Good tidings of peas.

So what do you do when you just can not get motivated to work but you still feel the need to not be completely useless? You Blog. I think blogger and slacker must be synonymous. Anyway second day back at work and second day in the completely deserted office people must know the secretary is away because the phone does not even ring. Normally these would be ideal working conditions, and yet here I am. Maybe I should consider this my stretch before going on to actual work, I hear this can be quite healthy and may actually prevent any exertion injuries that could otherwise occur over the course of my strenuous day.
Anyway I had a fantastic Christmas. Thanks to the fam for all the wonderful goodness we shared in. Maybe this has something to do with my lethargy? We’ll it was worth it.
Now for the new years resolution; From this day henceforth (props to Sarah for henceforth) Tim shall never again be seen eating over six pounds of any one type of meat in one sitting. I know it will be tough but I am counting on all of you (though I just realized there may actually be people I do not know reading this Blog, that’s a little odd) to hold me accountable. Thanks guys means a lot. Anyway stretch over, better get to work. Love you guys (well most of you, at least the ones I know anyway)
Tim<><

Christmas at last!!!

Hey kids
Well Here I am in GP. This is gonna be the last Christmas in the childhood home. Sorta sad I guess, but such is life really. Also I think it helps that Mom and Dad have been doing renovations like crazy. A lot of the things that mark this as "our house" are gone. Like the fireplace that had a bright strip of red on it from some of that slimy goop from the quarter machines. The rug that we could count every stain and where it was from the door that dad put his hand through has been repainted. Walls have been patched and painted. Actually come to think of it it’s lucky this place is even still standing. Even our old tree house is gone. All this has happened gradually over the past few years so we got a chance to ease into it. More importantly the move will make Mom and Dad happy so it’s all good in my book.
Anyway the food and drink are as awesome and plentifully usual, we still play cards with the same fervor, and Grandma still cheats. So all in all a fantabulus Christmas. So Here I am wishing all of you continued merriment and a fantastic Christmas. To God be the Glory forever and ever amen.
Peace guys
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One is the loneliest number….

So I have been pretty lonely lately. Not the "Oh poor me, sucks to be Tim." kinda lonely
(Despite what my title implies), just the not a whole lot is going on, off in my own little world sort of deal. Which is not necessarily a bad thing we all need our space and time to think, and I do interact with people. I saw Dave and Jen on the weekend, I have coffee with people, I’m not a recluse. But I think it is time for me to get a roommate. Preferably like a couple roommates it would be nice to have a community again you know. I think I have said this at least once before but every now and then it just kinda hits home. I have no idea how I will go about doing this, I guess I will just ask around see what pops up. There is always the paper, but I’m thinking that in Ponoka it may be a good idea to know someone at least a little before sharing a toilet with them. Anyway keep this in your prayers if you will, and send me your prayers too!! I have this great new prayer journal, and it is just so fantastic to be able to pray for people specifically! I usually forget stuff like that then my prayer times are kinda repetitive but to remember people, and pray for specifics is really quite a thrill.
Anyway peeps, keep it real!
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Charcoal is good!!!

I have been developing my taste for charcoal lately. This morning I got up and Put toast in the toaster then proceeded to read the paper (yet another way I am turning into my Father). Fortunately I have a hyper sensitive smoke detector so the toast only ended up mostly burnt but not so much so that I could justify throwing it out, nothing a little extra jam does not take care of. At lunch I burnt the grilled cheese sandwiches, which is nothing new. I just about always do that no matter how hard I try to focus on not doing it, something always distracts me. The thing was I was at someone else’s house and I burnt his too He ate it but I’m pretty sure it was only so that he could give me a hard time about it. Then for supper I left my chicken fingers and fries in the oven too long this time they were quite unsalvageable apparently I forgot to turn the smoke detector back on after Breakfast. So tuna melts it was. The funny thing was I burnt those too. My Confidence in my own cooking is seriously waning. Oh well charcoal is supposed to be good for your heart right? Well I got a Council meeting in an hour, second one in three weeks, so I may need it.
Anyway guys love ya!! See ya on the flip side.
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The Bull of Life

I want to leave an update but the words just are not there. I have always firmly believed that if you are not going to tell a story well, you should just not tell it at all. Unfortunately this mantra does not run over into many other areas of my life. Today I realized at ten to twelve that I was supposed to be teaching Old Testament Class at twelve forty. No big deal, most of my lessons are pretty much ready to go. I just have to photocopy some sheets, and if I can not think of something meaningful to say about the basic OT Bible stories after 24 years of living in the church I may as well just give up. But today I was just going to show a Christmas movie seeing as it is the last class before Christmas and I wanted to make sure every kid in that class had heard that Jesus really is what Christmas is all about at least once this season. This should have made life even easier, but unfortunately someone had swiped the movie I had been planning on using (I say swiped but they more than likely signed it out of the library like I should have a week ago). I ended up with Veggie Tales "The Toy that saved Christmas" I had never actually seen it myself, but someone had said it gave a pretty decent message. It did in-fact give a good message, but it was definitely not up to par with the usual Veggie Tales excellence. It wasn’t brutal but it was awfully close.
And then there is Youth Group. We are supposed to be having our Christmas party tonight but every kid I have talked to will not be able to make it. Fridays in Ponoka Suck!!! First thing I have planned on a Friday in two months, I should have known better. But I have this horrible sensation that some kid who heard of it but never comes for anything else may show up and I will look like a big boob. Christmas just can’t come soon enough and January is coming way too fast.
I love you all very much, I leave you with this really weird quote some old guy gave me today when I asked him how it was going; "Take the Bull of Life by the nadds and swing it around a couple times, then let it go and wave your hankie at it, you may just get an idea of what if feels like to be me" Crazy Old Vern Klause

Today... Actually it's kinda more about yesterday

Wow This sucks Dave is actually beating me in Bloggieness!!! Guess I had better pick up the slack a little here. I would give a great excuse about how busy I am, and self sacrificing giving every minute of my time over to the kids but lets be honest most of the kids are in school till three or so and even the seniors with spares don’t have them till afternoon. So really I don’t have much reason at all to get out of bed before noon. I do just to put your minds at ease, I usually saddle up to my desk round ten or so. I know that sounds lame, but I am hard at work till nine or so most nights so I have very little guilt.
Ok well enough about me, and more about Tim…
Had Bible study last night, which was pretty… exciting? Well we had some pretty good chat going on anyway. We talked about the images of Jesus that we create and the true image of Jesus that comes from the scripture. I even used this great analogy about how when we put faith in our own image of Jesus as opposed to placing faith in true person of Jesus it is like the Santa that we see at the mall; he looks all nice and jolly but aside from giving us a placebo sort of comfort, he is completely incapable of meeting our needs and fulfilling the requirements of the job. And besides that, he doesn’t even wash his hands after he takes a leak. Gross eh!!??
Anyway, the church is completely empty the secretary is away so the place feels deserted which makes my will to work almost nill (funny thing is that if this were the evening I would be like a billion times more productive, the morning just does not do it for me). So I figure I will take off and do some work related errands maybe the fresh air will rejuvenate my work ethic. You think? well its worth a shot anyway. Peace guys. Love ya.
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Life at its best!!!

Now this is a greatr quote. It would be amazing to live your life with this kind of attitude.
"Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to slide in sideways, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming 'wow what a ride!!!'"
It may make your life a little shorter but it would be one heck of a good time.
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Gurgles Away!!

So I am doing the message today, or sermon I guess you could call it but it sounds really formal and kinda toity when you say it that way. Anyway so now I am just burning time before people actually start showing up. Life is odd its like this crazy mess of activity then suddenly it just stops for a while. All I can here is the tick of my clock and the gurgle of the coffeepot. Some people like the sounds of nature I go for the sounds of caffeine, whatever cranks your turn I guess. Well people will be here soon better go wake up already, then again maybe it will go better if I just feel like it is one big daydream. Well peace guys love you.
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Slacker???

I really am turning into a slacker. Not that I didn’t see it coming, I just didn’t feel like doing anything about it.
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Sory Bobby.

Sorry bout the slaking what can I say I am both incredibly lazy and incredibly busy with those two combined I am lucky I even have clean underwear on (well mostly clean anyway)
The Ponoka Ministerial met again today they meet every two months so my last taste was in September. I both love going there and hate it. I love it because I get to sit around a table with like ten different pastors plus a few other youth workers and really try to dig in deep to a Bible passage. We are reading through Timothy 2 and they just have such amazing things to share. Everyone listens because for once they are not "the pastor’ in the room so they relax and don’t preach but just share in God’s word with their colleagues. I love to listen, especially to some of the older guys. It just seems that after thirty, forty, or more years in the ministry, and having that mantle of leadership and immersing themselves in the Holy Spirit’s leading they just have such a humility and wisdom that it absolutely blows my sock off. I love it!
Then there is these two ladies from the United Church and the Anglican church and they bring this pluralistic garbage to the table. They are Pastors who preach and actually insist upon the idea that Jesus is only one way to salvation (not to be confused with THE only way) and each person needs to find their own path. If that were true then apparently God sent His Son to die on the cross for absolutely no reason, no, I don’t think so. It just makes me sick. I am not one who likes to judge people or their beliefs, I don’t like to condemn people. But I have seen the sort of poison they are preaching and it is even killing parts of the ministerial, this great group of ministers whom truly just want to serve their Jesus. But this false gospel is causing them to back away from any sort of ecumenical gathering because they refuse to be associated with these two churches that pollute the true gospel. The Guys don’t want to be heavy handed and just toss these two out on their ear, because not only would it look incredibly sexist that a bunch of guys kick two women out of the ministerial. But also because what kind of image does that show to the community in fracturing the partnership of churches. It just makes me so sad and sick to my stomach.
Like they say "The truth is out there." Funny thing is it is probably sitting on your shelf at home may even be sitting on your coffee table right under your nose.
Peace guys, have fun.
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Ask who?

This weekend was the Asker Retreat. "What is the Asker Retreat?" you may ask. Well the Asker Retreat is a retreat held at Asker Lutheran Church. I know this does not entirely clarify what an asker actually is but it seems to be simply a word created for the soul purpose of naming a particular Lutheran Church.
The cool thing about the retreat is that it is completely planned and run by the youth of Asker. Of course there is some adult supervision and the parent s are a great help in cooking and such but for the most part it is all them. And what a fine job they did.
One of the things the speaker, Tyler Vold, spoke about was about walking on God’s path, that’s the path that God has set out for you, and though other peoples paths may come along side yours your path was the one that God made for you. As opposed to the path that we often try to make for ourselves. Or the path that others make, that we decide we would be better off to follow. It was a good weekend. I think it is important for us to take time to remember we have a specific calling on our lives that God has designed for us. I often act like Peter that when Jesus is explaining my calling to me I look around and ask "What about him?" Of course the answer is always "Mind you r own buisness, this path is for you." I think I get to often occupied with where others are in comparison to myself (as if there can be a comparison between their paths and mine that wind different directions). Or I get too focused on where my next turn is that I don’t enjoy where I am at now.
Just a friendly note that if your path leads to playing Cross Country Spoons with twelve youth like people who are much more nimble and quicker onto their feet than you. It is a good idea not to be lying in the spot between them and the door. No matter how big you are they can still step on you and knee you in the face and such. In fact if the past two experiences with the game have taught me anything it is that if you play with people much smaller than yourself it is almost guaranteed that someone, most likely yourself and someone else, is going to have some form of painful injury. Just a heads up this is by no means discouragement from playing the most excellent of card games.
Peace guys have fun.
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Hello Loyal Tim Fans!!!

I am pleased to report that Tim continues as usual. Well maybe I should not be so pleased to report that, but I guess it is better than doing worse.
So here is a poll for you. Should Tim become a minimalist? Kinda a dumb thing to ask isn’t it? Sort of the type of thing that should start from the heart and of passion. But here is the deal: I have been sitting in my apartment bored and reading this Blue Like Jazz nonsense from Donald Miller. Not really nonsense, its actually quite refreshing, I just say "nonsense" because I think it is silly to read a book try to fashion yourself after the writer who has arrived at where he is after many hours of soul searching and journey with God. But there I am and while I was reading, it occurred to me that my life is crowded by a bunch of superfluous stuff, self-imposed obligations, and urges. For instance it is not unusual for my entire floor to be taken up with clothing I have not worn for at least a month. I live in an apartment in which two rooms (not including my bedroom) are taken up with junk. I live alone and have plenty of space the family across form me lives in the exact same apartment but houses five (of course they are Asian but stop being predigest).
Truth be told I like my stuff and my space. I just think it would maybe help my perspective or something to slim down a little. I really don’t need or even use a lot of the stuff that I have, I say "have" because it sounds really lame to say you "own" an entire bowl full of shoe laces, or twenty half used bingo dabbers. I heard a speaker say that youth workers are notorious junk collectors and impulsive shoppers (you just never know when something will come in handy for an event or lesson) but this is ridicules.
Also I’ve kinda always wanted to be one of those hippie types who wear whatever they want and look cool in the way that it looks like they don’t even care what they are wearing but it is still somehow trendy. The type that seem totally comfortable wherever they are, that accept whatever happens with a interested smile and nod, and just are… Cool. And I don’t think that their apartments look like mine.
Anyway I definitely think this falls in the random rambling category, because on a different day I’m sure I would agree with a lot of you that most of this is nonsense. The gist is I want a change in lifestyle. Not a change of job I love my job, just a change in what I do with my life around my job. (Yah I said around my job because lets face it a single dude in Ponoka, if his life does not revolve around his job he is either crazy or something much worse and I am definitely neither)anyway kids have fun and take it easy. Love ya
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Well Thats Just Life! ... Don't talk to me about life...

When I woke up yesterday I had that feeling that If I could just survive today I will be back in my nice warm bed and everything will be ok. I had no reason to think that it would be a bad day just a general sense of dread. Then it happened… I got up. I showered and fell out of the tub with soap still in my eye, how this happened is completely beyond me, so don’t even ask, but I have a funny looking bruise on my arm now. I’m trying to think of an interesting way to phrase what else happened in the day but it was pretty boring and mostly caused by my own lack of organization. No major catastrophes just a bunch of "I am totally not prepared for this" sort of thing. I had kids club, due dates for youth retreats and collage and career retreats, bible study, Youth for Christ. The funny thing is, they all went quite well, even better than usual on some fronts. Kinda like that football player that fumbles the ball through the air for ten yard before finally catching it as he crosses the goal line. A good ending but I sure slept well last night. Anyway so I am now reveling in the fact that I have pretty much all day open to do whatever I have to do and I am already as prepared for confirmation as I can be so I am good to go what a glorious feeling.
Well I guess I should keep on my role and get the stuff for tomorrow and the weekend straitened out. Have fun
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Good Stuff!!

Ok so this weekend was a gong Show. There was a bit of a shindig for Jonny and Wieners in Calgary. So On Friday I figured I would go down and say hi. Got to Calgary and found Drew. We decided that Calgary Is a hole because its just all Grey and brown and icky, plus the U is not nearly as nice and cool looking’ as the U of A, there are hardly any nice big parks to run around in. Sure everybody is rich (ok not everybody just a more affluent city on a whole) which kinda makes it a little snobbish. I’m sorry to all of you who think Calgary Is the bomb and are from there and live there and such but this is just one (well actually at least two) mans opinion.
Anyway so I hung out with Drew and a couple other guys form High School and it was like I was instantly teleported back seven years. It was crazy same shenanigans same jokes, plying video games, listening to the same music it was just bizarre and one heck of a lot of fun I might add. We did play trivial pursuit and did much better I’m sure than we would have seven years ago.
Saw all the kids on Saturday, Dave And Jen for all of two minutes, hung out with Ana saw her Mom which is always cool. Then chilled with all the old married people in the evening. Actually they are pretty cool it just struck me again that I am like the only single person I know. I should set up my house like Wonko the sane from hitchhikers guide to the galaxy. He put the outside inside the house and the inside of the house on the outside, then called the outside of the house the asylum because the whole world has gone potty and I quite agree hence why I am the only single person I know. Anyway watched the Game Edmonton and Calgary. Pete went off as usual. Calagry won which was bad, but such is life.
Then I said bye for the last time to Jonny and Marina. So so sad. I’m really gonna miss those kids.
On the way Home though I got this huge flood of anxiety. I was supposed to do the sermon on Sunday and all weekend I was worried about a particular kid in my youth group. I Was just feeling so guilty for being away and like I wasn’t doing my Job at all. Suddenly I felt this huge wave of peace fall of ver me it was like God was just showing me the amount of Prayer support I had going on so many people at the church were praying for me plus friends and family. And It was like a could feel the love and support of all those prayers at once it was in a word amazing, but one word just does not cover it. I felt so blessed and so unworthy. There are so many people than need and deserve prayers more than I. And I know we are all praying like crazy for Jonny and Wieners and Robin and her Dad. It just struck me as how amazingly powerful our prayers can be. Just a few sentences offered up in love and faith To God and he is as excited as a little kid in a candy store to send those blessings right where they are needed. Multiplied by his perfect goodness and love they are like this bazooka of greatness hitting right where it counts. Wow dude we really do have one amazing God he is just so AWESOME!!! Do I ever Love Him!! He just makes it too easy sometimes you know?
Well anyway God is Good and I got a go. Love you guys, peace and fun
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Turkeys and Girls (kinda the same thing)

So thanksgiving was great! Had a lot of fun, saw the fam, even saw Kirstin Karla and folks. So on and so forth. Didn’t play any cards though that was a little disappointing. But there is always Christmas. Actually now that I think about it, it was a pretty busy weekend Friday night we had youth group then afterwards a few guys wanted to camp out at the church so we did played video games until eight in the morning, I’m still having weird dreams. Saturday I worked on my message (the message is for next weekend so this is not nearly as slacker as it sounds,. Then I hung out with Kiristin and her new bau, really nice guy, cept that they are having their wedding in December!! What’s up with that??!!! Not like December is busy enough I guess.
Of course this brings up the whole fact that Tim is still single but for once is just loving it! I mean I always Talk big and say I have no use for a girl friend, which for the most part was mostly true. But now that everyone around me is married or paired up its like, holy crap I really don’t want a girl friend sure sure its would be nice to cuddle up on a cold night but really way more trouble than it is worth. I’m not cutting anyone down here girls in and of themselves are great, and anyone with their significantly other (well I guess that would be about everyone) good on ya! I wish you the best of luck! But I would just make the worst boyfriend/husband. The money, the time, sleepless nights, distraction, I just don’t have the time! Sorry girls not really me right now. Of course I’m sure this is all going to be thrown in my face soon as Miss. Perfect comes around, and I will be right back to playing the fool, but at that point I’m sure I will be more than happy to do so. So maybe I should just shut my yap about it right now right? Anyway GATD
Granny’s turkey was stupendous, not to mention the Pie, note to self never tell anyone you love pumpkin pie because none of it tastes the same as Mom’s or Granny’s
Anyway Guys I’m at work here so maybe I should do something. Love you all. Peace and have fun.
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Laundry Shmaundry!!!!

This morning I took a couple hours to go to the laundry mat, I was all out of cloths (and I have allot of cloths) so I figured getting them all done at once was the best plan. Well I got there and there were only like three machines available. So I was like "whatever they are front loaders so I can just load em up and even if I have to do a couple loads it will still be quicker, than one small load at a time back at my place". Well!! Each machine cost three dollars then the cranky attendant lady took two of my machines away and wanted me to use the big triple loader for the rest of my whites and reds I was like "actually i don't really like pink shirts thanks!" Then when my cloths came out they weren’t even clean! The dryers took a buck fifty, and then they only half dried my stuff!! So three hours latter, twice as much money as normal, and no clean or dry cloths latter, I’m sitting at home with cloths in the apartment washer anyway, and trying to write my message about the whole "give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God's" thing. I'm sure there is a moral in here somewhere I’m just am a little cranky to see it. Auch.
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Good Ol' Jonny And Wieners!!

Siberia is where its at!!!

Saying farewell to Jonny and Marina, well it just sucks. But at the same time I am so excited for them. I am actually quite jealous, even of the fact that they are going to Mongolia. I found out on Sunday that Mongolia is like a half step away from Siberia and that is were they send all the criminals and exiles like Carl Marx, you really have to be one bad ass mother to be sent to Siberia. There is this craving in me to just live on the edge, have fun, adventure look back on my life and say wow dude I really pushed it I went to Siberia/Mongolia. That is totally a rotten attitude to do missions and I know Jonny and Marina are going out of call by God not their egos. I am where I am supposed to be and I love that I am totally dependant on the Holly Spirit for everything I do in my ministry. But there is still this part of me that looks around and says "dude!! You don’t have a degree, your average Saturday night consists of mak and cheese maybe a movie or two, last time you traveled anywhere outside Canada was in grade ten (oops actually I hit San Francisco with Ana a few years ago, but still..). What are you doing?" Well at least I have managed to escape the trials of husband hood!! Ach who cares!!?? I just want to blow off some steam. But I sure am gonna miss Jonny and Marina. Love you guys
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the happy couple 

It's Me!! 

Here we Go

Hy Guys, So this is my new blog haven’t really decided if it will be like my life at a glance or just a spot for me to rant and rave probably the former, but you never know I will try to keep it interesting. Anyway some basic info just to get us started. Living and Working in Ponoka, I love it wish I could call myself a big city type fella, but I just am not. I Love this town the leaves are changing colors, people you have no idea who they are say hi to you as you come and go places it’s great. And unlike GP the next larger town is less than five hours away, any like half an hour. Of course we have the big city feel every now and then as well. Just the other day my Truck got broken into sweet hey, ah well nothing is perfect.
I’m "working" as the Youth Worker at Trinity Lutheran in Ponoka. "Working" because I Just love it. The youth are absolutely the best. They crack me up and drive me crazy at the exact same time it’s quite amazing actually. God has definitely called me here, not because I feel so good about it but cause there is peace for me here. Even when it’s hard I know He is going before me so it’s all good.
Anyway I go to explore my blog.
Keep it real guys and keep posted I just may accidentally say something profound…. Well it could happen… maybe?
Peace, and have fun
Tim<>