A Christmas Blessing

From Tony Jones' blog:

A Franciscan Benediction:

May God bless you with discomfort,
at easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships,
so that you may live deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger,
at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people,
so that you may work for justice, freedom, and peace.

My God bless you with tears,
to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, and war,
so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and turn their
pain to joy.

And may God bless you with enough foolishness,
to believe that you can make a difference in this world,
so that you can do what others claim cannot be done.

Amen.

I love my wife...

She's an awesome Mommy.

She loves the boy.

She's funny.

She's a hottie ;)

She's brilliant.

She got me this for Christmas:



Merry Christmas, baby...

...I love you...

Merry Christmas!

Just some fun decorating cookies at home...

Boy are we looking forward to the holiday!

It's 4:45am...

and I should be asleep...

but, I can't...sleep that is...

This time it's not because my face is on fire with wisdom teeth that need pulled. It seems that my most recent sleep schedule has put me awake during these hours lately anyway, but tonight it's for a different reason.

There are times in a person's life, seasons of life where, despite all the stress and confusion, one is moved to be eternally grateful. Frankly, seeing the face of a new life will put one into an attitude of thanks and gain--in all honesty--some greatly needed perspective.

Which makes me think about something...

As I was laying in bed (before waking up at 4), my thoughts drifted to words of praise. I couldn't stop saying thanks for what we have been provided with, and not words of supplication for the things we don't.

Which is a strange thing...

Too often we treat God like some divine butler that we call on with our needs. We can treat God like some divine shrink that we get some therapy from without any real commitment. We find ourselves at the foot of the throne face down...begging instead of worshiping. We see God only as fixer rather than the lover of our soul.

So,

In the face of lots of stress--yes, the medical bills are starting to roll in and sometimes (most times) we're not sure what's going to happen...

Tonight, I trust in God's provision for me and my family...

...and I am most grateful...

I am moved to praise in the face of so many things that make me want to call the butler, or get the shrink on the phone...

After all, in the end, if one has a butler, who's really in control?

If I call for therapy only when I perceive it necessary, who's really in control?

But if I trust in the provision of the One who loves completely, who's really in control?

So, I echo Joshua, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!"

Not the other way around...

NO GUYS UNTIL YOU'RE 30!!

So, the miracle that is a little baby appeared on screen today. Our little bambino is clearly a girl. We couldn't be more excited...

There's so much to say. We are blessed and are amazed once again at God's design for humans and love His promise that He already intimately knows her and loves her.

And, no, we've not settled on a name yet...

Here she is:



If you look closely you can see her face in this one:



Couldn't be happier...the boy will be pumped as well...

He's been asking for a sister the whole time :)

My favorite commerical right now...

LOVE to watch the Dad get into it by the end...

I Will Survive

I'm so sorry for all the videos lately. As life permits, I'll post more..well, words, actually. But, this I thought was cool.

How about that chick beat-box-er??



...thanks Kez...

Thanks, Tyler...

for posting another DS piece...

Here's one of my all time favorites:

I know, I know- it's a scholarship competition...

...and she still was the third runner up in the pageant...

Seriously?

This is why I HATE clowns..

Scare tactics is a funny show, but, dude, I hate clowns...

December CD of the Month

Here's the latest installment of the CD of the Month. I'd say that while this is a mood CD, as in, it's not great for ALL the time just when you've got a hankering for a certain flavor of music, it's pretty fantastic.

Think Nickelback meets the The Fabulous Thunderbirds...

It's got a nice modern rock vibe with several splashes of southern rock.

I think you'll enjoy it...I've been enjoying it!

Honorable Mention: (it'll make it sooner or later) David Crowder Band- Remedy

Well...

we played Coffee Amici tonight.

Hopefully, there will be some photos to come...

-rc

Not a bad idea...

www.GodCan.com

..just save yourself the 4 bucks on the deluxe "God Can" (better yet, just save the $3 on the regular one) and just pray.

I can't seem to rank this idea up there with all of the companion materials for the "Prayer of Jabez," well...maybe I can. It seems I did.

Not that I'm against tools for prayer, or prayer in general for that matter. In fact I love prayer, and if you'd like to buy one, that's fine...

...I just may giggle a little bit...

A few things I learned last week...

There are times when life makes you stop. Such was last Tuesday.

So, here's the list (just in time for Thanksgiving):

1. I love my wife.
2. I will never be able to pay her back for all her love and care she's shown over the past few days.
(I scared the sh** out of her)
3. My son rocks. He's so funny!
4. I can't ignore the fact that I'm not as young as I used to be.
5. Despite the fact I feel like an outsider when I'm home for holidays, my family truly loves me and has a high level of regard for A. and me.
6. I have great friends.
7. There are too many people depending on me for me to be cavalier about my health.
8. I have a lot to be thankful for.

A special thank you for to each of you for your prayers, phone calls, and visits. I cannot begin how to tell how much the time each one of you spent with wifey and I meant to us and sustained us over Tuesday and Wednesday.

I am eternally grateful...

Loved every minute of it...

"You want to beat Ohio State. I got one more year left. I'm going to get them next year."


This was said on top of other rich commentary and declarations such as:

"There's nothing special about that defense."


and...

"You know, but if we played them again, it would be a whole different game. Guarantee that."

--Mike Hart following last year's game

O-H freakin' I-O, my brutha...

Keep yo' mouth shut...

I tend to agree with the caption of this photo...

"Celebrating the death of somebody you disagreed with pretty much makes you a dick."

The article you'll find this in can be read here.

The apostle Dwight K. Schrute

Call me crazy, but can anyone else hear Dwight's voice reading this verse found in Deuteronomy 25:11-12?

11 If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to rescue her husband from his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes him by his private parts, 12 you shall cut off her hand. Show her no pity.

Maybe it's just me...

An interesting article

A great web site for reading some interesting Christian perspective is at the Third Way Cafe (link here). I was sifting through some of the material today I ran across and article titled "Christ and the New Atheism." (read the whole thing here).

Overall, it was a very thought provoking article, and it comes from a perspective that seems to be open to dialogue. There are a bunch of authors gaining recognition as the New Atheists and in a series of books are throwing out some ideas that if I really honest are more fair then they ought to be.

Here's a snippet:

The basic arguments of the two I read (Harris and Dawkins) are very similar. First, they note that religion and the irrational belief it inspires stand behind much of the conflict in the world and many of the atrocities of past centuries (the Crusades, the Inquisition, the Holocaust, the September 11 terrorist attacks).

Faith, they claim, ignores evidence and common sense, making a believer capable of great evil. Second, they argue that the world can be more satisfactorily explained by science instead of a supernatural designer and that an appreciation of the difference between good and evil does not require scriptural basis. Third, they propose an alternative approach to spirituality; Dawkins admits to a “pantheistic reverence” and Harris advertises the mind-opening possibilities of meditation. Ultimately, though, they serve less to outline a worldview than to attempt to destroy another.

Not having read their books I cannot vouge for the accuracy or fairness of the synopsis. But pretend the author of the article is right. Would you be able to finish by saying:

Disciples of Christ stand opposed to most of what the New Atheists assert. We proclaim not only the existence of God but also the imminence of the kingdom of God. We accept the mystery of parts of our faith, including the Trinity and the afterlife. But we miss hearing a prophetic word if we ignore them entirely, no matter how stridently secular the mouthpiece. The rise of New Atheism presents us with an opportunity to assess our failings and refocus on our priorities. The best counter is not another slightly more shrill argument but a searching look at ourselves.

They're lots in between these two statements in the entire article, but I think that overall, I can see how people can make the jumps that these "New Atheists" do. We'd more likely be able to enter into dialogue with folks if we tried to see the truth in critique rather than counter-attack with a volley of 'shrill argument.'

I'd love some feedback, I thought the article was great...

November CD of the Month

A slight change of pace from last month...


This month is Anberlin's "Cities." This is a rock album with a very distinct style. It's hard to describe, but it's solid from top to bottom. I enjoyed it. Hope you do too...

Not even lying...

McDonald's has the Monopoly game going again. I recently scored Park Place. If you, anyone in internet land, get's Boardwalk I will split the $$ with you. We'll get an attorney and draft a contract, do it right, and bam--done--

Seriously...

Not even kidding...

My childhood! Revived in a fun way...

Yes, after searching high and low, I've found a place where one can play the orignal "Oregon Trail" online. I absolutely loved this game, and it should come as no surprise after playing it for an entire Saturday, I still love it.

Also available at www.virtualapple.org:

Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?

Lode Runner

Wheel of Fortune

Got a game you grew up on during computer time on the ol' apple IIe? You'l probably find it here...

...bad news though...

If you're a Mac user it won't work. You must play on a PC. Ironically, it's the only platform that this specific mac emulator will run on.

(you're hearing taps played on a bugle)

It was a sad day, kind of...

For about five minutes of it.

I picked up my lovely wife at work and we walked down Main street in search of a lunchtime destination. Her preference? The Greek Garden. A delightful little place that makes great gyros and is the only place close that does saganaki, or 'flaming cheese' as we call it. It hasn't been back open since the flood. It may not every open back up.

My first choice was Fuzzy Berstein's. A Jewish-Italian style deli further north on Main. They always had a great assortment of sandwiches and soups and the coffee wasn't bad either. To our surprise, the flood wiped them out too. The only thing in their space was a chalkboard sandwich board that simply said, "Thanks everyone. You were the best customers ever."

My sadness isn't because I was hungry and they wouldn't be hooking me up with lunch. Most people that start their own business do it for the love of it. Many of them have their dreams fulfilled by opening a little Greek place or a unique Jewish-Italian style deli. Unfortunately, they had to wake up far too soon...

So, we walked and reached our lunchtime destination. The food was great. Company was the best (love you, baby). And now that my belly's full (from a particularly good sandwich, by the way), I'm sure I'm bumed for the people that lost their little hunk of small business bliss, and less about the lack of good saganaki in the county.

Reason #117 why I love 'The Office"

I'd want to get more than necking out of that effort, too :)

If you don't watch the office, you don't know what I'm talking about...

Sorry?

Sorry, Tribe...

Maybe it's a different Ohio team's year. Apparently, Jesus is a Buckeye...

crap...

Fan-freakin'-tastic...

I wish there was more music like this...

Manny being Manny, yes...but

isn't he mostly right? Wedensday he said this when asked about his feelings about the possibility of being eliminated from the playoffs:

"If it doesn't happen, who cares?" "There's always next year. It's not like it's the end of the world."

Now, as an Indians fan, I appreciate the sentiment. For me, it wouldn't be the end of the world if the Red Sox lost tonight (or in game 6 or 7 for that matter). However, I found this particular statement to be interesting.

Like any fan of any sport, I want to see the players on my teams win or die trying; give all the effort they can (which is 100%, not 110%, thanks). We want to see them fight tooth and nail for victory, and we even see this lived out on the recreational fields of rec league softball games and all the way down to our 4 year olds playing soccer. Win! Win at all costs, dammit!

There's an outcry of "You lazy piece of crap" when we hear athletes, like Randy Moss, confess that he doesn't go all out on every play and he really only plays when he wants to.

I confess I'm one that gives Mr. Moss plenty of crap for that reason.

Is it just me, or is the only time we hear athletes say something like "You know, we play a game and that's all we do" when there's been some large sweeping national or internation tragedy? Then they go out, play, and with everything in proper perspective, everyone enjoys the games for the reasons we ought, because they're games.

Isn't poverty a large, sweeping national tragedy? What about the genocide in Darfur? What about the AIDS pandemic? No athletes keeping their jobs in perspective over these. There's often only a black stripe on a sleeve, or a flag on jersey, or a number or initials on a helmet or sleeve, or a pink bat. No keeping their 'recreationally based' careers in the perspective as they ought.

Manny just did. Although, I'm sure he wasn't trying to. He's more like the airhead you went to school with that got 100%'s on everything (not 110%'s). But, he did hit on something true that no one will look at as truthfully as they ought because there hasn't been something big and tragic to help us remember and give perspective.

They'll just pissed that he seems to not give a crap.

That's just Manny being Manny...

If you love food...

...you'll probably like this:

I did.

Sorry...had to giggle...

There is a town close to Findlay called Carey. And in Carey there resides a high Catholic population--there's actually a shrine there, too. It should also be noted that the Carey High School mascot is the Blue Devil...where am I going with this? I'm going here:

I went to Maria's Tacos to pick up lunch for the family today and walking out of the restaurant was a nun. No biggie. Not all that naturally occurring in Findlay, but she was there nonetheless and probably enjoyed what is the best taco in town. She got into her car and I noticed the ribbon-magnet thing on the trunk said out loud and proud, "GO DEVILS!"

The sight of a nun driving a car with GO DEVILS on the back made me giggle... Not an out and laugh, more like a giggle/snicker really.

I'm done now :)

GO TRIBE!!

In yet another effort to voice my love for the lovable Wigwam-ers of the Cuyahoga, I post this...

YANKEES SUCK! An I am TIRED of the ESPN east coast/big market bias. My Tribe looked awesome versus a collection talent. That's all that those crappy Yankees were, a collection of talent...nowhere close to a team.

Now, we feed the Red Sox the screws (and subsequently ESPN) and get to the series!!

Ahhh....much better...

A new addition

Because I go through CD's much faster than books, I've decided to add a feature I'm calling the CD of the month. If you're anything like me, you tend to get hooked on a CD for a period of time. Then you might move onto a new 'flava' and on and on it goes...

In an effort to accommodate this tendency in myself and possibly others, I'm adding this little feature--located in the column on the right. SO, you may do one or none of the following:

-Give a review of the CD if you listen to it.
-Suggest similar artists to me (and subsequently others).
-Suggest CD's to add to the list of consideration of CD's OTM.

Later...

Did I just write a Psalm?

God’s love confounds our mind
God’s love defies logic
God’s love is the most complete
God’s love is wider than mine

My mind’s limits can’t stop God from doing His thing
Doesn’t matter if I get it or not, God will be God.

My mind would never be able to think of enough ways to explain God’s love
My mouth would never run out of words
Even if I had all the words, my statements would still end with “but it’s more than that”

We are people that continue to look and still not see
Time and time again we hear, but we don’t listen

In the same way, our love will remain only in dimensions that we understand.
But,
God’s love is complete; I know this because I’ve felt it, and I know that despite my effort,

I can’t love like that.

And to me, that is confounding—
To know complete love, but not be able to love completely
To know how wide God’s love is, but not be able to love that widely

God, may we all fall in love with Your mystery


It's the mysterious, seemingly random actions (or desertions) that can be the biggest barrier to faith--for Christians and those who don't consider themselves Christian. But I can't help but think that it's not a reason to not love or not have faith in God, after all, God loves the hardest parts of us to deal with...

whether we acknowledge God or not...

Perhaps the biggest dis-service that the church has done over the past years is giving the impression that God loves if.

Truth is that God loves because...

taking some steps...

into the world of family cars...

And now, we have one. Here's a stock photo:



Same color without the rugged, grassy terrain.

We just picked up on Saturday. Reece LOVES it. We stopped by the dealership on Friday to look at it, and we took it for a spin. Reece (unprompted mind you) flatly says, "Daddy, can we tell Mommy we like this tar?"

Yes...yes we can, buddy.

The guys at the dealership were awesome, too. Our salesman was pretty decent overall. As we were signing the papers, two of them were on all fours racing toy cars on the floor with my boy.

Kudos, guys...

Proof positive to my thought-- cars are much more fun to buy when you don't have to buy one...

Some thoughts I have, and they might be unfinished...

In the wake of unexplained tragedy, I have some thoughts...

I wonder why our coping mechanisms for most things in life are based on having an explanation for what has happened. I wonder why having reasons for things is the quickest way to closure.

I know, I know...the answers are quick. Reasons and explanations allow us to see the whole picture, but they don't always give us the 'why.' Do they? They just give us what they are...reasons. I'm also not sure the reasons equal 'why.'

Why did the glass break? Because I dropped it, right? Well, dropping something breakable might be the reason it broke, but it doesn't answer all the matters of physics and science that help us understand why it broke.

Maybe the bigger issue is that whether or not I know the reasons or the 'why,' the glass is still broken. So, now what? I guess all that's left to do is pick up the pieces.

And that's where we find ourselves now...trying to pick up the pieces, right? A kid dies in a car accident, and we don't...know...why...

We're not even sure where God was active then? We weren't there. I can tell you where we are though...

...we are here...

...now...

and the good news is that so is God, and we have this amazing opportunity to see God trying to make a big pitcher of lemonade out of the lemons of life. And if we see God working now, then as time passes, we can look into the past and be able to answer some questions (not all of them). Most importantly, if we understand God to be active now, in this situation, we can trust God to be active in the future.

I'm not going to do the minor dis-service of giving some highly thought out theological reasons for why bad things happen. Or even why things happen in general. It may help, but it may not. It never did for me because ultimately, I'd run into a situation that didn't quite fit into the explanation that I was given.

Here are some things I do know though:

Jesus promised us that he'd be with us until the end of the age, but I'd like to eat some wings or something with him sometime, because sometimes that whole 'faith that he's there' thing is just a little too much. But despite my feelings on the matter, Jesus' promises are true and perfect and these are the times to take Jesus at his word. I don't know how it works...

...it just does...

So, please take the time to grieve. Take some time to cry. Be mad at God, He can take it :) But please, don't spend all your time grieving. And don't spend all your time crying. Make sure that some time is taken to see God bringing healing into the situation. If you feel and scraped your knee, it would hurt, but it would start healing immediately.

So, we all may just be scabs for a while...that's okay...

...because healing is a process, and is never immediate...

God loves you

Mission Accomplished (a simul-blog)

After months of hard work and preparation, it finally went down. The Findley Lake Triathlon came and went. I did it, and it was awesome. I've never felt the amazing sense of accomplishment and tired all at the same time.

I met my time goals which was nice. Actually, here a recap of the events of the triathlon:

- Got in my tri-suit (think wetsuit with no sleeves) and looked like a goof.
- After the race instructions we were herded directly the water for the swim. The lake was completely disgusting. Good news is that I only got kicked four times and I only kicked one person.
- Solid time out of the water. Grandparents cheering (that was especially cool).
- On the bike after a decent transition.
- Mile 4 on the bike, GOT STOPPED BY A TRAIN!! ARGH!!
- Really cooked on the bike. Really cooked...
- Run was the hardest 3 miles EVER. (probably overdid the bike) The run was on a trail in the woods at the park. Very, very tough. And this is coming from a former cross country guy, and I've seen just about everything. The rain made is crazy slick and the number of hills was flat out mind numbing.
- Finished drank some water and the boy came over and just looked at me and said, "I'm proud of you, daddy." (my favorite part of the day, in case you wondered)
- Caught my breath and started thinking about the next one... ;)

It was fun, and thanks to your generosity, Matt and I were able to raise $2400 for Team Jared. (It's not too late if you still want to give :) )

That's the best news of all...

I agree...

totally overcome

with life right now...



I'm in this strange sort of stretch where it feels like I'm in a constant state of just fininshing. I am starting to wonder how I'm going to keep up with everything thats's happening right now...

Honestly, I don't have a clue...

Perhaps it all goes back to the Spurgeon quote from the other day; is this my adversity that will push me to some sort of new height?

I hope so. And...

If its okay, I'd like to start flying soon. I've had about all of the 'wind driving against the kite' than I can handle these days.

Dangerous Wonder

So, tonight we went to visit my dad out in the country. As we left, we were greeted by a giant night sky full of stars. It was amazing...

The moon sat very low in the sky, and the boy just looked at us and said, "Look! There's the moon! Can we go touch it?"

So, tonight I'm pondering...

When did we stop thinking we could touch the moon?

The real question is "When did you stop being a child?"

So, if you'd like to ponder along...feel free...

When did you stop thinking you could touch the moon?

When did you stop thinking you could grab a star?

When did you stop thinking the bluegill in a pond were awesome?

When did you become afraid of the ice cream man instead of thinking he was the bomb?

When did you stop being a child?

I like surprises..

especially when they're tickets to the OSU opener...

...Saturday...

It's only Youngstown St., I realize, but...

...it's the freakin' 'Shoe for goodness sake!!

Something that makes me sad in my guts...

is seeing all the trash that used to be people's walls and furniture and homes. There were days that I really liked to drive up Main St. in Findlay and see all the folks in their suits and ties. I liked to see all the cars and walk down the sidewalk and have to wait for traffic to cross the street. I liked having to wait on the white flashing hand telling me that it was okay to cross the street.

Now I just see businesses. They smell like a foot and fish worms. When I look at them, I start to think about the folks that own them. Some will recover. Some won't.

There will be days in the future that life will be like the first paragraph...

...but it feels far away...

I'd like to help and be useful all at the same time.

I like to sleep...

but last night apparently my brain and throat had different ideas.

So, after a long-ish day, I didn't sleep at all...

Looks like there will be no end to my loopy-ness...

...at least not today...

A quote for today...

From Charles Spurgeon-

"Wherever there is likely to be great success, the open door and the opposing adversaries will both be found. If there are no adversaries, you may fear that there will be no success. A boy cannot get his kite up without wind, nor without a wind which drives against his kite."

Glug, glug, glug

Findlay is underwater.

I've never seen conditions like this. Now the sun is out, so it feels from my house like things should be clear. But they are far from it.

Yesterday, Andrea and I cleaned out our basement after finding nearly 2 feet of water in it...

We, however, were fortunate.

People we know here in Findlay and in neighboring towns are totally submerged relying on pool pumps and the grace of others with boats.

Findlay alone has received the aid of 18 other city or township rescuers.

By comparison we have been spared from the hopelessness that assuredly comes from the unforseen loss of home and possessions.

Our hearts go out to those here in town, the surrounding areas, and even our brothers and sisters in Mexico that have been beaten with Hurricane Dean.

It's our prayer that God will be glorified through our efforts of unity and that God's faithfulness will be seen despite the crumminess of it all.

May we all purpose to see God in the midst of trouble. He doesn't leave us alone.

I refuse...

to allow my blogging life to be something that I feel like I'm falling behind in.

I suppose that I got into blogging because it was fun and enjoyable. Sometimes, now, I feel like it's something that I should be doing.

So,

Today, I resolve that blogging will be fun again.

And not something to feel guilty about.

There,

It's off my chest...

snapshots

I've been experiencing things in mental snapshots lately.

I'll go through a day and as I scan over my experiences from that day as I'm winding down, what I remember are images. A smile, a T-shirt someone was wearing, the twinkle in someone's eye...just about anything. And it is becoming a bit more emotional of an experience for me.

I remember the face of the guy that left his reunion early while wearing a shirt that reminded all of us that 'the party hasn't started until the cops show up.'

I see the intense look of a guitarist worshiping through a solo.

I see a singing face. Closed eyes. Smiling and worshipful. The song is kind of silly though.

I see the unique twinkle of a little boy's eye as the street lights catch his glassy, tired eye at the end of a day.

Those thoughts...images really...are teeming with meaning. In my alone times, I've shuffled through the stack of my memories. They're pictures of people at their most honest times. Aren't we all the most vulnerable when we're honest. Stripped of everything that would stand in the way of us being totally honest.

They're not necessarily pictures of people at their best (or worst), just their most raw.

Great site for art like this. Click here.

This is the graphic art of Mike Cina. I just read about him in the most recent Relevant Magazine.

I'm a fan.

Make sure you give him all the credit in the world in you choose to utilize it.

A thought for today

"The fact is that there is nothing that we are doing that God could not raise up a stone from the field and do for Him.

The realization of this puts us in our true place.

Though, lest we get knocked down by such a realization of our own insignificance, let me hasten to add that there is one thing that we alone can give God--

And that is our personal love.

No one else can give God our personal love.

And that is our great significance."

M. Basil Pennington
Finding Grace at the Center

I am amazed...

...by the internet when you use its powers for good and not evil.

That's all I have for now...

PS- anyone ever google image-ed yourself?

Kinda fun!

smacking me in the face...

Two stories from the ministry of Jesus.

One was when Jesus healed blind Bartimeus on the side of road. The other? Jesus healing a paralytic at the pool of Bethesda. What's smacking me in the face?

Jesus looks on these guys with love and compassion and asks them what it is they want.

As if he didn't know.

I imagine not ever being able to see, that my deepest longing would be to have sight. Of if I never had walked, my deepest longing would be to rise up and walk. So, Jesus is really asking them to share their deepest longing. The one that is linked to the core of who they are. Not the longing for stuff or something like that, but the longing for wholeness.

Today, I was asked to imagine being blind Bartimeus, and to imagine Jesus looking at me with what must be a peacefully piercing gaze and hear Jesus say, "What is it that you want?"

It took some time before I was able to answer that question. It took me awhile to get down to the nitty gritty of my soul and find the answer to that question.

The whole thing is smacking me in the face right now...

...and it's awesome...

...mostly...

I was surfing on MySpace

and I found this video of Ellery live...

If they're close to you, go see them...now...



I heart their music, their vibe, and they're the nicest people...

by the way

I have a growing interest in photography. Here's a link to my flickr.

purity and such

So, last night at jOURney I had a question in my mind that I didn't ask. It probably wouldn't have helped and the conversation went down paths that would made me asking it a step backward.

The text was Acts 10, Peter and Cornelius, being the major people along with God making a couple of appearances as well. Peter is given a vision of all the animals and the like on the sheet and God tells Peter to 'kill and eat.' In essence, destroying the division between Jew and non-Jew; the major differences between the two often boil down to ritual purity and not being ritually pure.

My question?

Why did God create this whole idea of purity? Was it just to show us that the division it causes is dumb after all?

Did people just take it too far? Did it cause division that God never had in mind to start with?

David Crowder suggests in "Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven, but Nobody Wants to Die," that it's possible that the Psalms exist because God knew that we'd need songs and other expressions to convey our emotions to God and others. For instance, the Last Supper text says 'after they had sung a hymn,' it's possible that God had ordained that particular hymn or song in order to guide the disciples through that ordeal. In fact, the Passover they were celebrating had prescribed hymns or songs to sing.

So, in that 'vein' is it possible that the issue of purity got so much attention just so God could show us just how selectively we choose to love by destroying our concept of it?

Is this even making sense?

This idea of breaking down the division between Jew and non-Jew was totally revolutionary. But in order for us to get how much God wants unity in the body, did folks (like the Pharisees) have to beat people up with the purity issue?

God continues to be the author of life and love. God continues to push our envelope of love. Notice I didn't say push 'the' envelope, He just pushes ours. My guess is that God's already got in mind the ways He wants us to love. We just have to take baby steps there.

Deciding who's in and who's out doesn't really get us there, so maybe we are all asked to in some way "kill and eat."

So, there's my post service trip thoughts...

I want to be done, but it would be irresponsible...

Done with the whole American political process that is.

A dear friend left a voice mail yesterday that included the info that he needed to include, but as a 'random' thought, he interjected his thoughts on candidates on both sides. Now, it's important that we understand at this point Rush Limbaugh has been what I can only describe as "Gollum-izing" him since the 8th grade (and now we're 30). "For years the ring poisoned his mind..." You can hear it, right?

Anyway, in this spectrum, Guilani is the liberal, so you can only imagine the thoughts about anyone who really is.

So after my pretty decent workout this morning that was pretty relaxing, I went from 0 to frustrated (with the entire process, not my buddy) at warp factor 7. I kind of wish that there was a spot on the ballot that merely says 'abstain.' I register my presence as a part of the process, but I cannot in good conseince vote for either candidate, so I abstain.

Problem is that there is no candidate, no matter what Pat Robertson or his boy says, that reflects the things that Jesus values across the board. I really want to vote and be involved, but I don't know how, and since we all live in the gray between black and white, to vote or not to vote doesn't reflect how I live.

We have been taught to pick and choose issue by issue so much that I'm not even sure Jesus could get elected...

...but he might be able to help with health care what with all those healings and stuff...

It's true...I'm a junky

I made some scrambled eggs for breakfast this morning, and since I've been scrambling the whites only, I needed a little more flavor than just salt and pepper.

So, I made some guacamole...

It was awesome, but, I am a junky.

Not that this is the place you should turn...

...but I have recipes to share. A couple of people have asked how I make my guac and my garden salsa. So, I'll give it a shot.

First, FRESH CILANTRO is the key to everything salsa and guac.

GUAC:

-Two pretty ripe avocadoes scooped out and pitted.
-I'd say about 2 Tbl of jar salsa. We use Chi Chi's, but anything will work.
-Leaves from 8-10 sprigs of cilantro (really explore the studio space with the cilantro. we like it, you may like it more or less-mince the leaves too)
-1 clove of garlic (about a Tbl if you use the jar)- I try to not use the juice in the jar as it can overpower the whole deal
-a couple of pinches of salt
-fresh ground black pepper
-juice from half a lime (a whole lime if the wife's not eating any)

Once that's all in a bowl, then mix it up. It probably makes no difference, but I like the idea of all the stuff mixing together rather than smoothing out the avocadoes and then adding everything else. I use a fork to mix it, that way it stays a little chunky.

(Tostito's scoops are the bomb)

SALSA:

-Three fresh tomatoes- I quarter them and then dig out the guts with a spoon. It makes them easier to handle
-Half a medium sized onion
-One jalepeno, and I usually gut it (or use one and a half- remember the heat's in the seeds and veins in the middle, so if you want spicier salsa, use the seeds and don't carve out the guts of jalepeno so much)
-Garlic, salt, same deal as above
-Juice from one lime
-at least 12 sprigs of cilantro (leaves only)

Dice the tomatoes, onion, and jalepeno
Dice up the cilantro leaves as well
Leave it alone for 45 min.-1 hour and let the flavor mojo happen; you could eat it sooner, but it's best if you let it sit and chill in the icebox.

I made salsa at home for lunch, but it can take some time until you find your salsa chi. It was especially good on top of the black bean burgers I had for lunch.

Have at it, friends...

Now, I'm off to donate plasma...

...random, don't you think...

Sometimes you're a leader...

...and sometimes you're not.



I have jumped on the new layout bandwagon. It's not all the spiffy except for my banner.

I'll also be updating my links on the left as well. There are some worth adding, and some that need to be removed.

Tony's Hero remains unchanged from an appearance standpoint

One starts to wonder...

Sometimes a person starts to wonder how they got to the place they end up. Today, I've sat and listened to Tony Jones and Doug Pagitt and am currently listening to Denise VanEck. Yesterday, I was at Wrigley Field (and saw Bonds #753) and ate at Ed Debevic's.

I have to ask the question.

What's going on?

Where is God leading?

It's peculiar...

Hmmm...

I should listen to Denise now :)

This kind of made me mad...

I'd love to just blend up an iPhone and have the cash to have a second...but no.

A nicer afternoon than I thought

I made wifey and I some amazing guacamole. Fresh cilantro. Yeah, it's gone already. Loved it.

I've been working all afternoon on jOURney stuff.

I was dreading it, but today it's been nice. A cool breeze coming in the windows and a ballgame on in the background.

The Mac helps...no chance I'd be having this much fun with a Dell on my lap. I would've rebooted 3 times now. :)

Another thing I've found out about myself.

I really like green tea.

I might go make some.

Now home from vacation, I wanted to tell y'all about some of the things that have jumped up on the list of my favorite things:

First, these kind of shoes:



While I have the Sketcher version, they held up great while hiking and my feet stayed very unsweatty, which is a problem for me and sandals of any type.

Next, this drink:



Super. Very yummy. Only 125 calories for the whole bottle. Not bad. Yay Green Tea. The 'Focus' flavor is very good too, I just got into this flavor on vacation.

And this one:



If you sweat as much as I do when working out, you may need some extra umph to your water for hydration purposes. Just dump one of these bad boys into your 16.9oz bottle of water and shake. The mix disolves competely and quickly, and I hate drinking leftover mix in the bottom.

This thing rocks:



While we used an older version of this, it was awesome. With a total load limit of 50lbs, we'll be getting one sometime and we'll be using it for time to come.

Finally:



While Wal-Mart's reputation sometimes leaves some things to be desired, their brand of exercise wear is pretty good for the money. Sleeveless T's are just $7 and while they don't wick the moisture away as well as name brand gear, it's not bad.

I'm sure I missed some. Honorable mention?

-Car DVD player
-Gummy Strawberry Puffs
-mountain bikes in general

Great, great vacation...

concerning transformation...

Big night last night, kids came forward to receive Jesus, probably some healing going on, lots of cool things going on.

But it's not enough to just believe in God and to follow God. It's a very different thing to believe God and to be transformedby Him.

The idea of transformation involves a process; a thought that just saying 'Jesus, I'm a sinner, and now I follow you" is good, but not everything--there's something more. There's a way to live, a way to start living that is different and distinctive from how the world operates.

It's a life of figuring out that you were never meant to be independent from each other, but it's a life of figuring out how to live in holy dependence.

I feel like I want to say something about bearing fruit, but that's Christian-ese and that's almost never helpful.

So, I won't...

...but...

shouldn't one be able to see some evidence of the transformation process? Shouldn't people be able to look at me and see a wake of goodness rather than a trail of broken and divided people and situations?

I don't know how transformation happens, but it does. I don't know how a caterpillar makes is cocoon (or chrysalis) and then comes out a butterfly. I just know it does.

I don't know how Saul was transformed into Paul. I just know he was by the things he did and said and the way he lived.

One nature into another...the greek word in Romans 12:2 for transformation is 'metamoro.' It's where we get the word metamorphosis.

Don't conform to the ways of this world. Be transformed. I would even go as far to say that we ought not be conforming ourselves to God (a noble act indeed)as much as we need to allow God to manage our transformation.

One on one.

In community with other believers.

In our dealings with those still asking questions about faith.

In our dealings with those who can't stand the idea of God.

Let's allow God to manage our transformation...

...want to?

Our morning at Bushkill Falls, PA

Hukleberry Porch Moment 2

Tonight's talk is about trust. It's about the fact that God wants us to trust Him.

I used to think that trust is a hard thing to do. I know it's hard to earn, but I thought that a life of trusting is tough. The more that I've thought about it, I think that trusting is easy.

So easy, in fact, that we trust in things and don't even know it.

From the time we wake up in the morning we trust our experiences of previous days. We trust the things that we're taught by others, we trust the things we know to be true, we even trust ourselves. We jump into the trust relationships that we've established with the things and people around us.

Trust breeds comfort.

To establish an entirely new trust relationship is tough. It does take time and effort and relationship of some sort. Whether it's with people or things, it takes time.

Trust is often times the product of crisis as well.

Sometimes we have no other choice but to trust.

As far as trusting God goes, well...that's one that never quite gets as natural as the other kinds that I've been talking about. I do think it get easier with time and as we get comfortable with God and talking about God, it becomes easier to trust.

Take Peter for instance. Spent A LOT of time with Jesus. Jesus spent time teaching lots of people lots of things, but he often took Peter, James and John aside for some smaller group time. Jesus tried to reveal to Peter the reason for his being here and the manner in which he'd be leaving (sort of). Peter told him that he's follow Him anywhere and he trusted him to the ends of the Earth. At the time for everything to unfold, Peter hacks a dude's ear off.

(WAHN WAH)

Hey, we're a family...

...far from perfect...

...but we're a family

on the eve of the first Fireside

Fireside is the evening worship here at Spruce Lake. This week is 12-14 year olds and normally, this age group would be a little crazy for me, but I'm finding an odd sense of calm. Frankly, I don't want to let down the camp director, and I desperately want to do a great job.

That requires me getting out of the and become a shell of myself for God to use. My personality, God's message, I think you get the picture...

This place (Spruce Lake) is a very special place to me. It feels like home; I knew it would. In many ways, it more like home than my house. It's where I met Jesus for the first REAL time. For some reason, this place makes it very easy to see that God is everywhere.

And it's that I hope gets conveyed to the kids tonight.

Sometimes I think it stinks that it's almost a discipline to see God doing God's thing. I wish it came more naturally and it's awesome that this is a place that can happen.

We all pretty much need to remain teachable, and frankly, I haven't been. It's possible that's why things have been so stressful. It's hard to the boss or the expert and remain teachable. It's a quality that I think people value in their leadership, and it's easy to fake. A few well placed nods and a 'sure' here and there can fool most people.

Bottom line though, most people don't really like fakes. And it sucks when people find out you are...

...unless you tell people first...

then that makes you teachable...

This is only the first day

as of right now...

I'm on vacation...

Be back in a week or so...

Maybe the coolest thing I've ever done...

This past weekend was one of the best weekends I've ever spent anywhere.

This past weekend I was a one volunteer of many at the Ohio Special Olympics 2007 Summer Games at Jesse Owens Stadium at OSU. I have never seen and heard so much joy in one place. From the opening ceremony to the final medal ceremony, it...was...amazing. Friends, never EVER pass up an opportunity to help out there. I could tell stories for days of all the experiences that I had.

Here's the thing.

The whole weekend had very little to do with my experiences. It was all about the athletes.

I am honored they shared their weekend with me.

I've never had so much fun not caring a thing about myself. It was our job to cheer, hug, line up...emotions in the raw.

I wish the real world was a real as the folks I met this weekend. We're the guarded ones; I think it's the reason that people are uncomfortable with folks with special needs. They're more real that we are capable of being.

And they can't help it...

...and after this weekend...

...I'm glad...

de-frickin'-licious

I am in love with grapefruit...

I never thought I'd come around to it. But I did. We've been eating lots of organics lately, and they've been most yummy.

My favorite of all the organics is the grapefruit.

Any other faves among you?

Closed (for now)

Although I've never seen the documentary, the Christian camp featured in the movie Jesus Camp is 'closing for the next several years.' Apparently the camp's director feels as though they're 'just not a safe ministry anyomre.'

Really?

Probably debatable as to if it ever was...

Read the entire article here.

Filmmaker Brian Grazer is planning a romantic comedy that depicts Jesus as an IKEA employee. In the movie, a harried single woman falls for the Son of Man who works as a carpenter for the popular furniture store. Grazer has assured that the film will not tarnish Jesus' image but will instead be a tale of unrequited love. The movie also further proves that IKEA is truly a Godsend.

--Relevant Leader, winter 2007

Chivalry isn't dead...

though it damn near killed me.

So, I'm at the gas station the other day. After filling up a person, female, about my age walks over.

"Can you do me favor?" she says.

"I can try, though I can't make any promises."

"There is a huge-ass moth in my car. I've never seen one like it, and it's stuck in my back window. Can you get it out?"

At this point I'm thinking, 'sure moths are big, but how big is huge-ass in this particular case.' So I mozy over. Nonchalantly, exuding proper amounts of confidence as to put this female counterpart at ease.

Then I see it.

OUTSIDE: "Wow, that is a big moth. I've not seen one that big before either."

INSIDE: "Holy S--T!!

So, I urge her to pull her car out of the sun, as the moth is trying to fly to the light. She can't be convinced, so against my better judgment, I pull the car forward. We wait to see if said moth will fly out. And, nope it doesn't.

OUTSIDE: Well, maybe I can pull it out with my hat.

INSIDE: Is this really happening?

I reach in with the hat and in two swoops catch the thing and flop it outside the car. Then it happened...

The thing attacked me with it's wings of fury. It was all over my face and head, and I squealed. I could feel my heart rate shoot through the roof. And when the thing finally figured out it was free and flew away, My entire body was shaking.

OUTSIDE: Well, there you go?

INSIDE: Please don't notice that I"m shaking like a leaf, and I'd give you twenty bucks to make sure you don't tell your friends that some brave, albeit, wussy shrieking guy helped you out at the gas station this morning.

It was awesome...

In a follow up...

...a question...

Where is the line between personal responsibility to gather information and an organization's or a business' responsibility to share it?

That has turned into the fundamental question of this whole IWT issue, but more than that, isn't this a bigger issue than just the one in town right now? From food to television shows to music to whatever. It seems as though there is a line and the folks on either side of it wishes that the other would do a little more on their part.

An organization or business is likely to say something like, "Well, there's a website and if someone really wants to find out about __________________, they can. We've got nothing to hide." And on the other side, folks say that if there's nothing to hide, then why does it seem so, well, hidden?

Personally, I've got my own thoughts. If you're one saying the 'there's a website' bit, then it's likely that you're not giving enough information for people to NOT feel like they're being intentionally duped. Whether one is trying or not trying to be deceptive, if folks feel deceived that's a problem.

At the same time, people need to stop passing the buck. Acknowledge when you DON'T do enough to find out information, and quit blaming others for you not knowing something. Then resolve to get a little more involved and pro-active in the world around you. Don't get all mad that you 'didn't' know when there were opportunities for you to know.

Have an opinion? I'd love to hear it...

IWT

For those of you familiar with Impact World Tour there has been quite a wake in it's leaving. Apparently, a few hundred kids either became Christians for the first time or re-committed their lives to Jesus.

Many folks here in town have also felt a little duped by the lack of info that people were given heading into the events. Many have vocalized some frustration (most of it very fair albeit not so nice) regarding IWT's willingness to be upfront in publicizing what reallywas to happen at the events. The IWT folks spent time a local schools giving a 'positive' message passing out invitations to the full event.

Honestly, it was a little deceptive. They didn't lie per se, but they really weren't all that up front either which always feels a little shady.

Read the Courier's article here.

And here's IWT's response from the local chairperson.

Dearly beloved,

By now you have read the article in the Courier concerning the Findlay City School Board reaction to the IWT tickets that were passed out during some school assemblies. Pastor Bill, Scott and I have had a lengthy conversation with Nicole Coleman who was responsible for arranging the local school assemblies. Nicole spoke with Findlay City Schools public relations officer Jen Ruhe this morning. It is our assessment that this is a valid concern but not because anyone did anything wrong.

As week six of the tour, we had no indication from the previous city assemblies that promotional ticket flyers would be a problem. However, there was a problem with handing the tickets to each student and with passing the tickets out in the classrooms. We agree that this put the School Board in a tenuous situation by implying that the school was endorsing the events at Koehlor center.

We understand the school board’s reluctance to be perceived as endorsing an evangelistic crusade. If they were to endorse our event, they could also be obliged to endorse events that would be contrary to our Christian faith. We are blessed by the strong relationship between the faith community in Findlay and Findlay City Schools. However, these events have brought a need for policy clarification to the surface. We are offering to serve the school board to seek a mutually satisfying principle that protects our children and allows us to continue our ongoing cooperative relationships within the public schools.

We should all agree that protecting our children is a worthy objective. These are complex times we live in. The school board is not diminishing the healthy values that our Christian faith promote. They are not trying to remove our influence from the schools. It doesn’t seem that there is any other agenda than addressing a line of safety that was unintentionally crossed. We strongly urge you to refrain from polarizing statements that would create enmity between those who serve our schools and the faith community of Findlay . We recommend that you do not write your opinions to the Courier. This would only escalate differences in community convictions and intensify the situation.

Finally, we are in the process of setting up meeting with Marty Emmett and Al Caperna. We feel blessed to have worked with an organization that has such a heart for youth. Our experiences with this tour have been faith inspiring but also sometimes confusing. As in all efforts to serve the Kingdom, communication and intentions sometimes conflict. Our prayer is that God will continue to fill the gaps of our limitations with His grace and that His Spirit will strengthen us to proclaim the love of Christ to a broken and hurting world.

Wanna chime in? Go right ahead...

I want to blog...

...but I'm not sure what about. I'm right here at Coffee Amici, planning on a frozen Amici Mocha...the best cold drink ever made--by humans.

I have been thinking a lot about how much in need of a vacation I am. We've got one on the books. Heading to a retreat center in the Poconos and then up to visit some friends in Connecticut.

'Connecticut' is a word that has a pronunciation that defies it's spelling. Others worth mentioning:

Wednesday
Government
Environment
Illinois

I'm sure you can think of others.

I'm glad I don't remember actually learning English. I remember learning grammar, but not learning English. It would've been hard. There are a slew of things that I'm glad I don't remember, such as:

How scared I was the first time I puked.
Wetting my pants in public.
Figuring out that I should pee in the potty and not in my pants when given the choice.

You might have some additions as well.

This random post ought to end.

But I don't know how to do it.

-OVER-

or maybe like an old telegram

-STOP-

Music I've listened to today:

Ellery
Derek Webb
Anberlin
and Alanis Morisette is on the radio at Coffee Amici

...so I guess that counts too...

-STOP-

Revved Up...

Last night, jOURney was pretty great.

Never have I been in and around such an atmosphere of muted excitement. The excitement about the Pentecost story was bigger somehow than other pentecosts that I've experienced. Honestly though, I don't remember many others :)

In its own way, I think the Holy Spirit descended on us last night. We all were there and on the same page on a deeper level. Our comments were different, but I think we were all feeling the same thing.

It was cool.

We do still have work to do. It's almost as if a wonderful foundation was poured out, but we have to still frame up the house. If you drive around, you don't see a whole bunch empty concrete slabs...they've been built on.

We've got a house to build...

...and I'm ready...

a new blog

True, it's mine, but it's new.

It's a blog to chronicle my effort in training for a triathlon.

Check it out if you want...

Find it here.