Book # 18...

Stuff Christians Like
Jonathon Acuff

Jon started a website by the same title. I've read it a few times and got some chuckles, but mostly dismissed it. Then I heard him at Catalyst West. Funny guy. So I bought the book. I laughed. Go buy it. Enough said.

Book #17...

Vintage Church: Timeless Truths and Timely Methods
Mark Driscoll & Gerry Breshears

I started reading this one back in February or March (which shows how far behind I am in my book reviews) for a teaching series we were doing about "rethinking church".

I find that these two guys cram a lot of content into their books, and that it's good for my brain. I don't think that Mark is bang on with everything, and I'm not particularly thrilled with his view of women in leadership, but you need to admit that he's a bright guy who has no doubt spent some extensive time in Scripture.

Books #11-16...

I'll recap a little of what I've been reading lately. Don't expect much by way of reviews. This is mostly so I can keep track of my reading total for the year.

Angry Conversations With God (Susan E Isaacs) - Funny. Sarcastic. Unusual. Basically a woman takes God to counseling in the midst of sharing her spiritual journey.
13 1/2 (Nevada Barr) - I need to stop picking up books out of the 7-day-only pile.
Darkly Dreaming Dexter (Jeff Lindsay) - I thought I'd see what started all the hype about the TV show.
Worst Case (James Patterson) - Sucked in by Patterson yet again.
Dearly Devoted Dexter (Jeff Lindsay) - I actually like the way this guy writes. Sure, the stories are a little dark, but I'm finding that his stories are keeping me captivated.
Wishful Drinking (Carrie Fisher) - She strikes me as a funny lady, so this book was an impulse buy on a trip through the bookstore. There are a few chuckles, but mostly it is just sad.

Island Life...

We got back last Thursday night from "the island".

And while the recovery process has been a little difficult (lack of sleep combined with...um...intestinal issues), I find it hard to try and describe to others what I experienced.

Here's a short recap:

• Seeing a 5 year old pray for healing...and seeing those prayers answered.
• Being taught what hospitality actually looks like.
• Eating some amazing food.
• Eating only one meal that registers on the "Uh oh...I probably should not have eaten that" scale.
• Eating a small lime whole...and being mocked because I couldn't handle it.
• Sweating more than I have in the rest of my life combined.
• Visiting pastors & churches & small groups.
• Leading some seminars on marriage.
• Eating a pineapple off a string.
• Getting prayed for.
• Breaking a camera lens.
• Squishing a cockroach on our hotel room wall. The guts remained there 2 days later.
• Learning about "the mystery" of island life.
• Being propositioned...in the middle of the day...in front of our entire group!
• Teaching a group of students.
• Finding a spaghetti dinner for supper.
• Playing along with the worship team and discovering that I did not have the stamina to play that fast for that long.
• A pig roast.
• Almost getting attacked by a bat in a cave/tunnel.
  

There is no way to sum this trip up. We spent almost 3.5 hours on the weekend taking our parents through the pictures and telling stories.

I loved every second of the trip. It has opened my eyes and my heart.

But now I'm tired.

What the what...

Uh...Beckham in the Star Wars Cantina?!?!

Shake the Dust...

Saw this guy at Catalyst last month.

Book #19...

Plan B: What Do You Do When God Doesn't Show Up the Way You Thought He Would?
Pete Wilson

Let's face it, we all have some idea of how we'd like life to turn out. But the reality is that life usually doesn't end up looking like the picture we had in our head. We tend to get a little (or a lot) out of sorts when things don't go as we plan.

We didn't plan for that specific health issue, but we need to face it. We didn't plan for that family emergency, but we have to deal with it. We didn't plan for that job to fall through, but we need find our way through it.

We like to think we know how God should work. We know what's best. We know the perfect plan. The selfish desires that rage inside want to be able to call the shots and dictate how we think God should work. In essence, we decide that we are god.

I think this book is Pete Wilson's attempt to bring a little perspective to our life situations. To move us away from the selfish thinking of "why me?". To move us away from the "God, fix it now!" To challenge us to get past the "I am in control."

Which one of us doesn't need a helpful reminder that we are not god? We are not in control. And sometimes we need to trust the One that is God, and the One that is in control.

If you find yourself in a place where you're asking "Why is this happening to me?", this might be a good resource to help you process what's happening around you and in you.


BookSneeze® has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book to review.

2 weeks...

I made my last post two weeks ago?!?!

In the meantime...

• Montreal was finally ousted from the playoffs. And as a true fan I do not support either Chicago or Philly in the final series.
• I was led to a book by Anne Jackson called In Praise of Slowness by Carl Honore that I am totally loving and I'm only 2 chapters in.
• Preached on Sunday. Oh...and completely obliterated the 20 minutes I was allowed. They might never let me preach again.
  
• Took off to Seattle with Erin & the kids for a couple of days. Had a great time reading, swimming, and wandering the Pike Place Market. But I was unable to convince Erin that buying me an iPad would be a good use of money. She's smart like that.
  
• Picked up Eric Clapton's 24 Nights at Easy Street Records. Always nice to find another addition for my Clapton collection. Always a kick in the teeth to find out it would have been cheaper on iTunes.
  
• Starting a new teaching series with our high schoolers tonight called "Stories". We're getting leaders & students to share what God is doing in their lives over the next 4 weeks.
• Bought some new soccer cleats. 6 studs. Bright yellow. And it's raining, so I'm itching to get on the field and give them a try.
• Had a great phone call with a skinny fat guy that made my day.

I do have some book reviews coming. And some freebies. Hang in there.

Spirit of '86...

Or maybe '93.

I am filled with unspeakable joy. First the Habs barely make it into the playoffs. Then they knock off the league leading Capitals. Then they take care of the Penguins. And they do so with stellar coaching, blocked shots, phenomenal goal tending, scoring from everyone...and amidst a host of injuries to key players.

Some say that they should not have made it this far. But when you watch them play you can't deny that they totally deserve to be where they are now at.

I'm now watching the final 9 minutes of the game because I had to go to youth.

And now for your viewing pleasure...

Stand By Me...

You gotta love the Muppets right?

GPS...

I would buy a GPS unit because of this alone. They use the voices of Darth Vader, Yoda, C3P0 and Han Solo.

Living legend...

My wife is taking the stage during our second service this Sunday to do announcements. She's never done this before. Although one time she prayed in church and she apparently went up to the stage at the wrong time. So she's nervous.

But then she makes a comment about how the design team was saying that it should be fine as long as she doesn't "pull a Mike".

Wait a sec...my name is Mike. What's the connection?

I once announced that someone was dead during announcements. Not abnormal...except when the guy is not dead. He wasn't even sick. I think he was on vacation.

Now it is apparently known as "pulling a Mike" and I am just finding out about this today.

Tune it up...

Somewhere along the road I stumbled across the music of Zach Williams.

Then I'm at Catalyst West last week and the guy shows up on the stage!

He shared about how his wife was paralyzed from the neck down after an accident and how he started writing music while she was in the hospital. By way of a miracle she is now totally healthy and they have 2 kids.

Gifted song writer. Here's a part of a song called "Hospital".

Thanks to Mike Foster for the video.

ZACH WILLIAMS SINGS HOSPITAL from PEOPLE OF THE SECOND CHANCE on Vimeo.

My students made me cry...

Ok...update. I'm apparently healthy. Well...at least physically. All the test results were normal. All except the occasional extra beat my heart will take. (But they aren't worried, so I'll say that the extra beat is just for Erin! That must get me some bonus points right?)

So now I've been told I need to get some rest. Go for a walk. Talk to a professional. And sleep.

I know that's the simple version and sounds easy, right? But you'd be impressed by just how difficult I can make the easiest of tasks.

This is all new to me. I'm used to broken bones and torn ligaments. I'm not used to no sleep and racing minds.

I think I'm learning a lesson about trust.

I shared a bit of my journey with my high school group tonight. Then they asked to surrounded me to pray. Then the tears started. And while I still attempt to wrestle/wade/journey through this season of life one night at a time, I am reminded of God's love and the love of others.

Post Catalyst...

I just got back from Catalyst West in Irvine, CA.

I'm tired since Jamie and I had two different flights and had to get up at 6am today. (FYI, 6am is unheard of for youth pastors except in the case of allnighters.) The good news being that we caught the final 15 minutes of the United win against Spurs. But I digress.

There's so much to process after the week. I'll probably get some of it down here in the next week or so. Stay tuned.

In the meantime, here's a light little story to hold you over.

Jamie and I got off our Alaska Airlines flight this afternoon and awaited our luggage. He got his and mine was no where to be seen. The woman unloading the cart says that they have two more bags up front.

This is what she throws me.

A grease covered Nike bag.

They have no idea what, or how, it happened.

She adds that I can go wait at the front desk and fill out a "we destroyed your bag" (my words, not hers) form.

I decide to go for it. What else am I supposed to do? Throw this is the trunk of the car and get grease everywhere?

So, I patiently waited my turn behind a couple of irritated individuals who had not even received their luggage. The site of my situation brought some laughter.

A couple of security guards came over to take photos. One asks me if I've smelled it to ensure it is actually grease. I laugh it off and tell her that she can. She declines.

My time finally comes and a couple of people start filling out the necessary paper/computer work. There's talk about trying to get me a new bag. Then a supervisor radios in that they should look at getting it cleaned. The guy working with me laughed and said that was going to be impossible.

They ask me if I'd like a replacement bag.

The first one that they bring out is about half the size of my grease-covered bag. The same guy from earlier chuckles and points out my stuff won't fit. So they head back and return with a brand new suitcase.

The only catch is that I have to leave my grease-bag with them.

This is no simple decision. I've had that bag a long time. It's made a number of trips. It has history. We have memories.

Ok, so I didn't think about it too much.

I thanked them for the luggage upgrade, transferred my stuff over and was on my way. Now I have a new suitcase.

Going retro...

Aidan and I had guys night while Becca was out and Erin was doing school. We watched The Phantom Menace on VHS. Can you say retro? Aidan loved the movie though. At least it wasn't because of JarJar Binks.

Then I settled in to watch Sherlock Holmes, which I was enjoying in between naps. But I'll have to try and watch the last 30 minutes sometime today so I know how it ended.

As for today I'm not planning much. Watched some soccer. Will watch some hockey. And probably some more hockey. Tough Saturday, eh?

Sorry for the lack of substance in these posts lately. I'm hoping I'll have some good content after the Catalyst trip next week.

Thursday...

Today I...

• had a chest x-ray
• had some blood drawn
• had an ECG
• got hooked up to a holter monitor

I'm wiped. My brain won't shut up.

And this stupid monitor itches like crazy. It comes off at 9:20am tomorrow.

I'm praying that all of this is nothing more than stress related.

Roll call...

Who's here?

Come on now. Don't be afraid.

Say hi.

Where's the blog...

This month is turning out to be way crazier that I ever thought. Which doesn't bode well for May because I know that next month is supposed to be insane.

A few things that are looming/happening:

• A trip to the doctor. I'm just shy of being a wreck right now. I'll spare you the details, but it's enough to drive my mind crazy.
• Catalyst West trip with Jamie next week.
• Erin & I are joining forces with some of our favorite people in the world to head off into another part of the world. We're doing some marriage mentoring in what our denomination calls a Creative Access Nation. Stoked and nervous. Stay tuned.
  
• I need to catch up on some blogging about what I've been reading. I still owe a couple of reviews for free books I got in March. (And a couple of freebies to give out, so stick around.)
• Got "new" furniture. (New to us anyways.) Friends are great. And now the youth room has some "new" furniture too as it gets the hand-me-downs.
• What's playing for music? Mostly John Mark McMillan and The Avett Brothers.
• I have a few people inquiring about some of my Star Wars stuff. Hopefully I'll be able to free up some storage space in the next few days.
• Part of our summer vacation is officially booked and paid for! Woohoo!
  

Ok...heading back to the couch now.

Trivial...

In comparison to the rest of the weekend I know this is not that important. But it still leaves me feeling crappy. United lost to Chelsea. On an apparently offside goal.

(sigh)

At least my Habs beat Philly last night.

You may now return to your regularly scheduled Easter programming. I know I will.