the nicholson files

At work

2008-11-08T10:11:00.001-08:00

Halloween

2008-10-31T19:28:00.001-07:00

lighthouse park

2008-10-29T20:13:00.001-07:00

More September

2008-10-06T19:56:00.002-07:00

Noah's "airplane"

snacktime

story time before bed

Ana's first tea party.

September

2008-10-06T19:50:00.002-07:00

first day of preschool

Ana in a bouncy castle

Afternoon snack.

Noah after reading a book about Knights (hence sword in undies)

A very proud Noah and Joe

saying goodbye to the mullans

2008-09-06T18:12:00.000-07:00

first day of preschool

2008-09-03T14:19:00.000-07:00

at the splash park with dad

2008-08-08T19:30:00.003-07:00

Celebrating Ana, turning 1!

2008-07-02T20:57:00.001-07:00

noah riding without training wheels

2008-07-02T20:53:00.002-07:00

baby beluga

2008-06-30T19:56:00.003-07:00

the baby beluga was 13 days old when we visitedthe baby nursing!!!! it was a moving moment!

the kite festival

2008-06-30T19:30:00.003-07:00

Cruisin' the Courtyard

2008-05-29T11:09:00.002-07:00

Ana being pushed around the courtyard by her 12-month-old friend, Zoe.
(Sorry about the poor quality, we took this video on our regular camera.)

look who's crawling

2008-05-23T20:37:00.001-07:00

humble beginnings

2008-05-19T12:20:00.005-07:00

Aaron and Noah making a garden box from a broken picnic table in
the courtyard.

Our previous garden... in pots.

End of day one, beautiful box, but plants still in pots.

The finished product. On the list are lettuce, tomatos, cherry tomatos,
orange peppers, green beans, basil, parsley, lemon balm, and best of all!!!... strawberries!
May God nurture and grow our humble little garden.

Happy #3 Birthday Noah

2008-05-17T16:34:00.003-07:00

retreat to rivendale

2008-05-17T16:24:00.002-07:00

In late April a few wonderful friends went to Rivendale for a retreat.
the ferry on the way to bowen island

preparing supper in the beautiful cottage

mmmm dinner

Ukrainian Egg painting

getaway to cannon beach

2008-04-30T09:04:00.003-07:00

Theology 101

2008-04-27T19:38:00.002-07:00

Noah: "We love God. God is cute. And God has legs."

Fair enough.
I didn't argue him on the point because I haven't gotten that far in my theology textbook yet.

Sun Run 2008

2008-04-22T14:04:00.004-07:00

To say that I'm proud of Lydia for her discipline in her training would be an understatement. Rain or shine (or, snow and hail!) she would scrounge up enough energy for her 3x/week regimen after a long day with the kids. When it was all said and done, the kids and I went out to watch her and her friend, Debbie participate in the Vancouver Sun Run with nearly 60,000 runners! While everyone told us that the Sun Run is something to do for the experience and not to set a personal record for time (due to the large volume of participants, you are literally caught walking at times through bottlenecks), finishing with a 1:08:41 is quite respectable in my books! Way to go Lyd!

there is a short video below of the day... the first 3 minutes or so is just general footage so you can get a feel for the enormity of this event... toward the end, you'll see Lydia and Debbie on camera, complete with commentary from the kids at the end.

Life at St. Andrews

2008-04-19T19:32:00.004-07:00

We are known for pulling out these chairs at the least chance of sun. (Jan/08)

We had a beautiful sunny day last week and couldn't stand the thought of going inside for dinner so we all brought our dinners out.

"the courtyard boys" - joe, noah, sam, caleb.

sleepy heads

2008-04-08T16:35:00.002-07:00

p.s. i'm faking

beautiful Ana

2008-03-23T18:11:00.002-07:00

if you don't come for us, come for the endowment lands

2008-03-19T15:14:00.003-07:00

waiting for spring

2008-03-17T19:47:00.003-07:00

Night

2008-03-16T21:02:00.005-07:00

The spiritual journey as depicted in literature is often portrayed as progressive and teleological; a voyage of ascent. The oft neglected reality, however, is that not all spiritual journies are movements of advance; indeed, many are tragically regressive and find their destination in a place of darkness. Such is the case of Elie Wiesel’s memoir, Night. Wiesel’s account is not simply about the perpetual night of Auschwitz, nor is it only about the darkness within humankind that enables us to carry out such horrific atrocities. Each of these interpretations of Night point to a larger theme in the narrative—the night of the soul, that is, an ultimate spiritual darkness experienced throughout—and ever since— the Holocaust. Wiesel recounts, then, his journey from spiritual fervor to, finally, to his journey without God. This is not a simple act of the author abandoning his faith, or even his God; it is rather a retelling of the time and place in which God was violently murdered in the company of 6 million Jews. While the readers are afforded the arduous opportunity to stand alongside Wiesel throughout his journey, we are also reminded that “We must not make [this] journey too quickly. We must linger with this starting point and not rush on to soon, seeking relief from its horror.”[1]

Such is also true as we are on the eve of Holy Week, seduced by temptation to rush through the pain of Good Friday for the glory of Easter Sunday. As I was reading the book this week, I couldn't help but think of the opportunity for a significant spiritual experience for a person who would sit and read this book through on Good Friday. (do with this thought what you will.)

[1] Wiesel. 1986. Night., vi.

more matching

2008-03-12T08:25:00.001-07:00

matching hats

2008-03-03T11:07:00.003-08:00

Out with the old, In with the new (old)...

2008-02-26T19:51:00.003-08:00

Tonight we said good-bye to our beautiful little Rav4 and replaced her with a mini-van. Yep. We are in a new league.
Last week we bought our dear mini van from a family here, who was moving back to Korea. We sold the Rav for double of what we paid for our mini van.
We are praying, dreaming and pursuing the idea of spending the summer term at L'abri England after aaron graduates (2009). This sale helps the finance part of that tremendously!
So on to new adventures...

february fun

2008-02-18T17:50:00.002-08:00

When, briefly, time stopped...

2008-02-09T20:24:00.000-08:00

A brilliant experiment. If you're like me, you see these kinds of videos and wish that you had the creativity to be the brains behind something like this.

credit

more fun from improv everywhere

The Story of Stuff...

2008-02-08T20:12:00.001-08:00

check out this video, so interesting... and grrr frustrating
thanks to nathan for the lead.

The Sacred Journey: a memoir of early days - Fredrick Buechner

2008-02-03T21:00:00.000-08:00

Within the covers of this book is a clear example of Buechner’s ability to intentionally listen to the sounds around him—the seemingly insignificant noises of everyday life through which God’s voice can be heard. Buechner’s analogy of God’s voice being the “alphabet of grace” (4), comparing it to the Hebrew language which carries a certain mysterious and cryptic nature owed to its lack of vowels, is embodied within the retelling of his story. I have found this to be true, also, in my own life—not only the challenge of deciphering what exactly is the voice of God among others—but then attempting to discern what it is He is trying to tell me. Buechner challenged me to listen with intentionality and curiosity—for God’s voice may be found in a ticking clock, a crowing rooster, or singing swallows. I must admit, I long to be able to find meaning in the background noise (be it aural, visual, or otherwise) but it is not a strength of mine. However, Buechner (and even Lamott) inspire me to slow down, to listen, to look, and to pause in order that I may make room for the words—cryptic as they may be—that God is speaking.

Buechner speaks of the last encounter with his father alive as when “time started” (58), that is, the point of life when each of us comes to the realization that the clock is ticking against us all and that we are not frozen in a utopian existence; rather we are in a deeply broken and fallen world and will be subjected to its pain. I wondered, “When did time start for me?” Although I have yet not found an answer to this question, it continues to come to mind not only within the context of my own life, but now within my role as a father. On the one hand I constantly live with a desire to shelter my children and protect them from the brokenness of this world, yet on the other hand I long to raise them as people who are rooted and engaged with reality—and this will bring hurt. Maybe the truth can be found simply in the reality that we are people of the Kingdom—that we are in the tension of the ‘already’ and the ‘not yet’—and through our pain we can live in great hope. Or, as Buechner puts it, “…in the long run, there can be no real joy for anybody until there is joy finally for us all”(97)—that is, when we are beyond time.

New Look/Leaf

2008-02-03T20:55:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd take a crack at reinventing this blog, not only visually, but substantially as well. On the one hand, I'm wondering if I'm done with the whole blogging thing and content to simply post pictures of our latest trek to the beach, yet on the other hand, if for nothing more than selfish reasons, this will help me process some of what I'm learning in class and life. Some (most? all?) of what will be offered will be simply book reviews/annotations for a class I'm taking on Spiritual Pilgrimmage in Life and Literature. The reading list is brilliant. Hopefully, through these posts you will encounter both the book and myself a little further...

January in Vancouver

2008-01-20T22:46:00.001-08:00

Ana and the pursuit of the orange ball.

2008-01-11T16:58:00.000-08:00

beauty/beast

2008-01-02T22:00:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas

2008-01-01T20:27:00.000-08:00

of laughter and snow

2007-12-02T15:02:00.000-08:00

life of late

2007-11-26T19:57:00.000-08:00

a few good films...

2007-11-25T19:52:00.000-08:00

i have been auditing "reading film from a theological perspective" at regent college. it's been an amazing class and has really sparked an interest in film pre 1950 (since that is all we really study).
here's a list of some great films... great classics, by the best in the business!
(director in bold)

Charles Chaplin

the kid (1920)
city lights (1931)

Carl Th. Dreyer

The Passion of Joan of Arc (1927/28)

Frank Capra

It happened One night (1934) (one of three movies in history to win Oscar for Best Picture, directing, actor, actress, and writing) (ps. the others in this category are One flew over the cuckoos(1975) and the silence of the lamb (1991)
You can't take it with you (1938)
Meet John Doe (1941)
and the much loved... It's a wonderful life (1946)

John Ford

Stagecoach (1939)
How green was my valley (1941) - i've watched this one 3 times in the past 2 months
My Darling Clementine (1946) - we are watching this tonight so not sure if i can recommend it.

Howard Hawks

His girl friday
Red river

Alfred Hitchcock

Rebecca

Gregory LaCava

My Man Godfrey (1936)

Fritz Lang

Metropolis (1926)
M (1931)

F.W. Murnua

Nosferatu (1922) (similar to dracula)
Sunrise (1927)
both interesting examples of German Expressionism in Film

Orson Welles

Citizen Kane (1941) - considered by many the best movie ever made

So that's that. So many more films out there. We have found many are available at our public library as opposed to video stores (plus it's free!!!) We are just about to set in and watch John Fords My dear Clementine (a western... yep, i'm even enjoying westerns)

more pictures

2007-11-09T13:27:00.001-08:00

before and after

2007-11-07T19:25:00.001-08:00

Having a tea party.

Noah "big bear" and Eeyore at 4 months.

Noah told me today that "big bear" and Eeyore were his best friends.

hallowe'en at st. andrew's

2007-10-31T20:26:00.001-07:00

thanksgiving dinner

2007-10-26T19:40:00.000-07:00

on thanksgiving, we hosted a dinner for a bunch of our friends here in Vancouver (mostly people from St. Andrew's) and Lydia had her first crack at cooking the turkey. and i must say, i'm looking forward to the turkeys to come in the years ahead!!

here are a few shots of the evening.

Our trip to Whistler

2007-10-10T19:17:00.001-07:00

Sunday best...

2007-09-30T13:06:00.001-07:00

Photo shoot with Jen

2007-09-22T14:32:00.001-07:00

settling into van. life

2007-09-20T12:30:00.001-07:00

Our trip home

2007-09-07T20:51:00.001-07:00

first haircut

2007-08-09T22:09:00.000-07:00

before:

after:

a month old today

2007-08-03T17:31:00.000-07:00

some more pixs (running out of creative titles)

2007-07-29T14:00:00.001-07:00

two peas

2007-07-22T18:10:00.000-07:00

sibling love

2007-07-18T19:07:00.000-07:00

snuggles

2007-07-16T11:42:00.000-07:00

proud parents

2007-07-10T20:17:00.001-07:00

more ana

2007-07-07T13:42:00.000-07:00

sorry about the ton of ana pictures and videos, but we'll keep posting this stuff for all those out of towners who have yet to meet her! here are a couple of videos of her first days.

more life

2007-07-06T14:45:00.001-07:00

gracious, merciful. God with us: Ana Emmanuella

2007-07-04T20:13:00.001-07:00

July 3rd. 12:48pm
8lbs 3oz.

finally!!!

2007-06-29T12:29:00.001-07:00

We have a date... the baby will be here on July 3rd as our c/section is scheduled for 11am! In case you didn't know our babies like to stay upright in the womb!
We are SO excited to meet this baby in just 4 days!
What do you think... boy or girl?
Please pray for us, and for Noah as he becomes a big brother... and spends his first night away from his mom and dad! And for a speedy recovery so we can get home asap!

"we" are 5 years old.

2007-06-22T09:00:00.000-07:00

today, June 22nd, lydia and i have been married for 5 years! my how time flies, and how amazing it is to look back and see the road behind us. what an amazing gift marriage is.

we celebrated on tuesday night by heading up to the posh Grouse Mountain (the Vancouver thing to do!) for dinner. the restaurant apparently overlooks the city, although we'll have to take their word for it as we were being bear-hugged by a cloud that evening. nevertheless, the food (and company!) was great. as for our plans for the actual date of our anniversary? we're hoping to be surprised by an early arrival of our second child (although we're not placing too much weight in this hope!) :)

low tide

2007-06-13T09:16:00.000-07:00

ahh... the beach

2007-05-29T19:56:00.001-07:00

happy birthday daddy!

2007-05-23T16:09:00.000-07:00

what a dude...

2007-05-12T16:12:00.000-07:00

Noah's 2nd Birthday Party!

2007-04-28T19:57:00.000-07:00

Visiting with Grandma

2007-04-26T21:08:00.000-07:00

welcome to niece Katelyn!

2007-04-23T20:47:00.000-07:00

Lydia has always been concerned that she would not have the opportunity to buy pink for any of the new babies born into either of our families. in a little over a year the fear has dissipated, as the girls are quickly catching up with the boys!
The current score is
Boys: 6
Girls: 4
we'll have to see which way our little one tips the scale.

congrats Brad and Tonya!
Katelyn Elizabeth Nicholson
April 22, 2007.

what's up...

2007-04-19T12:21:00.000-07:00

Hmmm, what's new? Aaron just finished exams last week, so off for a few weeks until spring school starts. Noah has his second birthday approaching next week... he seems like such a big boy to us lately! This week he starting singing the complete alphabet song. As you can see in the second picture he has spent the past few days feeling a bit under the weather. We spent some time with the Nellis' this past weekend and noah was reaquainted with his buddy sylas. I am now 29 weeks pregnant... and only about 4 weeks left of work! We are all looking forward to meeting the new baby... and bringing him/her home to sarnia for a visit in August!

of boys, baker, and boarding

2007-04-13T14:04:00.000-07:00

Lydia's brother, Jesse, and I went snowboarding at Mt. Baker in Washington when he and his family came to visit a few weeks ago. Check out the video he put together of our day on the slopes. (you probably won't be interested in the full 23 minutes of it, but if you want to see how stunning the terrain of mt. baker is and how mediocre my snowboarding is, just a couple minute viewing will suffice...)

today, the Phoenix, risen from the ashes

2007-04-07T14:10:00.000-07:00

Hunting the Phoenix
Denise Levertov

Leaf through discolored manuscripts,
make sure no words
lie thirsting, bleeding,
waiting for rescue. No:
old loves half-
articulated, moments forced
out of the stream of perception
to play “statue”,
and never released –
they had no blood to shed.
You must seek
the ashy nest itself
if you hope to find
charred feathers, smouldering flightbones,
and a twist of singing flame
rekindling.

2007-04-05T19:47:00.000-07:00

Madeline and Noah copying each other.

Isobel, Noah and Joe doing some jumping!

Noah's first back pack... getting ready for the baby.

A visit with Uncle Jesse and the family!

2007-03-31T19:09:00.000-07:00

Our little gymnast

2007-03-15T16:12:00.000-07:00

Yeah for visitors!!!

2007-03-07T15:21:00.000-08:00

Welcome spring... well maybe not quite!

2007-02-24T16:54:00.000-08:00

Another Niece...

2007-02-22T15:58:00.000-08:00

Congrats to Jon and Steph on their new little daughter Nevaeh Louise, born early this morning!!! Looks like the girls are catching up with the boys!!!

half baked

2007-02-17T12:02:00.000-08:00

Only 20 more weeks to go...
ps. for you ontarioians... see the sunshine... we are finally reaping benifits of vancouver life

A family shot...

2007-02-12T15:53:00.000-08:00

evening prayer

2007-02-10T21:39:00.000-08:00

Lately, i've been praying the office on occasion with the help of the Northumbria Community online. I've been doing this mostly praying the compline before bed, but today i came across this evening prayer and felt it worth passing along. And on a side note, one of the amazing benefits of my time here at Regent is being exposed to and taking part in the prayers of the saints who have walked before us. It's moving to pray with the realization that the very prayer you are taking part in has been recited for the past 1000 years by various faith communities in places all over the world.

Evening Prayer

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Opening sentences

My soul waits for the Lord
more than those
who watch for the morning,
more than those
who watch for the morning.

Call: Out of the depths I have cried to You.
Response: O Lord, hear my voice.
Call: With my whole heart I want to praise You.
Response: O Lord, hear my voice.
Call: If you, Lord, should mark iniquities:
Response: Who could stand? who could stand?

I will wait for the Lord.
My soul waits,
and in His word
do I hope.

Expressions of faith

Lord, You have always given
bread for the coming day;
and though I am poor,
today I believe.

Lord, You have always given
strength for the coming day;
and though I am weak,
today I believe.

Lord, You have always given
peace for the coming day;
and though of anxious heart,
today I believe.

Lord, You have always kept
me safe in trials;
and now, tried as I am,
today I believe.

Lord, You have always marked
the road for the coming day;
and though it may be hidden,
today I believe.

Lord, You have always lightened
this darkness of mine;
and though the night is here,
today I believe.

Lord, You have always spoken
when time was ripe;
and though you be silent now,
today I believe.

hello baby #2

2007-02-08T17:20:00.000-08:00

This is our 18 week ultra sound of baby #2. Baby didn't co-operate too well so the best shot we got was a face shot! Aaron, some how thought he saw that the baby was a boy... but I'm not convinced :)
Guess only time will tell!

so lately....

2007-02-01T18:13:00.000-08:00

Some random pix's since we haven't posted any lately. The first are some shots of vancouver this evening... it was stunning. The plane... thank goodness, is just a movie set along the beach by our house! The next is Aaron and Noah at the aquarium. Noah and Grandma eating breakfast during our last trip home on the next shot. Me and Noah checking out a stuffed seal at the new education area at the aquarium. Stanley park after a brutal set of storms! And last, Noah and cous. Jacob with Uncles Jordan and Aaron.

eternal

2007-02-01T11:20:00.000-08:00

Clarence Lenting
April 7, 1975- January 25, 2007.

homecoming

2007-01-22T12:59:00.000-08:00

after struggling with exactly what we should be doing in light of our friend's prognosis, we've finally settled (although we're anything but settled) with our plans to go back to Sarnia to be with our friends and stand alongside Jen and Clarence as they walk through this. we know this is a good thing, we know we will not regret it, yet we are not at all excited about the circumstances in which we are returning.

please pray that God's peace would be real in this situation for Jen and Clarence.
pray that God's mercy would be evident.
and, if you are so bold, pray that the God of hope would miraculously heal Clarence in his final days.

we will be in Sarnia on Wednesday evening until the following Wednesday.

Lord, have mercy on us all.

2007-01-19T13:32:00.000-08:00

St. Jude, the Patron Saint of Hopeless Situations.
Our good friend has been given just a few weeks to live. Cancer is slowly taking his life and has completely taken control of his 31 year old body. For almost a year now we've prayed, cried, and wrestled over this. At this point I'm wondering, "What's the difference between living by faith and living in naivety?" and "What's the difference between living in hope and living in denial?" And after months of passionate and heartfelt prayers all I can pray now is, "Where did you go?"

God, have mercy.

soundtrack of life

2007-01-11T15:51:00.000-08:00

i stole this from a friend's blog, did it out of curiousity, and was frightened at how fitting some of the songs were, and therefore decided to share it with y'all.

here's what you do:
- open itunes, put it on shuffle, answer the first question with the song that comes up, and fast forward to the next track for the answer to the next question, etc.

do it.
put it on your blog for all of us to enjoy.

1. Opening Credits: To Hell With the Devil - Stryper

2. Waking Up: Meet Me in the Morning – Bob Dylan

3. First Day At School: Gone – Jack Johnson

4.Falling In Love: Happy Happy Oh – Devendra Banhart

5.Fight Song: Sitting, Waiting, Wishing – Jack Johnson

6.Breaking up: Ordinary Day – Great Big Sea

7. Prom: I.C.B. - New Order

8. Life: Love is Blindness – U2

9. Mental Breakdown: Viva – Jesse Cook

10. Driving: Undivided Self – Sufjan Stevens

11. Flashback: Its Dangerous Business Walking Out Your Front Door- UnderOath

12. Getting back together: Packing Blankets - Eels

13. Losing your virginity: She’s Hearing Voices – Bloc Party

14. Wedding: Human – Metallica and the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra

15. Birth of Child : Giant Steps – John Coltrane

16. Final Battle: Baby, I’m in the Mood forYou – Bob Dylan

17. Funeral Song: Clocks - Coldplay

18. End Credits: The Late Greats - Wilco

no word of a lie, these are the songs that came up.
weird.

christmas fun and summer plans

2007-01-06T12:31:00.000-08:00

We spent almost 2 weeks in sarnia with family and friends. It was a busy time, but it was great to catch up with everyone after 4 months in Vancouver. Here's a little highlight of all that we did:

Bruce hosted a great party for all of us to get together again over some Pad Thai and Nintendo Wii... good times were had by all!

Noah enjoyed singing "Glooooooooooooo-ria"... his favourite Christmas carol.

Noah went on his first plane ride!

And we did our best to convince people from Sarnia to come and visit Vancouver in July 2007.
Why?

Merry Christmas

2006-12-26T13:40:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas and Blessings in the New Year!!!

Hope you all had a swell Christmas. We are certainly having a relaxing time at home... and so thankful to be here.

So from one handsome chap to the next...

hugs and love

from the Nicholsons

downtime

2006-12-21T21:30:00.000-08:00

After making it through my first semester at Regent i've had some time to bask in the glories of great music and writing... i thought i'd pass some of it along...

[tunes]
David Bazan - Fewer Moving Parts
This cd has rocked my world. The title track (electric version) has been stuck in my head for days. once again, our good man David (former frontman of Pedro the Lion) has delivered the goods.

Damien Jurado - Now That I'm In Your Shadow
I'm never disappointed with a new Damien Jurado CD. I was listening to this in my headphones (which by the way, i've learned that you've never really listened to a CD until you've heard it through headphones... so much to find when you block out all other noise) and i had to put my pencil down on several occasions on account of being deeply moved by the lyrics. in typical jurado fashion he covers many darker themes (i.e. adultery, death/murder, etc...) but this album is one of the most beautifully tragic pieces of work i've heard in a long time.

Sufjan Stevens - Hark! Songs for Christmas (vol. 1-5)
This man has single-handedly redeemed Christmas music from the syrupy, Walmart branded stuff we are bombarded with at the mall. His rendition of Holy, Holy, Holy is one of the most worshipful songs i've come across... it's beautiful.

Ane Brun - A Temporary Dive
simple and beautiful folky music.

Jose Gonzalez - Veneer
again, just simple, but beautiful folk music.

Honourable Mention goes to...
Sigur Ros - Takk; The Album Leaf - Into the Blue (although i liked them so much i got burnt out on them and have had to go on a brief sabbatical from them); and an occasional dose of Imogen Heap - Speak for Yourself;

if you think my taste in music looks a lot like phil's, it's because i owe credit for my musical tastes to him... and i must say that we're both indebted to Todd for any good taste in music we both may have.

[reads]
Hey Nostradamus! - Douglas Coupland
This is a great novel by the Vancouver writer. It's a fictional account of a Columbine-esque shooting in a Vancouver highschool. It's a powerful commentary on family tension, love, loss judgment, and hope. I've never read any of his other works, but after this one i'm sold. I just picked up his Life After God novel to read next.

Holy the Firm - Annie Dillard
One of the great things about reading Annie Dillard while on the West Coast is that you not only encounter her work on the page, but all around you. She has a way of drawing with words, and impregnating her language with deep meaning. Only she could write a chapter about a moth flying into a candle and make it so deeply profound. I'm looking forward to finishing this one...

Other Books I'm hoping to get at soon...
Life after God - Douglas Coupland
Complete Stories - Flannery O'Connor

[sights]
I've been indulging on the First Season of Arrested Development. I'm hooked.
Let it also be known that i plan my week around The Office.

and finally, our plans for Christmas will come to fruition tomorrow as we board a plane and are Sarnia bound for 2 weeks.

Merry Christmas, y'all.

Who needs toys when you have tape?

2006-12-11T08:03:00.000-08:00

when i showed this picture to noah he couldn't stop laughing... what a fun age this is!

the call to bear Christ...

2006-12-09T15:04:00.000-08:00


















A Poetic Commentary on Botticelli's Cestello Annuncation
By Andrew Hudgins

The angel has already said, Be not afraid.
He's said, The power of the Most High
will darken you. Her eyes are downcast and half closed.
And there's a long pause -a pause here of forever-
as the angel crowds her. She backs away,
her left side pressed against the picture frame.


He kneels. He's come in all unearthly innocence
to tell her of glory -not knowing, not remembering
how terrible it is. And Botticelli
gives her eternity to turn, look out the doorway, where
on a far hill floats a castle, and halfway across
the river toward it juts a bridge, not completed-


and neither is the touch, angel to virgin,
both her hands held up, both elegant, one raised
as if to say stop, while the other hand, the right one,
reaches toward his; and, as it does, it parts her blue robe
and reveals the concealed red of her inner garment
to the red tiles of the floor and the red folds


of the angel's robe. But her whole body pulls away.
Only her head, already haloed, bows,
acquiescing. And though she will, she's not yet said,
Behold, I am the handmaiden of the Lord,
as Botticelli, in his great pity,

lets her refuse, accept, refuse, and think again.

In this picture, in the annunciation itself, and in the story of the incarnation, Mary not only represents herself, but the whole of man and his response to his call to bear the incarnate Christ into a broken world...

May our response be as humble, obedient, and honest as Mary's...

The Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55)
My soul magnifies the Lord,
And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.
For He has regarded the low estate of His handmaiden,
For behold, henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
For He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name. And His mercy is on those who fear Him from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with His arm:
He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He has put down the mighty from their thrones,
and exalted those of low degree.
He has filled the hungry with good things;
and the rich He has sent empty away.
He has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy;
As He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to His posterity forever.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen

Come O Come, Bright Morning Star

2006-12-07T13:16:00.000-08:00

A trialsome November has brought a new light to Christmas.

We have become fellow sojourners with the Magi,

Looking to the Bright Morning Star for a glimpse of hope.

Trying not to mourn what we have left behind, squinting to see a the twinkle of light that lies ahead.

Kneeling, pleading “O come, O come Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel.”

In chapel on Tuesday a “wise man” spoke of Jesus’ last claim of himself… calling himself Bright Morning Star. He explained that the Bright Morning Star appears in the wee hours of the night after the darkness has been the strongest. It is the first glimpse of light, the first sign of morning, and though it appears so small and distant at times, it tells us that darkness has been defeated and daylight will triumph.

O come, O come Emmanuel!!!

Dante's Divine Comedy...

2006-12-03T22:32:00.000-08:00

A poet i am not, and even less so a connoisseur of Medieval literature, but I just finished reading exerpts of Dante's Divine Comedy for my Christian Thought and Culture class. While I have to admit I was drowning in the allegory for 95% of my journey with Dante, I was struck by a few lines at the end of Canto XXXIII when Dante, after journeying through Hell and Purgatory is in Heaven and sees God face to face. (I apologize in advance to all you poets, because I'm just typing it all in one big long line... i know, it's probably like nails on a chalkboard to the poetic...)

In the deep and bright essence of that exalted Light, three circles appeared to me; they had three different colors, but all of them were of the same dimension; one circle seemed reflected by the second, as rainbow is by rainbow, and the third seemed fire breathed equally by those two circles. How incomplete is speech, how weak, when set against my thought!
...
That circle-- which, begotten so, appeared in You as light reflected-- when my eyes had watched it with attention for some time, within itself and colored like itself, to me seemed painted with our effigy, so that my sight was set on it completely.
As the geometer intently seeks to square the circle, but he cannot reach, through thought on thought, the principle he needs, so i searched that strange sight: i wished to see the way in which our human effigy suited the circle and found place in it-- and my own wings were far too weak for that.
But then my mind was struck by light that flashed and, with this light, received what it had asked.

a green christmas?

2006-11-29T12:06:00.000-08:00

It's Christmas! Let's be Glad.
Sufjan Stevens

since its Christmas let's be glad.
even if your life's been bad.
there are presents to be had.

take a walk out in the snow.
and hear Santa's, "ho ho ho."
he's got a million miles to go.

la la la la la la ah

sing a carol to your mom.
'cause she knows what's going on.
and she knows if you've been bad or good.

and if you'll get what you deserve.
to be graded on the curve.
oh you got a lot of nerve.

la la la la la la ah

since the year is almost out
lift your hands and give a shout
there's a lot to shout about today

since its Christmas let's be glad.
even if the year's been bad.
there are presents to be had.
a promotion for your dad.

I've been thinking a lot about Christmas lately and how each year the consumerism that drives our Western idea of Christmas drives me almost as crazy as the buttery smooth vocals of the Christmas carols being played in the mall. But on a practical note, I'm wondering what Christmas should look like in the context of my immediate family? Lydia and I were talking about this the other day, and although the issue of Santa really won't need to be resolved for another year now (Noah doesn't know Santa from a hole in the wall at this point)... but I'm really wondering:

Should we allow Santa to bring gifts to our home at Christmas? I'm not proposing the kind of "Santa is evil" mindset, but rather, is it just a fun, mythical element of the Christmas season, or is it something that really contributes to the consumerism that drives our Christmas season, and is it ultimately a barrier to our ability to ever celebrate Christmas in a real way?

This is a difficult thing to resolve in my mind because I don't want to just jump on the fundy bandwagon and revoke my children of the joys of Santa, but i also really don't want them to be writing lists of everything they want for Christmas either-- that just seems wrong to me. The thing i would love to somehow get away from is the "Christmas=presents" mentality. The difficulty also lies in the fact that i know the parents' values are transferred to their children... and i do enjoy giving and receiving gifts, but i am also growing in my intentionality to make the gift giving/receiving a peripheral matter to Christmas, not the core of it.

anyone else processing stuff along these lines?
any thoughts?

Man vs. Nature

2006-11-27T21:27:00.000-08:00

November 16th...
Vancouver gets nailed with rain for 2 days without letting up. I'm told that rain is a regular occurance here, which would lead me to believe that the city can handle it. However, this time the tricks of nature prevailed, causing mudslides to plunge into the watersheds that house Vancouver's water supply. Vancouver is forced into a "Boil Water Advisory". We are still boiling water.

Days of boiling water to date: 12
Nature: 1 / Vancouver: 0

November 27th...
Vancouver gets nailed with snow for 2 days without letting up. Snow is new turf for Vancouver. It shows when people look at you funny when you drive somewhere after it has snowed. The boiling water advisory was going great until we woke up this morning without power, but with a foot and a half of snow in its place. (**side note: the front porch makes for a great alternative to a refrigerator in the winter.)

Hours without power and heat: 13
Nature: 2 / Vancouver: 0

hmm... i wonder what's next...

(on a side note, check the previous post for the fun we were able to have in the snow... we are glad to get a taste of real winter!!!)

snow... in vancouver?... oh yes!!!

2006-11-25T18:15:00.000-08:00

presently living in the past...

2006-11-24T13:30:00.000-08:00

When we wonder why the language of traditional Christianity has lost its liberating power for [modern] man, we have to realize that most Christian preaching is still based on the presupposition that man sees himself as meaningfully integrated with a history in which God came to us in the past, is living under us in the present, and will come to liberate us in the future. But when man's historical consciousness is broken, the whole Christian message seems like a lecture about the great pioneers to a boy on an acid trip.

Henri Nouwen, The Wounded Healer

what do you expect?

2006-11-14T23:01:00.000-08:00

"[We have] used our wealth, our literacy, our technology, and our progress, to create the thicket of unreality which stands between us and the facts of life... We want to believe these illusions because we suffer from extravagant expectations... When we pick up the newspaper at breakfast, we expect - we even demand - that it bring us momentous events since the night before...We expect our two-week vacations to be romantic, exotic, cheap, and effortless. We expect anything and everything. We expect the contradictory and the impossible. We expect compact cars which are spacious; luxurious cars which are economical. We expect to be rich and charitable, powerful and merciful, active and reflective, kind and competitive. We expect to be inspired by mediocre appeals for excellence, to be made literate by illiterate appeals for literacy, to "go to the church of our choice" and yet feel its guiding power over us, to revere God and to be God. Never have people been more the masters of their environment. Yet never has a people felt more deceived and disappointed. For never has a people expected so much more than the world could offer."

- Daniel J. Boorstin, The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-Events in America.

Quotable...

2006-11-11T12:53:00.000-08:00

If God has made your cup sweet, drink it with grace; or even if he has made it bitter, drink it in communion with Him.
- Oswald Chambers