Wow 9 years later it rises from the dead. I was browsing through some old connections and I found my old blog. it's kind of cool because I got to reread things that I wrote more than 10 years ago. Life is changed quite a bit in these ten years or so. Jack the beagle has passed away and we miss him dearly. Pig the cat still roams these Halls seeking what he might devour or where he might nap.

For the last 4 years I have worked as a family service worker at a company called We Care Limited. My wife is the coordinator of the North End Food Bank here in Saint John New Brunswick and our children are grown up and married with Children of Their Own.

I guess that's all for now. I may write some more later but for all of you or saying "that's it for 9 years?" at least I didn't wait 10.


Talk to you later

Geoff

Slightly over 1 year later.....



I am still on Facebook :-)

I am at Douglas Avenue Christian Church, pottering away. Prayer is going well, God is doing things that surprise us (which really shouldn't surprise us) and people are looking to Him for life guidence.


All in all its good. ttyl

Well I too have been sucked into the vastness known as FaceBook!

And for someone like me who has the occasional thing to say it works well. There isn't the pressure of a blog needing to be written (not, as you can plainly see, that I submit to that pressure normally) or vast reams of white space needing to be filled. You just do stuff when you get the urge.

So.. anyway... yeah,

there I am.

See you later

The Tomb.

The sun rises slowly over the hills, two men, armored, lay as dead. A stone lays on its side. Birds flit from tree to tree with song and life. Sunlight strides inexorably forward warming the land. Small lives creep forward to bask, heal, rejoice.

The tomb is empty.

Footsteps clatter across the stone, women approach to mourn. Spices to leaven the dead, herbs and clothes. Gravel slides unheeded, clinking and scratching. Footsteps falter and hearts flutter. The sun crests the final hill, light streaming down to earth.

The tomb is empty.

Light bright as the sun, shining like lightening garbs the strangers, fear clutches as mortals gasp. A question from lips eternal fulfill a prophecy old. Why do you seek? Behold! He is Risen just as He said. The light of the sun warms the land.

The tomb is empty.

Tears flow as eyes confirm, a rocky ledge unburdened by death. Hope grows, hearts strain, joy sings to silence nature itself. The world must know, the brothers must hear, feet run towards home. Streams of sunlight caress the world.

The tomb is empty.

Women running to tell stop. Recognize feet that trod a thousand miles, legs that walked with strength, arms that held the weak , the face that smiles. All air rushes out, the world spins, He smiles. Golden, rich, strong, the sun rises above the world.

The tomb is empty.

The Tomb is Empty!!

The Light of the World has Returned!

Well here it is almost 2 months after Christmas and I am able to blog again. It was all that I feared and dreaded. The greed, the anger, the anxiety. Sigh.... its good to be past that for the most part. But now I live with suffering, pain and frustration.

I broke my glasses yesterday!

Its not as bad for me as for some. I can still see and read (rather obviously) but everything is "just" out of focus so I get a headache because my eyes keep trying to bring everything into focus.

The up side is that now I will go make an eye appointment. Its been about 5 years since I had my prescription updated, so thats going to be better anyway.

So how have you been anyway? What have you been doing and how is everyone?

I am still with XSCargo, managing the store here in Halifax, but management and paperwork is really not my forte. I would love to be back in fulltime ministry or counselling somewhere, but I have to admit that its kind of neat that I meet so many people in the store that would like to discuss God. That has been a real blessing. Working with customers and staff has also been good for increasing my patience too :-)

And I absolutely must say that if you ever get the opportunity to work for Doug M. (he is my direct boss at Head Office) take it. He has been fantastic with me, very patient and helpful, also willing to give me a kick when I need it too.

Thanks Doug!

See ya

Merry Month before Christmas!!!!

Now that I am ensconced in the Wonderful World of Retail again, I have remembered my ancient aversion to Christmas.

Now don't get me wrong, I love Christmas. I love the thought of what it means, I love the idea of God submitting to the pains of birth so that He can eneter the world like one of us. The Faithfulness of Joseph and Mary, the wonder of those who came and witnessed Baby Jesus.... this is amazing, wonderful and awesome stuff.

But its not retail Christmas. Retail Christmas is the process by which we get you to buy more stuff than last year. Retail Christmas is merchandising the stock, rotating the displays, focusing the view and cycling the staff. Its people jostling, shoving, pushing to get the last widget in the pile, or the batteries for said widget.

My warehouse see's it all come and go. The truck drivers pull up and we unload truck after truck after truck after truck after... well you get the idea I think. Its a never ending process of stuff for money.

This is what I hate. The tension, the mobs, the tears, the anger, the grouches, the sneaks and thieves, those who prey on people who just want to make a child smile, but don't realize they are going about it the wrong way...

As I walk around my store, I get the feeling that I can see Jesus in the temple, the day that he drove out the moneychangers. I fear that my store is something that He would drive out. Because we encourage the greed and hatefulness and dissatisfaction in people. We tell them that they need the next best thing, that they want this and that. Get in line, pull out that credit card, spend spend spend!

I am sorry Lord. Take me somewhere else...

Geoff

Well the store is open and we are doing well. That is the upside. The down side is that I am averaging about 15 hours a day at the store...and no, thats not an exaggeration.

I get there around 8:30 (we open at 10 am during the week) amd I leave at about 11:00 to 11:30 pm. So far the latest I have left was 2:30 am (which sees me get home at about 3 am).

I love retail, I love working with customers, but managing has its own unique set of problems and I have never had a staff this large before. Its daunting and I am getting pretty tired.

So keep us in prayer.

In related news....

Nathan is doing well in College, got his student loan (and thus gets to eat somewhat more regularly than when he was depending on us for eating money) and bought a new laptop. This is apparently God's will for him, in that he can now be studious in class (vis a vis the laptop) and slay malignant creatures of darkness (vis a vis the laptop and World of Warcraft) by night.

All in all a satisfying combination apparently. My wife is working diligently at her store as assistant manager, our daughter is striving to perfect her driving skills ( and I must confess is doing a non-bang up job (which in this case alone is a good thing)) andthe dog and cat have masticated various objects about the house.

Still looking for a fulltime ministry position....

So whats new with you?

Well the store is open and we are doing well. That is the upside. The down side is that I am averaging about 15 hours a day at the store...and no, thats not an exaggeration.

I get there around 8:30 (we open at 10 am during the week) amd I leave at about 11:00 to 11:30 pm. So far the latest I have left was 2:30 am (which sees me get home at about 3 am).

I love retail, I love working with customers, but managing has its own unique set of problems and I have never had a staff this large before. Its daunting and I am getting pretty tired.

So keep us in prayer.

In related news....

Nathan is doing well in College, got his student loan (and thus gets to eat somewhat more regularly than when he was depending on us for eating money) and bought a new laptop. This is apparently God's will for him, in that he can now be studious in class (vis a vis the laptop) and slay malignant creatures of darkness (vis a vis the laptop and World of Warcraft) by night.

All in all a satisfying combination apparently. My wife is working diligently at her store as assistant manager, our daughter is striving to perfect her driving skills ( and I must confess is doing a non-bang up job (which in this case alone is a good thing)) andthe dog and cat have masticated various objects about the house.

Still looking for a fulltime ministry position....

So whats new with you?