On making mature life choices.

This past summer, I spent 22 days on northern Ontario rivers, mostly with Pioneer Camp. These days I am back in Toronto earning a living; which I have since remembered is very a mundane life. As such, I am trying to think up what to do with the rest of my life, but haven't come up with anything responsible, engaging, and preferably with rapids. Let me know if you (dear reader) have any good ideas.

***

In a former post I lamented being at camp. Just now I lamented being back in the real world* of two part-time jobs, and little to do in the evenings. I think some prophetic figure (Morpheus) once said: "Fate, it seems, is not without its sense of irony"

-C.D. Clements

*Clever allusion!

On screaming kids

There comes a time in every man's life where he is ready for camp to be over, and for September to arrive.

-C.D. Clements

On Fearing the Lord

A "hole" is a particular movement of water, which is generally found when fast moving water encounters a deeper section of a river. The effect of this meeting in the river is sort of "folding over" of the river on itself. This force creates a current which is constantly being driven to the river bed, and then circling back in on itself.

On a recent out-trip, I found myself accidentally caught in an eddy, which forced my canoe on to a hole, which then capsized me. While this particular hole was relatively small, the hydraulics caught me in an underwater swirl for [only] about 10 seconds.
After settling down, and making careful note of my error, so as to not repeat it, I was thinking about my experience, and how it parallels my understanding of the Fear of God.

The Fear of God is a very real thing; if God appeared to me suddenly, I expect I would become genuinely afraid. However, our relationship with God is not exclusively on these terms; there is also a mix of respect & honour. Even, there is an element in our relationship with God of enjoyment (as stated in my church's catechism).

While I appreciate that metaphors will break down under scrutiny, I am feeling these days like our relationship with God, and our fear of him, is something like canoing on moving water. While I find the rapids to be majestic, and certainly enjoyable, only a fool would approach moving water without deep respect... or even fear for what the rushing river is capable of.

As we relate with God, we discover him to be majestic, delighting, and commanding of our respect. However, not wanting to be foolish, we are fearful as we come to appreciate reality of who he is.

-C.D. Clements

On Northern Bushmen

On a recent canoe trip I was leading, the group asked a remote cottager in a run down shack/cottage if he knew of any good sites on the lake. He introduced himself as a retired man from the southern sates. As conversation progressed, it became quickly apparent to us that he was also the creepiest man ever.

With an apparent guise of being caring, he began asking bizarre questions, trying to get one of us in his boat so he could show us the site he had in mind, wanting to inspect our equipment, and wanting to know about our abilities to communicate with the outside world.

Since we could not pleasantly break off the conversation, we paddled away, only to observe him get in his boat to follow us.

Eventually we shook him by telling him we were going to stay on a particular “site” for the night and agreeing to go fishing with him. While he went to get his “fishing stuff” we paddled our faces off and got away.

The LIT's decided that the man reminded them of Herbert the Pervert from Family Guy. I would say I agree.

-C.D. Clements

Support

Hello Everybody,

For the past four summers, Nyssa and I have been volunteering with Pioneer Camp's leadership training program. The L.I.T. (Leaders in Training) program is for 16 & 17 year old who are looking at being councilors in the camp, and who want to develop as leaders and maturing Christian as they return home.
The LIT program runs in month long sessions, and builds into the teens through intentional teaching, discipleship, growth experiences, and staff & peer relationships. I have seen many teens be significantly transformed as they move through the program; moving toward deeper discipleship in Christ. Nyssa and I both agree that seeing this process in youth's lives year after is is what makes LIT important to us, and what keeps drawing us back.

This summer Nyssa and I are raising support to cover rent in Toronto while we are up at camp. If you are interested in helping us out with this, there are a few ways which donations can be processed, the most direct can be used via this link. You may also browse through pioneercamp.ca by following the links: Support Us -> Financial Support -> Staff Summer Missions -> Donate Online -> Chris Clements.
Nyssa and I hope to be in personal contact with all who support us. If you are sending support, but we have not talked face to face, please drop us a line so we may do so!

Thanks everybody,
Chris & Nyssa Clements.

On White Noise

   As this blog entry is being made, Nyssa is watching "So you think you can dance", and I am trying to refine liturgies for next Sunday's service. The conflict comes in that I need these liturgies to make sense, as well as lead people to God.

    I remember that my former room-mate Al had tried to use an inverted noise program to cancel unwanted after-hours hallway commotion. I also recall that this did not work as planned. However, building on this inspiration, I have found a website which hosts a variety of white noise tracks from University of Utah. (accessible via this link)

    Below is is a screenshot of these tracks in action:


    My favorite is Harsha_Rao.mp3
    Enjoy!

   -C.D. Clements.   

A glimpse into Real Life.

"Facts are simple and facts are straight
Facts are lazy and facts are late
Facts all come with points of view
Facts don't do what I want them to
Facts just twist the truth around
Facts are living turned inside out
Facts are getting the best of them
Facts are nothing on the face of things
Facts don't stain the furniture
Facts go out and slam the door
Facts are written all over your face
Facts continue to change their shape"

Talking Heads on Youtube: 1
Writing a Sermon: 0

-C.D. Clements

On Studying the Bible

About once a month the youth group will come over to my home for a manuscript bible study. I have come to believe that the doodles left of each youth's scripture manuscript indicates something of the relevance of the topic, or perhaps the preparedness of the leader (myself). Tonight I have found these following doodles left on the manuscripts, at the end of the event:

A) A seal-like bird yelling "Salut"
B) A snake holding a grenade, a clock, and an arrow.
C) A tent and a tree with the word "Christmas" arching over both.
D) A pig, under a tree, under a cloud, which contains the word "cbad".
E) A spider, in a cup, collecting a bunch of small circles.

I would say it was an average study.

-C.D. Clements

On Recent Events

I thought I might like to bring you (whoever you are) up to speed on a few events in my recent life. Some are of no consequence, while others are of much.

In chronological order, I have recently:

A) Discovered a green mailbox in a remote location between Cornwall and Ottawa. This discovery was made before lunch, and halfway through a medium long walk on country roads.


B) Graduated from Seminary, and then posed as family members took pictures of me by an orange traffic cone in a parking lot.


C) Ate some oddly textured food. The texture pictured at left is an eggplant curry dish, and the right is a tofu stir fry where the tofu crumbled. Nyssa believes that the eggplant curry resembles diarrhea, and the tofu stir fry resembles baby barf.


D) I have recently made my first call to the Mike Gordon Hotline. Upon calling, you will hear a lengthy pre-recored message by Mike, and then you are invited to leave a message according to specific guidelines. These guidelines can be found at http://media.mike-gordon.com/hotline.html I recommend calling this number on Skype to avoid long distance charges.

- C.D. Clements, M.Div.

On things I would buy, if I had lots of money.

1. A Hyundai Accent: I have come to believe it would be useful to own a car. One case in point would be that I am always arriving at meetings out of breath, and with dirty pants.

2. A good touring bike for Nyssa: In the mean time (re:Hyundai Accent) I went to bike store today to try and get some kinks worked out of my drive train. The mechanic was a great conversation.

3. Phish Tickets for this summer's tour. Preferably for "The Gorge" shows: So much fun. Perhaps Nyssa and I could bike there. Below is someone's shot from last time Phish played there.

4. Support an Inter-varsity Ministry, probably Pioneer Camp: I am a big fan of almost everything they do. Nyssa and I are greatly anticipating taking the summer off of city based responsibility, and volunteering at L.I.T.!



If you are feeling rich and charitable, just let me know!

-C.D. Clements

Gun O'Clock

On The Things I Learn

Nyssa, myself, and some friends, have tried over the past year to “do” community & gospel living. We were going to hold a handful of cool (kingdom of God style) events and meet regularly in between. We have ended up with a one-off service event, a few great ideas which didn't happen, and a few brunches and meetings.

It was an interesting experiment, and in the end I have two conclusions.
A. Even though I often consider this to be over-hyped, there is probably something to be said for actually living together.
B. Graduate student people are transient/fragmented; Improvisation makes for funny skits, and may find some resonance in faith life. But I bet it helps to be a planned and mature doer of God's work.

On the other hand, it was a great experience as we did not have a lot riding on our experiment, and in the end I would think we are better friends/people because of it.

These days I like this verse:

1 Corinthians 15:58
Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

-C.D.Clements

On the Intersection of Jazz and Soup.

Perhaps you have heard the story of stone soup, and perhaps you even enjoy the recipe described in the story. Over the past year or so, I have undertook to make many batches of the stuff. The great thing about it, is that so many “stone soup” recipes differ from one another; I have discovered that there is little consensus on how this soup is to be made.

All things considered*, it seems that making stone soup simply requires one to mix together healthy portions of different vegetables, add broth, perhaps a clove of garlic, and then boil for ½ hour. The end result is much like a Phish song: the loose structure is there, and you more or less know what you are getting into. However the moments of inspiration, and subtleties therein, can take the soup [or song] to wondrous new levels!
(With regard to soup: generally less killer grooves)

As Trey himself might say: improvisation enables the one to obtain a end result they would never have reached otherwise.

Here is to an apple core, worms galore, and a can of some corrosive.



*Or Reconsidered
-C.D. Clements

On a handful of things.

You may have noticed that there were no posts in January. Here are a few mini-posts to make up:

Mini-post A)

My youth group recently went to pack up a senior's belongings, due to the fact that she was being evicted. She said that her pension could not cover a rent increase. She also said that her social worker advised her to put her stuff in storage and “move into” a shelter. Ultimately the youth and I didn't know what to do, so we packed her stuff, conversed pleasantly with her, and left. Later I gave her name to some contacts in the church. She says she will contact me in march regarding her situation. What an experience.



Mini-post B)

I used to do these Bible in a Year challenges. I managed a few translations, and then gave it up. In January I started this up again, but using The Message translation. However I've become aware that many folks think this is a bad idea. Some will even tell me it is not devotional reading. So I guess I will not be doing any devotions until I finish The Message.



Mini-post C)

I have taken to playing Fallout 3. It is the sort of game that scares you (or at least me) if played alone, or for too long. Last night I was in a subway tunnel looking for cannibals (in game that is). Between that and an episode of The Fringe, I had crazy dreams.



Mini-post D)

Nyssa and I have been on an epic quest for cross-country skis. Recently we finally compiled two complete sets. We have also discovered that the X-C skiing in Toronto sucks . It looks like the only real X-C skiing we will get in this winter will be the camping trip with the extended family. However it is hard to tell if Nyssa is feeling the "4 mid-winter days in the middle of nowhere" vibe.




-C.D.Clements

On being emo. (Daniel Lanios Style!)

A while ago Nyssa bought an album by Daniel Lanois. You may know this fellow as producer on some U2, Bob Dylan, and Peter Gabriel albums. Additionally, if you are from the Jam Band circuit you will know his song “the maker”, which the Gerry Garcia Band and the Dave Matthews Band have covered on a few occasions.

I have been listening to “Shine”, and it has been the most emo-ambient experience I think I've had since high school. And I'll admit, I thoroughly enjoyed what Daniel had to offer.

Let me recommend to you readers who are generally opposed to rainy day music, but on special occasions (like writing term papers on a snowy day) may secretly indulge: Daniel Lanois – Shine.

I'll add that I was very excited to see that the album has two drummers: Brian AND Brady Blade! Bono and Emmylou Harris also appear on two tracks.

Two [misunderstood] thumbs up.

-C.D. Clements.

On Having Thighs

I subscribe to a Photoshop disaster blog.
This one is great:



-C.D.Clements

On "What Saint Paul Really Said"

(Watch out Tom Wright. Here I come.)



So, apparently Paul's words in Romans chapter 7 “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do...” are chronically misinterpreted. Most will take this section of scripture as words of solace/permission for sin in their lives.

However my professor and a commentator I have to read for the class both argue that these words are a “Diatribal Speech in Character.” This means that these words are spoken in the persona of another to illustrate a point. In this particular case Paul's character is one who adheres to the Law (which shows sin) as opposed to the one who is under the law of the Spirit (which is characterized by “no condemnation”). This means that in Paul's experience, “Life through the Spirit” does not include compulsive sin that overrides the will of the believer.

This is cool, because things like Jesus' speech to the seven churches in Revelation (and the other general directives of the N.T.) is not a calling beyond our reach. Provided we are living according to what Paul describes in chapter 8.

Lastly, it is also worth noting that despite the frequency of the word “do” in chapter seven, Paul never ends up accidentally committing the classic “do-do” joke.

Life through the Spirit and not getting caught in do-do; great stuff.

-C.D. Clements.

On things I got, but am not.

The Killers have this song called “All these things that I've Done”. If you know this song, you will be familiar with the tag line of I got soul but I'm not a Soldier. The game here is to make fun of the song by thinking up things you own, but of which you are not.

The Paradigm is: I got [noun] but I'm not a [noun which sounds similar].

And here are some good ones that have been thought up:

I got Ham, but I'm not a Hamster.
I got Wit, but I'm not a Witness.
I got Class, but I'm not a Classroom.
I got Pans, but I'm not a Pancake.


What have you got, but are not?

-C.D. Clements.

On being an Atheist.

Catchy title eh? I am not an atheist, but I found a great blog written by someone who is.

http://friendlyatheist.com/

For handful of years now I have been reading the big names in Atheism, and the big names in Christian apologetics. I've taken a few classes, and always enjoy those Youtube video debates where people try to remain civil, while working hard to prove their various positions on God's existence.

Allow me to recommend this friendly atheist blog. The fellow is someone who is well thought out, and from my perspective, is able to offer credible critiques of the church. It also helps that he is a nice guy.

-C.D.Clements

My 27 hour adventure.

Setting: L.I.T. Canoe trip in Temagami

EARLY MORNING:
-Get up at 5:50 a.m.
-Breakfast, devotion, and then break camp.
-Travel 10 Km to reach the beginning of the Temagami River rapids.
- Do some moving water training before hitting the difficult segments of the River.
MID-MORNING:
-Hit first set of rapids. These are too dangerous for L.I.T. s to run. We portage all the gear, except canoes.
-Rob scouts the rapids. He and I run 4 canoes down, while the others portage the last two. Running these rapids is very intense. Very fast water for about ¾ of a Kilometer.
-Eat rushed lunch anticipating a long day of work.
AFTERNOON:
-Next set of rapids. Nyssa’s canoe is flipped and pined against a rock. We recover lost baggage (all of it, luckily!). Given these events we again portage all the gear. Rob kicks out the dent caused by the rock in this canoe.
-This time everyone who wants to runs these. I stern for a few who are less confident.
MID-AFTERNOON:
-Make it to third set of Rapids. These are about a Kilometer in length.
-Again, Portage all gear.
-I feel I am too exhausted to run these. Some of the L.I.T.’s step up.
-We get all the canoes half way down, but pause to scout the challenging bottom portion.
-Second canoe down flips: the L.I.T.s who flipped are quite scraped & bruised by rocks.
-Rob runs a few down himself.
DINNER HOUR:
-No time for dinner. I eat some snack food for energy however.
-Fourth canoes down flips. As John (an L.I.T.), who was sterning this particular canoe comes out of the water, he complains of a pain in his back.
-Rob lifts his shirt to reveal many cuts and scrapes. The most significant of these cuts is about 10 cm long and about 1.5 cm. deep!
-This is a bad situation. Rob is on the Satellite phone to make arrangements to get John to a hospital
-We portage the last two canoes.
EARLY EVENING:
-I am to paddle John to an access point Rob has found on the map. We will travel together as a group until John and I depart for this access point. I expect about 8 hours of paddling to get John out.
-We hit the last set of rapids. We are all to tired to do another portage.
-We run these fully loaded. No one flips.
-No open campsites are found. It is late in the day, and we pass 3 which are already taken. This does not bother me, as I will not be stopping for many more hours.
-I am very, very tired. John is unable to paddle due to the pain he is in.
-I take time to pray with John. The situation seems too overwhelming.
DUSK:
-With about 20 min left of light we see a lone cottage on the far shore. Rob paddles over to see if the group can camp on their lawn.
- We are not to camp on the cottages lawn (liability issues), but the cottager offers to guide us by motor boat to a campsite he knows of nearby. Rob mentions our situation with John.
NIGHT:
-It has been dark for about 45 min when we reach the site. The motor boat has a big light which illuminates the camp so we can get unpacked.
-I pray quickly while Rob asks if the motor boat could drive John and I to the nearest access point. There is supposed to be a camp vehicle which will meet us there.
-The motorboat agrees, and will be back in 20 min after he tells his wife where he will be going. This is very, very, very good news.
-When the motorboat returns John and I board with some possessions and a bag of gorp to share for dinner. We express our deep thanks to the man and his friend. They are chatty, and refuse any money for gas.
-We need to go slow and the boaters are wary of drift wood and shallows in the dark. It takes about an hour to reach the access point. This is a very cold ride as I do not have access to a sweater.
-We arrive at the access point. Nobody is there. There aren’t even any lights in the area. It is just a gravel path from the highway down to the water.
-The boaters refuse to just leave John and I (wow!) so we think about what we are going to do.
-We decide to walk along this highway as the boaters have an aunt who lives a little bit down.
-We get to the Aunt’s cottage, and she is having a campfire with her friends. John and I are grateful to warm up. I call camp and they say someone should be meeting us.
- Periodically, I run back to the access point to see if anyone has arrived. I am thinking that we are going to be there along time. I don’t know what to do at the aunt’s house because it is late, and I get the feeling these folks want to go to bed. I pray fervently that the camp vehicle finds us.
CLOSING IN ON MID-NIGHT:
-On one of my trips back to the access point, I return to discover the camp vehicle has arrived. I am soooo relieved.
-We drive our boater/rescue friends back to their boat.
-We leave for North Bay hospital
-John and I eat our gorp for dinner. It is strange but we have not felt hungry until this point.
EARLY MORNING:
-We arrive at the hospital. John is taken into to be looked at, but it is decided that he will have to wait for treatment.
-I also register to be looked at as I had developed pink eye on the first day of the trip.
-We wait 4 hours to be looked at. We cannot sleep in the waiting room; the chairs are far too uncomfortable.
DAWN:
-Both John and I have been treated. John has had both stitches inside the wound and on the surface of the wound to close it. I have just been prescribed some eye drops.
-We drive out of North Bay after breakfast at Tim Horton’s.
MORNING:
-It is 9:00, and we arrived back at camp.
-John and I have been awake for 27 hours.

Prologue:
I sleep from 9:00 until about 5:30. It is amazing.
At dinner we tell stories, and then I head down to the docks for some time with God.
Almost immediately I read the following passage; it speaks deeply to me:

Trust me in times of trouble and I will rescue you, and you will give me glory.
Psalm 50:15.

-C.D. Clements