Another odd Vancouver-Medicine Hat connection:

Apparently American President Obama’s favourite burger joint is coming to Canada.

The first location will be in Medicine Hat, followed immediately by two locations in the Vancouver area to be ready for the Olympics.

This weekend our church had to deal with its first incidence of church discipline.  As a part of the elder team, I have been in on the meetings and interviews and entreaties to change that have preceded it until there was no other choice.  It is heart-rending since I have been a good friend and accountability partner with the man for about 5 years.

I knew there was going to be an emotional cost to leadership but these last few days have really shown me how much that weighs.  On top of it all I also had to finish a ministry outreach on Saturday, then rush out to New Westminster for the funeral of a couple in my small group’s grandmother who had passed.  Again, more emotional weight.

I lost sleep over it, and that is bizarre for me, a guy who can usually turn off like a light switch.

I think it was doubly difficult because my wife left town to visit her family on that Saturday morning too, so I did not have her with me to lean on emotionally.

By Sunday night I felt so burdened that I couldn’t even think about going to bed.  I took the dog out for a walk in a miserable windy rainstorm.  I didn’t even want an umbrella.  I just wanted the water to soak my head and wash away the heaviness in my heart and mind.  At the end of the walk I was reciting Psalm 23 to myself, and when I got to the verse, “he anoints my head with oil;  my cup overflows,” A particularly cold drop of rain hit me right in the forehead, and it felt like that was God’s anointing… and it began to feel better.

The dog enjoyed the walk.  I enjoyed my little encounter with my compassionate shepherd.

Matt Sweetman provides a list of what he thinks he did wrong in the first 6 months before launch.  I plan to heed those warnings.

8 Mistakes in the First 6 Months of Planting