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Canucklehead sent me his story but given his generally surly attitude I am tempted not to post it. Alas the invitation was for everyone, even... him.
Hi all! I'm Canucklehead (aka Tim). I've spent most of my life in western Canada where I grew up in a fundamentalist Protestant community where we sang songs with really cool theology like "Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam," "Climb, Climb Up Sunshine Mountain" and "If You're Saved and You Know It, Rat on a Friend." I went to college/university/seminary in Winnipeg/Toronto/Chicago and currently live in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, in the heart of the Canadian oilpatch. We're a sister city to Houston and have something like 90,000 "oilpatch" Americans who live here. I've been a Baptist pastor for so long now that I long ago embraced the post-tribulation view of the eschaton, believing that I've already been thru the tribulation at least three times. (Hey, that coincides with the number of Baptist churches I've pastored!) I have also taught part-time at a number of colleges over the years. The present church I'm in is pursuing a "build" with Habitat for Humanity which I'm quite pleased about as I'm big into social action/justice. I just gave a major presentation to our church on "why ministry in the 21st century cannot be like ministry in the 20th century" and am excited about some initiatives we're doing related to that. In other lives, I've worked as a journalist for various secular and religious publications and done TV/radio commentary work for various media outlets. I have also served as an editor/advisor/critic to my youngest brother (Phil Callaway) who has published something like 15 books of "Christian" humor with various American publishers such as Multnomah, Harvest House and Bethany. My current project is finishing the last 2 chapters of a PhD dissertation on growing up fundamentalist during which I've been reminded that sports, humor, God's grace, Joyce (the "love" of my life) and good music (see above, also Eagles/Bob Seger/Peter Cetera/Chicago/Ethel Waters) and books like Dave's Tempting Faith are responsible for leaving me with some semblance of sanity intact. I just finished reading Frank Schaeffer's CRAZY FOR GOD which reminded me a lot of my growing up years. I've been a political junkie all my life and really got into American politics during the Jane Byrne/Harold Washington eras as mayors of Chicago. Joyce and I have three twenty-somethings in various stages of studying law (oldest) and psychology (two youngest) so there's hope yet that I can be declared legally insane. I really enjoy the perspectives shared on this site and was greatly moved by Dave's recent trip to Uganda. If God should lead you to support my ministry with an ample donation, please feel obliged.
We wouldn't be the same without you Canucklehead... now, back to my 30-day...
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One of the wise Traveling Wilburys says on 'End of the Line', "The best you can do is forgive."
With that said, I can't overstate the damage that was done to me by guys like Bob Larsen (Who the hell knows what he's up to now?) I became paranoid at points in my life of demonic possession.
I'm saving a lot of those details for an autobiography if I ever write one. Who knows?... I may wanna run a political campaign against the military industrial complex down here, so maybe I'll just leave the details between God and I. Suffice it to say that I wouldn't wish that torment on Dick Cheney.
With all that suffering I searched out every philosophy I could to reassure myself that a foreign entity couldn't take me over and make me commit some demonic act.
At one point I had to see a shrink. This unassuming fellow remarked that I had really been through a mind-f**k, if you know what I mean.
L. Ron Hubbard ain't go nuthin' on folks like Larsen and the producers of 'The Exorcist'.
On a positive note, Dominican mystic Meister Eckhart says in his medieval way that God is closer to our true self than our fragile little egos.
Through all this, I probably could relate to some of Luther's despair.
Before encountering angels like Meister Eckhart, between fearing demonic possession and reading the book of Job literally (I'm not kidding), at one point in my youth... I just started to hate God.
I got more relief from reading Carl Sagan than Campus Crusader Josh McDowell ('Evidence that Demands a Verdict').
Posted by: Brian Horan | May 14, 2008 8:19 AM
last time I saw Larsen - a few yrs ago now - he was sporting a new wife and pushing his radio show; I see he now has a website = Bob Larsen, Exorcist = www.boblarson.org and is based in Scottsdale now; must be lotsa demons in the sun belt
Posted by: canucklehead | May 14, 2008 1:31 PM
I never scorned you, Timmy. You aren't worth the effort.
Posted by: Doug | May 12, 2008 8:11 PM
Timmy is what my 19 yr old daughter calls me. I don't know if Dr. Dobson would approve or not? Do you think I should write to inquire?
By the way, I want to thank you all for your generous response to my invitation to donate to my ministry. The people in the front office have asked me to ask you to PLEASE STOP SENDING ANYMORE CASH, CHECKS, OR LAND TITLES FOR BEACH PROPERTY IN NORTH DAKOTA! THE STOREHOUSES ARE FULL TO OVERFLOWING. YOU'VE BEEN VERY GENEROUS.
Anybody else think Kuo kind of looks like Guru Pikta?
Posted by: canucklehead | May 14, 2008 1:58 PM
Don't we need an address or link or something to donate to your ministry, pal? I have no idea who Guru Pikta is so I'll just say yes, the spitting image.
Posted by: Doug | May 16, 2008 5:06 PM
check out Guru Pikta on the Beliefnet home page - one of the four main photos most of the week - a virtual double of Dave!
Posted by: canucklehead | May 17, 2008 12:11 AM
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