1. Avatar Depression.
After I watched Avatar, I joked to my friend Dan that I was sad that I’d have to go back to my regular 2-D world. Well, Mashable reports that apparently there’s a country-wide depression involving thousands of (presumably) young guys who live in their mom’s basement.

(ps, did anyone else notice CNN’s ‘reseach’ typo?!)

You can read the story here. How can we get this kids into the light?

2. How People View Christians
I love the Onion News Network. Brilliant people. Very funny. And that bash everyone equally. I have no complaints. What I worry about is hot spot-on this article is: Gay Teen Worried He Might Be Christian.

Is this really what people think of Christians? CD burning. Attending church. Picketing in front of abortion clinics. Watching ‘The 700 Club.’ Reading ‘Left Behind’. Being a right-wing fundamentalist. Going to Christian college.

We really need to change that. That’s why I thank God for Christians like the Plywood People who are already making meaningful differences.

So that’s what is disturbing me today. Peace!

Jay

Today is the first blog post by James Kelly. It’s a great post on character and identity called Batman Begins…And Has Issues!

Who is one person that never cares that it’s your birthday?

The garbageman!

Had a wonderful day otherwise.

I got up at 6:00am.

Free breakfast at Locke Street Bakery.

Drove to Lincoln Road Chapel in Waterloo. Spoke at both services. Set a record for my shortest sermon ever- 24 minutes! You can listen to the 9am message here. Sorry that you don’t get to see the pictures, the movie clip, the chocolate cake, the worship song that doesn’t exist anymore, or Richard dressed up as James! (what’s up with that LRC??)

I’m getting sick of preaching. Don’t get me wrong- I LOVE doing it (and feel called and gifted to do it), I just don’t think it’s the most effective way of seeing life change. Gotta slant towards living the message more and more.

Had lunch with family and friends at my parents house. My parents bought me a painting filled with money, and my wife made me a slab of jello…also filled with money!

Got back in bed for a loooong nap. 6am should never been witnessed on your birthday.

Dinner at Montanas…where else?!

Went to see Sherlock Holmes. Thought not at all true to the stories, it was a great movie and I can’t wait for the sequel!

Help for Haiti is pouring in. Lincoln Road have a BOATLOAD on Sunday. Nice to see the Canadian government finally spending our money on something that’s actually important.

I’m getting excited about Journey tonight. Jimmy is gonna be bringing it hard. Hoping to see a bunch of the Hamilton boys who’ve yet to make it out. Wondering if the Guelph and KW boys will be as committed to traveling as us Hamilton boys have been for the past 3 weeks

Michelle put up a really good post this week-  Are You a Natural Disaster?

Big week on the Sex Rev…expect new posts from Michelle, James, Karen, and Aaron.  Also, I’ll be dropping a HUGE post on CASH.  Sharing some I’ve been learning about stewardship and the American Dream, as well as a bunch of great financial planning resources. So watch out for that!

It’s gonna be a great week if we all decide to live like Jesus.

Shalom!

Jay

Ps…many thanks to the 76 of you who wished me a Happy Birthday on Facebook…I’d appreciate a year’s worth of prayer too!

The Situation

The Red Cross estimates that 50,000 people are dead.

CBC estimates up to 100,000 are dead.

The Globe and Mail estimates that up to 500,000 people may be dead. You can listen to a call from a co-worker of my mother-in-law, as well as a time line of the events, here.

More stunning photos here: The Big Picture

Remember Audio Adrenaline?

Well the lead singer and his parents have a mission there. I emailed them and everyone is alright. Check out their site to hear what’s up: HandsAndFeetProject.org Also, Donald Miller put up an email from Mark that’s been circulating… email from Mark.

You can watch all the breaking news (faster than TV) on Google Live Feed

Of course, Pat Robertson had this to say… (and it has caused an absolute $#itstorm in the media)

Closer to Home

Canadians
There are more than 6,000 Canadians residing in Haiti. Confirmed dead include Ontario nurse Yvonne Martin (more below) and Montreal couple Georges and Mireille Anglade.

The Rodin Family

The Rodins have a mission in Haiti, that right now is isolated and are in desperate need to get medical supplies in… Lets look at the logistics of going to the places that the Red Cross and the rest will not go… Port Au Prince will have the influx of aid, but the out laying areas will not get the support.

Lincoln Road Chapel
I also found out from my dad that Terry, the drummer from his church, lost his mom. She was there on a medical mission.

Jimmy Forde
Jimmy has a heart for Haiti, and some good friends experienced HUGE losses this when they got hit. He forwarded this message to me on Wednesday…  “Our Good friend Pastor Osnel St. Cyr’s house collapsed, they are sure that his wife Aliza and baby James and Joesmith are probably dead and they are buried in the rubble and there are no sounds left from them Jude their little girl crawled out of the rubble and she has survived….Pastor Osnel is okay because he was not in the house when the earthquake hit.”

Side note:

The is Jimmy. The boy he is holding was killed in the earthquake.

Jimmy is our Guide for this Monday night at Journey. His message is now entitled, “Do You Have the Balls to Take Action?” God has given him a fiery dream and passion, and the events of this week and the love he has for people have spurred it on.  Monday will be a night that you DO NOT want to miss.

We’ll be meeting at the Church on the Rock building at 2149 Upper James in Hamilton. The Welcome Feast (40 racks of ribs!) begins at 7:15pm.  If you’re a dude, we’d LOVE to have you join us for prayer and growth and worship.  Bring a carload- directions are right here.

Why I’m Pissed Off And Ready to Storm Hell / What They’re Not Saying on the News

UN food warehouses in Haiti reportedly looted.

Jimmy just got word that the UN is tempted to close the borders… the “not talked about situation” is this:  4000 people escaped from the main prison- at leat 1500 were there for kidnapping related crimes.

Right now there have been (unreported to not stop the aid workers from coming) some pretty high up people kidnapped. In fact they are just reporting them as “unaccounted for” which is prompting the UN and other world agencies to stop the flow of “un-affiliated” workers.

The Dominica Republic to Haiti roads are feared to be a gauntlet of kidnappers and fortune hunters looking to get out by making money off selling white people back to their families or the highest bidder!

“Our pastors have told me to stay away for a bit, that they have had people kidnapped out of their ungated yards and within minutes recieving ransom notes, knowing the pastors are going to recieve money and aid from us”

WHY IS THIS WORLD SO F#$%ed up??????  How can people do this to each other?

What You Can Do

Skilled labour first- if you’re a doctor, nurse, or engineer and want to go help, get in contact with an official organization that’s sending in people.

We asked a contact on the ground if we should come help: “the concern and care for the sick and dieing right now is great… but the greatest need will be in a month, when the world forgets, and moves on to the next great disaster, and the Haitians are stuck to rebuild on their own…“  So pray and consider going in a month or two when the world pulls out.

Ragamuffin Carlos tells us that a Compassion gift of…

$35 helps provide a relief pack filled with enough food and water to sustain a family for one week.
$70 gift helps care for their needs for two weeks.
$105 helps provide relief packs filled with enough food and water to sustain two families for two weeks.
$210 gift helps care for two families’ needs.
$525 provides relief packs filled with enough food and water to sustain 10 families for two weeks.
$1,050 gift cares for 10 families’ needs.
$1,500 helps rebuild a home.
$2,100 supplies 20 families with the basics for three weeks.

You can do that here.

Here is a list of 21 organizations that need your help RIGHT NOW.

The Canadian Government, on our behalf, will match all gifts by Canadians up to $50 million. So give to a Canadian charity and the government will match it with more of your own money!  Details/FAQs on how the matching donation plan will work are spelled out here.

Watch the video on all the Canada is doing ($50 mil, 2 ships, 4 planes, etc.) here.

Please share this post on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog. The link is http://bit.ly/HaitianQuake

And pray.

Premier Fitness claims to be “one of the top 50 companies in Canada.” I’d love to see that statement legitimized, but I’d also like to make a suggestion to all of you who are considering running a business.

But first, let me tell you a story about a company that stole from me. And then avoided me. And then lied to me. And then caved after almost a year of pressure.  I keep meticulous records in my agenda, and I’m glad I did- I think you’ll enjoy this story!

The Facts:

April 1st, 2008 I sign up at Premier Fitness.  I had previous heard many rumors and warnings and stories- that people often get screwed by fitness places, and at this one in particular.  So I decided to pay the whole year’s fees up front.  They said that was fine, but that they still had to keep my banking info on file.  I said no. They said they’d charge me an extra $150 if I didn’t. I was mad. I should have walked away right then and there. But I didn’t. I paid the whole amount upfront and left my banking info with them… but protected my back as follows: I made the club manager fill out a form that said that “no automatic renewal shall occur without Premier Fitness first contacting the clients and him agreeing to do so in writing.”  So I’m safe right?

April 30th, 2009 Premier Fitness membership expires. Broken cardio equipment, filthy showers, broken sinks, and a general stench compel me to decide not to renew.  They never contact me about it, so we can all assume I lived happily ever after.

July 30th I log into my online banking site.  I notice a charge from Premier for $34.27.  I rage.  Look back to June- another charge for $34.27. Same for May. Ditto for April.

July 31st I find the original agreement that I sign.  I call the club on Upper James. They say the manager is away on holidays. Call back in a week.

August 10th I call back. They say he’s at the Wentworth location. I call the Wentworth location. They say he’s at the Upper James location. I leave messages at both.

August 12th. No phone calls returned from either place.  I call Upper James. They said he’s at Wentworth. I let her know what I think of her manager.  I call Wentworth. “One moment please.”  I hold the line for 5 minutes.  “May I ask who’s calling?”  Jared Brock. “Oh, he’s actually with a client right now.’  Riiiiight. Tell him I’ll be there in 10 minutes. “Sorry, you need to book an appointment.”  Okay, let’s book one for tomorrow.  “Oh, we don’t actually book his appointments at this location.”  I see. The how exactly does he have an appointment there right now?  She hangs up on me.

August 12th still. I drive to Wentworth. He’s just left for the day.

August 13th. I go to the Upper James location. I press the secretary and get his schedule for the week.

August 14th I walk straight into his office at the Upper James location. Drop my stack of paperwork and demand my immediate refund of $137.07. He looks through it all, says okay, and starts filling out the paperwork. Apparently these matters are handled by head office, so he can only make a request. I tell him he can pay me cash from his own pocket.  He tells me there’s nothing he can do personally.  I remind him that he’s a part owner of the entire company.  He grins.  I restrain myself from knocking his teeth out.  We sign the paperwork. He tells me that my refund cheque should arrive at the club in 6-8 weeks, and that someone will call to let me know.  I don’t hold my breath, and tell him I’ll be back to pick it up exactly 8 weeks from today.

October 14th Cheque arrives. Kidding. I go in, the secretary hasn’t even heard of the situation.  Says she make some calls and find out.  Never calls me back.

October 28th I call Premier Headquarters. They said they never received the request. Called Upper James location again. Said they’d send out a ’second’ request. They said it was arrive at headquarters the next day, and that they’d call me.  They say it’ll take 8-12 weeks. I tell them it’s already been 10 weeks, so they’re already 2 weeks late.  She can’t promise anything. There’s nothing she can do. Naturally.

October 29th No call from Headquarters.

November 25th Called again. Leave 4 messages over three days. No calls returned.

November 30th Called for the 6th time. Said she’s get it signed by tomorrow and send to me directly.  She promised to call when it was in the mail.

December 1st No call received. No cheque sent.

December 14th Called for the 7th time.  Said she mailed the cheque on Friday the 11th, two weeks after the promised time.

December 29th Called for the 8th time.  She quotes me the supposed cheque number. Said if it didn’t arrive within a week, she’d cancel it and issue a new one…but that the cheque lady would be on holidays that week, so they’d send it out the week after.

February 4th Cheque finally arrives

February 7th Cheque Clears, 44 weeks from the date they first robbed me. That definitely takes the joy out of it!

All this to say:

If you’re going to run a business… treat people with dignity, respect, care, integrity, honesty, timeliness, and attention.

Or as a brilliant Jewish rabbi once put it, “Do for others what you would want them to do for you.”

I’ve been asking myself a number of questions for the past four weeks.  The pile keeps growing., but I’m okay with that… I have a lot that needs to change.

Confronted with the reality that I need to conform to the image of Christ, my response to these questions seem to form a decent indicator of where I’m at spiritually.

Eventually, I think I’ll develop a specific set of questions to ask myself every day- such a reflection would provide decent ‘metrics’ for progress (if you can call it that) on my walk with Jesus.  I guess you could call it ‘Conscious Christianity.’

Relationships

Am I being intentional about thinking of others as better than myself?

Have I reconciled with everyone that I’ve ever hurt?

Who have I been withholding forgiveness from?

Am I bowing low in humility?

Did I pray enough before confronting that relationship conflict?

Do my times with friends end up being times of worship and growth, or just fun and play?

Service

Why are so few Christians willing to serve humbly?

Why do I get bitter at others when I serve and they don’t?

Do I know any poor people?  Hurt people?  People who are living in the darkness?

How can I be salt and light to this city?

Marriage

Am I leading my wife closer to Jesus?

Can I truly say “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord”?

Have I been seeking God’s will for my family?

Am I relentlessly destroying any and all sin and mindless diversion in our marriage?

Have I laid down my selfishness and done something that she would like to do?

Did I take the time to humbly serve my wife today?

Is Jesus still number one? Truly?

Rest

Am I working at a sustainable pace?

Did I take a true Sabbath this week?

Have I taken the time to rest my body?

Do I need a change of place and a change of pace in order to get a change of perspective?

Money

What am I working for?  Who am I working for?

Does how I spend my paycheque reflect my allegiance to Jesus Christ?

Sure I tithe, but if someone drew a pie chart of how I spent the other 90%, would I go straight to hell?

What do I REALLY need? Anything at all besides Jesus?

Am I building a white picket fence life? Am I getting comfy and cozy?

Am I settling down on earth? Have I forgotten than this is NOT my home? Have I forgotten heaven?

Glory

What am I doing for my glory?

Am I building a monument to self? Am I building an empire?

What am I doing completely for God’s fame and glory?

What am I doing in secret?

Who is my life really all about?