Wedding Celebration

On the weekend we celebrated the marriage of my beautiful sister-in-law, Angel Humfrey, to Brad Toews. Congratulations you guys!

**Addition: Here's a picture from their actual wedding. ***

Where Lululemon meets John Deere

Lately, I have been having fun comparing Torontonians in their 20's and 30's to Calgarians of the same age. Some of the things I observed are as follows (of course these are over-generalizations):

• Rich Torontonians love to wear elite name brands such as Gucci, Prada, etc., and poor Torontonians often go vintage/hippy/artsy with all sorts of strange combinations of clothes gathered from rare and unique clothing boutiques. Rich Calgarians prefer to wear the Lululemon style clothing that says, "I paid this much money to try to look like I'm not trying too hard," with an occasional John Deere purse. Poorer Calgarians wear mainstream American brands and Lululemon knock-offs.

• Black, beige, gray and white are the main color palate for Torontonians. You don't want to be different from anyone else (unless your a hippy/artsy type). Calgarians enjoy color, and the jet-setters are not afraid of over-the-top, straight-out-of-the magazine snazzy-ness.

• Most of our 20/30 something friends in Toronto are single or married without kids. They rent an apartment suite and drive an older car that's good on gas. They often switch from job to job or take breaks for further education. Most of our 20/30 something friends in Calgary own their own home, have 1.5 kids, drive a car plus an SUV or new pick up truck, and hold a steady job.

• In Toronto you never mention "the troops" unless it's in outrage over the war. In Calgary, people talk about joining the army and even pray for the troops.

• Torontonians love sleek and chic hair. Brown shades are vogue. Calgarians enjoy hair with a little more height. Volume and curl are vogue and you'd be hard pressed to find a woman without blonde highlights.

• Kids are the "greatest accessory" according to a Yorkville sign in Toronto. Kids are also the greatest accessory in Calgary...although you may see a few more baby Wranglers and chaps in the Calgary area.
  

• In Calgary, there are no children allowed in the play park without an adult. In Toronto, there are no adults allowed in the play park without children. (Honestly, that's what the sign says!)

• In Calgary, women wear dresses. In Toronto...well... you know.
  

Way of Life

Moving is always difficult, but especially when you are changing, not just location, but also culture and your function in that culture.

How difficult it is when you have set up your own 'way of life', to then have to adjust to someone else's 'way of life.' When you have designed a life that is unique to you, that is centered around you and your own particular enjoyments and comfort, it is so difficult to suddenly lose it. Especially when your previous 'way of life' is actually a careful carving out of who you are or who you desire to be. All of the things you do and the people you surround yourself with begin to become your identity.

When life is good, it is easy to be a "good"person, or even a "good Christian." It is easy to have joy and to be thankful. Your sin seems so small because you rarely indulge it, you are too happy to bother with base emotions such as anger, jealousy and pettiness.

When you are living this way, you cannot truly say with Paul, "It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me." If you were honest, you would have to say, "It is I who live, and Christ lives to serve me."

God can do nothing kinder than to shatter this 'way of life,' because it is a life of self-idolatry. But oh how painful! It is amazing how many grotesque sins appear in your heart, and then you wonder, "How can I have become so base?" until you realize that you have always been this base, but you just flattered yourself otherwise.

Have mercy on me,O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.
Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.
Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.
Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice.