On Chris Clement's "On Office/size"

A few things to clarify:

1) I recently left my job at Norland. Long story but it didn’t fit me very well and therefore it was better to leave than to stay

2) I have a temporary job as the interim pastor at First Baptist Chruch in North Bay

3) I started today and commented (on facebook) on how I sold out because I suddenly had a larger office than I ever expected to have

4) Chris Clements inquired to size… and eventually led to this post about his office: http://cdclements.blogspot.com/2011/01/on-size.html

5) I would like to note I did not ever intentionally claim my office was bigger than Chris… he however asked about it’s size

This led to the question of office size and its relative ministry potential. (The classic its not how big it is but how you use it)

Here is my office layout:

I believe there is one thing which dramatically affects the ministry potential. Chris is a youth pastor (or similar title) and therefore needs an office with couches to increase teen hangout and ultimately ministry potential.

I, for whatever reason, have found myself ministering to adults which requires a different layout of space for effective ministry potential.

I submit to the readers (likely only Danielle Rourke and maybe Nyssa Clements) that both offices have high ministry potential based on the type of ministry we are engaging in.

Patman the Pat

(and mine is bigger… hehe)

Who needs a blog?

Apparently I don't...

Or atleast I have little to say...

I'll work on that

Patman the long time no see

Exclusiveness

Patman the Saint

This Patman always chooses the right thing

This Patman follows the good

This Patman listens to God

This Patman is faithful, honorable, trust worthy in all things

This Patman is so good that he is worthy of grace.

Patman the Sinner

This Patman always makes bad decisions

This Patman seeks first himself

This Patman offers himself to others

This Patman is a fully devoted follower of whatever feels best

This Patman is so evil that grace is not offered

Patman the Pat

This Patman is not mutually exclusive to either the Saint or the Sinner.

But this Patman is a work in progress.

Stay tuned...

Patman the Pat

Quoted

"Living to make my mark is too small of a thing to give my life to. But to somehow be positioned where God can do whatever He chooses to do through me and through you that is a thing worth giving my life to." Andy Stanley

A Good Place to Be April 10th

Dig it. I do.

Pmtp

Twitter feed is fun.

So I didn't watch the Olympic Games Opening Ceremony tonight.

But I did engage in an interesting social or technological experiment. I knew that around mid-night my time they would light the torch. So I used that same function from below and just watched twitters about the torch lighting.

It was oddly entertaining (based on some of my friend's descriptions perhaps more entertaining than the actual event).

People were still guessing up to the last moment who would light the torch. Phrases like "Wayne who?" and "They should get Nickelback to light the torch" were fun.

But then the torch malfunctioned... Which was interesting to experience as it was reported live by those watching and twittering. As the first message came I thought is this real? Is it actually happening or some kind of joke? But as reports poured in, being updated by the second, I shared in the unique event.

It was certainly a neat way to experience the Olympics... favorite line: "Yay! Leave it to Canada to break the Olympics" or perhaps "China is laughing so hard right now"

Pmtp

On the gap.

There is a wide gap in the world.

I was considering Haiti this evening. I finally decided to look through the collection of photos at The Big Picture (a news in photographs)and I was sorrowful.

I went to Google to explore what people are saying about Haiti and decided to follow the twitter* on it because it was the quickest way to hear from a wide variety of people.

The most moving pointed to the juxtaposition between my night, a Canadian (and American) night, and the night of a person in Haiti.

Canada: 24, Golden Globes
Haiti: Suffering, Death, hunger (just to name a few)

There is a wide gap in the world.



*If you are looking for an interesting view of this gap type "Golden Globes" or "24" into a twitter tracker and watch what people are saying. Do the same with "Haiti" The speed at which people are commenting is amazing, but the disappointments, excitements, cares and concerns are so different.

Lost in the Fringe

Ok so I started watching Lost.

I also watch Fringe.

Both are J J Abrams projects.

J J Abrams projects: very similar. Let's compare. (I should note I am at like episode 10 of Lost so please don't ruin anything for me)

1) Music- Panicky violins, loud timpani.
These are identical. In fact at times if I am not looking I think I am watching Fringe and not Lost. The only musical difference is the occasional Middle Eastern sounding notes that come out when Sayid is on screen.

2) Driving the Plot
As Mr Abrams admitted himself during a TED lecture, have a metal box. Now I think I just saw the actual metal box or something similar but the idea is drive home the plot with an obscure object that out of the blue enters the world of the story which causes more questions. In Lost you have numerous: French communications, metal boxes, invisible monsters (and I am confident a whole lot more). In Fringe: ZFT manifestos, a half brained scientist who pieces together the past, inter-dimensional assassins (and certainly a whole lot more).

3) Something for the stupid.
Now this may sound mean to all of you out there who don't get into the question game that goes with Abrams' work. But his shows (as proven above) are clouded in mystery. The thing is that if you aren't sharp enough to come up with the questions yourself or keep track of them, JJ has something for you. Once and a while two characters will talk and ask a bunch of unanswerable questions that stand to lead us nowhere but for those trying to keep up (and can't) center the mystery. It happens between Olivia and Broyles and it happened in the last episode of Lost I watched with Sayid and Sawyer.

Now I had a few more but they have slipped my mind (perhaps as a result of fringe scientists or the others). All this is to poke fun at two great shows (likely if I went back I could probably add Alias to this list cause Rambaldi devices are a dime a dozen but I couldn't remember enough).

The sad thing is is that these elements make great shows. Regardless of their similarities I'll still watch them both.

JJ thanks.

Patman the Lost

(On a side note I saw "The Book of Eli" today and if you like post-apocalyptic stuff you'll like this)

Dating Advice form Culture's Biggest Strikeouts: Christmas Edition

Well the goose is not only getting fat but is now quite fat indeed. For that reason Christmas is known to have arrived. With Christmas Eve my family sits to watch the beloved classic "Muppet's Christmas Carol" and so we sat tonight. Lo and behold my sister recommended Scrooge as a contender from which we could derive bad dating advice. Thus I reflect:

Scrooge is an odd person who seems to fail at much more than dating. From those habits and his brief relationship with Ann (or Egg or whatever her name was) let's pick up how not to pick up.

1. Hate everything
A rough starting ground but sure to give off that 'bad boy' vibe I hear is so popular with the ladies.

2. Ignore charity
Nothing says weakness like giving to the poor and women like strong men.

3. Seek the counsel of ghosts
This works for Scrooge and he does become a better person. But from what I can tell only desperate people take the counsel of ghosts and when you hit rock bottom looking for a girlfriend is low priority. Scrooge's priority: coal consumption.

4. When you are in a frank discussion about your relationship and how unfeeling you are... abruptly shove an expensive gift in her face.
Arguments are for a moment but diamonds are forever. Am I right?

5. If your girlfriend breaks into a song about love being gone. Walk away.
Its too late and frankly she sings too much.

6. two words: Catch Phrase
The ladies eat them up. "Bah Humbug" "Bazinga" "Hammer time" The list is endless and you can't go wrong.

7. Lastly if everything has gone wrong. Scrooge recommends harboring a deep hatred for Christmas. It may not get you the girl but everyone in town will be talking about you... and popularity is the fast track to singles heaven.

Merry Christmas.

Patman the Merry

Dating Advice from Culture's Biggest Strikeouts 2

Tonight we examine the case of Beast from "Beauty and the Beast." Some may argue that he is not a cultural strikeout and he in fact gets the girl. I feel that regardless of this for the most part Beast was a strike out from the get go and although his strategy eventually worked for him it was hit or miss there for a while.

Let's look at his methods:

1) Abuse the elderly.
It may seem like a poor move like giving up a piece in chess but for this prince "charming" isn't central to his style.

2) Don't date till you are absolutely desperate.
See the beast hid himself away getting more and more bitter just waiting for his rose to go out and it wasn't until chance and desperation got together that he swung for the fences and brought home our beauty.

3) Over react to about everything.
Trespassers: Throw them in the dungeon!
Enter the East wing: GET OUT!
Girl leaves him: Lock oneself in the tower and become emo... I mean give up on love.

4) Dance. It's good and it works.

Now the final pieces of the puzzle where the Beast ends up succeeding:

5) Kick the girl out.

6) Let the villagers come to kill you.

7) Kill local hero.
Sure Gaston was a jerk to Belle but everyone else seemed to love him.

8) Die.
Bold move by any account.

9) Get the girl.
Somewhere between death and love the beast should have been a lost cause. But because he abused the elderly decades ago he gets the opportunity to marry the most beautiful girl in town and he does.

This is a questionable method and I wouldn't recommend it for anyone because you really need a magical curse to turn blessing and they are not a dime a dozen.

I hope you have learned something valuable about dating from the Beast.

Patman the Well-informed.

PS - I should have mentioned that the Beast also takes advantage of his friends and co-workers involving them in his curse. Again not the best strategy but very popular by today's dating standards.

Bitter

So is a blog a long twitter or is twitter short blogging?

These are the questions of our time.

Patman the Pat

If Sufjan just isn't enough

I saw D. Young post this link to his brother and found the greatest culmination of free Christmas music of all varieties. Check it out. It's free!

Patman the Joyous

I'm not sure how proud I should be of this...

I'm not sure how proud I should be of this but five years ago I was as funny as Jimmy Fallon is today.

http://www.thrfeed.com/2009/11/neil-young-sings-fresh-prince-theme-song-video.html

Its been done Fallon...

Patman the better than Fallon.

Devoted #4: Citizens, families, and buildings

Eph 2:11-22 tonight.

Considered what it meant to be citizens of heaven, part of the family of God and God dwelling in us.

It seems to me this is all about identity markers. I not Canadian first I am a citizen of heaven, I am not a Sutherland first I am part of God's family, I am not my own I am God's dwelling place.

Patman the identified.

Devoted #3: For God so loved...

Given that I have maintained three days of reflection I am now an expert. A sagely guide to the spiritual. A wise-man prepared to solve all the problems one may have theologically, spiritually and relationally.

But besides that I was taken aback by another question today. I read Eph 2:1-10. And was eventually asked why does God love us so much?

Theologically I can identify lots of reasons many to do with creation (ie image of God in us, God's concern for that which he has made) and some to do with God's character (being love and all) but it doesn't always translate to my heart.

In fact when answering the question it was much easier to say why God would love everybody else rather than why God would love me. Generalizations are easy, specifications are hard.

Patman the beloved.