life changing reads

Have you ever read a book and knew you have to share it with the world because it was that good? This past week, I read two books which fit that scenario.




The first book was recommended to me by a couple of friends who basically told me that if I read one book this year, it should be "Three Cups of Tea". Check out the website. It is the true story of one man who decided to build a school for a small Pakistani village as a thank you to their hospitality in his time of need. That one school began a journey of building schools in the remote northern regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan. He works with the villages and finds their needs for schools but also mandates that girls must be allowed to attend as educating women will create long term prosperity for the village. It is a must read. If you buy the book from the web site, funds go into building more schools. It is inspiring that one man can truly make change in our world...and it poses the question of "how can I as one person change my world?"



The second book came from a chance encounter between me and the book while I was at the library last weekend. As some of you know, I have been struggling for a while about the way church is done and have been wrestling with what it means to be a Christian in my world. The book I read is called "A New Kind of Christian" by Brian MacLaren. For the past few years, the term post-modern has been part of my vocabulary but I didn't realize that my struggle with how to live my faith came from a conflict between my post-modern thinking and the very modern way I had been taught Christianity. While reading this book, I felt like I found a voice which articulated my questions. Although some of it made me slightly uncomfortable and I didn't agree with everything, I realized that it is important to question the whys of how I live out my faith in Jesus. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to share Jesus in a very real way to those in their life. It is not about the 4 steps to salvation but about dialogue, respect and allowing truth to bubble up to the surface through all the crap we put in its way.



I do want to emphasize that the title of this book is not "A NEW KIND OF CHRISTIANITY". I work with a guy who attends a legalistic church (although he wouldn't describe it as that). I mentioned this book to him and suggested he read it. He replied that he doesn't want to read anything about altering Christianity. I called him on that...it is not a new faith but a new way to live out our faith as a follower of Jesus in the post-modern society we live in. Sometimes I think people are scared to look at new ideas about faith because the way they have done things for their whole life is safe, secure and not subject to questions without answers.

so much information

Does anyone else feel like there is way too much information coming at us? I heard a couple of weeks ago that the amount of information in the world that is actually written down (not in our heads) doubles every 11 hours. How is one supposed to keep on top of trends and information?
I love information and facts and a lot of the things I know are rather pointless such as you can only fold a piece of paper in half a maximum of 7 times no matter how large or thin the paper is.

I digress...

It is at work that I feel overwhelmed by the amount of information to read, process, store and also have the ability to recall on a moment's notice when your manager asks about it. There needs to be a retention/recall strategy for my brain. I recently discovered I read fairly fast - approx. 527 words a minute with comprehension. I get the big picture of what I read but if someone is to ask me about the details, that is where my mind fails me.

I also heard that your inbox is a manifestation of your mind. If you were to see my work email, I would probably be committed to an institution. Thank goodness for a search function. Perhaps that is what my brain needs - a search mechanism. The required information is somewhere deep inside the mind.

Ironically, I do Sudoku and Crossword puzzles which are supposed to keep your mind sharp and memory good.

Ice Magic & Harmony & the number 101

ICE MAGIC My friend Holly and I spent yesterday in a winter wonderland up at Lake Louise for their annual Ice Magic festival. Ice carvers from around the world come up and create masterpieces out of blocks of ice. Here are a couple of examples ( although my photographs do not do them justice)




After a rather slow start to the morning, Holly and I spent our day wandering through the snow, "skating" on the lake and exploring the Chateau Lake Louise. There was so much snow - it was beautiful. In the afternoon, we met up with friends, Christine & Noel to watch a telling of the "Snow Queen" fairy tale through the words of a narrator and the music of a string quartet.
A perfect winter day!

HARMONY

As for the harmony part of my blog title, I wanted to share some questions/thoughts that are floating around in my mind regarding the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi "Lord, make me an instrument of your peace". I have been thinking about what peace actually means and whether it is one of those words where the definition relies on its context.

First, a thought.... In Psalm 133, there is a verse regarding peace - "how wonderful it is, how pleasant when brothers live together in harmony." I like the idea of harmony in the context of peace. In a song, not everyone is playing the same note or instrument but when all the notes and instruments come together, beautiful music is made. Sometimes we think peace requires an agreement on issues or ideas but perhaps it is taking our differences together with a willingness to work together that peace can happen.

Now for a question about peace...often peace comes after surrender. If I want peace for myself and the world, what would I be willing to surrender or give up for it?

101

As mentioned in a previous blog, I was contemplating creating a list outlining 101 things I wanted to accomplish in 1001 days. To see what I have decided to do, check out Deadline Oct 29, 2010

Show and Tell

I am presently recuperating from being in the lap of luxury during my trip to Toronto. It is hard to cope when no one is here in my condo to turn-down my bed or leave chocolates in my bedroom or cook delicious food for me. Here is an example of the chocolate left for me on my first day....

(you will need to excuse the blurriness as my camera battery was dying)

There is one thing I can't figure out about fancy hotels - why the need for telephones in the bathroom...next to the toilet?

The conference was okay. I met some great people, learned a couple of things and most importantly, feasted like royalty so it was worth my time. Because the majority of conference attendees were from Toronto and subsequently plan meetings/events in the TO area, we all were wined & dined by the high-end hotels. In fact, a different hotel hosted us for each meal and they definitely served us their best...the food was so delicious. I ate way too much...I think I may have gained 5 pounds in 3 days. But no regrets!

Now onto a completely different topic. Yesterday, I took myself to a matinee to watch Juno. It is a sweet and refreshing snapshot of life - a completely enjoyable movie. The characters completely drive the story and I humbly recommend you watch it. For something a bit more escapism, I am thinking I may go see 27 Dresses this afternoon. I love going to movies by myself in the middle of the day...definitely in my top ten things to do with my time.

Off to the centre of the universe

Tomorrow I head to Toronto for a work conference. Admittedly, I am not super-excited about the trip as I am not convinced I need to be there. I should adjust my attitude and try to find the positive in the "adventure." I am looking forward to travelling with my colleague Bria (she is a kindred spirit) and to catching up with my friend, Bev for drinks on Sunday pm. Additionally, for the first time, I am staying at a Fairmont Hotel - the Royal York. But the actual work stuff....ho-hum...whatever. This could be just part of my post-holiday hangover which seems particularly evident this year. I am just dragging my butt unwillingly through January. I know I am not alone in this blah-ness. Is the month over yet?
Well, this is just a short little blog because one of my new years suggestions is to blog once a week on Sundays but since I will not have guaranteed access to Internet tomorrow while travelling, I am posting today.

New Year's Suggestions

For the past 10 years, my friend Holly and I have celebrated New Years in our own quirky way...through annual letters. Each January, we each write ourselves a letter about our hopes, ideas and suggestions for the upcoming year. I hold onto Holly's letter for her and she keeps mine. On New Years Eve, after midnight, we exchange the letters. Over the course of a year, I forget what was written in my letter and it's always a surprise and usually a good laugh. The best part is realizing how I have changed and grown. I just finished writing my 2009 letter which will be handed over to Holly at the end of January when she is back in Calgary.

Another way, I celebrate the New Year is through a list of "suggestions" (rather than resolutions). I use this terminology because I feel that resolutions are harder to keep. Most people only have 1 or 2 resolutions and if they fail, they are left with a 0% success rate. In 2007, I set out 42 "suggestions" for myself and throughout the year, I achieved 13 of them (a 31% success rate). My suggestions range in complexity from renewing my library card to finding the love of my life to travelling to New York so achieving some of them are easier than others. Because they are merely suggestions, I was not discouraged that the other 29 items on the list weren't achieved - I just add them to my suggestions for 2008.

For 2008, Holly and I are trying something else. We are coming up with 3 goals for the other person. She suggested it on New Year's Eve after reading our letters. I loved the idea but it is scary that a friend will be choosing goals for the upcoming year. I have come up with 2 out of 3 goals for her. Should be interesting.

Speaking of goals, has anyone heard of the 101 things in 1001 days goal setting project? Different from a life-to-do list, this gives you a concrete time frame to complete your list. From a voyeuristic sense, reading another's list gives you a glimpse into their personality as each list is different. As a life-long list maker, this project intrigues me...stay tuned. I may decide to put my list on my blog...let's see, 1001 days from now would be Sunday, October 3rd, 2010. hmmmmm!

Here's to 2008...I look forward to the upcoming year with extravagant hope as I have a firmly rooted belief that the best is yet to come.

An Instrument of Peace

Last Sunday, at St. Mary's Anglican Church, during a simple congregational prayer response written by St. Francis of Assisi, I was overwhelmed by simple words:

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

where there is injury, pardon;

where there is doubt, faith;

where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness, light;

where there is sadness, joy;

O Divine Master,

grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;

to be understood as to understand;

to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Those who know me, know I love words. Each year, I choose a word as a theme to focus on. In the past, the words have been simple ones such as joy, hope, beloved. Leading up to each new year, I start meditating on words and themes. During this past month, I have been thinking about what life would look like if I really put others before myself. It is amazing how life works itself out as during that Sunday morning service last week, I knew that my theme for 2008 will not be a single word but a prayer. The prayer is simple but the reality of living it is not. What I have learned from the past is the chosen words/themes reveal truth and learning I could not comprehend at the beginning. I do not know if seeking to live this prayer is possible but I know that it is an area I need to explore. What would my life look like if I became an instrument of peace?