Christmas 2008 Pictures

Just a few pictures of our Christmas with the Ibbotson side of the family in Canmore and then with the Hunt side of the family in Three Hills. We are so blessed!

1) Caleb walking with cousin Amanda in some special slippers!












2) After we popped our "firecrackers" Caleb was officially crowned the prince!












3) Caleb with his first Christmas present from mommy & daddy - a tonka truck!









4) Caleb opening a present with Grandma Dorothy!

Book Review - Living Rich for Less by Ellie Kay

Although I have only read the first few chapters of this book, Living Rich for Less by Ellie Kay, I can say that I am initially disappointed. My expectations were for a book that would assist a family in finding creative ways to save money in both the present and for the future while still cultivating a spirit of generosity.

The 10/10/80 principle - give 10%, save 10%, and live on the remaining 80% - is clearly articulated at the start of the book and is commendable. Personally, I found the author's story hard-to-believe - that she married a fighter pilot who had two children from a previous marriage, was $40K in debt, and then proceeded to be a stay-at-home mom for years with the birth of five children in seven years... and still was able to pay off the debt and purchase eleven cars and two five-bedroom houses for cash (presumably replacements for vehicles and houses), save for the children's college education and for their retirement.

In terms of giving 10% and the importance of passing on the principle that "the sweetest dollar you ever make is the one you give away," the author shares some creative ideas. At this point one of the issues of the book emerges - an overall tone of a Tony Robbins seminar or a "Get Rich Quick" pep rally with a lot of Chicken Soup moments combined with a financial advisor. Really sweet, some maybe that might even be tear-jerkers, but ultimately they are cute testimonials that are hardly representative of what most children/adults/families can do. So far Living Rich for Less feels like being at a seminar, not reading a book.

Unfortunately, when it comes to the financial benefits of giving (ie how to make charitable donations productive in terms of taxes) and in the discussion of saving 10%, the specifics are primarily for the American tax system and expressed in terms one might expect from a former broker (ie. not in the language of your everyday non-accountant).

The final concern is that there is really no explanation of "why?"... except perhaps to give more away. There seems to be the perpetual expectation that each person/family should give more, save more, and then spend nicely (though not lavishly)... and yet there does not yet seem to be a presentation of when is enough, enough. Is there ever a point of contentedness? Admittedly, I have not finished reading the book so perhaps this is coming. I'm hoping so...

A couple "political" comments

Today, a couple reflections on the world of politics.

First, nationally I think Canada is truly blessed right now to have two very intelligent men in the leadership of the nations two political parties: Stephen Harper, the Prime Minister and leader of the Conservative party and Michael Ignatieff, newly chosen leader of the Liberal party. Certainly intelligence does not mean these men will be good or moral leaders. I read a book my David Gergen during my graduate studies at Gonzaga, and it was his opinion that Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton were the most intelligent presidents in 20th century in the USA. Many of Canada's leaders have been good political figures who are diplomatic (not surprising in Canada, eh?) though generally not recognized as intellectually astute. The early signs are that the two political parties are once again willing to work together to assure that the affairs of the country are governed well... this is hopeful!

Secondly, the international incident of the last few days... the reporter, Muntather al-Zaidi throwing his shoe at US president George W Bush at a press conference in Iraq. This itself is a sign of how much "freedom to dissent" now exists in Iraq... yet this freedom of speech/dissent is even more evidenced by the thousands reportedly "protesting" in the streets for al-Zaidi's release and calling him a hero. Again, though I'm not a huge George W Bush fan, one must admit that this story illustrates precisely the purpose of the US (and UN) forces entering Iraq. Can you spell I-R-O-N-Y?

A day in Caleb's life (9 months old)

Mommy took most of these pictures and daddy decided to post them on his blog so you can see what I keep them busy with most of the day. (Admittedly these pictures are not all from the same day) Enjoy!

Sometimes I get to start my day by visiting mommy & daddy's bed when I wake up. Usually this is only on Saturdays, but it was a Flex Friday this week to I got to do this two days in a row! I am always smiling and ready to go for the day.

I didn't even know the song, but I got my two front teeth this last week... just in time for Christmas. Mommy feeds me the most wonderful food at the table, and this week I got to chew a piece of celery. (Dad made a lame joke about "Now I really am starting to chew away his "salary." Oh well, at least my grandpas will appreciate the pun.)

Along with lots of good meals, I enjoy playing with my many toys!

However, I am also learning to be helpful, especially to mommy now that I am 9 months old. This week I helped to do the laundry, specifically with the drying of my wonderful (cloth) diapers. I'm sure a helpful fellow!

I do like to walk around the house lots and my dad is willing to help me. We have lots of fun! Both me and daddy had a red sweater and a pair of blue jeans on this day, so mommy thought it would be a nice picture.

At the end of the day, I very much enjoy my bath time! I play with the rubber duckies in the tub and I also like to splash in the water... lots!

After that, I have a little bedtime snack, we read my Bible story and pray, and then I usually doze off in mommy's arms.

Book Review - The Greatest Words Ever Spoken by Steven K Scott

The opportunity to participate in another blog tour courtesy of Multnomah WaterBrook Press this time has me reviewing a book titled, "The Greatest Words Ever Spoken." Overall, this will be a useful resource, though the title and a few of the jacket recommendations (eg. "For the first time in 2000 years all the statements of Jesus are organized into practical, easy-to-find topics" and a quote from Chuck Norris "Incredible! This amazing book enables us to quickly find everything Jesus said about each important question, issue and problem we'll ever face...") over-hype the book a bit!

For all intents and purposes, this is a partial topical Bible... the reader can follow the book in a sequence of nine main topics (chapters) that include a number of sub-topics or one can use the table of contents at the beginning of the book or the index at the back of the book to look up a specific topic. It uses the New Internation Verson translation. Rather than presenting the whole Biblical teaching on the topic, this book simply presents the words of Jesus on the topic, beginning with the Gospel of John and then following the words of Jesus in the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark & Luke). A few non-Gospel words of Jesus are included from other NT books also.

Scott nicely includes a brief introduction to each chapter (main topic) and once in a while comments briefly at the start of a sub-section. Fortunately, the comments are quite uncontroversial - he does not try to get into theological discussions; he simply tries to introduce the topic and its importance. One wonders if a few summary comments would have also been appropriate at the end of each chapter, reviewing the key emphasis of Jesus words.

Also positively, Scott does a good job overall of including Jesus teaching on various topics that a "word search" would not necessarily include.

The major concern with the book is that each passage is included without (much) context and without interpretation. All of Jesus' words took place in a context, and a particular context within each Gospel. With no comment on either the context or some of the interpretive issues that could be significant due to the context, a novice student of the Bible could come into some confusion or misunderstanding. Since one of the audiences of this book is the not-yet-Christian seeker, it would seem significant to have some minor commentary in a few sections.

Another significant concern to me is the view of Scripture that such a book represents. In other words, if the words of Jesus are most important, what does this say about the inspiration and authority of the rest of Scripture. Jesus himself certainly viewed the Hebrew Scriptures as authoritative. Certainly Jesus is the Incarnate Word, yet the production of such a book seems to inadvertently minimize the importance of the rest of Scripture.

Overall, this could be a useful resource, but such accolades for a partial topical Bible seem a bit over the top.

PHEW - Parliament has been Prorogued!

Yes, I am one of many Canadian relieved that Governor General Michelle Jean has prorogued the Canadian parliament until January 26, 2009. I am hopeful that a number of things will happen in this prolonged Christmas break...for all the political parties.

1) The NDP/Liberal coalition continues to say that Prime Minister (PM) Stephen Harper does not have the support of the majority of parliament. They are correct! If you don't have a majority, you have a minority... hence the term "minority government." To say that more than 50% of parliament members do not support the Conservatives simply shows you can count... nothing more, nothing less.

2) The Liberal party especially should be thanking the Governor General that she accepted the Conservative government's request for a prorogue. I can't imagined they wanted to see Stephane Dion parade the name "Liberal" party around as PM for five months before their leadership convention and then have even more damage and destruction for the next leader to undo, apologize for, and somehow explain as not really the Liberal party.

Furthermore, had Dion been the PM, I believe they would have been required to call an election within a certain number of weeks with a new party leader and thus a new PM. I think the Liberal party will be quite glad to choose their new leader, let him/her settle into parliament as an MP and then gradually pick the issues on which they will platform in the next election against the Conservative party.

Though I still want to personally "cheer" for the Conservative party (I'm not a member of the party or anything), I must also say that PM Harper and the gov't have got to do a few things to show some kind of leadership... and soon!

1) They have got to quit attacking the Liberal/NDP coalition for being backed by "the separatists" or being willing to join formally or informally with the Bloc Quebecois. First, they would have done the same thing to defeat the Liberals not only in 2004 or 2000... that's what any secondary or tertiary party does on some issues to defeat a policy or group of policies they do not agree with. To attack the Liberals for aligning with either the NDP or BQ is simply immature and reveals a short-memory.

Even more strategically dangerous is the fact the the Conservative party was/is trying to win over BQ voters from the Liberals... and may have started making progress (or at least capitalizing on Dion's lack thereof). To start calling them names, may remind them why they do not want to vote Conservative, or even more terribly, may affirm in their minds that all "national parties" are foolish and that they really should give separation from Canada another attempt.

2) They have got to try to work with the other parties... and not only after they've been brought to the brink of disaster! The main reason they claimed to call the election in October was because they felt parliament was at a stand-still. Now, they have asked for parliament to be "halted" in order to continue to operate. (does anybody else see a problem with that last sentence?) If the Conservative party cannot make a minority gov't work, they better get out of the way and let someone else try.

3) Furthermore, as soon as the other parties started to question/critique their recent pre-budget announcements, the Conservative party back-pedalled on most/all of their decisions. This isn't leadership... this is "weather-watching"... ie let's see which way the sails blow when we send this idea out and then we'll decide if it is a good one! For example, if you do not believe that a stimulus package whereby citizens (not businesses) are given money to spend to stimulate the economy is the way to solve the problem... and I personally think they are correct... then stand by your policy. But just because Jack Layton and the NDP think that is a solution and then the Liberals and BQ agree, don't back down. Stand up for your policy and explain why it is the prudent decision at this time.

4) I almost wish that PM Harper would have let the Liberal/NDP coalition "try governing." No, it is not because I like their policies... at all. No, it is not because I suddenly think the Conservative party doesn't deserve my support. I do think the coalition "trying to govern" would have done two things. First, it would have shown the horrific leadership of Dion and the Liberal party at this time. Secondly, right now the Harper gov't looks like they are running scared. Admittedly, the majority of Cdn politicians in all parties have acted more like spoiled children in the last week than responsible governing leaders. However, it does seem like Harper ran to mommy crying "my friends aren't playing fair" and mommy simply said, "Oh that's okay little one. You come in the house and play by yourself for a while and I'll give you some milk and cookies and dry your tears and you can go out and play later when you feel better."

November pictures of Caleb

Some new pictures taken in the last few weeks of our son, Caleb, who enjoys:
going outside for a walk even in weather that requires bundling up warm!

Eating my cereal, beans, peas, carrots, some fruit, bread, and some "Mum Mums" (rice snacks!) and ham!












and beginning to stand up and walk around the living room using the couches and coffee table as his "assistant" (when mommy and daddy are not available). And just in time for the Christmas tree and decorations to go up... how exciting!

Grey Cup Champions 2008

Enjoyed watching the Grey Cup last night at Bethel's "tailgate" party. Unfortunately most of my close football-watching friends live in Calgary... and thus they were probably enjoying the game even moreso! Very glad that the Stampeders are the 2008 Grey Cup Champions.

Henry Burris has had his critics, and with good reason, and yet it was nice to see him lead the team, not be the quarterback who threw two bad interceptions, and be the MVP. Happy Hank was wearing his great smile after the game and with good reason. Though it was surprising that the Als QB Anthony Calvillo had two bad interceptions... "bad" being defined as a bad decision (the pass where he was under so much pressure and just threw it right into Stampeder coverage) and a bad quality throw (Calvillo throwing the ball over the receiver's wrong shoulder in the end zone). Also nice to see the always-clutch kicker, Sandro DeAngelis, kick amazingly well. Oh yeah, and Mike Labinjo was awesome on defence. I counted three knockdowns, one sack and at least 2-3 tackles. As much as I like the energy and emotion of DeAngelis... the fistpumps when he gets a big FG are great... I think Labinjo could have been awarded Top Canadian (though its hard to argue with five FG's). Oh yeah, and since the Stamps got shut out of the individual awards... and probably rightly so... it was good to see the best team win.

Oh and you gotta love that we have both an MVP award for the game and a Most Outstanding Canadian award! (that was fun to explain to my wife why they have that award). Oh yes, and I am a proud fan of the Canadian Football League and am glad to see the league doing well! And credit to the city of Montreal for a great crowd, packing over 66,000 fans into Olympic Stadium.

Links Regarding the US Election

A leader always says "Thank You" so I thought it would be important to post up the text of Senator John McCain and President-Elect Barack Obama's speeches from Tuesday night.

And though I am again thankful I did not get to vote in the election south of the border, as an evangelical Christian, I've seen a few good/thoughtful blog postings since the election that I thought I should share:

• Daddy, is that the bad man?
• Jesus for President? (note, the other political blogs on this site our not as balanced in my opinion, though this post-election posting seems a good reminder)
• God and the Election by David Barshinger

May we as Christ-followers be wise and biblical in our view of world affairs and the individuals involved. And on this Remembrance Day Weekend in Canada, may we be grateful for the sacrifice paid by past and present Canadian Forces personnel that enables us to have the freedom to live peace-ably and worship God freely in our country.

Book Review - me, myself and I AM

An intriguing title to this book... though unfortunately my fascination with the concepts I thought could/would be presented in this book was met with (mostly) disappointment. The "authors" of the book, Matthew Peters & Elisa Stanford, have a nice little intro to the book... but after this prologue it is simply a fill-in-the-blank book. There is no description, teaching, encouragement, challenge... it is simply like a fill-in-the-blank "devotional" asking the writer to jot down their personal feelings and thoughts on a range of self-identity areas.

I could see the book being quite beneficial for a youth leader to get a discussion started. Certainly some of the topics and fill-in-the-blank areas are creative. For example, one page (19) asks the reader to choose "the fictional character(s) that fit my image of God when I was growing up:" and then lists various options such as The Abominable Snowman, Aslan from the Chronicles of Narnia, The Big Bad Wolf, and others. Another page (37) gives statements about "I have doubted that..." and then lists different beliefs. Both lists, as with many other fill-in-the-blanks pages of the book would be great discussion starters for talks about the character of God, what does it mean to doubt? or what to do when doubts arise? However, the purpose of the book seems to be more of a devotional guide or personal self-exploration tool, rather than providing any actual teaching, correcting, reproof or instruction on these questions. The book may indeed "help you tell the very personal story of you and God"... but it presumes that individuals have a well-informed and correct view of God and the critical thinking skills necessary to self-critique when a view does not truly match the character of God as revealed in His Word.

Again, as a discussion starter, the book could be useful... though my MAJOR concern with me, myself & I AM is that is intends to be a stand-alone; a description of your personal journey that you reflect on with no tools for assessment or correction of an ignornant viewpoint of life, God, or other events, personal or global. Furthermore, the personality of the people drawn to this type of fill-in-the-blank reflection are often the kind of people who would benefit from sharing their journey with other individuals, not simply pondering and writing in isolation.

I believe it is the responsibility of any communicator (teacher, preacher, writer, etc) to only "open" those cans of worms that s/he is willing to deal with or provide the resources to deal with. To me, this book potentially "opens many cans of worms" and provides neither the teaching nor the resources to deal with the issues. Irresponsible? I believe so. Dangerous? Potentially explosive. Thus, I cannot recommend this book as anything more than a discussion starter.

A Couple Caleb Videos

Just a couple more pictures of our smiling and growing boy Caleb!

Reflections on another Weekend

1) The four female friends from the PHS class of 96 - my wife Sarah, my sister Ruth, and Andrea P and Lois P - and their respective families got together in Edmonton over the weekend and we had a nice time together. My sister Ruth and her husband Nathan graciously hosted all of us - eight adults plus six children under age 5. Among various other thoughts going through my head, I again am more convinced than ever that the LORD kept the most fabulous one of the four for me... to be/come my wife!... actually the most fabulous woman in the whole-wide-world!

2) I don't know what tonight's episode of "House, MD" will be like... the last two have been deeply challenging. "Birthmarks" (episode 504) really made one think about the impact of a father's life on a son, specifically how one lives his life among his peers, both superiors and subordinates at work, and how that same "issue" appears in home relationships. Last Tuesday's episode (Lucky Thirteen, episode 505) dealt with the issue of how does someone choose to live when you know life is terminal. Of course, I've thought about that issue much in my life... and pretty much always presumed I was living on "borrowed time" so make the most of it. Of course, the reality is that we are all going to die, some medical conditions and diagnosis just happen to give a more specific range of date than most of us want to know.

3) Sarah and I watched "The Tonight Show" with Jay Leno tonight including the interview with Michelle Obama. Both Barack and Michelle strike me as truly real, genuine, people. While I realize that there will need to be some "distance" officially if he is elected as President of the USA next Tuesday and Michelle becomes the first lady, I really do sense that they are down-to-earth people. Frankly, I don't get that feel from Sarah Palin or from John McCain's wife, though I do think John McCain is a pretty straightforward guy. It will be interesting to see what happens next week in the US election.

4) Just a few miscellaneous "funny/strange" things happening across the sidewalk that give me cause to laugh fairly regularly. Ask me in person and I'll tell you about them!

5) Just came across a nice short article on Leading in a Climate of Fear, especially relating to the current financial crisis. It comes from John Maxwell's INJOY leadership group (though the article is not written by him).

Miscellaneous thoughts

Just some miscellaneous thoughts to blog about on a Friday...
1) I can't wait til our dear boy, Caleb, sleeps through the night! He is a precious little fella and always so smiley... and yet I wonder how much longer Sarah and I can continue with no more than 3-4 hours stretches of sleep at a time. I thank the Lord (but not enough) for my amazing wife!

2) I'm glad for the election results here in Canada... though as I suspected, it didn't actually accomplish much. The Conservative party still has a minority government - though they have a few more seats - and the Liberal party has proof that not too many people are willing to follow their leader. The Green party... for all their hullabaloo... got about the same percent of the popular vote (almost 7% this time) and yet still did not win one seat in parliament. And the Bloc Quebecois and NDP will continually battle for third place... though admittedly Jack Layton does have a bit of "pizzazz" to him, though he's not particularly astute.

3) Major League Baseball must be trying to hide their disappointment that the World Series is not Boston vs LA Dodgers - that would have been a boon for the tv ratings with two "big market" teams... as well as the fun of watching Man-Ram try to beat his old teammates while still being paid however-many-million-dollars by the Red Sox. Tampa Bay vs Philadelphia should be a decent series but it sure doesn't have the glamour of LA-Boston. Gotta appreciate the manager of Tampa Bay who seems so mellow and patient and "grandfatherly" with such a young group of players, who until this year were pathetic on the field. And I was glad to see Canadian Matt Stairs hit the big pinch hit two-run homer in game 3 to give the Phillies the victory... after he was the odd man out late in the year in the BlueJays scheme.

OOPS... perhaps I blogged too soon. When I went to bed last night it was 7-0 Tampa Bay in the seventh inning so I just presumed they finished off the Red Sox. I just checked MLB.com and realized that Boston pulled off one of the great comebacks in post-season history, winning 8-7 with a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth inning. So... if TBay wins one of the next two games...

Early October pictures in Three Hills

Caleb is sitting up on his own!

These pictures are taken in our backyard in Three Hills on Caleb's seven month birthday!

Pictures of Sarah and Caleb's trip to Iowa

Sarah and Caleb with great-grandma Hunt!











Sarah and Caleb in the "cornfields of Iowa."

Happy Thanksgiving!

So much to be thankful as we move into Thanksgiving weekend. Here's just a few of the many blessings our God has poured out on me...

1. Salvation through Jesus Christ.
2. Amazing, beautiful wife, Sarah.
3. Our precious, handsome, growing son, Caleb.
4. Incredible families... who love us, support us, pray for us, etc? Probably the "stressful" choice these week with our families will be do we have a thanksgiving dinner at Hunts on Sunday and then one at Ibbotsons on Monday? or vice versa?
5. A warm house in our cool Canadian winter (which will soon be here) and an even more wonderful home filled with love and joy and grace. (mostly thanks to Sarah!)
6. Food and clothes... and plenty of them!
7. Our country of Canada
8. Work which allows me to use my gifts (teaching, administration & leadership especially) to honour and glorify God and see young people grow in the Lord Jesus Christ.
9. And incredible people to support and work with here at Prairie Christian Academy!
10. Our church community at the Prairie Tabernacle... a group of people that bless us and, we trust, we bless them also!
And so many more blessings too numerous to count! Thank You, Lord.

Interesting Website

Came across the following website that presents some very interesting food for thought. The site is maintained by Dr. Douglas Kmeic (a law professor) and suggests that though although US presidential candidate Barack Obama has stated that he is "pro-choice," his policies are more likely than those of John McCain to actually reduce the number of abortions in America.


I've been thinking about how our Christian community can encourage and support those women who make the good and right choice to not have an abortion but rather choose life in less-than-ideal circumstances and either raise the child or give him/her up for adoption.


On a tangential note, today is Caleb's seven month birthday! WOW! What a precious gift from God he is to us. We are going to have a "baby dedication" this Sunday, October 12, Lord willing, with the Prairie Tabernacle Congregation. Hopefully I'll post up a couple new pictures soon!

Books Books and more Books!

If one of the keys to continual growth as a leader is to be a regular reader, than I should be progressing well in the next few months. Yesterday, I received two emails inviting me to be part of a blog tour and thus will review two books upon their arrival. Later, I checked the mail and a parcel arrived from Amazon.ca with a pile of books. One is a new book by Stephen Altrogge titled Game Day for the Glory of God - a book that talks about two of my favorite topics: sports and theology. I'm especially hoping our PCA students will find this book valuable as they wrestle with what it means to live as a follower of Christ and be an intense, competitive athlete. Also, a grade 12 student here at PCA took it upon himself to lead a Bible study using Rick Warren's book The Purpose Driven Life. I think it is so great for high school guys to think about the topics in that book now (rather than when they get to a mid-life crisis!). Today, the Three Hills Ministerial had our monthly meeting with a special guest, Bruxy Cavy from the Meeting Place in Toronto. A copy of his book, The End of Religion, was given to each local church (and to me as the PCA representative) by the president of PBI, Dr Jon Ohlhauser, as Bruxy is here to speak at their Christian Life Week. Hopefully I will post some book reviews on each of these titles in the near future.

Analogy Humour

A couple of sites exploring the importance of a good analogy in communication... or in this case, how funny a poorly written analogy can be! (I found myself laughing a bit too hard on these on a Friday morning!)


Ben Witherington III's blog - a great NT scholar with a great sense of humour also! (may have to scroll past a few recent posts to the Sept 16 news)


The 2008 Bullwer-Lytton Fiction awards

Just a few thoughts

Just a few thoughts in various areas of life in the past few days that I thought I should blog about...

1) Excited because tonight is the season premiere of House, MD... a great medical show and a great human relationships show (and regularly a great theological show too!). Also excited for the upcoming season premiere's next week of Survivor Gabon, Amazing Race, and the final season of ER (though it has been dying steadily for the last five years.)

2) Sorry to hear that well-known Christian musician Ray Boltz has made significantly poor life choices recently and seems to be choosing to walk a path opposite to God's way (ie. divorcing his wife, arguing for a lifestyle that is biblically unacceptable, etc.) Was not a big fan in any way, though did think of couple of his more well-known songs were excellent (eg. "Thank You for giving to the Lord" and "I Pledge Allegiance to the Lamb"). I would personally like to know a little more about his growing up years (pre-18) than just the "Christian music singer" era of his life.

3) Financial Crisis - I guess you do eventually have to pay your loans and credit cards back... and as this reality hits people, banks and creditors, its making a mess of the US financial system. You mean there's wisdom in living within your means and not having loans and credit cards "maxed out"? Seriously, I'm thanking the Lord that both Sarah and I were trained that debt... whether for school or life... must only be temporary and that one debt should be paid off before any more is taken on and that you can't always get what you want, when you want it.

4) Canadian election - Despite some week one blunders, Stephen Harper and the Conservative party continue to do okay... admittedly they have no competition. The worse the economy south of the border gets, the more obvious it is that if anyone is "running" Canada, I want it to be someone with a brain like Harper, not dear Jack Layton or continuingly pathetic Stephane Dion. I can't believe Layton came to Alberta last week and promoted the "we're going to put a stop to oil sands development until its enviro-friendly" message. Does he really think that's going to sell? No independent, red-neck Albertan is going to listen to that... even if it is true! And Dion seems to not be letting the "Green Shift Plan" and the Carbon tax die... he keeps promoting it... probably until the Liberals have about as many seats in the House of Parliament as the Green Party at the rate he's going. Maybe that's what the "Green Shift Plan" is all about?

A Church on "The Hill"

An interesting article from Leadership Journal by pastor Mark Batterson of NCC in Washington, DC.

Also I'm disappointed that we as Canadians will now also be voting in a national election on Tuesday, October 14. I'm not disappointed in the current governing party, the Conservatives, or their leader, Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Rather I'm just disappointed we are going to have another election that I suspect is not actually going to change much... still probably a conservative minority government again.

Six Months Old... time for other food!

Here's some pictures of our son, Caleb, enjoying his first food (beyond mommy's milk)... some rice mix cereal!

As you can see, he learns quickly and now thinks he is ready to feed himself!

Camera-person comedy

Last night watching the Republican National Convention in St Paul, MN, there were a few camera-person bloopers that were just too funny.

1) Regular shot of the guy holding the "McCain Votes Against Vets" sign!
2) The camera shows a "Environmentalists for McCain" sign just as McCain talks about digging oil wells off Alaska (to make the USA less dependent on foreign oil).
3) Did we really need to see John McCain's 96-year old mother five or six times to remind us how old he is to be a presidential candidate? (though she looked very spry and active for 96!)

A couple other ironic camera shots that that I can't remember at the moment!

Posts about US VP Nominee Sarah Palin

A couple interesting posts about new Republican VP nominee Sarah Palin:

The Best Thing About Sarah Palin - a post by Andy Crouch that is esp challenging after yesterday when Sarah and I and Caleb met a couple at the SuperStore in Red Deer with a daughter who I would also guess has Down's syndrome.

Clashing Worldviews -a post from Chuck Swindoll

A tough decision

I am glad I am not an American and do not have to vote in November's election because it would be a very difficult choice. You see I watched Barack Obama's acceptance of the Democratic nomination last night and I think he is the better choice as Prez as compared to John McCain, the Republican nominee. Yet on issues of "faith and morality" I hold closer personally to John McCain's choices... but I think he/his party has pathetic, if any, answers to most of the issues concerning America today. Overall I think Obama would be a better leader for the nation... and exhibits many traits a good leader needs.

So here's why I liked Obama's speech and would vote for him...
1) Even though he disagrees, he did not rip John McCain's character or patriotism... he demonstrated what he would later talk about in terms of solving issues regardless of political lines. In fact, he even acknowledged it as something to be appreciated and respected.
2) He took on the issues head-on and/or dealt with them realistically - whether talking about the concerns about him (eg. too young, no experience, esp in foreign policy) or the challenges of the current economy, Obama was very specific and very issue oriented in dealing with the concerns.
3) He picked someone different than himself to be VP - Joe Biden is a wise choice as VP, I think, in that he is older, experienced, and yet still a democrat who will support Obama's enthusiasm and "do things different mindset" even within the framework of Washington and the political bureaucracy.
4) He didn't say that government would fix all the problems... but that the people had a responsibility to make changes themselves. He didn't say, though you could read between the lines, its not the govt's job to stop every person from maxing out their credit cards, and mortgages, and etc, etc. That's the responsibility of an individual/family to make wise choices.
5) His story is good... flat out good!!! Again he is a living example of the "promise" he is talking about.
6) I actually believe he loves his wife and two daughters.

Rick Warren had a forum at Saddleback Community Church last week for the two candidates which from what I've heard reported was very well done - civil yet asking the real tough questions. The next day (Sunday August 21) he preached a sermon on what three qualities to look for in a leader... being very careful not to say he endorsed either candidate. Again, very wise! The three items Warren identified were integrity, humility, and generosity. And the last reason (at least at this posting) why I would probably vote for Barack Obama is

7) He demonstrates integrity, humility and generosity. I don't like that he is not opposed to same-sex marriage, but I do like that he admits such and I think his words last night about treating all people with respect was something many evangelicals need to hear. Ditto for the abortion issue. The other two qualities, humility and generosity also came out very clearly in his life story and speech.

ADDENDUM OF September 2 - First again let me emphasize that I canNOT vote in the upcoming election as I am a "proud" Canadian citizen... and I am very glad to not be able to
vote in November because it would be a VERY difficult choice. The posting above is not meant to be an endorsement of Barack Obama... though I can certainly understand if it is/has been taken that way. My regrets!

Additionally, I do plan to post at the end of this week on the Republican National Convention and my perspectives on John McCain and his new VP choice, Alaska governor Sarah Palin.

Finally, yes I have read the reports that McCain answered Rick Warren's questions well and honestly while Obama was "evasive" and beat-around-the-bush (bad puns ready, anyone?) on a variety of questions. This is NOT integrity... and I think he was more direct in his acceptance of the Democratic party's nomination in Denver partially in light of that critique.

Book Review - Wild Goose Chase

A very worthwhile read that is well-written and actually fun to read! With an interesting look at the stories of Nehemiah, Moses, Abraham, Peter, Paul and Jonathan, Pastor Mark Batterson presents clearly six cages that could be keeping us as believers from following the leading of the Holy Spirit.

He probably uses a few too many cliches... but then again, they are used so cleverly and composed so carefully, that one is really struck by the conversational yet convicting word-smithing of this author. Now that I've read this book, I want to go back and read his other book, In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day. I may use this book with high school guys for a Bible study though I think it would also be useful for college & career age crowd!

Updated pictures of Caleb

Just thought I'd post up a few pictures of our wonderful son, Caleb... esp since some family members are probably missing seeing him...

First Year college student Mindset list

The annual "First year college student's mindset list" put out by Beloit College is now available. Personally, I found this year's list to be fairly drab with not as many interesting or surprising ideas... Now I just have to figure out if that's because I'm so in touch with young people... or if I'm so old that I can't even connect with the new jokes anymore?

Book Review forthcoming

I am still waiting to receive a copy of pastor Mark Batterson's book, Wild Goose Chase which is set for release tomorrow. Check back to this blog for the review in a few days...

Here's some initial info from the publisher:

Most of us have no idea where we’re going most of the time. Perfect. “Celtic Christians had a name for the Holy Spirit–An Geadh-Glas, or ‘the Wild Goose.’ The name hints at mystery. Much like a wild goose, the Spirit of God cannot be tracked or tamed. An element of danger, an air of unpredictability surround Him. And while the name may sound a little sacrilegious, I cannot think of a better description of what it’s like to follow the Spirit through life. I think the Celtic Christians were on to something….Most of us will have no idea where we are going most of the time. And I know that is unsettling. But circumstantial uncertainty also goes by another name: Adventure.” --from the introduction.

Author Bio:
Mark Batterson is the lead pastor of Washington , DC ’s National Community Church , widely recognized as one of America ’s most innovative churches. NCC meets in movie theaters at metro stops throughout the city, as well as in a church-owned coffee house near Union Station. More than seventy percent of NCC’ers are single twentysomethings who live or work on Capitol Hill. Mark is the author of the best-selling In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day and a widely read blogger (www.markbatterson.com). He lives on Capitol Hill with his wife, Lora, and their three children.

What I'm reading

As one might expect, the summer months are a little slower for those involved in education (whether K-12 or post-secondary) and a good chance to do some reading. So, here's a few books I am/have been reading...


Alexander Strauch, Leading with Love (Littleton, CO: Lewis & Roth Publishing, 2006) - Our elders board worked through Strauch's book on biblical eldership a couple years ago and so when I saw this title by Strauch I thought it might be worth reading. And it was... very challenging, and of course biblical. Strauch seems to have a way of presenting very direct and pointed personal challenges in a way that is tender and pastoral. A good read!


Rowland Forman, Jeff Jones & Bruce Miller, The Leadership Baton (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2004) - I am not quite finished this book, though I'm about 80% through it. Again, nothing particularly new yet a good reminder of the importance of being intentional in passing on leadership to others. Also very practical!


Wess Stafford, Too Small to Ignore (Colorado Springs, CO: Waterbrook Press, 2005) - I heard about this book from my mother-in-law and I'm about 80% of the way through this book also. Incredibly well-written and very challenging. Also some great challenges for church leaders and/or those involved in education of elementary and secondary school students! Also this book is not without mention of the difficulties the author experienced during his growing up years as an MK in a boarding school in West Africa... and reading of this and doing some further online tracking has raised a couple other interesting leadership questions in my heart and mind.

Looking forward to reading and reviewing Mark Batterson's newest book, Wild Goose Chase for this blog in the days to come. Stay tuned...

A couple pictures of Caleb

Its been a while since I posted up some updated pictures of our son, Caleb, and so I thought I'd better do so...

This is a picture from Friday, August 8, Caleb's five month birthday!

The second picture was taken on Sunday, August 10, as Caleb and his friend Milo Dalghetty (born May 9) play together. We expect Caleb and Milo and a few other friends (eg. Levi Ewert, Aaron Kirk, Theo Creasser) will have lots of fun stories to tell of the interesting things they explore together as they grow up!

Leadership means thinking ahead

With CBC news broadcasting live from Beijing, we've been trying to watch the news the last few nights as they've had some interesting stories on various topics about life in China as well as other national and international news. Particularly neat last night was the story on Canada's Men's Field Hockey team...a tribute to Canada's multi-culturalism!

However, in terms of leadership, there were a couple stories that to me just screamed "Think ahead." By the way, these items were not connected or in sequence in CBC's reporting:

1) A feature on life in China that looked at the results of the "one child only policy" and the strong preference for male children... and corresponding disdain, to put it politely, for girls. Apparently this has created a "demographic nightmare" as there are way too many single men now and no women for them to marry. NO kidding!
By the way, the same is true in India where my wife Sarah formerly lived and worked.

2) Apparently the issue of when to begin French Immersion for children in New Brunswick has been a controversial issue over the past year and yesterday the gov't decided they would change their decision from last year and allow students to either begin in grade 3 or grade 6. As a sort of "sidenote," they report also mentioned that NB is quite concerned because their students score fairly low in comparison to the rest of the country in national achievement tests.
HELLO! If you already score low in national achievement tests, would introducing a second language at grade 3 or grade 6 - where students across the country take the wonderful "Canadian Tests of Basic Skills" in those grades - really be a wise solution?

Those two examples cause me to wonder are there no leaders who think ahead even a few months, never mind a few years? Then again, before laughing at the silly and obvious "plank" in someone else's sight, perhaps I need to look again at my own life, school and policies and see if there are any "specs of dust" where I am not seeing the future implications!

Leadership Lessons from Cirque du Soleil

Last night, Sarah and I and Caleb had the privilege of attending Cirque du Soleil's opening night performance of "Corteo" in Calgary. Thanks to the generosity of Sarah's parents who bought the tickets, Mom & Dad Hunt, Sarah and myself, Cameron & Beckie and Jon & Kim took up one row of the show. Lois, we did miss you! And Mom & Dad Ibbotson will be very glad to know that someone else succeeded into getting some "arts and culture" into their son. It was an interesting performance and thought I'd share some initial "leadership observations" about the evening.

1) Trust - all sorts of easy examples of the need for trust in your teammate in a production/performance like this. Yes, they are professionals and yes, they practice a lot, and have all the necessary safety precautions, but still... you've gotta trust the people catching you or guiding you or... in order for the show to go on. A pretty basic (and obvious) leadership concept: If you don't trust your teammates in an organization, you really don't have anything to build on.

2) Practice - again, pretty obvious and basic to a performance of this caliber, the participants have practiced their individual skills over and over and over again and then practiced repeatedly the various sections of the program as they work together.

In terms of leadership, if you are going to be excellent, you have to practice some skills (and talents) over and over and over for them to develop well... and some of those activities/skills are pretty mundane at times. Similarly, experience is important in leadership... its not the greatest necessity, but its important because it shows a track record of faithful performance... something that it is vital for leadership.

3) "Don't judge a book by its cover" - I suspect that some of the men who went into "dancing" classes got a few jabs from their macho friends... but there was nothing un-manly about the men who were swinging, jumping, lifting, catching and throwing the women artists last night. They were pretty good physical specimens, even if they were short in stature. Likewise, a couple of the "short people" (politically incorrect=midgets) who were likely considered "handicapped" played a significant and entertaining role in the production also! And I would imagine that they are compensated decently for the unique contribution they can bring to such a production.

4) Live like you may attend your own funeral - "Corteo" was the story of a clown/circus performer and dreams that he is attending his own funeral... and he reminisces about all the excitement in his life and all the people he has met. In graduate school, one of my classes with Dr Char Bates included the assignment of writing your own obituary. A great assignment and really makes one focus on what s/he values and what s/he wants to be remembered for. It also gives a person a good focus when little details in daily life seem so onerous or frustrating.

Pilgrimage to Understanding

Through writing for ChristianWeek once in a while, I've gotten to know Doug Koop (editor). His recent trip to Ethiopia and the Holy Land is documented on this blog and is most interesting and challenging.

Loving Christ While I Cheer for the Yankees

No, I'm not a Yankees fun... when it comes to baseball I'm a Toronto Blue Jays fan. Nonetheless, I came across this article by Dr Peter Enns (formerly of Westminster Theological Seminary) and am so impressed! Share the link with the sports fan in your life!

Back from Vacation

The three Ibbotson's have returned to Three Hills after our summer vacation - and we are very glad to be back home again! We had a very blessed three weeks away from our wonderful small town and saw many family and friends! Lord willing, I'll get an e-news-letter out by the end of the week highlighting the latest happenings in our lives.

Congratulations PCA Graduates

Today is the Prairie Christian Academy graduation at 2:00 pm in the Rick Down Athletic Centre. A nice evening last night at the Jr/Sr Graduation Banquet and I extend by congrats and best wishes for God's continued blessing on each graduate today!

One of the songs played last night as part of the multimedia presentation showed the graduands as infants/children and the lyrics of the song had something to do with the fact that "yesterday you were just a baby and today you are graduating." Our dear little Caleb continues to be such a special gift from the Lord... and so cute and smiley and adorable... its hard to imagine him graduating from high school. Then again, one of the servers from the grade 10 class last night was none other than my nephew, Trevor... and I really can remember when he was just as small and adorable as Caleb.

After the exciting events of the end of the week, it will be nice to have a restful weekend... and to Celebrate Canada Day! We are so privilege to live in this country and have access to such great medical care, education, riches beyond anything we deserve. Another boatload of things to thank God for! And then our little family of three is off on vacation... in our nice "new" car... not really that new by most standards, but compared to a 95 Geo or a 90 Topaz, its a big upgrade! Lord willing, we'll be traveling to Cranbrook, BC, then Spokane, Washington, then back through Vernon on the way to Vancouver.

So as a school year draws to a close, thank you Lord for all your gracious blessings!

Nothing is Impossible

In the Sing His Praise hymnbook (copyright Prairie Bible Institute 1982), #99 is the song “Nothing is Impossible.” Yesterday, as our dear son Caleb was 99 days old (14 weeks & 7 = 98 days + 1 = 99) and we had the privilege of celebrating our first Father’s day with me as the dad, that phrase summarizes my reflection on the past three Father’s days.

On Father’s Day 2006, we celebrated with my mom & dad, Amanda, my sister Ruth, and Paul & Ruth and their children at P&R’s place with a bbq after church on Sunday morning. As we were leaving church, I saw Sarah three times and just couldn’t get up the nerve to invite her to our family’s Father’s Day celebration, even though I knew her parents were away for the weekend in Vernon, BC celebrating Father’s Day with her grandfather. Yet when I got to Paul & Ruth’s place, Ruth (my sister) said, “Oh I want to see Sarah’s new place before I head back to Edmonton today.” To make a really long sequence of events shorter, I told her I knew Sarah was at home by herself… I explained that a group of us singles had all been watching the Oilers Stanley Cup run together and that’s how I knew Sarah’s plans… and so my sister invited her to come join us for lunch and then went and saw Sarah’s new mobile home later in the afternoon. Just three days later we started dating… and of course in between those three days, mom Ibbotson’s suspicions were quickly building that “something was happening.”

Last year on Father’s Day (2007) we spent the day at the Taj Mahal in Agra, India. We caught the train at 6:00 am from Delhi and arrived back at the Guest House we were staying in just before midnight. It was an incredible day and one of many highlights of our trip to India as part of our “honeymoon, part 2.” I remember suddenly realizing on the train ride back to Delhi… which seemed to take lot longer than the train ride in the morning out to Agra… how we had spent the previous year’s Father’s Day!

Yesterday, was my first Father's Day as a dad and we were here in Three Hills… with our dear son, Caleb John Ibbotson, who is 99 days old. Who could have imagined not only that the Lord would bless me with such an incredible wife who is beautiful beyond description, and then also bless us so quickly with such a precious, handsome, growing boy.

Truly, nothing is impossible when you put your trust in God!

PM Harper's Apology to Aboriginal People

The "reaction" and "political pundits" reports are not yet heard, but I believe Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper has given an excellent apology to the Aboriginal People (First Nations, Metis & Inuit) of Canada for the wrongs done to them. It is always a proud day to be a Canadian... yet today is extra special. I also think Stephane Dion and Jack Layton's responses were also strong.

Unlike many "apologies," Harper took responsibility, said explicitly that many things were wrong, said they were sorry, and asked forgiveness. I am very thankful as a Canadian that the government's apology was not like the many listed in the book My Bad by Paul Slansky and Arleen Sorkin (New York: Bloomsbury, 2006).

HNIC Theme Song

In terms of life and leadership, most people would not call me a "traditionalist." I actually like to lead change and don't mind disturbing people.

But for CBC to come out and suggest that they may not renew the contract for the Hockey Night in Canada theme song, why that is simply... silly, insane, ludicrous, sacrilegious. There's some traditions you don't mess with! And Canada's second national anthem is one of them.

PS And I bet that TSN "steals" the song asap!

Leadership Reflections on Stephen Harper

I think there's a lot to be learned this week from some of the recent happenings among Canada's Conservative party minority government and Prime Minister Stephen Harper. BTW, I am generally supportive of the Conservative party and PM Harper. I don't claim to be a political analyst... but here's my observations...


1) Balance newcomers and experience - Just like in sports, if you have a lineup full of rookies... no matter how talented they are, once you are in the big leagues, you are gonna make some pretty horrible rookie mistakes and the old pro's are gonna make you look pretty silly. For so long the Conservative party has been the opposition... the "easy" role... but now that they are the party in power, they suddenly look pretty "dumb" themselves. It seems its not so much stupidity or lack of character/honesty, as much as it is not understanding how being "the one" under the microscope 24/7 in everything makes things different.


Obviously former Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier made some mistakes... but this is not the only "how stupid can you be?" activity that has happened amongst Harper cabinet ministers or senior staff. Yesterday there was also a press secretary who reportedly spoke to quickly about the PM's conversation with the Italian PM in regards to the caveats in their involvement with NATO in Afghanistan... and then had to retract the "private conversation report" to the media. And there were previous blunders in the past months that one knows are simply "rookie mistakes."


Its an especially tough challenge for Harper to surround himself with a mix of "experienced" personnel because the Conservative party has been out of power for so long. But to have so many rookie mistakes... and at a time when you are trying to prove your capability to lead so that they can hopefully get a majority gov't in a future election...yikes!


On Sunday May 25, CBC analysts brought out the next two "critiques" (not that I very often find CBC analysts to be very insightful but... they were on these two points)

2) Balance "political astuteness" with talent - the CBC analysts pointed out that in trying to make sure that there was a cabinet member, esp with a significant portfolio, from key areas where the Conservative gov't has lacked support... namely Quebec and Ontario... Harper appointed people to key cabinet posts that had average "talent." He could have appointed a number of Western Canadian MPs to key posts... people Harper probably knew more closely and were more aligned with his perspectives and were more familiar with working with him... and yet this was deemed to be a poor and unwise choice politically. However, in appointing ministers based on geographic/regional alignment, some suggest Harper has not appointed the most talented MPs and thus, in a way, he has created some of these nightmares for himself. The CBC analysts also mentioned the lack of women in significant cabinet posts.

In an era when political correctness seems at times to be the decisive factor in decisions, it was interesting to hear a negative critique of this strategic manuevering. Personally, I believe it is vitally important for a government or any organization to have diversity (of gender, race, and geographic background) on a leadership team. One must be very intentional in order to accomplish this and most of our North American "selection" systems work against us bringing diverse people into our organizations. Yet at the same time, the Harper governments experiences remind us that diversity is not and should not be an antonym for "quality." If you have a choice in an organization to select an excellent person or a good person, you choose the excellent individual. And if you have the choice between an excellent man and an excellent woman or an excellent Caucasian and an excellent First Nations person, select the excellent person that gives your organization diversity.

3) Balance "organizational mission" with individuality - Harper has been fairly consistently criticized for his centralization of power... and yet he does not strike me as a power-hungry man. The negative view of this is that "everyone has to tow the party line." Or to put it positively, the government wants to communicate one, consistent message. In leadership language, we want to focus on the mission or "speak with one voice." Yet rightly or wrongly, when an organization tries to centralize the message too much, it comes out as one power-hungry, controlling individual and a bunch of his/her little robots or "yes people." While being mission focused is important, it should never be so important that people lose their individuality or that a person feels or is treated as insignificant.

Some new pics of Caleb

Just posting some new pictures of Caleb on the blog. As you can see he was quite happy yesterday in his Calgary Flames outfit... though I must confess that making him wait a few minutes while we took these pictures and before he had his bath and then ate his bedtime snack resulted in him sharing his dissatisfaction and impatience with daddy for a few (loud) moments... but then mommy came and made everything all right.

Caleb will be celebrating 12 weeks out in this world on Saturday and he is growing steadily, thank the Lord. The last few nights he has been sleeping fairly well (6-7 hours) and has been awake, lying calmly in his crib, when his daddy wakes up. It is so amazing just to see him so alert in the morning and to visit with him... and it is actually "difficult" to pull myself away from just admiring him and head to the office. Oh Lord, why have you have been soooo good to us to entrust us with this precious bundle of joy who is so sweet, strong, healthy, and adored. Oh thank you!

Mother's Day

A family picture on Mother's Day!









Caleb "wrote" the following message for his mommy on the message board on our refrigerator:

Happy Mother's Day!

Some moms are Smart,
some moms are Attractive,
some moms are Responsible,
some moms are Articulate, and
some moms are Holy.
My mommy is all of these!
I love you! Caleb xo xo xo

Sunday night (Mother's Day) was also the season finale of "Survivor Micronesia: Fans vs Favorites" and so while enjoying our traditional Survivor potluck celebration, we also got a picture of Caleb (right) with his friend Levi (Ewert).

Book Review - Tough Choices by Carly Fiorina

In watching Bill Hybels interview with Carly Fiorina at the 2007 Leadership Summit, I learned that Pastor Hybels was so impressed with this book that he purchased it for all his staff and made it required reading. While I appreciate Bill Hybel's perspective and the interview at the Leadership Summit, I can't say I found the book to be so amazing that I would make it required reading. I've read lots of good books on leadership... and a few that were not so good... and this memoir is somewhere in the middle... a good book with some challenging perspectives on leadership.. but not a great book, or even a very good book.

A couple of the highlights for me were:
*In chapter 18 there's a great section on how "the HP way had been corrupted in some important aspects. Respect for the Individual had come to mean being courteous and noncombative even when candid, serious disagreement and debate was what the business really required." The bottom line - people did not confront issues!
*Chapter 24 " Big Ideas and Small Details" - a good reminder that while a leader needs to be big picture person, there are some small details that simply cannot be missed or it can be catastrophic for a leader/organization.

Caleb is two months old

Caleb's proud daddy wanted to post a few new pictures today anyway...

And then Caleb got a special present from his Auntie Lois in the Philippines!

Beyond All One could ask or imagine

I'm sure I've mentioned this Scripture verse a couple times, but it is must be mentioned again today. Ephesians 3:20-21 says, "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."

As Sarah and I celebrate our one year wedding anniversary today, this verse summarizes my/our life so perfectly. First, all glory goes to God! He is the one that has done incredible and amazing things for us, in us, and (we trust) through us. Second, this past year has been "immeasurably more than all we could ask or imagine." From our wedding day where God seemed to oversee every detail and made the day go so smoothly, to the overwhelmingly generous outpouring of wedding gifts, to our trip to India, and then the blessing of being able to get pregnant so quickly, and to have our precious little boy Caleb arrive on March 8, and now again to continue to be showered with gifts and so many expressions of kindness and love with our son... Thirdly, it is clearly HIS power that is at work in our lives, in our marriage, in our family, and in our activities/work.

Yesterday, our dear friend Pastor Tim continued the series on "God, Money and You" and the message was "How Much is Enough?" Along with being another excellent message, our friend Peter Mal and the music team led in some great songs that tied in with the message. The Chris Tomlin song, "Enough," is one I sang many times over the past five years, sometimes hoping it would be true in my life, even though I didn't feel like it was... thinking, Lord, I so much want a wife and yet I want You to be more than enough. And now to be on the "other side" of the fence, not longing particularly for someone or something, but realizing how incredibly God has blessed me, not just with an amazing wife but also with a healthy, growing, handsome son, I hope that Christ is still the One I look to as "enough." Another song was "I'd Rather Have Jesus than anything..." and I hope that is/will be true of my life, not just in the cumulative/retrospective sense but in the daily living of being a man, husband, father, employee, church elder, friend, etc.

Oh yeah, and how does this apply to leadership? I believe it was Max DePree who said, the last job of a leader is to say "Thank You." And so as I reflect on one year of marriage to the MBWA (most beautiful woman around), I can only say thank you to God for his incredible grace to me.

One last thought: Caleb has a busy week since it is Mom & Dad Anniversary today, then on Thursday he turns two months old, and then on Sunday it is Mother's Day... and he wants to make sure to get something really special for the most amazing mommy in the world! Any ideas?

Leadership Reflections from Round 1 of the NHL Playoffs

The first round of the NHL playoffs are now over and my predictions were not too badly off... I picked Montreal over Boston in seven games (right on!) and Philadelphia over Washington, though it took them an extra game. I figured Sid the Kid and the Penguins would take out Ottawa... but not in four straight. WOW!!! The one East conf series I was really wrong on was NYR over NJ in five (I'd picked NJ in 7).

In the West, I was proud of my Flames for taking San Jose to seven games (I thought they'd be luck to win one game in the series), and I picked Detroit over Nashville (I said in 5, not 6) and Colorado over Minnesota in six (right on) but I never would have picked Dallas to destroy Anaheim as they did. So... here's some leadership "thoughts" emerging from round 1 of the NHL playoffs.


1) Leaders and Co-leaders - when the Flames fell behind 3-0 in the first four minutes of Game #3 against San Jose, Curtis Joseph replaced Miikka Kiprusoff in net and the Flames came back to win 4-3. The post-game interview with CuJo, Coach Mike Keenan's comments in the next few days as Kipper started game #4 and the team's response was such a great example of a team needing to have people who know their role, are ready to be the "backup," and still honour and appreciate the top guy. The same thing happened in the Detroit series where Chris Osgood came in net for the Red Wings in games 5 & 6 and won after Hasek was supposed to be the #1 guy!



2) Get Rid of Poison - as Don Cherry summarized so well last week, the Ottawa Senators either needed to get rid of Ray Emery (the goaltender who led them to the Stanley Cup Finals last year) or play him. You cannot have a "poison" in the dressing room just sitting there poubting. Yes, the Sens had some unfortunate injury problems at the end of the season but they looked like a peewee team (a really bad peewee team), not a team that were legitimate contenders most of the year. The Senators goaltender, Martin Gerber was not bad, but he certainly was not strong during the stretch run of the season or the playoffs, and to leave your backup goalie just sitting there as your team collapses doesn't send a message to the rest of the team... it sends you to the golf course!


3) Expecting Leadership? - I am still trying to grasp that Alexei Kovalev is wearing the "C" for the Montreal Canadiens... and that the people who assigned it to him are great former Canadiens captains like Bob Gainey (GM), Guy Carbonneau (coach), Doug Jarvis (ass't coach), etc. Admittedly, Saku Koivu's injury is more the reason someone else has to where the "C", but still... Alexei Kovalev? Kovalev has always been a flake, who dives when he gets hooked, who flops like a fish out of water, who goes 100% on random occasions, and who is generally a pretty selfish hockey player (eg. the retaliation slash in Game 2 against Boston was more the "real Kovalev"). And yet the Canadiens coaches, players and fans seem to love Kovalev and he seems to have responded to being asked to "step up and be a leader." Whatever speech Carbo gave to this guy should be recorded and published!

4) Changing of the Guard - Last year's Stanley Cup finalists, Ottawa and Anaheim, both had decent regular seasons but did not seem at all "hungry" some this year's playoffs and both Pittsburgh and Dallas were clearly deserving of advancing to the next round. Meanwhile, a guy who is normally an exceptional playoff performer, Martin Brodeur, was quite average and thus the Rangers took care of the Devils easily. Jose Theodore was superb for Colorado against Minnesota and Marty Turco (Dallas) and Carey Price (Montreal) seem to be ready to show their ability to lead their teams deep into the playoffs. You can't be "on top" forever and if you aren't ready to change with the next season of life, your leadership will end with a bitter taste.

A couple birthday pics

Just a couple pics for those family & friends who are too far away to see Caleb regularly.

The first picture was taken on April 3 as Caleb brought his mommy some daffodils for her birthday. The second picture is of Caleb on his one month birthday (April 8).