

Throw Sister from the Train
So how do we walk hand in hand when we don’t see eye to eye?I find Alberta divided into two camps right now: People who don’t want to die from covid and people who don’t want to die from the vaccine. If I’m honest I’d rather not die period, but I suppose death is still hovering around the 100% mark so I’d better come to grips … Continue reading Throw Sister from the Train

Old Fashioned Generosity
I think the more resources I see people have, the less they generally give away?My dad told me stories of growing up in the Mennonite church and the offerings that would come in at harvest time. Powerful! Inspiring!! So much to feed the poor!We lived in a little town when I was a child that was established by a religious community whose vision with the … Continue reading Old Fashioned Generosity

I Might Meet a Dog
A old friend of Erin’s sent her a hilarious TikTok song Jimmy Fallon and Kristen Bell did together because it reminded her of my wife. I sent it out to Venue Team Leads on Slack (normally reserved for more? important things like new Venue Building design or equipment) because it was funny. One hundred percent true too. Chorus? “I might meet a dog today”. Now I’m the first … Continue reading I Might Meet a Dog

Venue’s New Building
This Fall Venue Church is opening our brand new building at 2920 Kingsview Blvd Airdrie!When we started Venue four years ago we couldn’t have imagined being positioned to purchase a new building at this stage, particularly following the plague years, but God has been good and people very generous. Also we run a tight budget, just ask my staff if I freak out about every dollar…I … Continue reading Venue’s New Building

The Passport Office
I feel like some aspects of the Federal government have lost the sauce a bit. Our girl’s passports run out this month, and we wanted to renew rather than redo something or other (Erin’s department) because whatever it was I wasn’t listening to was hugely painful if we didn’t do it. Turns out most of the passport offices are closed completely, because “People don’t need passports if … Continue reading The Passport Office

The Beast
My wife Erin and I were driving the other day and I said “Katie should get a scooter!”Katie is 14 and has her learners license, which is all that is required for a 49cc scooter. I had a scooter when I was 14 and could work in the next town without getting a ride from mom. I had independence and I LOVED it. I remember when a … Continue reading The Beast

The Zombie Shot
Ok so I’ve never had a flu vaccination in my life, for the record. I’m unsure I’ve ever had the flu because Kopes don’t get sick or think we can or recognize if we are. I thought it would be interesting to walk the tightrope of polarization and have a laugh at the whole vaccination thing, so here goes…Our family was recently vaccinated. I’m decently sure we … Continue reading The Zombie Shot

A Day’s Ride
My friend Barry has a house right on the Bow River down in Bowness, which is an interesting community mix of hood and people with money. Those with resources buy a lot or two backing onto the river, tear down the older homes on them and build lovely places. In the summer I had a great Yamaha motorcycle, but I was (for some baffling reason) checking Kijiji … Continue reading A Day’s Ride

The Racket
Once again, my wife Erin is an avid green thumber. Only puppies make her happier than pulling weeds and watching things grow. About all I do in the yard is mow the grass, but my neighbour Jackie has managed to beat me every single year we’d been here with having grass slightly greener than mine. It’s not a competition but it is, you know? And the grass … Continue reading The Racket

Side by Side(s)
In a recent camping trip to Grande Prairie, our family rediscovered the beauty up north. The country is so different, the people quite redneck, and literally everyone owns a pickup, multiple ATVs and horses. First of all, I love me some rednecks. I was curious what the definition of redneck was so I looked it up, only to find it related generally to poor, uneducated white folk … Continue reading Side by Side(s)

Long Haulin’
So when we went back a year in time to cave-living with the recent baffling shutdown, Venue’s live experiences (and every church in the province) were deemed both unsanitary, non-essential and unconstitutional by the powers that be, while liquor stores and the ever present Walmart, which hold people’s bodies, souls and minds together so well remain open, the Kope family decided to go camping for … Continue reading Long Haulin’

Orphan Horse
My wife has a green thumb. She loves spending an afternoon outside grubbing around in the dirt and comes in with wild hair, tired but happy. I hate getting my hands dirty, which is a bit odd as I had a life in the trades for quite some time. But when my hands get dirty it irritates me, and when I decide something bothers me it really … Continue reading Orphan Horse

Who Runs the World?
So my wife Erin had a Venue women’s zoom call on the topic of Warrior Women and decided some of the gals should go tribal and paint their faces for it. I came home from something and Erin materializes in front of me with wild hair, face painted all crazy, and a hunting gleam in her eye. It was pretty hot, but a little scary. Also she … Continue reading Who Runs the World?

The Devil Cat
Someone in my home found the devil cat we had in the basement (for scaring children to death maybe?) and left it on the kitchen floor for the better part of a week. Every time I walked in there I’d jump, but I was too afraid to touch it. It’s the size of a normal cat, probably has real cat fur and makes creepy noises and moves … Continue reading The Devil Cat

Lloyd the Fish
Sunday morning before church my wife told me “Lloyd the fish is dead”. Another fish funeral with an iPhone playing a bagpipe rendition of Amazing Grace on the funeral march to its watery grave with the family in tow…My wife loves animals and has no problem whatsoever explaining that she likes them more than people. Not that she doesn’t like people, but she likes animals even … Continue reading Lloyd the Fish

My First Bike
As hot as my wife Erin riding my Diesel Ducati would be, she has to appreciate baby steps. My first bike was a Suzuki GS400 and it was not a hot rod. I’d had a little 50cc scooter I paid $500 for and been riding for a couple years in town and on secondary roads by the time I turned sixteen and got my Class 5 … Continue reading My First Bike

Worth the Fight
A good marriage is worth the fight. I’ll preface this with the thought that of all the readers of this article, I would suspect that yours truly has had maybe more exposure than most to sheer numbers of marriages and marriage issues simply because of my role as a pastor. When marriages go south for people in the faith community (or any community), we are often the … Continue reading Worth the Fight

Friends with Bikes
I’m a salesman. Whatever I’m into I want you to be into too because I’m into sharing things that are fun. Now, to be clear I’m a man who does not like to share everything (food belongs to me and me alone), but I share what I’m passionate about. When Erin and I began dating I’d ask her “Do you want some Dr Pepper? Do you want some … Continue reading Friends with Bikes

Expensive Haircut
Ok so this isn’t really about haircuts being expensive but rather how expensive my Ducati Diesel is getting…I sold my red Yamaha MT09 in the summer, which cost me a grand total of one back tire, and picked up a 2013 special edition Ducati Diesel 20th Anniversary Monster. Why? Because I really REALLY needed it after I saw it. It looks like something out of WW2. I … Continue reading Expensive Haircut

Adventures in Babysitting
When my girls began babysitting I set them up with a little business plan. This included how to stay in contact with parents properly, how hard they need to work when they’re not looking after the kids, how repeat customers are worth giving a break to, and how Venue people get the best rates because serving is important and family is family. Now it should be mentioned … Continue reading Adventures in Babysitting

Buck Lake!
Our family recently travelled to Buck Lake to stay in a mansion for a couple of nights. With these travel restrictions I think we’re all going a little nutty and missing the natural change of scenery we are accustomed to and it’s adding unnecessary pressure on our lives that is quite risky for family, marriage, and mental health. We needed to get away where we didn’t have … Continue reading Buck Lake!

Arwen is Out
The day has finally arrived that every parent dreams of: our oldest daughter is leaving the house. From the moment she arrived we couldn’t help but think “This is amazing, but hopefully we’ll get our lives back soon?”Scene missing…Three more daughters, and some horrible parenting adventures later, we are ready to get rid of her. “Arwen, you’ve been a great addition to this family, but it’s … Continue reading Arwen is Out

Hard Knock Life
So I walked into the holiday trailer in Montana one summer where Erin and the girls were watching the newer Annie. I’d been wandering around the campsite doing something useful (I’m sure) only to enter the trailer and see my wife with tears running down her face. There should be an app for that. WARNING. STAY AWAY OR YOU’LL GET BLAMED FOR WHATEVER IS MAKING HER CRY! I don’t … Continue reading Hard Knock Life

What About Bob
Ever meet someone you can’t tell anything to? I met Bob on a job site when I was in my twenties. I’d worked for a particular electrical company as a third year then moved because work kept drying up. A year later I returned as a favour for a month because I had a good relationship with the owner and my new company had a lull … Continue reading What About Bob

Phone Fumble
Erin often leaves her phone ringer on which drives me crazy because her ring tones aren’t great and go on forever and I have to hear them. I tried to help her by clean-editing a version of Without Me by Eminem to notify her when I called as a romantic surprise years ago, which was especially hilarious when she was at the Telus Spark during orientation … Continue reading Phone Fumble

My Ducati Zippo
I have a zippo because they’re cool and I’m cool. I’m particularly cool because I have a Ducati zippo to commemorate my love for my Ducati(s). This morning I yelled across the house to my firstborn “ARWEN!! WHAT SHOULD I WRITE ABOUT??”She came into my home office where I was sitting in my worn captain’s chair recently relocated from the living room, sat down at my desk … Continue reading My Ducati Zippo

Goodbudget App
I’m doing a series at Venue called Rebound which is largely about how to rebound financially from this disaster we find ourselves in and my thoughts turn to one of the best decisions my wife and I ever made, which was to go through Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University. Oh my goodness what where we could have been at right now if we’d have done it … Continue reading Goodbudget App

Mexico, Oh Mexico
I miss Mexico. I miss when I could get on a plane and go places that were fun. I miss when I used to be able to hang out with whomever I wanted to and decide for myself if I wanted to get sick and stuff:) But I mostly miss Mexico. Erin and I try to get away at least once a year with no kids because … Continue reading Mexico, Oh Mexico

Highly Evolved
Men are so great. I know I have to push past society’s deal where we’re not allowed to celebrate men because of the infamous deeds of some, and no one would bring a backlash if I’d titled this Women are Great except my wife who would be like “womEn or womAn???” (and rightly so). We live in the society of the underdog with undercurrents of fairness and … Continue reading Highly Evolved

Prince of Peace
Gallup recently released a poll about the fall of mental health in America from 2019 to 2020. The survey across the States that spanned nineteen demographics from age to ethnicity to income to political persuasion to married status was a shocking, but not unexpected revelation of the state of mental health. What was a surprise to many was that there was only one group of people rating … Continue reading Prince of Peace

Masks and Bank Robbers
I’m an optimist. If I’m shovelling something nasty I’m looking for a pony…Now as a child I was a pretty severe asthmatic so wearing a mask is not something that I find fun, particularly when I’m uncertain masks do anything to help with viruses according to the types of research that develops and critiques approval of drugs etc. I think they make us feel safer and … Continue reading Masks and Bank Robbers

Not a Lemming
Ever read history and wonder why entire nations were so stupid? I have. “Idiots!” Is what I think, followed closely by “That would never happen HERE, that would never happen to ME!”Perhaps the fact that the arrogance it would take for Thought #2 to so closely follow the very obvious missing of the lesson should let me in on the insight, but alas, it rarely does. The thought … Continue reading Not a Lemming

It’s a Joy to Shovel
For some reason I thought I’d have to shovel snow forever because I only had daughters? Before you ladies lash out and give me the “equal rights” speech, keep in mind I live with five of your kind and have heard it all before. Personally I would love to give up any rights if someone else wanted to shovel the driveway for me. Also it might be noted some … Continue reading It’s a Joy to Shovel

I Would Miss Trump
Now to be clear I only on occasion call Trump Trump and not “Mr Trump” or “President Trump” because he’s not MY president. I’m Canadian. I’m a bit old school when it comes to honouring those in authority and never refer to Premier Kenney as anything less than Mr. I need to honour him whether I agree with him or not because I can only reap … Continue reading I Would Miss Trump

Signed Stevie G Jersey
I wholeheartedly believe one is more blessed to give than to receive. Venue people ask me all the time “How can we pray for you pastor?” “Just pray for ____ instead. I’m good (I think?)”…is what I used to say. The Kopes are Dutch and self sufficient in the extreme. It is much easier for me to give than to receive something, which is mostly a great trait … Continue reading Signed Stevie G Jersey

Arwen’s Red Jetta
I’m very proud of my oldest daughter Arwen. She managed to save up birthday, babysitting and work money to the total of nearly nine thousand dollars by the time she turned eighteen. I didn’t have that kind of money when I was eighteen. We are budgeters, which means we shop around for the best prices of insurance, the best prices of food, heck the best prices of everything … Continue reading Arwen’s Red Jetta

Snow Snow Go Away
Not sure what the weather will be like when this article goes live, but it’s snowy and cold when I write this. I think in less than a week my wife’s attitude went from “Beautiful fall! We had such a long summer!” To “winter came so soon!!”Only my youngest daughter is excited because of the snow, even if she has to walk home in it, but … Continue reading Snow Snow Go Away

The God Complex
I think we think we’re God sometimes…We pat ourselves on the back for how wise and all knowing we are (internet), we have a good moment parenting, we experience love, we wake up early and exercise before the sun comes up (theoretically), but we forget sometimes that seeing something or experiencing something is not nearly the same thing as creating something in the first place. God blesses us with children we think we somehow created, when … Continue reading The God Complex

Little Foxes
“Catch all the foxes, those little foxes, before they ruin the vineyard of love” Song of Solomon 2:15Little foxes can do a fair amount of damage if there are enough of them. Little foxes can be those funny mindsets we travel through life with. When our mindsets are healthy the rest normally follows, but when they’re not it’s like trying to launch a space shuttle when … Continue reading Little Foxes

“Perfect” Family
Our family is far from perfect. Mostly because they won’t do what I tell them to… (… is how most arguments go:)We all want a perfect family, but people aren’t robots and every time a giant corporation tries to take over the world with robots it never turns out well (in the movies that is). The problem is that if my family was perfect there wouldn’t be … Continue reading “Perfect” Family

My Poor Yard
My neighbour Jackie and I have been watching Telus and their co-conspirators desecrate our yards for the past month or so. I began the journey to their fibre development of Coopers very smugly, looking back. I love fast internet and hate slow.. well.. anything, so I signed up for their free install into my yard. Ironically the small town we lived in previously began the fibre instal … Continue reading My Poor Yard

Fear’s Greatest Hits
I recently preached a sermon called Leverage Love (Not Fear) at Venue as I thought about some of the issues we’re facing today. I think the problem today is not what everyone is talking about. It’s not Covid. The problem is fear. Covid is just another problem that the world has lots of. Generations before us faced problems with different names, generations after us will face problems … Continue reading Fear’s Greatest Hits

Diesel Ducati Special Edition
So I filmed something for Venue when the pandemic started laughing about “Guys, if you didn’t need a motorcycle BEFORE this you don’t need one now.”One thing I love about myself is my sense of irony. Within a couple of weeks I had a motorcycle of course, so I had to film something else when we went to BC to get it along the lines … Continue reading Diesel Ducati Special Edition

Neela is Great
Neela is my last daughter and Neela is great. One of her sisters showed us a video of her attempting to sing Twinkle Twinkle when she was tiny and it was so cute you’d push a lab puppy trying to lick you out of the way to see it again. THAT’S how cute it was. Neela is a precious bundle of awe and wonder that enters every room … Continue reading Neela is Great

Katie is Great
Katie is my third daughter and Katie is great. Katie is smart. Like scary smart. I’ve always secretly wished I’d married someone dumber than I was and had dumber kids. It would be nice for people to nod in respect at me because of my intelligence rather than what they do now:Smile sympathetically at my wife and girls for having to do all the thinkin’, then address … Continue reading Katie is Great

Ailish is Great
Ailish is my second daughter and Ailish is great. This should sum up her competence for you…Venue Church is three and a half years old. For the first couple of years I would write up the service orders and other things and send them out until one day I delegated it to her. From that moment on there were no more mistakes. Like EVER. The funny thing … Continue reading Ailish is Great

Arwen is Great
Arwen is my first daughter and she’s great. Arwen has a way of rolling through life getting tricky things accomplished while somehow creating no waves. Now our four girls occasionally make waves and fight with each other, but Arwen for the most part has a way about her that eases tension while getting stuff done. Her mind is a cutting one but it doesn’t make one feel cut if you … Continue reading Arwen is Great

Erin is Great
Erin is my wife and she’s great. The first conversation I had with her impressed upon me the people intelligence she has. We were forming a band back in the day and she remarked “The bass player is great, but might not be in the best musical shape..”If an 8 on the enneagram like myself described him, it would have sounded like this:“He’s terrible.”She made it sound … Continue reading Erin is Great

God of the Mountains
As a child growing up in a home where we talked about God I sort of assumed people who denied even his existence maybe just hadn’t thought about it that much?As an adult I still think the same thing:)I could get into some very real hangups people have with God, things I’ve struggled through like “How can a loving God allow pain?” (I landed on something called … Continue reading God of the Mountains

When I’m an Old Man
“Erin, I’m going to be a ridiculously funny old man! I’m already ridiculously funny, but when I’m old….” This is a fairly normal type of marriage conversation for us before you get too alarmed on her behalf, she’s used to it. To be fair, she thought I was a whole lot cleverer before she saw my idea-material (The Simpsons) when we were dating, but I’ve tried to stay funny … Continue reading When I’m an Old Man