Break Forth Canada 2012

Pedway

Deborah and I went back to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada last week for a Christian conference called Break Forth Canada.  It’s sponsored by Break Forth Ministries and draws over 7400 people to attend three days of worship, lectures, and workshops in the most wide ranging set of topics.  I think this was the fourth time we have been to the event over the last 9 years, and fortunately the weather was delightfully warm.  Edmonton in the winter can be a frighteningly cold place, but the downtown areas can be navigated largely through a system of pedways.  Basically, there are connections between buildings either over or under street level that can take you to most, though not all of the locations in the city that hold the different sessions.  Let me explain a little further.

Erwin McMamanus

The conference starts with optional attendance on Friday morning.  There are a variety of “intensive” sessions to join.  It can be anything from spiritual renewal, to playing drums, running sound, lighting, writing, conflict resolution,  leadership  and so on.  Most of these sessions run in tracks, but you can mix and match as you want.  There were 26 options that could be chosen.  Friday night kicks off the main event with everyone in a large hall in the Shaw Conference Center.   After announcements, there is worship, followed by a main speaker.  This year it was Erwin McManus.   After  the speaker there is more options for bands.  Saturday again starts with music, then a speaker, followed by more breakout sessions. [ I think there were 145 total option over Saturday and Sunday.]   Another evening worship, speaker and more bands follow.  This all concludes Sunday with breakouts,  yet more music and worship  and a speaker.  The other main guests this year were Anne Graham Lotz  (Billy Graham’s daughter), Tony Compolo and Nick Vujicic, pronounced 'Vooy-cheech.  The bands ranged from Robin Mark, Paul Baloche to DownHere, Starfield, Third Day, Jars of Clay and Jeremy Camp and others.  

I hope you can get the sense of the quality of the whole conference.  We didn’t go to any of the music arts breakouts this year, but I can tell you there was a whole room filled with large format digital mixing boards that were used for training.  If you can swing it, you really need to go check it out.  The conference itself is only  $99 for the main sessions.  The concerts are an add on ranging from $15 to $27, and the intensives extra as well.  But it’s less than $200 for three days of insight, instruction and encouragement.   It’s a packed three days, with lots of learning, and incredible stories from all the speakers.  Not only that but it’s fun and uplifting at the same time!

I'll be sharing more of the details in the coming days, but this served as a good introduction.
  
We’re hoping to go again next year; who’s coming!

Worship

One of the Breakout Rooms

Souther Maryland Drive

 We had the day off for the Martin Luther King, Jr, holiday, and so took a drive through southern Maryland.  Our first stop was close to home at Cecil's Mill.  Once a textile factory and then a flour mill as shown in the first photo. We toured the Country Store across the street.  After a quick stroll looking at the art, candles and assorted accessories we walked around a bit. 

Cecil's Mill

 The original Holy Face Church was plannted  on the adjoining property to the mill in 1887.  Not much to look at from the barrier,  even the front door is on the other side.  I'm sure it served it's purpose, as the church is still functioning not far away.

Holy Face Church

 The next stop on the road, found another home that is falling down

Then the we drove down to Drayden to a marina and campground.  The Oyster boats are in for the season.  There were three in the marina.

We left and continued our drive, and wandered our way back.

All in all, a very nice afternoon.

Broken Dreams

We live in an area that is a strange mix of suburbia and rural landscapes.  There are the towns with some sections that have seen better days, and there are homes on the waterfront that can command an easy million or more to own.

Just by looking at the disparate housing options you know there's a large range of incomes.  Beyond that though there are signs of the truly lost.  You can overlook these sights easily enough.  They sit forlorn along the sides of the roads sitting behind overgrown vegatation.  Have you seen these sights on trips you take around your town?



I've seen these  and others while out and about.  I wonder who owned them and what their hopes and dreams may have been.  I wonder what caused those dreams to break.  How did these houses, vans and stuffed animals end up being abandoned?


I know there could be any number of reasons for the demise shown in the photos.  I know too there are folks  that seem to be just a step away from being in a similar position.  Life can be tenuous.  Are we just one paycheck away from falling on hard times?  Are we making bad choices that lead to severe consequences?  Is there an addiction that needs to be treated and controlled?  How close am I to having broken dreams?

 I know too that dreams are personal.  I can help you with your dream, but the work is yours, just as reaching mine is a task for me.  I can support. I can aide.  I can assist.  I can't work harder at your dream than you.  What am I, what are you, willing to change to get a step closer to those dreams?

This poor bunny was just outside of the trailer

This home was right behind the trailer below

 The world is not fair to all.  Shouldn't we, though, be living to be fair to all?  I'm not sure I know how to best do that, but my prayer is that I grow more aware and more able to do so.  My prayer is that together, you and I, can make a difference - one step at a time in helping each other reach that rainbow we've set our eyes on.

 Prayers that you find and hold on to your dreams.

Blessings,
Brian

Long past it's prime, it's been partially stripped of the skin, probably sold as scrap.

More Birding

So I had a great day of birding.  It wasn't a long concerted effort, but I saw a number of birds that made my day.  I simply took a lunch time drive enjoying the 60 F temperature in January and found quite a few treats. First, my Bald Eagle was perched high in a pine tree.  Then as I went on I came across the site I had been waiting for:  The swans are back!

So taking a closer look, they appear to be Trumpeter Swans with their black beaks.


Then I came across the guys below.  I thought they were some kind of Plover, but until  a little post photo production - ie, cropping big time to zoom in on them I wasn't sure exactly what.

So the news is that after catching them in flight and zooming way in, I'm quite sure they are Killdeer.  Their a common plover you see jetting here and there in quick spurts, usually on the shoreline, parking lot or even a gravel covered roof top.

 You can hardly notice them in the photo on the left, but when you zoom in - as below, the wings definitely show a Killdeer.  I love the exploration after taking the photos.  I'm learning a lot.

 The day ended with a another short diversion on the way home.  I was hoping to snap a few more photos of some birds, but the sun was heading home a little too quickly.

I did see a kingfisher, but he was too quick to be see on film (digital film anyway.  He has a most notable cry.  You can here it on this page.

So the adventure for the day ended with the sun finally calling it a day, and letting the moon stand watch.  Just the way it should be.

All in all, another beautiful day in creation.

I also took a few pics last Saturday to share.  I was able to take some shots of a gull soaring barely overhead on the boardwalk at Solomons Island, MD.  Enjoy.

Beach Combing

I walked another section of shoreline along the Patuxent River today.  While I saw the Red Tail Hawk and the Turkey Vultures soaring above, there wasn't a good photo in the bunch I snapped.  I'll need to keep trying for those aerials. Though I didn't get the shot I was hoping for, I'm never at a loss to find something interesting on the shoreline.  So, let's take a short walk:

Here's the stepping off point from the Pacifica.  While the tripod is out, I took a couple shots of the distant Gov. Thomas Johnson Bridge, but didn't they didn't really strike me.

 I found a baseball, lacking it's cover.



Then there was a basket.  This type usually holds some crabs.  As expected this one was empty, though it looks like it was hoping for some crabs to jump in right from the water.

This shows that anything can have barnacles eventually. 

The bottle of water above was sunk into the sand.  The ironic part is that this company My Cause donates 5 cents for every bottle sold, and the customer gets to pick the charity.  It's a nice way to do something good, but I guess recycling is not part of the program.


The last shots include a hunter's blind right at the waterfront, some grass and a pine tree that stood out.

That's the walk for today. Not a very long walk, but I took quite a while to enjoy it all.  The cool air, the sound of the wind and waves all made for a great little trip. 

I hope you have had time for your own short walk, or adventure.  What did you see today?

Here's to looking up, looking out, and looking in.

Blessings,
Brian

Get Your Eyes Up!

"Get your eyes UP!"  That was a the mantra of last week of ski lesssons I had some 35 years ago.  Those were the words Spike, our instructor, would continually say during the week of our group lesson.  Our group was pretty advanced, we could ski the whole mountain, but needed a little polish you might say.  Spike's relentless critique spoke a truth.  Most of us concentrated on the nearing changes in the slope, but that wouldn't allow us to progress with confidence as our speeds increased on the harder slopes.  We needed to look much further ahead to be able to react in time.

You can experience the same thing while driving.  You are taught to look well down the road.  You get your eyes looking far ahead to anticipate the potential dangers and obstacles.  The faster you travel, the further down the road you should be looking.

In this world as things move as ever increasing speeds, I need to remind myself of the life lesson from Spike; Get your eyes up.  Think about it.  Even going back in time some two thoushand years ago, most plowed the land right in front of them.  There were also those that had their eyes up.  The Maji watched the stars travel across the skies, and they knew of a cosmic event when they saw one.  The miracle of Christ, born in Bethlehem.

I was reminded today by our Reverend that "Jesus is the reason for the season,"  and it's true.  The observation seems to be that it's more of the reason for the day.  We have the run-up of Black Friday, and on-line Tuesday with the hustle and bustle.  The attempt to buy the perfect gift for that special someone, or the time making the perfect piece of art, or maybe the meal and deserts all leading to the perfect day.

Hopefully, we've all had the chance to experience a moving church service over this weekend.  It may have been a choir singing, a candle lit sanctuary with all singing Silent Night, or maybe a Children's Program complete with little angels.  Then Christmas arrives.  We celebrate with family and friends, and the day passes like so many others.  Perhaps we take the next few days up to the New Year to continue the revelry.

The Tweleve days of Christmas have just started!  My lovely wife reminded us of that this morning.  Her new tradition is to give us one gift each of the twelve days.  I was surprised, a little disappointed (cause I'm not very patient), and then pleased.  I realize I have a hard time getting my eyes up for more than a day.

I think I need to follow the example of the Maji, and realize the majesty of God shines all around us.  We need to keep watch for what God is doing.  We celebrate His coming to earth as a lowly, helpless babe this day, but dare we keep Him in mind more than a day or season?  My prayer this day is that I keep Jesus as more than the reason for the season.  That I get my eyes up and know He is the reason for my life and salvation, not for a day, not a season, but for eternity.

Yesterday (Today?)

(Wrote most of this yesterday; posted today) 
Today turned out to be sweet, though not many photos to show for it.  Since the temperature is unusually high for the 22nd of December, I decided to take the BMW in to work today.  Before I left the house though, I was serenaded by a bunch of birds.  There were loads of Robins in the trees just out the back deck.  There were high in the trees, and flying about.  Added to their numbers were some crows, Dark-eyed Junco (based on the cropped photo), a Blue Jay, and what I think was a wood pecker.  All the chorus and chatter brighten the dawning sun all the more.  I watched and listened for quite a few minutes, then noticed the neighbors railing on their deck.  The tomatoes sitting out on the corner seemed to be calling for help.

Dark-eyed Junco

I had to get to work though, so I put the camera away and headed to the bike.  It's been a long time since I rode it, and I was glad to hear it start right up.  It was only a little cool, and I had a wonderful ride to the gate.  I decided to add a few miles to the trip and took the longest route to the office.  I looked for my Bald Eagle along the way but was only slightly disappointed that none were perched in the usual spots.  The ride had to come to an end, and though short it was a fantastic trip.  I was definitely smiling when I arrived at my desk.

The office was uneventful, and I took the long route back home.  This time the Eagle did not disappoint.  I pulled into the  tree covered drive leading to overlooks of the water.  It's back in a park area holding tent sites, and there he was perched majestically in a small riverside tree.

Then topped the day off with a few friends at the house. The menu was mostly "sweet" as evidenced by the mixer and sugar pic.  What a great day.

Some of these are from last weekend, and the one with the horse and buggy a little older still.

I'm not sure if all my friends would know, but there is an Amish population here in southern Maryland.  So on occasion you will see a horse and buggy, and more rarely you'll see one near a shopping center.. tied up to a pole.

The next set of photos are from church last weekend.  I took them as the team was getting set up and rehearsing.

Darrell, playing keys

Deb looking things over at the sound board

Eric working intently on the computer

Michael putting his heart into song

Missy enjoying some banter

Still working on the "people" photos.  I need more practice in this area,,  any volunteers?

Blessings,
Brian