Again..

Today we lost 6-0.

One comment at half-time was "I'm not seeing much bad stuff guys. Keep it up.". I think I must have been attending a different game or something. I watched from the sidelines as the other team scored 3 goals in 10 minutes. I don't think that's good soccer.

Stop me if you've heard this before...but this is beyond frustrating!

Do not disturb...

It's my day off. I got to sleep in. It's raining. And now I just might eat Timbits for lunch and sit down in front of the TV this afternoon to watch my $0.88 rental while the 3 other members of the family are at the school.

To top that all off I may be on the verge of a rather monumental blog post. If you disturb me, it may be ruined.

Tuesday randomness...

I lack anything super profound as it seems to be a day/week/month full of a hundred different things. So here's a sample:

• I'm listening to Mark Driscoll's podcast from the Convergent Conference. He lays into guys like Doug Pagitt, Brian McLaren and Rob Bell and some of their teachings. Sure, I think some of them have some goofy (how's that for an accurate theological explanation?) beliefs, but I wonder if it needs to be Mark's job to constantly refute everything they say. I've enjoyed Mark's books and his teaching. I've even visited his church. But I'm not sure where I'm going to settle down on some of his more recent rants.
  
• Am I over-reacting when I see my son's struggles with school and friends?
• I think my wife is more beautiful at 30 than she was at 29.
• Fall TV has returned. I am breathing a sigh of relief.
• My recent admission to watching UFC has raised eyebrows.
  
• My team beat the team in blue 2-0.
• My other team probably won't win this weekend.
  
• What's the one main thing we can take away from Jonah 1?
• The new CD Remedy by the David Crowder Band was released today. Buy it.
• My soccer cleats don't fit properly. Anyone want to by a pair of slightly used size 9.5 Nike Zoom's? They're a couple years old but hardly used due to all the knee injuries.
  
• I'm struck by the memory of my kids as we've currently taken to reading through the book of Daniel.
  
• I'm struck by the memory of my students as we pick up our study of the book of Mark in our Sunday morning LifeStage class. They remembered a lot from last year.
• We are now once again a one car family. If you would like to contribute to the "Knott Family Sanity Fund" which will facilitate the purchase of another set of wheels, let me know.
  

How's my speaking...

My buddy Brad told me that it was a great book, so I went with his advice. And you know what? Brad's a pretty smart guy. I have absolutely soaked up this book that was written by Andy Stanley.

I wasn't too keen on the first half of the book which takes place in story mode (which so many leadership books tend to be doing lately), but I do know that some people can resonate better with seeing something fleshed out in that form. So, if you just want the goods, skip right to page 91.

As I've been reading this book and jotting notes in my journal I've also been able to see the effect on my own message preparation. It has me asking more questions about what I'm saying, what I'm not saying, and how I say it or, in some cases, not saying it. It has me rethinking how I prepare outlines and how I engage my students. It's pushing me to me more specific with what I'm trying to communicate.

The whole point? I'm not communicating just for the sake of getting information from 'Point A' to 'Point B'. I'm not communicating to show how smart I am. I'm communicating to see life change in each and every one of my students.

My advice: this book is $25ish that is well spent.

From Vegas to the Pews...

I'm sorry. I tried to go for a witty title.

I just finished reading Mark Driscoll's blog post about his recent trip to Las Vegas where he got to watch UFC 74 and even got to meet Randy Couture. I don't care who you are, that's just plain cool.

But what struck me about his post was one on the last things he did on his time in Vegas. He and Mars Hill's worship pastor made the rounds of some of the hotel clubs on the strip to see how they set up their lights, sound and video because they are currently doing some renovating at one of their own buildings (the Ballard campus).

Then I start to ponder. Most churches I've been in look like churches, not clubs. Many churches have bad color, horrible seating, bad lighting, questionable acoustics and lackluster video. I'm not saying that we need to go for some "wow factor" or some dazzling pyrotechnics but could we at least make the room aesthetically pleasing? Isn't it ok to make people feel comfortable and relaxed in a room?

Look around the room this week in which you worship. How many people just look uptight? And how many of them could be set at ease if we were more proactive about the way that we set up our buildings?

Sure, comfort isn't our number one priority. But if we want to engage people for extended periods of time, shouldn't we do everything to remove physical distractions?

So, what do you think? Is it a good idea to be getting some ideas about our church decor and layout from clubs?

When Saturday Comes...

...it'll likely be another loss.

We're now 0-3. Today we were on the receiving end of 6 goals. And I think it would have been higher if the other team hadn't taken their foot off the pedal. We got 2...but they weren't good goals. Sure, one came from almost 30 yards out, but it wasn't a Beckham-esque (see here). There was no reading the keeper. It was more of a "I'll fire this toward the net because I have no clue what else to do".

I'm more than a little frustrated. There's no rhythm for passing the ball. There's no movement off the ball...or on the ball. There's no creativity in the plays. Every forward rush consists of "dump-and-chase" or the other classic "I'll run straight at the goal with this ball without looking for a passing option". I'm not a fan of either.

To top it all off, I had to send my wife and kids home early because the language on the sidelines was getting ridiculous. It's like a bunch of middle school boys who just learned some new words and don't have a clue what they're saying. Yeah...maybe if you just say more of them in a sentence you'll make more sense. (Please insert a very sarcastic tone in that last sentence.)

Now I'm just ranting. I understand that heated words and colorful language happens from time to time. I just don't appreciate it when some other "adults" can't be responsible enough and considerate enough to notice that there are little ears all over the sidelines as well.

Am I out of line?

No Way Jose...

Chelsea got rid of their manager, Jose Mourinho. Sure, it took me until today to find out because of teh chaos that was yesterday, but this almost made me do a little dance when I found out. And while he was arrogant to level unattainable by most, he did provide some laughs during his stay at Stamford Bridge. His departure couldn't come at a better time since they meet United in the Premier League on Sunday.

Just for kicks, this video made me chuckle. (ht to Derek)

The morning after...

Night one is officially under our belts...whatever that means. Our students and leaders came out last night with a level of enthusiasm that made for a very enjoyable evening. I think all our plans, prayers, discussions have paid off. We still have some minor details to work on as well as having some question marks about some parts of the evening, but all in all I think it's good because it will help us evaluate things more regularly.

Highlights of the night:

• the middle school demolished the high school at the Wii challenge
• one ice cream cake, puffed wheat squares, two trays of cookies and a thermos of juice were consumed in almost record breaking time
• having the entire group singing "Happy Birthday" to Erin
• seeing video of middle school students running into each other while wearing fridge boxes
• seeing students out that have not previously been to any of our student ministry events even though they call this their home church
• seeing the enthusiasm of one high school guy at the mention of hosting a UFC (watching, not fighting) night

In other news...United beating Sporting Lisbon 1-0 in the beginning game of the Champion's League. It was nice to see a spring in their step and a little more creativity than they have shown in their previous league games. But it's probably helpful that both Rooney and Ronaldo were back in the line up.

As for my own team, we lost our opening game. I still ache. I'm frustrated. But at least I'm playing again. This week we play another of the top teams. I don't expect much from it. Although I'm itching to put one in the back of the net...if I still can.

30...

Happy Birthday to my beautiful wife. She turns 30...ummm...I mean 29.

These are 30 things that we (Yes, the kids spoke into this as well. You can try to figure out who said each one.) love/appreciate/enjoy/admire about this amazing woman:

1. I love her 'cuz she loves me so much!
2. She wears nice clothes and shoes.
3. Her tickles (and her ability to receive tickles)
4. Sunflowers!
5. Her snack making.
6. She gets me pizza.
7. She willingly chauffeurs us everywhere.
8. She helps us (all three of us) with schoolwork.
9. Her hugs and kisses.
10. She always has the best ideas for what to do on our days off.
11. Her patience with 3 of the most stubborn people on the planet.
12. I love playing soccer with her.
13. Her socks!
14. Her ability to dress all three of us!
15. She lets us cuddle into bed with her.
16. She takes us to the beach.
17. I love her because she plays with me.
18. Her addiction to all things numerical (Sudoku, accounting, math tutoring, banking...)
20. Because she reads books to us.
21. She makes us good supper and bakes well.
22. Her crazy Nintendo skills.
23. She colors pictures with us.
24. She builds Lego with me.
25. She takes pictures of us.
26. She puts up with the "Truck Got Stuck" song.
27. I love her so much because she tucks me into bed.
28. Her taste in food...mmmm....Azteca...
29. Her creativity and scrapbooking abilities.
30. She's a hottie at 30! (ok, that was from me, not the kids)

Laughing...

I haven't laughed hard in a while. But the humor is starting to come back. How can you not laugh a little bit when your students (and leaders) start chucking snow balls that they made from a snow cone machine at the church fall kick off?

In other news, I remembered that I wanted to post this picture because it makes me laugh. My wife posted it first, so forgive me for stealing it. But this note was actually posted on the doors leading into the apartment building where my brother-in-law and his wife live. I can't believe someone put a note like this up.

Change is upon us...

I spent the better part of the 2006-2007 ministry year trying to evaluate our student ministry. The result was what looks like a major overhaul to the way we do things. Tonight we're hosting an Info Night for parents and students who want to hear more about the changes. So far the responses that I have heard have been encouraging and unless I completely have my head in the sand, everyone seems very excited about what we're going to do.

I am a little nervous though. I'm sure there will be speed bumps. I'm sure we'll have to adapt things on the fly. And I wish I had more leaders. But it's definitely the perfect time for this change. So I'll wait and see what happens tonight and then we'll wait for the official launching/kick-off that happens next Wednesday.

Oh, and lest you think we've only given parents a one week heads up, we've already been promoting this for weeks. Tonight just gives everyone a chance to get the finer details of what a Wednesday night will typically look like from this point in.

Remedy is coming...

I don't know about you, but I'm super excited about this:

Long weekend find...

I haven't posted about food in a while...or ever.

I'm not one to try out new foods or restaurants. I have allergies and I use that as my excuse a fair bit of the time. But I also know that I just tend to get stuck in a rut eating the same things over and over again.

But on our family trip to Seattle over the long weekend, at Erin's suggestion, we decided to try a new restaurant that was literally in the same parking lot of our hotel. So we walked over to the Azteca, thumbed through the menu, munched on tortilla chips and salsa, and then proceeded to stuff our faces with what I would say was one of the best burritos I have ever eaten.

Our next trip will no doubt include swinging by for a burrito.

Cussed out...

Here's an interesting fact...I think I've almost been cussed out more as a pastor than I have been in all my soccer playing years. And keep in mind that I used to have a reputation on the pitch of being an instigator, so to speak. Ask my wife...she'll explain.

But recently I had another one of those rare opportunities that found a homeless man looking for some food. The short story is that after he heard my response to his request for a gift card he "laughed" while giving me mocking applause and cussing me out. Why? Because I didn't give him that free gift card for the grocery store and instead asked him if he would be able to come back in later so I could find him some food.

Never once did I tell this man that I didn't care. Not once did I tell him "sorry I can't help." Not once did I ask him to leave, even when he became belligerent and started using non-creative language with me. Instead, I sat down beside him and asked questions and tried to engage in conversation.

But even little questions like "how long have you been on the street?" were met with harsh words and an attitude like I was stupid for inquiring. Like somehow I should have known his life story.

May I be so bold to say that I know why some people choose not to interact with the homeless. I can see why someone who has experienced a situation like that would choose not to get into a similar predicament. It's not fun or easy.

I know I'm called to look after the poor, the homeless, the fatherless, the widows, the orphans, and the list goes on. But can I be honest with you? It's hard sometimes. When my phone rings on a Wednesday to tell me there's another person at the front asking for a handout, my first response is not always pretty. Nor is it always Christ-like. And for that I am ashamed.

I'll keep trying though. And I'll keep asking God to help me love each person who walks through that door. But I doubt this will ever get any easier, will it?

Open letter...

This next post shall be extremely personal and maybe even a bit revealing of who I am and how I act. It's not pretty. You have been warned. You might be asking "why is this is public?" and let me assure you that there is a good reason. I acted like a jackass in public and therefore owe my wife a public apology.

Erin, I commend you on the fact that you didn't murder me while slept. I am grateful for another day in which I can utter those three simple words, "I am sorry".

I am sorry that I am a selfish and stubborn man who often times gets more caught up in his own world that he completely fails to see the impact that his decisions make on the lives of those he loves. I am sorry that I throw 2 year old hissy fits when I don't get my way. I am sorry that I am a bad example to our children (and to other random people walking through a crowded mall) of what it means act with dignity and respect.

I am sorry that I am lazy and thoughtless. I am sorry that I fail to see the big picture more often. I am sorry that you must continually put up with my apologies and my faults and my constant failures. I am sorry that my marital communication skills have not been an area that I have been willing to work on. I am sorry that I have taken you for granted time and time again.

You are the glue that holds are family together and I am grateful for that. However, that is not an excuse for me not to do my part. I am sorry that I don't pitch in more. I am sorry for assuming that you'll do things when I don't feel like doing them. I'm sorry for not noticing things that I could do to help out just because I've been too lazy to look for opportunities.

I'm sorry that I haven't had a more humble spirit and a more gracious demeanor with you. I'm sorry for the words that have come from my mouth. I'm also sorry that the right words have failed to come from my mouth.

I ask you now for your forgiveness, but I also commit myself to working on my attitude.

I will work on learning the basic math skills necessary to participate in balancing the books. I will pitch in more regularly around the house. I will find jobs that I can undertake without prompting. I will get involved. I will engage. I will communicate. And I will do so with compassion, love, patience and humility.

I bring this to you in front of others so I can remain accountable. I ask anyone who reads this to kick me in the tukas (that means "rear" in our home) when I'm not holding up my end of the bargain. I ask that you please be friends that can challenge me to be the husband that I am called to be. Send me a copy of this post via email from time to time. Phone me and tell me that I'm an idiot and should treat my wife better. Whatever it may take, please help me.

Erin, I'm sorry. You are a woman who deserves far more than I have to offer. I feel badly that you're stuck with me. I love you. I'm just sorry that my words and actions don't always prove it. I am willing to work on it. I will work on it.

Pardon the proof texting here:

"Many women have done excellently,
but you surpass them all" - Proverbs 31:29

I love you Erin.