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Weather

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Today began at below freezing temperature. In fact, below, below freezing.

Now, in terms of cold, I’ve seen worse.

In fact, in our neck of the woods – or more rightly, our hand of the prairies – we have been blessed this year.

Most years, I have the plugin for the car our of the engine compartment before Christmas. Yesterday was the momentous date – the cord came out and the block heater was plugged in (for those of you from other than the northern climes – a block heater keeps your engine warm so the oil can flow and the sparks can fly when you start your car).

Two of us were shoveling walks yesterday. Our conversation was short as we greeted one another. At another time, and in a warmer clime, we will rehearse not only the weather (which is a good topic this time of year), but probably the state of crops, the welfare of children, the progress on renovations, the need for rain, the . . . But not today.

And so, I’m sitting inside, writing about the outside, enjoying fossil fuels and farmer food. How good is that!!

Toxic Masculinity

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There have been a number of assaults on men’s masculinity lately.

Or, perhaps, more rightly, we are trying to figure out what masculinity means. Which drives a number of questions about gender. Our society has now determined that your sex (that which distinguishes you anatomically from birth) is different than your gender (that which is fluid).

This appears to be a sign of discontent, of selfishness and disregard for a created order.

  • Why are we discontent?
  • Why do we think our way is the best way?
  • How does a creator explain the order of creation?

Questions I have been pondering.

Constant Updates

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I’ve just spent time trying to figure out how to do things. On the internet. New program updates keep popping up (no, these are not pop up ads that need pop up blockers – although, that is an idea . . .).

I liked the old program – I knew where things were. Sort of like in the grocery store.

Now I understand if you need security updates. Or programming that hastens the work of the program. Or even new colors.

It’s just when I thought I had figured out where things were, they move. I guess we call that the interface. Of course, if you saw my face, you would not want to be interfacing.

And what of the new ads that keep showing up. Yes, I have a strong ability to disregard ads (in fact, in principle, I do not click on Google Ads when they appear in my search). I wonder if the program were stripped of ads, how much faster it would run.

And of course, there is the argument that you need to update and change things to keep my attention. I’m using the program because you have my attention already – you don’t need to overdo the attention thing, otherwise you will lose my attention – did that get your attention?

There, my rant hath been completed!

Misreading ministry in a rural context

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My official title for a research paper I am planning for Ambrose Research Conference 2019 – March 27 at Ambrose University in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

In one sense this is really about rethinking rural ministry. Here is my description I have submitted:

  • The rural has been misread over the years. A core element of Donald Trump’s victory as President of the USA in 2016 – this demographic has been characterized as simple minded, out of touch with current reality, and anathema to progress.
  • Recent books have begun to explore rural church essentials. These essentials are not what you think!
  • In a world of increasing isolation, the rural church tends to breed community. This is DNA, not introduced incentives or strategic planning initiatives. A broader definition of North American Church Growth includes the rural, sparsely populated areas of the continent – not characterized by highly attended service times but rather as closely-knit invitational discipleship communes.
  • Those approaching ministry in a rural setting need to consider this: rural ministry is not a problem area of the global church, neither is rural ministry to be considered as the ultimate and only approach to ministry, nor is this an excuse for laziness. The flourishing rural church will be strategic, purposeful, visionary – uniquely positioned and unhindered by a consumeristic approach.