I've Moved

It was unanimous...well, from all 4 people that I heard from. The new layout wins hands down! Make sure you updated your rss reader...or whatever those things are called...and any other links you have to this blog. Just in case click here or the post title to reach the new location. See you there!!!

Old or New?

Go to this site and let me know which layout you like best...even you lurkers who don't usually have anything to say. They each have their pros and cons, so I'm a little unsure. I think I know which one I'm going to use, but wanted more opinions. Post your comment on either one.

The Reindeer life

I love... the idea of being able to survive without all our modern conveniences, learning about different cultures, and watching TV (unless it's Drake and Josh, Suite Life of Zack and Cody, or High School Musical relate). That's why, when I hear the theme song for the show, Going Tribal, my mind starts to drool (Pavlov's dogs don't have anything on this) from all the nourishment that it's about to receive. The concept of the show is simple and straight forward. A guy, Bruce Parry, goes around the globe to live with remote tribes for 4 to 6wks at a time, and the whole thing is filmed for our viewing enjoyment.

This particular episode he goes to live with the Nenet who are nomadic reindeer herders on the northern Siberian tundra...burrr! These people live reindeer. Their clothes are made from reindeer hides, their tents are made from reindeer hides, they eat reindeer meat (not solely), and sell reindeer to buy the supplies needed to live the life of herding reindeer.

The Nenet move with the reindeer on their winter migration south...are the Nenet leading the reindeer or are the reindeer leading the Nenet... it's hard to tell? Wherever you find one, you find the other. At the end of their trek they arrive in a town where they sell off some of the reindeer, and then go to homes that the tribe owns in the town. The show "host", Bruce, comments on how surreal it seems to see these people, that he lived with in tents, sat on the floor with, and saw cooking over open fires, now sitting in chairs and watching TV, while a woman stands at a gas stove cooking. While talking to Bruce one of the Nenet elders says that the life in town is easier and more comfortable, but he would be miserable there. His life is with the reindeer, out there, and that is where he must be.

There is no separation between who they are and what they do for the Nenet. They don't work and try to squeeze in a little "reindeer time" here or there. They don't stay in warm and cozy comfort and then, when the conditions are just right, get their "reindeer time". They live to herd reindeer...they herd reindeer to live. It occurred to me that this concept may have other applications...that there may be some way to apply it to my life...that there might be a way you can apply it to your life? Hmmm...I don't know? It's just a thought.

Home Schooled

Daughter #2 from her room yells, "Mommmmm!"

"Whaaat?", Wife shouts back.

Daughter #2 walking down the hall shouts, "Do I have to wash my hair tonight?"

"Yes.", Wife says to Daughter #2 who is now standing in the living room with us.

"But it's Wednesday.", Daughter #2 protest, "I didn't think I had to wash my hair on Wednesday nights?"

Wife and I share a glance and then Wife explains to Daughter #2, "We don't make you wash your hair on the Wednesday nights that we go to church in order to save time, because it is getting late and you need to get to bed. We didn't go to church tonight so you have time to wash your hair."

Under her breath Daughter #2 replies, "Humph", as she stomps (just hard enough to show her disapproval of our decision, but not draw our wrath) to the bath tub.

Funny thing is that we haven't been to a Wednesday night service for a while now, but she still asks this every Wednesday night. I know that Daughter #2 knows this and is just testing us to see if we will give in "this time", but for some reason this night it made me think a little.

This practice (not washing her hair) served a purpose (getting to bed on time) when it was started. The practice quickly became a habit or tradition for Daughter #2 , although it no longer served a purpose, she wanted to continue the practice. She made me aware of just how quickly a "tradition" can be formed and how difficult it can be to break.

Calm down. This is not a rant against tradition (I'll save that one for later!), but I did begin to wonder how many other practices have I taught her to do without teaching her the purpose behind them? How many practices do I continue in that no longer serve a purpose, but are done "just because"? Faithful follower versus mindless follower...I want to be sure that she knows the difference. Of course, I probably won't tell her how much harder it is to follow "faithfully" versus following "mindlessly" right now...wouldn't want her to go stomping off again just yet.

Yard Work...Yuk!

The immaculate yard, with a beautifully manicured lawn, sculpted hedges, and flowerbeds flowing through it all providing a splash of color here and a punch of color there, is a very appealing concept...and if you've seen my yard you know it's just a concept for me! The reason is simple, I can't find any volunteers to do it for me! I don't even cut the grass until it's absolutely necessary, much less plant something else that would require even more attention.

After some self evaluation, I've determined that this repulsion for yard work is a result of my childhood. Cutting grass was my job when I was a kid. I always had better things to do and would wait until I was forced to do it by threat of imminent pain (yes, my parents were spankers! My mom's skill at wielding a flip-flop would cause a Samurai to drool!). Like most things that we have to do, this one chore grew to be despised.

You must also know that my dad considers anything that works properly, boring. If something does not require at least 1 hr. of tinkering before use, then he won't have it. One of his greatest joys is rescuing something from the trash and restoring it to "working" order. Guess where some of my equipment came from. He enjoys the challenge, I guess! So, now to do something that I loathe, I had to first work on the equipment to do it with. Of course, I learned to despise working on things almost as much as yard work! This pattern has continued into my adult life...largely due to the fact that until recently I was using Dad's hand-me-downs for yard work. You got it...someone's rescued trash, that Dad finally determined to be too much trouble, became mine!

Well, over the past few years I've gotten my own equipment that works properly most of the time, but still there's always things like, the string trimmer runs out of line just before you finish; you get all ready to go and don't have any gas to start, or even more frustrating, you start, almost finish and run out of gas; and my favorite, the mysterious "shut off" for no apparent reason. I'm cursed, I tell ya!

I cut grass this morning. The mower ran and cut wonderfully. The string trimmer had plenty of line and ran great. I had all the gas on the premises that I needed. What's that you say? The curse is broken. Did I mention the two wasp stings before I even got started!?! The one on the right arm was bad, but the one to the top of my left ear... oooooo, now that one smarted a little!

Yeah, the curse stands!!

Look Out Hillary

Recent conversation in our bathroom...

Me looking in the mirror, "I'm feeling a little fat lately. I gotta start eating better and doing some kind of exercise." Turning to look at my wife I ask, "Do I look fat?"

She turns toward me and without any delay or break in facial expression she says, "Not from that angle."

It took a moment for my initial delight to sour and for me to realize I have a fat angle... and she's noticed!!

It was at this moment that I realized she may have a future in politics. What a great answer! She didn't lie but escaped the true question. Brilliant!!!

So guys, next time you hear, "Do these jeans make my butt look big?" Try, "Not from that angle." I'm sure it's the perfect answer for this question that has been the bane of man since the fig leaf. You try it first, I insist, and let me know how it goes.

Who Knew?

Did you know that it's a bad idea to let your 9 yr. old borrow and use your pocket knife unsupervised?

Me either...but I do now!

Don't worry. No one was hurt, but her mother has made it very clear to me just how bad of an idea it was!

Simply Complex

Go read Brant Hansen's plan to neutralize Al-Qaeda.


pssst...I think he's really talking about something else.

Sanctuary

My wife was reading a comment I left on a previous post and had something like this to say, "That part about the precious building sounds kinda condescending." I believe what I said was right because, as anyone who knows me knows, I usually am...calm down, I'm just kidding. When it comes to being right, however, the wife usually is...I'm not kidding, she really is. So, since she usually is right I gotta believe it did sound kinda condescending, which is not how I meant it at all...so, for the sake of understanding, I feel the need to explain myself just a bit.

As humans the way we "feel" can be greatly influenced by our surroundings. Great minds have spent countless hours studying why we're this way, I'm sure, but I'm satisfied with...God created us this way. One piece of Himself that God gave us was the ability to create. We see artist create paintings, sculptures, writings...and buildings. There was a time in history when the connection between the arts and the Creator was celebrated, and there seems to be a renewing of this knowledge. The stunning beauty of many of these buildings is a testament to a beautiful God who loves beauty. His definition and our definition of beauty are probably very different, but in our understanding of beauty these buildings can help us relate to Him.

The layout of these building can also affect our psyche. Ever notice how just about every sanctuary has a vestibule that you enter first. You come in from outside (the world), enter the vestibule leaving "the world" out there, and prepare to come into "the presence of God" (the sanctuary). The physical layout of these buildings can help produce the respect, awe and undivided attention God deserves from us. I respect that these buildings assist many in preparation for and the actual worship of God.

We need space to get alone with God sometimes. For some that space is within the walls of a building designed for just that, but for others it can be something entirely different. I have a friend who it is an understatement to call him an avid hunter. He loves the outdoors!!! He has confided in me on several occasions that he feels closer to God in the woods than he ever has "in church". I, myself, love to be outdoors...hiking, camping, and marveling at the natural beauty of God's creation. That's when I often feel closest to Him. Jesus spent time in the Temple (a building) as well as frequently went to "the garden" to spend time with God.

I do have some issues with buildings, though. For starters, when the building no longer assists us in our worship of God, but becomes the focus of our worship. When it's all about what's happening "here". Another is while the physical layout can help us in or worship, I think it can also be a stumbling block. Does this layout sub-consciously suggest we can separate our "regular" life from our "spiritual" life? Is this mentality further supported when a preacher places so much importance on actual attendance to the sanctuary?

Contrary to popular belief, God does not reside in the sanctuary...He resides in us. We are the temple. To suggest that a building is more sacred than the outdoors, because God lives there is not in any way, shape or form scriptural! When people are gathered there in His name, then He is present, but when people are gathered in any location in His name He is present. At the end of the day, when everyone goes home...it's just a building. I guess what I'm trying to say is that the church can gather in a dedicated building with God present, but the church and God's presence have nothing to do with the dedicated building.

Right?

Read this story about a church that offered to perform the funeral of their janitor's brother until they found out that the brother (the dead one) was gay. Next you can read the church's statement here...so, what ya think?

Is it just me?

Community of Individuals...Individual Communities

So close... but no where near!!!

Jesus, Johnny, and Me

Emergent?...Yeah, that's me. Evangelical?...Yep, me. Conservative?...Sometimes. Liberal?...That one fits too. Traditional?...I Love tradition. Postmodern (whatever that is)?...I Love change.

I'm sure some would accuse me of "riding the fence"...and maybe I am...but I can see truth in all of the opposites above. Time after time in the New Testament we see people trying to get Jesus to label himself. The Pharisees and Sadducees, his disciples, and the government of the day could not or would not grasp just who He was. Even his own family would not accept Him at times! Jesus consistently refused to allow them to place boundaries on who He IS.

Shane Clairborne, in The Irresistible Revolution, made reference to the fact that we like to "high-lite" sections of the Scriptures and that these truths are the ones we'll accept while we'll just ignore the others. These truths are what we'll accept as being "Christian". Anyone not following these truths is wrong and therefore not "Christian". I know I've been guilty of this mentality and feel that everyone has at one time or another.

I think I'm gonna throw away all my high-liters and start fresh learning what it means to be a Christian. By Christian I mean one who follows and worships Christ...not one who follows and worships the religion of Christianity, because there is a difference between the two. There are absolutes (boundaries) in truth, but there are also man-made boundaries that I want to escape. I recently realized that I had started down the path of choosing "this way" or "that way"...I just want His way!

I struggle with what it means to "follow Christ", but Johnny Cash spent a lifetime of wrestling and toiling with what it means to be a Christian. He once made the statement, "I'm still a Christian, as I have been all my life. Beyond that I get complicated." Here's a man who knew he loved Jesus for who He is and what He does, but wasn't sure what to do with the rest of it all. I can relate!

So, if you just gotta have a category to put me in...need to define who I am or what doctrine I follow...it's gonna be a little tricky. Let's start with...

I'M A CHRISTIAN, A FOLLOWER OF CHRIST, A DISCIPLE...
BEYOND THAT I GET COMPLICATED

College Educated

If you add up all my sporadic college attendance over the past 16 yrs., I should have at least a bachelors degree by now...but I don't. I don't even have an associates degree yet. With just 2 more classes and 5 more years, I should be able to complete the associates degree. I'm what they call "fast tracking it!" It's all the way to the top for me.

I've taken classes in literature, mathematics, history, people management, resource management, building construction, physics, and many more. I'm sure I learned something in every class, but I remember some lessons better than others. One of the greatest lessons I learned had nothing to do with any college course I was taking even though it did happen at college during my first college stint right out of high school.

A classmate (for some reason I can remember that he scouted cotton but not his name) and I were talking between classes about something, and at some point the conversation got religious, and we were talking about God and Jesus and salvation. I really don't remember the details of the conversation or how we got to the point where he says, "Oh, you're a Christian...I didn't know that." OUCH!!! He didn't say this to be mean or judgmental, and to this day he probably does not realize the impact it had on me. He was just stating a fact based on his observations of me. Granted we did not spend a lot of time around each other, but we were acquaintances who spoke to each other frequently.

Looking back now I see this as one of the major turning points (maybe starting point) in my walk, relationship, or whatever you want to call it with Jesus. Most of my education up to this point was in a "Christian" school. I knew about Jesus being my Savior and professing it with my mouth. I had done these things so I felt "secure". I knew ABOUT Him, and I knew I wanted what He was offering, and I knew I wanted to follow Him, but I hadn't given much thought to what that meant. I realized I didn't know what it meant to BE a Christian, disciple, follower of Christ, or however you want to phrase it. I was just a "believer". So at this point a switch has been flipped and I decided to follow. To follow requires action not just belief.

In some ways I've come far in the last 16 yrs., but I know that there is so much more to learn. I'm still learning daily what it means to follow Him. There's no "fast tracking" here. Sometimes it's really easy to put one foot in front of the other as I follow, but at other times all that I can do is stand, catching my breath, looking up at the mountain before me. Sometimes I even try to walk around and catch up on the other side...doesn't work very well though...I wouldn't suggest that approach. I feel like I'm at another one of those "points" and that I'll look back one day and realize just what it was. I hope I have the courage to follow.

I learned a lot in college from some guy that scouted cotton . I hope boll weevils tremble at the mere mention of his name...whatever it is.

Sweet 16

...and she's been sweet all her life. I know her mom and I are a little bias, but ask anyone, and one of the first things they'll say about her is just how sweet she is. We noticed very early in her life that one of her main "gifts" is LOVE. I watched her in Peru show that love to so many children that needed it, and when you ask her what her favorite part of the trip was she'll tell you, "the kids."

I've watched you grow into the beautiful woman that you are becoming, and I must admit I'm a little scared now. The hard part about love is that it's not always returned and it's a guarantee that you will be very hurt and disappointed at times. It's becoming harder and harder for me to protect you from these things, but I know you're strong enough to handle them. There are many people in this world that are really hard to love, and the world will try to convince you that they don't deserve your love. DON'T LISTEN!! They're the ones who need it most! I've bought into this lie at times and pray that you never will.

I love you and who you are! I love that when people look at you they can see the sweet, caring, and loving characteristics of Jesus reflecting off of you!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CASSIE!!!

P.S. Please drive carefully. You are the daughter of a professional driver, and we have a reputation at stake.