Check Yes or No
I was asked a question today. A simple question to answer, but tough to explain. Now that I think I'm so educated and sophisticated, I have to redefine everything in my answers to philosophical questions, so if I could stop doing that, I'd be set.
The question was "Can you love someone and not know why?"
My immediate answer was "yes". I think we can all think of an example of the opposite, someone knowing that they should love someone else, and not knowing why not. Those examples alone convinced me that the answer must be yes. Love cannot easily be rationalized, so to explain it in it's various contexts, to me, is pointless. Of course all questions about love are theoretical, and those kinds of questions produce more questions. Can you base a long-term relationship/marriage on that kind of love? The English language fails us by only having one word for the various meanings of love. I can be in-love without knowing why, but when I act on that and marry my beloved, then I must love her as I have vowed to love her. Love is at once an emotion and an action, and yet they are both distinct entities. Every wedding vow has a promise to love. Can you promise an emotion? In-love is an emotion. Act-love is what is promised. Marriages sometimes end when one party no longer feels in-love. That shouldn't mean however, that they are no longer capable of acting out their vow. The vow promises an action, not an emotion. It was suggested that my vision of love was cynical, or at least disappointingly unromantic, but that's how I feel.
I think that focusing on our personal emotions is a result of our "me generation". Maintaining a vow, even if only for the reason of maintaining a vow, regardless of one's personal emotions, definitely strengthens the greater societal good (which, I admit, shouldn't always be the goal). To quote a great country song, "I think this is how love goes, check yes or no."

   [ posted by William @ 10:51 PM ]

Let Them Eat Christmas Cake
Now that I own a car, I can make several free trips to and from the town where I grew up, that is free of the guilt of asking for a ride and free to travel whenever I wish. On my most recent trip, which involved the beginnings of helping my brother with home renovations, I got an unexpected theological awakening. I decided to stop in town and pick up a few things, food for me and gifts for others. In town I ran into the guy who runs the MCC (Mennonite Central Committee) office. Not too long ago, I worked with him, and others, to put together the history play that I wrote. He was discussing with me the content of his most recent program on the local Low German radio station. In it, he applauded the local culture in their embracing of celebrating Christmas. He used the story of Paul in Athens, where he complimented them on their very religious nature, and began his "sermon" by discussing their monument to the "unknown god".

It caught me off guard to hear him discussing mainstream Christmas celebrations in a positive light, when I, and others like me, are so adamant about the commercialization of the holiday, and how it's being ruined. He didn't deny the problems, nor did he suggest we should all embrace it in the same manner, he just acknowledged that our negative response is a lousy way to celebrate our holiday.

It hit me. This is our holiday! Why are we (Christians) moping around about how it has been ruined by mainstream culture? We still get a day or two off to celebrate it, and everyone acknowledges it as a holiday. We really should celebrate the holiday with joy. And when we tell other people about the holiday, we should be joyful about that too. Why should we always be ragging on people for wrecking our holiday? If we're the miserable ones, we've wrecked the holiday, not them! History will also show the heavy use of pagan rituals and celebrations that went into the celebration of Christmas. We stole this holiday from Saturn, and nobody tells us to put the solstice back in the holiday. Jesus wasn't born in December, there was no snow, and St. Nicholas wanted to keep his gift giving anonymous. Why should we criticize people for committing a sin that we ourselves perpetuate?

Wherever your Christmas plans take you this week, I would like to pass along a heartfelt "Merry Christmas" to you all, as well as the words of a heartwarming young boy, "God bless us, every one!"

   [ posted by William @ 1:27 AM ]

What a Country!
After church on Sunday, I accompanied my girlfriend to Doon Heritage Crossroads, which is a 1914 replica village. She was singing Christmas carols in the chapel for a few hours, so I wondered around. It was actually a lot of fun. I got to sample Christmas baking and I bought a train ticket to Montreal for $2.75. The one problem however, was the frigid temperatures. At first, I didn't quite believe it was -16 Celsius, but after walking around for a few hours, I didn't have as much trouble believing. After that, going anywhere took a lot of convincing. We saw Ocean's 12 that night (decent movie, I didn't like the twist at the end, and I hated the one really stupid dramatic technique). My car reluctantly started Monday morning, and it creaked and moaned for a while before it warmed up.

Walking out of the arena today after an afternoon game of hockey, it felt really warm. It was probably +1 degree Celsius. I had just a t-shirt on and my winter jacket wide open, and it was great. It's amazing how we adapt. I love the temperature range from around -5 to 0. Right where the snow still stays frozen, but your body can still handle the cold. It's looking like it could be another great winter.

   [ posted by William @ 4:16 PM ]

Negatve? No!
My first task this morning was a trip to the local grocery store where I picked up a copy of the Globe and Mail. I received an email earlier in the week from Warren Clements, a Globe columnist, who informed me that one of my jokes had been submitted for a contest. My friend Jared Penner, born and raised in Elm Creek, Manitoba, himself an avid G&M reader, read a recent blog post of mine, and submitted a joke I wrote.

The submissions had to be in the form of a question, where the answer defines the question. "My" submission is first, followed by some of my other favourites.
- What is a novel? Well, it's kind of a long story. William Loewen, Tavistock, Ont.
- Q: What does paranoid mean? A: Why are you asking? Who sent you? Rick Farquar, Kincardine, Ont.
- Would you say you're a negative person? No. Hugh Makepeace, Kingston
- What does ambigous mean? Could mean anything I guess. Ron Oatman, Tillsonburg, Ont.
- What does a dominatrix do for a living? Beats me. Carla Hagstrom, Toronto

Jared said that he considered submitting it as his own joke, and it may have never gotten back to me if he had, but he was worried that the Menno Mafia might find out about it. And who says having mafia connections is troublesome? Those connections always had me in the know, and earned me respect that I was incapable of acquiring on my own.

I was a little worried about which would be the appropriate town to list. I live and work (half-time) in Tavistock, but I study in Waterloo, and have lived there for the past six or more years. My heart still resides in Aylmer. Am I betraying all three by giving one town allegiance?

   [ posted by William @ 3:14 PM ]

Paul, Stick to Running the Country
The only Paul Martin I want to hear talking about hockey plays for the New Jersey Devils. While the current NHL player lockout does put a damper on Canadian spirits, it is not a government matter. With this opinion, I was of course disgusted to hear that Martin commented on his role in the labour crisis during recent interviews. Then I heard the words that he actually said, and my anger turned away from Martin, and toward the media outlets.

It seems to me that Martin has done next to nothing to involve himself in the process, and careful wording on his part gave reporters enough to go on. From this article on cbc.ca, he said "'There's only a role for Ottawa if the parties want it,' Martin said Tuesday." To me, that says, "They haven't asked for my help, and I haven't offered it." In the TV portion of the interview that I saw, he mentioned that he had not spoken directly to either NHL commissioner Gary Bettman or NHLPA president Bob Goodenow, but that he had contacted representatives of both sides about what could be done. Again, to me that says his people talked to their people, and nothing happened.

Paul Martin offered nothing, and neither Bettman nor Goodenow could care less, so why is CBC, and the various media outlets, making a big deal of this? Part of the frustration of the lack of hockey, is that hockey reporters now have to cover politics, and this kind of crap is the result of it.

   [ posted by William @ 11:31 PM ]

Buy Nothing Christmas
Within my theological and sociological circles, this is already old news. I think it is slowly gaining momentum, but I really don't think it will catch on, and reach a wider audience. I love the idea theologically AND economically. I have however not adopted it fully for these reasons:
- Perception - People already think I'm cheap. If I announce to everyone that I have ceased to buy gifts, that notion will only increase in popularity.
- Need - When December rolls around, I stop buying things for myself, so that I can have real things to write down on my Christmas list. I also put socks and underwear on my list, which are always welcome gifts, allowing me to put off doing laundry just a little longer. The things that I get for Christmas, I actually need, or I would at least buy them myself without the holiday.
- Present Reality - Christmas is already pretty low key materially at our house. I buy a $30 gift for one person in the family, and then, if I feel like it, splurge and get something for mom and dad, or a new baby in the family or something.
- Affection - It has been so hard-wired into us that we show love by giving. If I don't allow people to give me Christmas gifts, then some might feel as though I have cut off the avenue by which they show love to me.
- Stigma - I have views similar to some activists, but I don't want to be in your face about it, so I'm uncomfortable identifying myself with fringe groups for that reason. I know I should step out of my comfort zone sometimes, and when the cause is worthwhile, I'm sure I will.

When I write off the possibility of this working large scale, I am thinking about the kids that could not understand why they wouldn't be getting toys. I'm thinking of the family dynamics, the economics of it don't bother me. You might think this is because I am just a Mennonite pastor living in a theological bubble and unaware of those economic realities. I never studied economics in University, so you can write me off as an idealist, go ahead. However, I have spent most of my Christmas holidays in 3 of the last 4 years working at a retail outlet, and I talk to people everyday on all sides of the commercial jungle. Yes, Christmas shopping drives the economy, but that doesn't mean people will lose their jobs without it. Christmas shopping also kills the economy. Christmas stuff starts showing up in the stores around September, and right up until Christmas Eve, people line up to buy it. The week after, people are looking for sales when retailers blow out the stuff that didn't sell for Christmas. Then, for January, February and March, people don't shop. People lose their jobs because of Christmas. When the Christmas rush ends, people get laid off.

Our economy should be driven by real need for quality products, not marketing created desire and guilt ridden impulse shopping. Businesses survive when their products are good, their service is good, and they have a solid business plan, whether they are large corporations or independently run small stores.

Current economics will fail us. Buying crap we don't need, with money we haven't yet earned, will catch up to us all. Every day my uncle drives to work where they make 25% more cars than the company can sell. The union won't let the company make any fewer cars, and any decrease in production hurts a long food chain of smaller parts companies. An environment that allows and promotes that kind of thinking is what will destroy our economy, not a few religious idealists like me.

   [ posted by William @ 11:52 PM ]

Christmas Dinner #1
I imagine I'll have a good number of these this year. Today, I was a guest at our church's annual Senior's Christmas Banquet. I enjoyed a good meal, and great company. During the musical performance, I started to wonder about other things. I'll post some of my thoughts, but interspersed with comments made by the older ladies at my table.

"You look awfully young to be a senior. I guess somebody felt sorry for you and decided to give you a free meal."
Do I know how to celebrate Christmas solely as a remembrance of the birth of my Lord, without the customary attachments of years of pagan holiday ritual?
"Ach, I think somebody's lid fell of their shaker. This stuffing has far too much sage for my liking."
I don't mind going to a mall and not hearing Christian Christmas carols. Who cares if they aren't played there. I don't go there to worship. I know that most people there aren't worshipping either, and nobody will bow their heads in adoration of Christ just because they hear some soled-out celebrity singing, "Fall on your knees".
"Boy, I sure like these turnips. Usually people make them too soft, but these are good."
Can a Buy-Nothing Christmas work on a broader level? Will we lose families if we try to push that idea?
"You see Will, her mother was my cousin. My father and her grandmother were sisters. They were a family of 11, and that was normal at the time."
Recently there was an interview on CBC radio, with a woman who attends a local church in my conference. She was discussing their Buy-Nothing Christmas initiative, and the play that they were putting on. Are those initiatives effective? Would people really buy less, or would they just feel good about themselves knowing that they should?
"And the next thing she knew, she was in the hospital with a broken hip, and no idea how it happened."
Isn't it ironic, that when society most feels the need to attend church, at the same time, churches are downplaying the routine that brings people to church that wouldn't normally come?
"We first started singing that song back in 1938 when it came as part of the Sunday School material at that time. We learned it then, and sang it every year since. Only lately have we stopped."
People enjoy all the pagan revelry that's attached to this holiday, and they aren't necessarily blaspheming the holiness of the holi-day. Coming to church should still be part of the "holy" part of the holy-day. Can we as a local congregation walk that balance beam? Can I as a pastor do that? Is it up to me?
"Now, did you get your fill? We wouldn't want to let a young guy like you go home hungry."

   [ posted by William @ 9:06 PM ]

An Ode to Cinnamon
How do I love Cinnamon? Let me count the ways.
- On an episode of "The Facts of Life", , the prototypical dumb character, asked if the word had one 'n' or two. Tootie responded by saying "it has three." Why do I remember that one tidbit from a show that aired when I was 6 years old? I don't know, but I've never the spelled the word wrong since.
- Is there ever a time when Cinnamon buns aren't welcomed? Probably one of the greatest comfort foods of all time.
- One of my highlights of going to a mall is walking by a cinnamon bun shop. They're never as good the second time, and the smell itself is intoxicating.
- I bought some cinnamon at the grocery store the other day. It makes me feel like less of a typical bachelor when I buy spices or things like that.
- For supper today I had "rice with milk". Nothing special I know, hardly deserving of quotes. It is one of my favourite Mennonite dishes to make. It's rice (I prefer long grain, by my mom always used sticky rice) with cinnamon and sugar sprinkled on top to your liking, and then milk is poured over top. It's still warm, thought the milk is cold.
- I know this is a deviation from what I normally write, but the scent of cinnamon inspired me today.

   [ posted by William @ 8:46 PM ]

Hockey, Simpsons, and Burritos
Last night, for a bit of nostalgia, I joined my friends Jared and Dave for a hockey game at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto. A few years ago I watched Game 7 of the Toronto-Ottawa series. This was a match-up between their farm teams, and the arena was at roughly half-capacity, so it was even more dead than the playoff game, whose only enthusiasm was enforced by the scoreboard.

Highlights of the evening:
- Getting booed when I revealed my Senators jersey. It just makes the game that much more entertaining when my mere presence antagonizes people.
- Trading Simpsons quotes. It's tough to find people as appreciative of the Simpsons as my college group of friends. Not only do they like the show as much as I do, they also recognize as many or more quotes from various episodes as I do.
- Eating a giant Burrito. After the game we stopped in at Burrio Boyz, a great little shack where they make the best burritos-to-go that I've ever tasted. Dave not being able to handle the hot sauce he spontaneously ordered added to the fun.

   [ posted by William @ 1:11 PM ]