Being the Fathers' kind of father.

Two years ago (and add another 9 months or so) I would have told you that I wasn't ready for kids, that I was too young for the responsibility of taking care of another human. In fact, at that time, I was probably still learning how to take care of myself and a new 5-months old puppy. Fast forward 35 months, Catherine and I are watching a "Thomas the Tank Engine" DVD with my 2-year-old son, Noah. We're coming off of the (sugar) high of another birthday and the low of stepping into the inevitable "terrible twos".

I couldn't be happier.

Now, if you would have asked me 9th months ago about having a second child I would have laughed and said we were going to wait until Noah was starting school. Fast-forward 3 weeks and we'll be welcoming a new baby boy into our lives... again. We're praying for a healthy, safe delivery for both Mommy & Baby and Noah is getting excited with the thought of having a brother. It's really quite nerve-wracking, the thought that God has entrusted us with another human. We must be doing something right (other than successfully closing the deal on conception, of course). Everyone says that "everything changes" when you have the second child. I don't doubt it. Things changed with Noah and they'll change with our new son three-fold.

I could be more excited.

For the past few weeks, our small-group has been watching/talking about a series on Jesus' Prodigal Son parable. Save God's own image and example of being "Father" to all, the father in the parable is whom I want to strive to be. Maybe not now. My son is still trying to make coherent sentences, let alone decisions to take his inheritance and waste it on booze and hookers. But when my boys are old enough to make those kinds of decisions, I want to be the father who loves them anyway; no matter what. Like Isaiah 38:19b: "fathers tell their children about (God's) faithfulness".

When I think about being that father, I look at my own life and wonder if what I'm doing, who I am, and where I'm going is consistent with my abilities to be a good father, husband. That's when I really want to change the way I do things. I guess you've got to learn to love yourself before you can love others. When my kids are old enough to understand and live out the life of a Christian, I want make sure I've got my own spiritual things in order. I want to know I am intentionally wanting to learn more each day from God's word. I want to know that I am following God's will for my life. I want to know I'm using my gifts & abilities in the way He wants them used. I want to know my life is daily being thrown on the alter as an offering for him. I want my life to exemplify the life of the Father with the two lost sons; willing, ready, and able to love both no matter what.

Being that kind of Father is difficult. Consistent. Devout. Serving. Set. Wise. Firm. Accountable. Dependable. Loving. Nurturing. Strong. Patient. But, it's possible.

I guess I better get to work, huh?

My Favorite "M"s of 2009: Movies, Music, Memories

Wow, it's been October since I last blogged. That's a long time. My apologies. I've either been really boring, had nothing to say, or have wasted all my thoughts and happenings on Twitter. Actually, all of the above apply but I figure what better way to end a year of incessant blogging with my annual "Best Of..." blog where I tell you all about my favorite movies, music, and memories of 2009. So, let's go:

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MOVIES:

Favorite Movies of 2009:


STAR TREK - I'm not a Star Trek fan, but this movie was pretty spectacular. And, loving anything JJ Abrahms does helps a lot. casting was great and was far from "geeky".

Avatar - I wasn't gaga over the storyline (since it's one we've all seen before), but the visual "experience" in the theater is amazing. It's like Jurassic Park, Pocahontas, and Star Wars in a blender... in HD... and 3D.

State of Play - great acting, great story, and great twists. Definitely a drama you've gotta catch if you haven't seen it. The ending was really good.

Inglorious Basterds - in my opinion, Tarantino's best work. It read like a novel (that you watch) and had amazing dialogue (though there was often too much of it). I had no idea what would happen next and was not disappointed.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine - well, I've got a soft spot of Marvel Comics, and although Wolverine is one of my least favorite of the x-Men, the story was great and tied in nicely with other Marvel universe stories and characters. Can't wait for X-Men Origins: First Class

The Hangover - this was funny. If not for the dirty pictures/scenes during the closing credits, I would have loved this movie, but I found them uncalled for. It would have been better if we were left not knowing what happened during the bach party. Zach Galifianakis is freakin' hilarious.

The Reader - although it was nominated for multiple awards in last tears' Oscars, it was still released in 2009. Kate Winslett had an amazing role and the story was excellent.

Honorable Mention:
Paul Blart: Mall Cop
I Love You, Man
The Road

Worst Movies of 2009:


Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen - I don't even want to talk about this one. It was terrible. Terribly terrible. Even Megan Fox was terrible in every way. I still Ike Shia Labeouf, though.

Knowing - any suspense/action movie that Nicolas Cage is in is almost always terrible. the ending was really bad.

Adventureland - what I was hoping would be a funny flick turned out to be a depressing, annoying lump of coal.

Yet to See:
Up
Public Enemies
The Informant
2012
Up in the Air
Bad Lieutenant
Crazy Heart

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Music

Favorite Albums of 2009:

Seabird - 'Til we See the Shore
Though none of these categories are in any particular order, this was easily my favorite album of the year. Like a non-depressing 'Copeland", Seabird have fantastic melodies, groove, and catchy pop-tastic songs... all lead by piano. The title track is on non-stop on my iPod.

Derek Webb - Stockholm Syndrome
I will admit it. Derek Webb's twitter ramblings about this new record had me scouring to follow its release over the net. Yes, it was self-hyped but I still love it and is unlike anything he's put out before. Derek Webb is constantly changing his sound, and this one was particularly welcome.

Future of Forestry - Travel: Vol. I & II
FoF released two 6-song EPs this year so I'm counting the first two of the 4-volume manifesto as one record. I followed the process of this record and it's seriously great. Especially since The Myriad hasn't released anything in what seems like forever.

MuteMath - Armistice
awww, the long-awaited followup to MM's self-titled release. I wasn't disappointed. Production is great and although their style may have sightly changed, the sound didn't and I love this record.

U2 - No Line on the Horizon
It's U2. Have they ever put on out a bad record? Yes, I'm including POP. I loved POP. It took me a while to dig this album, but once I did, I had to go see them live. So I did. It was awesome.

Paramore - Brand New Eyes
I though Paramore's record would be more of the same pop-punk from RIOT!, but they added some styles and sounds you wouldn't find on any other Paramore release. It's a good'un.

Kelly Clarkson - All I Ever Wanted
The production on this album is fantastic. And while it's not as good as 'Breakaway", it's leaps and bounds better than "My December"



On the Fence:


John Mayer - Battle Studies
it's not that I don't like this album, it's just that's it's so much different than JMs other records. It's a lot less blues/rock and a lot more 1970s rock/pop/ballad. Most notably, it's a lot less memorable for me. There are still some tasty tracks, though.

Christy Nockels - No Not One
I like half of the album. The other half I dislike. A few choice songs, Nathan Nockels' production value, and Christy's amazing vocals save this album from being a complete disaster

David Crowder Band - Church Music

Let me say that I don't hate this album. but I don't love it either. There're a few tracks I really dig but there are just more tracks that I disliked. I found it over-produced. DCB overuse a lot of sounds, tracking, and loops which take a way from Crowder's strong worship writing and instrumentation. I was hoping "Church Music" would explore a biblical or historical view of chruch music throughout Christendom. Rather, they just tried to make a record to please a few ears.


Switchfoot - Hello Hurricane

Most will agree that Switchfoot's best release was "The Beautiful Letdown" and while no one else seemed to like "Oh, Gravity" as much as I did., Swicthfoot's latest release didn't live up to either, in my opinion. That being said, it's the next best thing and there're some stellar tracks that I really dig.


Most Dissapointing (but not terrible) Albums of 2009:


Metallica - Death Magnetic

Metallica tried to get back to the "classic" Metallica sound/arrangement. They were close, but not as good as past releases. However, it's still far better than Some Kind of Monster. Far Better.. Lars turned his snare drum on and may have used a click in some parts.

Thrice - Beggars
I also followed the recording of this record via blog, but I wasn't pleased with this self-produced/self-engineered project. I especially hate some of the drum sounds and the song-writing has seemed to lose some edge to it.

Muse - The Resistance
Again, I don't gate this record, but if I wanted to hear orchestral music, I would have bought something else. Though I understand the musical genius of Matt Bellamy and Co., I just didn't "get" this record. Half of it is classic Muse sound while the other half is Bellamy showing of his classical piano chops and orchestral arrangements. I imagine it'd still be quite the sight to see live, though.

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Memories

- this year I got to see a lot of great concerts which included my first U2 experience, seeing rock-and-roll pioneer Paul McCartney, my favorite guitar-virtuoso Joe Satriani in his supergroup Chickenfoot (which, while kind of lame, also included RHCP drummer Chad Smith), and one of my childhood favorite bands in Stone Temple Pilots. I also saw OLP for the 4th time, Finger Eleven for the 5th time, and Sloan for the 2nd time.

- watching Noah grow from a baby to a toddler has been a cool experience for Catherine and I. He's a brave little boy and his vocabulary is amazingly extensive at this stage in his life; he's almost putting together coherent sentences. Almost.

- although the news of having another baby was initially frightening to Catherine and I, we made it a point to make sure we saw this as a blessing and something that God has intrusted us with. Though Noah is sometimes too full of energy, has his odd tantrum, and still has some issues with sleeping through the night, he's becoming more and more joyful to teach and parent each day. He's such a joy to us and we can't wait to have more of that in our lives as we await the arrival of another boy at the end of March.

- I'm still trying to come with grips as to why I'm still stuck at the same job after nearly 5 years. I still truly believe that God has a ministry and/or vocation for me on the horizon but I have yet to know what that is. Trusting and awaiting God's will for my life becomes the most difficult thing in my Christian walk, yet I see the foreshadowing in small ways on a daily basis. This year, I was really hoping God would provide me with a musical outlet that I'd be able to express myself with; unfortunately, that hasn't come. Although JSB has been a tiny bit more active then in years past, I still long to find a musical outlet God can use all of my abilities and gifts.

- In November, we moved into our first home and that was a story of God's timing, will, and love for us. Although it's hard to see some months where the mortgage payment will come from, we believe that God would not provide us with such a wonderful home and not provide us with a means to afford it. We found a home that met all our needs and wants in a home and for a price that only He could have blessed us with. The whole process was smooth and the situation was absolutely laid out by God's hand for us. We're always grateful for a roof on our head, but having one you own is that much more gratifying.

- our church has seen some great growth, both spiritually and numerically, which has been really needed and gratifying. The work our Pastor and leadership have put into making Lutes Mountain Nazarene a small thriving church is amazing. Though the church is in a financial tough spot, God continues to bless it in other ways and the church remains faithful to wherever He leads. We're looking forward to serving again this year and see what God has in store for us next.

- my dad retired from the Royal Bank after 37 years of work. That's quite a feat, espeically while doing it at only 57 years of age. To celebrate the momentus occasion Dad and I made a whirlwind trip to Toronto to watch a hockey game (his Leafs versus my Flames), visit the Hockey Hall of Fame, and eat at my favorite Toronto eatery, RichTree. It was a great weekend and I'm happy we got to spend it together. Dad was very honoured by our gift and had a great time.

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so that's my year in review. stay tuned for some more blogs soon, likely about Christmas and other goodies. I promise to do this more often. It's fun and helps waste a few minutes at work when it's not busy.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Cambers family.
Jamie, Catherine, Noah, and Morris.

Top 5's of 2008

New Year has never been anything particularly special to me in the past, but the one thing I consistently love each year is watching "Top-10" or "Best Of..." lists. Whether it's the best in the years' sports clip, plays, music, movies, or car accidents, I love to see how certain things are categorized. It's probably because I've got a knack for things that're organized and listed. So, as I do every year, here is my Top 5 albums, movies, and websites of the year. Enjoy.

Top 5 Albums of 2008:

“With Arrows, With Poise” by The Myriad – about half the songs from this album are on my iPod’s “Most Played” playlist. I saw them open for David Crowder in New York and they blew me away and stole the show (imo). Fantastic sound and some great grooves & textures.


“The Alchemy Index: Vol. I-IV (Fire, Water, Air, Earth)” by Thrice – this 4-volume manifesto explores music that reflects the four elements; fire, water, air, and earth. Each elements uniquely defines and shapes teh music. In Volume I (Fire), Thrice burn it up and show where they’ve come from with some heavy/loud/fiery songs while Volume II (Water) shows Thrice’s penchant for the digital & organic side of music. (“Digital Sea” may be one of my favorite songs in a long time). Vol. III (Air) takes you on a musical flight and takes your breath away with textured sound-scapes while Earth sees the band get down-to-earth with an acoustic and scaled-down audiophoria.


“New Surrender” by Anberlin – although Anberlin has become less hard-rock, lyrically and musically they’ve become much more defined and exploratory while keeping a lot of their post-punk/post-hardcore beginnings. This is a great follow-up to their previous album, “Cities”.


“Where the Light Is: Live in L.A.” by John Mayer – I’ve never been shy to promote my love for John’s music. Although I think he’s a bit full of himself in reality, this live show gives him a million reasons to be. He does 3 different sets in this concert (acoustic, blues trio, and full-band) and there’re gems in each one. John’s virtuoso tag takes off with plenty of solos & band jams, as well as some great renditions of his Grammy-award winning songs like Daughters (which, sounds fantastic with Robbie McIntosh’s slide/resonator guitar playing).


“Hello Love” by Chris Tomlin – there weren’t many fantastic worship albums that came out this year, but Tomlin’s Hello Love topped them all on my list. Yes, most songs are carbon copies of Tomlin’s previous church anthems, but there are a few songs on this album that really have hymn-like and traditional vibes to them. I feel Tomlin turned it up a bit on this album and it pays off.

On the bubble:

“The Bright Sadness” by Charlie Hall – not worshippy, but great writing, arranging, and producing
“Play: The Guitar Album” by Brad Paisley – I don’t like country enough to fully enjoy this album, but some of the best guitar work I’ve seen ina long time.
“Viva La Vida (Death and All His Friends)” by Coldplay – this might have made my Top 5 list if Coldplay hadn’t ripped off Joe Satriani’s song “If I could Fly” for their hit-single “Vida la Vida”. Satriani is now suing Coldplay for their stealing his art & creativity. Click here to read more about the lawsuit. Also, click here to hear the difference/similarities in the two songs.

Disappointed:
“Kingdom of Comfort” by Delirious – not their worst effort, but what’s most disappointing about this album was that it was their last record before officially disbanding.
“Death Magnetic” by Metallica – yes, it was an improvement from “t Anger”, but it’s obvious that ‘tallica tried far too hard to go back to their metal roots.
“Drastic Fantastic” by KT Tunstall – there’re some great songs on the album, but aren’t as strong as the songs from her folk-rock gem “Eye to the Telescope”




Top Movies of 2008:


The Dark Knight – everybody and their dog loved this movie. Heath Ledger’s posthumous role aside, the directing, cinematography, and writing are all fantastic. It was a non-stop roller-coaster ride leaving you wanting more. The only down-side of this movie is Christian Bale’s “voice” as Batman; he sounds like he has throat cancer.


Iron Man – even as comic-geek when I was growing up, I’m surprised my top 2 movies of the year are both super-hero movies. Iron Man far exceeded my expectations and I liked this movie a lot. Lots of action, great story (with enough background and pre-text to dismiss any terrible prequels), and great casting.


Wall-E – when I went to the theater to see The Dark Knight for the third time, the only seats that were left were front row. I can’t watch a movie from the front-row, I don’t care how good it is. So, when we decided to go see something else, the Pixar-animated “Wall-E” was the only thing yet to play. Surprisingly, I absolutely loved it and thought Pixar’s take on global warming & materialism in a child’s animated feature was outstanding. This is a buyer for me and will go beside “The Incredibles” on my DVD shelf.


Cloverfield – I may get some flack from some, but since I was a faithful follower of all the Internet hoopla & build-up for this movie, so it made it all the more special for me. I loved Monster movies growing up, and this is a well-crafted take on a Godzilla movie taking place in NYC. The constantly-moving camera took some getting used to, but the large movie screen helped. I loved this movie and bought it the day it came out on DVD. Sure, the acting wasn’t fantastic, but the story and efx were great and it’s really entertaining.


Street Kings – ok, so this is a Keanu Reeves movie, but although it wasn’t a block-buster in the theaters, it made for a great rental and kept me really entertained. It wasn’t the caliber of Scorsese’s “The Departed”, but it was a great dirty-cop/internal affairs movie that kept you guessing.

On the Bubble:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – I haven’t seen this yet, but I imagine it’ll be great and garner some Oscar nods.
Step Brothers – because of it’s crass & tasteless jokes, constant innuendo, and dirty language, I couldn’t put myself up to putting this on my Top 5 list. But, it was freakin’ hilarious. Funnier than most recent Farrell movies, but the story was kinda weak. But funny.

Disappointed:
007: Quantum of Solace – this wasn’t a bad movie at all, but it was a bit disappointing since it didn’t live up to Casino Royale’s hype. It was a bit confusing, especially if you don’t recap Casino Royale before-hand. Less gadgets, less girls, and less cars makes James a dull boy.



Top 5 Websites:

www.stuffchristianslike.net - Jon is a fantastic wirter and blogger. He's got something interesting, funny, and spirtually fulfilling everyday.
www.hockeybuzz.com - the internet's best place for hockey rumors and stories
www.facebook.com - Facebook overpowers MySpace now. Although, I'm sure, Facebook will fizzle out in 2009, I will create the next best networking site: FaceSpace.
www.blogger.com - I raelly got into blogging this past year. Ienjoy reading them as much as I do writing them.
www.tsn.ca/nhl - I've become particularly enthralled with hockey these past two years. This is where I go for all my scores, news, and highlights.