I have been spending time over the last few days putting the final touches on two sessions that I have the privilege of leading this Saturday. I will be at the Kitchener Waterloo Christian Home Educator's Conference where I will be sharing about "Putting the Bible in Bible Study" and "Being a Worship Leader at Home." I am excited to have the opportunity to share a bit of what God has been putting on my heart these past two years and about some of the practical tools that have developed along the way. In all honesty, these topics and much of what I will share did not begin with home school in mind but with other ministry endeavors. As is often the case, because my kids are at home, and because we do home school them, they often become my guinea pigs as we try out new ideas and discipleship tools. I have come to the place where I no longer see them as guinea pigs (a good thing I suppose), but rather the first priority of my ministry. Although we did not get into home schooling primarily for religious purposes at first, I have come to appreciate the unique opportunity for faith development that it enables for us. I am really looking forward to sharing some of the insights and lessons that we have learned with others who are choosing a home based education for their children.
Of course, these topics and ideas are not limited to home schooling so perhaps there will be further opportunities to share them in the future.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Update Tuesday 29/03/11
Well, it has been a busy week with a lot going on behind the scenes. Let me share a few exciting things that have been going on this past week.
Firstly, I have been offered an invitation to the annual Southern Baptist Convention to be held in Phoenix Arizona in June. This is in conjunction with a new focus of the North American Mission Board on church planting and I would be one of the Canadian representatives. Along with attending the conference I would be hosting a shift at the NAMB booth in the exhibit hall in order to meet people and to share about our new work. If you think you might be attending the convention then have a look for me at the exhibit boot, or better yet, send me an e-mail and we can see about connecting at some point over the week.
Secondly, we have begun to get the paper work together for an official offer on a new house in Hamilton. The paper work is being inspected by a lawyer as I write, to ensure there is nothing that we have missed. We really hope that we might be able to have it all signed by this week. We would ask for your continued prayer on that front. We are really getting excited about our new neighbourhood! I would also ask for your prayers regarding the relationships that we are beginning to form with our real-estate agent Julie, and with the couple who are renovating the house, Regan and Mark. They are all great people and we are interested in what God may do with these relationships that He has brought into our lives.
Lastly, (at least for this update...I could go on telling stories forever but for your sake I have tried to narrow it down) I wanted to share with you a new prayer initiative I am starting. I got the basis for this idea from other church planters in our Sanctuary Network and tweaked it a bit to fit our context. I have shared with some of you about the idea this past week and so wanted to share it with the wider group and invite your participation. I have identified each street in our new neighbourhood and am trying to enlist prayer support from individuals, groups or churches for each street. It would mean a particular group taking ownership to pray on an ongoing and consistent basis for one street that runs through our neighbourhood. I imagine groups having fun looking at the street on Google street view, praying, and should the opportunity arise for a visit, then prayer walking on the street. I would commit to sending updates regarding anything that happens, or people that we meet on the street. Looking farther into the future, my prayer would be that our prayer supporters would pray until we have a home group established in that neighbourhood that could take ownership of it themselves. We would then invite our prayer supporters to partner with us as we shift to a new neighbourhood and repeat the process. That is the basic concept as it stands thus far. I know some of you have already expressed an interest in joining us in this initiative and if there is anyone else who is interested then I still have a handful of street names left. Just send me an e-mail to let me know.
I think that is it for now, and we thank you for your continued support.
Firstly, I have been offered an invitation to the annual Southern Baptist Convention to be held in Phoenix Arizona in June. This is in conjunction with a new focus of the North American Mission Board on church planting and I would be one of the Canadian representatives. Along with attending the conference I would be hosting a shift at the NAMB booth in the exhibit hall in order to meet people and to share about our new work. If you think you might be attending the convention then have a look for me at the exhibit boot, or better yet, send me an e-mail and we can see about connecting at some point over the week.
Secondly, we have begun to get the paper work together for an official offer on a new house in Hamilton. The paper work is being inspected by a lawyer as I write, to ensure there is nothing that we have missed. We really hope that we might be able to have it all signed by this week. We would ask for your continued prayer on that front. We are really getting excited about our new neighbourhood! I would also ask for your prayers regarding the relationships that we are beginning to form with our real-estate agent Julie, and with the couple who are renovating the house, Regan and Mark. They are all great people and we are interested in what God may do with these relationships that He has brought into our lives.
Lastly, (at least for this update...I could go on telling stories forever but for your sake I have tried to narrow it down) I wanted to share with you a new prayer initiative I am starting. I got the basis for this idea from other church planters in our Sanctuary Network and tweaked it a bit to fit our context. I have shared with some of you about the idea this past week and so wanted to share it with the wider group and invite your participation. I have identified each street in our new neighbourhood and am trying to enlist prayer support from individuals, groups or churches for each street. It would mean a particular group taking ownership to pray on an ongoing and consistent basis for one street that runs through our neighbourhood. I imagine groups having fun looking at the street on Google street view, praying, and should the opportunity arise for a visit, then prayer walking on the street. I would commit to sending updates regarding anything that happens, or people that we meet on the street. Looking farther into the future, my prayer would be that our prayer supporters would pray until we have a home group established in that neighbourhood that could take ownership of it themselves. We would then invite our prayer supporters to partner with us as we shift to a new neighbourhood and repeat the process. That is the basic concept as it stands thus far. I know some of you have already expressed an interest in joining us in this initiative and if there is anyone else who is interested then I still have a handful of street names left. Just send me an e-mail to let me know.
I think that is it for now, and we thank you for your continued support.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Big Brother
T.J had Strep Throat last week and so has been on anitibiotics. On Saturday she developed a really bad rash that we now know was an allergic reaction the the amoxycilan. The rash spread across her face and after seeing herself in the mirror and with tears in her eyes declared "I am ugly." But her big brother was there to comfort her. It sounded a bit like this:
T.J. : "I am ugly."
Liam : You're not ugly. It doesn't look that bad. Remember when Daniel had Poison Ivy on his face? Now that was ugly!"
T.J. : "I am ugly."
Liam : You're not ugly. It doesn't look that bad. Remember when Daniel had Poison Ivy on his face? Now that was ugly!"
Friday, March 25, 2011
Free Art Friday 25/03/11 Northern Lights
As I mentioned last week, the words I shared come from a song entitled Northern Lights. Here is a quick recording of the song. If you have heard it performed live with Before the Flood you will notice that it is a lot more stripped back here. This is a live, acoustic recording done in one take in my basement in between toilet flushes and dog barks!
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Update Tuesday 22/03/11 - Looking Back as We Look Forward
We are quickly approaching the 11th anniversary of the date on which my wife first ventured out alone one Sunday morning to check out a new church that was starting in our community called the Sanctuary. It wasn't long after that morning, that our family was worshiping with this new group. As I look back on our time in Oakville, I recognize how God has worked in our lives and just how formative those years were for me and my family. We really look back to the community we shared with our Home Church (small group) and see how influential that was in the development of our current thinking about our new work in Hamilton. It is also where we were first introduced to church planting, something that would see us go to Milton where we have been serving for the past six years. It is that same thing that sees us preparing now, to head for the Hammer. Although I don't look back with revisionist rose coloured glasses - our time in the Sanctuary network has had some very challenging times as well - we cannot deny just how influential and formative those years in Oakville have been, and continue to be.
This past Sunday, at the invitation of Peter Roebbelen and the Oakville staff, we had the opportunity to visit, to bring the message, and to share what God has been doing in our lives. It was a great opportunity to share about where we have come from, and where we are heading. Being the first "grandchild" work in the Sanctuary network it was amazing to be able to go back to where it all started to share about this next step and next generation.
After six years, it was fun to go back and see some familiar sights. We were able to share that not only did my wife and I worship for a number of years in their White Oaks Secondary School location, but that we actually went to High School there. I was able to take my kids down the halls and show them pictures of their uncle and their mom (thankfully my graduating year poster was missing!). It really was a retro throw-back morning for us.
It was also a great opportunity to visit with some familiar faces. I was reminded of some of the old stories that I remember from my days in Oakville. Brad (an executive pastor in the Sanctuary Network and Toronto Church Planting) and I reminisced about our first Home Church together, and that out of the original families, three have gone on to some sort of ministry while a number of others have gone on to serve significant roles in their churches in a lay capacity. Some are still with the Sanctuary network, some have since moved across country or farther, and to be perfectly honest, some have felt the need to move on from the Sanctuary network for other reasons, but it is hard to deny just how significant a time that was in many of our lives.
It was also great to see our friend Peter Homsey, the drummer in the worship team that morning. Not only did we get to laugh about the Phil Collins drum fill that he managed to work into worship that morning, but I was reminded about the first time I had ever heard about him. It was actually his ex-wife who was a part of my first Home Church, who shared with me about her ex-husband being a great drummer but that he would never be caught playing in a church. It was only a short time later that he walked through the doors of the Sanctuary with their son. It was his weekend for visitation, and his son wanted to go to church. Peter brought his son to church, maybe to make sure this wasn't a cult his ex-wife had gotten their son into, and he has been with the Sanctuary ever since. It was not too long after that, when I had the opportunity to lead the band for a while, and seeing as I was the drummer at the time, I needed a drummer when I stepped out to lead. Peter is still the go to drummer today!
Sunday morning was also a great time to meet and share with many new faces. We pray that our time of sharing was helpful for those who are newer to the church to get a taste and a sense of why church planting is such an important part of it's DNA. We hope that we might be an example of the importance of doing what they do as a church. We pray that they might recognize the significance of the time, energy and resources that they continue to invest for the sake of seeing the Kingdom expand through church planting. I truly appreciated the opportunity to share.
On another note, our house sold! The offer went firm on Friday night and we are so thankful.
We continue to ask for your prayers for a house in Hamilton. We think we have found the house, and are currently working on the details to make an offer. There are just a few administrative details that we need to address and have covered with regards to putting together an offer on a house, in which the renovations are not actually completed yet. We don't really expect any major problems, but are working to figure things out. We are praying that those details will be figured out this week.
We are really getting excited about our transition to Hamilton and we thank you for your continued support and prayer.
This past Sunday, at the invitation of Peter Roebbelen and the Oakville staff, we had the opportunity to visit, to bring the message, and to share what God has been doing in our lives. It was a great opportunity to share about where we have come from, and where we are heading. Being the first "grandchild" work in the Sanctuary network it was amazing to be able to go back to where it all started to share about this next step and next generation.
After six years, it was fun to go back and see some familiar sights. We were able to share that not only did my wife and I worship for a number of years in their White Oaks Secondary School location, but that we actually went to High School there. I was able to take my kids down the halls and show them pictures of their uncle and their mom (thankfully my graduating year poster was missing!). It really was a retro throw-back morning for us.
It was also a great opportunity to visit with some familiar faces. I was reminded of some of the old stories that I remember from my days in Oakville. Brad (an executive pastor in the Sanctuary Network and Toronto Church Planting) and I reminisced about our first Home Church together, and that out of the original families, three have gone on to some sort of ministry while a number of others have gone on to serve significant roles in their churches in a lay capacity. Some are still with the Sanctuary network, some have since moved across country or farther, and to be perfectly honest, some have felt the need to move on from the Sanctuary network for other reasons, but it is hard to deny just how significant a time that was in many of our lives.
It was also great to see our friend Peter Homsey, the drummer in the worship team that morning. Not only did we get to laugh about the Phil Collins drum fill that he managed to work into worship that morning, but I was reminded about the first time I had ever heard about him. It was actually his ex-wife who was a part of my first Home Church, who shared with me about her ex-husband being a great drummer but that he would never be caught playing in a church. It was only a short time later that he walked through the doors of the Sanctuary with their son. It was his weekend for visitation, and his son wanted to go to church. Peter brought his son to church, maybe to make sure this wasn't a cult his ex-wife had gotten their son into, and he has been with the Sanctuary ever since. It was not too long after that, when I had the opportunity to lead the band for a while, and seeing as I was the drummer at the time, I needed a drummer when I stepped out to lead. Peter is still the go to drummer today!
Sunday morning was also a great time to meet and share with many new faces. We pray that our time of sharing was helpful for those who are newer to the church to get a taste and a sense of why church planting is such an important part of it's DNA. We hope that we might be an example of the importance of doing what they do as a church. We pray that they might recognize the significance of the time, energy and resources that they continue to invest for the sake of seeing the Kingdom expand through church planting. I truly appreciated the opportunity to share.
On another note, our house sold! The offer went firm on Friday night and we are so thankful.
We continue to ask for your prayers for a house in Hamilton. We think we have found the house, and are currently working on the details to make an offer. There are just a few administrative details that we need to address and have covered with regards to putting together an offer on a house, in which the renovations are not actually completed yet. We don't really expect any major problems, but are working to figure things out. We are praying that those details will be figured out this week.
We are really getting excited about our transition to Hamilton and we thank you for your continued support and prayer.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Free Art Friday 18/03/11
Here are the lyrics to a song that I wrote last year. It started as a challenge from a friend to try to work the term Aurora Borealis into a song. We have been playing it a bit in a band that I play with called Before the Flood, but I also do it acoustically a lot. I will try to get some version of it recorded in the near future.
I want to see the Northern Lights,
Aurora Borealis,
Like an overflowing challis spilling colour 'cross the sky,
I want to see the Northern Lights.
I want to see the Northern Lights,
I want to see the cosmic dance,
Out across the great expanse flowing gowns of colour dance,
I want to see the Northern Lights.
Sometimes suburban life,
Feels like it's crowding me,
Houses people cars and strife,
I find it hard to breathe,
I just want to get away,
Leave the chaos for the breeze,
I want to see the Northern Lights.
I want to see the Northern Lights,
Aurora Borealis,
Like an overflowing challis spilling colour 'cross the sky,
I want to see the Northern Lights.
I want to see the Northern Lights,
I want to see the cosmic dance,
Out across the great expanse flowing gowns of colour dance,
I want to see the Northern Lights.
Sometimes suburban life,
Feels like it's crowding me,
Houses people cars and strife,
I find it hard to breathe,
I just want to get away,
Leave the chaos for the breeze,
I want to see the Northern Lights.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Happy St. Patrick's Day (she almost killed him!)
Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone! As many of you may remember, my girls do Irish Dancing through a school in Oakville that is run by my wife's cousin. For the past two years we have spent this day travelling around to seniors residences, and even some pubs, where the girls perform. Our friend Mike and I provide some live fiddle music and we all make a day of it. This year we are actually at home today, as Kim's cousin had the opportunity to vacation in Hawaii over the March break, and who can blame her, she jumped at the chance. Not wanting to miss the occasion all together, we actually spent a Saturday going around to the seniors residences to mark the occasion early. I have been waiting patiently until today in order to share this story.
One thing that I neglected to mention earlier, is that Kim's cousin often tries to get Kim to sing at various concerts and performances given by the dance school. Kim almost always, reluctant as she may be, agrees. This St. Patrick's Day show was no different. Kim, Mike and I agreed on Danny Boy (the old folks love it!) and whipped together an arrangement. Well, our first show of the morning went fine. The girls danced well, Kim sang fine and the residents thoroughly enjoyed it. It was our second show when things got interesting.
Everything started off as usual. We arrived and the girls went to a side room to get ready as Mike and I went to the performance space and set up. We got through the first half of the show without any glitches. Mike and I played some intro music, the girls came out to perform some dances, the youngest dancers melted hearts and got all kinds of "how cute" comments etc. Next it was Kim's turn to sing. Just as she had guessed, the residents absolutely love Danny Boy. Kim invited them to sing along, and sing along they did, in various keys and interpretations of the melody. But that is not even the heart of the story. Kim did a magnificent job of staying in key through the whole first verse, took a breather for Mike's great fiddle solo, managed to find the key again amidst the seniors voices, and joined back in seamlessly. She got to the high note toward the end of the verse when her accompanist slowed things right down and even dropped out to highlight the note, which she hit brilliantly. Of course that accompanist was me, and I did it as much as a practical joke on her than a musical arrangement decision. None the less, it worked out great and sounded amazing, and if I were to pick a point when I thought that IT happened, that would have been the moment. That brilliant musical moment, in that heart-wrenching old Irish ballade, when Kim's voice soared like a songbird in spring. That must have been the moment...the moment that she almost killed him.
Right after Kim's song, there was a bit of a disturbance. They had to usher the girls back to the ready room while there was a short intermission in the show. The nurses from the residence calmly but quickly came into the performance space to attend to one of the residents. They brought in a wheel chair to escort him out and care for him. He survived, and they informed us and the girls that he had just fallen asleep...that is what they told us anyway. Whatever actually happened, he lived on and as far as we know is doing fine. But I don't think I will ever forget, or let Kim live down, the performance where she broke that man's heart and very nearly killed him.
One thing that I neglected to mention earlier, is that Kim's cousin often tries to get Kim to sing at various concerts and performances given by the dance school. Kim almost always, reluctant as she may be, agrees. This St. Patrick's Day show was no different. Kim, Mike and I agreed on Danny Boy (the old folks love it!) and whipped together an arrangement. Well, our first show of the morning went fine. The girls danced well, Kim sang fine and the residents thoroughly enjoyed it. It was our second show when things got interesting.
Everything started off as usual. We arrived and the girls went to a side room to get ready as Mike and I went to the performance space and set up. We got through the first half of the show without any glitches. Mike and I played some intro music, the girls came out to perform some dances, the youngest dancers melted hearts and got all kinds of "how cute" comments etc. Next it was Kim's turn to sing. Just as she had guessed, the residents absolutely love Danny Boy. Kim invited them to sing along, and sing along they did, in various keys and interpretations of the melody. But that is not even the heart of the story. Kim did a magnificent job of staying in key through the whole first verse, took a breather for Mike's great fiddle solo, managed to find the key again amidst the seniors voices, and joined back in seamlessly. She got to the high note toward the end of the verse when her accompanist slowed things right down and even dropped out to highlight the note, which she hit brilliantly. Of course that accompanist was me, and I did it as much as a practical joke on her than a musical arrangement decision. None the less, it worked out great and sounded amazing, and if I were to pick a point when I thought that IT happened, that would have been the moment. That brilliant musical moment, in that heart-wrenching old Irish ballade, when Kim's voice soared like a songbird in spring. That must have been the moment...the moment that she almost killed him.
Right after Kim's song, there was a bit of a disturbance. They had to usher the girls back to the ready room while there was a short intermission in the show. The nurses from the residence calmly but quickly came into the performance space to attend to one of the residents. They brought in a wheel chair to escort him out and care for him. He survived, and they informed us and the girls that he had just fallen asleep...that is what they told us anyway. Whatever actually happened, he lived on and as far as we know is doing fine. But I don't think I will ever forget, or let Kim live down, the performance where she broke that man's heart and very nearly killed him.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Update Tuesday 15/03/11
Well, it was a bit of a whirlwind week as we made the final push to get our house on the market. All the details of the listing were done by Thursday, and Thursday night we had our first showing. The next morning our real estate agent called to let us know that we had our first offer, and after one sign back, we had a conditional sale of our house at full asking price! God continues to show us that he is in fact real and at work. Thank you for all those who continue to pray.
I would ask for continued prayer as we now focus on finding a house in our new neighbourhood in Hamilton. We are actually in some initial negotiations right now for a house that would really serve our needs, both for family and ministry. There is a bit of a God story with this one as well. Kim and I went to our first open houses back in the fall in order to get a sense of the neighbourhood and the kind of houses we might be looking at in the spring. We knew we were not looking to buy, and were quite up front about that when visiting the houses. In the very first house we visited, we met the real estate agent that we are currently using. I have mentioned before, that when we expressed that we were not looking to buy at that time, this real estate agent actually spent more time with us chatting about the neighbourhood, what we did, what we were going to do, our family etc. We hung out in the kitchen for a while and just chatted. Nor did she ever try a hard sell for her services when we were ready to look, which was a refreshing difference from the rest of our afternoon. One thing I may not have mentioned earlier is that we also met some friends of hers, a contractor and his wife, who also spent time chatting about the neighbourhood and the city. They were very nice and were really helpful in giving us things to look for when looking at older homes within the city. Well, here we are a number of months later, and that very couple is actually nearing completion of a renovation that they have been involved in for the last number of months. Our real estate agent asked if we wanted to get into the house early and have a look. They are doing amazing work! We knew that the house could really be a good match for us but, in all honesty, based on the renovations they were doing, and based on all the other houses we have been seeing, we thought that there is a good chance that it would be out of our price range. We decided to check with our real estate agent and ask her if they would be willing to negotiate even before it hits the market. We were really honest about our budget and explained that we were not trying to low ball but that we loved the house and that our budget is what it is. We also then threw it out there, that to really work for us, and to have the option of a rental space, would they consider finishing the basement! They didn't laugh us off, and we are actually in negotiations. We are crunching numbers and working with our bank and they are crunching numbers about a realistic price for them to finish the basement. We would ask that you would continue to pray that God would stir in their hearts, that we might find favour in their sight and that we could come to an agreement that is mutually agreeable and fair to all involved. We would also ask you to pray about the possible relationships that might emerge as God seems to have brought these individuals into our life.
This Sunday we have the opportunity to visit the Sanctuary in Oakville, where we lived and served for a number of years before coming up to Milton. I will be sharing the message as well as our story and what God has been stirring in our hearts. We are really excited about the opportunity to head back to where this journey really started for us.
I would ask for continued prayer as we now focus on finding a house in our new neighbourhood in Hamilton. We are actually in some initial negotiations right now for a house that would really serve our needs, both for family and ministry. There is a bit of a God story with this one as well. Kim and I went to our first open houses back in the fall in order to get a sense of the neighbourhood and the kind of houses we might be looking at in the spring. We knew we were not looking to buy, and were quite up front about that when visiting the houses. In the very first house we visited, we met the real estate agent that we are currently using. I have mentioned before, that when we expressed that we were not looking to buy at that time, this real estate agent actually spent more time with us chatting about the neighbourhood, what we did, what we were going to do, our family etc. We hung out in the kitchen for a while and just chatted. Nor did she ever try a hard sell for her services when we were ready to look, which was a refreshing difference from the rest of our afternoon. One thing I may not have mentioned earlier is that we also met some friends of hers, a contractor and his wife, who also spent time chatting about the neighbourhood and the city. They were very nice and were really helpful in giving us things to look for when looking at older homes within the city. Well, here we are a number of months later, and that very couple is actually nearing completion of a renovation that they have been involved in for the last number of months. Our real estate agent asked if we wanted to get into the house early and have a look. They are doing amazing work! We knew that the house could really be a good match for us but, in all honesty, based on the renovations they were doing, and based on all the other houses we have been seeing, we thought that there is a good chance that it would be out of our price range. We decided to check with our real estate agent and ask her if they would be willing to negotiate even before it hits the market. We were really honest about our budget and explained that we were not trying to low ball but that we loved the house and that our budget is what it is. We also then threw it out there, that to really work for us, and to have the option of a rental space, would they consider finishing the basement! They didn't laugh us off, and we are actually in negotiations. We are crunching numbers and working with our bank and they are crunching numbers about a realistic price for them to finish the basement. We would ask that you would continue to pray that God would stir in their hearts, that we might find favour in their sight and that we could come to an agreement that is mutually agreeable and fair to all involved. We would also ask you to pray about the possible relationships that might emerge as God seems to have brought these individuals into our life.
This Sunday we have the opportunity to visit the Sanctuary in Oakville, where we lived and served for a number of years before coming up to Milton. I will be sharing the message as well as our story and what God has been stirring in our hearts. We are really excited about the opportunity to head back to where this journey really started for us.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Perspective
Last week was a pretty tiring week, as we finally got all the last touches done on our house. We got all the final listing details done in time to have it officially hit the market on Thursday. Following the listing things proceeded to get a bit crazy. This is about how things went:
T.J. has an audition for which we get ready to head into Toronto.
Caroline has a bible quizzing practice at a friends, so Kim gets her in the car to head out before getting the car back for me to take T.J. downtown.
Kim also plans on stopping for a few last supplies as we are hosting our band for our weekly dinner.
The car makes a horrible grinding sound as Kim tries to leave the driveway.
We immediately call our mechanic who advises us not to drive it.
I call my parents to see if they can drive their second car up to Milton so we could borrow it for a few days.
I call a tow truck and book a towing and they estimate a 2 hour wait.
I know I have to leave with T.J. before then, so tell them that my wife will the driver.
They inform me that my name is on the CAA card and so I must meet the driver.
I cancel the towing in order to wait until I get home later.
I cancel band practice for the night.
My parents arrive to drop off the vehicle.
I get T.J. ready to leave.
My parents leave.
The tow truck (that I had cancelled) arrives.
I have to organize with the driver.
He informs me that it will cost $3 a km, since my mechanic is outside the free tow radius.
I have to scramble to find cash and the address to the mechanic.
I rush out of the house with T.J. to the audition.
I rush home with T.J. following the audition in order to pick up the family and vacate the home for our first showing.
The next morning is a bit hectic as well:
The dogs have a groomer appointment in Oakville at 8:30am.
We have to vacate the house for showings.
We get all the kids up and into the car, with all their school books in order to drop off the dogs and then take the kids to their grandparents for the day.
Kim and I book an appointment with our real estate agent in Hamilton to start looking at houses.
We drop the kids off and begin to head for Hamilton.
We get a call from our Milton agent that we have an offer that he needs to present to us.
We get a call from the mechanic that our car is ready to pick up.
We view the houses in Hamilton and rush back to pick up our car.
We pick up the kids in order to make it back for our appointment in Milton.
We find out that Caroline has a birthday party with a close friend that she forgot to tell us about.
Kim quickly picks up a gift and drops off Caroline on the way home with our car.
I get the dogs from the groomer and head home in my parents car.
We make it in time for our appointment.
Things slow down a bit from there.
It seems a really crazy, head spinning time until we turn on the T.V. and see some of the footage from Japan and it kind of put things into perspective.
At the end of the day all that really happened was that 1) we thought our car broke down but really it was only a very weird, fluky thing where a lot of dirt and grime made it into the brakes and it was only a small cleaning for which we had to pay, and 2) we sold our house for full price in one day. Those are things to be grateful for.
T.J. has an audition for which we get ready to head into Toronto.
Caroline has a bible quizzing practice at a friends, so Kim gets her in the car to head out before getting the car back for me to take T.J. downtown.
Kim also plans on stopping for a few last supplies as we are hosting our band for our weekly dinner.
The car makes a horrible grinding sound as Kim tries to leave the driveway.
We immediately call our mechanic who advises us not to drive it.
I call my parents to see if they can drive their second car up to Milton so we could borrow it for a few days.
I call a tow truck and book a towing and they estimate a 2 hour wait.
I know I have to leave with T.J. before then, so tell them that my wife will the driver.
They inform me that my name is on the CAA card and so I must meet the driver.
I cancel the towing in order to wait until I get home later.
I cancel band practice for the night.
My parents arrive to drop off the vehicle.
I get T.J. ready to leave.
My parents leave.
The tow truck (that I had cancelled) arrives.
I have to organize with the driver.
He informs me that it will cost $3 a km, since my mechanic is outside the free tow radius.
I have to scramble to find cash and the address to the mechanic.
I rush out of the house with T.J. to the audition.
I rush home with T.J. following the audition in order to pick up the family and vacate the home for our first showing.
The next morning is a bit hectic as well:
The dogs have a groomer appointment in Oakville at 8:30am.
We have to vacate the house for showings.
We get all the kids up and into the car, with all their school books in order to drop off the dogs and then take the kids to their grandparents for the day.
Kim and I book an appointment with our real estate agent in Hamilton to start looking at houses.
We drop the kids off and begin to head for Hamilton.
We get a call from our Milton agent that we have an offer that he needs to present to us.
We get a call from the mechanic that our car is ready to pick up.
We view the houses in Hamilton and rush back to pick up our car.
We pick up the kids in order to make it back for our appointment in Milton.
We find out that Caroline has a birthday party with a close friend that she forgot to tell us about.
Kim quickly picks up a gift and drops off Caroline on the way home with our car.
I get the dogs from the groomer and head home in my parents car.
We make it in time for our appointment.
Things slow down a bit from there.
It seems a really crazy, head spinning time until we turn on the T.V. and see some of the footage from Japan and it kind of put things into perspective.
At the end of the day all that really happened was that 1) we thought our car broke down but really it was only a very weird, fluky thing where a lot of dirt and grime made it into the brakes and it was only a small cleaning for which we had to pay, and 2) we sold our house for full price in one day. Those are things to be grateful for.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Update Tuesday 08/03/11
I have been a bit delinquent in posting but we have been in the final push to get our house on the market. I have been mostly off grid and in serious cleaning mode. Well, we just signed all the papers today and it should be up on the market tomorrow!
I hope to have a bit fuller, and more interesting update next week...but for now...one last touch up!
I hope to have a bit fuller, and more interesting update next week...but for now...one last touch up!
Friday, March 4, 2011
Free Art Friday 04/03/11
Mot people like pictures of people, and when on a trip, take lots of pictures of the people they are with and things that they are doing etc. I tend to like pictures of things and so here are some of the shots from our trip a few weeks ago that probably wont end up in anyone else's photo albums. Most of them are not of people.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Update Tuesday 01/03/11
This past weekend we had an amazing time visiting with our good friends Brain and Heather and their daughter Liberty. We headed up to Kincardine, a few hours north west of Milton, on Saturday where we shared a meal and experimented with a youth version of "Minute to Win It "that they are hoping to play with their youth group next week. I can only say that I am glad that it was my camera that came out and that I will be controlling when and how the pictures get used. You will notice that none of them appear here on my blog.
Sunday morning we got to attend the church where Brian has just recently begun to serve as pastor. They invited us to share a bit of music and for me to bring the message and share a bit about our new work. It was a great opportunity to practice sharing just what it is that God has been speaking to us over the last few years and how that has now translated into our plans to begin something new in Hamilton. I appreciate all the opportunities and practice I can get as it is not as easy as one might think to take two years of God's teaching, moulding and leading and then try to communicate that succinctly and coherently with someone you have just met! It is especially difficult when those two years always bring to mind stories and examples of how God has really been orchestrating things for the last ten years or more.
As well as the opportunity to share, the visit gave us a chance to meet the people that Brian and Heather now serve, to see the building in which they worship, to spend some time worshiping God together and to share in fellowship after wards. It really was a great opportunity all around, and we had an amazing time.
Now that we are back in Milton, we are back to painting and getting the house ready. We have secured a storage unit and are moving stuff to there, trying to make the house look a bit less cluttered. Our goal is to have the house ready for the market for next week, but to be honest, there is still a lot of work to be done. As we look around it is hard not to be a bit overwhelmed.
We will also be visiting MacKids, in Hamilton today, for Liam's annual check up. We had a bit of a scare last week when they contacted us to move Liam's appointment up as they had found something on his latest MRI. Since that time they think that they have figured out what the mark was, a mark made by the forceps from his surgery and not new growth, but we will find out more today and what the next steps will be. We are praying that it is indeed nothing to worry about and that nothing will change.
Prayer Requests:
- Please pray for Liam and our appointment.
- Please pray for the last stages of getting our house ready.
- Please pray for a quick and reasonable sale of our house.
- Please continue to pray for a house in Hamilton.
Sunday morning we got to attend the church where Brian has just recently begun to serve as pastor. They invited us to share a bit of music and for me to bring the message and share a bit about our new work. It was a great opportunity to practice sharing just what it is that God has been speaking to us over the last few years and how that has now translated into our plans to begin something new in Hamilton. I appreciate all the opportunities and practice I can get as it is not as easy as one might think to take two years of God's teaching, moulding and leading and then try to communicate that succinctly and coherently with someone you have just met! It is especially difficult when those two years always bring to mind stories and examples of how God has really been orchestrating things for the last ten years or more.
As well as the opportunity to share, the visit gave us a chance to meet the people that Brian and Heather now serve, to see the building in which they worship, to spend some time worshiping God together and to share in fellowship after wards. It really was a great opportunity all around, and we had an amazing time.
Now that we are back in Milton, we are back to painting and getting the house ready. We have secured a storage unit and are moving stuff to there, trying to make the house look a bit less cluttered. Our goal is to have the house ready for the market for next week, but to be honest, there is still a lot of work to be done. As we look around it is hard not to be a bit overwhelmed.
We will also be visiting MacKids, in Hamilton today, for Liam's annual check up. We had a bit of a scare last week when they contacted us to move Liam's appointment up as they had found something on his latest MRI. Since that time they think that they have figured out what the mark was, a mark made by the forceps from his surgery and not new growth, but we will find out more today and what the next steps will be. We are praying that it is indeed nothing to worry about and that nothing will change.
Prayer Requests:
- Please pray for Liam and our appointment.
- Please pray for the last stages of getting our house ready.
- Please pray for a quick and reasonable sale of our house.
- Please continue to pray for a house in Hamilton.
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