I went to a party last weekend. I was chatting to a guy there and he asked me the usual question – “how do you know Nigel” (nigel was the host).

I said – “through the church.”

He said – “ooohhhh, well, do you know what my religion is?”

I said – “what?”         He said -  “shoes.”

I said “ooohhh”

He said – “how many pairs of shoes do you have?”

I said – “I don’t know, about 15.”

He said – “I have SEVENTY PAIRS OF SHOES. My dad just told me that if I bring one more pair into the house, he is going to kick me out.”

At this point I cracked up laughing.

I thought it was very funny and I still do – but on a more serious note. I read this line from Fight Club today.

“Our generation has had no Great Depression, no Great War. Our war is spiritual. Our depression is our lives.”

I can’t help but wonder is our spiritual war against these shoes. At the time I wanted to ask this guy if he had ever given any thought to where his fabulously expensive shoes are coming from. But my desire to be popular at parties ashamedly stopped me. Maybe I am as shallow as him. “Our war is spiritual. Our depression is our lives.”

Merridie invited me to this chaplaincy fund raiser dinner. I am not sure why, I don’t have any money and her and Tim are certainly not short of people to talk to. She told me I would make a good chaplain. I guess that is why she invited me. So there I am at table 19. Jennifer Kite (she’s on TV) sitting across from me and Tim Costello going on about his church dates with Kevin. I politely chat with the man next to me. Blah blah blah, “oh so your interested in policy?” Yes he replies I used to set the minimum wage. I think I was supposed to know who he was, but I didn’t. I was slightly overwhelmed but managed to keep conversation happening. They were serving lamb and some kind of beef. They put this extremely meaty plate in front of me. I was a bit nervous to make the “I am a vegetarian” scene but my friend next to me helped me out and made the scene for me. Phew, 9 years with out meat. That plate would not have exactly been easing back in. Anyway it was all a bit flashy but fun all the same. I don’t get to get dressed up so often down here.

Life goes around in circles. I just can’t get it to go straight.

Being broken is a wonderfully profound and beautiful concept until we actually have to come face to face with it and then it just hurts. I am definitely broken. Not in the profound sense, but in the sense of wishing I could be a completed puzzle again rather than all strewn into a thousand little pieces.  

yes, we can’t be happy all the time and recently I have definitely had my share of happiness but as I go to write about Alice Springs and how wonderful it was or the Matisyahu concert and how amazing he was, all I can feel is like a terrible person. David took me to dinner last night and bought some nice wine and reminded me as we were leaving that there is goodness in me – but I confess I can be an inconsiderate and selfish person. I hate those traits in other people but i hate them even more in myself.

God give me more wisdom and more discipline and more sensitivity. Amen.

I started reading “People Like Us” last night. It is written by Waleed Ally who is a pretty well known speaker/author in the Melbourne (maybe Australia). He writes and speaks about a lot of stuff but specifically about how the West and the Muslim world could dialogue better together. I have only read 25 pages but already I have had to look up 3 words including nomenclature, which is a system of words used in a particular science, art or community. So there you have it I am learning English words from a Muslim guy. Sure breaks down the whole notion that they don’t want to learn our language.

Anyway I started reading this book because Urban Seed was contacted by a lady from the City Mosque who wants to run a soup kitchen for homeless people. (We might need to teach her a new nomenclature to describe her vision, but that is OK). Because of my passion for interfaith stuff our admin person passed on her queries to me. I am really excited because we have tentatively started mapping out together some of the resources/training Urban Seed could offer them. I never thought in my wildest dreams that an opportunity like this would present itself. I really hope this was also God’s vision too because then if we work respectfully and mindfully it might actually get off the ground.