Life Lately

Hey people,

It's been a couple weeks since I've written here. A couple of rather enjoyable, often crazy weeks, in fact. There is much I could say on a personal level, but I'll save my blathering on about self-discovery and trials for more personal forms of communication. So, good blogosphere, I treat you now to a summation of life lately.

Classes have been rather light lately, and my schedule has remained relatively open. I never have class in the mornings, and only ever for two or three hours in the afternoon. At first this free time drove my busybody crazy, but said busybody quickly found means to busyness. I've spent a delightful amount of time in prayer and reading my Bible, which at such a disorienting time and place is a divinely orienting thing. I've spent time at the gym, fulfilled my Canadian reputation playing pick-up floor hockey, and digested a nearly daily dose of political satire and news (thank you, Mr. Stewart and Mr. Colbert). But that's just the free time.

I was approached rather last minute to join a team for the annual KVN comedy show here at LCC. For those unfamiliar with KVN (join the club) it is essentially the Russian version of SNL. Except it's a competition between two teams. Competitive comedy, with a week to prepare. Talk about pressure. But, at the same time, talk about fun! Countless hours over the past week and a half were spent rehearsing, planning, editing, mixing, revising, and laughing. Though I must admit that, due to my late arrival on the scene and my profoundly un-Russian sense of humour, many of the jokes I delivered made little sense to me. But I'm thankful they were found funny upon delivery..

Our big show was last night, though, and it was certainly a success. We laughed, we cheered, we panicked, and at the end of it all, we won! My team was comprised of a Canadian, Albanian, Latvian, a few Ukrainians, Russians and others. So even if we hadn't won, the experience of working and laughing with all these wonderful people is one I will not forget.

I've started a practicum/internship/volunteer placement at a local school for children with developmental disabilities. I went in for the first time yesterday with my professor, who helped me navigate the halls and language differences. But I go in on Monday by myself. I'm really excited to begin, but I definitely got the impression that this school is a challenging place to work, and my time there (especially with so much broken communication) will be a challenge in many ways. But I'm ready. What's the worst that can happen? Perhaps I'll be confronted daily with challenging or uncomfortable situations. Likely, in fact. But, hey, I came here to experience and learn. Hard to do that sitting in your room twiddling your thumbs. So here goes nothing!

Well, world, I must now bid you viso gero (good bye). I'll be back with more in the coming days.

And thanks so much for reading this. You, sitting there reading this right now. Yes, you. You rock. God loves you. So do I.
jmb

Here and Now

Hey People,

It's a chilly Saturday night in Klaipeda. Not too much going on. Just some reading, Russian TV dramas with roommates, and further experiments for dinner. The quiet time is nice, though, after a positively dizzying two weeks. As far as any sort of summation goes, I'm not sure even where to begin. My thoughts (and emotions) have been so strong but scattered that, for now, I'll provide you with a brief recap of my Lithuanian life thus far.

On the morning of Monday, January 3rd, I left Toronto, Canada. On the evening of Tuesday, January 4th, I arrived in Vilnius, Lithuania. I (and two travel companions) were promptly ushered into a taxi with a driver who spoke no English and hurried across the city to our three-day-hostel-home, just in time to head out for dinner with 18 strangers (fellow American students from various places, with a few Lithuanian helpers) to order from a menu we could not read food we had never eaten. Wild. But great.

The following two days were spent in Vilnius -- walking for miles, snapping pictures, eating out, mangling basic Lithuanian phrases, meeting new people, and all the while still meeting each other. It really is a special experience to be thrust into such intimate quarters with people you've never met, especially with the added expectation that these new faces are to become your close friends throughout the adventure. But I've been blessed to meet some great people and have some solid companions as we all embark on this adventure. [to see more of Vilnius, see my bookFace page]


It's fun to mangle words.

So by Thursday night we were in Klaipeda, greeted by staggering wind and sleet. But it was great to finally get settled in the place that will become our home for 4 months. In a funny way, it wasn't until classes began on Monday that my life began to slow down. The past week has been one of rather serious adjustment, but also some great exploration and fun. To be truthful, this adventure thus far has been a roller coaster of excitement and apprehension, anticipation and anxiety, but if you are really interested in those details then perhaps we could talk directly. But above it all, I am extremely grateful for this opportunity, and all the lessons I have learned even in this short time. Simply put, fearful uncertainty is being slowly replaced with bold certainty in God's faithfulness and my own need to be challenged.

Classes in this context have a much different feel, but I am excited for what I will learn from that very context, in addition to the material itself. I'm taking three psychology classes (Abnormal Psych, Theories of Personality, and Research Statistics), and Introduction to Lithuanian. I was also just approved for a practicum/internship at a local institution. Though there is much to be determined, it will likely be at a local orphanage. So in the meantime, any prayers for that endeavour are much appreciated. 

It is now quite late. I acknowledge that my recapitulation has been rather brief and somewhat vague, but I assure you that more details (and pictures) will come with time. I have many things starting up this week, and I'm very excited to become more involved with this new community (both on campus and off).

If you are reading this, then I assume that you care about my adventures in some way. For that I thank you very much. It can be an isolating thing to be so, well, isolated, but support from all of you is a great encouragement. So thank you. Or, as they say it here, Aciu!

Sudie! (Go with God)
jmb

Hello from Lithuania

Hey people,

I write to you now from that distant land of snow and ice and kepta duona. It's a little land with a lot of spirit, in a part of the world few of you may ever consider, with a language few on earth can understand. After a week of moving and seeing and gawking and leaving, we have finally arrived in our new home. At Lithuania Christian College International University. In Klaipeda, Lithuania.

So, far from home in a corner of the world I barely even know, with people I do not know speaking languages I do not know, I'm going to spend my semester. It's a rather frightening prospect, such extreme unfamiliarity. But it's also undeniably inspiring. Challenging. Exhilarating.

So here it goes. I have much I could say already, but I will save some of my thoughts for the clarity of retrospection. For your visual stimulation in the meantime, if you are interested, pictures are available on the Face Book.

Thanks for stopping by! That's all for now.
jmb

The Gospel

Hey people,

I'm home. After one heck of a semester I've packed my life up again and plopped it back in Unionville for a couple weeks. I'll be shipping it overseas in a few weeks, but until then I'd like to offer some thoughts.

We are always learning. All the time. Even if it's just directions to somewhere, how your friend's night was, or philosophical postulations on divine foreknowledge, the world is a never-ending book to learn from. Rather daunting, if you think about it. But still very exciting. So all of that to say, I learned a ton this semester. Much of it I would like to share with you, and lucky for you, I can! I spent much of the semester studying different theories of psychotherapy and internally wrestling with their implications for faith. At the end of it all, I wrote a whopper of a paper on my views of human nature and problems and solutions for mental health (which I am quite proud of). So if you're interested in learning about the "Bodenian" approach to therapy, you can find it here. Personal Counseling Theory

Alright. That's enough of that.

There is one thing I would like to say, and it deserves much more thought than what I have time to give it right now. It concerns the Gospel, the Good News, the Christian message, or whatever you would call it. I would like to share with you what months of philosophical-postulating, theological-pondering, and thoughtful beard-stroking has taught me. Through my Philosophy of Religion class and personal investment in the topic, I quite literally dissected every facet of my faith in Jesus Christ, held it up to every lens of logical scrutiny, and somehow tried to stuff it back into my heart, where it must reside and guide my life.

The Gospel, the core of Christian belief, the saving message of God is this -- to know God.

To know him. To truly, intimately, deeply, emotionally, intellectually know God. That's simple, you may think. Perhaps to you it is. But for those of us who find ourselves thinking often about God, talking about him and learning about him, how radical and revolutionary it is to realize that we can talk to him. God is not a distant star to study, but a person to know.

For me, that is what it means to be a Christian. Know God. Funny concept to boil it all down to two little words, but those words are the starting point for all the intricacies and compulsions of belief. Once we know God for who he is, how can we but love him with our whole heart, soul, mind, and strength? Once we have known him, how can we but read his Word and pray and sing and live for him?

To know God is to realize our own position before him. We deserve nothing, yet he loves us lavishly. We defy him daily, yet he forgives us undeservedly. We are crafted pottery, eternally cherished by an eternal Potter and created for his glory. 

So when we say we are "saved", what does that mean, exactly? We are saved from our crippling, sinful ignorance, and brought into redeeming knowledge of the Saviour. That's amazing.

In 1 Corinthians 1, Paul says that God has called us into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ. That's what we are called to. Not just to Church or youth group or church potlucks or to be a good person and to do Christian things. But we are called to know God, and be daily transformed by that knowledge. To fellowship with Jesus Christ and grow everyday as branches drawing nearer to the vine.


1 Corinthians 13:12 "Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known."

 - jmb

Lake Shore

Hello good world,

The times I feel most inspired to write something here seem to be the busiest, unfortunately. So then I come to a night like this where I have time to write, but I almost feel at a loss for material. I may have been at a real loss, in fact, had I not been presented with something rather frightening last night. Something terrible, terrifying, and quite frankly unbelievable.


Lake Shore.
Ladies and gentlemen, the Jersey Shore has come to Canada.


If you are familiar with Jersey Shore or its dazzlingly despicable legacy, then you might presently cease to read this post and retreat to some Apocalypse-ready bunker to wait out this onslaught of magnificently trashy entertainment. But that implies that it will end, when the scariest thing may be that it won't.

Jersey Shore is the ultimate in gratuitous reality television. For TV today it's not a novel concept. Just some filthy rich and beautiful people living their hedonistic lives -- drinking, tanning, working out, dating, fighting, crying, sleeping (together), shouting, and a little more drinking --  in front of the whole world. But I suppose what made Jersey Shore such a smashing success are the stereotypes. These unreal characters are beach bums (already room for stereotyping), living in New Jersey (sorry, Jersey, but more stereotypes), and are Italian. So throw it all together and you have hit television. We can watch from a distance, and giggle and gawk as every stereotype of such people is confirmed and strengthened.

I know people who live on the Jersey Shore. None of them are like the cast of the show, and yet their home will always be associated with this kind of blatant narcissism and youthful debauchery. Like it or not, the Jersey Shore will long be known for a small group of crazy kids. So when I was excitedly informed by a friend that "Canada has their own Jersey Shore!" I was less than impressed. Then I found out it's set in Toronto, and I was suddenly quite concerned. 

You see, this show is not just a copy of Jersey Shore. It's already been called "more offensive." The oh-so-tasteful producers have thrown 8 people from different ethnic backgrounds together, and given them appropriate names like "the Jew" or "the Pole" or "the Albanian." You get the picture. On the surface, it seems like a wonderful opportunity to showcase Toronto's diversity, and that's exactly what the producer claims he is doing.

The problem, of course, Mr. Producer, is that these people are not real people. Sure, they are Toronto residents and big Jersey Shore fans who lined up for hours and auditioned to make the final cut for a show that will hopefully shoot them towards fame... but who is going to do all that and stand before a panel of judges and be anything like themselves? They've all watched every episode of Jersey Shore. They know what makes reality TV popular. The producers want attitude and sex appeal and drama, and the young stars want fame and money. It's an easy trade.

As a proud Torontonian watching his city from afar, I really hope Toronto is not thrust into the world's consciousness by the fame of Lake Shore. I wish all the best for these folks, but this show truthfully doesn't do anyone any good. They are still deciding on a network to broadcast it, I believe, so there's still a chance it won't air. Lines from "the Turk" like, "I'm not racist; I hate everyone... especially Jews" may slow things down. But better yet, we could all just throw out our TVs, cause the stuff on it isn't likely to get any better. Yeah, that'll do it..

If you just stop for a second to see these characters as real people, created by God for so much more, you see that behind their loud and brash and obnoxious behavior they are just screaming for love and attention. They are empty and unfulfilled, so they are digging their emptiness deeper in an attempt to get out. It's really sad, actually, and even sadder that their vulnerability and hunger will be exploited for a quick profit, by an audience combating their own emptiness. I'll just say it straight: these people need Jesus, to live the lives we were created for.

So as funny as it sounds, maybe I'll pray for the cast of Lake Shore. It can't hurt, and it certainly seems like they could use it. But anyways, I hope this is the first and last mention you ever hear of this show.

Sorry to be so serious. I should work on some jokes for next time.
Oh! I got it. I went to Jon Stewart's Rally to Restore Sanity last week and this sign (one of many) made me chuckle.


To all of you supporting anti-immigration policies: 

You're right, immigrants are a problem.
Just ask the Native Americans.


Thank you very much. Have a good night.
jmb

I Like Maine

Hello world,

I've just returned from four days up in Maine, where I frolicked about with festive Fall frivolity among colorful trees, soaring hilltops and pounding ocean. We had a few days off for Fall Break, so I spent the time with a few friends at one fellow's house up there. Sure was beautiful. Breathtakingly so. 

Of course I'm grateful to God for all times of the year, but this season is especially awe-inspiring for me. Likely for you as well. Anyway, there's much I could say, but I wrote a little article for the Op-Ed section of our school paper. In case you don't subscribe to The Swinging Bridge, I've shortened it and posted below. Hope you like it!

What's Like Got to Do With It?

Your cousin gets engaged. You like that. You post vacation photos. Your mom likes that. You share a joke with a new friend. He likes it. That kid from 8th grade science likes it too. Justin Bieber smiles. And 15 million people like it. 

My question: what is like, exactly? 

It’s no secret that Facebook has radically altered our social world. From the moment we sign over our names we are forever members of a new community – an online society that exists everywhere . . . and yet exists nowhere. Connections unhindered unite us with mindless ease to 500 million people across all manners of time and space. 

Facebook is too large of a monster to wrestle in one go, and it’s too precious to us all to be adequately condemned. But there are certain aspects of this cyber-beast that rob too much of real friendship’s risk to be ignored. And this whole business of “liking”, for me, goes too far. 

Once upon a time, dear cousin would have called you personally to deliver the good news. Mom would’ve been delighted to see the scrapbook you completed. Your joke would’ve been a special moment between two friends. And Justin Bieber, well, in another time he wouldn’t be.

But that isn’t the world our social lives inhabit anymore. Instead, each action can become a public display. In this new reality, the user chooses each social move carefully. He crafts his own image and selects his encounters; or when he so desires he simply observes unnoticed.

So it is in this era of cheapened social interaction that we find the ‘like’ button cheaper still. It takes the remnant of authentic exchange and whittles it to the core – to a primal instinct of pleasure or displeasure. Your personal congratulation to your cousin turned into an exclamatory wall post; now it is a virtual thumbs-up. 

So we have ‘groups’ petitioning the folks at Facebook to create a ‘dislike’ button. After all, if we are reducing our response to a simple affirmative, why ignore the other basic affective state? If this happens, it doesn’t seem long before all words may be lost to our virtual selves; each newsfeed only a litany of thumbs up or down.

I believe that we were created for community and can function powerfully in authentic relationship. And it is this authenticity that is at risk when we maintain a friendship with sporadic 'likes.' There is no depth to our compliment or significance to our approval when it is so diminished. If we were vulnerable behind our Facebook profiles before, we are even less so when we use no words in our exchange. It’s simple and it’s safe to ‘like’ what you otherwise might have discussed – but perhaps it’s too simple, and perhaps too safe. 

You could argue that this isn't a big deal, that though interaction be cheapened, friendship itself is strengthened. Even if you are just ‘liking’ someone else’s social activity, it’s still better than not interacting at all, right? And, anyways, you have 1, 627 friends. You just don’t have time to provide a deeper comment.

But there is a bigger issue here, I think. It’s simply a matter of how much we dare to think. How much will we question the ideas thrown at our minds or the tools thrust in our hands? History is being made by every moment that passes, but it is shaped by the choices we make. So think for yourself about the quality of friendship you wish to pursue; the identity you wish to embrace; the stamp you leave on the world.

Here’s a thought: each action on Facebook is an indelible imprint in time, one that will last even until the day your grandchildren add you as a friend. What sorts of relationships do you cultivate? What do you say? What do you like? Know that this crazy social world we inhabit no longer exists in our memories and old letters on a dusty shelf. It’s with us everyday, and it’s open for all to see.

So what do we do? Perhaps nothing new. We just think about each action, and remember that the gravity of personal dialogue can never be fully reduced to a single click of approval. It’s messy, this friendship thing. Let’s keep it that way.

A Canadian Thanksgiving

A longer post is forthcoming. Until it arrives, I just wanted to wish everyone in the world a belated, but very happy Canadian Thanksgiving.

I learned yesterday that there are a few Canadian faculty here at Messiah. A number of people came up to me throughout the day to inform me that their Canadian professor had informed them that Monday was, in fact, Canadian Thanksgiving. Some of these professors are genuinely Canadian; others claim the title through a spouse or cousin or dog or whatever. The point is, you'll never feel more proud to be Canadian than when you're living in America.

So you tell your American friends that today is Thanksgiving Day in the motherland. And they exclaim, "What!? Canada has Thanksgiving? ...Um, what for?"

And you proceed to explain that though we had no Pilgrims, and no voyage of the Mayflower, and though our first encounter with the Natives is not recorded as a cordial family affair, we still have a harvest and a reason to be thankful. Then you'll tell them that it is celebrated in mid-October, because it's gosh-darn hard enough to farm the frozen tundra in July, let alone November. Then you'll describe how you celebrate in your ancestral igloo, but the turkey isn't cooked for fear of melting the roof. And after we gnaw the turkey, which is actually a Canadian Goose, we wash it down with some home-cooked poutine and throw on our toques before skating ootside.

But, I suppose, if they press you on your facts, they should know the truth. For instance, that the first recorded feast of thanksgiving in Canada dates to 1578. But whoever gets credit for originating the holiday, giving thanks is not as American as apple pie, anymore than it's as Canadian as peameal bacon.

So wherever you're at this Thanksgiving season (which, for me, spans 7 weeks and two countries), I hope it is blessed.

Cheers!
jmb




Mmm, peameal bacon.