Pentecost 8

Here is today's bulletin: Pr17BJuly302006.pdf

Baptism at Brookwood

With much joy one of the councilors gave his life to Christ last night in St. Andrew's, Camp Brookwood. A wonderful friend and great big guy who throws just about as wicked a dodge ball shot as his rector. The service was from the BAS service book and conducted inside the church for the Liturgy of the Word and for the examination. We then went outside for the blessing of the water and the baptism itself. All was set up on this consecrated ground complete with font and Pascal Candle, which stayed lit.

Here are some images, without the congregation which was mostly behind the camera. In many of the images you'll see the fellow councilors at camp along with this week's chaplain, The Rev'd Peter Gillies.

Twins Bapism

I know how much many of you prayed for Caylen and Charlie over these past few months, here is a picture of great joy when they joined the Body of Christ and our heavenly family. Much love to happy parents, grandparents and th whole family.

Game Night

Many of you will know that the family loves board games, not the standards like Monopoly or Risk, but real hardcore "German" style board games. Tonight's fare was a relatively lite game more along the line of Monopoly, "Ticket to Ride". This is an awesome game for anyone 9-10 and older.

The object is to join your trains together to complete a route. It was a close game, the real mark of a quality game, and Cameron came very close but Andrew and I tied for first, because I completed 2 more routes than Andrew I won... YEAH!

:-)

check out this great family game: Ticket to Ride.

Read reviews at the best board game site on the net: Board Game Geek

Pentecost 7

Here is the bulletin: Pr16BJuly232006.pdf

Many of you will remember the twins whom we prayed for all those months ago. On this day we will baptize them; keep them, their family and God-parents in your prayers.

Capture the Flag

Well it could have read "Capture your Age". Wednesday at camp, I joined in the wide games. The first was kamikaze where the youths pelted water balloons at two councilors. I was one of them. Then in the evening they played one of my favourites, Capture the Flag. I remember this game from CAMMAC Choir Camp in the Lauentian Mountains of Quebec. As a very competitive person I thrive on games like this. I love the capture part and after the first round, one that we won, I wished to capture it myself. A young man stood in my way after I ran from a young lady. I kicked into high gear and thought, that this was just like being 16 again. If you didn't know I was a very successful sprinter at the regional level. As I went up on my toes and began to sprint I heard and felt a POP! Down like the elephant I have become I fell. My leg was immovable and immediately I asked for help. I knew what I had done... I had just torn my hamstring. After a not so comfortable bumpy ambulance ride down the camp road, my thoughts were confirmed as my doctor told me my fears were correct.

See Here for more details.

The upshot is by not warming up... being so very out of shape.... I just booked myself in to months of physio and some awkward days with crutches and then a cane. It should take 2-3 months to heal up.

WOW: Level 40 & A Mount!

Every councilor gets a bit of time off at Camp Brookwood and the Chaplain is no exception. During my rest time today I got my "Mount".

Brookwood Week3

Well each day I hope to be able to share some sights of this week's Camp Broowood where I am the Chaplin. Got to run... "lol" (by the way kids have forgotten to laugh, they justsay "LOL" which means "Laughing Out Loud"... that internet!)

The Italian FA Scandal

Italian Match Fixing Scandal

I mentioned last time I spoke about football the wonderful win by the Azzuri (Italian World Cup winners) and the impending doom of the "Match Fixing" scandal. Here is a very well written article that explains the situaltion and what the verdict has been.

There is a brighter side for those in England... BBC Sport report: Italy Swoop

Pentecost 6

The Bulletin: Pr15BJuly162006.pdf

The Sermons:
Christ Church, Glassville; Pr15B2006Gl.MP3
The Church of the Good Shepherd; Pr15B2006F.MP3

Parish Picnic 06

Well what a day. Over forty members of the Parish of Wicklow, Wilmot, Peel and Aberdeen came out to Sam's Place on a very hot day. The wonderful setting, a short distance for most in the parish, was provided by a man who built it to the memory of his beloved wife who passed away on Oct. 31, 2000. There are safe playgrounds, a 3 hole short 2 par golf course, a covered picnic area with electricity, and many ponds and two nature walks. Here are some images of today:

Breakfast & Brookwood

BREAKFAST at the Rectory took place today. Fourteen eggs and twenty pieces of toast later, nine parishioners seemed quite happy with the Rector's ability to scramble some eggs. Breakfast followed Morning Prayer, unfortunately my VCR recorder had caught my ALPHA tape and so that didn't follow; but we did have many laughs and great fellowship.

[Recipe a'la Douglas: 14 eggs, 2 small fresh onions chopped thin, Curry powder 1/2 tsp, Grated Asiago cheese 1 tbs; Put a tbs or 2 of butter in a large skillet on med-low. Add onions and saute until soft (and 1/4 cup green tops after a few mins). Whisk eggs with a 1/4 cup milk, the curry powder and a touch of cream and a 1/4 tsp salt. Scramble, by pushing the mixture every few seconds. When you see it's creamy and soft, sprinkle the cheese over the eggs and blend in. Don't over cook the eggs! Add eggs on toast (light or dark rye, and olive bread) or on the side.]

CAMP BROOKWOOD is going well with over 20 campers this week, the councilors are wonderful and full of water (see picture below). This week the previous Rector of this parish, the Rev'd Chris VanBuskirk, and his family, are on site as he is the camp chaplain.

Simile Funnies

Many of you know I hate getting spam mail and even the type that has funny stuff like the below. But I go this today from a dear friend of Sherry and mine, and I almost split a gut. I don't know where she got these but they are great.

Every year, English teachers from across the country can submit their collections of actual analogies and metaphors found in high school essays. These excerpts are published each year to the amusement of teachers across the country. Here are last year's winners.....

1. Her face was a perfect oval, like a circle that had its two sides gently compressed by a Thigh Master.

2. His thoughts tumbled in his head, making and breaking alliances like underpants in a dryer without Cling Free.

3. He spoke with the wisdom that can only come from experience, like a guy who went blind because he looked at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it and now goes around the country speaking at high schools about the dangers of looking at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it.

4. She grew on him like she was a colony of E. Coli, and he was room-temperature Canadian beef.

5. She had a deep, throaty, genuine laugh, like that sound a dog makes just before it throws up.

6. Her vocabulary was as bad as, like, whatever.

7. He was as tall as a six-foot, three-inch tree.

8. The revelation that his marriage of 30 years had disintegrated because of his wife's infidelity came as a rude shock, like a surcharge at a formerly surcharge-free ATM machine.

9. The little boat gently drifted across the pond exactly the way a bowling ball wouldn't.

10. McBride fell 12 stories, hitting the pavement like a Hefty bag filled with vegetable soup.

11. From the attic came an unearthly howl. The whole scene had an eerie, surreal quality, like when you're on vacation in another city and Jeopardy comes on at 7:00 p.m. instead of 7:30.

12. Her hair glistened in the rain like a nose hair after a sneeze.

13. The hailstones leaped from the pavement, just like maggots when you fry them in hot grease.

14. Long separated by cruel fate, the star-crossed lovers raced across the grassy field toward each other like two freight trains, one having left Cleveland at 6:36 p.m. traveling at 55 mph, the other from Topeka at 4:19 p.m. at a speed of 35 mph.

15. They lived in a typical suburban neighborhood with picket fences that resembled Nancy Kerrigan's teeth.

16. John and Mary had never met. They were like two hummingbirds who had also never met.

17. He fell for her like his heart was a mob informant, and she was the East River.

18. Even in his last years, Granddad had a mind like a steel trap, only one that had been left out so long, it had rusted shut.

19. Shots rang out, as shots are wont to do.

20. The plan was simple, like my brother-in-law Phil. But unlike Phil, this plan just might work.

21. The young fighter had a hungry look, the kind you get from not eating for a while.

22. He was as lame as a duck - Not the metaphorical lame duck, either, but a real duck that was actually lame, maybe from stepping on a land mine or something.

23. The ballerina rose gracefully en Pointe and extended one slender leg behind her, like a dog at a fire hydrant.

24. It was an American tradition, like fathers chasing kids around with power tools.

25. He was deeply in love. When she spoke, he thought he heard bells, as if she were a garbage truck backing up.

World of Warcraft: A Family Affair

I think a while ago I mentioned that on occasion I play an online game called WoW. With TV taking a back seat to the computer in the kids lives, Sherry and I both now play, often with Andrew or Cameron. Here are a few of our Characters:


Cameron's main "toon" (character in the game) is Boax a Warrior.


Andrew has played the longest and is an Endgame player in 40 person Raid groups. His guild is one of the best. He's a lvl 60 Druid: Shiaru.


Sherry also plays a Warrior, Grater... who enjoys fishing in the game... yes fishing.


I was a Hunter, Gaedrial, but now play a Priest... how odd that: Xaedrial. Why a female... people online are so much more helpful :-)

You might wonder why Sher and I have this same green tabard on with a white shamrock; actually that is our guild called "Perpetually Lost". It's a tiny guild of friends we have met online and also have children who play WoW. One of us is actually a Grandpa.

World Cup Winners: Edit

Well imagine Gretzgy, in his last game before retirement, in an overtime period of the Stanley Cup final, game 7, take his stick and wallop the other team's tieing goal scorer across the head and thus getting ejected from the game... that is what happened today to Zinedine Zidane, of France, today in the 2nd overtime of the World Cup.

[edit]It has come to light that maybe the player who got the head butt may have insulted ZiZou's mother and was quite a "serious" comment. As I tell my boys all the time; don't get a retaliation penalty! Always using hockey as the example that 9/10 the one getting the penalty is the retaliator. Maybe ZiZou should have watched more hockey. Stupid thing in al this is at half time the journalists voted on who should get the Golden Boot (MVP). Zidane won by 50+ votes over a great defender in Canavaro, the Azzuri's captain. [end edit]

He headbutted an Italian in the chest, and justly got a red card. His team lost the penalty shoot out and may have won with his leadership. What a jerk.



I'm a neutral, I love the game. England was my team of choice yet were tired and lacked the gusto to win a World Cup; they got as far as they deserved.

Italy faces a wonderful night. Tomorrow will be different. The top team, Juventus, might get relegated to Seria C, a demotion of 2 leagues. In soccer, nations have a top group of 22 teams, more or less in each divison, then lesser divisons, in this case Seria B and then C.

In England the top is the Premiership and then the Champions League an then Division One and then Two. The ones below the top group fight to "go up". At the end of a season the top three go up (the 3rd place is a bit more complex in England but you get the point); the bottom three in the top group "go down". To go up is worth millions and millions in revenue... to go down is the opposite. In this case Juventus may go from being cup winners to nothings needing to fight there way back up over at least two years. AC Milan, Fiorentina, and Lazio might just drop one: Why? you ask. Because they are accused of fixing games.

The easiest was of imagining this for us Canadians is to imagine, Los Angeles Kings, New York Rangers, Montreal Canadians and Toronto Maple Leaves all going down to the Minors.

Stay tuned and read you internet on what takes place tomorrow. Many of these world cup winners may be wondering where they will be working in the next month.

Pentecost 5: Sermons

In St. Barnabas, Greenfield; The Rector: Pr14B2006Gr.MP3

In the Church of the Good Sherpherd, Florenceville; Mrs. Marjory Smith, Lay Reader: Pr14B2006F.MP3


The later used with permission.

Pie & Dad

Today at the Church of The Good Shepherd, Florenceville, Marjory Smith, one of our Lay Readers, took the service of Morning Prayer. I was dressed in cassock and serplice for the occasion where afterwards Sherry took these pictures.

What-ya-all Look Like a Year Later?

Lots of pictures:





















A very very busy household!

Pentecost 5

The early bird catches the worm... well maybe a head start on the Scripture readings for this week.

Here is this Sunday's bulletin: Pr14BJuly92006.pdf

Image Change

I guess it's a bit late for Spring cleaning, but here it is. A few changes to the image of the blog will take place over the next few days as I program many administrative tasks here in the parish. An overhaul of databases, prayer cycles, bulletin reform and content etc. will occur along with that of the blog and parish sites.

The blog has taken second and even third place to active parish ministry these past few months; I promise nothing overly spectacular, but I will try and blog on a more regular and consistent basis.

Don't forget to REFRESH your page... changes don't always appear as information gets stored in your compter's "cache".

Brookwood Week 1

I just got back from Camp Brookwood and wished to share some reflections. The councilors are great and very active with their 15 charges this week. The kids looked in great spirit.

Here are some images from today.

Glassville Tornado

Well the fun never stops... yesterday storms moved into the area in the late afternoon just as Jean, Sherry and I returned home from King's Landing. I distinctly recall telling Jean, "be careful driving home". Well my thoughts were right as a big storm did hit but not where Jean lived.

Farther North East of us is one of our congregations in Glassville a small, mainly farming, community. The storm hit them hard; how hard? They made national news today. A suspected tornado damaged roofs and destroyed a barn. I found this out just this evening and so I hope I still have a church in the morning when I go to our regularly scheduled Morning Prayer.

Last year I arrived and two weeks into my incumbency lightning struck Florenceville... we made news. Now a year after my arrival, my first service being the 3rd of July, a tornado hits another of my communities. Hummmm. Don't tell the insurance company.

Didn't our Lord say to us in our lectionary reading a week ago that when storms rage around us to have faith?!

Anniversary Outing

Today was my first year anniversary "in" the parish as priest. It was very low key as I didn't wish to remind anyone. It began very quiet and dull as weather was a factor. After the service in Florenceville, Sherry, our organist Jean, and myself set out for St. Mark's Chapel of Ease at King's Landing an Historical Settlement 30 mins away from Fredericton.

An amazing 30 individuals attended part or all of the service of Sung Evensong from the Book of Common Prayer. Here are some pictures of the day (the kids didn't come along as it was pouring in Florenceville and we thought it would be too much for them... in hindsight they would have liked it as the day was wonderful albeit hot and muggy).

Pentecost 4

Here's the Bulletin for today: Pr13BJuly22006.pdf

[once again no batteries for today's sermon]

England's Sadness

Like Toronto, Montreal or Edmonton loosing a series in the Stanley Cup, today England lost to Portugal. In my humble opinion Portugal were a bunch of whining babies who fell at the drop of a hat just waiting for the referee to provide them some advantage.

England on the other hand were not great and played like they were played out. The top scorers looked exhausted. These past two months everyone was looking at Wayne Rooney as some type of saviour, yet with a broken foot everyone focused on that. He recovered super quick and had not bad games. Today he stepped on a Portuguese player's nether region and then pushed another away... he got a red card! He was out and England ended up loosing. David Beckham, famous for many things now not having to do with football, was injured early on in the match, seen above with an icepack on his knee. I am "gutted" for the team but they played like garbage fro the past 3 weeks. Honestly they did not deserve to be there in the top 4.

The World Cup comes around every four years. BILLIONS and billions watch this World event, more than for the Olympics! For England it's over; but for Portugal & France, Italy & hosts Germany, it is just the beginning.

My prediction is France vs Germany in the final ... and who knows who will win.