Orthodox

On Friday morning I went on a field trip with my history of worship class to an Antiochian Orthodox church. This was a great experience , I was exposed to a different form of worship that I have never experienced before. We entered into the church by a doorway from the parking area and entered into a room with tiled floor and tiled ceiling with fluorescent lights humming to brighten it up. Our professor went upstairs to find the priest who was named Father Christopher and he shortly came down, He was dressed in a long black robe with a black cap that bore a small red cross. At first I wasn't sure what to think but he interjected any thoughts that those of us in our group may have been formulating in regards to the unfamiliar situation by saying,: "Well I don't know about you but I can't think straight with a cup of coffee in me." with that he turned to the small kitchenette that was off to the side and began making a pot of coffee while offering us any if we would like.

After this we sat down in the entry way to the church sipping coffee and he began to give us the scoop on Orthodox Christianity. For a faith that in movies often is represented scantily and in strange scenarios I was unsure what to expect. I knew some of the ontological implications from church history readings and I understood the basics of the theotokos belief but was in a listening mood as I knew there was much more I was ignorant of.

From this time sitting and speaking (mostly listening) with Father Christopher We learned some of the basics of the Orthodox church. The Church holds to all of the early creeds, the canon of scripture and recognizes the church fathers, that western churches do. Interpretation differed in some areas, for example the Writer Augustine while largely accepted in the western church is not held in such high esteem in the eastern church, I think this may be due to Augustine using Platonic argument while the eastern church held more to Aristotles formulas.

After this we were shown the worship sanctuary, differing was the presence of Icons for saints along with relics, contrary to some belief the saints are not worshiped. Everything that the devout Orthodox does in a day is blessed, several times Father Christopher paused to whisper a prayer over whateever he was doing, This as well being a difference. In the west everything in our church is very intellectualized, a strong example could be the Suma Theologica written by Aquinas, to current debate on theological aspects. The Orthodox church recognizes mysteries as often not worth attempting to discern as putting labels to all of God would be demeaning to Him.

Refreshing to see was in the root of the faith, that is their, belief on salvation was similar to the west, Believing salvation is by faith in Jesus through his sacrificial Substitution. The orthodox church has some good things to say, and we should have the courtesy to listen. While our belief's are set and we believe them there is no harm in taking a new perspective for a while, how else will you test you theology?

Yurt

Like most sane people, I have a dream. I want to one day live on a piece of property about 20-30 acres in the country with a bush lot. I want to grow most of my food in a hand tilled garden, I want to have a wind tower to supply all my power. I want to work as a self supported missionary, in northern Canada. And something that I have recently added to my dream is something that may seem a little odd. The contraption is called a yurt, when I first heard of them I only knew them as a thing taht Attila the Hun had lived in, but it is a legit living space here in Canada. The yurt is a circular structure that can be moved ina few days if the mood takes you, can be added to for additional size, as more children come along. and serves as a house does. Of course to accomplish living in one of these one must do away with things that are not needed for living. Well one can dream anyhow.

Here as an image of the inside of a yurt.

Job

This week in chapel one of my Professors, Olu Peters is preaching on then book of Job. This is significant as through the last year he has been on a road of recovery from a stroke that hit him suddenly and stripped him of many normal functions. Before the stroke he would run 10 kms several times a week, he had a PHD in theology and taught several classes at the college. After the stroke he had to be driven to cognitive testing sessions and be coached to walk.

He is very humble in saying that his experience in no way can grasp the suffering that was felt by Job but was drawn and directs others to find solace in the life of Job. When our world is upside down, we can find how to live right-side up.

Bass

Today was a full day, Bible study, chapel, class. But by far the zenith of my interest today was in my relationship with Ash. Ash is my bass guitar which is fittingly made out of ash and walnut. Ash has five strings that I change every few months, Ash has five knobs adjusting, gain, volume, volume bridge, lowend depth and the scoop. I play Ash with a hand wrought hemp strap, a piece of deer hide bearing the mark of the turtle clan tied about the long horn on its body and a strip of purple ribbon tied just below the chrome tuning pegs.

Over the past year I have grown to know ash better and better, exploring the different positions to sit in, the different dances we can do. The mystery of notes beyond an 8 step octave have been dabbled in, the slap of funk, the tap of classical music. Yet all of these were changed somewhat today.

There is one disadvantage a bass player has while jamming with a group, when a vocalist decides that a particular key is not comfortable they can change it and the guitarists throw a capo on the neck of there axes but the bass player rarely uses a capo thus comes the need to transpose on the go. Today in chapel two songs were in the key of A a comfortable key with lots of possibilities, but the vocalist had a hard time in the chorus, so the key was changed to F there goes the key of A so I slowly figured out how to play in F. Soon enough F wasn't working it was a little to low so F# must be the key. I can't think of any worship music in F# but we played through and I noticed none of my noted sounded right the second time through, on to G! Well thankfully I settled down into the key of G and did manage a few bass lines, transposing from A and trying to remember to play in G.

As exciting as transposing can be that was not the interesting part. The second set we played after Olu Peters delivered a message on the 1st chapter of Job. This song was called faithful one, a song I had played for the first time this morning. When the band and I went up the the stage instead of standing with my Bass as usual I sat on a chair rested the butt of the bass on my left foot and with a violin bow played my bass like one would a cello. The electric bass played with a bow sounds amazing as I was to discover. Wow the endless possibilities. There is one drawback because of the strings being level and not staggered as they are on a violin or cello you are only able to play 2 strings properly so this should only be done with simpler songs. Well, have to get on with some homework.

Grebel!

Yesterday, My friend Trevor came to visit from Waterloo, where he lives in Dorm at Conrad Grebel. We had a good time together, catching up on different things and discussing our experiences of college. It was a good time to see a friend to reflect on our friendship in the past and currently, how we have both matured in ways and hold ourselves in arrested development in some areas. In some ways we are both the same person who met the other on a bus in the fourth grade, and others we have both developed to being the college students we are, seeking to set wrongs right, having a kindred spirit of justice and interests. In spite of some differences we are still friends which is awesome, yesterday we went to his dorm at grebel and he was reminded a project he had to do and got to work in his clear thinking, get the job done sort of way, and I was very distracting by cracking jokes. I'm hazarding a suggestion that both of these personalities may have helped him get the thing going.

Regardless it was a good time to see an old friend.

The Grist Mill

Last night, Nathan, Tim Stanley and I headed down to Waterloo for a concert. The folks playing I had not heard of since a few weeks beforehand but listened to a few tracks leading up to the show. We parked several blocks away from the mill, which in reality is a wooden barn, that has fluorescent lighting.

And we walked through the cold night air to the venue, when we arrived there was a number scrawled on our wrists to verify us as paying guests. We stood in the middle off the barn while in the corner different bands and artists did there sound checks, right in front of us. Slowly more and more people trickled into the barn. It was no tlong before noticing we were the only people who were wearing ski jackets, everyone else had on leather jackets or Fleece coats, mostly of a darker gradient. There the three of us are, standing in a circle in the middle wearing bright ski jackets, wearing glasses that were not after the Buddy Holly tradition surrounded by the purists of the music scene. Or so one may be impressed.

Into the act of the first artist, a local guy named Adam CZ, who slammed an acoustic and bellowed out lyrics of youthful confusion and unsure desires, the barn really started to warm up so we decided to ditch the sore thumbness of our outfits and partially assimilate into the crowd by having now exposed the ever popular plaid, baggy t-shirts and solid colours of our Shirts. Finally not to be held apart in the seemingly shrinking barn.

Whipping into the barn as Adam finished was the trio Lemuria who whipped through several songs, while still out of breath because having just arrived. , Lemuria was followed by the Cavaliers, who played huge instrumentals and intimate lyrics. The one notable aspect of this performance I believe was the Bass player who was very jumped up on something the way he smiled and dance around. Overall this band was a good surprise in having very good music.

Imagine heading to the deep south, going to he back woods, digging a hole to reach strata of past generations, compiling all the history of deep southness, sweat &blood, and sunburnt necks, than adding a spark of life to this pile of dust, the result would be Tim Berry .The guy killing his guitar and voice, wailing about life experiences he has had and advising the youth at the show was something to remember. Musically I think he killed the show, build, build, than downward spiral and a thirty something hick swearing by Whisky and caloussed hands played three chord epics of southern life and personal conviction.

Lastly Chuck Ragan accompanied by a talented Floridian on Violin, played out the house.

"We are the ones who carry the guns

to faraway lands with the blackened sun.."

Both lyrically and musically Chuck showed Waterloo in a little barn what music is, denouncing the huge industry and playing from his heart. There was full sound with his acoustic riffs, harmonica solos and Violin ringing. Over all a good show, regardless of the south pushing north.

Also, I reached into my pocket and my wallet was covered in gum from a piece of gum I had put there earlier in the day wrapped in tissue. You can't win them all.

River Day!

Three pounds of Jujubes, A container of coolwhip (No Name) 10 packs of Jello, 2 packages of plastic sea animals, 1 plastic pirate ship, 2 pizza boxes and 4 garbage bags.

Now you be asking "WHAT?" but this is simply a list of the things I encountered within my first hour of being awake today. At seven in the morning Tim, Heather and I met in the common area and put together the fabled river for appointed river day. As soon as we were finished putting it all together. We ran over to the campus centre where we had our 7:30 bible study.

Today was my day to lead the study, it was a longer chapter (10) and had a lot of information, as we read it and I verbalized my exegete of the passage I found myself having to stop and catch my breath. There was an image of the Assyrian world force in the chapter that was very interesting, It was the idea of Assyria (the only super power in the world at the time) being only a hatchet being wielded by YHWH as a tool, and the problems that would occur if the hatchet turned against the one who wields it. Too bad the Assyrian king did not get the memo that YHWH is not just an idol like the Egyptian gods.

Of course when we were finished the study the group of us headed into the building for the unveiling. I htink Melissa enjoyed the finished product!