The Four Of Us

New Videos!

2011-12-26T18:48:00.000-08:00

Been almost two months since our last post...yikes! Here's a short one to alert you of two new videos posted above, one of our little Nell (days away from 1 year on planet earth) and one of our Dennis, picking up yet another musical instrument. Also, enjoy the new pictures on your right. Hope to post again soon, soon-ER.

My Schwoopie

2011-10-28T11:04:00.000-07:00

Ah, my wee little Nell... (yes, 'schwoopie' was referring to Nell, my 10-month old...) I found out yesterday-- after visiting a new mama with a 5-day old, 6 lb baby-- that Nell isn't exactly so 'wee' anymore. I can't fool myself any longer. She's out of the womb-like behavior, doing some speed crawling, even starting to wrestle with her need for some independence from Mama-- a seriously hard thing for me to swallow.

I'm kind of joking, but we're definitely at a transition point with our kiddos. Up until now, my physical attention has been all on Nell, while my daily life, outings, schedule have revolved around Big Brother. When we went out, she was popped into the wrap or Ergo, and there she stayed: through the walks, the parks, the cafes, the playdates. She wanted me, and wanted me close, and everything else revolved around Dennis' wants. Suddenly she's bursting with life, energy, laughter, and opinions. It's so refreshing and wonderful, yet challenging to suddenly realize that we need to revolve our outings around Nell also, on where she can play and crawl, taking into account that she doesn't want to stay squished close to Mama for hours on end, nor is she entertained by the music in the car for long stretches like somebody else we know.

And then preschool entered our lives. Ah, yes, the warmly-welcomed preschool. I was ambivalent about sending D anywhere, until I found The Preschool. The most wonderful, beautiful little preschool, that is a perfect fit for our lives and our parenting philosophy. It's totally play-based, emergent curriculum (emergent meaning that which emerges naturally from a child... activities that the child would naturally be interested in and learn on their own). Very 'hands-off' on the teachers part, staying small in the room and yard, except during guitar-time or when a child seems to need some snuggling. The teachers are super intentional about the way they speak to the children and letting the children problem-solve on their own as much as possible, giving them words to use when they can't find their own. All of it is just so intentional, which is exactly what I (didn't know I) was looking for.

I'm just so pleased with where we're at, how each stage floats fairly gently into the next. As Nell transitions into a new life stage, so does Dennis. Granted, it doesn't feel like that every day, as we have many incidents of sibling tackling (I'm sure you can guess who does the tackling) and crying fits. Sometimes I can't go to the bathroom without N chasing me, crying for MaaaMaaa, or wanting to stick her hand in the toilet. D has some serious pizazz that isn't always easy to channel in the right direction...But my kids, oh my kids. They give me so much life, and teach me so much about the world. I tell myself I'm teaching them, but I know deep down it's the opposite, and I'm cool with that.

Back Again

2011-10-08T19:32:00.000-07:00

I thought the blog had been all but abandoned, and yet I find myself unusually inspired on this sleepy Saturday. Unusually inspired to reflect and share my life... even if just with myself. I just finished catching up on a great friends blog--a great friend that lived a few doors from us in Montreal-- and I'm feeling all gushy and emotional as I ponder our move from Montreal to Huntington Beach, unsure whether the gratitude or mourning is winning in their little game of tug-of-war.

Ah, parenting. I don't have to say much more, I suppose. We made a huge transition, going from a very flexible schedule (essentially both of us working part-time) to me being a full-time momma and Denny jumping back into a full load of teaching. Some days I marvel at the ease of it all; others... I don't quite match up to my standards. It is a transition.

Back to that good friend's blog... sigh. We lived down the street from a wonderful couple and their daughter and they were the greatest models of parenting for us. It was all that we were (and are!) striving for, lived out. But really, I miss them. I miss having peers that I connect with on so many levels and whose parenting truly reflects all they believe and practice spiritually. It's beautiful, and it was nice to reconnect with that through their blog. I have to remind myself that it exists here, I just haven't found it yet. And further, I'm not going to find them here, just as I can't recreate Montreal here. Darn. I'm not too good at coming to grips with those facts nor do I want to just yet...

How about a little joyful update to follow the mourning?

Nell: my sweet, sweet Nellie. She is such a light. She's crawling like crazy, wanting to stand anywhere and everywhere, and loves to scrunch up her nose and laugh. So cute. I still love snuggling her at night, even if it means those extra wake-ups.

Dennis is his same, spunky self. He's got some serious pizazz, as I like to call it. He's still rockin' out on his guitar, keyboard, and harmonica (prefers the guitar), and is as chatty as can be from the second he's up to the second he's down. Social through and through, though he loooves him a video at 'Ganya's'.

That's enough. More will follow...someday.

Another Montreal Reflection (#6)

2011-06-30T12:33:00.000-07:00

I knew that no matter how I approached it, attempting to bring some healthy closure to our time in Montreal would make long-windedness inevitable. I also knew that any attempt I made would fall short of accurately conveying the multitude of emotions, thoughts, and experiences we had out here. So, I've tried to bring some closure by packaging, some of the lessons we've learned into tidy little blog posts. The hope was that these lessons would become more portable and thus applicable in our new lives out here in California.

For this post, I'm continuing in the same vein as the others. All of them have more or less revolved around the idea of self-knowledge and calling. One tool for self-knowledge that I've been fascinated with over the past year has been the Enneagram. Basically the word means a chart (gram) of nine (ennea). The Enneagram maps out nine different personality types by defining them according to their "capital" sin. Richard Rohr, in his book The Enneagram: A Christian Perspective, defines the nine types as follows:

#1: The Need to Be Right

#2: The Need to Be Loved

#3: The Need to Succeed

#4: The Need to Be Special

#5: The Need to Perceive

#6: The Need for Security

#7: The Need to Avoid Pain

#8: The Need to Be Against

#9: The Need to Avoid

The nine types can be defined negatively or positively. The idea with the Enneagram is that although you may feel that several types apply to you, there is one that is underneath all the others. This one type is the root of all the different ways your specific behavior can manifest itself. Needless to say, it isn't always easy figuring out what your type is. Although I've heard stories of people reading a type and being completely convicted and ashamed by how accurately it described them, this was not at all the case for me. Over the past year I've read a number of books on the subject and even taken a standardized test in hopes of further understanding myself. I can say pretty confidently now what my type is now but it's been a year-long journey!

One other detail about the enneagram that I should include before I end this post is the possibility of having a "wing". A wing can be one or both of the two types neighboring whatever type you believe yourself to be. For example, if you're a three, you could have a two-wing, a four-wing, or both (depending on which Enneagram theorist you ask!). Your wing cannot be a five if you think you're a two, or vice versa. Having a wing can help clarify some things if you're having trouble finding your type. It definitely did for me.

So, that's all for now on the Enneagram. I have a few more things to say on that before I start catching up with all the latest current events of our newfound California lives. Hope you're still out there!

Montreal Reflection #5: Change

2011-06-05T12:02:00.000-07:00

At the end of the interview with Peter Coyote from The Sun Magazine, the interviewer asks him what he would tell himself if he could go back in time. Coyote lists off a string of one-liners, giving his young self advice on various things. One that stuck out for me was "Things will take four-times longer than you think they will."

This is something that has been difficult to accept and learn. Just as it was difficult to accept Mark Scandrette's assertion that you're inevitably egotistical in your twenties, I've had a hard time giving in to the fact that change, especially when dealing with personal change, does not happen according to our own timing and strategies.

These past three years I've searched in vain for a shortcut to change or "a better me". I thought it could be found in serving the poor, the outcasts and rejected-ones, or in contemplative prayer, immersed in solitude and silence. Or maybe in the hidden symbolism of my dreams, through Jungian psychology. In the arts, in nature, in theology, in marriage and parenthood, in travel...I've dabbled in all of these things in one way or another these past three years in hopes of finding THE path. Of course, finding THE path was pretty much impossible. Finding MY path, however, has been an encouraging, although tedious, process. In fact, I'd say one major lesson learned from our time out here is that there are many paths to THE place God calls each one of us. This can be frustrating to twenty-somethings trying to pin God and the entire world down to one formula, even one that champions social justice! I've learned to take joy in the fact that we're all gifted in mysterious ways, sometimes more unknown to ourselves than anyone else, and that those gifts are unique and irreplaceable.

Montreal Reflection Part 4: Calling

2011-06-04T18:45:00.000-07:00

I do believe in such a thing as calling. Quotes like the ones cited in the previous post contain the notion of calling very clearly. The very word vocation, which stems from a latin verb meaning "to call", comes from our own Christian tradition. We all know people who embody a certain calling so well that there's no doubt about their purpose in life. Because of my insatiable thirst for self-knowledge these past few years, I've shed a lot of blood, sweat, and tears trying to figure what the hell my calling is. In fact, although I do believe in the notion of calling, I've often despised it for its elusiveness in my own life. I have taken heart, however, in what a good friend recently told me concerning calling. He said, "A calling is something that calls you; you don't call it." In the end, I've come to resonate very much with the famous words, "I still haven't found what I'm looking for" (a line from someone who ironically seems to have a very clear calling). Indeed, this refrain along with its beautifully haunting melody, has carried me through moments of deep confusion about my own path in life.

Part 3: Self-Knowledge

2011-06-03T08:58:00.001-07:00

Now, I don't pretend to know anything about the second half of life. I'm not there yet. If you look at things in terms of years, I guess around 35 you'd be reaching the top of the mountain, so to speak. So, I still have a good seven years to go. Seven more years to keep "buliding my tower", to keep searching for my identity, and further define my place in the world. These past three years in Montreal have definitely been full of that.

We came out here in order to explore and further form our identites as individuals and as a family. At the end of this time, I'd say we definitely got what we were hoping for. However, I'd also say that such things did not come at the rate or in the quantity that I myself originally hoped for. I think Lauren might say something similar for herself. To give a personal example, self-knowledge was something I avidly pursued the entire time we've been out here. I've continually been thirsty to know who I really am and what I am to do in this life, and I've hoped that this time in Montreal would provide the answers I was looking for. I've pondered quotes like Howard Thurman's, "Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive" And then later Frederick Buechner's impossible yet awe-inspiring line, "The place where God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet." And I've asked God, really? Is that really true? Is there such a place for me in this world?

A Montreal Reflection (#2):The Two Halves of Life

2011-05-31T10:36:00.000-07:00

I wrote down many things that Mark Scandrette told me in my journal shortly after our meeting. He definitely had wisdom and I was hungry for it. Still, what he told me about the 20s, about that season of life being inevitably concerned with the ego, put a bit of a damper on all my wisdom-seeking. I believe I was 26 at the time (apparently right in the middle of the ego-trip). Although it was discouraging to hear this at a time when I was hoping to skip over all that growth and development crap and get right to the good stuff (i.e. sainthood?), it was also a relief to hear such a thing. After all, he not only said that it was just a season but also quite necessary. Was it necessary to retain some selfishness, to even build on that selfishness, for this part of my life? Wow! I think this was a bit too much for me to take in initially. However, as time has gone on and I've come across other people suggesting something similar, this perspective has begun to sum up a lot for me and this Montreal experience.

One example would be Richard Rohr, Franciscan priest and renowned authority on spirituality. He has spoken and written a lot about what he calls the two halves of life (www.fallingupwardbook.com/video). When I attended a retreat lead by him last November he made reference to this many times. He explained it primarily through a diagram with a mountain on it; the upward slope signified the first half of life and the downward slope, the second half. The first half was inevitably about creating your own identity, defining your place in the world, distinguishing yourself from others. The second half, the downward slope, was about letting the identity you've created crumble and be replaced by an even deeper identity founded in a sort of weakness and surrender. Sounds easier said than done, but, according to Richard Rohr, this is the pattern of a life well-lived.

I found this pattern well-illustrated in a quotation I very recently read by Peter Coyote from an interview with him that appeared in the June issue of The Sun Magazine (thesunmagazine.org). He said, "I've reached the place where I do what I do, not because I think I will win, but because it's the only way I know how to be human." There you have it! The two halves of life! The first half about winning, the second about just being, being human.

A Reflection on Our Montreal Experience (#1)

2011-05-29T09:51:00.000-07:00

A couple summers ago, after our first of three years in Montreal, we were in San Francisco for my cousin's wedding. I had recently heard about a man in San Francisco named Mark Scandrette who had visited the church we were part of in Montreal a few years ago. Without going into much detail, he was a man who seemed to follow in the footsteps of Jesus with a uniqueness and intensity I'd never encountered before. Needless to say, I wanted to meet this guy! I emailed the organization that he started (Reimagine.org) to see if I could meet with someone from there. I was delighted when Mark himself responded and agreed to meet me at a cafe in the Mission District while I was in SF. It had the makings of meeting a guru in an ashram. So, I sat with Mark in this cool cafe located in an ethnic melting-pot you only find in big cities. We talked for 2 1/2 hours or so and I asked him about anything I could think of. One thing he said, that has continued to come up in my mind from time to time, has particular insight and relevance concerning my reflection on our Montreal experience. He told me that as long as you're in your twenties, you can't get past your ego. You can't skip over this part of your life where the world still more or less revolves around you. There are no easy shortcuts. It is a necessary season of life.

New Adventures!

2011-05-13T14:23:00.000-07:00

If you're still out there somewhere, hello! and thanks for your perseverance through a long blog drought, possibly the longest on record since we started this three years ago! Our apologies for keeping you waiting. So, yes, it's been three years that we've been out here in Montreal, and I'm sure by now you've heard that we'll be saying goodbye soon to our adopted city and heading back to our California roots. Preparing for such a transition with two young kids on our hands is an immense task, as I'm learning more and more with each day that passes.

As of now, our plan is to fly to Arizona on June 11th to spend some time with Lauren's parents, Sarah and Randy, and then drive to California in Lauren's car (which her parents kindly kept for us!) a week or so later. We'll then stay with my mom and brother (full house!) while we start looking for jobs and housing. Our hope is that we can move into an apartment in Long Beach (Belmont Heights area) in August. Of course, heading home with two kids, no jobs and very, very little money to our name makes it a bit discouraging/frightful when we look at the numbers. So, I'm doing what I can to get a teaching job next year (I know what you're thinking...) and L has a few tricks up her sleeve as well.

We're trying to strike the age-old balance between faith and initiative, "God will provide" and "God helps those who help themselves". Two adages that seem to conflict, eh?

Anyway, that's the plan for now and, as usual, we appreciate your prayers and support. This already is and will continue to be an exciting, exhausting transition into a new season of our lives, and we welcome the continuing adventure despite the challenges therein.

Oh, March! It's a Pinch!

2011-03-02T09:39:00.000-08:00

Yes, we've come to that time of year again when the generous Christmas donations run out and most people (understandably so) aren't feeling the desire yet to extend their generosity to us once more. It's an adventurous time, to put it positively. Lauren and I get really good at tightening the belt and using all of those funny odds and ends in the kitchen that would otherwise be forsaken to an eternity on the shelf or in the back of the cupboard. We're thankful for the surplus which has now become essential and for the chance to be more efficient; it's nice to feel a lot of gratitude for small joys and be more focused on day-to-day life.

On the other hand, it is still very much winter in Montreal, although March is upon us, and it will continue to be winter for another month! Uggh! When you don't have much money and it's too cold to stay outside for long, you have to use your creativity and imagination to pass the hours with two youngsters on your hands. On top of that, Dennis has had some sort of strange illness for the last week that has appeared, disappeared, and reappeared several times. Is it a cold, a fever, an ear infection, a toothache, a combination of these? We've made all these guesses. He slept good last night, however, and we're hoping we're out of the woods. Our sweet little Nell is developing opinions, which is exciting, but can be quite tiring as well, especially when her opinions have to do with sleep. She also likes to smile a lot and converse with us through her beautiful cooing, so a little extra wakey time isn't so bad after all.

All in all, we're hanging in there, hoping our financial resources increase over the next few months and giving a lot of time and thought to our future plans. I'll stop here, and save some steam for the next post...à bientôt!

hello...

2011-02-18T13:29:00.000-08:00

Just writing a quick update for all you who wait with bated breath for the next blog post from the FlanClan (ehhum, hi mom). Nell Lavender is approaching two months and we continue to fall more and more in love with her. Dennis is officially obsessed with anything that plays music, has lights, or buttons. Thus, the DVD/CD player that my mom gave him (thanks, mom) is his very close friend. He also puts on concerts with his guitar sometimes that are absolutely amazing. I have to admit that I'm getting excited about his undeniable love of music!

I went back to work about two weeks ago, so Lauren has been at home with the two kids, learning that new reality. She's doing great so far, especially amidst the austere Montreal winter. She still has two more births to attend and a few more projects/book reports to complete her doula apprenticeship. We're hoping to get to those in the spring. As for work with YWAM, things have been really crazy. I won't get into all the details, but both our Urban Cultures School and YWAM Montreal itself has taken a beating these past few months. Nonetheless, we're moving forward, learning from our mistakes, feeling more united and more positive about the next few months.

So, there it is. It's not much but it's all I can muster at this point. I hope to post again soon!

Nell Videos

2011-01-26T18:57:00.000-08:00

Two new videos up of our one-month-old Nell on our youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/dflashflan18?feature=mhum

Right On!

2011-01-23T08:14:00.000-08:00

Below I'm going to paste a page of David Brazzeal's blog entitled "following". David and Sanan are the founders of our church community out here, Curieux, and now live in Paris. I found the following quite inspiring in its simple, balanced, straightforward reasoning.

I consider myself a follower of Jesus...
I follow him in a variety of ways…

I follow Jesus in his simplicity…

He lived a very simple life…didn’t own much, treaded gently on the earth…me, I’m trying to learn how to do that.

I follow Jesus in his creativity…

He was a creative story teller…he spoke in riddles and enigmas…He left people with something to ponder…He was practically a performance artist, knowing that walking into a room and washing feet was more powerful than a lecture on humility.

I follow Jesus in his compassion for the poor…the marginalized…the oppressed….

He seemed to prefer “hanging out” with this group much more than the rich or the spiritual leaders of the day. You can’t read the stories of Jesus w/out this jumping off the page. This is not natural for me (being a middle-class, middle-age, white, male) but I’m learning to follow him in this… by contributing to and volunteering with organizations that help the poor…by treating them like fellow human beings when I see them and by caring extra money to give to them. .

I follow Jesus as spiritual mystic…

Jesus spent long hours alone staying connected to his Father…he frequented gardens and hilltops to find a bit of solitude…So I’m learning to pull away from the distraction and make time to reconnect with him…to meditate…to give thanks…to contemplate…to intercede…to lament…to rejoice…to be silent.

I follow Jesus as someone who enjoyed life…

He had deep friendships…loved to journey together with them and talk on the road…he went to lots of parties…loved and cared deeply for people…So I am learning to be a companion to my friends on the journey…to enjoy long conversations at parties and to love and care for people.

Dispatch from the Northeastern Front...

2011-01-15T10:52:00.000-08:00

Denny, here. Sorry for the war terminology in the title...but at times things do get a little intense with two kids on our hands. Our lovely Nell was born almost three weeks ago, and as our babymoon comes to an end, two young kids and winter set in simultaneously. C'mon, couldn't we have timed this a little better? What about a spring baby?...One that you can whisk away into the great outdoors without having to put fifteen extra layers on? And the D-man is smack dab in the middle of his twos--headstrong, determined, and creative as ever--reaching new heights (literally) most the time in our kitchen.

Okay, the italics rant was a little therapeutic venting. Sorry to expose you to such honesty. Anyone who's had children I'm sure will understand...? Needless to say, things are getting crazy and we're all learning some good lessons. I've recently started reading my first parenting book, Kids are worth it!, by Barbara Coloroso. In fact, it's been one of the most challenging, inspiring, immediately applicable books I've ever read (and I'm only through chapter three). I'll end this muddy blog post with a quote from that book that hits it on the head for me right now.

"Who of us is mature enough for offspring before the offspring themselves arrive? The value of marriage is not that adults produce children but that children produce adults."

-Peter de Vries

Amen, brotha!

Nell Lavender

2011-01-09T12:33:00.000-08:00

So, it's been too, too long since our last blog. Here's a short one announcing the arrival of our lovely daughter Nell Lavender on Dec. 28th at 1:30 in the afternoon right in our bedroom.

The birth experience was amazing (although a bit longer than we anticipated!), our midwife was phenomenal, and Lauren especially was an all-star. It was a privelege to witness and be a part of such an intense, trying, wonderful birth. Welcome, Nell!

A Special Advent

2010-12-01T04:20:00.001-08:00

"We are told to put on Christ, and we think of his life of work, his public life, his teaching and his suffering life. But we do not think enough of his life as a little child, as a baby. His helplessness. His powerlessness. We have to be content to be in that state too--not to be able to do anything, to accomplish anything."

Dorothy Day

This Advent, which literally means "coming", we're waiting with the whole Christian church for the coming of Christ as a crying, sputtering, fleshy little baby. With the due date for our second child just around the corner, Lauren and I feel an added significance and anticipation this year. We will experience once again the holy, earthy, beautiful, messy experience of what it means to give life and to care for it, and the blessing of doing this at a special time of year. Of course, we're anxious, nervous, a bit uptight about it all. Sometimes it feels like trying to anticipate an earthquake; there's only so much preparation possible, and then it's just anxious waiting. And the added stressors surrounding our ever-challenging financial situation and distance from family at such a special/challenging time do not make the waiting very care-free. However (and there's always a "however"), we do feel blessed to be doing what we're doing out here in Montreal, and to welcome our baby into this world in our very own apartment, and to become a a family of four! for our second snowy Christmas in Montreal. Dorothy C. Bass describes Advent as"quiet but expectant, leaning, as if heavy with child, into the future." I don't think that description is too far from our own experience at this extra special time.

There's no such thing as a free...baby

2010-10-30T12:18:00.000-07:00

So, once again it's been too long... can I use the pregnancy excuse on this one? (this is Lauren speaking, of course...) I've hit 34 weeks and can hardly believe that a baby could be coming just around the bend. Excited, nervous, bewildered, amazed, slightly scared (mostly of sleepless nights, I admit), we're going through it all. Every book and magazine we read we're scouring for names, we officially moved in a friend's changing table and newborn diapers we're borrowing, and we have our home visit appointment with our midwife this Tuesday. I'm convinced it's real now...in case the slight increase on the scale and in my midsection hadn't already got me. Mostly, I'm balancing an intense excitement and amazement at what this will mean to go through the power of labor and birth again, accepting a new child into our family, with a sober confrontation of the reality that a harsh winter with two kids and no extended family may be a bit of a challenge.

In the meantime, I've immersed myself in a birthing culture other than my own little reality-- that of doula-dom. I went through the amazing experience of a one-week intensive in July (my first time away from my little Dennis-man!), where I met incredible women with a passion for life and redeeming an often-lost rite of passage for women. Since then, I've had the honor of attending the births of three women, including prenatal and postpartum appointments. Two were through a volunteer doula organization, Montreal Birth Companions, that does a fabulous job at pairing low-income (often alone or in need of some extreme sort) women with experienced doulas, volunteering their time. For me as a student doula, I worked with someone else for both of these births. The third birth I attended was an apprenticeship birth with the inspiring woman that trained me, a woman who has been working for years at this profession and built up a name in such a way she's had the chance to offer courses to nurses and resident ob/gyn's on how to give a woman emotional support in labor. It's been quite a ride, with emotional ups and downs in seeing the beauties of birth as well as the difficult parts of a sometimes-aching birthing culture, as well as the reality of many women going through this event (and child-rearing) all alone. It hurt at times to not have the power to change much, to just be there, hold a hand, and affirm a woman's decisions despite what those decisions might be. It hurt to see a doctor break down a woman's energy and motivation by her words, and it hurt to see unnecessary interventions lead to other unnecessary interventions and the conclusion of a doc saying, "I told you so..". But, to see a child enter the world... to see the mom holding her precious life she's worked so hard for... to be able to empower a woman through the birth experience regardless of what it looked like... and to see a father cry.... Let's just say it's been worth the bumpy ride, and I'm in. =) I still have two more births to attend as well as a variety of projects, book reports, etc. before I'm a certified doula, so we'll see how that plays out with the upcoming birth of my own babe, but I'm in and I'm going for it, and have learned so much valuable information to use towards my own family in the meantime. I could definitely use some prayers regarding all of this!

Another large concern now is, of course, financial. We feel so blessed to be living where we are as our medical care is free. However, we've been brought down to earth in realizing that that's not the only cost of having a child! There are diapers to buy, winter baby clothes to buy, good food that I will need to eat to sustain and nourish this little one, etc, etc. Maybe I'll take the time to soon post a list of specific needs. Somehow, someway, we've continually gotten by, however simply, on so many of your beautiful and generous financial gifts. Every month comes, rent is due, and most of the time we don't know where it's coming from-- but it has come. We're still here, and we're still deeply enjoying our lives and our work here. I ask, though, from a deep place of humility and gratitude, that you consider helping us out, whether it be for the first time or once again, a small one-time gift, or maybe a monthly commitment: whatever you feel drawn to and are capable of. We couldn't be doing this without you, and won't be able to make it through this winter here without you. Look at the previous post for specific instructions on how you can give, and like I said, I'll post a list of specfic needs and instructions in the next blog (coming soon, I promise!). Thanks for listening, giving, praying.

Hello, Seaside!

2010-09-26T07:48:00.001-07:00

To coincide with our new youtube video showing at our home church, Seaside, this sunday, we decided to write a short, honest blog about some of our present financial challenges in order to create more awareness and gain more support.

Let me begin by saying that our experience out here in Montreal has been one of great freedom where we are continually learning so much about God, ourselves, our family, and society in general. This freedom to live in a new place, experience a new culture, and yet meet the same God doing amazing things, has been unforgettable.

However, with all of our freedom, there is plenty of risk, which mostly has to do with finances. Although this too has been an amazing area to see God's provision as he answers our needs, we are often discouraged by the immense financial challenges facing us month to month. Basic expenses like rent, food, utilities and transportation are really what it comes down to.

Being our third year in Montreal and the last year of our commitment as staff with YWAM, we are presently discerning whether this financial reality is reasonable for us as a growing family. We take joy in the freedom but are often quite burdened by the financial realities. Nonetheless, we do have a considerable amount of time before our commitment ends and thus need the resources to see it all the way through.

Please consider supporting us through this next school year (from October to June) as we continue learning and seeking God's will for our future.

If you prefer to receive a tax deductible receipt for your donation, send a check to Seaside Community Church (21521 Surveyor Circle Huntington Beach, CA 92646) made out to Seaside with our names in the memo. We have also set up an account online (www.paypal.com/sendmoney) where, using our email address(delaluz18@gmail.com), you can follow the simple steps on the website in order to set up a paypal account and transfer money to our paypal account immediately (takes about 5 minutes).

A Week to Remember

2010-09-11T09:14:00.000-07:00

Well, our friends Josh and Lindsay just left this morning on a bus bound for Burlington, Vermont and then on to two flights that will take them back to California. They stayed with us for an entire week (Saturday to Saturday) and I'm pretty confident when I say that it was a special experience for all involved.
Over a year ago, when we had decided to come back to Montreal for two more years, Josh and Lindsay swore to us that they would somehow make it out here to visit within that two-year time frame. They said that they knew it would happen if they promised us. They stayed true to their word and made it happen; and we sure are happy they did.
Our great week was capped last night (Friday, the 10th) by a truly Montrealesque-type evening. We started with dinner at O. Noir (French for "in the dark") where we enjoyed a one-of-a-kind dining experience. O. Noir is a restaurant that started in order to create jobs for the blind where you basically eat in the dark. When I say dark, I mean pitch-black, can't-see- absolutely-anything kind of dark. Click on the link above link to learn more about how it works. We recommended this place to Josh and Lindsay as a great date experience for them, but when they found out that we had never been, they insisted on a double date, their treat. Lauren and I couldn't resist! We thoroughly enjoyed our sight-deprived yet taste-enhanced, delicious meals. We then re-entered the visible world and proceeded to "wash down" our meals at Dieu du Ciel and Fairmont Bagel (two signature Montreal locations!). Needless to say, it was an evening to remember; a great finish to a really enjoyable week. In fact, the generosity shown by Josh and Lindsay last night was indicative of the entire week. In more ways than one, Lauren and I felt so blessed and gifted to have them as our guests. I've coined a new word to describe this experience: guestpitality. If a good host is hospitable, Lindsay and Josh are very guestpitable. They made dinner for us several times, got out and enjoyed the city on their own (we loved hearing them practice their French!), took care of Dennis, and shared great conversations with us throughout the week. Their genuine interest in our work out here (and generous support of it!) have left us with a profound gratitude for our friendship with them.
Thanks, Josh and Lindsay, for a beautiful week. We were blessed by your coming!

Summer Wrap-Up

2010-08-27T12:21:00.001-07:00

Whoa, it's been a while! And a lot has happened in between! We've finally settled in for the school year, back in our beautiful city, Montreal. We had quite a summer. Counting layovers, I think Dennis took 10 flights and a few road trips to boot in the past 4 months. That ups his total to somewhere around 30 flights, most of them within the first two years of his life. So, we did it. We survived an extra-crazy summer and are glad to be homebodies again in our lively, colorful, vibrant city.
We got back to Montreal on August 8th and then welcomed Jimmy and my Mom a few days after that. For an entire week, we were able to share our Montreal lives with them and catch up on all those things you never get to on the phone/email/skype. One of my highlights was taking my little bro on a tour of some of the best pubs and beers Quebec has to offer. He kept asking, "Where's the Bud Light Lime?" as he grimaced down another swig of some frothy stout. I was proud to introduce him to beer as it was meant to be.
(Awkward transition forthcoming...)Lauren is coming along nicely with our next little bugger. She is now closing in on 6 months. We met with our midwife a few weeks ago, and Lauren will most likely choose to have the baby at home. The birthing center will come to us and it's all free! Oh, Canada!
So, now, as we settle in, Lauren will be busy completing her apprenticeship as a doula and I will be preparing for our next UCDTS (we're expecting 11 students! double the number of the last two years!). We're both excited and enthusiastic about what all of this will entail.
Lastly, if you would like to compete with our friends from the Orient (who are so dedicated in leaving such edifying comments on our blog posts; check the whopping 14 comments on the previous post), please say hello and tell us you love us. We can't read Chinese anyhow.

Two new videos...

2010-07-16T07:16:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone,
For some reason our video bar still isn't displaying our latest videos, so here's the link for three fresh ones. Enjoy.
Denny

Family Monastics

2010-07-14T07:28:00.000-07:00

This summer we're sort of like a monastery unto ourselves. We're pretty isolated out here in Omaha and our focus is simple and clear. Our family life right now is comparable to the monastic life of the richest tradition in western monasticism, the Benedictine Order. The order has been around since the Rule of Benedict (amazing document) was written in the 6th century. The Rule prescribes three basic duties for the monks, summed up in the latin phrase ora et labora. This means pray and work. The three activities that would fill their everyday as monks were communal prayer (aka liturgical prayer), solitary prayer (through lectio divina), and manual labor.

Although, to be honest, there's not much formal prayer going on over here (except when Dennis insists that we pray several times during meals), we do have a considerable amount of solitude and time for reflection as I pursue my studies. One great, very unique characteristic of my masters program is how much it encourages reflection. Most people in academia are largely concerned with acquiring more knowledge; so, this is rare to be urged to reflect on the knowledge you are receiving or already have. Another great highlight of my program so far is that because we are so disconnected out here, so distanced from other obligations, both Lauren and I are able to reflect on my studies together. In fact, Lauren has been able to read a few of the books and articles from my classes along with me. We've been able to have some great discussions because of that. The manual labor aspect of our lives out here is evident in the fact that we do not have a car (extremely rare in Omaha) and so we ride our craigslist bikes everywhere. Unfortunately, Omaha, although it's in the middle of the "heartland", is quite hilly and hot in the summer. And when you're on a bike, those hills seem like mountains.

We're a little over half-way through our summer out here and, although it has definitely not been without its moments of loneliness, I'd say we have been able to embrace the simplicity and be thankful for such a time and opportunity. I know I myself am thankful, especially to my wife, for the gift she's given me in allowing me to do this program while she courageously cares for Dennis and the little one germinating in her belly. As the hip-hop world might say, what a soldier!

Omaha, School, and a Heartbeat...

2010-06-30T15:28:00.000-07:00

Hello All,
So, we've been in Omaha for nearly a month now, and feel like we've adapted quite well. I'm very busy with school stuff (right now I'm taking classes in Spirituality and Social Concerns and History of Christian Spirituality), and we don't have internet at the apartment. As you can imagine, blogging has not been easy. Nonetheless, we are having some really great experiences out here and can't wait to share them with you, through blogging, in person, or however. Thanks for checking in.
The Fam!
P.S. Heard a heartbeat the other day in Lauren's belly! #2 is on his/her way! December 13th guess date. That's a good guess, being my dad's birthday!

New video!

2010-06-09T12:43:00.000-07:00

Check it out at www.youtube.com/dflashflan18
Another coming soon...

Big News, Busy Days

2010-06-05T17:54:00.000-07:00

I can't believe all that has come and gone, and that I sit and write this update in our apartment in Omaha, Nebraska. Somehow, we've pulled it off...all the traveling, details, planning, applying, searching, packing, celebrating, visiting... and we're here 9 days before Denny will be starting his Master's degree in Christian Spirituality at Creighton. Wow. We were SO fulfilled and blessed by our trip home to California (and "home" to Hawaii!) and although it wasn't nearly enough time with our loved ones, we soaked it up as much as we could.
I was able to see my new nephew Nathan (my sister's adorable 4-month old) and his oh-so-big sister Lily-- nothing beats seeing Dennis and Lily play together, hug each other, kiss each other, and of course fight a little with each other. =) My parents (Ganya and Paka to Dennis; he chose the names, don't ask...)were able to come pick us up at the airport and stay with us for a week, including going to see Kate and Steve (sister and brother-in-law). I craved more time with my sis and my parents, but it was still so much fun. We had many a good days and evenings with the Manthorne clan and, again, it's priceless to watch Dennis with his cousins. He absolutely LOVES Kaili and Kaci and is hilarious with little Kelsi, who is only one week younger. They acted a bit like an old married couple. In fact, according to Dennis all three are just named 'Kaci'. It's easier that way, right? We even fit in seeing close friends like Karen and Tim (my best friend since high school)--expecting a baby in October, hooray!!-- , Josh and Lindsay, Kimmy Curt, and many great people at Seaside Community Church. All of this goes without mentioning our incredible hostess Ganya Lolo. =) We spent the whole 3 weeks with Lois, including a flight to and week in Hawaii!

Okay, back up. Before I overwhelm you and go into all the gushy details of Hawaii: the enormous house that slept about 20 of us, awesome friends Robbie and Chantelle, Lyn and Yvette, Barry and Linda, Uncle Jim and Aunt Bonnie, Uncle Jimmy the Graduate, the ocean out our living room window...just to name a few... I seemed to have forgotten the 'Big News' I spoke of in the blog title.. somewhere mixed up in these events, on Mother's Day fittingly enough, we announced to our families that there's another little one on the way! Let me make this easy for those of you who skim through these much-too-long blogs: LAUREN IS PREGNANT!! =) I'm almost 13 weeks prego as I sit here writing this blog, and needless to say it's been an interesting ride doing all this traveling and being in the first trimester . We're so excited, knew it was going to happen yet still can't believe it, and we were so OVERJOYED to find out and be able to share the news with our families and friends while we were home. I wish I could have told my sister and parents in person, but we were able to make a great announcement at a Mother's Day brunch with Todd & Kristi and the girls, GG (Grandma Mary Bell), and Lois, and then again with our loved ones during a toast in our first night in Hawaii.
So, for the details: December 14 is looking like the due date (the day after Dennis Michael I's birthday!) and the baby will be born in Montreal. We're going to have a little Canadian! We couldn't be more thrilled, but recognize we have a lot on our plate. (All you parents are nodding your heads right now, aren't you?) Denny will be fully involved in running the YWAM school next year, while I'll be more focused on completing my doula training and volunteering with Montreal Birth Companions until mid-November, after which I think I'll have my hands full!

We're so happy to share the news with everyone and will be writing faithfully this summer about the particulars of Denny's education, our ministries in Montreal, pregnancy, and of course the adventures of life with our little (almost) 2- year- old!

Update #1

2010-05-29T18:13:00.000-07:00

So, as evidenced by our lack of blogging, things have gotten a little crazy in our lives lately. Since our last blog, sometime in late April, we've flown to California, flown to Hawaii for Jimmy's graduation, flown back to California, and and then back to Montreal. We came back to Montreal for the last week of the school we run. We just had the graduation for that school last night. On Monday and Tuesday we'll be reviewing the entire school year as staff and then, on Wednesday, we leave for Omaha, Nebraska to get settled in before my MA classes begin. We'll be there for two months and then return to Montreal to run the school one more year. Of course, I'm missing a few important details there but Lauren will fill you in on Update #2 coming your way soon. I counted today, and, not to brag or anything, but by the time Dennis turns two he'll have been on 19 different airplanes. Is that normal? He's quite the travelin' man. So, thanks for checking in even after our long absence. We'll be bringing more updates ASAP.

Catholic Worker - NYC

2010-04-23T05:21:00.008-07:00

Yesterday, we visited the Catholic Worker in East Village, Manhattan. This is actually the birthplace of the Catholic Worker where Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin originally started the first one. Click on their names to get some more background info on them. They were extraordinary people whose vision has resulted in the tenacious, surviving-against-all-odds organization (or lack thereof) called the Catholic Worker today. Many have said that it truly is a miracle that such an organization has lasted so long and had such a big impact on the poor throughout the U.S., considering its anarchist tactics and completely decentralized network. We visited this place last year and had a great conversation with a woman who worked alongside Dorothy Day at the Catholic Worker for years. This year, we met with Ted Walker, probably in his late twenties, who had come to the NYC Catholic Worker a few years ago after working at the Des Moines, IA Catholic Worker before that.
Both times I've visited this place I've been challenged down to my roots. Its ideology, its radical stance towards the gospel, made manifest in its service to the poor or "bias towards the bottom", as Dorothy Day called it, is both confronting and inspiring. They put out a newspaper 6 or 7 times a year, called the Catholic Worker, which has been going now since the Great Depression! The newspaper has beautiful artwork mixed in with short yet very ideologically-sound articles informing local residents of different initiatives, both local and global, that the Catholic Worker is taking in order to make justice and peace more tangible qualities in society. On a local level, the NYC Catholic Worker offers meals to the poor, permanent housing for forsaken elderly, jobs, clothes, etc. On a global level, they are often involved in protests against war or torture, economic injustice, environmental injustice, which often include civil disobedience, resulting in frequent arrest. Dorothy Day herself was arrested some eighty times, rumor has it.
Now, you might be tempted to write these people off as extremists, or just reactionary; that they all just have some sort of anger they need to deal with. However, a closer look at their theology and methods reveals that their approach is well-thought-out, very strongly rooted in the teachings of the gospels and the subsequent teachings of the Catholic Church. This partly explains why Catholic Workers have so succesfully multiplied throughout the U.S., despite their lack of centralization or organization. Their "bias towards the bottom" unifies them in their extremely varied manifestations of and demonstrations for peace and justice.

NYC

2010-04-20T14:29:00.000-07:00

Hello, New York City. So, it's been just a couple days since we arrived in the Big Apple. I'm flying solo this time, without my lovely wife and amazing son. It's the first time only one of us (instead of all three of us) has gone on one of our three week-long trips to different North American cities. Of course, I'm with the rest of the group, but it still feels a little lonely because they all speak French. Still, it's a change that affords a bit more freedom (went out today with just the clothes on my back; instead of Dennis on my back or in the stroller or a backpack full of snacks and diapers, etc.) and a few more quiet, pensive moments. Even so, as we're walking all over the city, taking in all the sights sounds, the father in me is struck by how many little parks this city has. Dennis is right at that age where he'd love to take advantage of all of them. I almost want to go play on them myself for him. Last night, I looked into the sky and saw a crescent moon, and instinctively pointed up and said, "Moon. Mooney." Today, we went to Coney Island and enjoyed some sun and the beach. It was another place where I kept imagining how the D-man would have reacted to all of it. I think our NYC trip next year will see all three Flanagans attending once again.

Storm's a-coming!

2010-04-11T11:10:00.000-07:00

Here we are on April 11th, in disbelief that we're so close to some of our most highly-anticipated events so far in 2010. First of all, our great friends Robbie and Chantelle are coming here in only 4 days (Wow!). We're super excited to have them stay with us and share our Montreal lives with them, and to see Chantelle run in the Canadian championships half-marathon here in Montreal next Sunday. And, although it's only a few short days they'll be here, it doesn't matter because we'll get to see them again in Hawaii! And that brings me to the next big events on the horizon: a couple of weeks in California and one week in Hawaii! We told YWAM last year when we committed to two years as missionaries that we just could not miss little-brother Jimmy's college graduation! The fact that it's in Hawaii is just a side note. We would've gone even if it were in Nebraska or some lousy place like that...So, in order to be back in Montreal for the last week of the eight-month school we're running, we decided to go to California for two weeks before Hawaii. That way we can see our family that we miss so much and some friends while we're home for a couple weeks. Before the itinerary gets too confusing, let me lay it out for you in a more organized manner:

May 1-12: Home (Orange County and Santa Maria!)*
May 12-19: Hawaii, watching the J-Man get graduated!
May 19-22: Traveling from Hawaii back to California back to Montreal
May 22-31: Back in Montreal wrapping up our school!
June 5th or so to August 5th or so: @ Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska!*
August/September: Back in Montreal preparing for next year's school and welcoming all visitors from near and far! Montreal is the greatest city in North America during the summer and we've got an extra room for guests...

There's the rough itinerary. That's why I titled this blog "Storm's a-coming".

Footnotes:
Asterisk #1: Even before our adventurous May begins, I'll be traveling to New York City with the school for a week in the big apple. Lauren and Dennis have opted to stay home in Montreal in order to minimize travel before our California/Hawaii/Nebraska adventure. Good decision, I think.
Asterisk #2: Lauren will be flying back to Montreal for a week in July to complete her intensive doula training school, and then she'll rejoin us in Omaha.

Delinquency

2010-03-27T17:39:00.001-07:00

Alas, I've failed to follow through on the once-a-week blog pace set at the top of the year. I guess that goes for Lauren, also (Dennis, too?). We've all failed. We apologize. We can't say we feel totally sorry, but do understand any disappointment you might have felt as you enthusiastically surfed your way to the flanclan blogspot to find nothing but a stale entry. With the summer coming quickly, the school quickly coming to a close (with a week-long trip to NYC in between), and preparations for our journey back home in May being made, time is of the essence (what a phrase! 'time is of the essence'; Actually, to go on a tangent, essence is the word for gasoline in French. Only such a beautiful language could call gas 'essence'. Eh-um). So, yes, we have been busy. One detail worth mentioning is that I'm taking a few online pre-requisite courses in order to be accepted into the Christian Spirituality program at Creighton. These are introduction to the New Testament and to the Old Testament. It's taking a lot of time, but really is quite fascinating so far. To actually sit down and really study a text, the Bible, that has been so central to my entire life, let alone all of the Western world, is an amazing privelege. I was telling a friend earlier today that it's like having heard a certain song over and over again without ever knowing who it was written by or why it was written, and then finally having access to the story behind the song: the whos, the wheres, the whats, the hows, etc. Love it.

Creighton!

2010-03-16T06:19:00.001-07:00

As March Madness gets underway, I'm sad to say that my future alma mater, Creighton University, will not be participating this year. Well, if all goes well, it will be my future alma mater, meaning if I get accepted into this program and get enough loans to pay for it. After doing a little research I discovered that Creighton (one of those small universities you've never heard of until you have to decide if they could upset Kentucky or Kansas) has not been in the NCAA basketball tourney since '06-'07. I guess we're going through a little dry spell. Maybe I'll try out. Anyway, to get to the point, I've recently applied for a Master of Arts in Christian Spirituality, which is a program that runs for two-months each of the three summers it takes to complete it. That means we're planning on spending two months (June and July) in Omaha, Nebraska for the next three summers! It's hard to imagine what that will be like. Nonetheless, this program is really unique, and I really feel it will be a great experience for me. It combines rigorous academic study of different spirituality movements within Christianity along with the spiritual formation of its students, meaning that the students not only absorb lots of information but are also required to further establish their own spiritual life through retreats, spiritual direction, etc. It's been a long time coming that I've been hoping to begin some sort of official masters program in order to start working towards something more career-oriented. This program, because of its unique nature, does not lead to any one specific job or career path. Still, there are plenty of directions one could head afterwards: teacher, coach, campus chaplain, hospital chaplain, retreat director, any non-profit work, etc. At least those are the options that interest me. So, we're making plans and doing our typical thing of making life way too exciting and, thus, a bit stressful at times. Still, Lauren and I are on board together for these new adventures (her doula school and my masters program) and Dennis is right there beside us being as cute and funny as ever.

Internet

2010-03-07T18:43:00.000-08:00

So, I've been sabotaged by the faulty library internet again! That's the second time that I've just polished off a new blog when the connection cut out and all was lost! That's part of the reason why Lauren and I have decided to give in and get internet at our place. We held out for about five months, partly because it would be one extra expense, but mainly because we wanted to try and live internet free (at least in our home). However, it really took a toll on communication (out here in Montreal and with people back home), and it was not at all convenient to go out to a cafe to use the internet (Why? 1. You have to buy something each time 2. The internet isn't always working at these places 3. Sometimes there's not an outlet free, and when you have a laptop battery from way back when that is a must 4. You have to go out in the cold winter weather each time just to get online!) So, we've been enjoying increased communication and connection ever since. Here's to online community!

Hospital...or Zoo?

2010-02-28T08:13:00.000-08:00

One of my friends (and the wife of one of the students in the Urban Cultures school) just gave birth to a beautiful, amazingly tiny-- yet absolutely healthy-- baby boy last Wednesday. I had the opportunity of talking to her about birth a number of times during her pregnancy, the intensely challenging yet wonderfully incomparable experience that it is. While she had some fears about her capacity to give birth, her husband and her decided to go to La Maison de Naissance, or Birthing Center. Unfortunately, 3 1/2 weeks before her due date, she was told that the baby was too small and there was not enough amniotic fluid: they would have to send her to the hospital for an induction. Reporting to the hospital, they found out that the fluid had doubled (??), but the baby was still too small, so they would keep the induction scheduled (too small of a baby= take the baby early???!). When I heard that she had given birth vaginally and had only labored from 6 am- 2 pm in such an environment, I was proud, ecstatic, amazed. Her statistics were beat the odds/ beat the system kind of statistics. Sounded great, but hearing her story of her experience I realized it was anything but.
She arrived at the labor ward to hear screaming; yes, screaming. Like in the movies kind of screaming. Doors would not be closed- nurses wanted the doors left open so they could enter and exit at will (without the strain of opening the door?)-, bright lights everywhere (too difficult for a nurse to work in a dimly-lit room: let's make sure to accommodate the nurses...). Because she was being induced and monitored, no movement was allowed-- not even to turn on her side. She was lucky enough to be in labor while a group of students were following the nurses and doctors around... there were actually FIFTEEN people in her room during the birth. She was asked the same questions repeatedly-- during contractions-- and was given an epidural when she was fully dilated because there was no doctor around to check her and they just went ahead with it, not knowing. She had reached that point of "I just can't go on"-- and little did she know she was at 10 cm and the baby would be out after 6 pushes. I could go on and on...
This all took place at a NICE hospital in Montreal. In fact, one of the best hospitals. I know that many, many women experience this every day-- it's normal. And it doesn't really matter anyways, right, because the baby is healthy... or does it?? I want to make sure and say that I DO NOT believe that birth is the say all, end all experience: if you have a traumatizing birth experience, you are not necessarily going to be scarred for life, nor is your baby. The health of the baby truly is the most important thing. However, I DO believe that birth has the potential to be an incredible, spiritual, formative rite of passage for a women. It carries the potential of being an incomparably empowering experience in a woman's life, and can be an extremely gratifying way of beginning a lifetime of parenting, for both the woman and the man.
The fact that the situation I portrayed is completely normal tells me that something is horribly wrong with the way we see and treat a birthing woman. A birthing woman is not sick. She is not (usually) suffering. Often, a birthing woman is not even in need of anyone or anything except an extremely strong support person and people. A birthing woman is intuitive and powerful, not the opposite. I would as far as saying that the situation described can be degrading and abusive. I really do hope I am not offending anybody, but I truly believe that women, especially those about to be the mothers of the next generation, need to be shown respect, treated gently, and empowered as women, as mothers, and as people. How can we strap a woman to a bed, turn on the brightest of lights, bring in strangers to look at all regions of her body, ask her annoying questions during labor, tell her when and how to push, keep her up at all hours after the most trying of physical activities, and then send her out and say 'Good luck!' ?
I'm very thankful that many hospitals around the country who are working hard to change maternity care and bring dignity into the labor ward. Not all hospitals are still treating women like this, but it is still very common.
Sooo...I'm goin' into the warzone. =) Being a doula will put me right there in the hospital next to these strong, capable women. I hope I can help to slowly change our birthing culture in the US and Canada, one beautiful birth at a time. Let me know what you think, and be gentle (or not-- I suppose I wasn't). =)

Some Housekeeping

2010-02-18T18:40:00.000-08:00

For those who are interested in seeing our latest videos, we're having some technical difficulties with the blog. It keeps showing random videos from back in the day (you know, last year). So, here is the link to our youtube channel where you can catch the latest. Just click here and have a blast.
We'll have some new pictures up soon! Happy 14th Seaside!

The Quotidian Mysteries

2010-02-17T05:11:00.000-08:00

I was just reading in Le Metro (the daily newspaper that is distributed for free in the subway) that according to a recent survey, 1 in 2 Montrealers suffer from loss of energy and small bouts of depression during the winter months of January and February. Living in a very wintery place, where the days are short, and the climate biting, this is a reality I have become acquainted with this winter season. Lauren and I have both noticed a loss of energy and a lack of motivation (although I think I've been a bit more susceptible than she this season for some reason). Fortunately, I picked up a book back up that I had started this summer and remembered as pertinent for the daily grind we now face in these unwelcoming months. It's called The Quotidian Mysteries by Kathleen Norris. It's a very small book based on some lectures she gave at a conference on women's spirituality. The sub-title of the book is "Liturgy, Laundry, and 'Women's Work'". Ironic as it may sound, I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this seemingly female-oriented book the last few weeks because of the wisdom and inspiration it provides for the mundane tasks of daily life (i.e., changing a diaper, feeding your toddler, picking up all the food he throws on the ground, sweeping, taking out the trash, organizing, and on and on and on). The author, also a poet, describes how God has given us these seemingly-endless daily tasks much in the same way he has given us the task of worship. Both are never fully completed, and, thus, both require repetition: a repetition that at times (say in January or February) can seem deadening and worthless. However, we know all too well that the house must be cleaned, and the diaper changed and that we always feel better afterward. Much in the same way, our worship of God as the source and giver of life is an ongoing process, full of peaks and valleys, exultation and boredom. Yet we're asked to continue it through all seasons, and as we do that, our sanctification is fleshed-out in the fabric of our very ordinary days.

The Return of Lauren

2010-02-05T13:41:00.000-08:00

Yes, it's true. I am here; I am alive; I am well. It's Lauren, and I've sat down and told myself that I must write a blog. Short it may be, as my men are expecting me in 20, but so be it. It's time to let you all in on a little piece of my life. Hard to know where to begin exactly, but I suppose I better jump in where Denny said I would: Summer plans, it is.
So, I've been playing with the idea of doula-hood (not a medical term despite the professional sound) for some time now. I found this amazing-sounding training school right when we arrived last year (2008, that is), but it didn't seem like the right timing with Denny starting the DTS and a 3 month-old to nurture and adore. However, I've continued to be interested in it, and recently got in contact with the woman running the show, Lesley Everest (check out her blog, motherwitdoula.blogspot.com or her facebook page, MotherWit Doula Services). Turns out they're taking a bit of a break with the 9-month-long school and she is running a week-long intensive training this July. It will include the same amount of classroom hours as the 9-month school, which met one Monday a week, and if desired, students can follow up that week with an apprenticeship with an experienced doula. I had loved the sound of the Holistic Doula Training School because it was offered over a long period and not just a weekend seminar like most doula trainings, but this intensive week grabbed my attention because of the possibility of an apprenticeship and continued relationship following the training week. So, I did a little soul searching of what it is I'm really looking for in a career, what my passions and interests are, and what this means for my family, and decided that now is the time to chase after this. It encompasses so many different interests I have (health, nutrition, natural childbirth, fitness, spirituality) and is such an incredible way to empower women, teach on parenting, and put birth back into the hands of women.
So, I have applied, corresponded with Lesley many times over e-mail, and will be meeting for an interview very soon. I've begun doing some reading, and in the next 4-ish months will begin my journey towards becoming a doula by attending breastfeeding support group meetings, childbirth education classes in the hospital (to see what parents normally learn in the hospital) and writing a few reports on required reading. July 18-25 I will attend the week-long training session about an hour outside of Montreal, and in the months following I will be required to attend 5 births before I am a MotherWit Certified Holistic Doula!
I am just so blessed by this opportunity to pursue something so close to my heart and something I love so passionately. I'm excited about all the things this could potentially lead to in the future, as well as other trainings I may want to receive in the future to be a more capable and holistic labor assistant.
Doula: labor assistant, may provide prenatal education, continuous labor support (including pain relieving techniques), postpartum visits and care. >

Oops...Finances

2010-01-30T17:37:00.001-08:00

So, sorry about the random throwback videos that I just discovered were posted on the blog. I have no idea how that happened. Anyway, disregard. I'm in the process of uploading some freshies: a little four-part documentary I did on going out in Montreal with your one-year-old when the temperature freezes facial hair, etc.
Anyway, we're back from Quebec City. We enjoyed another great week in that unique city, but are definitely glad to be back in Montreal, back to chez nous as we say in French.
So, Lauren will write a blog sometime soon (someday...) about the recent program she applied for and is planning on beginning this summer. As I explained in the last blog, we have a pretty open summer to pursue some pretty exciting things before the school we run starts up again in October. As for me, the verdict is still out. A lot of what I could or want to do depends on our funding, which basically goes from month to month, sometimes week to week to be more exact. It's hard to make big plans or any plans for the summer when the rent check might be all we can muster. The financial trials of our last five months out here have been a great learning experience for us. As a missionary, it's a reality to live month to month without any idea of where or when next month's rent will come in, let alone food money. It's difficult, sometimes, to know when to just say hey, the money ain't there and give up, or to persevere, believing that we're out here for a reason. Several times now we've come to a place where the clock is ticking and time is quickly running out and I ask "Why are we doing this to ourselves?" And, then, the money comes in. I know, it may sound like corny missionary lingo, but, seriously, the money often comes in right when we start asking those questions. Just tonight, before I left to come write this blog, we got news that a support check had come in for us, and it was just a few hours earlier we were having that stressful money talk again. Amazing.

Blah

2010-01-23T12:03:00.000-08:00

I'd just polished off a well-written, clever, quite phenomenal blog when the library internet connection cut out and all was lost. Apparently, I needed some humbling. Thus, this is my sad, discouraged, short blog in response to that.
Nonetheless, all is well. My prayer commitment has survived the first two weeks. We hosted two different people at our place last week. We leave for Quebec City tomorrow for a week of learning about that city.
Lauren and I are continuing to consider, pray over, and discuss options for this summer. The school will end in May and start again in October. That leaves four months in between. A lot can be done in that time. Lauren seems to have figured out what her major plans for the summer are. I'm still working on it. Maybe I can get her to write a blog soon about her recent, exciting decision. Stay tuned! Love you guys.

Ignatian Spirituality

2010-01-13T05:19:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I began what hopefully will be about a year-long process of praying through the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola. The link here gives a brief paragraph of what that entails exactly. However, my experience of the Spiritual Exercises will differ in that it will not be composed of an intense 30-day retreat, but rather a prolonged, not-as-intense 9 to 12 month daily retreat. Basically, that will consist of an hour or so of prayer everyday, journaling about my prayer time, and a weekly meeting with a spiritual director. I'll be doing it through the Ignatian Spirituality Center of Montreal, a Catholic-based, non-profit organization that exists to provide free spiritual direction. The spiritual directors at the center have all gone through a six-year training process in order to be adequately qualified.
It's something I've been rolling around in my head for quite some time, and thus decided to dive-in with the new year here and a new sense of calling towards a deeper spirituality. Carving out an hour five days a week for prayer will not be an easy task. I'm hoping, however, that the Lord will lead me in how to appropriately incorporate this new discipline into my life. Lauren, as always, is very encouraging, and Dennis, well, he seems pretty neutral about it all.
On va voir!

New Year's Resolution: Be A Better Blogger!

2010-01-07T15:48:00.000-08:00

Hello Friends,
This year I promise to update our blog much more frequently. I hope that I have not lost all of you already. It's been nearly a month and a half since my last entry. Nonetheless, I truly believe that 2010 will bring much more frequent entries on the flan-clan blogspot. I promise this to you. Now, that means that things might get a little more personal, a little less tactful, and maybe even a little less interesting. Still, you will have at least one new entry, once a week. I'm going out on a limb here, so lend me your support and let me know you're up for it.
Thanks for sticking with us!
We love you,
Denny, Lauren, and lil' Dennis

The Path of Disciplined Grace

2009-11-23T13:48:00.000-08:00

I knew I'd get ya with that blog title... This, essentially, was what Jeff Pratt, our teacher from last week, taught us about. The topic of the Spiritual Disciplines was the official title of the week's teachings. Jeff, himself, has founded a sort of urban monastery in New Haven, Connecticut where he invites people to commit to a three-month monastic internship where one engages in daily rhythms of prayer (a.k.a. a daily office) as well as other disciplines (fasting, confession, celebration, study, etc.) and daily serves a marginalized people-group that he or she feels called to. It's really a new, and yet old (in the ancient sense) way of living out one's faith. I was just speaking with a man named Nick Brotherwood today about this very idea of hearkening back to what Christian antiquity has deemed essential. Basically, it comes down to making (and therefore, first, becoming) disciples. Now, what does that mean, exactly? Aren't all us Christians always trying to "make disciples"? How is that anything new? Nick explained to me today that although we may have always tried to "make disciples", that could mean a lot of things over the years. Nick is an ordained Anglican minister who has witnessed (in the province of Quebec) a drop from 93,000 Anglicans to less than 13,000 over the last sixty years. In other words, he's witnessed a centuries-old church be brought to its knees and, now, to its death bed. Because of this, Nick has been given the unique, exciting, and scary task of exploring new manifestations of church and the Christian-life. The Anglican church (with its very traditional tradition) has been humbled enough by this seemingly irreversible secularization to finally be open to something new, something experimental, something unorthodox. For the last 10 years, Nick has been spear-heading a church called Emerge Montreal, which has provided him and his friends a laboratory to really ask: What are we here for? What the hell is Church, anyway? Where does Jesus' life and how he lived it come into play here? Needless to say, having a discussion with this guy is an edifying experience. If I've received any insight in talking with people like Nick, or Jeff Pratt, or Mark Scandrette, it seems that the future of the church is largely mapped out by the past, the distant past--through Jesus' Way and through those who followed that Way after his bodily departure. By following that Way (roughly a balance of prayer and service), we will inevitably make disciples of ourselves and, therefore, of others. If this sounds vague to you, you're not alone. It's hard to exactly say what this new expression of making disciples (church) looks like; but what's not vague is our Western culture's slow-but-steady denial of anything religious, and, thus, we must respond (somehow) in a way we think Jesus would.
Speaking of "What Would Jesus Do?", check out this relatively short but insightful article on what one Catholic priest thinks Jesus would do, and is doing:
http://www.thesunmagazine.org/issues/402/what_jesus_would_do

First Half of November

2009-11-16T06:51:00.000-08:00

So, as usual, it's been too long since our last blog. Unfortunately, not having internet at our apartment poses a problem for frequent blog updates. Lauren and I decided not to get internet for two reasons: it's too expensive and, without it, family time is much improved. So, we made a commitment to keep our home-space free of internet distraction, which has been rewarding and challenging at the same time.
So, as the previous blogs mentioned, we had a great trip to Toronto, with lots of interesting discussions with interesting people. We were glad to get back to home-sweet-home Montreal and keep practicing our French. That has been one major change this year with our school being so Francophone (French-speaking). Lauren and I have been thrown headlong into a mostly French-speaking environment day-in and day-out. Last year, most of the students were English-speaking. This year it's the opposite. It's a great challenge and we love learning more and more each day, but it's not all sunshine and happiness. It's hard!
The first two weeks of November were non-teaching weeks, which means the students had more time to explore further possibilities for volunteering and an internship. For Lauren, lil Denny, and me, it meant some more home-improvement and preparation for my big concert, which took place last Friday. The concert went really well; I had a good turn-out of friends there to support me and played 2 sets, about 17 songs in all. I'll put a few of them up on the video bar to the right. Hope you enjoy.
As far as home-improvement, we're getting ready to host (starting today) our school's teacher for the week, whose name is Jeff Pratt and comes from New Haven, Connecticut. Jeff is simply an amazing person to get to know. We had him for a week of teaching last year, and got to know him a bit through that. But this year, he's staying at our apartment! We're looking forward to some more in-depth conversations with the Pratt-Master, as Lauren and I like to call him. Here's a link to the community that he runs in New Haven (www.ywamaxiom.com). Lots of great opportunities there for young folks looking for a chance to deepen their faith in a new place.
We're really looking forward to a great week! We'll be updating again sooner than last time, so keep checking!
Peace.

Mid-week update

2009-10-30T07:36:00.000-07:00

We still have one meeting left, which will happen today with Jim Beverly, a well-known authority on world religions. We've met with all the others earlier in the week, and everything was great. Two of the organizations we met with were focused on poverty and caring for the economically poor. Another was focused on art and artists, asking: how can art play a bigger role in our Christian faith and vice-versa? The last one we met with was focused on homosexuals, asking: amidst the wide spectrum of Christian opinions on homosexuality, how can we offer those dealing with it a safe-haven for discussion, counseling, and understanding? Of course, this has offered all of us, individually and collectively, an abundance of fodder for thought and discussion. For me, it's been nice to meet with these organizations a second time because I'm not swept off my feet with each new place we visit. Last year, these people were so insightful, compassionate, and dedicated to their causes, after each meeting I was convinced their respective cause and perspectives on that cause were the only things that mattered. This year, having become "a bit less vague to myself", I'm more certain of my personal goals. Nonetheless, this year's visit to Toronto has still had a significant impact on a few beliefs of mine; specifically, what Geoff Ryan at 614 Salvation Army shared about our undeniable call as Christians to identify with the poor. Geoff, his wife, and their 3 or 4 kids live in Regent Park, one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in Canada because of the poverty and gangs that are present there. He has chosen to live in this neighborhood because he believes there's no other way to have a significant impact on it. So, his kids go to school there at a sub-par inner city school, and when there's a shooting or a fire in the middle of the night and everybody is outside, he and his family are outside, too--immersed in all the action of the neighborhood, living side-by-side with these people. Of course, the difference is that he and his wife have chosen to live there, the others have never had a choice. He explains that Christ had all the choices in the world, he was God!, but he chose to humble himself and become one of us, and absorb the sins of the "neighborhood". This is how Geoff theologically explains his calling to the inner city, and it's a passionate one. Just one example here of some of the amazing things we've come across this week. We pray that amidst all the info-influx, we are able to personally take steps towards making these ideas and concepts concrete realities in our own lives. Thanks for reading.

Toronto this week!

2009-10-25T10:05:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow we leave for a week-long trip to Toronto with our school. Altogether there will be 11 of us (six students, four staff, and one baby) on the trip. Fortunately, we've made some great connections through friends to be able to stay at some nice houses while we're there. I (Denny) have taken on the responsibility of planning what we'll be doing and who we'll be visiting during the week. Last year while I was a student we went to Toronto, and this year will be very similar. We'll be meeting with Yonge Street Mission (http://www.ysm.ca/), a ministry in downtown Toronto working with the poor, and John Franklin, the executive director of Imago Arts (http://www.imago-arts.on.ca), an organization that exists to "to engage in promoting artistry of high caliber that will be both enriching and carry positive influence on the Canadian cultural landscape". We'll also be meeting with Geoff Ryan from the Salvation Army along with his Ignite interns (http://www.614network.com/regentpark/) to learn more about the intensive, amazing things he and his team are doing in an area of Toronto torn apart by gang-violence and poverty. That same day we'll travel out to Mississauga to meet with Wendy Gritter (http://www.btgproject.blogspot.com/) from New Direction, an organization doing some amazing things related to the homosexuality issues within the church. I encourage anyone to check out her blog, very interesting stuff all the time. Lastly, we're meeting with our friend Andrea's father, James A. Beverly, who happens to be a significant authority on world religions within the evangelical Christian milieu. In fact, he recently finished a book, Nelson's Illustrated Guide to World Religions, which Hans Kung (a world-renowned Catholic theologian) has given his illustrious commendation to. I wrote him to ask if he would meet with us humble YWAMers and he replied saying only because his daughter said he should. I appreciated his honesty! We'll meet with him on Friday to discuss how we as Christians can gain new perspectives on other religions and learn to live side-by-side with people of other faiths in our immigrant-rich context. Amidst all of that, we'll find time to do some sight-seeing and walking around the big city of Toronto. It's the biggest in Canada, with roughly 4.5 million inhabitants. A staggering statistic we heard this week is that 47% of people living in Toronto were born outside of Canada. That's a lot of immigration! So, we're looking forward to an engaging, motivating week. When we return, we'll be looking forward to a bit of a calmer November than October. Lauren has finished and passed her French course, so we're getting better with the language obstacle every day. It's really exciting once you get over that hump, language-wise. So, when we return, we'll be able to really get settled in for the long haul and continue this wonderful journey we're on together. Our funding is really tight, but we know we're where we're supposed to be. We'll write again soon. Check out the links I listed above if you're interested; all the organizations are really interesting to learn about. Love ya!

Quick Update

2009-10-15T14:57:00.000-07:00

Well, we're about finished with the first two weeks of our school, and, of course, it's been a whirlwind of activity. Lauren is almost finished with her six-week French course and has really benefited from it. Next week we're in for a great week of teaching on urban missiology. The week after that we're headed to Toronto to meet with a few great ministries out there. By the time we return, we'll be ready to settle into more of a routine, getting involved in both of our volunteering responsibilities and continuing to run the school. This morning it was 30 degrees outside. There were actually a few flakes of snow falling from the sky! It's October 15th! Despite the prematurely freezing weather, we're doing great! Enjoying the excitement of being on our own and learning our rhythms as a family once again. I (Denny) have my second Montreal gig on November 13th, so am beginning to practice/prepare for that. Of course, there's much more to tell you, but we must be patient. Thanks for following!

School starts this week!

2009-09-28T08:13:00.000-07:00

Voici! Our second blog since touching down here in the Great White North. Actually, it's not so white just yet. Of course, we know it's coming, though, as each morning gets a little brisker. We're excited for the winter, which is good, because we probably won't be for long once it sets in. But, hey, it's only September 28th, we got some good sunshine ahead of us before we have to cross that bridge. In fact, next week, our little house-church community, Curieux, is headed an hour outside the city for some apple picking at a monastery! That will be a really fun field trip. Not only will we be apple picking, but we'll also be discussing the future endeavors of our little community. Being a part of this church has really been a great experience for Lauren, Dennis, and me. It's definitely more of an alternative type of church, where sermons never happen, music only seldomly, the location changes each week, and there's always a delicious potluck meal to enjoy. The first time we went we fell in love because it was so easy to have Dennis there. It's very similar to a lot of communities across North America and Europe who are sort of experimenting with what it means to be a church and/or community of beleivers. Now that the founding members have moved away, the core group of us (about 12 to 15 people) have the exciting task of asking once again who we are, and where we're going. Curieux started as an alternative type of church that reached out to those in the arts scene. David Brazzeal, the founding member, saw a disconnect between artists and the church and so started Curieux (which means Curious {plural-adjective}) to reach out to artists of faith. Now, we're presently asking ourselves how we can maintain our natural, very social environment without compromising the impassioned faith that we all share and long to espouse in various ways. It's kind of like stripping down everything that usually means "church" to the western mind, keeping our foundation as Jesus-followers, and rebuilding something new from that common foundation. It's truly an exciting process to feel a part of and be able to contribute to. We'll keep you posted as things develop.
Our school starts this Friday. We've had a good month settling in to our new home for the next two years, and are ready to begin our work for this year. Thanks for keeping us in your prayers as God guides us, as a family, through this time of transition.

Getting Settled

2009-09-07T06:58:00.000-07:00

So, we arrived Wednesday night at 11 after our flight was delayed for about three hours. In the end, it was a blessing because half of the flight got redirected to other flights so that by the time we reboarded we had 6 seats for the three of us! This made the flight a lot easier for Dennis, which, as all you parents know, made the flight a lot easier for mom and dad. The latest video posted will show you our home for the next two years. We're really happy with it, although it's really empty. Through our great friends Andrea and Julien, we have multiple connections around the neighborhood with people who are willing to just give us stuff to furnish our home. So far we have a fridge, a stove, a desk, a table and chairs, a queen-size bed, a futon mattress, and a rug (which is the only thing we actually have purchased thus far). So the last 3 or 4 days have been filled with organizing boxes and suitcases around the apartment, trips to the park, meeting new and old friends, and acquainting ourselves with our new neighborhood, Parc-Extension. The neighborhood, of course, is unlike anything Lauren and I have ever lived in. We're just beginning to learn about it, but we do know from our friends who have been here for three years that it's about 50% South-East Asian (meaning Indian, Bengali, Sri Lankan, and Pakistani) and the rest is a pretty even mix of Africans, Chinese, South Americans, and caucasians. The neighborhood used to be inhabited completely by Greeks, but most of them are older now and there kids have moved to other areas. Nonetheless, their influence still lingers as there are a few Greek Orthodox churches still alive and well. As with most very ethnic neighborhoods, it's not an upscale area, but the many immigrants here have many kids, which makes for a safe, playful feeling on its streets. We're excited to become a part of this community and learn from the cultural diversity that is unavoidable here.
Our YWAM school will be starting next month, so in a week or so we'll have our first few meetings in order to prepare for the six students who will be attending: 4 girls and 2 guys from France, Germany, Switzerland, and Montreal. Our little church, Curieux, met last night and we were welcomed with much enthusiasm by our closest friends out here. Of all the confirmations that Montreal is where we're supposed to be, our little church has been the biggest one of all. Over and over again we have been blessed by that community, and look forward not only to more blessings but also to what we can give back over the next two years.
So, things are off to a great start out here. Once again we find ourselves on the precipice of an adventure, now with the knowledge of last year's experience, our enthusiasm is bubbling within us as all the possibilities and potential present themselves. We continue to ask for all your prayers and support as we discern what God can and will do through us these next few days, months, and years. This is really fun.

An End, and Another Beginning...

2009-08-26T09:16:00.000-07:00

As the summer draws to a close, we look back and reluctantly bid adieu to our family and friends, the foundation of everything we're doing in Montreal. And then we look ahead as the path winds out of sight and into a city we know, with so many possibilities we don't yet know. The twinge of excitement mixes with the dull pain of two years away from home. Still, our home away from home, Montreal, is looking more and more welcoming each day. We have great friends out there, Andrea and Julien, who have already found an apartment for us to rent, a free queen size bed, and a few boxes of kitchen essentials their friends are trying to get rid of. They email us with updates almost every day, and all we can say is "wow".
We apologize for not updating the blog very much during our three-month furlough at home. It's not as if we weren't having as many noteworthy experiences at home as we did in Montreal. We've been to San Francisco, Santa Maria, San Diego, Pismo Beach, Catalina, Tucson, Gilbert, etc. and in between spent most of our time hanging with Grandma LoLo, Uncle Jimmy, and the Manthornes on Santa Carmela. Grandma Lolo, aka mom, has been and continues to be our biggest supporter not only at home but also in Montreal. This summer she's whisked us away to all kinds of fun events, sometimes joining us, sometimes insisting we enjoy some alone time while she watches Dennis. Not even a smidgeon of what we're doing at home or in Montreal would be possible without her.
As for us, Lauren has worked hard all summer--learning first hand what it's like to be a working mom; and I've spent a lot more time with Dennis--learning first hand what it's like to stay at home. It's been insightful, difficult, and rewarding for both of us. It's an experiment we deliberately entered into--to switch the roles we'd so strongly established in Montreal--in order to acheive a more balanced work/home life between the two of us. It should definitely impact the way we organize our respective and collaborative efforts in Montreal.
So, one week from today we have a non-stop, one-way flight from LAX to Montreal. Traveling with Dennis, now that he's nearly walking and as determined as ever, will be an adventure all its own. The first few weeks, I know, will be fraught with character-building and stretching, but, unlike last year, we do know the city, we're learning French, we have a core group of friends that are already buffering our arrival, and we feel as sure as ever that Montreal is and should be home for the next two years.

Summer!

2009-07-21T15:50:00.000-07:00

Well, well, well. It's been much too long since our last blog, nearly two months. We've been home now for most of that time, with a few vacations interspersed. Lauren just landed her third job for the summer. She now works at a restaurant, a coffee shop, and on the tennis courts. She's making some much-needed money. I, on the other hand, am laying low most of the Summer with no major obligations except caring for Dennis Michael. Other than that, I have been doing a few little projects/experiments here and there. A few of those are volunteering at an elderly home once a week, going to a weekend-long retreat on the Buddha and Jesus, recording nine new songs for another album, some football coaching, and just recently beginning to play out at some open-mics. Also, in June, while I was in San Francisco for a family wedding, I was able to meet with two prominent people of faith in the Bay Area. One of them was Nichola Torbett from Seminary of the Street (seminaryofthestreet.org) and the other was Mark Scandrette (reimagine.org). I encourage you to check out both websites; these people are doing some very unique, creative things within their communities. It was great to share thoughts and ideas with both of them. On that same note, I've started meeting occasionally with a friend of mine back home here, about the same age as I am, who seems to be on the same page as I am in a bunch of ways. It's been great to meet with him and start discussions that have been swirling around in both our heads for quite some time now about our faith and how it relates to Orange County, our careers, and our families. It's really been a blessing to me. We leave for Tucson to share a few days with Grandma and Grandpa Fitz, Uncle Steve, Aunt Katie, and Cousing Lily on Monday. We'll be there until August 1st (Dennis' birthday) and then come back home for our last month in the OC for quite some time. It will be filled with fundraising (hopefully), preparation, work, and anticipation. Amidst all of that, we hope to be able to continue working on our French. From what we've heard, the school next year will be predominantly Francophones, so it'll be sink or swim for us Anglophones. Rosetta Stone to the rescue! Just as long as I can get my sugar mama to find some time in the daily grind for a little parlez-vous...
Until next time! Thanks for following. Leave comments!

A Superb Experience

2009-05-30T06:34:00.000-07:00

So, I wrote in my last blog that I would elaborate a bit on what I did for my internship and my internship report. Our school director, Pierre, calls the internship a personal faith project. As I wrote in my last blog, for me it was experimenting with everything I've ever been interested in. Firstly, it was prayer, and that remained primary throughout the entire eight months. I knew from the beginning that prayer would precede everything else I did out here; so, I surrounded myself with resources that would birth, nourish, and sustain a habit of prayer. That in itself has been and will continue to be quite a journey for me. Secondly, my search for a vocation (AKA the career I was meant to pursue) motivated and initiated many of the diverse experiences I've had in this big city. To summarize, for weeks, sometimes months, at a time I seriously considered each of the following careers: musician, social activist, chaplain, journalist, farmer, music therapist, and teacher. I've written new songs, I've met with an elderly man once or twice a week, I've reported on events for a local newspaper, I've learned the ethics of how we eat (mostly thanks to my wife and Wendell Berry), I've gone to information sessions and conferences pertaining to these interests, I've met with various faith-leaders, whether Buddhist, Catholic, or Evangelical, and, finally, I've learned about the importance and innate value of work. In other words, I've learned that our work, the daily tasks that each one of us has, whether it be at home or outside the home, religious or secular, is the substance of our spirituality; it's where our faith is "wrought out at the coal-face", as Lesslie Newbigin describes it. In response to this realization and through lots of prayer and practical logic provided by my wife, I decided a few months ago to return to the career I thought I was leaving behind when I came out here. Thus, I've applied and been accepted to l'Université de Montréal for their masters program in English Studies, starting next fall. Of course, my primary obligation (besides Lauren and Dennis) will be to the Urban Cultures YWAM school that Lauren and I will help run the next two years. The classes for my masters will be worked in around that. Nonetheless, I'm happy to be progressing towards a career in teaching literature, no matter what form that may take.
So, at the end of the eight months, while reflecting on all these experiences and realizations, I decided that music would be a good vehicle to crystallize them. Thus, for a good two weeks before the internship report was due, I scoured my journals and notes, highlighted, wrote down, cut-up, and grouped together anything that seemed to represent a common theme that was prevalent during my time here. I was determined to finish 8 to 10 songs, record them, and burn them onto a CD to hand in on the due date. Much thanks to my divinely patient wife who generously allowed me the time to write and record, and thanks to my fellow classmate Andrew Koole who supplied the Apple Garage Band program and his sweet harmonies, I was able to accomplish my goal. The 10 songs on the CD are very raw, recorded in about 3 hours (compare that to the near 300 hundred hours my last CD took), but nonetheless are adequately representative of my/our experiences out here. I'm excited to share, continue writing, and playing these songs with some of my friends and family back home.

A Woman's Perspective

2009-05-16T12:07:00.000-07:00

It's been too long since I've had this blank blog page before me, the keyboard at my fingertips, feeling such power and freedom with the knowledge that all you loyal followers will read whatever I, Lauren Christine Fitzgerald Flanagan, choose to express! Ah, the World Wide Web!

Okay, so it's a rainy day and I've been inside a little too long. Actually, not true either. I'm prattling now (if you don't know the word: look it up; it's my new fave, probably because I do it too much!). Focus, Lauren, focus...

Denny, Big D (switched from Lil' D since he's a beast now), and I just returned from my favorite place here in Montreal: Jean Talon Market. The only way to give you an accurate image is to call it a farmer's market, yet it's so much more...Open all week long, every day, one stop shopping. Now that Spring has come-- and with it asparagus, tomatoes, leeks, rhubarb, and the like-- the market is booming. It's enormous, and there are outdoor vendors set up as in any farmer's market, as well as permanent stores selling local meat, cheese, beauty products, grains, bulk, produce, you name it. Any herb, plant, or flower is also there to purchase, along with other gardening supplies. Amazing. I can never get enough. After strolling through, studying cheeses I've never heard of and seeking out Quebecois produce for about an hour a half I feel like I'm just getting started... but King Dennis usually lays down the law and hurries me along.

I was recently able to show off this favorite spot of mine to a very special visitor... Momma Lolo herself (Lois, Denny's mom, that is)! She arrived the 1st of May, Dennis' 9 month birthday, accompanied me while Denny was away on his outdoor extreme camp, and was then here for a week after Denny returned. What a blessing! To see Grandma and Grandson reunited after too much time apart... words don't do it justice. She marveled at his smile and flirtation skills (wooing every person who is willing to look his way), watched him learn how to crawl, was here to guide us and snuggle with him during his first real sickness, and even allowed us a date night on her last night in town: what a woman! We tried to spoil her as best we could (especially on Mother's Day) by showing her our favorite spots, feeding her crepes, and drinking red wine and some local beer. We had an awesome time together, and are now anxiously anticipating all the time we'll have in good ol' Fountain Valley beginning in 18 short days.

As to not overwhelm you all with a 17-page blog, I'll save the stories of my growing passion for social justice through the way we eat and cook for another day. In the meantime, if anyone has any good bread recipes or tips, leave me a comment! I've been teaching myself to make our bread that we eat, and it's a learning process...

Thanks for reading; happy Spring!

Update

2009-05-14T15:16:00.000-07:00

So, it's been a few weeks since our New York trip. Since then, we've had class on different forms of church, gone into the wilderness for 5 days for the Niko Camp, and been working hard on finishing some of the major reports due at the end of the month, also known as the end of the school! It's a very busy time for us with the above-mentioned reports, preparing for our quickly-approaching summer at home, and, most importantly, Dennis crawling! Man, it's turned us on our heads. He's quite opinionated now that he can crawl, not to mention mobile.
One report that I just finished was based on two books: Foolishness to the Greeks: the Gospel and Western Culture by Lesslie Newbigin and The Complex Christ: Signs of Emergence in the Urban Church by Kester Brewin. Both were excellent explanations of how and why we need to revamp our thinking of missiology in the western world (meaning Western Europe and North America roughly). They really gave me new insight and meaning into what it means to be missional in the urban context.
Another report that I'm still working on is a study on the sub-culture of the elderly in Montreal. Based on my weekly meetings with an 82 year-old sweetheart of a man, a few visits to organizations serving the elderly, and a book based on the important role of the elderly in Quebec, my report will focus on the problem of isolation among many seniors in Montreal and their inherent, but all-too-often ignored, value in our society. I've come to realize that working with the elderly is definitely something that's heavy on my heart; I am thankful to have discovered such an interest.
Lastly, at the very end of the school, we are required to turn in our internship report. My internship over the last eight months has basically been experimenting with every thing I've ever been interested in. As you can imagine, it has lead me all over the city where I've experienced all kinds of amazing things. In fact, for the next blog I will go into detail about my internship, all the experiences it has entailed, and how I plan to wrap it up nicely with a bow on top. For now, I'll keep in you some suspense.

New York City and Community

2009-04-27T16:02:00.000-07:00

We came home a bit tired Friday night after about 12 hours of travel. Although our angelic son had handled the trip both ways like a seasoned traveler, we all three were so glad to be home. New York City was amazing, edifying, and huge, but we sure were glad to be back in the not-so-big, not-so-busy city of Montreal: our stomping grounds!
We've now had a few days to reflect on our whirlwind experience, and have all agreed we did things like New Yorkers in New York City. When in Rome... And although I feel I'm still processing much of what took place there, I really want to share some of our experiences before I lose any precious details.
To summarize, as mentioned in an earlier blog, our main goal (beside doing some sight-seeing, touristy stuff) was to visit a few communities that we felt were exemplifying what it means to live in Christian community. The whole concept of "living in community" has been burgeoning anew in and outside of Christian circles throughout North America. It's often viewed as a way to fight against our individual-oriented, materialistic North American culture. New York City proved to be fertile ground for such a goal. All in all, we visited with six communities: two churches, four intentional communities, and one Catholic Worker.
One community, Bruderhof, was a community of 15 people living under one roof, families and singles. Although this community shares all its money and eats together each night, most of its members have jobs out in the city somewhere where they are able to serve the larger community. Some were teachers, some nurses, some volunteers, some worked for Non-profit organizations, etc. These people lived in close community, and welcomed us into their home for dinner and lots of good conversation.
Another community, All Angels Church, comes from the Anglican tradition and is located in the Upper Westside, a very rich area of Manhattan. However, this church has struggled for years to include the poor and homeless in its congregation. Through this, they have developed weekly soup-kitchens, where not only food is provided, but also professional counseling and career opportunities. They were very honest with us about the many struggles that have resulted from being radically open and welcoming to the poor and homeless (mostly black and hispanic males) amidst their predominantly rich, white congregation.
New Song is a 150 person church in Harlem that is about 10 years old. The pastor there told us that when the church began with six people in an apartment, they commited to focus on a 10-block area of Harlem. Out of this very narrow focus, they have been able to do some amazing things within the last 10 years. Not only do they have a church building, but they also own affordable-housing buildings, a youth development center, a health and wellness center, and are soon opening a restaurant where they will serve healthy food and offer hospitality. This is all within a 10-block area of Harlem!
Another community, Bronx Household of Faith, was in the roughest area that we visited during our time in New York City. This community, started by two couples, has been there for nearly forty years. They too have a very modest, yet focused area that they work with. The community resides in two houses and one apartment all along the same street. One of the couples that started the community has had six of their own children and adopted seven, most from pretty rough backgrounds. The father runs a ministry that helps troubled men in the troubled Bronx area get back on their feet, while the mother has home-schooled and is still home-schooling all 13 of their kids! Two of her children gave us a little concert with their cellos while we visited. Amazing stuff.
Lastly, we visited the Catholic Worker in the East Village. The Catholic Worker exists throughout the world, but is concentrated mainly in the U.S. The one we visited was the original, started by Dorothy Day, an amazing woman. She died in the 80's and is somewhere on her way to being canonized as a saint in the Catholic Church. The lady who spoke with us worked with Dorothy Day, and told us that she often said, "Don't call me a saint because then you won't take me seriously." Dorothy Day was and the Catholic Worker is still today extremely concerned with serving the poor and homeless in each respective community as well as affecting political change on a national, even international, level. It's quite a decentralized organization, so much so that you wonder how it doesn't lapse into chaos. Nonetheless, it has done some great things much thanks to the woman who got it all started.
I could go on and on about our experiences there, but I'll stop here. Needless to say, the week definitely clarified for us what it means to live in community in a culture that goes in the opposite direction. It was an extremely interesting and extremely challenging week, one that I will continue to reflect on for months, maybe years, to come.

The Spiritual Disciplines

2009-04-16T16:44:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, we went out to the Quebec countryside for a week's teaching on the spiritual disciplines and a weekend-long silent retreat. It was one of the best weeks of teaching Lauren and I have experienced in this school. Basically, the teacher, Jeff Pratt, who happens to be great friends with Brennan Manning (author of Ragamuffin Gospel), taught on adopting a daily rhythm of prayer similar to those practiced in monasteries for centuries. Jeff actually started what he calls an urban monastery (ywamaxiom.com) in New Haven, Connecticut where he and the other members of the community commit to a common Rule of Life: 1. to daily moments of reflection and surrender (30 minutes minimum) 2. Holy Communion and prayer observed each Wednesday 3. Accountability friendships 4. Weekly acts of service to those locally in need of compassion or justice 5. Weekly sharing of Truth with pre-believers. It comes across as a very structured spirituality, but Jeff insists that these commitments are time-tested not only by the thousands of saints who've gone before us but also by Jesus himself. You can't read too far in the gospels without coming across a passage where Jesus goes off to pray. For us, it was nice to realize that although some of these disciplines may sometimes feel like striving or even legalism, the fact of the matter is that they bring us to a place where communion with God can take place. They don't cause communion with God, but they help us become attentive to his voice. As an example of a sort of daily rhythm, Jeff suggested praying over a psalm in the morning, maybe mid-day writing a prayer to him, and in the evening praying through music, etc. It's just one example. There are many ways to pray, and many books written about those ways as well. Fortunately, we believe in a God who values diversity and creativity. So, Lauren and I were really inspired by this teaching and have slowly begun to develop (individually and communally) a daily rhythm of prayer. It's a long journey, but we're glad to have begun.

At last, at last...

2009-04-13T07:20:00.001-07:00

Easter is here and Lent is over. He is risen, He is risen indeed. It's a new blog, a new blog indeed. Now that Jesus has freed us from the bondage of our Lenten fasts (internet, chocolate, alcohol, etc.) we are back with lots of exciting news, impossible to contain in one blog. We just wrapped up a busy Holy Week, and now are joyously reveling in a free Easter Monday. The sun is shining brightly, the snow has all melted away, and a week of Springy weather awaits us. The hope of the season is upon us.
The last blog I put up was from early March announcing our commitment to Montreal for two more years. Now, we're almost to mid-April and, although the end of the school approaches, there's still much to be done. For example, this coming Friday the school will travel to New York for a week's trip to meet with different intentional communities. Basically, an intentional community, according to our definition, is any group of people who meet on a regular basis and share a common vision or higher calling. For example, any church could qualify as an intentional community. We'll meet not only with some churches but also with communities taking things a step further. For example, one group in Harlem (formerly called Bruderhof, now called Church Communities International) lives in a house together, shares all its money, and eats together daily. Another group in Brooklyn called Radical Living is somewhere in between: they live in three separate houses, close in proximity, and meet together 3 or 4 times a week for meals, devotional times, or community action. The goal, being in an urban center ourselves, is for us to learn about different constructions of community in a context very similar to our own. We want to search out people who are exploring different ways of seeing Christ and being Christ in the city. It's shaping up to be a really interesting week.
Then, we'll have a few days back in Montreal before I (Denny) and the other four students in the school strike out into the Quebec wilderness for five days. No, that's not a figurative statement--really, five days in the wilderness. That's all they're telling us...It's called a NIKO camp; Lauren did one when she went to Argentina for her DTS in 2006. She's still alive, so I'm hopeful. By the end of that it will be almost mid-may, and only a few weeks from our much-anticipated return to the golden state for the Summer.
Stay tuned for another update before we leave for New York on Friday. I'll go into detail about our time of Lent, the silent retreat we participated in, and the latest developments within my internship and volunteering.

A Considerable Extension

2009-03-08T13:04:00.000-07:00

Five months later, we've seen/felt/learned a lot since we left home to come to Montreal. We know what it means to leave family and friends--and familiarity. We've experienced the freedom and the loneliness that comes with such a decision. We know it, and we've decided we want some more! In other words, YWAM Montreal has invited us to join as staff for the next two years, and after months of thinking, talking, and praying, we've decided to accept. To head home for good, back to the O.C. in June, was too premature for us. Our time out here has been so full of discovery that we simply could not end this chapter come June. We will come home for the Summer (which we're very happy about) in order to reconnect with family, make some money, and continue asking for support. With YWAM, even as staff, we're responsible for raising all our own support. Then, the plan is to return in September to begin our two-year commitment. Basically, that commitment will entail helping run the Urban Cultures DTS (the school I'm doing now) as well as continuing to be involved in the city in various ways: through volunteering, internships, education, church, etc. We're nervously excited, or excitedly nervous, but, nonetheless, convinced that God has more to say to us out here, and we'd like to stick around a bit longer to hear about it.

Social Justice

2009-02-17T07:08:00.000-08:00

I (Lauren) recently made a decision to volunteer at a store called Ten Thousand Villages (Dix Mille Villages here in Quebec) in an English area here in Montreal. These stores are all over the U.S. and Canada and sell only fair trade goods: everything from household goods to clothes and jewelry to edibles such as chocolate, coffee, teas, and spices. Not only is it a retail store, but it's also a great community where I will be able to learn about fair trade through people, books, and workshops that they put on quite often.
For some time now, I've been interested in the HUGE topic of social justice and more specifically, women's issues (domestic violence, prostitution, etc.). I tried to get involved with an organization called Women Aware but, unfortunately, I have only done online research for the org. and haven't even gone in to work at all. I was hoping to learn a great deal of information that way and it just hasn't worked out. During my time here I have become increasingly aware of and interested in our economic system and the link between environmental issues and social justice. In other words, I've been really into living as "all naturally" as possible but have just recently discovered the link between the lifestyle choices I make and the direct effect it has on many, many poor people and countries. It has actually been a real source of joy discovering this, as it's such an obvious way to reconcile my desire to be a full-time momma as well as concerned with global and local social justice issues. Every purchase I do or don't make contributes to the well-being or the suffering in workers all over world.
This last week our speaker was Dave Skeen, founder of an organization called Global Youth Network (sending university students to third-world countries to teach practically on social justice issues), and his topic was on social justice. To my surprise and delight, the first three days were really all about the environment and our lifestyle choices, fair trade, etc. He spoke about making it a value and priority to buy less and buy local. He talked about making community more important than our individuality, both locally and globally: to do what is best for community and not just our own convenience. This topic touched me so much and really affirmed my decision to volunteer at Dix Mille Villages and to learn more about this subject, while doing all I can here and now.
In fact, he showed us a short video called "The Story of Stuff" that I would recommend to all of you. It was such a concise, informative video concerning these ideas and really drove the point home about our consumer culture. Just type in www.storyofstuff.com and the video will come up. I hope you can all check it out and enjoy it.
We are loving our new home and have been entertaining often while still enjoying having space and privacy. We're so excited about all we're learning here and really appreciate all your comments, support, and encouragement!

Updates

2009-02-03T17:47:00.000-08:00

It's February now and that means we're halfway through our school. As Lauren explained in the previous blog, our biggest change of late has been the amazing house we were asked to live in for the next four months. We've now been in the house for four days, and are taking full advantage of the privacy, tranquility, and intimacy that it provides. Dennis is sleeping better and Lauren and I are staring into each other's eyes more often. It's great!
As far as the school goes, there's much going on. For my volunteering, I was recently paired up with an 83-year-old man named Emile Pirro. I've met with him twice in his apartment, and am thrilled with the man. He's got quite a personality and seems to really enjoy company. I'm really looking forward to getting to know him over the next four months. Essentially, I meet with him once a week for 2 or 3 hours simply to talk or go through old boxes of stuff.
Also, I recently had two articles published in a local newspaper in Montreal called the Catholic Times. I covered two faith-oriented events and wrote articles for each. I'm planning on doing a couple more for this month as well. Another thing required of us in the school is to do a two-month study of a spiritual movement outside Christianity. I chose to study Zen Buddhism because of its emphasis on prayer through "emptying" and "turning off the mind." I attended an orientation meeting at a Zen Center in the city and also attended one of the prayer times, which is referred to as "zazen". It basically consisted of sitting in silence for three twenty-minute periods, each one broken up by walking around the "zendo" for five minutes. During the sitting periods, all noises and movements are strongly discouraged. I never realized how much I swallow and how loud it can be when sitting in a silent room full of people! Nonetheless, I'm very excited for what it might teach me in learning to quiet myself and just listen for the still, small voice.
A few other things that are in the works include a visit to a local monastery to have lunch with a community of monks and "monkesses", a few different interviews with Islamic, Jewish, Evangelical, and Sikh faith leaders, and hosting our home church's Sunday meetings a few times (now that we have the space to do so!).
Of course, there are many more things that have happened and will happen out here that are too many to tell; nonetheless, I can say with the utmost conviction that our first four months in Montreal have gone way beyond our expectations. A whole new world has opened up to us, and we are eating and soaking it up. The infinite opportunities and experiences within the urban context that is Montreal have revealed God's breadth and depth to me in fresh, new ways I had never considered. In the most anti-religious of North American cities, it's amazing to see God's presence in such creative ways.

Provision and Abundance

2009-01-22T17:19:00.001-08:00

Lesson of the week: God provides. No, no, God does more than provide: He blesses, and He blesses abundantly.
Last Saturday (our supposed "family day"), Denny and I were sitting at our table frustrated and confused. Lil' D was trying to sleep while the roommates were home, cleaning and going about their normal business. It's not that they're abnormally loud or disrespectful in the slightest, but our apartment has great acoustics; in other words, it is insanely loud in our room. I had been getting much too stressed out about the noise and we were discussing how our situation had become unhealthy for us: we were getting mad at each other, our roommates, and every creak of the floor. We weren't able to spend quality time together, because we could never count on the house being empty and outdoors is not always comfortable in the Canadian winter. While we were having this discussion, I received an e-mail from a good friend I've made through our church, asking if we had received the notice about the Brazzeal's (the pastor/leader of our church who is currently spending 6 months in Florida) empty house and whether or not we might be interested. I called her right away to find out the details, and she went on to e-mail the couple for me. All said and done, within 24 hours we had heard about how they needed someone to stay in their house while they were away, e-mailed them, received an e-mail back from them, and confirmed that, yes, we would be more than willing.
So, cutting to the good part, we will be moving upon our return from Quebec City next week (we leave Sunday the 25th)! It is incroyable (incredible) how quickly it happened and what an incredible, incredible, blessing it is; a completely wonderful, undeserved answer to prayer. This house is beautiful: 3 floors, 3 bedrooms, beautiful colors and art on the walls (all done by their daughter); I could go on and on. And it is all for us for the next 4 months! It is located downtown, very close to a metro station, just a bit farther from the YWAM office but very close to many other things we're involved in (volunteering, etc.). We can't believe how much space we will suddenly have, and we can't wait to be able to host church (our church meets at different homes), YWAM meetings, and friends for dinner... I am still in awe...
So please, come visit us! We can house you, all of you! You will be staying in the guest room, otherwise known as Dennis' room, so just bring him in to us when he cries... See you soon!

Burrrrr!

2009-01-16T13:45:00.000-08:00

In Montreal, a look out the window to check the weather can be deceiving. Par example, the last three days have danced around -30 degrees fahrenheit without a cloud in the sky. The sunny days are the coldest! You know it's one of those days when the moment you step outdoors, your lungs reject such frigid oxygen and you immediately start coughing. Or when the wind blows in your face, and you tear up a little, your eye lashes suddenly have frozen tear-particles attached to them. Wow. This is fun!
Lauren and I are actually glad that even the locals are saying this is exceptionally cold weather. For months now we've repeatedly seen the look of pity in people's eyes when we told them where we were from and that this winter would be our first. They would laugh and say something obscure about how it makes you tougher. Finally, now, we're facing the monster and we will not be undone. We march on, shielded by two layers of pants, wool socks and boots, three layers up top, a beanie or two, gloves, and a scarf. And there's more where that came from!

Christmas

2009-01-09T06:33:00.000-08:00

Home is a good place to be. There's nothing like coming down that airport escalator, knowing your loved ones are waiting to embrace you at the bottom...especially when you're carrying your first-born baby boy in your arms. Lil' D-Mike showed off for his Grandma LoLo, Grandma Lou, Grandpa Fitz, and Uncle Jim immediately, with his good nature and the Irish jig he's perfected (no explanation possible, you gotta see it). We were impressed and relieved with the way he handled the travel- amidst all the delays, long flights, and airport madness. I'm not anxious to do it again, but he was incredible, a true traveler at heart!

I was afraid the two weeks in Orange County might pass too quickly, but it was the perfect amount of time: any longer and I would have become too comfortable (too adapted to the warm weather!); any shorter and I would have felt cheated of time and worn out from all the traveling. We were able to spend plenty of time at home with Lois and Jimmy, Denny's mom and brother, just relaxing and watching bowl games, as well as time to visit with my parents (they were finally able to spend some q.t. with their first grandson!), the beautiful Manthorne fam (holding Kelsi and watching Kai and Kaci laugh at the D-Man), our great friends Tim and Karen (and their cute new pup Dublin), and last but most definitely not least, the Dubranskys (my sis and her fam). Lily, my sister's 9 month old, is 4 months older than Dennis and we were fully entertained watching her and Dennis interact. I can't believe that Dennis will soon be crawling and standing up like Lily is- it is so fascinating to watch these babies learn!

We were also able to have time for a small concert, where Denny played some new songs and we talked about our Montreal experience thus far, as well as what we hoped for in the future. Organizing the event really helped us sort through all we had learned during this time and it was so great to be able to talk to people more in depth about our experiences. I had some awesome conversations after we shared, and felt so affirmed and reassured speaking with other people about the radical life Jesus calls us to and the way they are trying to do that in Orange County.

So, we are back in Montreal now, where it is 15 degrees and snowing! A slight change from California, but beautiful all the same... (most of the time, at least!) I miss everyone already, but just being home gave me the renewal I needed to last through the Canadian winter.

Montreal Awareness Concert

2008-12-27T09:26:00.000-08:00

Hello to all,
As most of you know, we're home now until January 3rd. In order to tell everyone about our trip so far, we're having a Montreal Awareness Concert. Basically, I'll be playing some of my old and new songs acoustically as Lauren and I share about our experiences in Montreal and our hopes for the remaining five months of the school. I will post the flyer below:

What: Montreal Awareness Concert
Who: Denny and Lauren Flanagan
Where: Church office at 21521 Surveyor Circle, H.B.
(located off of Hamilton between Magnolia and Newland)
When: December 28th, at 4 PM
Why: To talk about our first three months in Montreal and to share some music
www.theflanclan.blogspot.com

Waiting

2008-12-18T06:10:00.000-08:00

Two days until we make the adventurous trip home and I am so excited I had to write about it. Dennis is sleeping, the hubby and roommates are off to class, and I need to share my joy with somebody! I found this picture of Dennis and just had to marvel at how much he has grown since we have been here and how nutso his grandparents are going to go when they see him at the airport! I can't help but think about how special this time is: waiting to see all those familiar faces, waiting to show off my pride and joy. That's what this time of Advent is meant to be: a period of waiting and expectation, both patient and anxious, thrilled at the possibility of what is yet to come. This Christmas is truly going to be a momentous one- reunited with parents, grandparents, siblings, nieces, nephews- celebrating our own first Christmas with new life. I love this time of year, now more than ever. Here's to packing!!

La Neige!

2008-12-12T10:27:00.000-08:00

Winter is here! It's official, no doubt about it: there is an abundance of snow on the ground and more beautiful flakes falling from the sky. Holy macaroni, I never knew it was possible for such a large city to exist in such a climate. I am blown away; $200 million dollars a year is spent on snow removal! I could try to be Optimistic Olive (that one's for you, Jim!), but I'll be honest and say that it is just not for me, LONG TERM (are you relieved, parents?!)... I can handle it and even marvel at its beauty for now, but at this point, Hawaii, Cali, Costa Rica: all sounding pretty nice for next year. I am excited to put up some pictures as it really is incredibly beautiful. It's as if Montreal turned from a huge city to a quaint village overnight; the streets are half as wide and sidewalks barely exist, and everyone seems to walk around much slower. Neighbors are helping neighbors shovel snow to get their cars out, and the rumble of semis and afternoon traffic is muffled by the layer of snow on the ground. My favorite part is the trees- they're completely frozen over and the branches are icicles, with a layer of snow so perfectly covering each branch it seems as if someone personally applied it. What I'm saying is, I feel like I am living in a snow globe: I'm one of those little people walking around the cute little town covered in snow! However, it comes with its challenges. The first day it started coming down, I tried to go out with Dennis in my sweet ErgoBaby Carrier (thanks Ryan and RoseLynn!), only to find he had snow covering his face within the minute. Hmmm... I returned to the apartment to try the stroller. My neighbors must having been laughing at such a rookie, as I couldn't get past our walkway to the sidewalk. Funny now, but frustrating at the time: just when I was becoming a confident, city-going momma, life threw another challenge at me. I'm beginning to see, however, that all my fears and obstacles become exciting challenges and little mole hills when given some good old-fashioned time and confrontation. I can't just stay inside, but I need to be determined to find a way and to just do it despite my fear. I also need to give myself some space and time to be a little more stressed, a little less active, and to come to a place where I actually want to face the challenge. So, as far as the snow goes, I'm developing my own little strategy: ErgoBaby and umbrella when it's actually snowing, because the snow is soft (not slippery) and impossible for my stroller, and then stroller once the snow stops and is iced over. Ooh la la, a winter wonderland, indeed.

A Bad Divorce

2008-12-04T06:01:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to share a quote from a book that Denny already read and I just started; this struck me as something that has been on my heart and in my mind but I hadn't found the words to express it until now. The author is discussing what he considers a "critical problem of our age", the fact that we have created "a bevy of divorces within spirituality, forcing ourselves and others to have to make unhealthy choices". One of the divorces (meaning a split) is the divorce between morality and social justice and he says:
"Too rare is the case where we see together in the same person, the same ideology, the same group, or the same church, an equal passion for social justice and for private morality, for action as for contemplation, and for statecraft (politics) as for soulcraft (mysticism). What this means is that the person who leads the protest group usually does not lead the prayer group, the person concerned with family values is usually not as concerned with poverty in inner cities, and the social, political agitator generally lacks the interior depth, selflessness, and calm of the mystic. The reverse is also true." (The Holy Longing by Ronald Rolheiser)
Just some food for thought.

November

2008-11-28T05:14:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since we last wrote and a few good things have happened around here since then. November has been a fruitful month for us in Montreal because two whole weeks of it were dedicated to finding our places here in terms of internships and volunteer work. First of all, Lauren and I have both found volunteering opportunities! We originally wanted to find something to do together and we did (working at a soup kitchen), but the health risks posed a threat to lil' D so we opted out. We were bummed out at first because we thought we had finally settled on a volunteering place; nonetheless, the very next day (which was yesterday), Lauren met with a lady who works for an organization called Women Aware (www.womenaware.ca). This organization's mission statement is "to assist and empower women who have experienced conjugal violence through self-help and advocacy in order to improve their quality of life and affect social change." Lauren had a really personable, good meeting with one of the only two full-time staff of this organization. The lady loved Dennis; in fact, Lauren told me that several times their conversation was halted simply to revel in his cuteness. She told Lauren that he was welcome to come along any time she volunteered, which works out really well for us. At almost the same time, I was meeting with an organization called The Yellow Door (www.yellowdoor.org) which does a whole variety of things for the community and is tucked in right next to McGill University. One of the reasons I chose to check this place out was because it combined three things that I have interests in: service to the elderly, music, and a direct tie to the university's inter-faith chaplaincy. Primarily, I have scheduled a training session a week from Tuesday for volunteering in the elderly program. Eventually, I hope to take advantage of the music cafe and the chaplaincy as well.
As far as internships go, Lauren (as most of you know) has been involved in her internship for almost four months now, called motherhood. Dennis Michael, or Pass The Torch (his Native American name), is not the sleeper he once was so he's giving Lauren or both of us a run for our money at nap time and nighty-night time. Lauren's patience is blossoming into a permanent character trait. She's a natural! For my internship, the details are yet to be determined but the foundation will be an in-depth study of prayer. I have already compiled a number of books to read through various recommendations and also have begun something called "spiritual direction" at a place called the Ignatian Spirituality Centre. I have met with my director, Sister Mary Ellen (she's been a nun for 52 years!), two times and plan on continuing to meet weekly for the duration of the time I'm here. At the Ignatian Centre they teach you to pray through meditation and contemplation on scripture; something I'm just beginning to learn about! I'm positive that there will be more to the internship than this study of prayer, but at this point am not sure exactly what it will be.
We're spending this coming week out in the country with a neighboring YWAM school. Ironically, we have better internet access out in the country than in the city; so, we'll have more blogs and pictures up soon. Thanks for caring.
Love,
Denny, Lauren, and Pass The Torch

Toronto Trip

2008-11-16T08:37:00.000-08:00

Although it's been over two weeks since we returned from our week-long trip to Toronto, I'm determined to keep it fresh in my memory. One way to do that is to write a short blog about it!

Altogether we visited four different kinds of "ministries" or organizations; all four had a profound impact on us--thanks to Pierre, our school director, who organized the whole trip. The first night in Toronto we were beautifully hosted by John Franklin (the director of Imago [www.imago-arts.on.ca]) and his wife. Imago is an organization that helps artists raise funding for completing their projects. John, like our director, Pierre, feels strongly that arts (serious arts) have somehow become obsolete in many areas of Christian culture. He is determined to encourage all forms of artistic expression within and outside of Christian circles.
The other ministry we visited was one similar to YWAM called Ignite Youth. It is a team of 7 or 8 people from all over the world who have come together in a specific area in Toronto, Regent Park, to basically help the poor community there. The leader of this organization, Geoff Ryan, also has a church (although he likes to call it a community) and a cafe, where he offers good food to the poor or the street people for very low cost. Geoff was quite a contrast from John. Geoff struck us as a very literal, concrete person who believed the best way to live out the gospel would be to serve the poor and under-priveleged. John, on the other hand, emphasizes the arts, which too often have no relevance when it comes to the poor. A lot of our conversations that week centered around this conundrum: how do we reconcile something as high-class as quality art with serving the poor?
The third ministry we visited was called Sanctuary. This place was an old church turned into a sort of soup kitchen for the homeless of downtown Toronto. What struck me the most about this ministry was what the director, Allen, explained to us about really caring for the poor. He said that caring for the poor did not mean just pitying them, or even feeling sympathy for them (and therefore feeding them); no, the most true, holistic way we can care for the poor is to see them as people created in the image of God who undoubtedly have a purpose and a unique make-up. Now, you might wonder: how do we make that concrete? He said it meant entering into a relationship with them just like you would with any other person. For example, if you saw that person on the street, hungry and without any money, obviously you would help that person. In conversation, you would listen to that person not just out of sympathy, but out of a genuine interest in his/her own life and how it can positively affect yours. It was profound to me to think of serving the poor in this way, not just out of sympathy, but out of a sincere conviction that real relationship is the only way to restore self-esteem and a sense of purpose to these people.
The last ministry we visited was called New Directions. Basically, this organization exists to bridge the huge chasm that has too long existed between mainstream Christians and the homosexual population. The director, Wendy Gritter, coherently deconstructed for us the different traditions of thought on homosexuality within Christianity. She spoke of the different levels of acceptance that exist in different Christian communities.
She started with the churches that view homosexuality as an abomination, and as a sure ticket to hell. Of course, these types of communities are definitely not abundant, but nonetheless still exist. The next level of acceptance are those that see homosexuality as a sickness that needs to be cured. They believe that a person can eventually come around to heterosexuality if he/she gets enough help. After that, there are those who are willing to accept--and not try to change--those with homosexual tendencies, as long as they are not acting on it or, in other words, remaining celibate. I would say most Christian churches fall in to one of the two above levels of acceptance.
The next level would be an acceptance of homosexual behavior, as long as that person is in a monogamous, dedicated relationship with his/her partner. There's probably only a few churches that ascribe to this level of acceptance, comparable to the numbers of the above mentioned zero-acceptance churches. The last level is one of total acceptance of any kind of homosexual behavior, monogamous or not. These people are usually the ones that refer to anything else as oppressive. I don't think there are any Christian churches that would ascribe to this perspective.
It was quite an all-encompassing run down of the present relationship between Christianity and homosexuality. She pushed us to continue the conversation in our Christian communities so that this issue (often viewed as taboo) would no longer remain stale and tucked away.
My feelings are that somewhere along the way within the Western Christian mindset homosexuality became something undoubtedly ugly, horrible,and irredeemable, and yet Jesus never says much about it. So, how do we as Christians approach this issue in a new way that will make genuine conversation possible with the homosexuals around us? Too often we're scared to death of anything that has to do with it. As long as that fear persists, the huge chasm between us and the homosexual population will only grow wider, and nothing will occur except one side blindly judging the other.
For me, this is challenging and I'm not sure how to respond to it exactly. I feel strongly about opening up conversation, and yet am not sure I would have the courage to actually do so in a real life context. But we can start here with this blog and I invite anyone to share their thoughts and feelings on the matter so we can all have a better educated perspective on the issue. One other source is the blog of the director of New Direction, Wendy Gritter. If you're interested, her web address is http://www.btgproject.blogspot.com/.

Well, that was not a short blog. I apologize for misinforming you in the intro. We'll be back soon with to share more exciting adventures. Thanks for caring.

Love,
Denny, Lauren, and lil' D

Mailing Address

2008-11-03T13:05:00.001-08:00

A few people have emailed us about our mailing address, so I thought it would be easiest just to post it (we love mail- hint, hint!):

Jeunesse En Mission
1204 Boul. Saint-Joseph
Montreal, QC
H2J 1L6
Canada

Denny, here

2008-10-20T13:28:00.000-07:00

Hello,
This is our second blog in over three weeks of Montreal-ness. We still don't speak French, but are understanding much more thanks to constant drowning, immersion--we love it! We're definitely settling into our routines now, getting to know our roommates a little more (not always a good thing), and the city! This city, however, is quite vast and our present exploration of it has only scratched the surface. So much! I've never lived in a big city like Montreal, LA, New York, Toronto, Chicago, San Francisco, etc. but I'm convinced this one's the coolest; in other words, I like what I've seen so far. Actually today in class our teacher asked us about our observations of the city so far; he said to list two or three. I wrote down that the recycling here is amazing (it seems everybody recycles everything), that there's a rich religious history (hugely amazing churches on nearly every corner, although almost all are empty), and a vivacious arts scene (the main difference being that in Montreal arts are not bonus, they're mandatory, essential, indispensable). These are just a few of the things Lauren, Dennis Michael, and I have noticed about our new stomping grounds.
School has been great so far. The first week we talked about Genesis 1, 2, and 3. Our teacher, Pierre Lebel, the director of the school, emphasized the fact that we were and still are made in God's image, and that this is our fundamental characteristic as human beings. It's not our fallen state and brokenness, but our identity as image-bearers of God.
Last week (our second week) we had a non-teaching week which gives us time to look into some of our areas of interest, and I was able to discover some very promising things. First of all, I feel strongly that my music will play an important role in my ministry. The ideal situation entails me being able to share my music at the multiple, multiple venues available, all the while making connections and establishing relationships with other musicians doing the same. I'm also looking into resources for/on contemplative prayer and meditation, something I've been interested in for quite some time. There are many other things available; thus, at this point, the sky is the limit and I'm excited to reach it!
This week (a teaching week) we'll be studying how our faith can be made relevant in a big city context. Our teacher, Glenn Smith, has his doctorate in Urban Missiology (I like that word.) and has been working in Montreal for forty years. It's nice to be taught by people so enmeshed in the city and attuned to its heart beat.
So, the adventures will continue, and we are very excited to experience all of them. Lauren, Dennis, and I are learning so much every day in so many ways. We feel truly blessed to be out here (and sometimes stressed).
Love you guys,
Denny

2008-10-06T11:54:00.000-07:00

We have arrived! It's hard to believe that this is it: that the seed that was planted last January, over 9 months ago, has developed into this reality we are living today. I had no idea what was ahead of us when Denny came home that 'winter' evening, placed his hand on my still-flat tummy, and announced that 'we' were headed to Canada. So here we are, Denny, Dennis Michael, and I, alone in a big city with a metro for transportation, an apartment shared with three non-English speakers (and one bathroom!), and a very, very cold winter ahead of us. I will be honest and share that the night we arrived, after climbing the steepest staircase known to man with baby carrier (and baby) in hand to reach our apartment, I burst into tears. I was completely overwhelmed by the thought of exposing my precious newborn to heavy traffic, old, squeaky wood floors, and a harsh winter air. My fear of every unknown and uncontrollable was blinding any faith within me. Not only was I alone here, but this school wasn't even for me, right? What was I going to do while Denny stayed busy pursuing his passions and learning how to change the world? As the snow piles up, will I just be sitting indoors awaiting Denny's return for the evening? Thankfully, I married a man who was able to see through my supermom act and discern that I was not well. "He took my shoulders and He shook my face" (in the words of a Sufjan song) when Denny reminded me that I was the girl who dreamed of far-off lands and considered the life of a long-term missionary before we were married. Not only was this my dream, but I am not alone here. While Denny will be busy with this school that is helping him develop his passions, our prime purpose on this adventure is to grow together as a family serving the Lord. I am not alone. Last January, the Lord spoke. He was with us then, nudging us onward, and He is still with us now, with me now. Denny is doing this YWAM school, and will mature and learn a great deal from it, but what I somehow forgot along the way was that our God does not just work in schools or organizations. There is a purpose for me, and for Dennis Michael: to support Denny, yes, but far beyond that. This is our journey and I can now confidently say that God has already begun a good work here in Montreal, in the Flanagans, in me.