tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-109711032012-01-29T17:11:47.904-06:00A Canadian Mennonite interested in relevant faith and theology for the Church and for the world.D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.comBlogger1271100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-16961660703964762062011-12-01T01:03:00.000-06:002011-12-01T01:15:45.486-06:00

Spent some time reading news articles about the Middle East tonight.Iran. Israel. Egypt. Pakistan.These nations are at the centre of attention these days. Could there be another World War around the corner? Does our current globalized economy allow for World Wars or just continual War – pure war!How should I, as a Christian, navigate these stories? As a pastor, how do I speak about them to others

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-71230889286483359792011-11-01T10:52:00.001-06:002011-11-01T10:52:32.952-06:00

Change isn’t always fun. Moving to Gretna was great fun, but unpacking the moving trailer in -40 C wasn’t. Having Karen move-in after our wedding was great, but figuring out how to mesh two opinions into a peaceful solution… well, that was a challenge. Change isn’t always easy or fun; but then there’s the kind of change that’s really exciting. For example, we’ve had several new people move to

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-61002534560941438632011-07-28T20:39:00.000-06:002011-07-28T20:40:13.581-06:00

There are few things in life that terrify me more than being a passenger in a landing airplane. In the beginning of July I had the terrible experience of flying to Ontario and back for meetings. There’s something horrifying about being strapped to a large piece of metal that’s speeding towards the earth. I feel helpless and terrified. I’m not sure what it is. Perhaps it’s the knots in my stomach

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-33890680358860360022010-09-18T23:01:00.001-06:002010-09-18T23:05:16.855-06:00

Philosophers of ancient Greece debated with one another about what makes for a good life. Does a good life consist in fulfilling one’s desires? Does a good life require leisure, and the time to contemplate life? Is it bound up with work or play, busyness or rest, or both? Does the good life involve fulfillment of duty, both public and private? The Greek men would gather at the city school and

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-35958526083538523852010-07-14T14:35:00.000-06:002010-07-14T14:39:16.703-06:00

It’s good to be back from holidays. We took some time to visit family in Saskatchewan and I spent some time at meetings in Calgary. I even had a chance to catch up with a childhood friend who lives in cowboy city. Karen and I usually leave our dog with my parents; but this time, we left Lucy with a local dog-sitter, who did a great job. We had confidence in Lucy’s dog-sitter; and we knew that we

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-69556881884967904012010-05-13T17:33:00.000-06:002010-05-13T17:34:08.256-06:00

I love this time of year. I crawl out of my shell, put away my winter gear, and head out into the mud and the freshness of spring. Last year, I went traipsing around in my new rubber boots (which, by now, are all misshaped because I left them outside in the hot summer sun). This year, I took my car for a long drive, all the way out to Rosenort, driving mostly on gravel roads. Every spring I get

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-9698322485035464252010-02-10T08:51:00.003-06:002010-03-06T19:28:38.104-06:00

If you walk by our place sometime, you’ll notice something strange. Right in front of our steps, there are a number of spots where Lucy (our dog) has decided to do ‘her business’. She usually goes further away and finds a place to mark her territory, but I guess it’s far too cold these days. And I don’t think it helps that we gave her a shave. Why we gave her a haircut in the middle of winter is

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-40265805447714201712009-12-17T13:36:00.002-06:002009-12-17T13:40:25.600-06:00

It happened overnight. Gretna went from green to white in a few hours. I imagine that this overnight snowfall would seem much more magical to us if we were strangers to prairie winters. We are creatures of habit. Most of us form practices that remain relatively unchanged throughout our lifetime. Our morning and evening rituals of hygiene, the way we prepare our bodies and equipment for a game of

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-71253982601889604142009-09-04T16:52:00.003-06:002009-09-04T17:00:46.778-06:00

Munroe, Myles. Kingdom Principles: Preparing for Kingdom Experience and Expansion (Shippensburg, PA: Destiny Image Publishers, Inc., 2006).Reviewed by: Marco FunkSeptember 2009The Christian faith is increasingly being asked to ‘speak to power’. On the ‘right and left’ Christians are devoting attention to the question of what it means to be a royal priesthood and the power dynamics that this

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-19543649281305694072009-08-25T10:57:00.003-06:002009-08-25T10:59:35.897-06:00

In my previous blog post on new-vampirism I leveled some hasty criticisms at the new fad. I sent the post to Rice herself and she wrote this response:It's an interesting post, yes, and I thank you for writing to me and offering to me to read. However, I would caution again assuming the new vampire craze is entirely shallow. Often we don't know right away what a new literary or cinematic

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-13791050558054938752009-08-24T19:12:00.008-06:002009-08-24T19:58:07.059-06:00

"Do not be astonished at this; for the hour is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and will come out-- those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation."John 5:28-29How ought Christians to think about the recent surge of interest in all things gothic, vampiric and undead? What ideologies lie behind

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-37174030431066899272009-08-10T18:22:00.000-06:002009-08-10T18:23:15.411-06:00

I survived, but just barely. The Hot Spot festival was a lot of fun, but it caused me more pain that I’ve experienced in a while. No. I’m not talking about the excruciatingly embarrassing attempt at covering a Queen song during the Karaoke event. No. I’m not even talking about the painful sweat inducing heat that the rest of you Gretna folk are acclimatized to. The pain was a result of my

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-91266463151967592702009-07-27T19:16:00.000-06:002009-07-27T19:17:00.491-06:00

I have used my rubber boots a fair bit since April. And although I managed to avoid traipsing around in flood-waters, I’ve dirtied them in my backyard garden. My small plot of soil has seen some immense changes since Karen and I first moved to town. It is nowhere near the Garden of Eden, but also no longer the frozen Popsicle that it was on December 15 of last year, when we moved to town. My

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-10821929355633046212009-06-26T14:50:00.001-06:002009-06-26T14:50:53.263-06:00

Well, my house is still dry as I’m writing this. I’ve been getting a variety of messages about flooding patters in the area. Some people tell me that the Gretna dike isn’t high enough. Others tell me not to worry. I don’t mind warnings, but it is the disparity of views that makes me nervous. In preparation for the possibility of flood, I went out to Altona’s Farm Service to pick up some quality

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-85677103273775220282009-04-05T19:59:00.002-06:002009-04-05T20:01:19.940-06:00

This is an article I wrote for the Gretna monthly newsletter. Thought I'd post it here for anyone else interested in reading about the stuff that wanders through my head.My new job here in town involves a variety of things, not the least of which is coming up with a weekly sermon to encourage, challenge and inspire the group of folks that wander over to the Church to worship God on Sunday

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-4046556454953213392009-02-16T19:23:00.002-06:002009-02-16T19:28:31.030-06:00

Well, we've been in our new place in Gretna for over one month already. We love the new place and it feels like home. The place is big. The seller finished the basement in time.Dad helped us to move. We used his V10 Dodge Ram and his trailer, which he and Joey had boarded with plywood and 2x4's. We were just barely able to fit all of our furniture and other valuables onto the trailer and truck,

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-23593352804938271182008-12-06T15:24:00.004-06:002008-12-06T15:41:37.587-06:00

"Mennonites have in recent years developed a professional identity as peacebuilders. Establishing graduate programs in conflict transformation, cultivating expertise in mediation and conciliation, organizing activists... no longer the quiet in the land, Mennonites are ready to offer the world solutions. The laudable commitment to peace that drives such activities, however, can easily be deformed

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-88972674744033614772008-12-03T22:33:00.002-06:002008-12-03T22:39:20.423-06:00

The Shack is a great read. In this book, the narrator, Willie, tells the story of his friend Mack who goes to a Shack. At the Shack he meets God (Papa, Jesus, and Sarayu the Holy Spirit). In this encounter, Mack is slowly changed and healed from the wounds in his heart (his father's abusive parenting and the tragic murder of his daughter). This is the bare-outline of the book, but the book is

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-43822161589315417452008-09-16T20:48:00.007-06:002008-09-16T21:41:16.367-06:00

Mark 2:1-12When he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. 2 So many gathered around that there was no longer room for them, not even in front of the door; and he was speaking the word to them. 3 Then some people came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. 4 And when they could not bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-62652896020852130292008-06-16T17:57:00.003-06:002008-06-16T21:42:14.252-06:00

Here is a great quote on the topic of martyrdom and culture by one of my profs:"martyrs inhabit a world in which otherness and difference are internal to the very ideas of culture and identity themselves. And yet they simultaneously exist in our world—a world that does not like to have its lust for power called into question. So it is not surprising that their lives often end as they do"(found

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-69918722333581705012008-06-01T22:37:00.004-06:002008-06-02T00:20:59.543-06:00

I spent my morning and afternoon visiting Gretna, MB. I joined the Bergthaler Mennonite Church there for worship and for their annual church picnic. We played baseball. We ate burgers and hot dogs. The people of Gretna seem joyful, and relaxed. They are also very welcoming. This is great, since they have invited me to serve them as pastor, and Karen and I have accepted their invitation. The

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-67176591486739254452008-04-16T14:46:00.004-06:002008-04-16T15:25:57.190-06:00

With the Pope Benedict's visit to America, I got to thinking about the nature of persuasion and power held by spiritual leaders. I would like to compare Benedict, who leads the world's largest Christian Church - the Catholic Church - with Oprah, who is considered to be, by many, the spiritual shepherd for American spirituality. Both of these figures wield immense spiritual and social power. For

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-14529661412023411592008-01-25T16:28:00.001-06:002008-01-25T17:03:41.313-06:00

Mike Huckabee's stance on the war on terror is that he would like to increase military spending as well as enlarge the war on terror in general. He affirms the 'overwhelming force' doctrine of Powell. And he affirms the Lordship of Jesus Christ. I think that its time for me to give an account of pacifism, as I understand it, and why I just can't grasp the congruency of those earlier statements on

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-4117083467760046762008-01-15T22:19:00.001-06:002008-01-15T22:21:17.386-06:00

It seems like our neighbors to the south will have another election with crappy political options. One side is corrupt and liberal, the other is trigger-happy and war-crazy and CEO-pocket-padding. Voting is like choosing which pile of manure to roll around in; in the end, you'll still get nothing but poop!

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-30918223748748157072007-12-17T22:51:00.000-06:002007-12-17T22:58:02.402-06:00

He was a light in the darkness! This is one of the final lines in I Am Legend, a new movie out, with Will Smith playing the main character. Talk about a great Christmas movie! I'll save you my poor writing and reviewing skills, so I encourage you to check out the reviews on Yahoo or someplace like that. The movie is great. I don't want to give away anything good, but you should all go see it. It

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-52213315590462914892007-12-16T08:15:00.000-06:002007-12-16T08:22:05.001-06:00

Sermon planned for Sunday, November 25, 2007 Today is the last day of the Church calendar. Next Sunday we begin once again with Advent, when we hear about the promised Messiah. This last Sunday is often called “eternity” Sunday. Different Christian traditions remember this theme of Christian worship on different days of the year, but many share the theme. Eternity Sunday is when we

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-43973853404997521392007-12-09T00:24:00.000-06:002007-12-09T00:27:00.939-06:00

Check out a short review I posted on another blog I occasionally write on.

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-86702502825264395442007-10-29T19:59:00.000-06:002007-10-29T20:09:48.208-06:00

Regarding the same issue addressed by Rowan Williams, pope Benedict has also issued a command to all who will hear, that they should decide not to participate in selling drugs used to abort babies after conception. For me, the language used by Benedict is more interesting, and spoken with more authority, than the language used by Williams. Benedict spoke of this decision to resist as a kind of '

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-81082526373421962382007-10-26T12:05:00.000-06:002007-10-26T12:08:22.908-06:00

The Archbishop of Cantebury, Rowan Williams, made a brilliant statement the other day about abortion:"The pregnant woman who smokes or drinks heavily is widely regarded as guilty of infringing the rights of her unborn child... yet at the same time, with no apparent sense of incongruity, there is discussion of the possibility of the liberty of the pregnant woman herself to perform the actions that

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-26061416012506958222007-10-19T22:56:00.000-06:002007-10-19T22:58:25.627-06:00

Check this out, the RC Pope met with a delegation of Mennonites... I love it! Let's get talking about reconciliation already... after all, we serve only One Lord... shouldn't there be One Church? Despite all the serious matters that must be worked out prior to reconciliation - this is the direction we need to move... I think.

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-82570648922290353342007-10-14T21:44:00.000-06:002007-10-14T21:45:20.537-06:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NtgjNLNpao

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-8524259191878394852007-10-13T07:18:00.000-06:002007-10-13T07:24:07.928-06:00

Yahoo! News published an article entitled "Why Evangelicals May Turn to Romney" by By NANCY GIBBS AND MICHAEL DUFFY. In this article you can read about a group of evangelicals who are beginning to support Romney for president. Mitt Romney is a Mormon. Now, I have nothing against voting for someone who is of a different faith, but there was something about this

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-35585608697600283872007-09-26T22:53:00.000-06:002007-09-26T23:20:06.360-06:00

Tonight Karen and I went to see The Invasion, starring Nicole Kidman. The movie is a rehash of the old Body Snatcher-type movie. I have never seen the original movie, but I thought I'd see this one. The movie was quite entertaining. There's suspense, action, some romance and even some feel-good family values.The movie begins with a spacecraft crash on which an alien virus/life-form is carried to

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-454993778683225302007-09-11T13:12:00.000-06:002007-09-11T13:13:59.678-06:00

Jay Bakker is the son of the well-known Jim Bakker. His website includes wonderful podcasts that speak about God's overflowing love and grace for people... even people as messed up as me. I recommend a visit.

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-2039929932309162412007-09-11T08:29:00.000-06:002007-09-11T08:37:47.172-06:00

This bothers me! Personally I can reconcile the idea of these guys being beyond the grace of God - and I don't say that lightly. What is wrong with these people. Don't they recognize that God is watching. Ahhh! This pisses me off!I guess, you could say the same kind of thing for any infraction against God's holy command. But why, then, does it bother me so much more than the other "minor" sins? I

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-46783165237054851912007-06-20T20:41:00.000-06:002007-06-20T20:54:39.308-06:00

On the weekend I was at the Red River Ex and in the tent there was a display for pro-life. I stopped there for a moment to check out the material and to see what groups were a part of this initiative. Then, today, I read a newspaper article in which a doctor had expressed his opinion that these two babies, siamese twins, should have been killed in-utero in order to avoid 1) a life of misery, 2)

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-22595507088950144732007-05-28T21:30:00.000-06:002007-06-04T18:52:32.398-06:00

I just read a chapter on homosexuality that comes at the topic in a way quite similar to what has been perculating in my own head for the past few years. I don't want to give away any surprises, I just recommend that people read Joel Shuman's essay in Hauerwas and Wells' The Blackwell Companion to Christian Ethics. Shuman basically ejects the two standard approaches (for and against) and comes at

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-26074479421902058312007-05-28T16:07:00.000-06:002007-06-04T18:53:28.782-06:00

Since late April I have been working as a maintenance assistant at my college and I am loving my job. There is something superbly satisfying about seeing a problem, figuring out what to do about it, and then fixing the problem. In so many areas of my life and in other relationships, it seems that I can't just tackle the problem, but rather have to sit and listen to somebody go on and on about the

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-10045565005178313432007-05-04T19:52:00.000-06:002007-05-04T20:05:19.272-06:00

I often hear that the best Christian apologetic is moral code of conduct. I would like to explore another kind of defense. The reason is because I find myself struggling to live morally in certain respects. I am a selfish person. I am prone to impatience, jealousy, lust, anger, and envy. These vices haunt me almost daily. Yet I desperately cling to the committment I made in baptism, knowing that

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-59015191227709573342007-04-19T20:12:00.000-06:002007-04-19T20:18:06.570-06:00

Low German is a great language through which a person can express themselves simply, yet profoundly. Also known as Plautdietsch, this language is inextricably emotional and charged with passion. It's words convey hundreds of years worth of experience and love, but also anger and grief. I love speaking the language and listening to others speak it. That is why I was super excited to find the

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-45024082939582059622007-04-18T10:42:00.000-06:002007-04-18T10:44:31.357-06:00

I just read that being a pastor is the top satisfying job out there... this survey looked that the "hapiness scale" for numerous professions and found that clergy persons are 80% satisfied. Roofers were at the low end of the spectrum. I guess I chose the right area to pursue.

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-86172061170675534302007-04-13T22:02:00.000-06:002007-04-13T22:05:28.781-06:00

This movie absolutely blew chunks... I don't have a lot to say about it other than that it sucked horribly. My sister and I went to go see it and, although it was scary, the plot was absolutely cheesy and idiotic. I wish some half-intelligent theologians would approach the movie making task and at least make something stimulating on the topic of apocolypse, biblical plague, etc... Can anyone

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-59504646685147504582007-04-13T21:14:00.000-06:002007-04-13T22:01:26.052-06:00

For my exam in Systematic Theology we were given two questions to take home and prepare for. The one I chose to focus on is asking us to state the relationship between theology and ethics, paying attention to classical theological themes, and also looking at contemporary, historical, and biblical issues. My attempt here is to "practice" for the exam, and hopefully it will interest readers.The

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-21309182316429829942007-04-12T14:47:00.000-06:002007-04-12T15:04:44.932-06:00

The only thing I should have prepared for, before going to see 300 in the theatres a month ago, was for a regurgitated speech on patriotism. But before I rip into this movie for its shortcommings and disapointments I should at least highlight its good points.The movie succeeded in amazing me with respect to its visual feats. Never have I felt as visually involved in a story as with 300. The

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-70794264418740493832007-04-12T14:38:00.000-06:002007-04-12T14:46:48.113-06:00

With only two exams left this year, I can say that it has been a great year for me at school. Essays, book reports, class presentations, quizzes and conversations have all meshed together to give me a learning experience that will help me for the rest of my life. What I've learned this year goes deeper than a sum of the course material, the reading, the conversations and the classroom discussions

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-10008448871855055822007-02-21T20:30:00.000-06:002007-02-21T20:32:31.123-06:00

The question read, "Jesus **IS** God. Why is it some Christians dont see this?"My answer:Becuase Jesus IS also HUMAN. For this reason Christians struggle with the doctrine of the Incarnation. It is interesting, however, to note that the earliest Christians had a more difficult time accepting Jesus' humanity than they did his divinity. Afterall, John 1:1-14 was written specifically against

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-49824223682299864592007-02-14T17:00:00.000-06:002007-02-14T17:21:17.415-06:00

This semester I am reading Volf's In Our Likeness for my class in ecclesiology. Volf basically looks at perichoresis as a Trinitarian model that undergirds his Free Church ecclesiology. The book is complex and more should be said about it than I want to say here. What I do want to ask is how the doctrine of the Trinity might inform a peace-church theology. I will follow Volf in exploring a

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-10992341153358465652007-02-08T20:42:00.000-06:002007-02-08T20:12:52.047-06:00

“Jesus does not give recipes that show the way to God as other teachers of religion do. He is himself the way." "The best theology would need no advocates: it would prove itself." "Belief cannot argue with unbelief, it can only preach to it." “There is a notion that complete impartiality is the most fitting and indeed the normal disposition for true exegesis, because it guarantees complete

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-4200841490032250922007-02-08T20:11:00.000-06:002007-02-03T21:45:41.548-06:00

This is disturbing. Perhaps churches and pastors need to address the issue of Mexican immigrants in a bolder fashion.

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-11963963522798004032007-02-01T21:57:00.000-06:002007-02-01T21:58:44.009-06:00

This is a great story! Maybe that will remind the world that Christians are a strange lot when viewed from a worldly perspective... nearly as strange as the God who sent his Son to die on the cross for us while we were still God's enemies... enemies like bin Laden.

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-72101163621327047812007-01-22T11:01:00.000-06:002007-01-22T11:07:32.938-06:00

flesh gets ripped apart,bones splinter and shatter,as hatred spills into the streets.may god judge this messmay the gun-fighters fall under his fire.may the torturer spill his entrails.may the suicide bomber lose his head.may the calculated-war commander go insane,with the knowledge of his guilt.may god bring swift justice to this mess.

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-1165893574305121262006-12-11T21:19:00.000-06:002006-12-11T21:19:54.310-06:00

This is absolutely repulsing.

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-1165862027893416922006-12-11T12:14:00.000-06:002006-12-11T12:33:48.356-06:00

A man has died without having been held legally accountable for the detestable things he did. This man is Augusto Pinochet. Pinochet was the dictator of Chile. On September 11 (1973), Pinochet led a military coup against then president Allende. For fifteen years, Pinochet ruled Chile with a torturous iron grip. He authorized an intelligence agency whose primary goal was to instill fear in the

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-1165007037026256842006-12-01T14:54:00.000-06:002006-12-01T15:03:58.300-06:00

I am now no longer a "GC" Mennonite. My wife and I joined FaithWorks (www.efaithworks.ca) which is affiliated with Mennonite Brethren Church of Manitoba. This isn't the first time that I have been a part of a "MB" church, but this is my first time being a covenanted member of this kind of congregation. Most people reading this will not know about the differences between these two groups - and the

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-1163016839413254642006-11-08T14:07:00.000-06:002006-11-08T14:13:59.440-06:00

Here is a link to a story that made me think....Why is Israel, a sovereign nation, worrying about whether or not the USA is doing something about Iran? Shouldn't each country worry about its own policies that make for security in their country? If Israel would seek more ways of making peace with the Palestinians and their neighbors, maybe then they would have less problems with Iran... maybe

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-1161022540226732492006-10-16T12:05:00.000-06:002006-10-16T12:15:40.236-06:00

Something is seriously wrong with this. I'm not sure exactly how to respond to news like this. What the hell is wrong with kids that will throw a disabled kid into a burning shed? What kind of families produce these kinds of children? There is a stark contrast between the families of these villains and the Amish families and community that produced the children who died in the US a few weeks ago

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-1159229652770516812006-09-25T18:05:00.000-06:002006-09-25T18:14:12.790-06:00

In the last few days I have become increasingly distressed over the pervasive negativity and over-and-against-ness of many people in my Mennonite denomination. I sympathize with some of the criticisms and the expressed desire for us to be faithful to Jesus in all things, but when this becomes a biting legalism and staunch judgmentalism, then I get sick of it.How can we as Christians live out our

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-1158111177682639012006-09-12T19:20:00.000-06:002006-09-12T19:32:57.696-06:00

In my Christianity and Contemporary Culture class the proff asked the question, 'How do you feel about yesterday's five-year memorial of the 9/11 attacks?'I wasn't quite sure how to answer because I wasn't sure how I felt about it. In fact, I had no particular feeling towards it. It's not that I'm apathetic towards the event but I'm not sure that I feel differently about it today than I did a

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-1156799332125251802006-08-28T15:05:00.000-06:002006-08-28T15:08:52.140-06:00

The new reality that God invites us into is one that is characterized by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is where justice and goodness actually work together because the justice of God, which is mercy, is also the goodness of God.In the 'reality' that is painted before our eyes on the TV newscasts we are shown a world in which justice and goodness are far apart. The justice of '

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-1156369734656956012006-08-23T15:45:00.000-06:002006-08-23T15:48:54.666-06:00

Well, I just arrived in Winnipeg and I'm getting everything set up and will be posting more regularly soon. It's kind of annoying getting all the small detailes, like car insurance, and bills figured out. Once that's done I should be a bit more relaxed.At the moment I'm busy reading Milbank's Theology and Social Theory and I am grasping where he's going with his argument, but I'm still missing

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-1155311759419917892006-08-11T09:53:00.000-06:002006-08-11T09:55:59.436-06:00

I am on my way to Manitoba early next week. Karen and I will be moving into our new apartment on the campus where I will be taking some courses in theology, bible, and philosophy. This, therefore, will be my last post from in Saskatchewan. After settling in Winnipeg I will resume this blog and hopefully that will be in a week or two.

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-1155105364306148802006-08-09T00:33:00.000-06:002006-08-09T00:36:04.316-06:00

It has come to this has it? Israel is being told to seek peace instead of war by nations that are at war themselves. U.S., Canada, Britton, Israel... just some of the sad, sad nations of our world.

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-1154849873053267182006-08-06T01:27:00.000-06:002006-08-06T01:37:53.066-06:00

I hope thatafter all thisafter five yearssomethings have changedin my lifein their livesa change towardsa new directionnew directions are goodthey offernew places from whichto seeto standto receivethe good thingsthat God gives.Now a new directioncalls me forwardto learn moreto receive morebut is it more?could it ever bemore than thingsi've learned andplaces i've beenin the last five years?how I

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-1154762931643897702006-08-05T01:24:00.000-06:002006-08-05T01:28:51.666-06:00

Link: http://www.happyplanetindex.org/index.htmThis website does something utterly amazing. It lists all the countries in the world according to a 'happy-planet-index' or HPI. This index is a number based on the average Life Enjoyment of the people multiplied by the Life expectancy divided by the overall ecological footprint of that nation.In other words, this index describes nations and rates

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-1154413918700316852006-08-01T00:27:00.000-06:002006-08-01T00:31:58.713-06:00

I wonder if those who refuse to forgive Mel Gibson for his comments - and he did apologize for them - realize that refusing to forgive someone is an unforgivable sin. Jesus said, "if you refuse to forgive those who sin against you then neither will your sins be forgiven".The American Jewish community should be careful; though not being summarily damned for the death of Jesus - all of us have his

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-1154109789189402332006-07-28T11:56:00.000-06:002006-07-28T12:03:09.200-06:00

I'm having a personal revival in my heart and it is one of the best feelings in the world. It feels like I'm climbing my way up to a mountaintop experience. I want more of them. I hate being in the valley... I don't get much done when I'm there... and I feel like shit then. Now, I feel like nothing can go wrong for me. Yet I know that this road upwards is a fragile one.God, help me on this path

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-1153726127973406852006-07-24T01:15:00.000-06:002006-07-24T01:28:47.990-06:00

Last week I went on a youth service trip to a First Nations reserve called Cross Lake in northern Manitoba. As we drove into the community of 6,000 people some of the youth made comments about the lawns and houses on this native reserve. The yards of most residents at Cross Lake are not as groomed as most of the youth were used to, and so they talked about that a lot.I thought about their

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-1152845718758626862006-07-13T20:52:00.000-06:002006-07-13T20:55:39.440-06:00

I hate... and that's exactly the problem.I hate what Israel, Hamas, and Hezbollah are doing to each other.I hate to see people killing each other.But I hate... and that's exactly the problem.I should start loving a little more.I should see the ways that my own attitudes and practicesparticipate in this violent mess of a world.I should see that this world is actually built for peace,and trust

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-1151954452834641682006-07-03T13:19:00.000-06:002006-07-08T11:37:13.916-06:00

The Rebellious People of GodSermon for Sunday, July 9th, 2006Scripture Reading: Mark 6:1-30; Ezekiel 2:3 Two of the scripture passages that I looked at for this morning talk about rebellious people. Both of them speak, furthermore, about the rebelliousness of God’s people. In the Ezekiel passage we read about all of Israel. They are described as “a nation of rebels who have rebelled against God

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-1151549711025324322006-06-28T20:49:00.000-06:002006-06-28T20:55:11.026-06:00

I've finished reading the first few chapters in John Milbank's Theology and Social Theory. I shouldn't say reading because I haven't really understood all that much of what I've been seeing in front of my eyes as I wrestle with Milbank's work. So far, from what I'm catching, it seems that Milbank is giving a description of the rise of secularism within the field of sociology. It seems to me

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-1151366624558082152006-06-26T18:02:00.000-06:002006-06-26T18:11:15.250-06:00

At 5:45am this morning I woke up with a smile on my face. I was going to become a killer today. Normally I would not smile at such a time in the morning, but today was special. A friend from church came to pick me up, our weapons concealed and sharp as could be. We set off on our prey. Two hours of driving and we were there - the scene of our intended malice.The water was calm, the wind was still

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-1150612561568114602006-06-18T00:24:00.000-06:002006-06-19T09:33:40.636-06:00

I'm fully convinced that I need to be involved in the church somehow as part of my allegiance, in baptism, to Jesus Christ. The only thing that I derive any real pleasure from is the study of theology, church history, and the bible. I'm not too sure how smart I am in any of these areas, and I won't let my bible college marks determine whether or not I have a future in this area of study. I didn't

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-1150181142308854192006-06-13T00:37:00.000-06:002006-06-13T00:45:42.320-06:00

This news story made me sad today. What's happening? I guess it shouldn't surprise me. Liberal societies have always been, and will continue to be, godless and fearless of God's wrath. Do our leaders not know that they are presuming their authority under the eyes of a watchful - and wrathful - God?Our own prime-minister Stephen Harper has already announced the guilt of all the people being held

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-1149609321780573892006-06-06T09:46:00.000-06:002006-06-06T09:56:02.940-06:00

There is a funeral in our church tomorrow afternoon and I didn't know the guy. He was in his mid-sixties and he died from lung cancer. His divorced wife attends our congregation and her children wanted the funeral to be held at our church. Our senior pastor gave me a resume that this man had written quite a while back in applying for a job at a nursing home.This resume isthe most interesting

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-1149190327298367782006-06-01T13:31:00.000-06:002006-06-01T13:32:07.303-06:00

PoliticsSocialist75%Democrat75%Republican58%Green58%Anarchism50%Communism42%Fascism25%Nazi8%What Political Party Do Your Beliefs Put You In?created with QuizFarm.com

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-1149189704209906052006-06-01T13:21:00.000-06:002006-06-01T13:21:44.230-06:00

another test:Christianity83%Judaism54%Islam46%Buddhism46%agnosticism42%Paganism38%Hinduism25%Satanism8%atheism4%Which religion is the right one for you? (new version)created with QuizFarm.com

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-1149185983919935942006-06-01T12:19:00.000-06:002006-06-01T12:22:47.236-06:00

This is a test to see which theologian I am the most in agreement with.Karl Barth93%Anselm87%J�rgen Moltmann67%John Calvin67%Paul Tillich60%Martin Luther53%Augustine53%Charles Finney40%Friedrich Schleiermacher33%Jonathan Edwards27%Which theologian are you?created with QuizFarm.com

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-1149182178434829562006-06-01T11:14:00.000-06:002006-06-01T11:23:21.740-06:00

In a week I have to preach a sermon at a baptism service in our church. Two of the youth from the youth group that I lead have requested baptism and have gone through the catechism process. The scripture passage:Isaiah 6:1-8In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty; and the hem of his robe filled the temple. 2 Seraphs were in attendance above him; each

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-1149117708508037332006-05-31T17:10:00.000-06:002006-05-31T17:25:51.086-06:00

Karen and I are thinking about attending a non-Mennonite church when we are in Winnipeg. I'm a bit divided on the decision but I'm willing to give it a shot. We hope to find a place that is a) welcoming, b) has some people our age (mid-twenties), c) outreach oriented, d) social justice minded, e)blend of worship styles, and f) a good preacher.We know of one church that seems close to this

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-1148662883596490542006-05-26T10:56:00.000-06:002006-05-26T11:01:23.596-06:00

I turned 26 today and my lover, Karen (who also happens to be my wife), woke me up to a great breakfast - cooked egg and cheeze whiz on a bun... mmm..mmm... good. I realize that food is a good gift, but what is even cooler than food is a woman who will love me for who I am... and that itself is a work of God's grace. I am so lucky to have such a great person as my life-partner, I pray that God

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-1148662301099456172006-05-26T10:04:00.000-06:002006-05-26T10:51:41.233-06:00

I read this book as part of a book study in my home town. Our study group decided to take a look at Marcus Borg. He is an influential scholar in the search for the historical Jesus. I chose to read The Meaning of Jesus by Marcus Borg and N.T. Wright. I chose this book because I wanted a book by Borg that forces him to be in dialogue with those that disagree with him.Borg is of the opinion that

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-1147989170690365932006-05-18T15:31:00.000-06:002006-05-18T16:00:31.633-06:00

This week I had the priviledge of attending a four-day course pastor's course in Saskatoon, SK on the Spirituality of the sixteenth-century Anabaptists. The course was taught by C. Arnold Snyder, the Professor of Hisotry at Conrad Grebel University College in Kitchener-Waterloo, ON.Our textbook was Snyder's Following in the Footsteps of Christ: The Anabaptist Tradition.The course was a survey and

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-1147191603733595162006-05-09T10:03:00.000-06:002006-05-09T22:37:20.656-06:00

What the F--k!You piece of s--t!Swear words. They come in all variations. Most of them are four letters long, but there are some that are longer. They seem to deal mainly with genital-waste-type words, but there are also the 'religious' curse words, like Holy Mary Mother of God (most of these religious curses have a Catholic bent to them). As a Christian I was told never to say certain words

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-1146984244206925792006-05-07T00:35:00.000-06:002006-05-07T00:44:04.216-06:00

Every once in a while I will wonder whether or not I should join the Catholic Church. I'm very much for a church that is united and continues to work through its problems instead of protesting everything and splitting off. Some days I wonder whether or not the Radical Reformation had to have occurred. Mennonites don't raise the same issues that Luther did with Catholicism, and there seems to be a

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-1146585649313435352006-05-02T09:59:00.000-06:002006-05-02T10:00:49.336-06:00

This is an interesting article: http://www.christianity.ca/news/national/2006/01.001.htmlThere are numerous essays by our political leaders in Canada about how faith and politics interact, in their view. Let me know what you think? Who's response is the most helpful?

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-1146099666585010582006-04-26T18:54:00.000-06:002006-04-26T19:01:06.596-06:00

I'm getting really tired of going to meetings; especially meetings that are run poorly. There is nothing quite as aggravating as spending valuable time making sure that everyone at the meeting has read and fully understood the minutes, especially since they were circulated weeks prior to the meeting and could have been read and discussed (over email) beforehand.Another thing that makes me tired

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-1145774381249850182006-04-23T00:39:00.000-06:002006-04-23T00:39:41.260-06:00

On page 404 of Yoder's Preface to Theology he writes, "To unbelieving audiences the apostles told the Jesus story. To committed audiences they talked about what it means to be a follower of Jesus." This part made me wonder if I have been doing part of my youth ministry all wrong. You see, I divide my youth group up into age categories; the "junior" youth are kids from grades six to eight, and the

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-1145685385256697742006-04-21T23:53:00.000-06:002006-04-21T23:56:25.266-06:00

This guy in my youth group is the best guitarist I've met in a while. I remember when he could barely strum a chord, and now he kicks my butt! One day I'll hear about him making big bucks off his talent.Check his songs out: http://www.newgrounds.com/audio/view.php?id=836249&sub=48238Sorrows Shade and Crank are two of my favorites.... Let me know what you think...peace...

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-1145323348950350612006-04-17T19:20:00.000-06:002006-04-17T19:22:28.950-06:00

Here is a link to Harry J. Huebner's response to the criticisms of the 'ingrattitude' of the 3 rescued CPT'ers: http://cmu.ca/news/huebner_responds.html

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-1145322516130385682006-04-17T19:06:00.000-06:002006-04-17T19:11:12.420-06:00

This past Sunday I was invited to attend the baptism of the daughter of the Lutheran pastor in town. I enjoyed being part of a 'high-church' worship service. There were no bells, or billows of stinky smoke; but the pastor did sing some of the words - somebody should have told her that God created more than two notes to sing, and that they can be harmonized once in a while. It was a lot of fun,

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-1144987889567257042006-04-13T22:07:00.000-06:002006-04-13T22:14:19.980-06:00

I was reading some notes taken (http://al.feria.free.fr/StuartMurrayEmergentChurch.htm) on a lecture by Stuart Murray Williams, when something I read struck me. Williams was discussing the emerging church in the UK and its relations to the more institutional 'modern' church. The notes read, "we need to listen to each other and value each other.We need bilingual people who can speak both

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-1144612583792027872006-04-09T13:38:00.000-06:002006-04-09T14:03:35.510-06:00

This morning's sermon was entitled, "Palm Sunday". Some reflections on how this morning's lesson might inform this discussion on Christian pacifism:One way in which Christian pacifism is often criticized is that it doesn't take seriously enough Jesus' own social and political context. The argument goes something like this: Jesus was a rural figure and as such did not wield any kind of power that

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-1144289135536504532006-04-05T19:58:00.000-06:002006-04-05T20:05:35.550-06:00

The following appeared in the journal/magazine "Church and State" (Jan 2006 v59 i1 p3): "Indiana House prayers are too sectarian, says court. (Indiana House of Representatives)(Brief Article) A U.S. district court has ordered the Indiana House of Representatives to stop opening its sessions with sectarian prayers. On Nov. 30, U.S. District Judge David F. Hamilton ruled in Hinrichs v. Bosma that

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-1144112571601948772006-04-03T19:01:00.000-06:002006-04-03T19:07:17.720-06:00

The second part of this series will begin a series of apologies for Christian pacifism. Each of the following parts will focus on one of the most common objections to Christian pacifism by various groups.One of the common objections lies in the subject of the Trinity. The argument against Christian pacifism goes something like this:Christian pacifists get their ethics from an exclusive emphasis

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-1143555911082392172006-03-28T08:25:00.001-06:002006-03-28T08:25:11.086-06:00

In light of the release of the three Christian Peacemaker Team members, Norman Kember, Harmeet Sooden, and James Loney, I thought that it would be good to write some of my thoughts about Christian pacifism and how I understand what it means to answer the call of Jesus to be peacemakers and to love our enemies.But before I get into the discussion I think it would be helpful to share some of my own

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-1143431293028188742006-03-26T21:48:00.000-06:002006-03-26T21:48:13.053-06:00

Tonight I went out for coffee to our local 'fried chicken' restaurant. I thought I'd read a few more chapter's in Yoder's book I've been reading, and then touch up on the Catechism lesson I'm co-teaching with my friend Mark.When I got to the coffee shop and older man came over and sat at my table - the second time I've chatted with the guy.He's in his late seventies or early eighties. He attends

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-1143260211539961372006-03-24T22:16:00.001-06:002006-03-24T22:16:51.546-06:00

The snow in Rosthern is on its way out. The sun is shining, the temperature is warm, and the winds are blowing - perfect conditions for melting the blasted snow.Today I was offended by comments made on the radio talk show hosted by John Gormely. He was criticizing the Christian Peacemaker Team organization for not expressing adequate thanks to the military for rescuing them. Let me see, the

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-1143260210954855972006-03-24T22:16:00.000-06:002006-03-24T22:16:50.983-06:00

In bible college I was taught that in order to properly interpret passages from the OT it is important to focus on the OT context alone without automatically interpretting it through a NT lens. Some proffessors didn't use this approach, but it was definately the approach of Waldemar Janzen and Dan Epp-Thiessen.The chapter I finished reading in Yoder's "Preface to Theology" shows how the authors

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-1143139268670774342006-03-23T12:40:00.000-06:002006-03-23T20:17:23.850-06:00

I am so happy for this recent newsMay God continue to bring peace to this worn torn world.

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10971103.post-1142992008353385902006-03-21T19:44:00.000-06:002006-03-21T19:46:48.370-06:00

Karen keeps me closely watching,with her wavy waves of hair.I stare at a beautifully shaped face,and am drawn by her glimmering grace.Always laughter follows herand I am drawn into her loony spacea place where down is up and left is rightand her love for God shed's precious light.Rain-like her vibrance vaultsinto my heart and makes it burst,and thirst for more of her cheerfulness,giving me ample

D. Marco Funknoreply@blogger.com1