Weekend (Edit)
May 30, 2005 Uncategorized
//MOOD: Sweaty
//DIRECT TV: “Tears of the Sun”
Tonight, Emma prayed
“God, I pray that I don’t have to write a report on my weekend because I would have to write a million pages.”
I have to agree, this weekend was a blast.
Saturday
The kids and I spent half the day waiting for the DirectTV guy to show up to finish our installation which he did not complete on Thursday. He never did, which ticked me off, but that is another story altogether.
Anyhoo, after giving up on the guy, the kids and I took off to MSU to ride our bikes. Everything was going well until Ethan mistook a concrete gutter leading into the Red Cedar River as a bike path. By the time I got down to the river to grab him, a jogger (who also happened to be a lifeguard and med student) had jumped in and was standing in the river (which was only about a foot deep) holding Ethan in one hand and his bike in the other.
He was a bit shook up and extremely wet from head to toe, but he survived the ordeal and we had an interesting ride back to the van
Sunday
We went to Jaden’s first birthday party. So did about another hundred people. It was crazy and fun. The highlights were Jesse jumping over a six foot privacy fence to get a ball and me losing badly at poker. Fun times.
Today
We had our annual Memorial Day get together at Dave’s house. His mission today was to get a picture of me with a can of Budweiser. Apparently, my recent message bruised his delicate beer drinking sensibilities. In fact, Dave (the big wig Xerox executive type) has a bizarre view of himself. When talking about my message, he said:
…which by the way is a great message, except for his snobbish contempt for the blue collar worker and our beer.
Blue color? Sure Dave. With a silk tie, maybe.
Anyhoo, by following me around all day with a can of bud and a camera, he managed to get several shots. You can click here to see them all. Here is the best one:
The highlight of the day was watching the kids have an allout water fight. There were probably 15 kids there, all under 9 years of age and they battled it out for the better part of an hour. Ethan started out by being very sad that he didn’t have a gun. We found him this little one-shot gun and he probably ended up having the most fun of all, running back and forth filling it up.
Anyhoo, back to watching an amazing movie with my hot wife.
Don Miller
May 29, 2005 Uncategorized
//MOOD: Cuddly (Coley is on my lap, still warm from sleeping)
//NOISE: Kids running in from the rain
It seems like everyone over the last year or two has had a book-crush on Donald Miller (who wrote Blue Like Jazz). I have heard so many people say, “I feel like I am just like Donald Miller.” Only one person who ever said that to me actually seems to be like Miller. But, hey, I don’t know Miller personally so maybe I am wrong. He may be more univeral in personality than I think.
Anyhoo, today I was reading a review of Blue Like Jazz and I thought the reviewer hit the nail on the head with this thought:
Some books are very deep. Some books are truly profound, leaving you in your chair for a long while after finishing them, trying to work through what they mean. Blue Like Jazz isn’t one of those. But there’s another kind of “great” book. It’s the kind of book where by the end you feel like the author is a good friend, or at least you wish he were. I’d like to have coffee and smoke a pipe with Don Miller.
Sleep Aid
May 29, 2005 Uncategorized
//MOOD: Unsure
NOISE: Hum of Baby Monitor
A woman at our church gave me some news. I think it is disturbing, but I’m not sure. She said that her son (who I think is 6 or 7) found one of my teaching CDs sitting around their house. He likes to pop it in to the CD player at night or naptime. Somehow the sound of my voice lulls him to sleep. It makes me think of this passage:
Acts 20:7-12 - On the first day of the week, we gathered to observe the Lord’s Supper. Paul was preaching; and since he was leaving the next day, he talked until midnight. The upstairs room where we met was lighted with many flickering lamps. As Paul spoke on and on, a young man named Eutychus, sitting on the windowsill, became very drowsy. Finally, he sank into a deep sleep and fell three stories to his death below. Paul went down, bent over him, and took him into his arms. “Don’t worry,” he said, “he’s alive!” Then they all went back upstairs and ate the Lord’s Supper together. And Paul continued talking to them until dawn; then he left. Meanwhile, the young man was taken home unhurt, and everyone was greatly relieved.
Luckily, I think this kid is in bed when he listens to me.
Crying while eating
May 28, 2005 Uncategorized
//MOOD: Sad
//NOISE: Crying
Dave just got me hooked on a totally random site Crying While Eating. I love it because it is so bizarre.
Northwest
May 28, 2005 Uncategorized
//MOOD: Full…lunch was yummy
//NOISE: Kids still eating lunch
Last year I flew so much that by this time of year, I had hit Silver Elite status on Northwest. You have to fly 25,000 to hit that mark.
Well, this year, I have only flown 1,000 miles. Bummer.
And now, things are not looking good for me to fly NW too much anymore.
Reason #1 - No more pretzels.
Reason #2 - Allegiant Air now flying direct to Orlando from Lansing.
Parking
May 28, 2005 Uncategorized
//MOOD: Swell
//NOISE: Not much
I just stumbled across this sign from a church parking lot:
The problem is, in our church everyone would be fighting for that spot.
I’ll just keep my spot in the back 40.
Parables
May 27, 2005 Uncategorized
//MOOD: Brain Explosion
//ITUNES: “She Will Be Loved” - Maroon 5
I am working on my next series right now, and so I am at the first level of research. What I want to do is go through some of the parables and pick around for meaning. So I just did the most insane thing: I read them all. Yup. Over the last hour or so, I read every parable. It is an amazing excercise, really. Jesus had a knack for this story telling thing.
For your research convenience, (thanks to Studylight), here is a list of parables. After you click on the link, click on “in context.” I didn’t have time to fix all the links.
- The Barren Fig Tree
- The Draw Net
- The Friend at Midnight
- The Good Samaritan
- The Good Shepherd
- The Fine Pearl
- The Great Supper
- The Hidden Treasure
- The Householder
- The Labourers in the Vineyard
- The Marriage of the King’s Son
- The Pharisee and Publican
- The Piece of Money
- The Pounds
- The Prodigal Son
- The Rich Fool
- The Rich Man and Lazarus
- The Seed Growing in Secret
- The Sheep and Goats
- The Tares
- The Ten Talents
- The Ten Virgins
- The Two Debtors
- The Two Sons
- The Unjust Judge
- The Unjust Steward
- The Unmerciful Servant
- The Unprofitable Servants
- The Wedding Feast
- The Wise Steward
- The House on the Rock
- The Leaven
- The Lost Sheep
- New Cloth
- New Wine in Old Bottles
- The Fig Tree
- The Mustard Seed
- The Sower
- The Wicked Husbandmen
If you have an ideas for me as I prepare this series, hit me with them. I would love to have any resources you recommend.
Quote of the Day
May 27, 2005 Quotes
From Nathan:
Q. What could be better than meeting with two friends for coffee, hanging out, and talking about life and church?
A. Meeting with two friends for coffee, hanging out, and talking to a complete stranger about life and church.
Riverview Site
May 26, 2005 Uncategorized
//MOOD: Elated
//ITUNES: “Don’t Know Why” - Norah Jones
After months of angst, the Riverview site is up. One of the coolest features is the Rivblog, which is a blog by a cross-section of Riverview people. Very cool.
Scent and Sound
May 24, 2005 Uncategorized
//MOOD: Warm
//NOISE: Water running, kids cleaning
I was thinking about scents the other day. Not just scents, but how scents trigger memories. And not just how scents trigger memories, but how sounds trigger memories, as well.
Scent
Lately, we have been grilling a lot. I love standing there smelling all of the food cook.
But whenever I cook corn on the cob, that is a completely different thing. As soon as it starts to burn (I love burned corn), my mind flies back 15 years. In an instant I am transported to Uganda, where I spent a summer as a missionary. One of the few pleasures we had from time to time was corn. We would throw it right on the fire and as soon as we smelled the burning corn, we would pull if off and eat it.
The smell of burning corn always says “Uganda” to me.
Sound
I was driving out to my parents’ house last week. They live on a stretch of dirt road, right off of Old-27 in DeWitt. I didn’t have my iPod blaring (which is a rarity), so all I could hear was the hum of my tires on the pavement. About a quarter mile from their road, I put on my turn signal and listened to the “click click click.” Then, I slowed down and heard the hum of my tires grow deeper and deeper in tone. Finally, I turned onto my parent’s road and heard the crunch of my tires hitting the gravel.
Instantly, I was back more than 20 years in my mind.
Whenever we would return from a family trip, it would be late at night. My brother and I would be dozing off in the back of the van. When we heard the sequence of the hum, then the click click click, then the deepening hum, then the crunch, we knew we were home. We would pretend to be completely asleep so my dad would carry us in and tuck us into bed.
The sound of a car turning onto a gravel street always says “home” to me.
24
May 24, 2005 Uncategorized
//MOOD: Hmm
//ITUNES: “Give It Back” - Hoobastank
Well, 24 ended with…well…a sound as powerful as…well…cottonballs?
Blah.
But, Dave Barry has cheered me up again. Here’s my favorite line in his update:
Where IS the missile going? Could the missile be a diversion for some OTHER fiendish terrorist genius mastermind stroke of evilness? Will Jack be able to stop it in time? Will Audrey be eaten by ants? Wouldn’t that be great? Is the Ford Big Truck Throwdown still going on? Will Chloe and Edgar finally give in to their passion, tear off each other’s clothes, then log on to an internet database to find out what they’re supposed to do next? (”Hang on, Edgar! I’m downloading your schematics!”)
Good to Great
May 23, 2005 Uncategorized
//MOOD: Good, not Great
//ITUNES: “Where are you?” - Ish
I am reading a book called “Break-out Churches” right now. It examines churches that went from plateaued or declining growth to growth. Now, obviously, numbers aren’t everything, but they are an indicator of health.
In the chapter I am reading, the author is talking about getting the right people in leadership and shuffling the deck in such a way that the right people are in the right places. He quotes Jim Collins, from the book “Good to Great.”
To let people languish in uncertainty for months or years, stealing precious time in their lives that they could use to move on to something else, when in the end they aren’t going to make it anyway–that would be ruthless. To deal with it up front and let people get on with their lives–that is rigorous.”
This reminded me of an article I read on Ray Pritchard’s Blog. The entire post is worth a read, but here is what stuck out to me:
I recall one particular story about a group of people in the early days who opposed his vision and wanted to replace him as pastor. I’ve forgotten most of the details, except for his decision not to back down under pressure. Then he gave me the moral of the story: “Ray, I learned a long time ago that the first price you pay is always the cheapest.” What do you mean? “In the church, we tend to avoid controversy because we think it will go away on its own. That almost never happens. Many problems could be easily solved if only someone would care enough to get involved. But by ignoring the problem, or pretending it isn’t there, it never gets better. It only gets worse. And the price for solving it always goes up.”
I’ll tell you: one of the hardest things to do in ministry is encourage someone to serve where they are really gifted. A lot of us (myself included) don’t have a really balanced view of ourselves. And it takes other people helping us examine our lives to get a proper view. Now, add to that ministry. When we covet a ministry position, often it is hard for us to see if we are really the right person for that role. Then, when we are serving in that role, it is even harder to move on to something else.
I think this is what Paul was talking about:
1Corinthians 12:14-21
Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am only an ear and not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body? Suppose the whole body were an eye—then how would you hear? Or if your whole body were just one big ear, how could you smell anything?
But God made our bodies with many parts, and he has put each part just where he wants it. What a strange thing a body would be if it had only one part! Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.”
Tombstone
May 23, 2005 Uncategorized
//MOOD: Fairly Good
//ITUNES: “Satan is my Motor” - Cake
At Dan’s dad’s funeral, a bunch of us were talking about what we wanted on our tombstone. Now (thanks to Hans), you can make yours in advance. Click here to make yours. Here is mine:
The Distributed Church
May 23, 2005 Uncategorized
//MOOD: Thoughtful
//TIVO: ET Elvis Special
Several people have recommended that I look into “The Distributed Church” because I would resonate with it. I just got done reading this paper and I did find a lot of stuff I like. Essentially, the idea is that the church is supposed to have a good balance of “inside” and “outside” relationships. And really that the church needs a good relationship with, well, the church too.
Here are a few excerpts of the paper that I like:
Sadly, twenty centuries later, most local churches and Christians do not have a good balance of “inside” and “outside” belonging. Our relationships are limited to those within our group. Because we are self-contained, we are isolated from each other, we are pre-occupied with our own problems, we are stagnant, and we are irrelevant to others.
A church or ministry cannot work cooperatively with all other ministries in the world; that would not be practical. But a church can partner with a limited number of others that are a good fit for its purposes and personality. Such partnerships will accomplish more for the Kingdom that what could be done alone.
In an era of explosive change, a successful operational (management) model will not be one that seeks to contain and control; it will be one that coordinates or connects what is beyond itself.
Now this is my favorite section:
The Average Leader The Good Leader The Great Leader Increases isolation in the name of focus Builds better relationships inside the organization Inspires better relationships outside the organization (2 Cor 5:14-21) Builds by competition Builds by cooperation Builds by connection (Eph 2:13-22) Maintains helpful programs for people Multiplies helpful programs by finding the right people to lead Equips helpful people to not need programs (Luke 10:25-37) Coaxes people into a building to hear of Christ Sends Christians from the building to tell of Christ Arranges sustenance for Christians to live Christ everyday (1 Cor 16:14-18)
Photon
May 20, 2005 Uncategorized
//MOOD: Really Really Good
//NOISE: Kids talking in the baby monitor
The last four posts were a test of an iPhoto plugin called Photon. Basically, it allows you to post a picture directly to your blog via iPhoto. You don’t have to save the file and then upload it and then post it. It’s all one step. Very cool. It is very customizable, so it resizes the photo and puts it exactly where you want it stored.
Noely likey.
Scary
May 20, 2005 Uncategorized
//MOOD: Scared
//ITUNES: “What Have I Done to Deserve This?” - Pet Shop Boys
OK, so this is frightening. FuelGuy linked to this scary site that does a search of public records if you type in your name. It’s called Zaba.
If the concept itself isn’t scary enough, it also lists one of my addresses as Katie’s house! The internet thinks I live with Katie!
