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.
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.
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.
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?
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
While it may have seemed like did, I assure you I am here. I believe I caught a case of the non-blogging-itis. I hear it's going around.
This was a tough week as the footballing world was shaken to its core by the confirmation of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's retirement. Apparently those knee injuries finally caught up to him.
While I'm the first to admit that I'm still a relatively new United fan I will say that Solskjaer became one of my personal favorites on the team. In fact, my wife surprised me last year with this little gem, which will always be worn with great pride.
I have some great friends. And today I would like to acknowledge one of those friends. After a recent video of me surfaced on his blog I became aware of just how much his friendship means to me. And so I would just like to ask all my regular readers to pay tribute to my friend, Bryce.
Not only have I had the privilege to work alongside this man, but I have also had the pleasure to play in a band with him, watch movies with him, and even sleep in his yard. He has given me many wise words of advice over the year and I have enjoyed our conversations. I also believe him to be one of the more creative people I know.
So, I'd like to introduce you to my friend. This was the only photo I had:
I've been having trouble with my blog template lately and it doesn't seem to want to update my reading/listening lists properly, so I've instead opted for a post dedicated entirely to what's been playing on the car stereo lately.
The Cobalt Season "In Search of a Unified Theory" I've loved the honest lyrics but I'll admit that at times the songs are a bit depressing. It's kind of a folksy-acoustic-guitar-with-some-piano type of sound that definitely puts me in a pondering type of mood. Depressing yet peaceful...does that even go together? Notable: Unified Theory, Begin Again
Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds "Live at Radio City" You probably know of my unashamed love for all things Dave Matthews, but this collaboration with Tim Reynolds is a great follow up to their last release "Live at Luther College". Two acoustics and some very experimental Reynolds-ish sounds combined with Dave's typical style gives you some very cool guitar moments. The only bummer is that Dave talks a bit too much and he's not the most eloquent speaker. But if you love acoustic guitar, you'll enjoy listening to this one. Notable: Save Me, #41
Dustin Kensrue "Please Come Home" He's the lead singer of Thrice, but don't expect a rocking album. Lots of acoustic and great lyrics and some Johnny Cash-ish type moments. This album has definitely been the most played lately for me. Notable: Please Come Home, Consider the Ravens, I Believe
Relient K "Five Score and Seven Years Ago" I wasn't a big fan of these guys until I saw them live last year. They are by far one of the most entertaining shows I've seen. Catchy tunes, deeper lyrics, and just plain old fun. Good driving tunes. Notable: Up and Up, Devastation and Reborn, Come Right Out and Say It
Erik Mongrain "Fates" This guy is an absolutely amazing musician. There's no lyrics, so I find this is great background music when I'm in the office. Notable: Air Tap!
"Welcome to the crowded margins of life. It's a place where normal people don't feel normal."
This book is for those who have felt like an outsider; for those who feel like they don't fit or won't fit; for those who don't connect or can't connect; for those who know they don't have it all together; for those who feel like they are the only one.
It's an easy read. It's not overly profound. If you've grown up "in the church" you've probably heard most of this before. But it's an encouraging reminder to meet Jesus as we are rather than hiding in the margins until we get our life together.
Back in June I attended a mini-conference (or should we call it a "conversation"?) called Emergence that brought together 4 emerging leaders and gave them an opportunity to interact with one another (and with the audience in attendance). The basis for the conference/conversation was a book called"Listening to the Beliefs of Emerging Churches". I got the book as a freebie for attending Emergence and I am proud to say that I finally got around to finishing it.
Isn't it a good day when you finish a book?
The book basically takes 5 different emerging leaders and gives them each an entire chapter to write about their theology. After an author has given their summarization, the other 4 authors each take an opportunity to respond to what has been presented.
This leads to lots of "I know this person" and "I like this person, but...". It's obvious that most of these people genuinely like each other but it's also quite apparent that they all have different opinions about different aspects of faith and theology.
My only advise is that you don't go into this expecting a handbook of "This is What the Emerging Church Believes". It's a good read to get a little bit more of the picture, but I don't believe it's the whole picture. It would probably not be "emerging" if it was the whole picture.
I worked on a few blog posts this past week about a variety of experiences that have taken place lately. And while I usually operate on the belief that I should "think it, write it, post it", this time I have apparently decided to add the phrase "sit on it".
In lieu of that, here's some randomness:
Celebrated 9 years of marriage to this lovely woman...no, not the blog, but the woman who writes the blog
This is the coolest looking Joker pic ever...but it's a fake
Watched my first live MLB game...don't tell anyone, but I actually enjoyed watching a ballgame
Got cussed out by a homeless man because I wouldn't just give him a coupon for the grocery store and instead offered to get him some food...there's a blog post simmering on this one
Found out I get a free month of Setanta via my satellite provider...but after that I'm out $15 a month to keep it
I'm on night 2 of a three night marathon of youth events
Stumbled on this site about NHL logos which keeps track of all the changes teams are making this year...go here to design your own jersey
Ok, here's some more from Mark Driscoll about burnout in ministry. You can see the rest of the list here and here. I'm not all the way through this series, but I've found some of the info very fascinating. It's a great heads up as to how stress works in our lives and the impact it can have on our ministry and our families.
And if you think you're above burnout and that it could never happen to you, so you have no need to know this stuff...you're an idiot and it's likely you'll be the next poster child for burnout. (Wow...maybe that was too harsh. But at least you can sense the severity of the topic, right?)
My SP gave me this book (Who's Afraid of Postmodernism?: Taking Derrida, Lyotard and Foucault to Church) a few months ago to read and I've been slowly plugging away at it over that time. It's all about post-modernism and the connections with some of the recent trends within the church that have hints of some "old school" philosophical lines of thought (and even practice).
James KA Smith uses a few films to describe links between some thinkers like Derrida, Lyotard, and Foucault and then compares them with the church. At times the comparisons are intriguing, yet at other times they are simply mind-boggling. There are so many uses of various "isms" that I usually needed to have a dictionary open while I read.
It's definitely one of the more challenging (intellectually) books that I've read in a while, but I hesitate when it comes to practicality. If you're at all familiar with the names associated with the book or with concepts like deconstructionism or metanarratives, this will probably be an good read for you. If not...make sure you have a dictionary and be patient as you read. You'll feel smarter when you're done...or at least that's what I keep trying to tell myself.
This weekend was the beginning of a new footballing season in more ways than one. On the one hand the English premier League kicked off, and while I'm a little disappointed that my beloved team was unable to get on the score sheet at home against Reading, it is only the first game of a long season. We'll have to see what May 2008 has in store.
Sunday also brought about the re-beginning/continuation/revival of my somewhat non-existent footballing "career". Most of you are well aware of my knee problems over the past few years. Knee problems that have seen me under the knife on 3 separate occasions, 2 of which were for major ACL reconstruction. (You can read more about all of these here.)
I'll admit that I've had days when I wondered if I would ever be able to play again. After the first ACL surgery I worked hard to get fit and back into the game only to tear the ACL again in the opening 30 minutes of my first competitive game back. Now it's been almost a year since my last ACL surgery and the mental preparation for this return has been even harder. Will this ACL hold? Can I handle another major knee injury? Will I keep my sanity if I never play soccer again?
Well, on Sunday I made it out to play an 90+ minute scrimmage. Wow, I missed playing. I think this return is good for me, not only physically but mentally and emotionally. I'll be the first to admit that I was only playing at about 70%, but it felt good. A little sore and a little tentative, but it was somewhat familiar territory as I made my way around the pitch.
And lest I feel like I've lost any ability to play the game I received an invite from one of the players to join their team for the upcoming season. This came after only playing about 30 minutes of soccer. I'm leaning towards giving it a go. Some connections outside the church will be nice and an outlet like soccer is a necessity for me. The question will be whether or not I can stay fit and keep the ACL intact.
I'm sure if you keep wandering back here from time to time you'll find out whether the second ACL reconstruction will hold up. Come to think of it, someone could make a reality show out of this.
Around this time every year a pile of people plop down in a church sanctuary with a pile of other people who call themselves leaders in order to listen to famous people who are called leaders talk about what it means to be a leader. It's Willow Creek's Leadership Summit.
I'm not knocking it, because you can definitely get some good stuff out of it. And I have gotten some stuff out of it...none of which I'm actually going to blog about. I think it's for my head and my journal right now and for our staff round table discussions, but it's not ready for consumption by the blogging world. It's too much to handle.
I think I just laughed at myself...
Anyway, I will share with you the high point of the Summit so far (punny, eh?): Erik Mongrain. I blogged about this guy before (see here) and I nearly jumped out of my seat when they introduced him. He played 2 songs and it was cooler than watching him on YouTube. If you haven't seen him or listened, do me a favor and watch a video. Your mind will be blown. If it isn't I will refund your money.
I do believe I may be one of the only Summit bloggers to not write a single blog post about anything any of the speakers said.
My wife is out with some of our youth girls. I'm home with my kids. I'm currently eating a freezie and watching Ultimate Fighting. I also spent some time with the guitars. But I can't seem to focus long enough to write anything.
I'm not a great song writer. I try, but I can't ever seem to finish anything. I'm in awe of people who have a way with words and music that seems to come so simply. I'm impressed by the variety of sounds that some people can come up with. I feel like all my songs sound the same.
I've only ever played 2 of my own songs in public. One was a Christmas song I played at my last church and the other was a song based on part of Job's life for a sermon my friend Bryce preached. That was also in my last church.
A group of my current students and I have come up with a little song during our worship practice, but I hesitate to call it a song because I don't know if anyone actually likes it.
Well...there you have some completely random thoughts from a Wednesday night.
Saw this video on another blog this week and I think it ranks up there with some of the other guitarists I've included on this blog from time to time (like this guy, this guy and this guy). I just can't believe people can play the guitar this way. I am in awe.
The van pulled into the driveway last night after almost 25 hours of driving, and now it feels like we're trying to settle into normal life. Come to think of it, I think I'm going to refuse normal life. Yeah, that sounds like a better plan...
Anyways, I know that you all missed my randomness and profound blogabilities, so I won't taunt you anymore. Here's the long-weekend-Monday haps:
Read too many blogs today...and I'm still nowhere close to caught up.
Watched Manchester United defeat Chelsea in PKs to take the FA Community Shield...now bring on the regular season with next weekend's kick-off against Redding.
I bought a shirt that my wife doesn't like.
I was introduced to a new band called The Cobalt Season (review shall be forthcoming).
We are currently behind in our regular summer TV viewing of Big Brother.
This was a tough week as the footballing world was shaken to its core by the confirmation of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's retirement. Apparently those knee injuries finally caught up to him.
The Cobalt Season
Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds
Dustin Kensrue 
Relient K
Erik Mongrain
I picked up Jesus In the Margins after I had read Rick McKinley's second book This Beautiful Mess. This book identifies with me based on this phrase alone that is found on the cover:
Back in June I attended a mini-conference (or should we call it a "conversation"?) called Emergence that brought together 4 emerging leaders and gave them an opportunity to interact with one another (and with the audience in attendance). The basis for the conference/conversation was a book called"Listening to the Beliefs of Emerging Churches". I got the book as a freebie for attending Emergence and I am proud to say that I finally got around to finishing it.
My SP gave me this book (Who's Afraid of Postmodernism?: Taking Derrida, Lyotard and Foucault to Church) a few months ago to read and I've been slowly plugging away at it over that time. It's all about post-modernism and the connections with some of the recent trends within the church that have hints of some "old school" philosophical lines of thought (and even practice).
