Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Cannot Keep You

I was listening to my "Sunday Mix" on iTunes this morning and a song came on that made me stop what I was doing, and listen for a couple minutes. Gungor's "Cannot Keep You" off their Beautiful Things album.

A lot of Praise & Worship songs are... umm... fluffy, "Jesus is my boyfriend" tunes or cliche, "let's take a verse of scripture and sing it over and over" songs. The songs on Beautiful Things are not those types of songs.

I love this song because I have experienced God outside of the Christian/Church sub-culture, as much (maybe more) than inside the "Christian bubble."

We cannot keep God in a box. We cannot keep God in our church. We cannot keep God in our Bible. God is alive and at work in the world around us, using the sacred and the secular to reach people, show himself, and draw them closer to him.



Cannot Keep You
they could not keep you in a tent
they could not keep you in a temple
or any of their idols, to see and understand

we cannot keep you in a church
we cannot keep you in a Bible
or it’s just another idol to box you in

they could not keep you in their box
we cannot keep you in ours either
you are so much greater

who is like the Lord
the maker of the Heavens
who dwells with the poor
and he lifts them from the ashes
and he makes them sit with princes
who is like the Lord

We’ve tried to keep you in our tents
We’ve tried to keep you in our temples
We’ve worshiped all our idols, we want all that to end
We will find you in the streets
We will find you in the prisons
and even in our Bibles and churches

who is like the lord
the maker of the heavens
lover of my soul
who takes me from the ashes
who heals me of my blindness
who is like the Lord

Friday, January 21, 2011

Vote Summer

I got up this morning and it was -30. Last Friday morning we had a blizzard, dumping around 10cm on us. I'm not a big fan of snow.

I'd be ok with it if we were out west on a ski vacation, but not for normal living. Your feet get wet and cold if you're not wearing knee high boots. If you are wearing knee high boots, good luck driving a compact japanese car in this weather.

Winter is not in my top 3 favourite seasons. Which is why I found this video so funny!


Stella Awards

I was sent this by a friend, and thought I'd share it with you.


For those unfamiliar with these awards, they are named after 81-year-old Stella Liebeck who spilled hot coffee on her crotch and successfully sued the McDonald's in New Mexico, where she purchased coffee. You remember, she took the lid off the coffee and put it between her thighs while she was driving. Who would ever think one could get burned doing that, right? That's right; these are awards for the most outlandish lawsuits and verdicts in the U.S.


Here are the Stellas for the year 2010:



* SEVENTH PLACE *
Kathleen Robertson of Austin, Texas, was awarded $80,000 by a jury of her peers after breaking her ankle tripping over a toddler who was running inside a furniture store. The store owners were understandably surprised by the verdict, considering the running toddler was Kathleen's own son.


* SIXTH PLACE *
Carl Truman, 19, of Los Angeles, California, won $74,000 plus medical expenses when his neighbor ran over his hand with a Honda Accord. Truman apparently didn't notice there was someone at the wheel of the car when he was trying to steal his neighbor's hubcaps.


* FIFTH PLACE *
Terrence Dickson, of Bristol, Pennsylvania, who was leaving a house he had just burglarized by way of the garage. Unfortunately for Dickson, the automatic garage door opener malfunctioned and he could not get the garage door to open. Worse, he couldn't re-enter the house because the door connecting the garage to the house locked when Dickson pulled it shut. Forced to sit for eight, count 'em, EIGHT days and survive on a case of Pepsi and a large bag of dry dog food, he sued the homeowner's insurance company claiming undue mental anguish. Amazingly, the jury said the insurance company must pay Dickson $500,000 for his anguish.


* FOURTH PLACE *
Jerry Williams, of Little Rock, Arkansas, garnered 4th Place in the Stella's when he was awarded $14,500 plus medical expenses after being bitten on the butt by his next door neighbor's beagle - even though the beagle was on a chain in its owner's fenced yard. Williams did not get as much as he asked for because the jury believed the beagle might have been provoked at the time of the butt bite because Williams had climbed over the fence into the yard and repeatedly shot the dog with a pellet gun.


* THIRD PLACE *
Amber Carson of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, because a jury ordered a Philadelphia restaurant to pay her $113,500 after she slipped on a spilled soft drink and broke her tailbone. The reason the soft drink was on the floor: Ms. Carson had thrown it at her boyfriend 30 seconds earlier during an argument.


* SECOND PLACE *
Kara Walton, of Claymont , Delaware , sued the owner of a night club in a nearby city because she fell from the bathroom window to the floor, knocking out her two front teeth. Even though Ms.Walton was trying to sneak through the ladies room window to avoid paying the $3.50 cover charge, the jury said the night club had to pay her $12,000 ...... oh, yeah, plus dental expenses.


* FIRST PLACE *
This year's runaway First Place Stella Award winner was: Mrs. Merv Grazinski, of Oklahoma City , Oklahoma , who purchased new 32-foot Winnebago motor home. On her first trip home, from an OU football game, having driven on to the freeway, she set the cruise control at 70 mph and calmly left the driver's seat to go to the back of the Winnebago to make herself a sandwich. Not surprisingly, the motor home left the freeway, crashed and overturned. Also not surprisingly, Mrs. Grazinski sued Winnebago for not putting in the owner's manual that she couldn't actually leave the driver's seat while the cruise control was set. The Oklahoma jury awarded her -- are you sitting down? --- $1,750,000 PLUS a new motor home. Winnebago actually changed their manuals as a result of this suit, just in case Mrs. Grazinski has any relatives who might also buy a motor home.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Back To The Motherland?

There are times when I dream of moving to Estonia. I've been there on a number of missions trips, and each time I have fallen more in love with the land of my ancestors.

I understand why my grandparents fled... To escape communist rule and the promise of a better life in the West, makes sense to me. And while I am very thankful for the sacrifice they made, sometimes my mind wanders and I wonder what life would be like if I was to move back to Eesti.

No longer under Russian occupation and developing at a rapid pace, it seems like a good place to live. Plus I love the old-world charm of Europe.

I came across a link today that compares countries in a number of categories. So I plugged in Canada vs Estonia. The results were surprising.

Looks like Canada is a much better place to live.

I guess we're pretty lucky.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Start With A Win

I did not sleep well last night. The dog woke us up around 2:00 with angry barking, but there was no sign of an intruder or robbery. False alarm. I struggled to fall back asleep, and flirted with a sleep-like state off and on for the next hour and a half.

Normally this wouldn't be a huge deal, but I planned on waking up one hour earlier so I could go to the gym. Would I still do it? It's understandable if I don't go... I got no sleep, and I played hockey the day before. But if I don't go, that sets a precedent. If things aren't perfect (which they seldom are) and I make that excuse, I'll never end up going.

So when my alarm went off this morning I dragged my still sleeping butt out of bed, packed my clothes, inhaled some oatmeal and made my way to the gym.

It was a rough go, but I went. I think that's a win. (No matter how bad the workout was)

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Air Raid 2.0

Friday night we find out who is coming for Air Raid 19. In the past we've announced it on the air, and then tickets go on sale. This time it's going to be a little different.

Better different.

Junky Rhodes is going to Mapleview Church in Barrie to make the announcement live, and if you can't make it to Mapleview (here's the fun part) we're streaming the announcement live on our website!

How sweet is that?

We're on our way to becoming more than just Ontario's Christian (Radio) Superstation... We're going to be Ontario's Christian (Media) Superstation!

Look for more video content, some exclusive online content and more!

Exciting times on Bell Farm Road.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Coming To A Lake Near You

I know Christmas has passed, and my birthday isn't until September, so it might be a long time before I see one of these in my... garage... cottage... OK, I'll never get one.

But it looks cool.

Look for a couple to be making an appearance in Port Carling this summer.

Binary Geeks Rejoice

It's 1/11/11 at 11:11.

Math/Binary/Computer geeks rejoice!

Friday, January 7, 2011

Growing Is Forever

It's Friday, nothing too deep, heavy or serious. Just sit back and enjoy this video. Mesmerizing and beautiful!

Thursday, January 6, 2011

All The Single Ladies

One of my "must read" daily blogs is Ragamuffin Soul, written by Carlos Whittaker (or LosWhit). He is a former worship leader from Atlanta, who is now a full-time musician on Integrity Records. (Buy his album... seriously.)

LosWhit often posts videos from his personal life, and earlier in 2010 he happened to film his kids, dancing to their favourite song. His son (Losiah) joined in on the revelry and that's when Los pointed out the obvious contradiction.


That video was nominated for a People's Choice Award in the "Best Viral Video" category, and last night the Whittakers went home the proud victors!

So congrats Carlos and family, your authenticity and willingness to show us a less-than-perfect image of yourself is refreshing.

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

A Face For Radio

I have a crappy voice for radio. I know it and a few listeners have pointed it out to me. I'm not offended, not everyone can be Ben Davy.

(I may not have the typical voice, I have been blessed with a face for radio.)

Since you usually just hear the DJ, it amazes me this guy doesn't have a job somewhere.

***UPDATE: He has been hired by the Cleveland Cavaliers as their PA Announcer, and the Cavs will pay for a mortgage so he can get a home.***

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Rework - The Notes

Ever since my trip to the Google campus in Mountain View, California I have been interested in corporate culture, and how to create a great work environment. A friend recommended I check out Rework, and after skimming through it in Chapters, I put a hold on it at the Barrie Library.

Well, I just finished reading Rework (for the third time) and this time made some notes as I went along. I thought I'd post them here on the Wonderblog

- Workaholics don't save the day, they use it up. The hero is already home because he figured out a faster way to get it done.

- If no one is upset by what you're doing, you're probably not pushing hard enough. (and you're probably boring too).

- Long projects zap morale. The longer it takes to develop, the less likely it is to ship. Make the call, make progress, get something out now.

- Interruptions break your work day into a series of work moments. Productivity is like REM sleep, it takes some time to get to that level and each interruption is a reset.

- Being the "Anti-____" (Nike, Microsoft, Starbucks) is a great way to differentiate yourself and attract followers.

- You rarely regret saying "no" but often wind-up regretting saying "yes."

- Some products are in-store good, you want to be at-home good.

- Welcome obscurity. Work out the kinks while no one knows who you are.

- Earning loyalty by teaching people forms a deep bond. Emulate famous chefs, what can you teach people that is informative, educational and promotional?

- Give people a backstage pass and show them how your business works. It works for even the most obscure and dull jobs (crab fishing, truck driving, baking cakes). Letting people behind the curtain changes the relationship. They will see you as human beings, and develop a deeper appreciation for what you do.

- Show your flaws and imperfections. When something becomes too polished it loses its soul.

- Always hire the better writer. Clear writing is a sign of clear thinking.

- You don't create culture, it just happens. Culture isn't a foosball table or a Christmas party. Those are objects and events, NOT culture.

- The environment has a lot more to do with great work than people realize. There is a ton of untapped potential trapped in grey cubicles, working under lame policies and stifling bureaucracies.

- When you treat people like children, you get children's work. You are creating a boss-vs-worker relationship that screams "I Don't Trust You!"

- Ideas are forever. Inspiration is like fresh fruit or milk, it expires. When inspiration grabs you, grab it back and put it to work.

Rework was a fantastic read. Head over to the library and check it out!