J9's Property

I read an interesting blog lately. Well, actually, it was the comments that were truly interesting.

When I was still in Hamilton, the corps I was going to planted a new church. It was a "Gen-X" church, as we put it then. Very different to what I'm used to - it would be very difficult for me, as a multi-generational Sally Ann, to consider it as a place I'd want to worship.

The point is, it isn't a church for me. It's a "church" for those that don't want the trappings, restraints, and pre-conceived notions of what a "church" should be. That doesn't make it any less a church than the one I attend (in full uniform!) every Sunday. It's still a place of worship, where the gospel is proclaimed.

As far as I'm concerned, it's getting back to the roots of what the Army originally was: something completely different, that met people where they were, on their level. I think William and Catherine would be proud.

The blog I'm referring to is an interesting look into the matter of "branding". I guess a few of the Sally Anners in the Hammer are getting their shorts in a knot over the fact that "The Salvation Army" isn't emblazoned on the frwy's building, t-shirts, etc, etc. I can see where the SA folks are coming from - they sacrificed and invested an awful lot in this new plant, hoping to reap a harvest. It now appears to them as if the frwy is completely turning their backs and going their own way.

What's the problem?

They are the "kids". I know that poor Winterberry had an entire generation leave them for the frwy, and they are now suffering from a severe lack of twenty- and thirty-somethings. Very tragic. Hard to recover from.

But shouldn't they be glad that their kids are involved in a ministry? Shouldn't they be glad that the seed they planted is growing and bearing fruit? Why are they getting upset over the lack of "branding" at frwy?

I suppose part of it has to do with hurt feelings. I can see where they're coming from. They sacrificed their future for the frwy, and now they feel as though they're being abandoned. I suppose it would be similar to the feeling a parent would have if their child turned their back on them and completely disowned them. Ouch. We've had a couple of new corps plants go the "non-branded" route here in the GTA, and we often hear comments along the lines of, "the Army did so much for them, and now they're trying to pretend they have nothing to do with us! How ungrateful is that?!"

But, is the frwy truly doing that? According to Pernell's blog, they are very appreciative, and very thankful, of all the Army has done for them, and are very proud to be part of the Army. So why don't they have the Army proclaimed all over their place?

Well, why should they? Does it really matter? What does it matter, in the grand scheme of things, whether a person comes to a place of worship with an Army crest, or an Army shield? Shouldn't the important thing be that they are coming to a place of worship at all?

There was a great comment on Pernell's blog, where someone stated that the only "brand" that should really count is that of Christ.

I couldn't agree more.

The unfortunate thing with "branding" is that people see a certain name, and they assume certain things. Let's face it: you see "The Salvation Army", and you immediately think of uniform, flags, and brass bands. You see "Brethren Church", and you immediately think of women keeping silent, with their heads covered. You see "United Church", and you immediately think of inclusive language. It's a human trait to affix labels, I guess we think it's going to help organize the world, make it more manageable, more understandable. I can certainly see why the frwy is not wanting to "brand" themselves as Army, they just want people to come and figure it out for themselves, without pre-conceived notions. Can you blame them?

If this is a topic that gets your blood flowing, I'd encourage you to visit Pernell's blog. The comments are very eye-opening. Kinda puts the other perspective on things....

I got this as an email from a friend at work. Just had to share it, it's just too funny!

Why?

Why do we press harder on a remote control when we know the batteries are getting weak?

Why do banks charge a fee on "insufficient funds" when they know there is not enough?

Why does someone believe you when you say there are four billion stars, but check when you say the paint is wet?

Why doesn't glue stick to the bottle?

Why doesn't Tarzan have a beard?

Why does Superman stop bullets with his chest, but ducks when you throw a revolver at him?

Whose idea was it to put an "S" in the word "lisp"?

If people evolved from apes, why are there still apes?

Why is it that no matter what color bubble bath you use the bubbles are always white?

Is there ever a day that mattresses are not on sale?

Why do people constantly return to the refrigerator with hopes that something new to eat will have materialized?

Why do people keep running over a string a dozen times with their vacuum cleaner, then reach down, pick it up, examine it, then put it down to give the vacuum one more chance?

Why is it that no plastic bag will open from the end on your first try?

How do those dead bugs get into those enclosed light fixtures?

When we are in the supermarket and someone rams our ankle with a shopping cart then apologizes for doing so, why do we say, "It's all right?" Well, it isn't all right, so why don't we say, "That hurt, you stupid idiot"?

Why is it that whenever you attempt to catch something that's falling off the table you always manage to knock something else over?

In winter why do we try to keep the house as warm as it was in summer when we complained about the heat?

How come you never hear father-in-law jokes?

And my FAVORITE......

The statistics on sanity are that one out of every four persons is suffering from some sort of mental illness. Think of your three best friends -- if they're okay, then it's you.

If I've learned nothing else over the last 4 years of Toronto driving, it's that Toronto Traffic takes on a life all it's own. Most of the time, there's no rhyme or reason behind it.

I have come to the conclusion that it's not really about the highway system, it's not the traffic patterns so-to-speak, and it's not a whole lot to do with the number of people trying to go in the same direction all at once.

It's all about the Corollas.

More specifically, people who drive the Corollas.

Now, I'm not saying that all Corolla drivers are bad drivers, nor am I saying that bad drivers will only be found in Corollas. However, after several years of observation, frustration, and outright road rage, there appears (to me) to be a disproportionate number of bad drivers driving Corollas in the GTA.

Give it a try next time you're driving in Toronto. Find yourself a traffic jam (shouldn't be too difficult), and 9 times out of 10, the slow car holding up the works will be a Corolla. Usually a slightly older one, late 90's or so, although the newer Corollas are not immune to Corolla Driver Syndrome. I've learned not to drive behind a Corolla, because the driver will invariably drive slower than the speed limit, change lanes without warning, decide at the last minute that, "oh! I need to turn here!", then change their minds and keep on going, after you've almost rear-ended them.....twice..... They pretty much seem clueless. The worst part is, they will usually drive in the left lane, and in such a way that no one can get out from behind them, so they'll hold up traffic for miles.....

Add winter weather to the mix, and you have a very dangerous combination. I think most of them got their licences (and their Corollas) in the summer. Either that, or they just can't remember one winter to the next what actually is slippery, and what is not.

Some of you may think I'm not being fair. Let me re-iterate: not ALL Corolla drivers are bad drivers. I actually know a few people who drive Corollas who are very good drivers. (although, why they would drive a Corolla is totally beyond me....) Do yourself a favour: trade in your Corolla! You're ruining your reputation as a driver!

Still think I'm being unfair?

I was driving to work the other morning, and the left lane (in which I was driving) suddenly slowed considerably. The right lane continued on, with people behind and in front of me bailing out to pass the obstruction in the left lane. Eventually, I came up behind the car which appeared to be the problem: an older model American car, driving on a donut. I thought to myself, ok, you're forgiven - I'd be driving a little slower too, if I was having to drive on a donut.

Then the guy with the donut swung himself into the right lane in an attempt to finally get out from behind the Corolla.....

.....'nuf said.....

Back to the grind.

Gee, don't I sound excited?

I guess it's typical for January, after the Christmas and New Years excitement. I guess I'm going through holiday withdrawl. Some might even say I'm in denial, especially when they walk into my living room, and see all the Christmas decorations still up. (tree included!) I just use the excuse that, hey! It's only a few days past the Eastern Orthodox Christmas!

I'm having difficulty getting back into the swing of things at work. I'm so used to working like crazy, trying to get caught up for vacations, that now that things are returning to normal, I'm actually having trouble figuring out what to do! It's almost like I'm too caught-up, I need that bit of pressure to actually get things done.

I feel like I'm in neutral, and the gear shift just won't budge. I've been joking that I won't know how to handle a 5-day week anymore, I've had at least one day off in every work week since November. I'm actually finding it difficult to get through this 4-day week! I suppose I shouldn't complain, I had a lot of holidays to use up before the end of last year, and there were people I work with who couldn't take any holidays because they'd used them all up. It catches up with you, though.

So, here I am, in 2007. Let's see, what is coming up this year?.... My 5th wedding anniversary, my 5th anniversary at work (I think I get a little gift of some kind, and another week of holidays), the first Marked By Love CD release, hopefully a new house (if we ever get this one in any kind of shape to sell), and, well, other plans I'd rather not get into (might give too many people too much hope -- including myself).

I guess the biggest thing weighing me down right now is the fear that, like last year, plans will fall flat. Last year was very frustrating. I don't want this year to be the same. Yeah, I know, I sounded so optimistic, so grounded, so realistic in my last post. See why I really don't like to make New Years Resolutions?

Sorry for the depressing post. Just calling it as I see it right now.

Hopefully tomorrow will be a brighter day....

Well, welcome to 2007. To be honest, it really doesn't feel a whole lot different to 2006. (yet) All it's doing right now is reminding me of just how quickly time is going by!

But, I'm not going to dwell on that. I've heard enough people complain about how fast kids grow up, how fast time flies as you get older, etc. etc., (and yes, I'm one of those people!), that I'm just not going to do that here.

There are 2 big things people do at New Years: evaluate last year, and make resolutions for next year. I'm really not sure I want to do either! I don't want to depress myself by going over the list of things I originally wanted to see accomplished last year, nor do I want to set myself up for further depression by making resolutions which, in all likelihood, will fall by the wayside within weeks, if they even get off the ground in the first place.

Why put myself through that???

Then again, there is the age-old truth: "those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it" Having earned a history minor in university, I've seen that truth demonstrated time and time again. I guess it's all how you approach a retrospective: drag up past failures and disappointments for the sake of berating yourself? Or, look at what you could have done differently, learn the lesson, and move on? I think I like what's behind door number 2...

But before I get to all that, it's been an interesting New Year's. The Rayment Band Widows have banded together for the weekend, I've been staying at my mom's for the last couple of days, and we're off to have supper with Sarah and the kids in a little while. The guys marched in the Tournament of Roses Parade this morning (also known as "the Rose Bowl parade"), and our guys in our band made it through ok. Apparently, there was one CSB casualty along the way - a certain horn player from NYT gutted it out with a bad ankle, but had to drop out just past the grandstands. (discretion is the better part of valour - the parade itself is 5 miles long, not counting the lead-in and lead-out...) We managed to catch Phil and one of the other CSB horn players on camera, but Doug and Dad were buried in their sections with the bells of their horns blocking any view of their faces. Thankfully, we recorded the correct TV coverage - ABC did a nice job of catching the band, but the twits at NBC signed off their coverage about half-way through the parade, before the S.A. band even got there! Oh, well, at least they got some camera time this year; there was one year when all three networks covering the parade went to commercial just as the band was coming by the cameras!! (I think a couple of networks heard from certain S.A. organisers -- it hasn't happened since!)

Well, it's back to the grind in a day or two. Work will be back in full swing, as will corps activities, and we'll be back to our ridiculously busy selves. What do I want to do this year? Actually, I had already made a few decisions regarding changes I want to make, and have been striving to make, before the new year even got here. For example, one of the by-products of my move to Toronto has been that I've lost contact, or at least had much less contact, with my friends and family in the Hamilton area. I want to change that. My new friends in Toronto are wonderful, and I'm so glad to have them. But, I really need to hang on to the friends I've had for many years.

I don't want to officially list any "resolutions", because that's just asking for failure and disappointment. What I will say is this: I'm going to continue doing what I've been trying to do all along. I'm going to do my best to live according to the One who loves me more than anyone in this world, who's grace and mercy is available to all who ask for it, and who taught us all how we should live by living it Himself.

If I can do that, then I can call this year a success. Everything else just doesn't matter.