mmmm... Bar - be - que

I am supposed to be doing mt tax return.

Instead I am posting BBQ links for your reading pleasure.

The BBQ Report
Texas Barbecue Festival
How to BBQ Canadian Bacon
The Canadian Barbecue Association
BBQ Bill

Ok... back to productive life.
(I hear that laughing)

When the day is said and done

The day was a stressful one. I won't get into it but it was... But tonight at The Gig we had a meeting where we (those leading the charge) had a chance to talk about the vision of the venue side - The Gig Theatre - and all that it's about.

I feel God saying, "This is what you are about" - I felt relaxed and calm and ready to change the city. There were excited faces and people that get it - and I believe more will come. When you stop and tell people about all that has happening in 15 months - wow cool things are happening.

I saw the excitement in the eyes of a guy named Doug. He said "I didn't think such a place existed" - this is not the first time I have heard this from people. It is so cool that people are coming to discover The Gig (and sometimes from such strange circumstances or referrals) But here is a guy that is passionate about art, music and tech and is (was) looking for a place to be in community and worship God. :)

Thanks to everyone that has seen my stress over the last little bit -it's not going away just yet. But I know that God is changing the way that I look at life... we'll see where that goes.

Sunny Flordia - I think...

I left Kitchener thinking that I would blog about my fine trip to Florida and post pictures and write about the ups and downs. Well obviously that hasn't happened.

Here's the nutshell:

-Drive 12 hours with a backseat driver that is way too excitable and has to go to the bathroom much too often. Stopped for food at Cracker Barrel and KFC woo! (sarcastic woo)
- Had to sleep in bed with Trevor Belec.
- Drive 12 hours (see above only I can't remeber the food now)
- Arrive. Nice house we have rented, pool six bedrooms (no more sharing a bed)
- Wednesday - a day of absolutly nothing that Trevor and I managed to have the house to our selves. Sat by the pool with two laptops and music and pizza. Now THAT'S a day off. (and no backseat drivers to be found) - although it took us most of the day to figure out how to get online... no stealing WIFI this year. I don't recomend netZero, but it is working for the three days we need it.
- Thursday. Trade show day one. Trevor and I headout on our own to take on the show floor. lots of audio toys and cool stuff. Not quite Christmas like...but lots of neat stuff for sure.
- the company was taken out for supper. Some neat place that serves all these different forms of meat right off the BBQ slab (Not quite a Texas BBQ so no need to be jealous Mike and Em) certainly I night of fine food. I am not going to bed hungry.

Tomorrow we have a consultants breakfast at.....7:30 crap! I should be in bed. see my dedication to you people.

THAT'S IT I QUIT !!!

no, I've not quit my job or anything like that. I have decided that no matter what, the next week is going to be stress free. Well, as stress free as a business trip to Florida can be. Tomorrow morning the gang from work and I head out for sunny Orlando. (Figures that we leave just as the weather get nice)

I decided today that because the last few (87) weeks have been stressful, I am going to enjoy this trip. It is my kind of gadety, tech filled greatness that I enjoy. And even better I have Trevor with me so it's not me and the old folks like the past few years. Maybe we find something to do at night other than sit around the house.

Anyway... to everyone around me that has put up with my stressed out person the last few weeks, sorry about that. I hoping that I can leave that below the border.

Might even try and post some touristy shots if I have some time.

This is the stuff that make me mad

There is a story in the Toronto Star about a church called the Prayer Palace. To people in my family we will know this name because my uncle (and the company I work for) has a long history with the pastor and his dirty business dealings. Paul Melnichuk is the so called pastor in this sell proclaimed church. This "church" collects money in the name of God and seemingly does little to nothing for the communities that are around it. The article goes on to document the ways that Melnichuk and his sons are seeming ripping off a primarily low income congregation:

[Hyacinthe Houghron] scrapes together $600 of her own money each month to keep up the program because the Prayer Palace – one of Canada's largest evangelical churches – stopped running it five years ago. Other charitable works, like a promised orphanage in Brazil, either dried up or never materialized.

Meanwhile, the three white pastors – Paul Melnichuk and his 40-year-old twin sons, Tim and Tom – lead lavish lives in contrast to the mainly working-class black families that make up the bulk of the church.

Between them, the pastors have amassed a real estate fortune worth about $12 million. Each owns a multi-million-dollar country estate north of Toronto (Tim's is worth as much as $5.5 million), they share a Florida vacation villa, and the pastors and their wives drive luxurious cars – among them a Porsche Cayenne SUV, a Lexus RX 330 SUV and a Mercedes-Benz CLK 320 convertible.

This guy and his family are everything that I don't want to be associated with, yet they march around calling themselves Christians. Someone in the article is quoted as saying God will judge if they are truly doing something wrong. I do believer that is true, but there is a part of me that wishes that guys like this would come face to face with Jesus in real time... much like the money changers in the temple courts.

It is things like this that turn people off of God. But I think God hates this abuse of leadership more that we can imagine, and I will take some peace in knowing that someday these men will get what is coming to them.

It also makes me mad that these things get the press and the churches and organizations that are working hard to feed and shelter the poor will could be painted with the same brush. Grrr.