stopover.ca

watch this guy die on the platform …

love it!

My brother just returned to Canada from language learning in Costa Rica, he brought his girlfriend Mary home with him. As Mary is Korean American, My wife Supriya and I thought that we should greet her in Korean. (her english is natural, as she was brought up in America) … We just thought that it would be fun to poke fun at the very common detail that she frequently deals with.

After looking at her, “Wow, your english is great”

Her response … “So is yours!”

Anyways click through to check out how to say hello, or “Do you speak English?” in over 325 languages …

Continue reading »

Heading down to Mexico, or further south this year … planning on a visit to a Spanish speaking country? Here are some great and interactive Spanish Language lessons you can grab from the BBC online.

These Spanish Lessons are great survival level tools to let you just step into the culture without complete confusion

I have recetnly been reading Ethan Watters book, Urban Tribes.

It is a very easy read, but attempts to deconstruct the North American culture of the ‘never-married’, very interesting in it’s take on the importance of communities. It tends to ask the question, what if Gen. X is not a slacker generation at all, what if they have merely re-defined community outside of the previous norms.

Here Ethan attempts to look at his own particular culture from an outsiders perspective, although the term ‘tribe’ is often the new cool to define community, I think Ethan does attempt to look a little deeper than his own feelings on the subject.

This may be a good recommendation for those engaged with this group of people … enjoy!

here is a quick flash animation, that highlights the stereotyped differences between Italy and the rest of Europe … it is amusing, and also reminds me of many of the stereotypes that we have with other nations

I just was sent this link from someone on the emergent list-serve that I participate in …

Fairlie is a small farming village in the center of New Zealand�s South Island. For the last two years I had heard about some believers whom God led to give up the religious structure they had become part of to live as the body of Christ together in this region of the world. It was 1986 and some of its leaders felt like God was asking them to give up the structures that constrained their life together, which included not only the institution but also the building where they met. After weeks of praying together and considering this leading, the people unanimously agreed that this is what God was saying to them.

They agreed to lay it all down and let God lead them. The building they used was quite old and after donating all the furnishings that were worth anything to the denomination�s district they were leaving, they offered the building to the fire brigade to burn as a training exercise. (I told you this was an incredible story!)

Continue reading »

I was just reading an older blog entry I found on another website. It is an interesting and amusing travelogue, basically how to cross culture and attend a baptist church. I read it again and laughed. I will include it here after the jump (hit the ‘more‘ text below)

I just finished a google search to check out the name of the author and provide a proper link to the article, and as I was waiting for my site to refresh and allow me to spill these inspiring words, I checked out my outlook. Another missions friend had just emailed a notice about what church is like in his part of the world (Ethiopia) … he forwarded a church planters message that he was okay, although 5 others had just been killed for their faith that week. (again, to read that email, hit the ‘more‘ button below) The stark difference made me think.

I am happy to consider and work through the thoughts, dreams and ideas to discovering and understanding Canadian culture. To think how we as people of Christ are to involve ourselves in meeting others with true faith … I love words like emergent and pomo, yet I was yet again reminded that this all pales when compared to real need. Not just over there, but here as well.

Again perhaps some of my incomplete thoughts, I am writing up something that may (or may not) clarify them more so later … check back for my ‘why the church must die’ article. coming soon …

Continue reading »

This Website as suggested by FFWD (Calgary’s weekly) covers all the deities and their posses.

Have you ever had one of those embarrassing situations at a dinner party where you can’t remember Gilgamesh’s parentage or which Incan god is in charge of lightning? Me neither. But I’d hate to be at a function where I wasn’t prepared.

Continue reading »

I just had to translate some documents from French in order to find some information for one of my latest missions projects … i searched through some translation sites and came up with the Google translation service. So far it seems to be the best for my purposes …

Want to try it out? Cut and paste this text Este Web site é útil into the translate text box at this site. Choose translate from Portugese to English for a secret message!

I was recently on the Wikipedia site and came across this definition:

Short-Term Missions (STM) is a trend in Christian missions that is mobilizing thousands as missionaries for short periods of time ranging from days to a year.

I added my own changes, and you can do the same. Wikipedia is the ultimate in definition democracy. Change any term you wish!… here is the rest of the definition