"Hi, I am here to see Stephen."

After our time in Montreal, we made our way to Ottawa to see Canada's capital city. Here we are at our Prime Minister's residence - 24 Sussex Drive. I wanted to stop in for some tea and discussion with Stephen, but based on the looks I received from the many RCMP guarding the place, I deduced that attempting this would cause me great bodily harm.


It was cloudy and rainy when we went to Parliament Hill, so our pictures didn't turn out too well.


This is the Library of Parliament - it was built in 1876. The inside was as cool looking as the outside, but this was one of the only places we were not allowed to take photos.


The architecture inside was amazing. The original Parliament building burned down in 1916. Rebuilding started shortly after and the present building opened in 1920. Our tour guide told us that the somber gothic style of the building was used to reflect the solemn mood of the nation resulting from the fire and the war.

This is the Memorial Chamber, which was part of the Peace Tower. It contained books with all of the names of Canadians that lost their lives in war. The Memorial Chamber is rich with symbolism. The floor is made of stones taken from the World War I battlegrounds where Canadians fought. The walls and columns are faced with stone from France and Belgium, the two countries where Canadians saw the most combat. At the centre of the Chamber stands the central Altar carved from a block of Hopton Wood, the same British stone used for the tombstones in military cemeteries.


The Senate.


Our tour group was not allowed to see the House of Commons because Stephen was making an announcement, so they had the area blocked off. I could not go without, so we joined the next tour group and fortunately had the opportunity to see it.

We also went across the river to Gateneau, QC to visit the Canadian Museum of Civilization. Highlights of this incuded:

Wayne Gretzkey's skates.

The actual minutes from the meeting that created the NHL.

A lot of really cool Native art.

Totem Poles.

Ottawa was a great city to visit. The only dissapointing part of the trip was seeing how the government has allowed the Parliament buildings to become stained from the pollution. For example, here is a dirty beaver. Shazzaam!

Montreal Continued...

This is a replica of Brother André who is credited as the main founder of the Oratory. People report that he did many miraculous healings, so people came to him from far and wide for his magic touch. The Oratory kept his actual heart after he died as a relic. I was not able to take a picture of it because it was removed on account of some rennovations they are doing. Dang.


This room had several statues like this where you could toss in some money, light a candle, and pray for healing.

These are the canes and crutches of those who were miraculously healed at the Oratory. I had a bit of a blister on my foot from all of the walking we had done. I was hoping it would miraculously be healed so I could add my bandaid to the stack of medical aids, but no such luck. I guess I should have prayed harder.

Contrasting the churches we visited were the many smut clubs that line the streets of Montreal. These two are on St. Catherine's Street, which is a very popular and main strip. As you can see, they are not in hidden and obscure places like in most cities (so I hear). It was strange to see them so prominently displayed in the main areas of the city. The signs were bright and shiny.

"Voulez-vous cesser de me cracher dessus pendant que vous parlez!" "I don't speak French, but you are also nice."

Natalie and I got away last week...we went to Toronto, Montreal, and Ottawa. I forgot to take pictures in Toronto, so I will start in Montreal. Here we are in front of Notre-Dame Basilica about to begin our horse drawn buggy tour of Old Montreal.



It was a really cool way to check out all of the history in this city - the lady who took us was full of interesting facts!

This is a gold Elvis guy doing the Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto. He tossed some gold beads at Natalie and wanted $2 in return. Unfortunately we do not speak French.


We toured Notre-Dame Basilica. I think Lutherans should start to guilt people out of their money so we can build nice things too.


The Notre-Dame Basilica chapel.



We also checked out Saint Joseph’s Oratory of Mount Royal. People from all over the world take pilgrimages here for spiritual matters and physical healing.

The pictures can't capture the beauty of the Oratory. More to come...

Why do you have to upset me like this?

The above photo is of a paper towel dispenser from the men's washroom in a Denny's restaurant in Kingston, ON. The photo turned out a bit blurry, but it says in three different languages, "For Emergency Feed, Turn Knob." The part that upsets me about this is the word Emergency. When is having wet hands ever considered an emergency? One could avert such an "emergency" by simply shaking one's hands vigorously or by wiping them on one's slacks. Are they trying to suggest that this is some sort of "magical" paper towel dispenser? If the guy schwizzing beside me drops to the floor and cracks his head on account of the freshly washed floors, am I to forego dialling 911 in order to run over and twist this "emergency" knob? I think not. Pitney Bowes is the manufacturer of this dispenser, so I intend on suggesting to them a replacement sticker that would read "turn knob for paper towel." I have enough in my life that causes me anger and stress - I do not need this on top of everything else.

Merry Christmas!

Natalie and I have been busy with Christmas concerts, parties, etc. We had the opportunity to go to a Christmas party at the Essex Golf & Country Club (the PGA Canadian Open was played there one year) - it was an all you can eat and drink affair, with several Christmas carol choirs making rounds to put everyone in the spirit - it was an incredible evening!

The congregation decorated the sanctuary beautifully, so I thought I would post a picture as I wish everyone a Merry Christmas!

Feelin' the groove!

We went to the Mo'town Museum in Detroit this past Tuesday. What a cool place! This is where some of the biggest recording artists and top songs of all times came out of! Artists like Diana Ross, Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, the Temptations, and of course Michael Jackson!

Berry Gordy Jr. started Mo'town with a $800 loan from his family and recently sold it for $61 million!

This is a picture of the famous glove Michael Jackson wore when he did the moonwalk for the first time when he was singing "Billy Jean" back in the 80's. It was in a glass case with the hat he was wearing too. The tour guide told us that someone stole the hat and glove. M.C. Hammer offered $50 k to anyone who returned it to the museum safely. The stupid person who stole the hat and glove not only tried to return them for the cash, but had also signed the guest book the day he stole them. So, they were easily able to identify him. Apparently they did not press charges against him though.

This is the actual recording studio where these great hits were recorded. It was amazing to stand in this place. What struck me was how basic it was - the walls were made from ceiling tiles to help the acoustics.

Below are pictures of Stevie Wonder and Diana Ross recording in this very studio.

It was interesting to learn how much this Mo'town music impacted our history - especially the history of the relationships between black and white people in America. This music did a lot to bring unity.

The museum and tour were far better than I was anticipating. If you ever make it to Detroit, I would highly recommend that you visit the Mo'town Museum!

Not So Much Roaring....

I had the opportunity to take in my first NFL game this past Sunday. The Lions against the 49ers...Very cool!


Ford Field was an incredible place...it was huge and done up very nice. The Lions fans were not as "into" the game as I was anticipating. My hypothesis is that it is a result of playing a terrible football game and having a 2-7 record. I would not cheer much either.

One of the most impressive things was the huge screen they had. It must have been High Definition because the picture was amazing.

Even though the Lions played horrible, it was a great experience to take in the game...spending an afternoon watching a live NFL game and drinking a couple brews (even though it was watered down American beer) is tough to beat.

Edmonton Oilers, I love you so much, and yet you treat me so badly!

The big night came. I have been looking forward to seeing my Oilers at the Joe since the night I found out I was moving to Windsor. I was so happy.


My happiness dissipated shortly after this moment, when the ref dropped the puck to start the game. I could go on and on here about how the Oilers let me down, but I will allow the stats to speak for themselves: score - 3-0/shots - 45-16. I will finish by saying that it really didn't seem like the Oilers were putting much effort into the game. I find my relationship with the Oilers to be one-sided at times...I put so much effort into making it work and it sometimes is not reciprocated. It hurts.

However, we still had a great time and enjoyed the game. The Red Wings fans were quite knowledgable about hockey. I was surprised at how many other Oiler fans were in attendance along with us. I am hoping that the Oilers will redeem themselves this evening in Columbus.

Does anyone else have to take a schwiz?

So after our relaxing time at Niagara-On-Lake we ended up at the Falls. It is really awe inspiring to see this part of the earth, but I find the Tim Horton's coffee catches up to me quickly.



We couldn't resist going up on this wheel to get a birds-eye view of the area. The Falls looked absolutely beautiful, but unfortunatley the only picture that turned out even half decent was this one of the tacky part of Niagara Falls.


We stayed at the Mt. Carmel Spiritual Center for the conference. It was a great facility; the rooms were nice and the food was tasty. It also had beautiful grounds for walking and refelecting in.

The main chapel is where we held our daily worship services. The stained glass was incredible (unfortunatley my close-up pictures did not turn out well). The acoustics were amazing...the chanting and hymns seemed to reverberate forever. It was simply heavenly.

I learned a lot and met many pastors and deacons from the East District. The discussion and simply observing the process of a district conference was very helpful for me. Dr. Charles Arand (from St. Louis) was the guest speaker; he spoke on the "two kinds of righteousness," which helped to clarify the matter of justification and sanctification for me.

The LCC also has a church in Niagara Falls. I also would be very pleased to serve here, but my bribe would be a little less than the one I would offer for Niagara-On-The-Lake.

Serenity Now...

Natalie and I had the opportunity to visit Niagara-On-The-Lake on our way to the East District Pastors & Deacons Conference at Niagara Falls. I simply love this place. The stores and restaurants are incredible.

The views of Lake Ontario are amazing. This is a picture of Historic Fort George. There is a lot of history in this town.

This gazebo was part of a scene from the Steven King movie "The Dead Zone" starring Christopher Walken. That was a disturbing movie.

Before Natalie and I left for the Falls, we stopped for dinner at the "Olde Angel Inn". It is the oldest Pub/Inn in Upper Canada. The food and beverage are superb. The ceiling is really low and the beams are all hand-hewn.

We noticed on the way into town that there is a LCC congregation in Niagara-On-The-Lake. I would be very pleased to serve here and would be willing to bribe those who could make it happen.

Funny Signs

Hello,

It has been a while since I last posted. Natalie and I have been very busy with confirmation, Bible studies, preaching, etc., so we have not had a lot of time for much else. We are enjoying our time and the people here in Windsor. We are learning and growing a lot.

I came across this website that allows you to create your own church signs. I had some fun with it and thought I would share with you. Please do not be offended. I am a bad man.