10 Things I state about you...

This is a real season of growing for me...spurred on by a variety of events and books, messages and meetings. I am growing (thank God) and it may even be connected to the "Surprise Me" prayer..."I am growing spiritually, Surprise!"

1. I make really good peanut butter cookies
2. I have a lot of unfinished projects around the house....many of them revolve around paint
3. I worry about losing my looks as I get older
4. I am not afraid of getting older
5. I am not ashamed that God has given me a mind to use and questions to ask
6. I am certain that comparison of myself with others is a sin
7. I am certain that thinking God is lucky to have me is a greater sin
8. I have more in common with the publican than the pharisee at the present time
9. I eat too many peanut butter cookies, my arteries can't handle it
10. I am certain that winter is less pleasant than summer

That was fun...want to offer me a list of ten? Comment button is situated below...

Two and half days...

Peggy and I took care of three kids this weekend...not our own! Three kids under 5...

It was a favor...to some old friends. The mommy used to babysit our kids from time to time. It was another cog in the wheel of the circle of life...round it goes. I am not as good at the whole little kid thing as I was...maybe I never was. I dropped both of the older kids, made them mad...gagged at the thought of having to change a #2 diaper...heck even a #1...I am just not the man I used to be in the past I guess. Good thing Peg is still in the groove.

This coming weekend I speak at a retreat in BC. I think most of us are going together. I am a bit nervous...I used to speak a lot but now...it is not the norm. I want to speak simply, to the point and help move students to a new place. We are looking at rooms...remember, grace, humility...funny names for rooms...I hope it goes well. Like I said, my hope would be that I have something of value to say...that is the direction in which I am praying...you can pray with me if you are reading this blog.

Still no tablet but they say tomorrow...how many times have they said tomorrow...hmmm...let me count the days... It will be good to get back to work...there is a lot to do before the end of the year. One more trip to Saskatchewan, one more trip south, one more trip north...and some running around to do in between...that is the stuff of my work...here a book, there a book...everywhere a book book!

It was good to hear from our speaker on Sunday that there is a destiny in every life and a variety of destinations...it made sense...I was afraid nothing that would be said would!

Give us this day our Daily Blog...

Wow...have been off the blog for a while. Was in Saskatchewan for the weekend...at a YC event there. The "Surprise Me God" experiment is over...but I still catch myself praying and watching to see what happens. In John Ortberg's amazing book, The Life You've Always Wanted, John Ortberg quotes Frank Laubach:

"For do you not see that God is trying experiments with human lives? That is why there are so many of them. He has on billion seven hundred million experiments going around the world at this moment. and his question is "how far will this man and that woman allow me to carry this hour? For I who pushed life up through the protozoan and the tiny grass, and the fish and bird and th dog and the gorilla and the man....I have not become satisfied yet. I am not only willing to make this hour marvelous. I am in travail to set you akindle with the Christ-thing which has no name. How fully can you surrender and not be afraid?"

Those of you who have been keeping up on my "tablet"...well another chapter has been added...I was told to have it repaired myself...by the guys in TO. I took it in to a great very helpful shop called "Computer Trends" in Saskatoon...they discovered... the hard drive was shot...(um...errr...I think that is what I told the IT guy six weeks ago!). They had it ready to go in less than 6 hours...but could not reload my programs..because the disc they needed was in Toronto.

The TO guys aren't sure where the disc is but are pretty sure I will have it by Tuesday or Wednesday...truth is stranger than fiction. I was thinking maybe I should be calling this the "Surprise me with a Tablet" blog...

I have been reading the book "Healing is a Choice" by Steve Arterburn...wow...does it make sense...maybe too basic for some...but I have seen a lot in there that pertains to me... "Healing is a choice?" I said, "Thanks for the reminder Steve!".

Tuesday...

Here are a few surprises:

On Saturday night, an old friend...well he's not that old, called and said he was coming to stay with us on Sunday night. He is one of only a handful of friends that I have who are committed to transparency and growth...in a big way. In that regard he is remarkable...and I am not sure if he even knows it. He inspires me to be more like Jesus...really how incredible is that. We had a fun day and a half...handed out some candy, celebrated Tage's birthday and did some shoe shopping...

Peggy and Aimee were away, and they did not know our friend was coming...so...we surprised them!...We had a late supper on Sunday with other friends...and it was a party!

My tablet arrived...you would have to read back to know all about the tablet...but after a month...there it was at the door. I plugged it in...and it didn't work. The big surprise was not that it arrived...the big surprise was that the stupid thing did not work. The IT guy offered a solution for me. "Just take it somewhere local and have it repaired"...helpful...I guess I could have done that 30 days ago.

Today another friend invited me to travel with him to Sylvan lake. We hadn't seen much of eachother lately so it was great to catch up. I probably talked too much, listened too little (what is new about that). However it was helpful...there is a lot rolling around in my old brain...sometimes it is good to put it in perspective with someone else.

Thanks old friends!