Vacation!

I'm on vacation from July 22 through August 4.

Happy summer, everyone!

Port Maitland Beach

Stunning in beauty

Fine sand

Summer sun

Walk a mile

and back again

Shifting tableaux

of high clouds and azure sky

or fog on the horizon

Here the ocean

becomes Fundy Bay

Restless waves

or resting, silent sea

Comb the beach

Build a castle

Bring a chair

Read a book

Luxuriate

Fall Asleep

But – note to self:

Don’t go in the water!

40 degrees F?

5 degrees C?

Dunno --

But you’re cold in an instant

Numb in a minute!

The Night

I’ve played music a long long time

Collected hundreds of memories

over 56 years

Precious memories

Funny ones

Good friendships

If there are painful memories

I’ve forgotten them already

This is a big big memory:

A milestone

My first foursome

One night only

First year of college

Coffee house

Jesus people

Darkness

Candles maybe

Steinway grand,

Finest keys I ever played

Seemed 20 feet long in the darkness

One Don on bass

Improvising, harmonic, inventive

Another Don drumming

Intuitive, clever, a natural

Doug on Hagstrom guitar

Listening, riffing, complementing

Never before had I played with four

Weren’t we all stunned?

Weren’t we all transfixed?

It felt like magic

It sounded like heaven

or its musical equivalent

Wow!

A door was opened

And we all walked through it

never to return

A beautiful musical moment

A connection

The only night ever

with that particular foursome

The Night.

Hartland: New Brunswick's Smallest Town

It has the longest covered bridge in the world --

twelve hundred and eighty-two feet (390.75 metres)

          of pine and spruce.

The bridge was built across the Saint John River in 1901

          with major improvements in 1921 and 1945.

You can walk across this “wonder”

            on its covered pedestrian walkway.

As a child, we traveled to Hartland

            to visit Arthur and Hazel,

                        my great uncle and aunt.

They lived across the street

            from Hatfield’s potato chip factory,

                        and we bought large brown bags

                                    full of warm, freshly-made chips.

Hartland is located in Carleton County,

            about 10 miles from the USA border,

                        in New Brunswick’s potato-growing region.

Only 1000 people live there,

            but Hartland was home

                        to two recent New Brunswick premiers:

                                    Hugh John Fleming (1952-1960)

                                                and Richard Hatfield (1970-1987).

Weirdly, two American congressmen

            were also born in Hartland:

Isaac Stephenson (Wisconsin, 1883-1889)

            and Samuel Stephenson (Michigan, 1889-1897).

The town website is here.

Capped!

 After 86 days of continuous catastrophe,

the hole at the bottom of the sea has been capped.

Oil is not leaking into the Gulf of Mexico

from the Deepwater Horizon location.

Much more remains to be done,

but, at least temporarily, the flow is stopped.

An estimated 689 million liters of oil have flowed into the gulf,

killing wildlife,

damaging the ecosystem

and destroying the livelihoods

of thousands of people.

Thank God!

Perhaps this is the beginning of the end

of this man-made disaster.

Springhill Mine Disaster

U2 sang about it on their Joshua Tree tour.

The coal mines in Springhill, Nova Scotia

were the site of three mining disasters.

In 1891, a fire killed 125 miners and injured many more.

            The scale of this disaster was unprecedented 

                        in Canadian history.

In 1956, an explosion killed 39 men 
            more than a mile underground.

                        88 miners were rescued by the heroic work

                                   of draegermen and barefaced miners.

In 1958, a bump (collapsing mineshaft) killed 74 men.

            100 miners were rescued,

                        some of them as late as eight days after the bump.

This last disaster received worldwide attention

            in those early days of television newscasts,

                        and resulted in the mine being permanently closed.

Watch old CBC news clips here.

At least two books were written about the 1958 disaster.

The ballad was written by Peggy Seeger and Ewan MacColl,

            who sang it as an a cappella duet. (see the lyrics below)

                        Peter, Paul and Mary later sang the song.

                                    And the Dubliners after them.

“The Ballad of Springhill”

(Peggy Seeger & Ewan MacColl)

In the town of Springhill, Nova Scotia
Down in the dark of the Cumberland Mine
There's blood on the coal and the miners lie
In the roads that never saw sun nor sky. (x2)

In the town of Springhill, you don't sleep easy
Often the earth will tremble and roar
When the earth is restless, miners die
Bone and blood is the price of coal. (x2)

In the town of Springhill, Nova Scotia
Late in the year of fifty-eight
Day still comes and the sun still shines
(But it's) Dark as the grave in the Cumberland mine. (x2)

Down at the coal face, miners working
Rattle of the belt and the cutter's blade
Rumble of the rock and the walls closed round
(The) Living and the dead men two miles down. (x2)

Twelve men lay two miles from the pitshaft
Twelve men lay in the dark and sang
Long hot days in the miners tomb
(It was) Three feet high and a hundred long. (x2)

Three days past and the lamps gave out
And Caleb Rushton got up and and said
There’s no more water, or light, or bread
(So we'll) Live on song and hope instead. (x2)

Listen for the shouts of the barefaced miners
Listen thru the rubble for a rescue team
Six hundred feet of coal and slag
Hope imprisoned in a three foot seam. (x2)

Eight days passes and some were rescued
Leaving the dead to lie alone
Thru all their lives they dug their grave
Two miles of earth for a marking stone. (x2)

Meditation

on Psalm 19:7-11

The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul:

the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.

The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart:

the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.

The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever:

the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.

More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold:

sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.

Moreover by them is thy servant warned:

and in keeping of them there is great reward.

The law of the LORD is perfect,

converting the soul (Psalm 19:7)

your law, your word, is perfect

fully what you intend it to be

flawless in its nature and quality

true in its essence and totality

correct in its statements

right in its judgement

pure in its motivation

your testimony is sure,

and it affects us when we read it

it touches us when we hear it

it changes us when we meditate on it,

chewing and swallowing and digesting.

it nourishes us

and inevitably it changes us

our souls are converted

we are altered at your altar

what do we need?

we don’t even know

but there is a longing for you

a desire to move with you

to resonate with the tones you’ve produced

to partner with you in the dance

to be with you, in you

to be a part of you

a yearning, an aching sometimes

more to be desired than gold

more to be enjoyed than rubies

sweeter than honey

better than raspberries with ice cream

how good you are!

and I want to love you more

how good is your word,

and I want to love it more!

Acadians

I’m one-sixteenth Acadien.

Acadians are descendents of French colonists

who settled in Atlantic Canada and Maine

in the 17^th century.

These hardy pioneers fished and farmed

and mostly got along well

with the First Nations tribes

who already lived in the region –

the Mi’kmaq and Wolastoqiyik

(formerly Micmac and Maliseet).

There was considerable intermarriage.

The French colony of Acadie (Acadia)

comprised the Canadian provinces

of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia

and Prince Edward Island.

Most of this region was given to Britain

by the Treaty of Utrecht (1713).

The tragic events known collectively

as the Expulsion of the Acadians

occurred from 1755-1763.

The British authorities forced 14,000 Acadians

to leave the region, and many perished.

Longfellow’s poem Evangeline is based on this event.

Some of the survivors traveled to Louisiana

and became known as Cajuns.

Other exiles eventually returned,

most to New Brunswick,

where about 325,000 Acadians now live.

Almost all Acadians now speak both French and English.

Acadian culture is rich in history, music and folklore.

Every five years (beginning in 1994),

the Congrès Mondial Acadien

(Acadian World Congress)

meets to celebrate Acadian culture

and address issues relating to Acadian identity.

(In 1999 the congress was held in south Louisiana,

but all other years it has been held

in various locations in eastern Canada.)

Read much more at Wikipedia under the headings:

Acadia

Acadians

Expulsion of the Acadians

Duke William

Dulse

It’s algae.

And humans eat it.

My mother says she loves it.

It grows on rocks on North Atlantic coastlines.

Harvested by hand or rake.

Dried in the sun.

And it’s good for you.

A good source of minerals and vitamins.

And fiber (or fibre for Canadians).

Salty. Bitter.

(not a great combination in my opinion).

After 50 years of trying,

I still can’t eat more than a small amount

while others eat it by the bagful.

Read the Wikipedia article here.

Buy it from Amazon.com (no kidding!) 

(see immediately below)

Dingle the Beautiful

Dingle, Ireland

            one of my favorite small towns

            County Kerry

            breathtaking mountains

            hills and valleys

            sheep

            lots of stones

A pub called The Small Bridge

            (“An Droicead Beag”)

            button accordion

            guitar and bodhran

            impromptu dancing

            It felt like joy

Breakfast at half eight

            Mainstay Guesthouse
            granola cereal

            French toast

            orange juice

           

Moran’s Slea Head Tour

            minibus

                        Jason our guide

            Lord Ventry’s estate

                        Ogham stones –

                                    ancient Irish writing

            beehive huts

                        fifth century stone igloos

                                    monks lived here

                                    prayed here

            Cooumeenole Beach

                        beautiful sand

                        bare feet in the ocean       

                        most beautiful beach

                                    I’ve seen in the world

            Jason says “National Geographic

                        called Dunquin

                        ‘the most beautiful place on earth’”

                        Far and Away filmed here         

            Gallarus Oratory –

                        perfect stone chapel

                        (seventh century)   

                                    in the cow pasture

Delight to walk around town

            Fungie the dolphin

                        free in the harbour

            shops

            other pubs –

                        good food, good music

Great place for a two-week holiday

On My Father's 86th Birthday

He’s an old man now
Set in his ways

Vitamin popper

One mile walker

Reader, thinker, preacher

He visits people in that remote Canadian village

Relatives, friends, church folk.

He works on his house

Paints it

Tarred the roof last year
Mows the grass

Splits firewood

He cares for Mom

Drives her places

Pays the bills

Buys the groceries

He’s an old man now

Once young and vital

Hard-working, thrifty

Conservative but unconventional

No cookie-cutter

He watches every Christian show on TV

Too lenient on his tenants

But Jesus is OK with that, I think

He doesn’t exactly get what I do

And for some reason I still look for his approval,

His blessing, even with grandbabies of my own

What’s up with that?

I feel guilty living 1000 miles away

My sister lives near him

And too much responsibility falls to her

Sorry, sis

It’s great to have a phone plan

That lets me call my folks

Every day if I want

Usually twice a week now

I hope to see him in seventeen days

He’ll be waiting for hugs,

My wife broke down his hug barrier

Thirty years ago

He expects it now.

We’ll take my folks out to dinner

Drive them around

Celebrate the birthdays we missed this year

And the sixtieth wedding anniversary

We’ll talk politics and theology

Walk together in the morning

Maybe chew spruce gum

He may say something important about his estate

Maybe not

We’ll listen to his stories

Treasure ten brief days

He’ll pray for us

Before we get in the car to go

He’s an old man now

A good man

Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden

Last night at dinner we were reminiscing

about our vacation in Vancouver, Canada

in July 2005.

One of our good memories is visiting

the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden.

We spent several enjoyable hours there,

in the heart of Vancouver’s Chinatown.

The beauty and quiet were remarkable,

there in the middle of a bustling city –

ponds, trees, classical Chinese architecture.

You may want to read the Wikipedia article here.

Ella Hadassah Sanders: Heroine

Ella Sanders was one tough lady.

She raised 8 kids on the African frontier for over 20 years.

No household appliances, no internet, no cell phones.

She was a missionary, the wife of a missionary doctor.

The first woman in Canada to be ordained as a minister (in 1901).

In her book “The Communion of Saints,” 
my friend Vesta Dunlop Mullen tells the story of Ella (1871-1962) 
and her husband Herbert (1869-1941).

Herbert was raised in Port Maitland, Nova Scotia,

and Ella moved there with her widowed father 
when she was about 14.

Herbert’s father was a fisherman, and Ella’s dad a pastor.

As teenagers they were both part of a church youth group

called the “Union Band of Willing Workers.”

Their love for Christ and for one another grew in these years,

and they shared with each other God’s call to foreign missions.

Ella began keeping a journal at 16.

Even then she was full of faith and prayer,

a determined young woman.

She preached and held evangelistic meetings 
while still in her teens.

Herbert and Ella married in their early 20s 
and moved to Brooklyn, New York 

to attend the Union Missionary Training Institute.

Then Herbert studied at New York City’s Homeopathic College for four years, graduating in 1900 to become a doctor of homeopathic medicine.

Herbert, Ella, and their children sailed to South Africa in 1901.

After studying Zulu, they moved inland from Durban, 

preaching and sharing the love of Jesus.

There were many adventures. 

They faced opposition from white Afrikaans farmers. 

Once the family survived a frightening storm of wind, rain and hail, protected only by the tent in which they were then living.

This intrepid couple established preaching points, new churches,

and eventually two mission stations:

Hartland in Natal and Altona in Transvaal.

Their life’s work was focused in eastern and northern South Africa.

Herbert and Ella were missionary pioneers.

They blazed a trail followed later by their children

(most of whom also became missionaries),

and by other Christian workers.

Returning to Canada by the age of 60,

Herbert and Ella spent another ten years in pastoral ministry

in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.

At 90, Ella wrote, “…I am still busy trying to fill up the remaining time of my life in winning souls for Jesus and helping others.”

God grant that Ella’s love for Christ and indomitable spirit will infect many other young men and women in this 21^st century!

Beulah Camp

Beulah Camp begins today.

Ten days of “holy conferencing”

on 85 magnificent acres

overlooking New Brunswick’s beautiful Saint John River

in eastern Canada.

Worshiping, learning, swimming, walking, visiting.

That’s what goes on here.

Started in 1894 by the fledgling Reformed Baptist Church

(now the Atlantic District of The Wesleyan Church),

it was originally reached by riverboat, train and highway.

The district encompasses 

all four Maritime provinces

and the state of Maine, 

so its churches are far-flung.
Friends gather year by year 

and decade by decade,

building lifelong friendships

based on ten days of togetherness each year.

Within the past 30 years, a nearby island of 120 acres

(Caton’s Island) has been purchased.

Children’s and youth camps are held here all summer long.

Over 350 cottages, dorms and RV sites cover the campground,

but it is dominated by The Tabernacle,

a wooden wonder of architectural art built in 1897.

The Tabernacle seats about 1500 persons.

On Sundays as many as 3000 persons may be on the grounds.

North America was once home to many such campmeetings,

but they are mostly gone now.

Beulah remains, probably Canada’s largest.

As a boy, Beulah marked the beginning and end of each year.

I played with friends, swam with friends, fought,

went to Bible school on weekday mornings.

As a teen, I dated girls there.

A date almost always meant an evening walk

along Beulah’s roads and pathways.

At 18, I experienced God at Beulah 
in a way that transformed my life.

At 26, I was ordained to the Christian ministry at Beulah.

My father was one of the elders who consecrated me

by the laying on of hands.

He hugged me and said, “I love you.”

Beulah has become a “sacred place”

where God has met thousands.

Lives have been upended

and yielded to the service of the Master.

God, do it again this year!

Happy Canada Day!

Happy birthday, Canada!

On July 1, 1867, the four British colonies of Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia came together to form the Dominion of Canada.

(The word “dominion” is taken from Psalm 72:8 – “He shall have dominion from sea to sea and from the rivers unto the ends of the earth.”) This holiday was called Dominion Day from 1879 until 1982.

The original four provinces were soon joined by Prince Edward Island, British Columbia and Manitoba. Alberta and Saskatchewan were added in 1905, and Newfoundland in 1949.

My favorite Canada Day was in 2005. I was vacationing in Vancouver with my wife Connie and daughter Shannon. We celebrated with thousands of others (mostly Asian-Canadians) at the waterfront, at the convention centre.

There was a lumberjack show, and the lieutenant-governor swore in about 100 immigrants as new citizens of Canada.

I remember what seemed like hundreds of Chinese-Canadian children, celebrating with red maple leaves painted on their cheeks.

Canada has been formed by a peculiar combination of First Nations, French, English, Scottish, Irish and recent immigrants from around the world. For better or worse, multiculturalism is enshrined in law as a preeminent value.

At 143 years old, Canada is still a young nation, in some respects still trying to understand its own identity apart from both the United States and Britain.

Canadians may be a bit less “rah-rah” patriotic that USAmericans. But most of us are “glad to be” Canadians, “where at least” we know we’re more-or-less free. The words “liberty” and “freedom” are not so bandied about in Canada as they are by patriots in the USA.

There will be parades and fireworks here and there. Queen Elizabeth II, our British monarch, is in Ottawa today, and this attracts some interest (though not from me). Canadians will enjoy the day off, which for many will make for a very long weekend.

So here’s to you, Canada. Happy birthday!