The Power of Repentance

In my devotional time at the local perpetual adoration chapel, I often feel a prompt from the Spirit to meditate through a particular section of the Bible.  I can't explain exactly this prompting works; one of the books or characters just starts to stick out in my head.  I recently completed a meditation on the life of Abraham, and prior to that I had focused on Romans, Jonah, and Job, among others.

For the study itself, I take one section of the book, read through it prayerfully, and try to find a way to make it real in my life.  It's an old Protestant trick that many Catholics would do well to learn, although my time in the Catholic study group Familia really helped me to develop this skill too.

Currently I'm going through the Old Testament book of the prophet Joel, and I wanted to share one passage that has really resonated with me.  The story up to this point is that God's people had rejected him, so he sent an enemy army to go and lay waste to their land, to loot the temple, and to put the people into slavery.  After the Israelites had had enough, they cried out to the Lord in repentance and he came to their rescue.  If you study the history in the Old Testament, you'll see that this is a fairly common pattern.  Nothing new here.

Hold on, I'm getting to the good part.

After saving his people, the Lord then turns his hand against the enemy army he sent to conquer his people.  When the army wonders why they're now suddenly the target of God's wrath, he responds: (Joel 4:4-8, which might show up as Joel 3:4-8 in some versions):

Now what have you against me, Tyre and Sidon and all you regions of Philistia? Are you repaying me for something I have done? If you are paying me back, I will swiftly and speedily return on your own heads what you have done. For you took my silver and my gold and carried off my finest treasures to your temples. You sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks, that you might send them far from their homeland.  See, I am going to rouse them out of the places to which you sold them, and I will return on your own heads what you have done.  I will sell your sons and daughters to the people of Judah, and they will sell them to the Sabeans, a nation far away.

Pretty harsh, eh?  This is one of those "eye for an eye" texts that are so difficult to reconcile with the idea of a loving God.  Perhaps this passage can't be understood so literally though.

Taken as hyperbole, the core point would seem to be that God still treasures his people and is fiercely devoted to protecting them.  The intended audience here is the Jews, after all, not the gentiles from Tyre and Sidon.  God is sending his people a message here: God's forgiveness is a complete forgiveness.  He doesn't hold a grudge after the reconciliation, wagging his finger & saying, "You did have it coming, you know."

God is so eager to wipe all traces of his people's iniquity from his mind that he is filled with a baffled rage against the nations that would dare attack his beloved. It's almost like he forgets that he was the one who pronounced that very doom upon his people, and he was the one who commissioned the enemy army to invade. Psalm 103:12 says, "As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us."  That's what we see happening here.  God has forgiven his people so completely that he doesn't associate the destruction they had gone through with their past sins.  All he sees is that somebody hurt his beloved people.

I'm also reminded of a line from The Hiding Place, by Dutch author Corrie ten Boom, whose family hid Jews from the Nazis during the Second World War (amazing book, by the way).  Leading up to the war, her wise & aged father witnessed some of the atrocities the Nazis were perpetrating and sadly shook his head, saying he felt sorry for the Germans.  Baffled, Corrie asking him why he should feel sorry for people who led such brutality.  His response: "They have touched the apple of God's eye."

Through the new covenant, I am now one of God's chosen people.  I am the apple of his eye!  When I turn to him in true sorrow for my sins, his forgiveness is a done deal.  The true power of repentance comes from the fact that God always responds to us with perfect forgiveness; when we reach out to him, we find that he is there, having extended his arms to us long before we noticed.  The challenge I derived from my meditation on this section of Joel was to bear this fact in mind the next time I felt hesitant to approach the sacrament of reconciliation.  I extend that same challenge to you, gentle reader.
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Transformations #41: Daddy Date Day

With my eldest daughters just on the cusp of puberty, I've decided to start a one-on-one date night with one of my kids per week.  Next week I'll complete my second run through the five eldest kids.  Michael, our four month old #6 child, is exempt for the time being but I'll include him soon enough.

It's nothing really bizarre that we do; we just pack a couple of board or card games, or colouring books for the real young ones, and head to the nearest Tim Horton's.  I'll get a coffee and the kid will get a hot chocolate and a donut, and we'll play for an hour or so, making small talk and just enjoying the one-on-one time together, away from the bustle of an eight-person family.

I remember my dad doing a similar thing with us when we were teens, and wanted to implement the same idea with my kids.  It's been a challenge to fit these Daddy Date Days into my hectic schedule, but it's already showing fruits, and the kids positively love going out with me.  It's amazing to think of the influence I have over them as their father.  I pray that I'm able to be the father God wants me to be to them.
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Busy, Busy, Dreadfully Busy

I've got a lot going on these days.  For starters, you can expect a birth announcement post in the next week or so - our sixth child is due Sep 24 and my wife is quite predictable when it comes to adhering to her due dates.

The school year has started again, which adds its own layer of complexity to our busy lives.

My insatiable lust for Star Wars and Star Trek novels has flared up again and I've consumed at least a dozen books in the last few months.

But the real project I'm devoting my time to is building some models to be used in our school's Atrium program, also known as the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd.  This is a Montessori method of educating children about the truths and mysteries of our Christian faith.  I've been buzzing about in my garage all summer, putting in anywhere from five to fifteen hours a week.

This work of mine corresponds nicely with what my wife has also done in the last year, as she was attending classes with the ultimate goal of becoming an Atrium instructor at some amorphous point in the future.  So as she was learning about the Atrium lessons on a spiritual & academic level, I was learning about them on a functional level.  We both surrounded our labours with prayer and took great delight in sharing perspectives with each other!

Here are a few photos of the projects I've done so far.  You can click the photos to enlarge them.



Sheepfold - this is one of the first models the children are shown.  The grass is a soft indoor/outdoor carpet.  Figures of a shepherd and a flock of sheep are used to display how the shepherd guides the sheep into the sheepfold on the right, calling them each by name.  The same lesson is applied, using the altar on the left circle, to show how Jesus calls us all to encounter him in the Mass.

Miniature Altar with Base - note the miniature lectern in the background as well.  Using this model, the children are shown the vessels used during the Mass.

Cenacle (The Upper Room). This is the first project I did.  It has an empty space below for storing the figures of Jesus and the Apostles.  Someone else is making those.  Children are shown a re-enactment of The Last Supper using this model.

Puzzle Map of Israel at the time of Jesus - this was my first foray into the amazing flexibility of coping saws.  The pieces are cut from a pine blank, and it is backed with 1/4" plywood.  After painting each piece I protected them with clear Varathane.

Topographical Map of Israel - this is the most challenging one I've yet completed.  The heights are achieved through use of cardboard egg-carton paper mache and a few strategically placed blocks of wood.  Most of the paint was sprayed on.  The three flags represent the locations of Nazareth, Jerusalem, and Bethlehem.  Children are taught the significant locations in salvation history using this model.

Jerusalem - this model, as you can see, is still a work in progress.  It promises to be the most challenging one yet.  I enlarged a topographical map of Jerusalem and traced the various heights onto nine pieces of hardboard, then cut them out and glued them together.  Next, I'll be using Plaster of Paris to give the ground a smoother appearance (I built a small mock-up of some slopes so I could test this method, and was pleased with the result).  After the ground is complete, I'll build the city walls and major buildings.  They will be removable, so the most complicated part of this project will be building them to fit easily on the contours of the ground.  This model is used to teach children about the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus.  They are shown the key locations where Jesus was throughout Holy Week.

I'm also working on a model of Mary's home where the Annunciation occurred, but haven't taken any photos of that yet.  Still on my to-do list is the Nativity model showing where Jesus was born, and a generic house used to demonstrate the parable of the Pearl of Great Price.

This is a very rewarding experience and I'm truly relishing the opportunity to use and develop the woodworking talent the Lord has given me.  Plus, being a carpenter makes me just a little bit more like Jesus. :)
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Priorities

I frequently admire the wit of the famous xkcd web comics.  This one in particular really illustrates the polarization of modern society.  It reflects the difference between people whose priorities are the accumulation of pointless wealth and people whose priorities are more focused around family.  Very poignant.

source: http://xkcd.com/946/

Told

The other day I was helping my four-year old wash her hands.  After rinsing I playfully flicked my wet fingers into her face.  She flinched, then frowned and scolded me: "Daddy, I don't like when you do that."

"Well, I like it," I said with a grin.

Confused, she replied, "Then why didn't you do it to yourself?"
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Why I Love Twitter

For work recently, I had to find some replacement parts for a customer's barbecue.  After some legwork I was able to find the required part numbers, and I assured our customer we would have them ordered and delivered to her.  It wasn't a smooth process but it all worked out... I'll let the email thread below speak for itself:

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From: James
Sent: Monday, July 04, 2011 11:32 AM
Subject: Parts for Broil King Signet 20

Hello,

I need to order the following parts for a Broil King Signet 20 (9865-54):

10184-E78 DOOR - TOP CAP – LEFT

10184-E76 DOOR - BOTTOM CAP – LEFT

10184-E79 DOOR - TOP CAP - RIGHT

10184-E77 DOOR - BOTTOM CAP – RIGHT

What is the best way to place the order?

James

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From: Gordon
Sent: July 13, 2011 11:51 AM
Subject: RE: Parts for Broil King Signet 20

James,

The best way to order these parts is through us over the phone, simply call in at 1-800-265-2150 and talk to a representative in our office here. I created a file for you with the part numbers you provided, so simply reference your name and the information should come up and the rep you talk to can help you from there. I hope this helps!

Gordon 
Customer Service Representative

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From: James
Sent: Wednesday, July 13, 2011 12:16 PM
Subject: Re: Parts for Broil King Signet 20

Gordon,

Thanks for getting back to me.  I tried calling but was stuck on hold longer than I cared to wait, which was what prompted me to send the email.  I also found Broil King on Twitter, and have talked to Rich through that channel.  He has taken care of the order, so you can cancel the file you set up for me.

As a customer service rep myself, I must say I’m not impressed with the phone delays Broil King is having, and am even less impressed that it took nine days for anybody to respond to my email.  Please let the powers that be know that I’m very impressed with Rich and the service he provided via Twitter though.

Regards,

James

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UPDATE: (at 3:48 PM, same day)

From: Gordon
Sent: Wednesday, July 13, 2011 1:36 PM
Subject: Re: Parts for Broil King Signet 20

James,

I’ve just been in contact with Emilie who I understand just left you a message asking if you had given your address to either Rich or myself. Emilie is taking care of sending out your parts but doesn’t have your address to send them to. If you could either call her back or just shoot me one last email and then we can take care of everything for you. I apologize for any delay and confusion and hope to help get this resolved as soon as we can. Thanks for understanding.

Gordon

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From: James
Sent: Wednesday, July 13, 2011 3:19 PM
Subject: Re: Parts for Broil King Signet 20

Gordon,

I got Emilie’s message – yes, I had provided my address to Rich and he was going to send the parts to me.  As I said, Rich has taken care of the order, so you can cancel the file you set up for me.  I don’t want to seem rude, but didn’t you or Emilie communicate with Rich before replying to & phoning me?

James

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From: Gordon
Sent: Wednesday, July 13, 2011 3:45 PM
Subject: Re: Parts for Broil King Signet 20

James,

We’re sorry there was this mixup, because Rich works separately from us in the customer service department it can get somewhat convoluted exchanging information when customers contact us through our several different inlets. We’re glad that this was able to be resolved however and hope these parts work well for you! Thanks, and sorry once again!

[emphasis added]

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Commentary: I appreciated the apology, but the inference within it is very unfortunate.  I refused to wait on hold for 40 minutes to reach an agent, and when I had no response to my email a day later, I decided to use Twitter to try to reach somebody.  But how am I to blame for their lack of internal communication?  Do I even need to be told that?  Businesses really underestimate the power of a simple, "We messed up and we're sorry."  Besides, I don't need to hear the root causes of your confusion - that's for your managers to know.

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Update: July 20/11 - I've received the parts I ordered - twice as many as I ordered, actually, but since they sent them no charge I can't complain about that from a financial point of view (although their accountants probably can).  The real kicker is that the replacement parts all broke during transport - even the surplus ones.  That's right: the parts I ordered to replace broken ones were broken as well.  I think there's an issue with quality of the plastic used, but they were also poorly packaged, which is obviously what caused the damage.

Again though, Broil King's Twitter guy, Rich, came to my rescue.  I sent him a video showing the damage and he replied that he'd personally package a new set of parts and send them again.


It's not uncommon in the modern world to find products that break easily.  And it's not uncommon to find companies too bound up in policies to provide decent customer service.  For all the failings I encountered in Broil King's phone & email support team, I was impressed enough with their Twitter guy that I haven't lost confidence in the brand itself.  That's a valuable lesson for any company to learn - one person can make a world of difference, plus or minus, for your brand's image.  I only hope Broil King is smart enough to recognize the asset they have in Rich and that they compensate him well and start to clone him.
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Transformations #40: Biking To Work

My steadfast readers will recall that I've been eating differently, starting back in November 2010.

I've stuck to it and have seen the pounds drop off - 46 lb lost, at my last weigh-in.

In addition to the new eating plan, I've recently added some exercise to my life (yes - every pound I've lost, except for the very last measurement, is due strictly to the change in my diet).  Now that summer's finally here I've also decided not to buy bus passes for the next few months, until the weather turns cool.  Instead I'll be taking my bicycle to work.  Credit goes to our local Bike To Work Day, back on June 24, to get me kick-started in this.  So far it's been great - it actually takes me less time than the bus ride takes, and I really enjoy not being bound by schedules, surrounded by smelly people, or stuck in traffic.

I'll also save the $76 monthly bus pass cost (although I do get about $11 of that back at income tax time), over what I expect will be the next three months.

Knowing that I've accomplished so much is a huge boost to my confidence too.
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My Ten Favourite Christian Songs: 10/10

Time to finish off this list, folks.

Again, let me reiterate that the order of these songs is irrelevant - just like my kids, I love them all the same.

So without further ado, number ten is True Believer by Hokus Pick, a now-defunct Canadian band who were based out of Vancouver.  I saw them in concert a few times, most recently around the year 1999, the year they stopped making new albums.  I wore my Hokus Pick t-shirt, with their logo crammed into a Superman S-shape.  After the concert, one of the band members looked at my shirt and commented, "Wow, that's a really old one."  I bought one of their newer shirts after the concert, and I still have it today (hanging in my closet next to the Koo Crew one).

They are roughly comparable to The Barenaked Ladies in style, but happily they don't have an offensive band name.  Their albums are heartfelt, yet vibrant and full of fun.  Some elite musicians may scorn their compositions as amateurish, but as an amateur musician myself I very much appreciate being able to pick out the chords and play along.

To hear True Believer on iTunes, click that link and play the sample (track 8).  Why not buy the whole album there and give these good Canadian boys a few cents?  There's a hidden track at the end that's easily worth $10.

The lyrics are what I appreciate most about this song:

I'm not a rock.
Do I believe it not?
For I have denied the grace I've received by name
The saints of old chickened out when the rooster crowed
Still they were forgiven without consequence or blame

I'm trying, crying, denying
I wanna be a true believer
Giving up, running out, full of doubt,
But I wanna be a true believer

Songs like this give me a great assurance that no matter how hard I fall in my faith, the faithfulness of God is more powerful than any sin I can contrive.  It's OK to be imperfect in my quest for holiness.
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Campaign Sign

Generate your own Liberal lawnsign!

h/t SDA
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2011 Election, Families, and Twitter

So we've got another election happening up here in the Great White North.

I'll say this once: Canadians have to stop complaining about elections.  If you're sick of their frequency as of late (a complaint the Iranian people certainly don't have), then give the Tories a majority government for once so you can get in your four years of shut-eye.

The government spends $300,000,000 on elections, the pundits tell us, and Canadians don't want that.  Pah.  The government (no matter which party is in power) spends that much when it farts.  Get over it.  Show me a government that executes simple fiscal responsibility, such as, oh I don't know, NOT SPENDING MORE MONEY THAN IT HAS, and once that's in place then go ahead and complain about expensive things.

For all their faults, the Conservative Party is the closest we're going to get to that model of efficiency, so they've got my vote.  This is no secret to anybody who knows me or reads my blog.

One of the not-faults of the Tories is their Universal Child Care Benefit, which pays families $100 per month per child under the age of five.  That benefit was an election promise the last time we hit the polls, in contrast to the Liberal promise to establish free day care for everybody.  As a father to five young children (soon to be six) who delights in his wife's desire to stay at home with the kids, I gotta tell ya, the Tory deal is a better one for us.  Under the Liberal plan we would get nothing.  Now, ideally, no government should be giving me money just because I've had some kids.  But if I gotta choose between cash in my pocket that supports our lifestyle choice, or institutionalized child farming that condescendingly suggests the government would be better at forming our progeny, the choice is clear.  I can't for the life of me figure out why the Liberals think that a one-size-fits-all childcare solution is appropriate for Canada.

The pundits are also saying that this election will be 'the social media election.'  Not surprisingly, they're already oohing and ahhing over how wonderfully the also-ran parties are embracing it.  They do have a point there.  Part of Barack Obama's disastrous election win was due to his ability to engage young voters in an unprecedented fashion, and social media was a big part of that success.  Fortunately for the Tories, Jack Layton and Elizabeth May don't have near the charisma that fooled so many Americans into thinking Obama knew what he was doing.  But they're on the same low-charisma playing field with Prime Minister Harper and Michael Igantieff.

A 2010 analysis showed that about 2% of Canadians are active on Twitter.  I'm one of them.  From what I've seen in the #cdnpoli thread, most of that 2% are left leaning folks, which isn't surprising, since the main demographic that uses Twitter is, for the most part, too young to realize how left-leaning policies have a terrible historical track record.

Ultimately, I'm of the opinion that social media won't matter very much at all in this election.  I predict that the mainstream media and the left leaning parties will vastly overestimate the importance of social media over the next few months.  They'll burn up their ROI by spending too much time, effort, and money preaching their liberal agendas to the liberal choir, and the Tories will quietly win the race, slow and steady.

It will be fun to watch.
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