Well, here you are. This is the NEW ‘Almost Weekly Report’. Or at least the start of it.
Some of you may have followed the AWR previously at our blogspot location and you probably noticed that the Blogging had become less frequent. Let me reassure you, AWR still exists! It is just undergoing a transformation.
I found that in increased measure that I was being limited by the format of our previous home (Blogspot). It served us well, but it is time for a change. This new Format is currently a work in progress, and it isn’t an attempt to revive something that was dead, but rather grow and expand what already existed.
Hopefully you will find the growing AWR all the more versatile and even more useful. So check back almost weekly for new changes.
Well, here we are! It’s come time to shake things up a bit.
For those of you who aren’t aware, I’m in the process of transition. I’ll be moving to Port Alice within the next month or so to assume a role as a Lead Pastor for one year.
With this transition comes the need for an expanded and change of some of the things in my life. One of these is the Almost Weekly Report.
Initially the AWR had a simple but useful purpose: it was brought into existence to let people know what I was up to and where I was. Well, as my life expanded and changed, the format of the AWR began to limit the What I was doing. It needed to include more. I realized that there was more to my life than the musings of a week. But the purpose of the AWR contradicted this. As a result, I came to a point of cross roads. Either stop blogging, or go deep into the thoughts and effects that events were having on my life. Unfortunately, the blogging stopped. Although unintentionally.
So, with the change of address in my life comes the change in address for the AWR. I am moving the AWR to almostweeklyreport.com
This new home will allow the AWR to continue and grow and learn with me through my journey. It will let me keep you up to date with the What. But also let you know the How, the Why, the Grow, and maybe even bring you some help along the way.
So check us out… almost weekly at our new home:
www.almostweeklyreport.com
-Caleb
This is me preaching on Sunday, September 28th 2008.
I was preaching on what we crave, based out of John 4
Well, it’s been an interesting two weeks. And i’ve had a bit of a whirlwind adventure.
It all started three weeks ago today, when I sat down to talk about time off during the summer. We (Myself and the powers that be) were looking at the summer schedule and going over time off, deciding when the best time for me to have a vacation would be. I was asked, “what would work for you?” to which I replied, “well I can take off these weeks or… I could always leave next week with my parents for ontario?!” And who would believe but that day I booked a flight back from ontario and made arrangements to leave the following wednesday with my parents for our Cottage on Manitoulin.
So here is what I’ve been up to for the last three weeks:
On June 25th (wednesday) I left Surrey BC with my parents and began to drive to our Cottage. The trip lasted 52 hours, with us arriving at our Cottage at 12:30 Am Saturday (EST). It was a lovely trip, on which I only had one cd to listen to… since of course while I was packing I diligently put all my music on my IPod to listen to on the airplane. Of course this was a foolish jesture, because I do not have an adapter to listen to my IPod while I drive. So this meant that I was stuck with only one CD to listen to all the way to ontario. Fortunatley, it was a good cd and I do still enjoy it.
We spent a week at our Cottage, where I assisted and did my part of the Chores. We put in the Dock, a Cottage Must, and cut down trees. I personally burnt about 1 full cord of wood in our fire pit, which is now full, and I had emptied in the first couple of days that I was at our cottage. I planted a Garden, or at least started one, and am hoping in the following years to fill and expand it with local wild flowers so that I don’t have to do any maintenance.
I also had the priviledge of “Learning” how to sail. Now I do not want to mislead you into thinking that I am naive when it comes to the waterways, but up until these last few weeks my knowledge was quite limited to vehicles powered by Man or by Machine. Not anywhere near as majestic as to be powered by wind. Anyways, while I was at some friends, I was fortunate enough to be invited out sailing on a small 5 meter boat. This was my first sailing experience ever… and it was quite fun. We actually in our inexperience Flipped the boat! What an adventure, and in righting the boat our inexperience showed again because it turtled. Needless to say, I enjoyed my first sailing adventure.
The second most highlite of my time on Manitoulin was Canada Day. If you know much about manitoulin, you will know that Canada Day is not an event that is celebrated and looked forward to. It is the lesser of the summer holidays and on manitoulin everyone looks forward to the cou’de gra is the Civic Holiday weekend which is know on the Island as “Haweater Weekend”. Anyways, in an attempt to create some excitement among friends, we hosted a Canada Day Bar-B-Q. This was quite exciting, as we ended up having 9 people over for our little celebration planned only the day before. However, if you know anything about my family and our cottage celebrations, 9 people is a quite intimate and familiar number. Most of our party’s have upwards of 35 people. Oh, this is most fun. If you are ever in the area you will have to come and see for yourself.
At the end of the week, I journey’d down to Whitby to stay with family and meet up with friends. And that has been another highlight. It has been a pleasure to see loved family and missed friends on my Long awaited, and almost missed vacation. And alas, today I travel home. Back to Surrey BC to resume my Post at the Church.
I hope that this report finds you well, and may y0ur summer adventures be as great as mine.
So apparently I don’t post enough on my blog. My dad made the comment that it should be called the “almost quarterly report”. Therefore, since I have been criticized for my lack of posts and since I actually have something to say about this last week… I will post!
This week has been busy. It started with a few days at my parents in duncan, it wasn’t as much relaxing and resting as it was a break in the routine of life. But I had a good time. Met up with some friends in sidney for coffee and spent father’s day with my dad. More so, our family was together for the first time in I think a year.
Then I came back to a very busy week, I had several meaningful meetings and then I set to the task of Painting a room in our church. Unfortunately in the process as I took down a bulletin board and moved furnature I began to find Gaping holes in the walls. So before I could paint, I had to patch a body sized hole… then I had to sand, then I had to prime… and even after all that and one coat of paint: Calvin and Hobbes are still showing up… which means that I have to re-prime with some special sealant/stain blocker… and then paint again.
It will look good when it’s done though.
Lastnight we had the annual preschool graduation. Which was surprisingly un-eventful.
But the most exciting news is that I am going to ontario! I leave this week with my parents and am going for 2 weeks. It’s all so exciting, as it happened last minute… like thursday.
So, because I’m a Pastor… once in a while (when they let me) I preach on Sunday mornings. So here is the last time, Sunday June 8th/2008.
So, as some of you may or may not know, I work with Kids. It’s part of my Job as a Pastor that I help out in our childcare center part time. It is enjoyable, there are moments where I feel like Bill Cosby because Kid’s say the darndest things, there are moments where I feel like a kid, and today… for the first time, I felt like my Mom.
I don’t know any other way to explain it. I did one of those things that usually makes people queasy, but only a mother could do. I told a kid to spit out candy into my hand. I don’t know what made me do it, but it was a moment that I knew that I just might be able to handle anything that my own kids throw at me if I ever have any.
Every morning, I drive the kids to school. It’s a big 15 passenger van, and I drop the children off a 3 different schools. This morning, as I parked at the second school, I heard a child behind me telling another child… “you can’t eat that”. I looked and said “you can’t eat that” all at the same time as the child opened up a candy and put it in her mouth. Then, like only my mother could possibly inspire, I stuck out my hand, and commanded the child to spit out the candy.
The child looked at me indignantly as I counted, One… Two… Three… The Candy came out. Into my hand. With all 12 other children saying eeeww gross and the other staff member cringing, I took the candy and put it in a paper towel and acted like nothing had happened.
When all is said and done, there are only two things that I can think of:
1. My Mother must be proud. and 2. What would I have done if she Hadn’t spit out the candy!
So, as you may or may not know… it has been snowing in surrey for the last 4 days. Which is extremely funny, and I truly enjoy it.
When I moved to surrey, I had given up on my hope of enjoying snow because of the highly unlikeliness of this type of weather. Well. Let me say, I am blessed. Because we have almost a foot of the white stuff.
Now if I can only teach people how to drive in it.
So, as you may or may not of heard. I quit drinking coffee… again. Now I realize that some have never experienced the person who is not addicted to a coffee, but it is true. I have it in me; I’m on day 3 of zero coffee.
Now you may say what possessed you to stop drinking coffee? Like really, we all know that it is a choice addiction, one that I love!
But what really surprises me is how many people have attempted to convince me to start drinking coffee again.
I think that the reason that it shocks me, is because it isn’t like quitting coffee is a bad thing. I mean, when you drink as much as I do, it can’t be healthy. But it raises the question, why would someone want to stop anyone from doing something good?
Well, it’s been a long time since I have posted. But I finally have something that I want to share with everyone.
Last Wednesday I heard a new song for the First Time, it’s called Bring the Rain and is by a group called Mercy Me. I heard it at our church’s music team practice; I was playing the piano and singing. As we were going through the song the meaning hit me so hard that I couldn’t sing; the words and truth of this song hit me so hard that all I could do was cry. It’s my story, and I want to share it with you.
Bring The Rain
by Mercy Me
I can count a million times people asking me how I
Can praise You with all that I’ve gone through
The question just amazes me; can circumstances possibly
Change who I forever am in You
Maybe since my life was changed long before these rainy days
It’s never really ever crossed my mind
To turn my back on you, Oh Lord; my only shelter from the storm
But instead I draw closer through these times
So I pray
Bring me joy, bring me peace bring the chance to be free
Bring me anything that brings You glory
And I know there’ll be days when this life brings me pain
But if that’s what it takes to praise You
Jesus, bring the rain
I am Yours regardless of.. the clouds that may loom above
Because.. You are much greater than my pain
You who made a way for me by suf – fer – ing Your destiny
So tell me what’s a little rain
So I pray
Bring me joy, bring me peace bring the chance to be free
Bring me anything that brings You glory
And I know there’ll be days when this life brings me pain
But if that’s what it takes to praise You
Jesus, bring the rain
Holy, holy, holy – Holy, holy, holy
Is the Lord God Almighty – Is the Lord God Almighty