5.27.08 :: YSM: Random Notes
Adjusting is the nice way of putting things. I'm glad to have fellow introverts affirm the adjustment period in this bustling environment! Like Leah said, it does feel like being the new kid in a new high school. I guess it's all the same for new staff and youth.When I work, I will make it a point to live within a 30 minute commute. Nothing more! Walkable, preferably. That way I can invest more within the community I'm in, and be present fully in one place.
I love the educational portion of being a part of Summer Team. For example, we learned about drugs and drug using behaviours in the morning today, and put our knowledge to use in the afternoon. However, I don't have my drugs straight yet. I'm sure it'll become more familiar with the summer. Sadly.
I still haven't found my element yet.
Write comments -:- Read comments -:- Restore screen
-:-:-:-
5.22.08 :: YSM Update
If tired is the condition I bring each morning
And thus the fear arises
Then your strength be mine with this day
And your grace give me courage-:-:-:-
Mark July 4th for the Evergreen Summer Team's eclectic little fundraising concert, tentatively featuring 3 bands and a number by the Summer Team themselves! It'll be a chance for friends and family to check out the centre itself, to enjoy a night of entertainment, and to help us fundraise for our team. Melissa, putting her PR degree to great work (this might end up as a one-woman show, though Chris promises to do some interpretive dancing - hah, thus are my supervisors!), has tentatively called it ST:08. I looks cool on paper. Haha.
More details to follow!
Write comments -:- Read comments -:- Restore screen
-:-:-:-
5.20.08 :: YSM: Week (and Day) 1
On Marianne's suggestion (read her Malawi blog), I will try for weekly updates on my adventures at Yonge Street Mission's Evergreen Drop-In.Today was orientation day: getting to know each other, signing a whole host of paperwork, taking a tour of nearly all the grounds that YSM has (the nice sunny day made the walk nice). We were all quite impressed by the immensity of YSM - so many programs and places to service the neighbourhood! The health centre at Evergreen is an especially amazing place - there are doctors, dentists, optomistrists, and even a Chinese medicine practitioner (very popular with the youth, we're told) who volunteer right on site during the week. That's brilliant.
I think I was most surprised that everyone on the summer team leaned on the introverted side - or maybe it's just the first day jitters. One cool thing is that we are all in some way musically-oriented, which I hope will mean jam sessions in the future! In any case, we'll have the great bonding experience (or hellishly divisive? I hope not) of the street walk in a couple of weekends. I'm now both dreading and really looking forward to it.
-:-:-:-
An acquaintance of the family has been trying to get help from us for a gambling problem on and off for a while. It's very disheartening to realize that our first response as a family is "please stay away!" But as Christians, aren't we supposed to do something as Christ would for her?
We are at a loss. Please pray for our friend, and our witness and love.
Write comments -:- Read comments -:- Restore screen
-:-:-:-
5.19.08 :: Justice in the 'burbs
So I finally started reading Justice in the Burbs by Will and Lisa Samson, a book Anna graciously gave me on my last birthday. It's not as dense and forceful (yet) as I thought it might've been, but still thought-provoking.It's interesting how the authors start the book by saying that they have failed. In fact, they've packed up and moved out of the suburbs recently, to move on to urban justice pursuits. That's a depressing start! But they get at the heart of the matter: suburbanites have fallen into the routine of life and have failed to be interrupted by the poverty that surrounds. Not until we cross paths with a panhandler who gets in our faces, or hear of disaster overseas (e.g. Myanmar or China) do we react. We are very self-focused.
It's a frustrating condition. Every book I've read that touched on justice (from leadership tomes to dry old OT texts!) points out that God's heart of justice demands that humans, and Christians in particular, seek justice in this world. But the church context I'm used to is just so slow at it. Definitely the case when it comes to life in a suburban church.
"Life is full of so many pursuits, many of them worthwhile. We get a job, we buy a house, we have kids. This is normal life in the West. Yet frequently the stuff of this normal life so dominates our time and attention that we fail to see issues greater than ourselves. If we ae never interrupted, and if we do not intentionally strive to raise people to value the stranger and the needy in the ways God does, everyday activities will crowd out God's call on our lives."
I seriously question whether we, the suburban church, has hope for change. Is it too early to tell, or am I late in getting out?
-:-:-:-
On a hopeful note, many of my friends (I count 7 so far) have gone out on various missions and social projects this summer. You might say it's an activism bumper crop kinda year. Then there's the justice group gaining numbers, which is awesome. And cap that off with the grocery run idea is spreading to another church (4 full carts and $300!).
I suppose I need the faith that all this justice stuff will only grow.
Write comments -:- Read comments -:- Restore screen
-:-:-:-
5.17.08 :: Ahh, nostalgia
I put a whole bunch of VHS tapes in the trash last night (although, after some DVD searching, I think I need to pull some back!). I kept a couple of gems for now, though. Gotta love watching commercials from 10 years ago! Never realized how convoluted the dialogue on The X-Files was! And Due South never, never, NEVER fails to make me laugh. Love it! I think I'm a Paul Haggis fan. He's just gooooooood...Here's a clip from a Due South spoof done by Royal Canadian Air Farce. Silly kids!
Next up: A CTV spot for Due South and Once A Thief. I remember this one! "Thank you kindly." Heh.
Write comments -:- Read comments -:- Restore screen
-:-:-:-
5.5.08 :: Switchfoot + Narnia
Two of my favourite things. :o) However, Jon's hair is too long now. Ick.
Write comments -:- Read comments -:- Restore screen
-:-:-:-
5.2.08 :: Being glocal
The global part: I pulled this off from Al Hsu's The Suburban Christian blog. My performance is just dismal!The local part: Went to the first day of thenewsuburbia conference at the Salvation Army HQ with Season and heard Wayne Gordon share passionately about Lawndale Community Church, which embodies a church being an incarnational presence in its community. Not only do they have a church, they've got a development corporation that focuses on providing affordable housing and a health care centre that ministers to the health needs of their neighbours at nominal fees (remember, this is an American church - no universal health care!). The coolest ministry is owning a Lou Malnati's Pizzeria (a popular franchise in Chicago) which provides employment training and jobs for ex-convicts. The equivalent, I suppose, would be MCBC owning a Tim Horton's to help give job training to those who need it the most.
Then I look back at my church and wonder how in the world we can be this incarnational in our peculiar industrial location. We just don't know our neighbours, and frankly, we don't really care. They do their thing on the weekdays, we come in on weeknights and weekends, and generally stay out of each other's hair (save for parking spots swaps and the annual BBQ - but seriously, is that enough?). The recent drug lab bust at the other end of the street of the church really shows how badly we need to become an incarnational presence in our unique neighbourhood of industry.
But really, if I had my way, I would move MCBC to a place where people actually live.
Write comments -:- Read comments -:- Restore screen
-:-:-:-
5.1.08 :: Summer!
Just got a call from Yonge Street Mission. I got the position at Evergreen, working with street-involved youth! Praise God! :o) And to think that a year ago, I was practicing elevator pitches in my appreticeship class to land a job at YSM. It's going to be quite the experience!-:-:-:-
I am quite hooked on The Border (click to stream), and I love how I can stream the entire first season online! Makes me all giddy when I see the flash of Tim Horton's cups pretty much in every episode (they must be a major sponsor) or when there are mentions of places like "Scarborough" or "Pearson International Airport" or "Toronto Greyhound Station". I can't think of any other fictional TV show that uses Toronto (and other Canadian locales) as a backdrop quite the way that The Border does. I also love the Canadian-American relations depicted on the show, i.e. no, we don't like American interference, and we can be hard-assed about it. The characters are well-written, and the action is pretty sweet. Yay for good Canadian shows!
Also, I am loving Daytrotter, and how much music they put up every week! Check out Syndney Wayser below. One of her band members specializes in playing toy musical instruments, like tamborines and xylophones. I don't think "Papa Don't Worry" has any, but it is my favourite track from the 4 I've heard. Download her music at Purevolume.