"Balmy" Winnipeg Weather/Grey Cup

Or is it balmy Winnipeggers in the weather???

For those scattered far and abroad, we're having a very atypical late fall here in often frigid "Winterpeg." We were shovelling snow on Hallowe'en. But that's all melted. This past Sunday, Winnipeg hosted the Grey Cup game, and it was just barely below freezing. Today's "Winnipeg Free Press" said that it was warm enough that one of the area golf courses is open! Now, if we could only get the wind to stop blowing....

One Grey Cup side note for those who think they make some of the worst, most public mistakes. During the post-game victory celebrations after the Grey Cup game, one (or more) of the B.C. Lions players broke the historic trophy! It snapped in two. Imagine, all of Canada watching, and cup is broken in two! I should note that this isn't the first such mishap. An article in the Free Press notes that it has survived a fire, been sat on (and broken), headbutted (and broken) and even forgotten and left behind. Having had my own mishaps in life, I can only begin to imagine what it would be like to have an "ooops moment" in front of the national media. How embarassing and humiliating.

On the other side, there's the rest of the story. Ben Klumper of Quest Metal has already repaired the trophy (which has now been shipped off to B.C.). Ben's work brings a couple of thoughts to mind. (Surely, I can't not "preach" about this - a little). First, it reminds me of God's grace. No matter how much we mess up, He helps us put things back together. No matter how humiliating, embarassing or hurt we may be, even devastated, God can help us overcome it. Second, I see Ben's work as a model for our role as Christians - to be there when others have messed up and help them pick up the pieces. Mistakes and even failures don't have to be hopeless or fatal.

Getting Started

Hi there. As a teenager, I was a big fan of Mad Magazine. One of the regular features then (couldn't tell you if they still do it, since I haven't seen an issue in years) was the little cartoons that appeared in the white space around the pages. These were attributed to the "Marginal Thinking Department." I've always liked that, so I'll borrow the term for my blog. Welcome to the "Marginal Thinking Department."

My first question, and maybe yours, is why, given the number of classes, sermons, articles and editorials I write, I would undertake something like this. Perhaps, it is because this can be more spontaneous (aka disorganized) and informal -- not to mention something that could be much less serious. (Despite what some may think, I actually do have a sense of humor -- maybe somewhat warped.)

I can't promise to do this daily, but will try to do it often enough to make your visits worthwhile. I will also try to learn how to use the various options that are available on these blogs.