Book Review - Primal by Mark Batterson

"This is the first book you should read in 2010." Yes, that is the publishers asked reviewers to say... and it is true!

Pastor Mark Batterson of National Community Church in Washington, DC has written another superb book, that I simply cannot recommend highly enough. The intent of the book is to help Christians live out the Great Commandment - love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. In short, he argues that believers must demonstrate compassion (heart), wonder (soul), curiosity (mind), and energy (strength).

Primal is both impossible to put down and impossible to not put down. The reader cannot get enough of this well-written and provocative challenge that gives practical ways to live out the Great Commandment. You just want to keep reading for the next golden nugget of truth explained so plainly. Yet one needs to stop and pause (after almost each page) to reflect on the convicting words of the author. Batterson's mind and pen (or laptop!) have clearly been led by the Spirit to penetrate the hearts and minds of readers as he explains the biblical principles of living out Primal Christianity.
I highly recommend this book as a great challenge to the heart, soul, mind and strength of each believer wanting to make 2010 a year that counts for Christ and His Kingdom.
This was book was provided for review by WaterBrook Multnomah.

Russell Hantz deserved to win Survivor Samoa

I really believe that Russell Hantz deserved to win Survivor Samoa on Sunday night, not Natalie. While the fact that America agreed that Russell H was the "best player," I am also feeling slightly embarrassed and concerned that I am so disappointed that Natalie won and Russell H did not. Do I really think that his abrasive and obnoxious persona, arrogance, and constant lies and betrayals are commendable?

Allow me to explain. First, Russell said at the beginning that he was going to play the game, and that the way he played Survivor was going to be totally different from how he lived. He admitted he was going to lie, cheat, and annoy people and play the most strategic game possible. He did not say he was going to play a moral game or that this was the way to live.

Secondly, he did stuff on Survivor Samoa that has not done in the past 18 seasons: finding two immunity idols without clues, using the immunity idol the one time he needed to, but not playing it unnecessarily. He saw the intelligence of John to vote him off right after Laura, realizing he was an intelligent player and legitimate threat. He won a key immunity challenge at the end to make sure that Brett did not survive. While it took the other Foa Foa members cooperation, the fact that they went from down 8-4 to up 4-1 in members was simply remarkable and co-ordinated by the four staying strongly aligned.

Thirdly, Natalie did not play the game with a strategy. Perhaps after Foa Foa was down to four people and started to knock off the Galu members, she then adopted a "strategy." However, from what viewers saw, she never had a "stay low and let Russell take the bullets" strategy until the final few episodes. Even Mick would have been a more deserving winner, I think. He at least won a few immunity challenges and early on said that the "let Russell take the bullets" strategy would be shrewd. When Brett won the immunity that eventually led to Jaison being voted off, it would have seemed obvious that the time was perfect to try to team up with Jaison and Mick to blindside Russell (even though he had the immunity idol, he didn't plan to play it). Yet these three guys never even talked about "now's our chance."

So, no, I am not embarassed to say that Russell was the best player and should have won Survivor Samoa. Lying, cheating, betraying people is not the way to live and these actions are simply wrong. If this was the way he lived outside the game, I would be concerned, yet I don't believe it is. Nonetheless, part of almost any "game" (eg. sports, board games, reality tv) is the element of making your opponent believe you are going to do one thing and doing another (eg. a head fake in football, basketball, or hockey; a change-up pitch in baseball or stealing a base). I'm looking forward to seeing season 20 of Survivor: Heroes vs Villains begin on February 11 and hope that Russell will be one of the cast members.

A few pics of Rachel

We brought our precious Rachel Lynne, home from the hospital today. Here's a few pics taken since Monday.

In case you were wondering about her name: Rachel is the Hebrew word for "lamb" and a name we liked. We trust that this precious little girl will grow up to trust in the Lamb of God personally and love and serve Him, as well as lead others to know the Lamb. Lynne is a fourth generation name in the Hunt family, Sarah's middle name, as well as grandpa Marlowe's middle name (without the "e") and Sarah's grandpa Hunt's first name (also without the "e'). We trust that Rachel Lynne will grow up to a beautiful woman like her mother, a woman of humble/quiet character and spiritual depth and beauty.

Rachel Lynne has arrived

We are praising the Lord for the safe arrival of a healthy baby girl, Rachel Lynne Ibbotson on Monday December 14 at 4:16 pm weighing in at 8 lbs 1 oz. Pictures will be forthcoming both here and on Facebook. Sarah and Rachel are doing well. Steve is fine too. Caleb is being spoiled by his grandmothers!

Ted "Teeder" Kennedy's hero

Just found this great article, In Memoriam, by Ted "Teeder" Kennedy's son, Mark, at the Christian School Journal blog.

Book Review - More than a Match

You would think the son of Dr Gary Smalley, long-time marriage and family counselor, would have a better chance than most of having a great dating and marriage relationship. As Michael Smalley and his wife, Amy, share... it did not turn out that way. Their book, More than a Match discusses how there is more to marital compatibility than just filling out the 436 questions to arrive at your 29 areas of compatibility on eharmony.com

The Smalley's do a good job of sharing their personal journey and in the process, explaining a number of key discussions a dating or engaged couple needs to have as they prepare for a marriage. As they discuss their relationship, it was slightly frustrating, even disappointing, to read some of their story. In my estimation, some of the issues that brought significant struggles into their marriage relationship were concerns that even the most novice pre-marital counselor/advisor would have waved red flags about very early on. Of course, since Amy ended a previous engagement in May and she and Michael were married by December of the same year, you can guess that there was not much time to throw red flags up on these issues... and of course the timing/rush is one of the significant issues.

The principles they discuss are important, though I found myself thinking "duh" a lot of the time. Unfortunately, their romance story had so many problematic features that its difficult to feel much sympathy for the struggles they faced initially in marriage... though again, they do share honestly and provide wise solutions to these struggles.

There are many good books for dating/engaged couples to read as they prepare for marriage. This could be a useful book for a couple to read in preparation for or alongside pre-marital counseling.

This book was provided for review by WaterBrook Multnomah press.

Stephen Harper visits China - An example of good leadership

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper's visit to China over the past few days has drawn lots of media coverage due to the Chinese government's "reaction" to his absence until now. Nonetheless, from my perspective, Harper has done our country proud by standing firm on the major human rights issues that exist in China, especially in regards to people of faith. He has even risked "financial benefits" for our country for doing so... and now will be reaping the rewards.
In addition to a leader standing up for an important issue even at the risk of financial loss, Harper has also been wise in being culturally sensitive and not in any way attempting to talk about specific issues in public contexts (eg. press conferences) and bring shame upon the Chinese leaders. This would be catastrophically detrimental to the Canada-China relations as well as to the hope of bringing resolution to the issue. Thanks Stephen Harper for being an example of good leadership!

Book Review - God's Love series

I was more than happy to receive two books in the "God's Gave..." series by Lisa Tawn Bergen as our toddler son is beginning to enjoy books. Unfortunately, these books are for a little older child, I would suggest between 5-8 years old, rather than for children not yet school age.
In terms of content, the books are a nice way of introducing the concept of God as the Giver of all things. In God Gave Us Love the idea that there are different types of love and yet they all come as a reflection of God's love for us is clear. As well, in God Gave Us Christmas the foundational meaning of Christmas is explained. The "family" in the story are a traditional, mother & father bear, grandpa bear, and cub with brothers and sisters. The simply yet clear message of each book is in line with Scripture and represents good theology.

The illustrations and artwork seem nice, though I would not pretend to be any sort of accurate assessor of the quality of this area.
From looking at these two books, I would guess the whole series is solid and a decent purchase for young families.
This book was provided for review by WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing House.

Buy the book at Amazon.ca

Finally some more pictures

In the newsletter I promised some pics. Now they are finally here!

The pictures of Caleb reading with each of his grandpas are some of our favorites!

Book Review: 99 Promises for Tough Times

I confess that when I agreed to review two books for "The Value Gifts" book tour, I was hoping one of the books in the "99" series would be 99 Ways to Stretch Your Home Budget or 99 Ways to Entertain Your Family for Free since I don't consider myself a financially creative fellow... though my brothers and sisters could describe many creative ways in which I "saved" money in the past "creatively." Alas, I received the book 99 Bible Promises for Tough Times by Randy Petersen. I would consider myself fairly aware on this topic having taught various Bible courses at the college level for ten years as well as having taught portions of the Bible in other contexts.


The book is nicely broken up into seven sections dealing with various types of tough times. A "devotional thought" from the specific Scripture passage is given. Although not overly deep, the author does a good job of connecting the Scripture passage to the Biblical promise and does so in a way that is neither "proof-texting" or weak theology. Graphically, the book is nicely laid out also. Nothing spectacular about the book, but solid in content.


This book was provided for review by WaterBrook Multnomah publishers.

November Newsletter

Sorry it has taken so long to get the latest family update posted... I updated my facebook status yesterday saying, "I'm really tired and yet thanking God for so many blessings: Sarah, Caleb and baby#2, the continuing ministries of the Prairie Tabernacle congregation and Prairie Christian Academy." I had a number of congratulatory replies... and thus I was reminded that I've been negligent to communicate regularly with my friends and family. So... finally... here it is...

In case you had not heard, baby#2 is due December 20. Sarah's pregnancy has gone quite smoothly. Caleb is now 20 months old and is a growing boy, happy (most of the time!), and enjoys playing with cars, trucks, tractors, and watching movies about those things... or about Winnie-the-Pooh or VeggieTales. He's developing new words each week. We're not sure what he thinks about baby coming, though he does like to give kisses to baby (Sarah's belly) after we read our devotion book and say our prayers each night.

After a restful summer, school resumed for Steve at Prairie Christian Academy (PCA) at the end of August. Although student enrollment was down a bit this year, these are exciting times at PCA as we anticipate a new school being built, with construction possibly beginning in Spring 2010. Meanwhile, the day-to-day events of a regular school year continue. Steve has responsibility for co-ordinating both the elementary (K-6) and secondary (G7-12) chapels. It is a real joy to see the students respond to the message of a particular chapel or to hear how God is at work in another part of His world through a chapel speaker. In addition, Steve tries to connect with the various local churches through the Three Hills Ministerial, advise individual students, and oversee the two cross-cultural teams who will be going out from PCA soon: one to Bogota, Colombia in February and one to Greece in April.

While Steve's "at the office," Sarah keeps very busy with Caleb, as well a full-time mom. Sarah continues to participate in the Mom's Time Out group with our church, though this fall, she has switched to the Tuesday group (and not because her mother-in-law is the facilitator of that group!) In fact, the real reason is so that Caleb can experience the child care provided by... Grandma Dorothy! Sarah has stayed a bit connected with the Wednesday morning MTO group by helping with childcare for that group... and thus Caleb gets to enjoy the nursery Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday! We continue to be blessed by our local church, the Prairie Tabernacle, and host/lead a small group with four other couples who also all have children 3 years old and younger. Steve continues to serve on the elders board, as well as serving on the local Three Hills Area Food Bank board and the Three Hills Thrashers Jr B Hockey team board.

We are so blessed to have our immediate families in Three Hills, grandparents as well as cousins and uncles/aunts.

Hope to hear from many of you before Christmas, though all I will promise is that after baby arrives, we will post updated photos on the blog. May His Joy be yours today and throughout the new year.

Steve (for Sarah, Caleb and ?)

Preventing your leadership from being "DeRailed"

As a Thomas-Nelson book review blogger, I checked in to Michael Hyatt's blog and found info on a new book by Tim Irwin titled DeRailed. Although I did not qualify for a free copy of the book, after reading Hyatt's summary it looks like an interesting read. Even more interesting was the link to an online self-assessment tool which was easily completed (user-friendly and takes 5 minutes as indicated).

Even more "interesting" that I should read just a few hours before seven of our nine Prairie Tabernacle Congregation elders plus two pastors head to Salem Acres for a 24-hour "elders retreat." Pray for us! Have a good weekend!

"How to make a bad mistake worse" brought to you by AHS

Not that the last week in Alberta didn't already give us a lesson on how to mismanage fear, but now Alberta Health Services has just given us a wonderful example of how to make a bad mistake worse.

First, the H1N1 vaccine roll-out in Alberta was poorly thought through. The plan was "if you want the shot, line up and get it." So that's what people did. The plan didn't consider "we need to get the at-risk people first. It didn't consider the seemingly obvious fact that at risk people - children, pregnant women, and people with underlying respiratory conditions - are probably not the best populations to have standing and waiting in lines for a couple hours (or more), especially outside in Alberta in late October.

Thus, the action plan for getting the shot to the people was poorly administered causing great frustration for all, and those who were most at risk were not given any preferential treatment to get the shot. However, my beloved Calgary Flames apparently did get "preferential treatment." I was privileged to watch the Flames versus Detroit on Saturday, Oct 31. To know now that they received the H1N1 shot on Friday makes sense... their arms must have been sore from the shot because their hockey shots on goal were pretty flimsy most of the night! (Okay and Detroit's defensive system really is quite good.)

But now, AHS decides to "fire the senior staff member who approved giving the Flames players and their families the flu shot." Perhaps it was an error in judgment and it does make AHS look bad to give a group of professional athletes the ability to "jump the line." But really... is this what made AHS look bad? Is this their key mistake/flaw?

There's plenty of other organizational, communication and administrative problems for AHS to deal with... firing the guy who arranged for the Flames and their families to get the shot is not the real issue. The guy made a mistake. He should have thought through the implications of how his decision made the Flames and AHS look. Ask him to apologize for his mistake and when Mr Duckett wants to cut health care administrator's bonuses, then here is one guy who doesn't get one next year. But to single out this administrator for termination amidst all the others who seem to be bumbling about?

Book Review - Living with Confidence in a Chaotic World by Dr David Jeremiah

I have heard Dr David Jeremiah’s radio program “Turning Point” at various times and have heard that his books are excellent also. So the opportunity presented to my by Thomas Nelson Publishers to review Living with Confidence in a Chaotic World was a great chance to finally read one of his books. (hereafter referred to as LCCW)

LCCW is a good read. Good introductory chapter on the crises that have rocked the world in the last year. Ten solid chapters of biblical teaching with alliterated points “Stay C---“ – calm, compassionate, constructive, challenged, connected, centered, confident, consistent, committed, convinced. When Dr Jeremiah refers to a specific Scripture passage, he explains its relevance to issues in 2009 well. Overall, LCCW is solid reading for continued Christian growth. You can’t go wrong with good, biblical teaching.

Nonethelesss, I cannot say that I recommend you rush out and buy LCCS right away. If you do, that’s fine and it will provide you with reading material that is a good reminder of biblical principles for life. Yet it did not provide me as a reader with any particular insights or observations or connections that were beyond the ordinary – as I may have expected. It did not take a particular biblical book or chapters and relate it to the issues of 2009. Except for the chapter on “Stay Connected,” it did not really touch on specific applications of biblical principles that were unique to 2009, or that could not have been made 5, 10 or 50 years ago.

LCCW is a solid book, yet there are many good Christian living books available on the market (admittedly there’s also lots of junk too!). While the content of the book provides good reminders for the believer, there was nothing particularly challenging to this reader, leaving me a bit disappointed (though no less appreciative of Dr Jeremiah’s ministry).

This book was provided for review by Thomas Nelson publishers.

The Truth about CanWest's Collapse

An interesting article in Macleans about the demise of the CanWest (Global TV) media enterprise... and a couple leadership lessons.


1) The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Yes, I know this sounds like a biblical quote (and it is) but it really is the story of this article. CanWest was a successful and growing company that got greedy and too multi-faceted. It was not satisfied to be a "wildly profitable player, secure in its Canadian niche." Rather they wanted more, more, more. In that effort to accumulate, they accumulated huge debt and killed the company.

2) When the idea fails, admit it and get back to the basics. Its seems that there were plenty of opportunities for Izzy Asper or his son, Leonard, to admit "defeat" and stop buying more assets - and more debt - in an effort to find the one that would turn the company around. And yet they kept acquiring various pieces of media that just kept putting them further and further in trouble fiscally. As much as a leader may be "committed" to an idea, sometimes its best to give it up, let it die, and be satisfied with what is working. As a former colleague used to say in reference to baroque music, "If it ain't baroque, don't fix it."

Share the Good News of Christmas review

I received my "Share the Good News of Christmas" package in the mail yesterday... and I am impressed and excited.

First, the material comes in a nice, attractive plastic Christmas gift bag - one that you can give away or hang on a door knob. Inside you will find a small, easy-to-read, visually appealing Max Lucado "tract" about "the Good News of Christmas" with a clear yet, I believe, inoffensive, approach to the message of Christmas. The second attractive insert is an invitation that the person giving out the gift bag would fill out in advance, indicating a church's Christmas service date & time. The third piece in the bag is the ESV New Testament, again with the same font and style design as the gift bag, brochure, and invitation. This "Christmas Bible" has a nice introduction (preface) for the reader like any other book would have and begins with two Christmas passage readings. The Christmas readings are again well-selected and written without Christian jargon. There is then a useful "Where to find help when you are..." topical index followed by a brief "How to read the Bible" introduction and then a suggested 30-day Bible reading program that takes selected chapters/sections from most of the NT books to review the life of Jesus to the spread of the Christian faith ending (obviously) in Revelation 21-22.

Overall, it is indeed an impressive gift bag. An attractive presentation with a clear and gentle message that I think would be appropriate to give to an unchurched friend without being preachy or causing offense. Having been a part of the family of God for so many years and be involved in church/ministry for so long, perhaps I'm overly optimistic. It seems to me that CrossWay has prepared an excellent packet that should be of use to many churches this Christmas season as they seek to reach out to their communities.

Wise choices in a not-so-desired ending

Although I am very disappointed that Theoren Fleury was "released" by the Calgary Flames today, I think there are a number of wise choices being demonstrated by both Fleury and the Flames organization in this saga. For the details of today's "release" see the TSN story.

Wise Choices by the Calgary Flames

• giving Fleury a legitimate second chance - though it ended up drawing incredible fan and media interest, this was not just a "throw a dog a bone" offer. He had a legitimate shot to make the Flames and one has to believe Fleury's performance in the pre-season made this even more difficult that the Flames management may have initially thought. He was legitimately close to making the team.
• having a clear understanding of expectations from the beginning - With Fleury's release, it has become apparent that he and the Flames had an agreement that they would not send him to Abbotsford (their AHL farm team) and they would only sign him if he was going to be a top six forward. While most of us as fans would now love to see him stay on even as a fourth-line center, a powerplay or shootout specialist, or something, the Flames (and probably Fleury) know that this would become frustrating for the fiery forward and he would not "go out" with a bang but with a whimper... something that could never be said for Theoren Fleury, whether good (bang!) or bad (crash!).

Wise-choices by Theoren Fleury

• clear understanding of expectations from the beginning - as important as this was for the Flames organization, it is great for Theo that the expectations were clear from both sides.
• taking a few days to decide what to do next - there seems to be a widespread recognition in the hockey world that Fleury has proved enough in the pre-season to get some decent offers from other NHL teams to play this season. However, while he may entertain those over the weekend, one gets the impression that the much older and wiser Fleury will have to be convinced its a good fit for him and his family to move from Calgary to play hockey. Fleury is wise to not just jump at the first nibble of a contract but to take some time to weigh options both for hockey and for other parts of his life.

Personally, I hope Fleury comes back to the Flames after the weekend and says he is willing to accept an assignment to Abbotsford (AHL) in order to keep playing hockey and in order to be loyal to the Flames organization. I don't really think this will happen, and I imagine he will be off on a plane to Los Angeles, New York Islanders, Phoenix, or some other nice city that needs a veteran leader who has a 20-30 goal season left in him and who can help a franchise with young players grow up - both in the NHL and in life - as men.

Blog Review Forthcoming If God is Good by Randy Alcorn

My blog review of Randy Alcorn's If God is Good will be forthcoming... once I've read the book. After receiving the book about 10 days ago, I loaned the book to my friend, Tim Strickland, Senior Pastor of the Prairie Tabernacle as his topic for yesterday's message was "Why does a good God allow suffering?" By the way, it was a challenging message both mentally and emotionally. So, here's the Waterbrook Press promotional info... which will need to suffice until I've read the book.

If God is Good... by Randy Alcorn

Every one of us will experience suffering. Many of us are experiencing it now. As we have seen in recent years, evil is real in our world, present and close to each one of us.In such difficult times, suffering and evil beg questions about God--Why would an all-good and all-powerful God create a world full of evil and suffering? And then, how can there be a God if suffering and evil exist? These are ancient questions, but also modern ones as well. Atheists such as Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, and even former believers like Bart Ehrman answer the question simply: The existence of suffering and evil proves there is no God.In this captivating new book, best-selling author Randy Alcorn challenges the logic of disbelief, and brings a fresh, realistic, and thoroughly biblical insight to the issues these important questions raise. Alcorn offers insights from his conversations with men and women whose lives have been torn apart by suffering, and yet whose faith in God burns brighter than ever. He reveals the big picture of who God is and what God is doing in the world–now and forever. And he equips you to share your faith more clearly and genuinely in this world of pain and fear. As he did in his best-selling book, Heaven, Randy Alcorn delves deep into a profound subject, and through compelling stories, provocative questions and answers, and keen biblical understanding, he brings assurance and hope to all.

Author Bio:
Randy Alcorn is the founder and director of Eternal Perspectives Ministries and a bestselling author. His novels include Deadline, Dominion, Edge of Eternity, Lord Foulgrin’s Letters, The Ishbane Conspiracy, and the Gold Medallion winner, Safely Home. He has written eighteen nonfiction books as well, including Heaven, The Treasure Principle, The Purity Principle, and The Grace and Truth Paradox. Randy and his wife, Nanci, live in Oregon and have two married daughters and four grandsons.

Theoron Fleury Comeback

Nice article in today's Calgary Herald on the Theoren Fleury's comeback to the NHL and with the Flames. As a fan of the Calgary Flames and as a fan of people who are vertically-challenged, I'm cheering #14 on! And I can't wait to get ahold of the forthcoming book!

Book Review: You were Born for This

I was a fan of Bruce Wilkinson's The Prayer of Jabez (POJ) and so I was excited at the chance to do a blog review of his latest book, You were Born for This (Multnomah Books, 2009). Whereas I felt a careful read of POJ showed that Wilkinson was reasonably interpreting the biblical text and not preaching a "prosperity theology," this newest book leaves me concerned and confused that he is not edging but in fact leaping very close to such a warped theology.

The basic premise of the book is that God wants to use every believer as his "delivery agent" to daily bring miracles of all sorts to individuals. All a person has to do is be spiritually alert God's nudges, bumps, cues and prompts and then let God's Holy Spirit do the miracles... whether financial, relational, or salvific.

Wilkinson has laid out a step-by-step method so that even the most hesitant, skeptical, or "untrained" reader will be able to grow in their ability to hear/see the signals that God is ready to do a miracle in a person's life and you can be the delivery agent. Negatively, the book could be seen as a formulaic guide to "making a miracle happen." Positively, it provides a reader friendly and practical guide so that any believer can be God's delivery agent in everyday situations of amazing miracles.

After reading the book, I cannot say that Wilkinson demonstrates poor theology or interpretation. In fact, he's pretty attentive to explaining things carefully (such as "how to make sure God receives the glory for a miracle). His stories are real life examples that are indeed miraculous, and yet not "fanciful" or "spectacular." Yet it is hard not to get the impression that you see "miracles on demand" if you follow the right steps... though again, I'm quite certain Wilkinson would not advocate such a position (and does not in the book).

I would recommend the book as a challenging and thought-provoking read, that pushes a conservative evangelical's thinking.

Video Link

I've also placed this review at Amazon.ca

Happy 25th Birthday TSN

As a Canadian sports fan, my favorite channel is undoubtedly TSN and the "Kraft Celebration Tour" they recently hosted in ten Canadian cities for ten days was great. Though I really only watched three days of the ten, it was a fun thing for TSN to do and a great way to celebrate across Canada. However, the best part... at least of the two days I watched... was their special feature on local heroes: the young man in Dauphin, MB who works as the assistant equipment manager with the MJHL's Dauphin Kings (and he has autism), the story of Bill Riley from Amherst, NS, an African-Canadian who played in the NHL and continues to encourage other young black athletes to excel in hockey, and the story of Jack Munroe, the man who founded Elk Lake, ON after fighting boxer, Jack Dempsey. These were great stories that were exceptionally well-told and were amazingly inspirational... not a word always associated with sports!
Great job TSN. Canadians should be proud of both the content and the style of your sports journalism!

Book Review - The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

I believe I ordered this book from Amazon almost two years ago, and though my dear wife read it last year at some point, it got put on the shelf and I'd forgotten to read it until last week when I re-discovered it on the shelf and realized I had forgotten to read it. What a mistake! (that I had forgotten)

The Last Lecture is what became the very public "goodbye" of Dr. Randy Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon University after his diagnosis with pancreatic cancer. Officially, the last lecture was given on September 18, 2007 and subsequently it was put in book form after Dr Pausch appeared on ABC News (Diane Sawyer), Oprah, etc. As expected, he did pass away last summer, July 25, 2008 (See the website for more complete information on all of the above).

I enjoyed the writing style of this book. I enjoyed the brutal honesty and humour of this book, the "optimistic" tone within a seemingly unthinkable prognosis. As a "young prof" (formerly), a guy who was a bachelor for a few years and got married a bit older, and as someone who's been aware of life/death issues for a while, I felt I had a few "extra" connections with the author. The only disappointment with the book is that Dr Pausch was not clearer on his personal faith perspective, even in the book, though I appreciate the reasons he "omitted" the religious/faith element in the official lecture.

I would highly recommend this book to any person, whether you know your death is imminent or not... As someone famous who's name I can't recall right now says, "If you are not ready to die, are you really ready to live?"

Review of "Everyday Greatness" by Stephen R. Covey

Everyday Greatness by Stephen R. Covey is an interesting read. The book is really a compilation of 63 Reader's Digest stories by David K. Hatch that is supplemented by Covey's introduction, topical arrangement and brief commentary. With the premise that most truly heroic deeds are those small actions performed in the context of everyday living, Covey describes three purposes for the book:
1) to provide an enjoyable read experience,
2) to inspire the read to get more out of life by giving, and
3) to "arouse within you a greater passion for being a transition person." (ix)
The selection of stories is solid and thus Covey accomplishes his purposes, at least for this reader. Under seven category headings, three stories each describe 21 different character qualities and provide inspirational examples of everyday heroes. A few are well-known individuals (eg. Walt Disney, Leonardo DaVinci, Johnny Carson), though most are names you would only know if you read the story previously in Reader's Digest.
This reader found that one of the stories in each of the 21 sections was excellent, a compelling story that illustrated well the trait being described. The other two stories were also enjoyable and easy-to-read, though sometimes less directly related to the specific value. Also, 63 stories was a lot to churn through... a total of 434 pages after Covey's afterword. While the book began as enjoyable, it did eventually turn into a chore to get through all the stories. Nonetheless, the stories were inspiring and valuable reminders about what is truly important in life - and how these values are built in daily decisions.
Additionally, the book provides great illustrations for teachers or preachers.

Faith Promise Offering stories

After a very entertaining first "faith promise offering" provision, we did not have a faith promise offering in June, though in July and August, God has again surprised us. This summer, I've had the opportunity to preach in various local churches, including speaking one Sunday at the PTC. as our church offers pulpit supply to congregations in our local region. One of those honorariums we decided to give as our July faith promise.


As we were planning for our vacation, it became apparent that we should purchase small cargo/utility trailer, probably 4X6, to transport my wheelchair. We shopped around and the lowest price we could find was $2700. As our departure date approached on Wednesday we had talked and researched lots, but not actually purchased anything. Another connection led me to call our friend Paul Nigh (also the PCAS board chair) and he thought he might be able to access one for us, even to rent for a couple weeks. However, the one he thought might be available was not but he just "happened" to be at the UFA in Red Deer on Thursday and while waiting, looked through their retail lot and found the perfect trailer... for just under $2000. He phoned me and I told him to buy it and when he delivered it to our house we paid him back. But not only was the price a great deal, it was a perfect match to our car in terms of colour. So our August "faith promise" will be a gift to the Lord's work from the amount saved on this purchase.

Back from Vacation 2

We have returned from our extended vacation and I am glad to be back in the office at PCA and am eager for a new school year to get started. We left on Sunday, August 2 and started our holiday time in Vernon, BC visiting with Grandma & Grandpa Friebel.

After two days in Vernon, we headed south to Rock Ridge Canyon just outside Princeton, BC where we were privileged to be adult guests for a week and enjoyed seeing what happens at a YoungLife camp. My brother, Tim, brought a group of students and leaders from Whiterock and there were other high school age teens from Cloverdale and Dawson Creek, BC, as well as Calgary, Edmonton, and Grande Prairie, AB. We were served lots of very tasty food and enjoyed the lake as well as sitting in on "club" each night. We were privilege to stay in the recently completed Wolfe Creek Lodge, a beautiful three story building.

During vacation, both Sarah and I got some time to read. One of the books I am reading through is Gordon T. Smith's, The Voice of Jesus (InterVarsity, 2003). Although I have not completed the book, it is very well written and I appreciate Smith's careful and precise use of the English language on this topic. I would highly recommend it for anyone looking for a thorough, articulate discussion of Christian discernment.

I am also working on reading and reviewing Everyday Greatness (ThomasNelson, 2006), a compilation (by David K. Hatch) of 63 Readers' Digest stories on 21 key topics with "insights and commentary by Stephen R. Covey." Finally, I also read through most of the YoungLife Canada "history" - a book that was really a compilation of individual memoirs, not as much historical reflection as I might have hoped.

What if your "church service" went "corporate"?

The combination of working with various not-for-profit organizations in various roles (ie. staff, board member, etc.) combined with the slower pace of life at a school during the summer months has led me to "dream" a little bit about the question, "What if your church service went corporate?" In other words, what if the advertisements you see on tv, or the product placements you see in various television shows/movies, began appearing in your church services (without any verbal comments) in the visuals (ie. powerpoint slides and/or bulletin). Here is a sample service order:

Prelude - "Amazing Grace" by Sue Smith
*Today's prelude is brought to you by e-harmony.com "Introducing people every day"

Opening Prayer (no advertisements here! We have some decency!)

Welcome
*Thanks for choosing to worship God here at XYZ Community Church. Be sure to visit our website xyzcommunitychurch.org for this weeks full services.

Opening Songs
How Great Thou Art & How Great is Our God
*This musical medley brought to you by "Hudson's Fine Furniture" - a classic, traditional look with modern, quality style.
Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus
*Don't forget your friends at Home Hardware: Help is close to home!

Children's Feature
*Don't forget that Big Idea Productions is releasing their latest VeggieTales movie on August 1. You can rent the movie at BlockBuster VideoStore or purchase it for your family through Big Idea productions.

Announcements & Offering
*The offerings given today will be used for the ongoing ministry of XYZ Community Church.
XYZ Community Church banks at ABC Bank - offering the lowest interest rates in the state on home mortgages.

Sermon - Standing for the Lord (Daniel 1)
Don't forget to visit Blessings Bookstore to purchase your Christian Living books.
Check us out at 123 Blessings Street, City, State Zip Code or online at blessingsbookstore.com

Closing Song - Dare to be a Daniel
As you leave today, Joe's Family Restaurant would like to remind you of their Special Sunday Lunch Buffet for only $10.95! At the Corner of 14th Ave & Lincoln Street.

Don't worry - there would be a small fee for such advertising... and that would take the pressure off you as a congregant in terms of church offerings! Its a win-win situation for everyone, right?

PS This is totally tongue-in-cheek/sarcastic...and I hope it never happens in your church!

The Greatest Health Care in the World

I just want to note quickly that I believe Canada has a superb health care system, arguably the greatest health care system in the world (though I admit I have not experimented with other systems). While I slightly appreciate the huge financial implications for the President Obama and the United States to change over to a Canadian-like system of health care, I would never want to be or have been in my life given my personal lifelong health challenges. There are gliches in any system and in a healthcare system, gliches can become life or death matters for real people. Nonetheless, the advertisements indicating how horrible and dangerous the Canadian health-care system will be are based upon very rare exceptions to genuinely top notch medicine by caring and compassionate doctors and medical staff.

I do not believe the Conservative government should waste their time defending our healthcare system against American "radicals." Spend the time helping our economy continue to get back on track so people are working and paying taxes to support our already excellent healthcare!

Friday afternoon thoughts

After spending three days this week camping with my mother-in-law's family at Gooseberry Lake, AB, I'm back in the office today and doing some "catching up." A few links to interesting articles and a few thoughts on them:


1) An article indicating that local church's giving has decreased thus far in 2009 even though church budgets were slightly increased. Hmmm! As one of our congregation's elders, I know that we also fit in that category. We saw it (and still do) as a step of faith... though I think we do need to be careful that the things we call faith are not "spiritual-eze" for wishful/stupid decisions. http://www.earnedmedia.org/cti0618.htm


2) An interesting article in The New Yorker by Malcolm Gladwell on "Why David beats Goliath." I was very challenged by Gladwell's most recent book, Outliers, and think he's an insightful writer... and he's Canadian too!

3) Ran across this article a couple weeks ago about the Facebook Generation vs. Fortune 500 and got to thinking about some of the implications for leaders, especially within a Christian community.

4) Looking forward to preaching this next Sunday (July 19) at Crossfield Baptist Church and then on July 26 at the Prairie Tabernacle Congregation. Lord willing, I'll be preaching from Daniel chapter 1 on "Standing for the Lord." I've been thinking about this topic recently for a variety of reasons, not only in relation to preparing the sermon. Along with praying for those who "get" to listen to me, you can pray for me too... but most importantly pray that the LORD will be the One who speaks to people's hearts and minds.

5) Finally, just wanted to reflect again on how fun it is to see God at work in all sorts of little ways... from me being in the office today so that I could receive and return a reference form for a recent PCA grad quickly, to a nice "unplanned" visit with another recent PCA grad at the post office, to hearing how my mother-in-law and her brothers met up at the "other school" near Consort with people who knew their grandma and aunts on Wednesday night, all "by coincidence." I trust that the Lord will help me to never stop seeing the appointments He arranges or the sequences of events that He orders that are just one of the many ways a person can see His Hand of Sovereignty among our world of chaos.

Book Review - The Hair-Raising Joys of Raising Boys

I purchased The Hair-Raising Joys of Raising Boys by Dave Meurer because it was looked like a good cheap book on Amazon that would get me over the $39 in order to get free shipping along with two other books. It has been a good investment as both Sarah and I read it (not together) and it has provided us with some good discussions.


The first thing I would recommend about this book is that it is funny! It is challenging for any author to convey the humour of stories in written form, yet Dave does exceptionally well and there were many times when Sarah would hear me chuckle and ask, "Which story is it?" Since Proverbs says, "laughter is the best medicine," this book was beneficially for that reason alone.


Secondly, this book reminds you to keep the daily challenges of raising boys in perspective! The music or hair "issues" are really not that important in light of eternity, though how you deal with them can have long-term relational consequnces (I'm reminded of Ephesians 6:4 - "Fathers, do not exasperate your children...").


Finally, this book is commendable because it really does deal with topics that are specific to raising boys. I can already see two or three of the areas where our son, Caleb, is "all boy" and I think my amazing wife wonders not only what he is doing but how and why that would ever enter into a person's little mind.

Admittedly, the book was not overly deep or insightful. From a faith perspective, I thought the author could have connected the stories more directly to a spiritual challenge/lesson. This does make it a useful book to share with any family seeking to raise boys who are well-adjusted, social and responsible citizens.

NHL Draft Reflections

I confess that I did not watch the draft live on TSN this year as we were at the PCA Graduation Banquet. However, I was glad that the Islanders took John Tavares first overall, especially for my brother Tim's sake as he told me he would have officially "given up" if the Isles had gone for anyone other than Tavares. Also, I think my Calgary Flames had a decent draft, though the best part of the draft for the Flames was picking up the rights to Jay Bouwmeester, though they did give up a good defenceman in Jordan Leopold. If the Flames can sign JayBo, their defence looks even more impressive with him, Dion Phaneuf, and Robyn Regehr.

As I went through a few team-by-team analysis of the draft, I noticed a couple things. First of all, the Leafs chose no (zero!) European players... way to go, Brian Burke! (Don Cherry and myself are proud of you!). To me, that's a statement after the Leafs have been drafting Europeans for years... and then trading any of the good talent away (though they've done that with lots of Canadian and American players too!)

Secondly, I noticed that none of the Canadian teams took more than two players under six feet tall... yet the Detroit Red Wings took four players listed under six feet in height, including their first two picks, Landon Ferraro who plays for the Red Deer Rebels and is the son of former NHLer Ray Ferraro, and Slovakia's Tomas Tatar who was impressive at the World Juniors this past year. If you look at the Red Wings current roster, they have five regular forwards under six feet and two defenceman. So you say, "oh, this is the new NHL so we just draft small players!" No, that seems to be the New York Islanders' former strategy... they have eight players on their current roster less than six feet tall... and look where they ended up (with the first overall draft choice!). It seems that success is having key talented/skilled players under six feet yet combining them with a number of "average" size players who provide balance in skill, grit and size to the roster.

Finally, this year was not identified as a strong draft for goaltenders. And so, guess who did not draft a goaltender this year - Detroit! Interestingly, of the Canadian-based teams, only the Maple Leafs did not draft a goalie this year.

Just a few interesting observations... and perhaps some encouragement and hope for Leafs fans!

Gracious in Losing

At a press conference this afternoon, my favorite hockey team, the Calgary Flames, are expected to announce that Brent Sutter will become the new head coach of the team, working under his brother Darryl, the Flames GM. The Calgary Herald's report today seemed to indicate that the New Jersey Devils' players had two things to say about Brent Sutter: 1) He will be as tough and hard-nosed a coach as his brother, Darryl and 2) None of the players hold any grudges about him leaving New Jersey with one year left on his contract to be closer to family and then turning around just a few weeks later and agreeing to coach the Flames.

The NJ Devils response to losing an excellent coach and being so complimentary and understanding when he begins to coach a new team is such a stark contrast to the Detroit Red Wings who were so ungracious and seemingly "sore losers" when Sidney Crosby did not get in line fast enough for their liking to shake hands with them... so they could get off the ice in front of their hometown fans who were stunned that the Red Wings had lost game #7.

The Red Wings' players criticisms of Crosby were also in contrast to their coach, Mike Babcock, who commented to Crosby as they went through the line "Congratulations! You played well and showed great leadership of your team" (or something close to that is what I overhead with the good ole CBC mics). Wonderfully, Hockey Canada is expected to name Babcock as the head coach for the 2010 Canadian Men's Olympic Hockey team. Good choice, Steve Yzerman... admittedly, you didn't have to look to far :-)

Thank You Harper & Ignatieff

As I commented a few months ago, I believe Canada currently has two very intelligent and thoughtful men leading the main two political parties: Stephen Harper, Prime Minister and leader of the Conservatives, and Michael Ignatieff, Leader of the Liberal party. They again proved that today by agreeing to bring about some changes to the EI system rather than have yet another national election. (Of course the Bloc Quebecois & NDP are upset... but what else is new?)

Again, I think Ignatieff is being very shrewd and strategic. With a budget deficit that increases hourly, arguably due to the recession, the Conservative Party is gradually losing the favor and trust of Canadians. Unless the economy turns around in the next six months... which most finacial forecasters seem to think is unlikely, the Liberals will have lots of unhappy Canadian voters to appeal to and can run a platform of "we will throw money at the problems to make things better" which many Canadians will likely vote for. And unfortunately, it is not just the economy that is causing the Conservatives problems. They seem to have monthly, if not weekly, "blunders" by an MP that must make Harper wonder if he's trying to lead a parliament or a junior high school.

Last but not least, a couple weeks ago CBC (admittedly not known for their thoughtful journalism but...) featured a story on the Canadian company in Thetford Mines that sells asbestos products to India... and the fact that Canada is the only "developed" country that still exports this material. OUCH!

In case you are wondering, yes, I did send an email to our MP suggesting that the Conservative Party cease their attack ads on Ignatieff for being "un-Canadian" because he worked in the USA (I think at a fairly reputable school named Harvard University) for so many years.

Interesting blog about "Emerging Churches"

A really interesting challenge from Mart DeHaan (RBC Ministries) on his blog, responding to "emerging churches." In short, I would agree that while there are many areas to be concerned about with "emergent" churches, there is great diversity both practically and theologically among congregations that would identify themselves this way. And they connect with dissatisfied Christians for a reason.

Ibbotson Family Newsletter - June 1, 2009

Greetings from Three Hills, Alberta! It has been a few months since we emailed you last and updated you, our friends, on the latest happenings in the lives of Steve & Sarah Ibbotson. We have been especially privileged in the last few months to see God’s Hand at work in so many ways… and are glad to share a few of these with you.

Of course, one of the most obvious ways we see God’s Hand is in our energetic and growing boy, Caleb. He celebrated his first birthday in March… enjoying the birthday cake thoroughly, and even eating some of it! Caleb enjoys walking around the house at increasing speeds as well as watching his VeggieTales videos, playing with his cars, trucks, building blocks, sandbox and most recently helping mommy plant flowers and work in the garden.


We have seen God’s Hand at work in our church family, the Prairie Tabernacle Congregation. Steve continues to serve on the elders board, this year as chair. Sarah enjoys her weekly Mom’s Time Out group on Wednesday mornings. Caleb enjoys his friends in the nursery and will gladly lead you to the nursery after he is done enjoying the musical portion of the worship service. We enjoy leading and hosting a small group on Sunday nights, currently ourselves and two other young couples who each have one little boy. As part of of the building program, the congregation recently commited over $175,000 in the next year as a Faith Promise Offering.

Steve has seen evidence of God’s work in his responsibilities as Christian Education Co-ordinator at Prairie Christian Academy. This year two missions teams went out from the school internationally, one to Colombia in February and one to Greece in April. Both teams were involved in meaningful ministry to others and students on both trips came back with a new perspective on God’s world. As they have shared how God is at work in their lives, other students are becoming excited about being part of the teams next year. In addition, regular weekly chapels continue to go well.

We have seen evidence of God’s Hand at work in our extended families. Two weeks ago we travelled down to Missoula, Montana to witness Cameron & Rebecca (Hunt) Nicolson’s graduations. It was a blessing to travel by car with Mom & Dad Hunt and for all of us to enjoy Caleb on the trip. In August, we are looking at having a week-long vacation in BC at Rock Ridge, the “camp” of YoungLife Canada , the organization that both Tim and Dad Ibbotson serve with reaching teens with the Gospel of Christ.

So thank you for your friendship as well as for your prayers and encouragement in our lives. We trust you are encouraged to hear of how God’s Hand is at work in our lives – and we also pray that you see His Hand at work in your lives. We would be glad to receive an email from you sharing your experiences.

Sincerely in Christ’s love,
Steve & Sarah Ibbotson and Caleb

Amish Love

What’s all the hubbub about Amish fiction? Major media outlets like Time and ABC Nightline are covering it, and authors like Cindy Woodsmall are making the New York Times bestseller list regularly. What makes these books so interesting?

Check out the recent ABC Nightline piece here about Cindy and her titles When the Heart Cries, When the Morning Comes, and When the Soul Mends. It’s an intriguing look at Amish culture and the time Cindy has spent with Amish friends.

And don’t forget that Cindy’s new book The Hope of Refuge hits store shelves August 11, and is available for preorder now.

Note: This material was provided by Multnomah/Waterbrook Press to encourage you to purchase these books as possible reading. They sound interesting to me and I am posting this link in order to qualify for a prize related to being one of their blog tour participants.

Enjoying Cito Gaston & the Blue Jays

With the hockey playoffs, I have not been watching too much baseball yet. However, with the Toronto Blue Jays doing so well, it was great to read this article today about manager Cito Gaston on the Blue Jays website. I love his quote, "This is where I'm supposed to be... that belief, it calms you."

O Me of Little Faith

This month, the Prairie Tabernacle Congregation is doing a “Faith Promise” offering towards our building fund. As elders, we felt it was appropriate for us to make our "faith promise" commitments first as an example for the congregation. Sunday morning, Pastor Tim announced that the total of the “faith promise” from the elders was just over $17K for the next twelve months. I know the amount Sarah and I prayerfully committed to each month, and let’s just say that the total amount announced is a LOT more than our "faith promise" each month for a year multiplied by about a dozen elders. So, I found myself talking with Sarah on Sunday evening about “O Ye of Little Faith…” mostly in a joking manner.

However, I went online to check our banking statement and noticed a deposit of almost $700 on April 30. I knew I had deposited my paycheck on April 30, but was not aware of any other deposits. After confirming with Sarah that she hadn’t received an unexpected check and deposited it, we checked with some family members who bank at the same place just to make sure one of their checks did not get deposited to our account accidentally. Monday I went in to the bank to find out the reason for this extra deposit and was kindly informed that because we were able to pay our car loan off early, the deposit was a repayment for the loan interest. So there is almost $700 we did not expect for May!

So the first month of our faith promise, God provided this extra because He had already provided so generously for us in allowing us to pay off our car loan early. Oh God is truly too good! Praise His Name. I can’t wait to see how God “surprises” us for the next 11 months.

Feel free to post a comment sharing how God provided for you in an unexpected way!

NHL Playoffs Round 1 Review

I got 50% right in round one... picking Washington, Pittsburgh, Detroit & Vancouver to win!

I must confess that it is a bit embarrassing to be a Calgary Flames hockey fan this week. Once again they have been ousted from the playoffs in the first round. They have not won a Stanley Cup playoff series since going to the finals in 2004… and before that they had not won a playoff series since winning the Stanley Cup in 1989. Ouch! Of course, its not quite as bad this week to be a Flames fan as to be a San Jose Sharks fan… a great team just cannot seem to win in the playoffs. First overall and the class of the league most of the season and then out in the first round to the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. Ouch! In the next round, I think Detroit will beat Anaheim, though the Ducks seem to be putting it all together at the right time, and it would be great to see them beat the Red Wings. Vancouver will probably further add to a Flames fan’s misery by disposing of Chicago.

In the East, it also had to be embarrassing to be a Montreal Canadiens fan. That they lost to Boston was not totally surprising but to be swept in four straight – Ouch! I still think Boston is not an overpowering team and I think Tim Thomas is too much of a floppy goaltender (no style) to pick them to go much farther, but… they keep winning. I think they’ll have a tough time with Carolina and Cam Ward who is playing so well in net for the ‘Canes, though because they went seven games with New Jersey, I’ll pick Boston to win in seven over Carolina.
Pittsburgh looked decent taking out Philadelphia, and I think they match up well against Washington who came back fairly impressively on NYR. Crosby and Malkin vs. Ovechkin will be fun to watch, though I think the Penguins will probably ice the Capitals in five games, maybe six.

NHL Playoff Predictions

Its perhaps the greatest time of year for the sports fan - the NHL Playoffs are starting, NBA playoffs are near, and MLB has just started (and the Toronto Blue Jays had a great first week!)

Here are my predictions for the first round of the NHL playoffs.

Eastern Conference: I think Carey Price is going to outduel Tim Thomas and the Canadians are going to steal the series in seven exciting games. However, if Price is not superbly-outstanding, this also could be a short-painful series for the Habs. Washington will probably take out the Rangers in five games, and New Jersey will likely dispose of the Carolina Hurricanes equally quickly (NJ in 5). The Battle of Pennsylvania should be very interesting, and will likely go the distance and I'll pick the Penguins in 7.

Western Conference: San Jose will take care of Anaheim in five games... though the Ducks may put up a mighty fight, perhaps sending a few games into overtime(s), even extending the series to seven games. But I don't think San Jose will be denied this year... or at least til the conference final! Columbus is in the playoffs for the first time in franchise history and they are an exciting young team and they have been the hottest team in the league for the past 2-3 months... but I don't think they will knock off the defending Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings... though I would love to see it! I'll pick the Red Wings in 7. As good as the Blue Jackets have been, the St Louis Blues have been great in the last month, not only to earn a playoff spot, but to get the 6th seed. Unfortunately, they run into Roberto Luongo and the rejuvenated Canuckleheads. Look for the Canucks to win this series in five games (though it may go the full seven). And last but not least, the hardest series for me to pick... my heart says to go with my Calgary in six, but my head says that Chicago will eliminate my dear Flames in seven agonizing games.

Summary: MTL over Boston in 7; Wash over NYR in 5; NJ over Carolina in 5; Pitts over Philly in 7; SJ over Anaheim in 5; Det over CBJ in 7; Vanc over STL in 6; Chicago over Calgary in 7.

In the end, I see NJ (over Pittsburgh) coming out of the Eastern Conference and San Jose (over Vancouver) in the West. Can't say the idea of a New Jersey vs San Jose Stanley Cup is particularly exciting though I think there are some great players on both teams, esp Joe Thornton.

Info on the Treasure Principle by Randy Alcorn

Book Review forthcoming...

The Treasure Principle
Flip-Flop Your Concept of Giving! Bestselling author Randy Alcorn introduced readers to a revolution in material freedom and radical generosity with the release of the original The Treasure Principle in 2001. Now the revision to the compact, perennial bestseller includes a provocative new concluding chapter depicting God asking a believer questions about his stewardship over material resources. Readers are moved from the realms of thoughtful Bible exposition into the highly personal arena of everyday life. Because when Jesus told His followers to “lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven,” He intended that they discover an astounding secret: how joyful giving brings God maximum glory and His children maximum pleasure. Discover a joy more precious than gold!

Story behind the book: After years of writing and teaching on the theme “God owns everything,” in 1990 Randy Alcorn was sued by an abortion clinic (for peaceful, nonviolent intervention for the unborn). Suddenly he had to resign as a pastor and was restricted to making minimum wage. Legally unable to own anything, Randy gave all his book royalties to missions work and need-meeting ministries. He and his family have experienced the reality of The Treasure Principle—that God really does own everything, takes care of us, and graciously puts assets into our hands that we might have the joy and privilege of investing in what will last for eternity.

Information above provided by Waterbrook/Multnomah Press.

ER Series Finale

As I watched the series finale of "ER" on Thursday night, I felt the powerful emotions of the "glory years" of ER rising to the surface. Thus, it was a great final episode because it brought back many of the memorable stories and personalities of the show: Dr John Carter opening the medical centre named in memory of his son, Joshua, who died at birth. Dr Peter Benton and his hearing impaired son, Reese standing beside him, at the opening of the Carter Centre and Benton giving Carter a congratulatory hug along with a sarcastic remark. Then to have Dr Mark Green's daughter, Rachel, interviewing for a position at County General. And the fact that the episode had the "old ER" feel to it... the rush of 2-3 storylines, some which end nicely, most which end realistically... the alcohol poisoned daughter and the parents who got a Dr Ross-like rebuke from Dr Gates (John Stamos). The dear old man who didn't want to let his wife pass away, even though she had a DNR, after they had been together for 72 years. It was classic ER and a great way to end. Reminded me of why I loved the show from 1994-2002/3... and sad to see how far it has faded...

Other than the fact that it was a medical drama with a great mix of characters, I don't know exactly why I loved the show so much... perhaps I was at the right age to reasonably deal with all my hospital experiences and assess them from a semi-detached, minimal emotion stage. I could so much appreciate the awesome pediatrician, Dr Ross, in dealing with children and parents in significant medical and emotional trauma. I could see the incredible skill and desire of a surgeon like Dr. Benton to fix the problem, even if he had a seemingly insensitive bedside manner. I could appreciate the steadfast Dr Greene managing the various ER doctors, not being a great specialist and yet being a superb doctor, great attending, and caring person.

Many episodes of the first 7-10 seasons were soooo well-written, both medically and emotionally, that one easily identified with different situations they developed.
ER has been taken over by Dr. Gregory House, both in my heart and mind, and in the viewership of most of North America. Yet for my generation, ER was the first great medical drama!

Experiencing the Spirit Book Review

I highly recommend the book Experiencing the Spirit by Henry & Melvin Blackaby. The Blackabys' present an excellent theology of the Person of the Holy Spirit in an easy to read and understand manner. One does not have to be a seminary student in order to understand the Blackaby's well-explained and yet thorough doctrine of the Spirit. For one expecting to find mind-blowing illustrations of the "power" of the Holy Spirit, they may be "disappointed," as the book provides wonderful seemingly "everyday" stories/examples of the Holy Spirit's work in the lives of "regular" Christ-followers that are not sensationalized. An excellent book!


You can purchase this excellent book at Amazon.ca

Two book reviews coming

Sometime in the next week, I will post reviews of two books that I have received as part of blog tours. Both books I am quite excited to read and review. I have just started into Henry & Melvin Blackaby's book, Experiencing the Spirit, and am already challenged by the question, "Do you really want to see the might power of God's Spirit moving in your life?" I know if a person answers in the affirmative, they are allowing God to do wonderful things in and through them... that don't always feel comfortable or look "normal." So while I want to answer this question positively... and in my heart I do so... I know that its not a question to be answered flippantly.

I have already started reading Rod Wilson's The Voice of Jesus also and it too is challenging in terms of discerning the voice of the Lord and acting upon His leading.

The other blog tour book is Randy Alcorn's The Treasure Principle. I've enjoyed a couple of other Randy Alcorn books so am looking forward to reviewing this work.

As part of the blog tour, the publisher sent me an additional copy of each book so if you would like to receive one, just email me about a good book you are reading and I'll be glad to send the requested book to you.

Reflections on "Expressions of Concern"

An interesting week as various parents have come to me with "expressions of concern"... no, that's not a euphemism for criticism as they really have been expressing concern about a couple of chapel messages in particular, and asking questions about what their child(ren) reported back to them. Through this I'm reflecting on a few ideas...

1) I am grateful that the parents are coming directly to me when they have concerns about what their son/daughter is learning in chapel. I am the one "responsible" for inviting the speakers we have in chapel and so I'm glad when there is concerns or criticism that the parent comes to me directly.

2) I am also grateful that students are talking about what they are hearing in chapel with their parents. This means a) they are listening and thinking about what they hear in chapel, b) they are talking to their parents about their day and c) they are talking about spiritual matters with their parents. Our mission at Prairie Christian Academy is to "partner with parents to educate students to think and act Christianly, constructively and critically in order to know Jesus Christ..." Apparently this is happening! Thanks be to God!

By the way, this is not an excuse for having "shoddy" chapel messages just so students can take feedback to their parents about "junk" they hear in chapel. In fact, from my perspective, both messages were in fact quite solid - practically challenging and biblically accurate. This leads to the third learning concept.

3) We do not all hear the same "material" when a person speaks. Each person has presuppositions and we hear things through a pre-existing grid that we may or may not be completely aware of. Even though a speaker may verbally say the content s/he means to communicate, it will be heard differently by each listener... and then interpreted differently by each hearer also. So as a speaker, one must regularly seek to repeat a point or concept with similar phrases in order for the intent of the message to be communicated.

4) And last but not least... anytime we are communicating the Word of God we must pray often that GOD will speak to people's hearts, speak His Truth to each heart, and that our human words will not get in the way of God's message.

Caleb's First Birthday Party

Just a couple pictures from Caleb's first birthday party this past Sunday, March 8.

pic #1) Digging into the special birthday cake mommy made!
pic #2) Surrounded by many fun presents and many loving people.


We have been so blessed by the Lord to have such a happy, content and active boy! And to have so many encouraging and praying family members to support us.

Disappointed in Obama's leadership

Although I agree with Rick Warren's recent article emphasizing that culture is influened by God's Holy Spirit changing hearts and not be change in laws, I must admit to being deeply disappointed thus far in US President Barack Obama's "law-making"... or more accurately law-rescinding... abilities. While I still believe Obama in an intelligent and thoughtful man and a compelling orator, he so far has shown little policy uniqueness. He has rescinded the Mexico City Policy, and today he removed the restrictions on embryonic stem-cell research. Again, I was/am not a big fan of the Bush administration or the policies on most things, but it seems as if Obama is setting policy (or more accurately rescinding policy) simply by choosing the opposite of Bush. Is this really "a new way to do politics?"

While as a new leader it can be tempting to show how different you are to your predecessor by "doing" something new or undoing the previous leader's mistakes, wise leadership usually takes some time to gain some perspective, understand some of the reasons decisions may have been made that to others look foolish, ignorant, or (insert your own adjective). You may still need to develop new policies or revert back to former procedures, and then a clear explanation for the changes needs to given, even if the popular opinion is that such-and-such was a poor policy in the first place. I don't think I have ever seen politeness or courtesy to previous leadership be wrong, even if there was much unlikeable or wrong about the predecessor's leadership. One does not need to be rude and condescending to be truthful and progressive. A new leader can still be kind and gracious without affirming mistaken or wrong policies/practices.

Book Review - The Echo Within by Robert Benson

This is my first read of a Robert Benson book, though he has written extensively on spiritual formation matters. Though the book will not likely appear on my "recommended" list, the writing is engaging and stimulating. If you would like to buy it, you can always visit Amazon.ca

Initially, I think Benson gives too much trust to the soul/spirit in discerning the voice of God accurately, not seeming to consider the deceptiveness of the human heart. This is best summarized in the quote, "We can trust that Voice when it is calling to us, and we can trust that Voice when it speaks for us." (p. 18). Later in the book, the idea that a person needs to know who s/he is when sensing their call/vocation, explains this "trust your inner voice" a bit more clearly, though ability for self-deception still seems minimized.

By the same token, Benson presents a solid chapter reflecting on the way God uses other people to speak into our lives... and most of the time these are in average, everyday moments of life. Benson notes that when we share with the person later (years later?) the impact their sentence had on our life, they don't even remember saying it. My journey has included many of those moments that show God using His people to speak into one another's life. "Sometimes people hesitate to give God any credit for being able to work through the ordinary of our lives, through the very sentences we hear and say." (p. 56)

As someone who has works/ed with high/school college students looking to "know God's will" for future decisions (eg. spouse, career, further education, etc), I think I would personally agree with Benson's overall view of how God directs a person, illustrated in the quote "The plan is for you to become the person God intended. However, the details are up to you." (p. 42) Even as Benson has used his literary talents to write poetry, advertisements, edit technical pieces and now write in relation to spiritual formation, I would agree that God has given him a gift for written communication.

Free eBook on Leadership

Although I've really only looked at Pastor Mark Batterson's blog, his link to this free eBook which compiles various blog postings from different Christian leadership personnel into a pdf file seems to be a potentially very stimulating work.

Family Day Weekend

In Alberta, the third Monday in February is a provincial holiday, "Family Day." Yesterday, Sarah and I and Caleb had a wonderful family day. Mom & Dad Ibbotson and Amanda and great-grandpa Carter came over for lunch. Then in the afternoon, Caleb and Sarah went to the local swimming pool and had fun with gramma Dorothy and grampa Marlowe (and Amanda). Here is a picture!
We also had a great time last night with Sarah's sister, Lois, aka "Teta Lois." We are so blessed to have our supportive and loving families so close!

Oh yeah, grampa Marlowe and Caleb also had some fun with a sled a few days ago!

Book Review - The Love as a Way of Life Devotional

In his book, Love as a Way of Life, Gary Chapman identified seven characteristics of a loving person: kindness, patience, forgiveness, courtesy, humility, generosity, and honesty. This devotional book of the same title, provides approximately 11 daily devotionals on each of the seven topics, along with some introductory and concluding devotionals on love as a way of life.

Each devotional includes a Scripture verse at the beginning, a challenge regarding some aspect of the quality being discussed, and then a closing “thought” or “prayer.” Overall, the devotionals are easy to read, concise, and stimulating. There is not much “fluff” and the theology is solid… not always a common combination in a devotional book, especially on this topic. Some readings include a short illustration/story, and generally these are well-chosen.

Overall a solid devotional book for any adult. As part of the blog tour, I was sent two copies of the book. Simply post a comment on this page and I will be glad to send one copy of the book to you... yes, that means you'll need to include either a mailing address for me to send the book too or an email address so I can contact you and make arrangements.

Reflections on the Canadian Budget

I'm was listening to CBC Radio yesterday afternoon (yes, it was a pretty slow afternoon around the office) as the federal budget was broadcast live. Most of the people interviewed said one minor positive thing about the budget and most representatives of various groups (NDP party, Canadian taxpayers federation, etc) expressed serious complaints about the budget. The CBC host was actually trying to say, "But is your group not pleased to see..." and the answer was generally, "well, sort of, but..." Interestingly, there was great uproar two months ago when the initial budget showed that there was no "stimulus package" or tax-breaks so that the budget would be balanced. Now that the budget has been announced, its all wrong too!

So... this brings me to reflect on a significant leadership concept: If you are a leader, some people, perhaps many people, will not like your ideas (or you). Whatever you do, it will be wrong and it will be critic ized. So think through fully what you are about to put forth as a leader - whether a vision, a budget, a new idea/program - be willing to get input from many sources before you announce something, and then believing that you have decided wisely, stick with the plan. Acknowledge the problems and explain why you chose that problem to live with rather than an alternate problem.

I must say, I'm rather disappointed with the Conservative Party and Prime Minister Harper for not getting their "ducks in a row," deciding what the non-negotiables should be, and then living with the criticism of their decision and reasonably explaining what the dangerous alternatives could have been. Today, a day after the budget, I'm again impressed with Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff's reported actions plan: to accept the budget provided that the Conservative party is prepared to give quarterly updates on the progress being made as a result of spending stimuli and tax-breaks. He admits there is a lot of good stuff in the budget but wants to make sure the Tories don't just make promises that go nowhere.

In other words, Ignatieff is saying: I'm going to distance myself from the NDP and Bloc Quebecois and the "coalition" idea, I'm going to realize that Harper & the Conservatives essentially released a "liberal" budget and not be stupid and criticize them doing exactly what we as liberals would have done, and then I'm going to pounce on them in a few months/year when they've run us into a horrendous deficit and show myself and the new Liberal party as the party Canadians should elect to "clean up the mess the conservatives have made" ...when the recession is over and money is starting to flow again!

Not a bad strategy, eh?

Inauguration of President Barack Obama

I found President Barack Obama's inauguration speech to be truly excellent. He is truly an excellent speaker and along with his writing staff, a gifted person at crafting a message. Very inspiring and yet he speaks honestly and realistically, not just "fluff."

Also thought that Rick Warren's prayer was also well-crafted. (I agree it is odd to "evaluate" someone's prayer.) And it certainly did not have the unique ending of the benediction prayer... though that was pretty funny... and the God I believe in and know enjoys laughter too so I'm sure he's not offended!

One miscellaneous thought - and its totally unrelated to the inauguration: The children's song "The Farmer in the Dell" probably needs explaining for children in today's "order a computer online world!" (or Why is the farmer in the Dell and not the Toshiba or the HP or a Mac?)

Kurt Warner as a Leader

Just want to give a two thumbs up to Kurt Warner, quarterback for the Super Bowl bound Arizona Cardinals. The franchise that won two playoff games in their very unglorious history (Chicago/Los Angeles/Arizona Cardinals) before this year is now headed to the NFL championship. And I believe Kurt Warner is not only a good quarterback, and a well-respected godly man, but he must be a great leader to take another team (recall the St Louis Rams in 1999 and 2001) that was expected to not even be a contender to a Super Bowl. Both franchises were at times a really pathetic joke and they both gave Kurt Warner a chance when he did not have much of a record as a star, and he returned the favor by becoming a "star" and giving both teams hope. That is one of the tasks of a leader... to bring hope.

Drive for Five - Successful

Like many Canadians, I was eagerly watching the gold medal game of the World Junior Hockey Championships (WJHC) last night on TSN as Canada defeated Sweden 5-1 to capture their fifth consecutive gold medal. Although this is a great accomplishment for the team, there are so many great individual stories that present significant life and leadership lessons. Here's just a few I'm aware of...

1) Pat Quinn, head coach. Some people wondered if he could coach young players... with a U-18 championship last year and a WJHC this year, I guess the answer for the Olympic Gold medal winning coach is, YES! Quinn made some risky coaching decisions with this group of youngsters - such as carrying eight defenceman and twelve forwards instead of 7 & 13, thus making room for Ryan Ellis who was phenomenal as the quarterback for Team Canada's powerplay that was sensational in the tournament or going with goaltender Dustin Tokarski in the final three games, yet he was right on with all his choices. He also let his assistant coaches have their areas of responsibility and they did exceptional - Guy Boucher with the powerplay and Willie Desjardins with the penalty killing.

2) Dustin Tokarski, goaltender. Won a Telus Cup with the Prince Albert Mintos in Midget AAA and never got invited to a WHL camp. Got to tryouts for two WHL teams and got cut. Finally got a chance with the WHL's Spokane Chiefs... and was the Memorial Cup MVP in 2008 as they won the Memorial Cup. Not one of the top goalies chosen in the 2008 NHL draft yet invited to Team Canada Camp and made the team as the 1A goaltender, though some figured Chet Pickard would eventually get the "pressure games." By his own admission, was shaky in the game against Russia and yet was brilliant last night in making 39 saves for the gold medal and the player-of-the-game for Canada.

3) Angelo Esposito, center. Cut from Team Canada in his first three attempts, he finally made the team this year and had a solid tournament. Last night was arguably his best game of the tournament and included the game winning goal! (Does Pittsburgh really need another great offensive star! Yikes!)

4) Evander Kane, left winger. Cut from this year's Team Canada and sent back to Vancouver, he flew back across the country a few days later when Dana Tyrell was injured in an exhibition game. Probably a fourth line guy when the tournament started, he was one of the key penalty killing forwards last night... and he's only 17 years old!