tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-315617412011-04-21T17:43:08.012-04:00Clarkson Road Presbyterian Church<br> Minister's Personal BlogRev. John @ Clarksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624661617536157899noreply@blogger.comBlogger681100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31561741.post-29786364592113002422008-12-07T12:36:00.001-05:002008-12-07T12:38:03.308-05:00

Text: Isaiah 40:1-11As I promised last week, my text for preaching this morning is found on the coins the children helped me pass around the previous Sunday.“Comfort, O comfort my people!” Says your God… The glory of the Lord shall be revealed…Yet at the same time, contrast that with some of the images that we’ve heard in the news…About ten days ago, on the day following the American Thanksgiving

Rev. John @ Clarksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624661617536157899noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31561741.post-73841326304870195552008-08-05T14:36:00.003-04:002008-08-05T14:50:50.833-04:00

It has been far far far too long since I posted in this blog. Ironic since my last post on January 2nd indicated that I should really post more often. Go figure. However, now I am back from my first holiday in 8 months. Three weeks is a good amount of time, and I find myself refreshed and renewed and ready to get back into the swing of things.Since early April, we've been mulling over the results

Rev. John @ Clarksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624661617536157899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31561741.post-8181165946877900122008-01-02T10:27:00.000-05:002008-01-02T10:36:11.282-05:00

Technically New Year's resolutions aren't really something that has a place within our faith tradition. The tick of the calendar to a new numerical year just means that we've had 365 days since the last one. However, it is a means by which we mark time, and we tend to get introspective, myself included... Choosing to do something new as a matter of practicing our faith is something that is part

Rev. John @ Clarksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624661617536157899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31561741.post-73840974648208458362007-12-15T21:13:00.001-05:002007-12-15T21:28:54.286-05:00

The last time I was involved in a decision to cancel a worship service was during the Ice Storm of 1998, nearly 10 years ago. In that case, there was no power to the church, and large sheets of ice were sliding off portions of the steep-angled roof. Tonight, after looking at the weather reports, speaking with the Clerk of Session, Choir Director, as well as a handful of other people in the

Rev. John @ Clarksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624661617536157899noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31561741.post-91395156441546745272007-10-02T14:00:00.000-04:002007-10-02T14:13:29.870-04:00

I was once told in seminary that it's a really good idea NOT to tell the congregation how busy you are... It's good advice, really, because by always claiming to be busy, people will become more reluctant to talk, because they don't want to bother the minister."Oh... you're busy... you don't have to come and see me..." As the line goesMy reply is usually, "but this is the stuff I'm supposed to be

Rev. John @ Clarksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624661617536157899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31561741.post-14126990646902434232007-09-17T10:52:00.001-04:002007-09-17T12:07:10.715-04:00

My daughter has recently taken to noticing different body parts.She's become rather adept at pointing them out, and even is able to name them in toddlerspeak, which oddly enough I'm able to understand. She can say the syllable "Ba" and depending on the inflection, I know that she means Bottle, Bag, Bear, Baby, or Button. She loves to press the buttons for the automatic doors at restaurants and

Rev. John @ Clarksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624661617536157899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31561741.post-91963616019266412302007-09-11T12:08:00.000-04:002007-09-17T12:16:27.021-04:00

Last night I lost a long time companion and close friend. My elderly rabbit, Roo, who had recently celebrated a 10th birthday died quite suddenly. He had been showing the signs of aging for some time now, becoming so arthritic he couldn't keep himself clean. Last night, I noticed that something wasn't right, and decided to bring him upstairs and help him by cleaning him up a bit. We hadn't gotten

Rev. John @ Clarksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624661617536157899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31561741.post-89144666000824073092007-08-29T14:57:00.001-04:002007-08-29T14:58:56.389-04:00

I suppose I can't let today go by without a post to the Blog. Yup... I am now 38. I've now celebrated 10 birthdays as an ordained minister... Which leads me to the biggest theological question of 'em all!Where'd the time go?

Rev. John @ Clarksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624661617536157899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31561741.post-62715381883722778072007-08-16T16:34:00.000-04:002007-08-16T16:57:11.347-04:00

Yesterday, I fulfilled a promise to my wife to go out to Parkwoods United Church and help her and some enthusiastic teens put together a plan for a revised website for their congregation. It was a good experience. I think they have a healthy plan, but one that will certainly have a lot of work cut out for them.Inevitably, such planning brings me to look at our own website and give it a bit of a

Rev. John @ Clarksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624661617536157899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31561741.post-31273134760288743062007-07-29T14:10:00.000-04:002007-07-29T14:15:35.115-04:00

Well, today was the first full operation of the new video system at Clarkson Road. I was very nervous about it going into the service, but even with the first hymn I knew right away that this was a good thing. The vocals from the congregation, which were at modest summer numbers were even more robust than when the church is full in the fall. The response from the people who were there was

Rev. John @ Clarksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624661617536157899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31561741.post-2771036663433755442007-07-18T08:43:00.001-04:002007-07-18T08:50:49.877-04:00

It's nice to be back in the office... I'm still trying to get back into the groove of things, which I suppose can be difficult in the midst of July. Everybody's on summer vacation mode even when they're at home or even in the office. Maybe it's a Canadian thing, or a Southern Ontario thing... Anyway, Wednesday mornings are a day that I often find myself in the office much earlier than usual.

Rev. John @ Clarksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624661617536157899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31561741.post-73168010537674329802007-07-13T01:00:00.001-04:002007-07-13T01:07:04.769-04:00

I'm now sitting in front of my Father-in-Law's brand-new computer in Parksville, BC. Tomorrow's going to be a long day, first driving up to Comox, visiting some of Ken & Phyllis' friends, then flying to Toronto with a stopover in Calgary. Assuming everything goes to schedule, we'll be landing at Pearson at nearly 10pm EST. I expect Megan is going to be completely thrown by the time change, and

Rev. John @ Clarksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624661617536157899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31561741.post-607360118873760392007-06-30T21:57:00.000-04:002007-07-01T02:26:03.956-04:00

I'm sitting in the basement of my parent's house in Calgary, seeing if my daughter Megan will eventually succumb to the lure of sleep. At the moment, she's not, and proclaiming rather loudly from my old bedroom as to exactly how displeased she is with her present situation. I suppose it doesn't help that being as far North as Calgary is, sunset isn't until well after 9pm... so it's not dark out

Rev. John @ Clarksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624661617536157899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31561741.post-67274589809360625302007-06-25T09:04:00.001-04:002007-06-25T09:07:40.187-04:00

Wow... it has been well over a month since I last posted. I am seriously delinquent in offering some sort of reflection. I wouldn't be surprised if I've lost whatever small readership I've had since I last posted!Oh well... the best thing to do is start up again, and hopefully someone is reading this.I'm in the office on June 25th, which is the first day of my Vacation... or at least it's

Rev. John @ Clarksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624661617536157899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31561741.post-63127033640407372532007-05-10T16:30:00.000-04:002007-05-10T16:34:10.454-04:00

Well... not really a full-sized entry to be sure... It's more like I am posting something to acknowledge that I've not posted much in the past week. Much of that has been in relation to John's funeral, and everything leading up to that. Yes, it's been busy, but it's also been oddly affirming that I'm where I'm called to be at the moment...Yours in pensive theological reflection...

Rev. John @ Clarksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624661617536157899noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31561741.post-1902121021883782162007-05-02T10:29:00.000-04:002007-05-02T10:40:46.461-04:00

It's been all over the news in recent days, although mostly in association with online bullying in high schools. Chances are you've probably heard of Facebook by now, even if you haven't a clue of what it's about. I joined up because my companion church blogger Ande had set up a Facebook group for the youth at Clarkson Road. I was curious to see how it worked, he invited me, and thought that this

Rev. John @ Clarksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624661617536157899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31561741.post-42851878578216082832007-04-18T17:31:00.000-04:002007-04-18T17:42:32.517-04:00

Well, I'm back in the office after taking a few days off. I have my work cut out for me, spending much of today working on the sermon for Sunday as well as taking care of a necessary visit. This Sunday is the first "official" worship team Sunday, so I am doing some preparation ahead of that. All told, I feel reasonably well rested...I'm still musing about the horrible events in Virginia on Monday

Rev. John @ Clarksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624661617536157899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31561741.post-56944557521673697242007-04-05T10:55:00.000-04:002007-04-05T11:06:45.603-04:00

Okay... so that's an unusual title, especially this close to Easter. It's the title of a webcomic that I've been following for a number of years now. It's great, but often its content is not exactly "family friendly." However, it does deal with existential issues, morality, theology, and includes God and the Devil as some of its main characters. it occasionally has some absolutely brilliant

Rev. John @ Clarksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624661617536157899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31561741.post-53931027257147718202007-03-27T14:34:00.000-04:002007-03-27T14:39:47.505-04:00

Well, after arriving in the office today, I found that the April issue of the Presbyterian Record had arrived... and several people had already told me that had read my article in the magazine. I've just proven to the world, or at very least, to the Presbyterian Church that I am indeed a Geek. Nerdy enough to do theological reflection on comic-book characters.I think at one point in my life I

Rev. John @ Clarksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624661617536157899noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31561741.post-37782487849502537732007-03-19T16:15:00.000-04:002007-03-19T16:26:57.316-04:00

Likely most of you have already seen the posting on the main website about Joy Lismore's death this past Saturday. The service will be at the church this coming Saturday. It's been kind of a melancholy day, partly due to the weather, partly due to this milestone in the life and work of this congregation. Joy had been part of this community since its earliest days, particularly as a fixture in the

Rev. John @ Clarksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624661617536157899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31561741.post-83852886626334204812007-03-12T11:55:00.000-04:002007-03-12T12:15:47.212-04:00

It's funny how we become so accustomed to certain ways of doing things that we often forget how much things have changed over the years. We had a case study yesterday on Sunday morning when for the first time in my ministerial career, we did not have a bulletin prepared for Sunday morning. I'm the one at fault, but not because we weren't prepared. Shortly after my last post to this blog, I

Rev. John @ Clarksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624661617536157899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31561741.post-545282987959520612007-03-09T12:23:00.000-05:002007-03-09T12:35:38.791-05:00

Well, I'm starting to feel slightly human again. As some of you know, I wasn't in the office on Thursday due to a rather severe but short-lived illness swept through our family home late Wednesday night. Sounds like I'm not the only one with it either. Sometimes it takes being helpless to really appreciate those around you.Hopefully I'll be back up to speed for Sunday...

Rev. John @ Clarksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624661617536157899noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31561741.post-42050095442954225522007-02-28T08:48:00.000-05:002007-02-28T15:50:09.172-05:00

By this time most of you have probably heard about the international kafuffle around "the family tomb of Jesus." It's interesting that the overall reaction to the documentary has been a collective rolling of the eyes from both the scholarly and Christian communties. Although it's been more hype than anything else, the major news outlets have already seemed to have dropped it two days after the

Rev. John @ Clarksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624661617536157899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31561741.post-27177875147101920772007-02-26T10:38:00.000-05:002007-02-26T10:57:34.141-05:00

I'm looking at a copy of the Annual Report in front of me on my desk. The title on the front cover is "Sabbath Moments". It's from the national offices as an encouragement to rediscover Sabbath. It's been a busy weekend, Bill Stager's Funeral service, Scott Woods and the Dancing Fiddles, Sunday morning worship, the Annual Congregational Meeting, all the while being a single parent for the weekend

Rev. John @ Clarksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624661617536157899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31561741.post-19710903098007678032007-02-05T11:21:00.000-05:002007-02-05T11:50:10.088-05:00

I have a bit more time than I expected this morning. I had Megan down at SickKids for a blood test that I expected to take all morning... Yet we were all done before 9am, so I was able to come into the office well ahead of schedule. It means I've managed to get caught up on a few things that was running behind on.I don't really have anything overly profound to reflect upon, aside from enjoying

Rev. John @ Clarksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624661617536157899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31561741.post-52484342627520917492007-01-29T12:07:00.001-05:002007-01-29T12:50:23.937-05:00

Well, it was close! I literally came within one word of serving on a jury. I found the whole process interesting, especially realizing that all 100+ that were on the Jury Panel were there for a single jury selection.For much of the time it was a great deal of waiting. So I occupied myself with reading, doing Sudoku puzzles, people watching... anything to help the time pass by. On Tuesday, when I

Rev. John @ Clarksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624661617536157899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31561741.post-78132882614790248272007-01-22T10:35:00.000-05:002007-01-22T10:53:49.902-05:00

Session has known about this for some time, but tomorrow is my first day of possible Jury duty. I received a letter from the government last fall telling me that my name has come up for a potential pool, and that I was to fill out some information and send it back. Given that there are legal consequences if I don't, I filled things out and sent it in. Shortly after Christmas, I received a letter

Rev. John @ Clarksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624661617536157899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31561741.post-64455464899184658832007-01-14T09:46:00.000-05:002007-01-14T09:54:48.550-05:00

I couldn't resist the title.... and a bit tongue in cheek, I suppose. Late this week, Andrew Faiz, Managing Editor of the Presbyterian Record asked me to be the guest columnist for his Pop Christianity column in the April Issue of the Record. I said yes before I even thought about what was involved. Now the real challenge is to figure out what I'm going to be writing on. Apparently I have a

Rev. John @ Clarksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624661617536157899noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31561741.post-50624042811140302762007-01-07T12:49:00.000-05:002007-01-07T12:57:20.901-05:00

I can usually tell a good vacation time when towards the end of it I find myself looking forward to going back to work. It was restful, and I certainly got a lot done in terms of my hobbies and such. Although now we need to start preparing the household for the arrival of Sarah's parents during the last week of January.This morning started frenetically enough when I discovered my computer at the

Rev. John @ Clarksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624661617536157899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31561741.post-21161810796916976412006-12-27T23:22:00.000-05:002006-12-27T23:34:05.518-05:00

It's been a good Advent and into Christmas, all told. Things went well on Christmas Eve, to the point of an unexpected applause after the sermon. Caught me off guard to be sure. The past few days since have been reasonably good, catching up with friends talking to family on the phone. But then there was tonight's phone call from my Dad...My Grandmother, Ina Crowdis (nee Ripley) died tonight at

Rev. John @ Clarksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624661617536157899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31561741.post-54777815551469251662006-12-20T15:26:00.000-05:002006-12-20T15:33:53.905-05:00

It has been far too long since I last posted. I think I ended up breathing a sigh of relief once the Revelation study came to a close that I took a break from all things computer/website related.That's not quite true... but with all of the other preparations for Christmastime coming into play, I've not had made time to post something else up here.I've been spending the afternoon at home in

Rev. John @ Clarksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624661617536157899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31561741.post-1165350407508121022006-12-05T15:13:00.000-05:002006-12-05T15:33:50.746-05:00

I had the next-to-last night of my "Reclaiming Revelation" course/Bible study last night. It's been a good experience, and the response from those who have been attending has been really encouraging. If anything this has taught me not to be afraid to share what I've learned back in Seminary as far as the Biblical stories are concerned. For the most part, that hasn't really been a large concern

Rev. John @ Clarksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624661617536157899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31561741.post-1164745419470407212006-11-28T15:02:00.000-05:002006-11-28T15:23:39.493-05:00

Back on November 18, I attended an event at Knox Presbyterian Church in Stratford that was a seminar and discussion on a book called "The End of Faith" by Sam Harris. Harris has become increasingly well known for both this work, and another one called "Letter to a Christian Nation." Despite their titles, Harris is an avowed athiest, and a rather strident one at that. His book is a broadside

Rev. John @ Clarksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624661617536157899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31561741.post-1163825905877830982006-11-17T23:28:00.000-05:002006-11-17T23:58:25.890-05:00

In a little over a week's time, the congregation will be holding a "Jubilee Memorial and Celebration Hymn Sing" --for those of you who don't already know what it's about, it's a chance for people in the congregation to pick their favorite hymn, and dedicate it either in memory or in honour of someone. It's been a really useful exercise, in that not only is it a chance for people to take some

Rev. John @ Clarksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624661617536157899noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31561741.post-1163391216093547442006-11-12T22:48:00.000-05:002006-11-14T13:03:18.370-05:00

I received an email from a member of my congregation the other day. It's the type that often circulates around the 'net, leaping from email inbox to email inbox as people forward them along. Here's the body of the text:Read all of this one, it is interesting!! Read down to the very bottom highlighted in green. You don't want to miss this!! VERY INTERESTING-The Garden of Eden was in

Rev. John @ Clarksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624661617536157899noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31561741.post-1163042080907991382006-11-08T22:06:00.000-05:002006-11-08T22:14:40.920-05:00

Much too long since my last post... but I've been somewhat busy. For those of you who don't already know, my daughter Megan has been in the hospital for the past five days with cellulitis for the second time in four months. Fortunately, this time around wasn't nearly as bad, as it was on her arm, and it healed well enough that she was discharged.As I type this, Megan is fast asleep in my Dad's

Rev. John @ Clarksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624661617536157899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31561741.post-1162314485933230762006-10-31T11:55:00.000-05:002006-10-31T12:08:05.946-05:00

Well, my first session with the Reclaiming Revelation course launched last night... and I'm still here, and I'm still breathing. Overall it was a great response, with around 24 people out for the first night. Hopefully I can keep the same level of enthusiasm, but this is very encouraging. I'm also test driving a new part of the website which will serve as an online classroom. I've even managed to

Rev. John @ Clarksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624661617536157899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31561741.post-1161543726163724362006-10-22T14:51:00.000-04:002006-10-28T23:39:04.306-04:00

This is a post I really should have put up a week ago Sunday instead of today. During the last hymn on our service on October 15th, I found myself smacking myself in the forehead.As I always try to do, I usually try to keep closing hymns as familiar as possible... if not in words, certain in the way of music. On October 15th, the closing hymn was #370 "Hallelujah, Sing to Jesus." The words are

Rev. John @ Clarksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624661617536157899noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31561741.post-1161179160985966062006-10-18T09:21:00.000-04:002006-10-18T09:46:01.010-04:00

I spent much of my time yesterday working on the upcoming Reclaiming Revelation Bible Study. A number of my colleagues have wished me the best of luck on this, although I sometimes get the sense it's more in the adage that "Fools rush in where Angels fear to tread..." kind of thing.I think the main challenge is going to be working against what has become popularized belief of what Revelation is

Rev. John @ Clarksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624661617536157899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31561741.post-1160916575218932752006-10-15T08:26:00.000-04:002006-10-15T08:49:35.230-04:00

It's Sunday morning, about 8:20 am., and I've already been at the church for about 20 minutes. Much earlier than usual. Sarah has a friend visiting, so in order to stay out of the way of the big bathroom rush in the morning, I shaved last night, and then got up to have my shower far earlier than I usually do on Sunday morning. My sermon is already printed, and the prayers should find their way to

Rev. John @ Clarksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624661617536157899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31561741.post-1160437917740419862006-10-09T19:51:00.001-04:002006-10-09T19:51:57.773-04:00

I stumbled across this article on another blog today. It's fascinating how the media is fumbling all over itself to try and explain what seems to be an incomprehensible response to an incomprehensible crime.This is of course tied to the horrific crime in Pennsylvania, where a troubled man summarily executed a number of young girls at an Amish school.Instead of the expected cries of revenge, or

Rev. John @ Clarksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624661617536157899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31561741.post-1160026212134406132006-10-05T01:19:00.000-04:002006-10-05T01:30:12.146-04:00

It's 1:11 am... far past my bedtime.My daughter Megan woke up just as I was settling in for the night. She didn't really fully wake up, but either a bad dream or some soreness from teething saw her begin to fuss. I wanted to let Sarah get some sleep, she needs it more than I do. After changing her diaper, I gently rocked her back to sleep, still not being entirely sure of what inspired this case

Rev. John @ Clarksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624661617536157899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31561741.post-1159798551461488642006-10-02T09:46:00.000-04:002006-10-02T10:15:51.476-04:00

Well, the website is now officially public. We unveiled it to the congregation yesterday, but I suspect that it will still take some time for people to build habits around frequenting it. The next stage is to listen to feedback, to listen to peoples comments and questions, and then start incorporating them into "Stage 2" of the design.I've been very pleased with this process, and am particularly

Rev. John @ Clarksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624661617536157899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31561741.post-1159289816413283752006-09-26T12:41:00.000-04:002006-09-26T12:56:56.430-04:00

Well, the last bits and pieces of the Stage 1 portion of the church's website are coming together nicely. God-willing, we officially unveil it this coming Sunday. It seems appropriate given that it's World Communion Sunday to make our official "debut" on the world-wide web. My hope is that the website will be used regularly by those in our congregation who are so-inclined. It's a way to maintain

Rev. John @ Clarksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624661617536157899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31561741.post-1158727528648158792006-09-20T00:44:00.000-04:002006-09-20T00:45:28.660-04:00

Today there seemed to be a bit of a glitch with the blog. I think Blogger was actually doing some sort of service upgrade or some such thing, and as a result the comments posted to one of my blogs got smoked, and a picture that I had tried posting to the church announcements blog got nuked within a minute of me posting.Ah well.The upside is that we can now post pictures directly to the website as

Rev. John @ Clarksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624661617536157899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31561741.post-1158640382002825742006-09-19T00:25:00.000-04:002006-09-19T00:33:02.013-04:00

Today was one of those productive days that I didn't seem to get all that much done.My colleague Sean at Hopedale Presbyterian Church is on vacation. I covered a funeral for him today of a well-loved member of his congregation. I was glad to do it, although it did mean that my normal administrative duties for Monday have to wait until Tuesday. Looking ahead to Sunday, it's Presbyterians Sharing..

Rev. John @ Clarksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624661617536157899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31561741.post-1158299044314919802006-09-14T23:59:00.000-04:002006-09-15T01:44:04.383-04:00

After what has been an extraordinarily busy day, I'm pausing for a moment to catch my breath before heading to bed. I left home this morning at about 8:30am, and didn't walk in the door until about 11:15pm. Part of that is due to a funeral that I will be conducting on Monday for a person at Hopedale Presbyterian Church who died yesterday. I'm covering for Sean while he is on vacation. I am glad

Rev. John @ Clarksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624661617536157899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31561741.post-1158037927330639532006-09-12T01:07:00.000-04:002006-09-18T14:47:15.863-04:00

Okay, so sometimes small things amuse me...We've been working on the website for the church for some time now. I decided that once we got the look of the website down, I would come back into the blogs that we're using to drive some of the content on the website to at least match in form and colour what is on the site.You should now be able to see the results of those labours. I think I am getting

Rev. John @ Clarksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624661617536157899noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31561741.post-1158027539682097692006-09-10T22:18:00.000-04:002006-09-12T13:53:41.903-04:00

Okay, so my posting has been a bit delinquent! I hadn't realize a whole week had gone by without me posting anything.I tried to get as much done on the church website last week as we could, hoping to officially launch it today. However, on further reflection it was best to let it go for one more week to make sure that we got everything right. I am indebted to both Christine and Jordan for their

Rev. John @ Clarksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624661617536157899noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31561741.post-1157308844659837922006-09-03T14:21:00.000-04:002006-09-12T13:33:54.123-04:00

Lesley came into my office on Thursday having just noticed herself a typo in the bulletin that had us both laughing. It's one of those bulletin bloopers that can seriously change the meaning in a text. She had left a "g" off of the word "sing" in the title of the hymn "Come Sing O Church in Joy!"This was definitely an entry for the Blog. There's a considerable difference between Sing and Sin...

Rev. John @ Clarksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624661617536157899noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31561741.post-1157034844954260222006-08-31T10:23:00.000-04:002006-08-31T10:34:09.160-04:00

I do find that it takes a certain amount of discipline to maintain a blog. Perhaps writing it into my schedule or to do list in order to write something down at least a couple times per week, if not every day. I was once told that if I am having writer's block, that I should simply sit down and fill pages and pages with the words "I can't think of anything!!" At first, it seemed kind of pointless

Rev. John @ Clarksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624661617536157899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31561741.post-1156704922013755832006-08-27T14:41:00.000-04:002006-08-27T14:55:22.086-04:00

On my way home from worship this afternoon I turned on CBC's Tapestry program. On it, Mary Hynes was interviewing a couple of editors from a new publication called "Geez Magazine. " Turns out it was an interview that happened back in March, but then again there is some value to re-runs. It was the first time I had heard it. I listened with great interest, and thanks to the internet, you can

Rev. John @ Clarksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624661617536157899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31561741.post-1156375194469124952006-08-23T19:13:00.000-04:002006-08-23T19:19:54.476-04:00

Tonight is the last of my Summer Bible Studies at Clarkson Road. I've thoroughly enjoyed this one, as I did the Genesis 1-11 study last year. It is nice to be able to go in-depth, handle a bit of controversial material, and have people respond the way that they do. I try to give an overview of what people who make a life's career out of studying the Bible and its context have discovered. It's

Rev. John @ Clarksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624661617536157899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31561741.post-1156179182841288902006-08-21T12:39:00.000-04:002006-08-21T13:04:21.363-04:00

Okay, so it's no longer morning, but I can at least reflect back on it.For many, today is the start of the work week, after having only just survived or are successfully refreshed from the weekend. More and more calendars assign Monday as the first day of the week, rather than the traditional Sunday. I use Google Calendar to do my personal scheduling, and it allows the option for the week to

Rev. John @ Clarksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624661617536157899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31561741.post-1155837895649344352006-08-17T13:51:00.000-04:002006-08-17T14:04:57.800-04:00

Right now, the younger of our two cats is sleeping behind me, paws up in the air completely asleep.Now Samantha is not the brightest of cats, but she is very likeable, and very friendly. She gives love without really expecting it in return... just a constant state of gratitude and bliss that we once took her in and gave her shelter. Unlike our other cat, she has no pretensions about owning the

Rev. John @ Clarksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624661617536157899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31561741.post-1155529508092734742006-08-13T23:57:00.000-04:002006-08-14T10:59:35.476-04:00

I got a bit of a shock tonight before taking out the garbage. I heard the cats chasing about just outside our bedroom window, but I thought they were fighting/playing with each other. When I came out onto the landing, I was greeted by a large flitting thing avoiding the pursuit of two very interested cats.A Bat.Yes, a bat. Not the baseball steroid type thing... But the night time flappy flappy

Rev. John @ Clarksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624661617536157899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31561741.post-1155242734195515352006-08-10T16:23:00.000-04:002006-08-10T16:45:34.266-04:00

Last night's Bible Study went quite well. Considering it's summer, I had seven people out... perhaps a third of what I had out last fall. However, it's still more than I was expecting! I had forgotten how much I enjoy doing those, and how energized I feel following it. I think it might be the teaching instinct that I get from my parents, but there's a certain amount of satisfaction that rings

Rev. John @ Clarksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624661617536157899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31561741.post-1155141618796594812006-08-09T12:33:00.000-04:002006-08-09T12:41:48.976-04:00

I'm trying a Summer Bible Study for the first time in my career. I'm a bit nervous... but I'm following a similar format to what I did last fall with the Genesis 1-11 Bible Study.This time around it's called "A History of Easter" which looks at the formation and development of the New Testament as a whole. It's less concerned with the verse-by-verse content of the various books of the New

Rev. John @ Clarksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624661617536157899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31561741.post-1154895187491094192006-08-06T16:01:00.000-04:002006-08-06T16:13:08.823-04:00

On the first of the month, a group from Clarkson Road Presbyterian Church goes to a local Extended Care Facility to sing and pray with the residents. It's a personal kind of outreach, and something that a handful of people really get behind. I support it with my own presence as often as I can.With today being the August Long Weekend, Siem was a bit concerned as to whether or not we were going to

Rev. John @ Clarksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624661617536157899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31561741.post-1154631258565305702006-08-03T14:25:00.000-04:002006-08-03T15:03:27.730-04:00

On my way to lunch today, I heard the heavy metal band Disturbed do a cover of Genesis' Land of Confusion... Originally released on the latter band's Invisible Touch album, and had been a hit in 1986. This new cover song has a rawness and a power to it that I think does the song justice... it was not only fun to hear, but there's something haunting about hearing this in a new context.Phil Collins

Rev. John @ Clarksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624661617536157899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31561741.post-1154447068859566232006-08-01T11:26:00.000-04:002006-08-03T16:17:20.176-04:00

This is the lighthouse at Peggy's Cove.While my wife took the picture towards the end of our Maritime trip a few weeks ago, I remember once visiting here in the summer of 1997. Unlike this time around, I was neither a parent nor was married. I was travelling solo, and found myself frequently alone with my thoughts. I called it solitude, and it was quite appropriate for me then.Just short of the

Rev. John @ Clarksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624661617536157899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31561741.post-1154279426418785942006-07-30T12:44:00.000-04:002006-07-30T23:11:41.320-04:00

Not long after we moved into our new house, we were accosted twice by door-to-door natural gas salespeople who tried to sign us up for fixed pricing on natural gas on our house. On both occasions, they claimed that the previous occupant of the house had been their client, and that if we did not sign on our gas would be cut off. We didn't appreciate their tone, but decided to follow it up. Turns

Rev. John @ Clarksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624661617536157899noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31561741.post-1154030733051598762006-07-27T15:56:00.000-04:002006-07-27T16:05:33.056-04:00

This is a picture of the Sanctuary in the church I presently serve. It is currently in it's "generic" regalia. The banners are those of the apostles, and everything else is in Trinity Green for the summer. It's interesting to note that the light behind the cross is not connected to a switch, save for the breakers themselves and is on 24/7. Theological point perhaps?A Sanctuary is defined as a

Rev. John @ Clarksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624661617536157899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31561741.post-1153927329806465682006-07-26T11:10:00.000-04:002006-07-26T12:12:59.023-04:00

Okay, so that's a bit exaggerated... but I actually got something to work the way I wanted it to!Ever get that sense of vindication after a long battle with some sort of technological device? I do consider myself to be reasonably tech-savvy, but there are indeed many things in this technological environment that are beyond me. After all, I work as a Presbyterian Minister, not as an IT person at

Rev. John @ Clarksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624661617536157899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31561741.post-1153839134208461472006-07-25T10:52:00.000-04:002006-09-13T15:23:55.293-04:00

the Wild, the Ignorant and the Iggy Shuffle: Anxiety and Youth MinistryBlair Bertrand is the associate minister up at St. Andrew's in Brampton. His focus is on children, youth and families. I've known Blair since I was in Cornwall, and he was in Ottawa working in youth ministry up that way before heading off to Princeton for seminary. Blair also happens to maintain a blog as well, and has some

Rev. John @ Clarksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624661617536157899noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31561741.post-1153770094657496512006-07-24T15:21:00.000-04:002006-07-24T15:46:56.980-04:00

I'm pulling together material for Sunday's worship service. It's a creative process that doesn't always follow a straight line. However, my starting point is always the suggested scripture readings for the day.Lectionary Readings:Hebrew Scripture: 2 Samuel 11:1-15 -David and BathshebaResponsive Psalm Psalm 14Epistle: Ephesians 3:14-21 -Prayer and BenedictionGospel: John 6:1-21Looking at each of

Rev. John @ Clarksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624661617536157899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31561741.post-1153750399893801802006-07-24T10:08:00.000-04:002006-07-24T10:13:19.896-04:00

Okay, so I'm just figuring out how to work this blog from different applications. The picture to the left is a shot that I took while on vacation at the Hopewell Rocks near Moncton, New Brunswick. I took this picture sometime near low tide. What you need to know is that the tides in the bay of fundy are incredibly powerful, the highest in the world. To give an idea of scale, at high tide, the

Rev. John @ Clarksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624661617536157899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31561741.post-1153710311301365332006-07-23T22:44:00.000-04:002006-07-26T10:58:55.286-04:00

After spending three weeks minus a day on vacation, I was back in the pulpit this morning. All seemed to be well, and it felt good to be back in the office. I spent a bit of time developing the website look and sent some material off to Jordan. The trouble with church websites is that for the most part, they are nothing more than poorly-designed flyers that end up being cast aside on the

Rev. John @ Clarksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624661617536157899noreply@blogger.com0