Looking Backward… Looking Forward

Time for my weekly weigh in… 173.8

So. The compliments are great - many, many thanks!

Here’s the frustrating thing. I found out that “ye-olde-mechanical-scale” is the most useless tool known to human kind.

Yeah. I actually started out much higher than I thought - 185lb, rather than 178. *sigh* Seven pounds heavier.

So I decided to toss ye-olde-mechanical-scale (yeah, think “shotput”, “caber toss” or “metallic frisbee”), and purchase one of ye-newe-fangeled-electronic-scales-that-measure-everything-except-my-butt-size. Fortunately, there was a sale on at ye-olde-Homesense.

So… as of last night… I was at 175.2lb. I’ve dropped 9.8lb. I’ve got 30lb to go.

Woo. Freakin’. Hoo. I know, I know - I’ve still lost a pile of weight in 29 days… but I was hoping to be closer to my goal, at this point.

Its funny - I’m doing about 9.5km of running on each of Mon., Wed. and Saturday. The first 2km are agony. The last 7.5 are fine. Thank God for endorphins!
I’m not using the car, unless I have to go into the city - so add between 3km and 8km of walking a day.
On Sun., Tues. and Friday, I do the weight stuff. Two sets of what I described, with two 10lb dumbbells. I think I’m going to move up to three sets in a couple of weeks.

My stress level is a whole lot lower… even though I feel like I’m drowning in a pile of stuff that is remaining undone. And, yeah Dave, I am actually feeling physically better - well - after I get my sore body out of the bed in the morning.

Food is beginning to taste better… and I’m not craving the greasy stuff like I have in the past.

No “Iron Man” for me, though. *grin* I’ll leave that to you “little” brother!

Now, if I could find me an archery based bi-athalon, I’d give it a try!

170lbs… only 25 to go!

This afternoon I received the annual notice that my local ministerial association membership dues were… well… due. This is not a problem.

However, this year, the association has decided to lay out guidelines for membership. Which, in many ways, is just fine. Organizations should lay out clearly what the boundaries are.

The difficulty? I don’t know if I can agree with the guidelines in a way that would be keeping with the integrity of the organization. What do I mean? Well… if I were allowed a wide ability to interpret the text, I could say, “Yes, I agree with it… though I probably don’t mean what you mean by it.”

The - - Ministerial Association is a group of ministers and fellow Christian brothers and sisters…

I’m ok with that part.

…who commonly confess the Old and New Testaments alone to be the Word of God.

I begin to have difficulties. I believe God’s “Word” (see Jn. 1.1), existed long before the text of the Old and New Testaments were set down… and is an active part of the scholarship that helps us to inform those texts. If the Spirit continues to move in the world, can not there be divine revelation outside of the canon? As a Christian, the Old and New Testaments are my primary texts… but must that hold true for one who is not a Christian?

We also believe in the Triune God…

Again, not a problem.

…and in salvation by faith in Jesus Christ alone.

Yeah, a show stopper for me. Who am I to put bounds on God’s grace? Having said that, my understanding of Matthew 25, the whole “judgment of the nations” passage, could allow me to agree with the statement. I read Matthew 25 as a response to ‘right action’ by all the peoples of the world, rather than ‘right belief’. But that would be “salvation through Jesus Christ”, rather than “salvation by faith in Jesus Christ”, no?

We also confess common agreement to the Apostles’ Creed.

Ok… let’s take a look at what was sent as the “Apostles’ Creed”. Interesting. Not quite the one I learned way back when.

We believe in God, the Father Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth.

I know its picky, but the Apostles’ Creed was an individual statement, not communal. (Yeah, I said I’m being picky!)

And in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,

No problem.

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,

Still no problem.

born of the virgin Mary

As long as I can follow the use of the term ‘virgin’ from its Isaiah origins, no problem.

suffered under Pontius Pilate,

Ok. (Well, not really ok, suffering under anybody sucks… but I can say I believe it happened.)

was crucified, died and was buried.

Yep.

He descended into hell.

I know the latin is ‘inferos’… but I’d probably go with the Church of England’s translation ‘to the dead’. Still, its only a quibble.

The third day He rose again from the dead.

Ok

He ascended into heaven

I could say ‘I agree’ to that.

and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty

Nice allegorical ring to it - ok.

From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.

Ok.

We believe in the Holy Spirit,

Yes.

the holy Christian Church

Again, an interesting change from ‘Catholic’ to ‘Christian’… but I can agree to it)

the communion of saints,

Yes.

the forgiveness of sins,

Yes.

the resurrection of the body,

The immortal body… sure.

and the life everlasting.

Ok.

So… you see my dilemma. Can I maintain both my integrity and that of the Association by signing on?

I realize that this is a strange title to use, but I needed something that would differentiate my ‘weight loss and health gain’ posts from all the others. (What others? Right.)

I’m also not sure how long I’ll keep this going. I’m really bad a long-term stuff, unless I build a habit. I can do that. Just as my beloved. I make the bed every morning, now. (You can pick up your jaw, Dad.)

The running isn’t difficult, nor is it painful. The weight training isn’t particularly difficult, or painful. The exercises focussed on my abs, while not being painful… are difficult. I know I’ve got abs in there, somewhere… but they haven’t got much in the way of endurance at the moment.

Its the time in-between that is sore. The time when the muscles are re-building themselves. I understand that the soreness isn’t something that will stick around for long… and just about the time it fades is when I’m supposed to add another set onto the programme.

Today’s exercise list: The Sunday circuit training, abs exercises, and 3539 steps (2.3km) walked.

Exercise: 9km run + 14,149 steps (or 9.19km) wandered

My legs are tired!

I’m going to post about something real tomorrow.

Exercise: My first day of abs-exercise and dumbell lifting. Forty minutes of moving my body in new and exciting ways. :p
10,786 steps - I think that’s just over 7k walked.

I had a wedding this afternoon. I didn’t realize that I walked quite that much during a wedding service.

Weight: 177lbs (Yeah. I was shocked, too. Don’t worry, my daily calorie intake has been between 1700 and 2400… its just that I’m actually doing something with my body. (See “Exercise” *grin*.)

Exercise: 9370 steps = 6.03km… and swimming with Happy Child for an hour.

I’ve got this handy diet and exercise tracker on my cell phone. The tech will always make me stop and think.

So - tomorrow I have my first ‘by myself’ weight day. I hope not to drop the dumbells on my feet.

are slowly coming to an end.

We had a grand time, traveling from:
Maple Ridge, BC (home) to Kamloops, BC; (where we visited a real live animal rescue centre) -
then from Kamloops, BC to Jasper, AB; (where we wandered, and saw a bear swimming in the river, and canoed on Pyramid Lake, and went up a mountain in a tram) -
then from Jasper, AB to Edmonton, AB; (where we celebrated my 40th, and had a wonderful meal with my partner’s cousins and their children) -
then from Edmonton, AB to Drumheller, AB; (where we climbed the inside of a T-Rex, wandered the Tyrell Museum looking at dinosaur bones; and picked waterbugs out of our beds) -
then from Drumheller, AB to Lethbridge, AB; (where we went on a magical nostalgia tour of the places my beloved’s mom and dad used to live and explore; and we went to Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump, and the the North West Mounted Police museum to see a musical patrol) -
then from Lethbridge, AB to Lake Louise, AB; (where we canoed and wandered and hiked and generally explored) -
then from Lake Louise, AB to Vernon, AB; (where we slept)
then from Vernon, AB to Maple Ridge, BC.

In 15 days.

My partner and her mother are excellent planners.
My partner and her mother and our daughter are wonderful travelling companions.

I”m just about ready to go back to work.

Just about.

Only 2.5 km walked - 3938 steps… and I went swimming with Happy Child. (If that doesn’t count for 1 000 000 caloried burned, I don’t know what does. *grin*)

But I did have a grand time learning the exercises and “dumb-bell” work I’m going to be doing every second day.

Here’s the schedule for the next two weeks:
Friday:
One set, with no rests in-between:
Traditional Crunch (15 reps)
Bent-Leg Knee Raise (15 reps)
Oblique V-Up (10 reps each side)
Bridge (2 reps)
Back Extensions (15 reps)

Two sets, with 30 second rests in-between:
Squat (12 reps)
Pushup (10 reps)
Bent Over Row (10 reps)
Military Press (10 reps)
Upright Row (10 reps)
Triceps Kickback (12 reps)
Squat against the Wall (12 reps)
Biceps Curl (10 reps)
Leg Curl (12 reps)
(…More…)

So. I’m 40.

Yeah. Turned 40 closer to the beginning of the month. While on vacation. I think we were in Jasper that day.

I took the trip to do some relaxing with my family… and to do some assessing (and re-assessing) at this milestone. Some things I’ve been glad I’ve been a part of. Some things I wish I had done better. Some things which I wish I had done better, but if I had, I wouldn’t be where I am right now.

You know - life.

But there is one thing that I do need to work on, intentionally. That whole “physical exercise” thing. Upping my exercise. Lowering my weight. Watching my lipids.

That kind of stuff.

So. Day one. 179 lbs. Doctor would like it lowered to… get this… 145.

Woo. Hoo.

So, today, I walked 7.5km -10993 steps.
Tomorrow, I meet with my trainer to set up the whole “at home working with weights” thing.
Thursday, I get to run, and meet with the other trainer, to learn the “core exercises”.

Woo. Hoo.

While I’m sure that its all going to be positive, right now it feels like I’m adding even more into my already packed mix.

I have found one positive, though… I had to come up with a reward for every 10 pounds closer I come to my target weight. If anything will keep me on track, it’ll be that!

Soooo… I come into the church office Sunday morning, to find the blue screen of death on the administrator’s computer.

Hard drive failure. No prob. Backups, right?

Backups… that seem to be unusable hash. Have I told you how much I passionately dislike MicroSquish Windoze? I dislike it a lot. Really. Very much.

This week, I was supposed to migrate all of the data over to a new computer. At the moment, I’m using an NTFS recovery tool to try and recover the data, so that I can then migrate it over to the new computer.

The old computer - well, we’re going to put a new hard drive in and connect it to the network, so the envelope steward can enter her work every Sunday.

Taking a look at the information that is being used by all three computers, what I *really* want to do is get a networked hard drive and put it in a safe location. A ventilated, lock-and-key, safe location. With automated, off-site, backups. Ones that are regularly checked for accuracy and useability.

Not a great way to start my week.

St. Andrew’s:
- Pray
- Recover files from church office hard-drive. (What’s that smell?)
- Pray even more
- Set up new office computer
- get this week’s worship put together
- Worship Brochures: get 20 more written
- Daily Scripture & Prayer Brochure: write this week’s; get schedule put together
- Write some worship dramas (one for each month between now and Advent)
- Clear out piles
- Get rid of old (and I mean - old - pre-pentium) computers
- Start working on Saturday evening worship and coffeehouse
- Move standrewsuc.com to joomla
- install D.S.linux (with audacity) to recording computer
- finish putting together investment policy
- talk with daycare
- work with B. & S. on the advertising plan
- finish work on Purpose/Values/Vision cards

Westminster Presbytery:
- Ellesmere JSC
- Korean UC - 2nd post
- Shiloh-6th - JNAC/JSC
- West Burnaby (follow-up)
- South Burnaby - re-app
- Spiritual Care: a) retreat; b) face-to-face
- Queens Ave. - respond to q’n
- files
- working retreat
- regular meeting

Conference
- Spiritual Care Network: a) newsletter; b) event
- Settlement

UCCan
- Worship & Music Advisory Committee: Worship Place
- UC/RC Dialogue: Fall Meeting
- Emerging Spirit: Manitou; Saskatchewan
- Gathering: week-by-week
- Children’s Ministry: Children’s Sunday Worship Service

Personal
- Mow Lawn
- Mow other lawn
- Clean out shed
- Clean out office
- Sleep

Well. Today is glorious. The sun is shining. The birds are singing. The mosquitos are out.

Yep. Mosquitos. They were flying around our hats. They were landing on our arms. And they were sucking our blood, but good.

Rowan and I went to one of the parks we like to frequent, forgetting that there is a great deal of standing water there… and we’ve had a cool, wet spring. As she says, “There are alot, a lot, A LOT of mosquitos out.”

Having been chased away from our favourite spot, we wandered home, and are enjoying the sun right here.

Since we’ve gotten home, I’ve seen one - count ‘em - ONE - mosquito.

(I hope the rest can’t find me!)

Is up for grabs in the NHL free-agent free-for-all?

Over $300 million?

I wonder if they realize that that is more money than the Gross Domestic Product of any of the dozen poorest nations?

Wild.
Scary.

Sad.

In 1986, I walked down the hill with the rest of the Commissioners at the 31st General Council of The United Church of Canada, and heard the Very Rev. Robert Smith - then Moderator of The UCCan - say the following words:

Apology to First Nations Peoples (1986)
Rt. Rev. Robert Smith

Long before my people journeyed to this land your people were here, and you received from your Elders an understanding of creation and of the Mystery that surrounds us all that was deep, and rich, and to be treasured.

We did not hear you when you shared your vision. In our zeal to tell you of the good news of Jesus Christ we were closed to the value of your spirituality.

We confused Western ways and culture with the depth and breadth and length and height of the gospel of Christ.

We imposed our civilization as a condition for accepting the gospel.

We tried to make you be like us and in so doing we helped to destroy the vision that made you what you were. As a result you, and we, are poorer and the image of the Creator in us is twisted, blurred, and we are not what we are meant by God to be.

We ask you to forgive us and to walk together with us in the Spirit of Christ so that our peoples may be blessed and God’s creation healed.

Rev. Smith spoke for me that day.

In 1997 - as The UCCan continued to work to learn from and with the peoples of the first nations, the 36th General Council made an even more specific apology:

Residential School Apology/Repentance (1997)

Jesus said, “When you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go: first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift.” (Matt. 5:23-24)

We now realize that the offering of the churches and of countless faithful and caring servants of the churches, through their participation in the residential school system has tragically resulted in pain and suffering and injustice for many.

WHEREAS the United Church supported the residential school system, and

WHEREAS the native residential school system contributed in a primary way to the uprooting of native societies and to the rejection of native culture by removing children from their communities and by denying them access to their language, traditions and spirituality, and

WHEREAS those losses were compounded in many instances by a wide variety of profound injustices and acute deprivations, and

WHEREAS the destructive consequences of the residential school system continue to this day, and

WHEREAS an individual has been convicted of numerous counts of sexual and physical abuse in connection with the Port Alberni residential school; and

WHEREAS systemic racism makes it difficult to hear the pain of our brothers and sisters; and

WHEREAS any healing initiative will be inadequate in the absence of a clear statement of repentance and contrition by the United Church, and

WHEREAS such a statement would set a positive example that the Government of Canada should be persuaded to follow:

Therefore be it resolved that the 36th General Council:

1. recommit ourselves to living out the apology of The United Church of Canada to native congregations offered in 1986, and specifically the fourth paragraph which states: “We imposed our civilization as a condition for accepting the gospel. We tried to make you like us and in so doing we helped to destroy the vision that made you what you were. As a result you and we are poorer and the image of the Creator in us is twisted, blurred, and we are not what we were meant by the Creator to be.”;
2. acknowledge the role that the federally-funded and controlled residential school system has had in the suffering of native people, in their loss of wholeness, of life, of language, of culture, and of spirituality, and our role in that system;
3. express our deep regret and sorrow to the First Nations of Canada for the injustices that were done and for the role of The United Church of Canada in the native residential school system, and as part of our expression write an open letter to the First Nations of Canada;
4. continue dialogue and consultation with the First Nations of Canada in order to consider appropriate means to express our repentance and to take further steps along the healing path and towards reconciliation;
5. urge individuals, congregations, Presbyteries/Districts, Conferences, and Divisions and the Ethnic Ministries Council of General Council to learn directly from native persons their experiences in residential schools and/or to study resources such as those provided by The Healing Fund;
6. urge individuals, congregations, Presbyteries/Districts, Conferences, to join the General Council in petitioning the Government of Canada to accept the Government’s responsibility for the abuses of the residential schools and to take meaningful steps immediately to redress those abuses.

Yesterday, I sat at the side of the Fraser River, listening as Mr. Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada, offered these words to the women and men of the first nations of Turtle Island - on behalf of the rest of the people of Canada,

Mr. Speaker, I stand before you today to offer an apology to former students of Indian residential schools. The treatment of children in Indian residential schools is a sad chapter in our history.

In the 1870’s, the federal government, partly in order to meet its obligation to educate aboriginal children, began to play a role in the development and administration of these schools.

Two primary objectives of the residential schools system were to remove and isolate children from the influence of their homes, families, traditions and cultures, and to assimilate them into the dominant culture.

These objectives were based on the assumption aboriginal cultures and spiritual beliefs were inferior and unequal. Indeed, some sought, as it was infamously said, `to kill the Indian in the child.’

Today, we recognize that this policy of assimilation was wrong, has caused great harm, and has no place in our country.

Most schools were operated as `joint ventures’ with Anglican, Catholic, Presbyterian or United churches. The Government of Canada built an educational system in which very young children were often forcibly removed from their homes, often taken far from their communities.

Many were inadequately fed, clothed and housed. all were deprived of the care and nurturing of their parents, grandparents and communities. First Nations, Inuit and Metis languages and cultural practices were prohibited in these schools.

Tragically, some of these children died while attending residential schools and others never returned home.

The government now recognizes that the consequences of the Indian residential schools policy were profoundly negative and that this policy has had a lasting and damaging impact on aboriginal culture, heritage and language.

While some former students have spoken positively about their experiences at residential schools — these stories are far overshadowed by tragic accounts of the emotional, physical and sexual abuse and neglect of helpless children and their separation from powerless families and communities.

The legacy of Indian residential schools has contributed to social problems that continue to exist in many communities today.

It has taken extraordinary courage for the thousands of survivors that have come forward to speak publicly about the abuse they suffered. It is a testament to their resilience as individuals and to the strength of their cultures.

Regrettably, many former students are not with us today and died never having received a full apology from the Government of Canada. The government recognizes that the absence of an apology has been an impediment to healing and reconciliation.

Therefore, on behalf of the Government of Canada and all Canadians, I stand before you, in this chamber so central to our life as a country, to apologize to aboriginal peoples for Canada’s role in the Indian residential schools system.

To the approximately 80,000 living former students, and all family members and communities, the Government of Canada now recognizes that it was wrong to forcibly remove children from their homes and we apologize for having done this.

We now recognize that it was wrong to separate children from rich and vibrant cultures and traditions, that it created a void in many lives and communities, and we apologize for having done this.

We now recognize that, in separating children from their families, we undermined the ability of many to adequately parent their own children and sowed the seeds for generations to follow and we apologize for having done this.

We now recognize that, far too often, these institutions gave rise to abuse or neglect and were inadequately controlled, and we apologize for failing to protect you.

Not only did you suffer these abuses as children, but as you became parents, you were powerless to protect your own children from suffering the same experience, and for this we are sorry.

The burden of this experience has been on your shoulders for far too long. The burden is properly ours as a government, and as a country.

There is no place in Canada for the attitudes that inspired the Indian residential schools system to ever again prevail.

You have been working on recovering from this experience for a long time and in a very real sense, we are now joining you on this journey.

The Government of Canada sincerely apologizes and asks the forgiveness of the aboriginal peoples of this country for failing them so profoundly.

We are sorry.

In moving towards healing, reconciliation and resolution of the sad legacy of Indian residential schools, implementation of the Indian residential schools settlement agreement began on September 19, 2007.

Years of work by survivors, communities, and aboriginal organizations culminated in an agreement that gives us a new beginning and an opportunity to move forward together in partnership.

A cornerstone of the settlement agreement is the Indian residential schools truth and reconciliation commission. This commission presents a unique opportunity to educate all Canadians on the Indian residential schools system.

It will be a positive step in forging a new relationship between aboriginal peoples and other Canadians, a relationship based on the knowledge of our shared history, a respect for each other and a desire to move forward together with a renewed understanding that strong families, strong communities and vibrant cultures and traditions will contribute to a stronger Canada for all of us.

God bless all of you and God bless our land.”

As dismayed as I am that we saw the residential schools process as necessary and “right”, I am proud that we have recognized that we were wrong… and that we must make amends where we are able… and be shaken to the core with the reality that there will be amends we can never make.

I hope, though, that this will be the impetus for us to recognize that we are all “treaty” - and we have obligations - not just past, but present and future - because of it.

God, hear my prayer…
and in your love -
answer.

*bleh*

It’s the semi-annual “Might-as-well-get-it-done-so-you-can-get-on-with-your-life” re-organization of my office. This is where I shred paper until it reaches the ceiling. Put books back on shelves. Catalogue and label the new ones.

I hate this week.

*bleh*