Traveling the Earth & Floating on the Ocean

2011-04-25T11:22:00.000-03:00

Here is an article from the Halifax Chronicle Herald that gives a little insight into Deep Water Church. It is an amazing community of God-focused and passionate followers of Jesus, that I am proud to be a part of.

Modern-day Easter: This group likes being in Deep Water

By GEOFF BIRD
Mon, Apr 25

Pastor A.J. Thomas
Pastor A.J. Thomas preaches to the Deep Water Church flock on Easter Sunday at Park Lane Theatre in Halifax.

Late in the morning Sunday, a Foo Fighters track plays to an expecting crowd at Empire 8 Park Lane Theatre in downtown Halifax.
Only hours earlier, Scream 4 played on the big white screen, but now there is a flashy sleek graphic promoting the website, Facebook and Twitter pages for a Protestant church called Deep Water.
When the music fades, Pastor A.J. Thomas, 33, steps out and addresses his congregation wearing faded jeans and a collared shirt that is not tucked in.
"This is the day that we celebrate when Jesus was dead and then wasn’t dead anymore," Thomas said to the sound of a few laughs.
This plain and simple delivery is a feature of Thomas’s sermon. Over the following hour and half, Thomas uses comic book analogies — at one point comparing indestructible action-hero Wolverine to the indestructibleness of God — dodge ball references and quotes from Mumford & Sons lyrics to relate centuries-old themes of grace and faith to his congregation.
The analogies seem to be working. A quick scan of the theatre reveals an unusual church-going demographic: young people. At a time when some churches are withering away with greying memberships, Deep Water has quickly grown in its first five years, mostly attracting people not yet in their 40s.
At the Easter service, roughly 200 people were seated in the plush seats of Theatre 8, many with coffees tucked away in their drink holders. Every Sunday, there is a free concession stand that serves up four different blends of coffee and a selection of teas for people to sip during the sermon.
"Anything you can do while drinking a coffee is informal," Thomas said in an interview a few days before in Deep Water’s abbey, a tongue-in-cheek name for the church’s office.
The abbey is a converted top-floor apartment in a heritage building off Spring Garden Road. It has a modern feel with black leather couches and soft beige walls.
That modern feel is repeated in every aspect of the church. Deep Water has a slick website where weekly sermons are available for download as a podcast and a Twitter account that routinely invites uninitiated Haligonians out for Sunday service, always with the offer of free coffee as a virtual icebreaker.
Thomas said having the church’s home in a theatre also helps to bring in new people.
"There’s the sense that this is a public space, so nothing weird is going to happen. It’s more like going to a coffee shop than someone’s house."
When looking for a venue for Deep Water, Thomas said he approached Park Lane after exhausting a list of more traditional places to gather. He said the church’s home in the theatre is a perfect fit, with great acoustics, comfortable seating and management that lets him do unusual things in a room designed for movie screenings. He has baptized several adults by immersion in a huge container of water without a complaint from the theatre.
Sitting in the theatre on Sunday, Tari Wilson, a second-year university student, said when she moved to Halifax for school, a friend recommended Deep Water.
"I didn’t want anything crazy. I just wanted a good place to go," said Wilson.
She said when she was younger, she often went to a more traditional church than Deep Water. Wilson said that while sometimes she doesn’t connect with Thomas’s Wolverine analogies, she enjoys that he is trying something different.
"I like that he isn’t using the typical Christian terms," she said. "Using the comic book analogies makes you look at things in a different way."
The message resonated with some of the older folks in the crowd, too.
"It’s refreshing," said Barbara Jones, 64.
She said her son encouraged her to come to the Easter service, which was her first in years.
"I think my generation would like it, too, especially the ones that just got tired of it."

Ponder-ation #5

2011-04-22T15:29:00.003-03:00

Easter - 'Tis the Season

More so than Christmas, this is the most important celebration in the Christian faith. Christmas represents Jesus' birth, but Easter represents his actions that allow us the opportunity to have a relationship with God. Everyone has a birthday, but only Jesus could commit the ultimate sacrifice and pay the debt of our sins. But Easter isn't about his death, its about his resurrection; unlike the Catholic iconic cross that portrays Jesus suffering on the cross, the real celebration should be for the empty cross, and the empty tomb. That's an idea, rather than wearing a cross around my neck, I should design an empty cave-tomb and wear that, for that is the real miracle. Anyone could be subjected to the torturous death of crucifixion (and indeed thousands were), but he is the only one that conquered death. So today, "Good Friday" we mourn the loss of a great teacher and he did because we are sinners, but on Sunday we shall celebrate our Saviour's power over death and evil, and we shall rejoice that we all have the opportunity to have a close, and personal relationship with our heavenly father, who created us, and loves us, and awaits for us in heaven.

Ponder-ation #4

2011-04-10T18:49:00.000-03:00

Sentient-beings vs. the rest of Creation

As a scientist, I have sat through many lecturers professing "man's" greatness for having evolved to a higher-state. This is based off of our sentience - being able to think and being aware of ourselves and our own existence (a "gift" that no other creature is capable of, that we know of). But when you think about it, it is not that "man" has wrestled consciousness away from nature/creation, but rather we are the only creatures in the whole of creation who have been given a choice; and many have chosen to step away from God, rather than towards him. When He made us sentient, He gave us the choice to love Him. The rest of creation was not given that choice; they love him regardless. I am convinced that God created the little bird that sits in the tree outside my window, and gave it song because it pleases him - that little bird has no choice but to please the Lord's ears with his song. But I was given sentience, I was given a choice, and I know what I chose...what will your choice be?

Ponder-ation #3

2011-03-01T15:47:00.000-04:00

Haha....hmmm

In North American movies and film, when a story is meant to take place in another country that speaks a language other than English, the actors speak English, but they take on the accent of a person from that country, rather than speaking the native language. I believe this is done for the ease of the audience so they do not have to read subtitles; also it allows famous English-speaking actors to be a part of the movie, and thus guaranteeing maximum profits at the box office.
So my ponder-ation is this: If another country, for instance Russia, is creating a film that is set to take place in Canada or the US, does a famous Russian actor speak Russian with an English accent?? Or if the movie takes place in Australia, do they speak Russian with an Aussie accent?? I would really like to hear that :)

Birthday Blog

2011-02-25T10:49:00.004-04:00

Halifax Edition

During my birthday yesterday, I caught myself counting the number of cities that I have spent my birthday in: Calgary, AB; Mississauga, ON; Milton, ON; Orlando FL; Nassau, Bahamas; Winnipeg, MB; and Halifax, NS, where I currently am. Granted, none of these places are exceptionally exciting (except maybe the Bahamas), but each place means I celebrated with different people, and in different ways. It also means that I have spent a considerable number of my birthdays away from my family; because of this, each birthday comes with a twinge of pain. But God continues to fill my life with amazing people that I am honoured and thrilled to celebrate with. I have now come to look upon my birthdays as steps of adventures because I have no idea where I will celebrate my next birthday, or who I will celebrate it with.

This year I decided to document my adventures with the help of the present my sister made for me (the grey bear, in case you couldn't guess, lol).
My challenge was to see what I could do in Halifax for $40. I didn't have any set plans, so here is the tale of my low-key adventures (and I write this more for my sister as a thank-you for the gift she sent me)

The day started off with a simple, but yummy breakfast - Hot Chocolate at MacDonald's and breakfast sandwich from Tim Horton's. P.S. if you haven't tried McD's hot chocolate yet, what are you waiting for? It was delicious

Then I met my friend Holly for a Toonie Matinee - Watched Happy Potter and the Deathly Hollow-Part 1. This was the second time we had seen it, and it should hold us over until Part 2 comes out in July 2011.

Lunch was at the Rock Island Bistro - yummy

Dessert was back to my place - Angel Food Cake with strawberries and whipped cream...mmmmm!

And dinner was at Sushi Nami, my favorite sushi place in Halifax. It was an impromptu dinner that a friend of mine had planned without knowing it was my birthday; so there were many random people that I didn't know, but they were all great with helping me celebrate (and once again makes me realize I will never know where, or with whom I will celebrate my birthday)

Then back to McDonald's for Caramel Sundae for dessert

Then I was dragged to the Seahorse Tavern to listen to the Mellotones - ended up having a blast and listening to some really great music. Check out their music and their facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2263003066

I'm not a beer drinker, but since I'm Dutch I grabbed my friend's Heineken for the picture

Ponder-ation #2

2011-02-13T18:36:00.002-04:00

Seeing the Ancient Sites

I have often dreamed of the time when I'll have the money to fly around the world and see the ancient sites from worlds long ago. But I've been struck lately on the significance of the sites that most tourist spend their savings accounts on: Manchu Picchu in Peru, the Parthenon in Greece, the Colosseum in Rome, the Pyramids in Egypt and the Aztec pyramids in Mexico. I would love to stand at these places and revel in the fact that these places have stood for millennia, but.....when I learned my history, and learned why these places were built and what occurred at these places, that little voice inside my head starts to voice its objection. As a follower of Jesus, I believe that this world, and its existence can be boiled right down to its core: the battle between good and evil (the God of Light and the Lord of Darkness). I know that none of these site were built for the glorification of God, which means there were built either for the glorification of men, or the glorification of other gods; in either case, they were not built for the glorification of God. If that is the case, how can I go and marvel at the creation of something that was built for the sole purpose of idolatry? To visit as a tourist knowing that I am standing on a site that was built for evil sets off that little voice in my head.

Here is a mini history synopsis: The Parthenon that stands on the Acropolis in Athens was built as a temple to Athena; the pyramids in Mexico were built by the Aztecs to worship their deities and provide human sacrifices; the Roman Colosseum was used for the slaughtering of humans and animals, all for the sake of entertainment; the Pyramids at Giza were built as tombs for the Pharaoh and his sons, as lasting monuments to their greatness, and where hundreds of men lost their lives during the building process.

So, I would still like to travel to the distant lands, and see the relics that remain standing from another era, but I have my apprehensions. Maybe I'll spend my money traveling to remote places that display God's handiwork rather than man's. A sunset that fills the horizon of a calm flat ocean appeals to me more than seeing a place where people worshiped idols and killed one another.

Far from the family, but technology brings us near.

2011-02-12T18:44:00.000-04:00

My nephew's first birthday is today; and this day of great happiness is clouded with just a hint of regret. Although I treasure my life dearly, and would not change a single major event that has lead me to be sitting here, writing this blog, I find that there are times when I wish I did not have a wandering spirit that kept me away from my family. I have learned to contend myself with being away from those that I cherish, in order to become the person God wants me to be. And, although from the outside my life looks wonderfully adventurous, it does come with its own struggles. I have to miss the small events that shape the lives of my family (and they miss mine) as we travel through life. It is wonderful to be able to head home periodically and celebrate the big events, like Christmas, but I find that it is the small things that are often more fun, and more memorable. I very much would have liked to join in on the festivities, and celebrate the anniversary of my little nephew joining the family, but that is one of the disappointments I have to deal with in order to live the life I was called to live.

But, wonderful technology allowed me to share in the celebration at my parent's place, albeit for a brief moment. I am thankful for the people I will never meet who had the knowledge and imagination to design computers, internet and web-cams that made the 5,290 km from my home to my parents, seem only inches away.

Ponder-ation #1

2011-02-09T22:30:00.000-04:00

If there is no God, why do people feel the need to take a stand on it?

If there is no God, why do people feel they need to define themselves as an Atheist? I don't believe there are aliens on any of the planets in our solar system, but I don't define my existence as a non-Alien believer. Its one of those things that makes me stop and think....hmmm. There must me some relevance, or significance, or importance to this "God-idea" if people feel they need to take a side on the matter. If there was no God, wouldn't people be more apathetic towards the subject? Why do they give it enough time and consideration to classify themselves against an idea that they don't believe exists?

In the beginning...

2011-01-30T22:18:00.000-04:00

As Julie Andrews sang, "Start at the very beginning, its a very good place to start", so I shall...

God has blessed me in unbelievable ways: He has allowed me to explore His world, and He has given me a passion to preserve and conserve its many wonders and miracles; He has also blessed me with an amazing family, and some very close friendships. So, in an effort to show my gratitude for the adventures He has lead me on, and the many more that are to come, I am going to record my experiences here. Hopefully you'll find it interesting, maybe you'll find it challenging, but mostly I hope that it will inspire you to seek God and follow Him on your own adventures.