Murder Mystery Night

Father Alfredo & Detective Carlos

Tara & Rocco 

Bo & Clair Voyant 

The Ladies 

Da Boyz 

What's in a name...like "ICHTHUS"?

ICHTHUS
- The word "ichthus" is actually Greek for FISH.

In Honour of Martin Luther King Jr.

Delivered on the steps at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. on August 28, 1963:

"...Let us not wallow in the valley of despair. I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal." I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slaveowners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day the state of Alabama, whose governor's lips are presently dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, will be transformed into a situation where little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers. I have a dream today. I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together. This is our hope. This is the faith with which I return to the South. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring." And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania! Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado! Let freedom ring from the curvaceous peaks of California! But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia! Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee! Let freedom ring from every hill and every molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

Martin Luther King, Jr.

oNLY fORWARD

ONLY FORWARD is playing a show on:

Friday, January 13th @ 7pm

Calvin Christian School (547 West 5th Street, Hamilton)

Check them out @ www.onlyforward.ca

[Click on the "onlyplayer" to hear their music]

Advance Decision Making...a thought for the New Year

Here's a section from Bill Hybels' book WHO YOU ARE WHEN NO ONE'S LOOKING. When trying to do the things we should, and avoid the things we shouldn't be involved in, discipline is a hard thing to master...SO, as we all step into the New Year, make advance decisions about how you will live (and how you won't):

MP

Advance Decision Making

Once you make up your mind that the only decent way to live is to schedule the pain and the tough challenges first so that you can enjoy the pleasure, the rewards, and the payoff later, then you have to take an important practical step. You must make advance decisions as to how you are going to practice discipline in the various dimensions of your life.

For instance, physical health is a dimension that is very important to me. I come from a family with chronic heart problems on both sides. Two uncles on one side and two uncles on the other had heart attacks and died before they were fifty. My dad died at fifty-three. And trouble started showing up in my medical reports when I was fifteen. So, for me, there is no playing games with my health. I know I need to do something about it.

I understand intellectually that I must first endure the pain of running and weightlifting if I am going to experience the satisfaction of feeling well and being healthier. That is, I understand discipline. But understanding alone is not enough to improve my health; I must put my beliefs into practice. I practice discipline when I make the decision, in advance, that Monday through Friday at 3:30 I will leave the office and go to the health club to work out.

I made the decision several years ago, and I regularly write it on my calendar. Still, every day at about 3:15 my body starts sending signals: "You don't want to work out today. You're a little sore down here, a little tired up there. You're awfully busy in your work. You really don't want to leave now, do you?" A big part of me does not want to work out, you see, and so we start this little argument.

"Yeah, well, I should go."

"Oh, but you can skip a day now and then. After all, you don't want to turn into a fanatic."

So goes the debate. If every day at 3:30 I made the decision whether or not to go work out, I would not work out very often. When it came right down to the moment of packing up and leaving, with all those emotions and voices converging on me, I would probably cave in most of the time. But I practice advance decision making. Because I have already decided to go to the club, I ignore arguments against going, no matter how persuasive they may sound.

"Sorry," I say to my body, "I'd like to hear you out, but I can't do anything about it. It's already been decided. It's on my calendar. You're not going to reverse the decision. It's done." My body may groan, but it gets itself to the weight room. Advance decision making has become a powerful way to implement the practice of discipline in my daily life.

Winter is almost here...

For all those who have been deprived of CALVIN & HOBBES cartoons, here is a classic:


Every Christmas (before Bill Watterson stopped drawing his comics), i'd always look forward to getting a brand new book, rolled up and stuffed into my stocking. Other things i'd get every year...batteries (for my cd player), candy, and an orange (that i'd put back into the fridge).

If your family does the stocking thing, what do you normally find inside?

MP

The Pumpkin Games

...

Twenty beautiful pumpkins... 

Daniel shows us the meaning of carnage... 

Laura takes her pumpkin to beatsville... 

Andrew unleases his fury... 

Oh! Meine Lederhosen!!

Now...i know that you have all wanted your very own WINDUP HOPPING LEDERHOSEN for as long as you've been alive, SO now's your chance to win one!

Yes, that's right. You could win this magical toy, if you correctly answer the following questions:

(1) Since I'm not German at all, what does "Lederhosen" literally mean? (I know the answer...it's just part of the competition).

(2) Since I am Scottish, what is the real name for the "man purse" that Scots wear with their kilts?

(3) What Scripture is the cartoon from October 4th based on?

Leave your comments below, and the first to correctly answer each of the questions will win BAVARIAN FOLKPANTS WITH A MIND OF THEIR OWN!!!

MP

p.s. don't forget to leave your name...

The Contact

Here's a look ahead to one of our November events...a concert in Guelph with a band called THE CONTACT. They'll be playing @ Calvary Baptist Church on Friday the 25th. Originally, their band manager contacted me to see if they could do a show at Mission Baptist, but unfortunately things didn't work out. However, we still have a chance to check them out...by the way, they were nominated for Best Rock Album at this past year's Covenant Awards (which Thousand Foot Krutch took home).

If you want to check them out online, visit their website at: www.thecontact.ca

MP

The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe...coming soon to the big screen (December 9th). 

brother lawrence

maybe you've heard of a guy named brother lawrence (a.k.a. nicholas herman, who lived from 1605 to 1691). maybe not. well, he was from france, lived most of his life in a monastery (often working as a helper in the kitchen), and is probably most well known for his book THE PRACTICE OF THE PRESENCE OF GOD (which is a collection of his writings). since we focused on hearing God's voice this past weekend at our fall retreat, here's a quote from brother lawrence:

THERE IS NOT IN THE WORLD A KIND OF LIFE MORE SWEET AND DELIGHTFUL THAN THAT OF A CONTINUAL CONVERSATION WITH GOD. THOSE ONLY CAN COMPREHEND IT WHO PRACTICE AND EXPERIENCE IT; YET I DO NOT ADVISE YOU TO DO IT FROM THAT MOTIVE. IT IS NOT PLEASURE THAT WE OUGHT TO SEEK IN THIS EXERCISE; BUT LET US DO IT FROM A PRINCIPLE OF LOVE, AND BECAUSE GOD WOULD HAVE US.

like we had a chance to do on our retreat, we regularly need to have time alone and in silence with God - getting away from the noise of the world that constantly surrounds us. there, we can learn to recognize His voice. but we also need to learn to hear God in the midst of the noise. i think that's what paul meant by praying continually (1 thessalonians 5:17). having a continual conversation with God. creating space in the noise to connect with God. talking to Him when you have a moment between classes, at your locker, on your way home from school...whenever. why? because it's an expression of our love for God. and God wants to guide your thoughts/words/actions all the time.

MP

The Iron Chef

The Iron Chef Theme Ingredient