, for me, was when Malcolm Monro (from split lake northern MB) busted 3 testimonial tracks. The guys rapped his faith story.... seriously ill! The drama with musical interludes was terribly emotional and seriously awesome. Then the rest of the evening the crew of 15 student performers dispersed and mingled with the kids. I've often wondered at how well unassuming Aboriginal people seem to mesh with non-confrontational Anabaptists.

Then, today, I received a line of intense hugs and a gave a prayerful goodbye.

There's something deep in my blood, about my people. Its a complicated kindness and a peace that describes many.

So in the end of this Bible blaster chapter; I have a paper stating my diploma, my mind as affected and infected as I've allowed, a hoard of 'likewise' friends to spend the rest of my life making Mennonite connections to and two mugs with my school name on them.

Thanks LORD.

The kind of pain that sits below the heart and just behind the lungs and doesn't feel like it will ever leave

I want to start at the end of Jonah. The great vomited missionary had just forgotten the lesson we love to remember. A whole Nation State, One Hundred Twenty Thousand repentant people brought to their knees at the very first words of GOD. Then after seeing the power of GOD in repentant people, finds himself in a cranky place east of Nineveh. All it took was his withered shad on a hot day for him to wish against his life.

Then these words from GOD.....
"You're troubled by this vine that you did nothing for. But you've forgotton the Thousands of people in town that still don't know right from wrong, shouldn't I be concerned about them?"



I'm trying to speak about emotion beyond a cranky mood. A while ago I said, in a sulky mood "Every time I feel like crap I think about the millions of people that have a hundred more reasons to fell like crap. People who suffer moral evil.......failed marriages, loss of children, abusive relationships, a thousand harmful addiction.... people who suffer Natural Evil ..... famine, disaster, drought, disease and ultimately poverty. Then I feel even more like crap and can't believe my selfish reclusion."

I want to finish this message but right now I need to gather my thoughts.
(2 days break)
Alright I'm back to finish my thoughts.....

Over the past several days GOD has been busting people wide open right next to me. I've been praying for this for a while and I'm glad I'm getting to a lot of heart issues with a couple friends, out here. HURT is basically the big issue that many of them are facing and how to deal with that hurt.

Today I was speaking in a church about the 'drop in' and a lady that was listening said that as soon as I started speaking her hand started hurting. She said that a while ago her hand was cut pretty bad but it healed and it hadn't hurt in a really long time; until I started talking, then she said it was throbbing. She interpreted this as prophecy that while I'm working at the 'drop in' there will be a lot of people that will look fine and feel healed but that the pain will come back.

There's a couple of friends that I've met, in town, that are here with 'sobering up programs', that found their way into alcohol through huge human hurt. I can understand and sympathize (not condone) getting 'hammed' to cover up unexplainable pain (suicide, family violence (stuff that no person should have to live through)). The kind of pain that sits below the heart and just behind the lungs and doesn't feel like it will ever leave. The sort of hurt that's humanly devastating and not just a personally interpreted.

As I said, I can understand getting 'ham faced' when it's covering huge human hurt (death and disillusion). But I can't comprehend 'good time drunks', that have a relatively healthy life but just want to have fun fast; that's just ecstasy gluttony.

A few words on Chico

Well a number of months ago I introduced to you a fellow that was quickly introduced to me.
Chico!!!
Now I've realized that, introducing an amazing man with an amazing story, needs an amazing amount of follow up.
One more note of amazingness. Really cool how many of you want updates on his story and how much his stories have touched you all.

I was able to visit with this good man today at 'the farm' (medium security prison). Yes he is currently in prison and was sentenced near a month ago. Sorry for the delayed update. The sentencing went really well, the judge was very deliberate and took a great deal of time considering his case and showed a lot emotion in his final verdict. The verdict it's self was 5 months (comes to only 3 months) jail and 18 months probation!!! Which is pretty much the best that we all could have hoped for. So back to my visit with the fellow today. He was in really good spirits and said that his jail time would be a breeze. He's pretty enigmatic and I guess found some friends on the inside.

I don't know how all of your Easters went but mine was truly heartfelt. For some reason the joint emotion and sacrificial suffering, in the lead up to Good Friday, meant something big to me this year.

It may be easter Sunday but Sunday's still coming!!!!