Kickin' It Old School

I don't know what inspired it, but I'm on an old school Jars Of Clay kick.

Actually that's a lie. I stumbled across Dan Haseltine's blog, where he has been writing about the stories/inspiration behind a number of Jars Of Clay songs. Reading these posts reminded me of how much I loved (and still love) Jars Of Clay.

So, let's take an audio trip down memory lane.

LIQUID is still one of my favourite songs. (Check out the hair!)

WORLDS APART was probably one of my favourite songs off Jars Of Clay. I love it even more after reading Dan's post about the song.

BOY ON A STRING is another one I'm spinning on a regular basis.

There were so many solid tunes on that album. What's your favourite?

Different Strokes

This past weekend my family threw a baby shower for Crystal and me, so we spent a couple days in Mississauga.

Sunday morning we went to the church I grew up in, a church I haven't been to in a long time. It's a more traditional church; we sang a lot of older songs and the tempo was slower than what I am used to.

At first I was a little bit frustrated. Slow reflective songs are what I like during my alone time with God. In a large corporate worship setting I want upbeat, energetic music that people sing at the top of their lungs. (Song Of Hope, Everything, Bless Your Name, Rise And Sing) If someone walked in off the street and came into a room of people singing about "Jehovah Rapha" or "Jehovah Nissi", would they understand what's going on? Would they feel comfortable?

But then it hit me. I looked around and saw a room filled with people who were loving it. Arms raised, crying out to God, tears rolling down their face. In that moment God spoke to me and said "Don't you see what I'm doing here?"

Crap. AJ you're an idiot.

I'm sure the church wants to reach the lost, but their primary "target" is someone who already has a relationship with God. They are a church for baby boomers. If all churches planned a service the way I think it should be done, 90% of people in the community would not go to church.

That's why we need a different array of churches. Some target young families, others on boomers and empty-nesters, others on seniors (who love hymns). Some churches emphasize a deeper relationship with God, others want to bring people into a relationship with God.

Different strokes for different folks. The message is still the same, the method of delivery is different. If the church is growing, (which it is), then we should be rejoicing. People are growing in their relationship with God and that is always a win, no matter what the method is.

Sunday the pastor's message was on doubt, but God spoke to me about something totally different. I'm far from perfect and He still has a lot of work to do.

The Great Diaper Dilemma

Baby Martin is about 6 weeks away, and I'd say Crystal and I are almost ready.

I've assembled the crib, change table, playpen, stroller and we have a car seat ready to go. The baby's room is painted and decorated, we've been through the lamaze/getting ready for baby classes and last night we went on our hospital tour. Pretty good right?

Almost... One roadblock stands in our way.

We haven't decided on diapers yet.

I'm a cloth diaper fanboy, while Crystal wants whatever is easiest. The idea of having to clean poop out of a diaper before you put it in the bucket was not something Crystal found appealing. She'd rather just fold it up and toss it in the garbage. Much easier.

A couple weeks ago we hung out with friends who are very "green" and they gave us a quick demo on the cloth diapers they use. It looks so easy! They even have a water-gun that attaches to the toilet so you don't have to touch the poop! That night Crystal left thinking cloth was an option. #winning

We took a trip over to Serenity in the south end of Barrie to take a look at cloth diaper options, and I think we left more confused than we entered. So many different options! Do we want bamboo, stay dry or organic? Do we want an all-in-one or linered? Do we want Bum Genius, FuzziBuns or Mother-Eaze? Snaps or Velcro? It was overwhelming.

Crystal looked up cloth diapers on Kijiji, but the idea of someone else's diapers is kinda weird to me. Would you buy someone else's used underwear? So we're still trying to figure out what to do, but I think Crystal is leaning towards the cloth.

They are cheaper (especially if you have more than one kid).
They are better for the environment.
They work better than disposables. (Don't believe me? Read THIS)
Seems like a no-brainer to me.



So let's hear from you, have you used cloth? What do you recommend?

Shallow Small Groups

Because it's Friday... some lighthearted fun.

AJ Is Excited

Words cannot express how excited I am for the new Mat Kearney album.

This guy is easily my favourite artist, and I'm feeling this next album could be fantastic! I'm pumped for the June 21 show where he'll give us our first look at his new material.

Until then... enjoy.

Time-Lapse

I've been captivated by time-lapse lately.

Timelapse - The City Limits from Dominic on Vimeo.

24 Hours of Neon from Philip Bloom on Vimeo.

Timelapse - Quebec city winter 2010 from Dominic on Vimeo.