Projects of Peace, Love, and Service

This is a new thing we're starting next week. It is the brainchild of someone in our church - and I'm hoping it goes over well (Joan, let me know if this looks okay. This is what would fit on a single page for the bulletin board).

PLS NIGHTS
Plugging into projects of Peace, Love, and Service.

WHAT IS IT?
A casual program to introduce people to a variety of service opportunities -- both in our local community and in the world at large. The focus will be on different types of service: volunteering, financially supporting, donating items, and prayer. Feel free to invite your friends. This is not just for "our" church.

THE FORMAT
We will meet once a month (or so), in the home of ________ (our PLS Coordinator). The gatherings will include prayer, a Bible reading that focuses on the topic to be discussed, a presentation, and a time for fellowship and discussion.

THE PROGRAM
Each gathering will center around either a particular organization or a need, and offer opportunities for exploration. Whenever possible a guest from the organization will come and share with us. When more global organizations are featured, video and print materials will be used to help tell their story.

THE POINT
The goal of each program is to open doors to questioning and exploration about how our own talents might fit in with the particular need. It will be a mind-expansion exercise, as we try to find ways to put feet on the Gospel and serve others in love. The idea is not to find projects for "our" church to adopt, but to uncover opportunities for each of us, as members of "the" church," to individually put our faith into action.

THE FIRST PLS NIGHT is Sunday, March 11 at 6 pm, at the home of _________. A representative from "A Friend's House" - a women's shelter in Bluffton, IN will be sharing with us.

Hey... if you're in the area, please feel free to join us. Drop me an email and I'll give you the skinny.

Dinner and a movie

For Jane's birthday last night we went to Triangle Park. Neither of us had been there before. It was nice, but not exactly what I expected. I thought it was supposed to be a real ritzy place. It was pretty much like all the other Don Hall's restaraunts -- old (including the people eating there). And if I'm gonna pay $17 for a steak, I don't think I should have to use A-1.

Afterward we took in the movie 'Amazing Grace' at the Rave. It was us and a threesome. In one of the big theaters. That was weird. But... we got the prime seats: back row, right under the projector. Legroom out the wazoo. The movie was good. I don't know how it would be for someone who had no interest (I'm not a good movie critic), but I thought it was well done. Perhaps the most moving scene is at the end... when the old guy takes off his wig and compares William and Napolean.

We topped the evening off with cheesecake at Barnes and Noble. I even had some: carmal latte. It was even good, and I'm not a big fan of cheesecake.

Today is lacking sunshine in a big way. Old snow is ugly. I had a major breakthrough at the office yesterday though... I actually cleared off my mail pile! I'm not kidding, it was stacked 14" high, and I got rid of it all. Probably 97.2% went in the garbage - which is what happens if you leave things long enough that they're out-dated.

Sunshine, on my shoulders, (would) make me happy....

Church idea: when is the best time to meet?

When is "church"? Most people would probably say, "Sunday morning." But is that really the best time to hold our worship services? I'm not so sure.

I have been going back and forth on this issue for some time. Certainly Sunday morning is when people "expect" there to be a worship service. But is it the best time? Just last week we had to cancel "church" because the roads hadn't been cleared yet. If we'd had our gathering later in the day it would have been no problem. Also, perhaps the biggest reason I hear for people not attending a worship service is because it's "to early." That may or may not be the real reason, but let's face it, who doesn't want to sleep in on Sunday mornings? I know I would rather not get up at 4:52 am every Sunday.

So let's say we had church Sunday afternoon. That would just be silly. That's when football games are, or when you mow the lawn, or wash the car. So how about Sunday night? Well, you know, people have to get up early Monday and go to work, so they need to get to bed at a reasonable hour on Sunday nights.

I wonder if the best time to have "church" (meaning the gathered worship service) is on Saturday night. You could go out to eat, and then go worship. It would make for a better singles place. It would be something TO DO for many people. Or you could go to "church" and THEN go out for the evening (if you're younger). It would be a place to meet up; a place to connect and all that. But... it would have to be a little different than your average service. It would need to be something people would WANT to attend. It would need to have stuff to do before and after so people could 'mill about.' You would need to feel comfortable in any attire. You would want there to be a large "mingling area."

Well, think on this. Give me some feedback if you wouldn't mind. When do you think the best time for "church" would be? I gotta run - I'm meeting Jane for lunch.

Peace...

Happy birthday, dear!

Today is Jane's birthday (not to be confused with the band dear jane). "My" dear is now one year younger than me. I would say she's getting better with age, but... hmm, I don't know if that's possible. She has always been just fine. ;)

I was hoping to have a montage of pictures to post, but the old ScanJet 4100C sits in the corner not currently linked to anything. I don't even know if it works anymore. We'll see later.

It was actually 26 years ago today that I made my first official "move" on the sweet lady Jane. Oh, I had known this cute little sandy-blonde since grade school. But it was the 1980-81 school year that we first talked much. I sat by her in an english class and secretly admired her fingernails. One day I mentioned that she had changed nail polish, and I think that registered something in her mind - like, 'hmm, this guy is perceptive... or a stalker.' But, you know, even though she was only a Junior, she was dating a college guy. So I didn't ever think much.

Until... her 17th birthday. I wrote a stupid little poem... something like, 'Roses are red/ violets are blue/ I hope it's a happy/ birthday for you,' and I stuck it in her locker. I still remember seeing her after school that day. I was in the hallway between the gym and the cafeteria - stretching, getting ready for track practice - and here she came. I couldn't tell if she was mad or about to cry, so I did a lot of looking at the ground. First thing she says is, "What is this?!" I think I managed something profound like, "uh... I dunno."

To make a long story short, we went out a couple of nights later. I think we went to a volleyball game in Tampico, with a stop off at the Catholic cemetary afterwards (no, there was no "parking"... it was just a nice outta-the-way place to talk). The rest, as they say, is h-i-s-t-o-r-y...

I don't know how I managed to do so well. She has always been one of the kindest, sweetest, most unassuming, gentle souls I know. God has blessed me indeed. He knew it would take a special person to listen to my constant whining and complaining, to cook for me, make my tea, make the bed, keep the checkbook, do the taxes, tiptoe around my moods, overlook my insecurities, stroke my ego, and patiently mold me into any kind of a normal, useful human being.

Well, I could go on for quite some time, so, just let me say... Happy birthday, dear. I love you. Life's been good to me so far (any guesses where this line comes from?).

You can wish Jane a happy birthday by leaving a comment here, or on her blog "Radical Hope."

'Just Dreaming' or 'Miracles I'd Like To See'

Disclaimer: I know some people who read here attend my church, and some of you are friends who don't. I hope you all understand I'm not thinking of anyone in particular with this post (just thinking out loud). So I hope no one is offended by anything here.

I've recently mentioned some "miracles" that have been occupying my mind lately. Things I would like to see happen that I don't see there is any way they could happen without a miracle from God. If someone were to ask me, "If you could have anything you wanted for your church, what would it be?" This is what I would say (at the moment):

• A worship leader. Ideally it would be a guy, who played guitar or piano - though it's not necessary as long as he finds someone who does. They would need to be humble, and really love people, but be able to not give a crap when people insult them. Someone really in touch with the Holy Spirit, but who is naturally gifted in music and able to lead and direct others.
  
• A kick-ass, killer band. Not necessarily loud - though they would need to be sometimes. I'm thinking like David Gilmour-type stuff. I really miss having a band, and as much as I like being in one, I think it would be better for everyone concerned if I didn't have to be. I want to be able to concentrate more on studying, praying, preaching, and hanging with people. I don't really care if the band members are Christians or not. I want them to be MUSICIANS first and foremost. And not just to play along with the singing. I would like them playing before the Sunday worship, during, throughout the prayer time and message, and after. Again, sometimes LOUDER THAN LOUD but sometimes as soft as a tear.
  
• A computer/tech. person. I'm not real good in this area as it is, but I just can't keep up anymore. I wish there was someone who knew this stuff well and could work unsupervised. We need someone to take care of the sound, as well as lighting, computer stuff and everything that goes along with that. This could be one person, or a whole team of people. One would be nice to start with. It's hard just finding an ACTIVE sound guy who understands they need to do more than just turn the board on. Again, I don't care if they're a Christian or not.
• Different worship space. Let me just say this right up front... I HATE PEWS!!!!!!!!! I think they were invented by the devil and the only thing they're good for is firewood. I would like a highly flexible space, able to be used 24/7. I'm not just talking about Sunday mornings. But even on Sunday mornings, we need to be able to move about, change things, rearrange. And the pews are such a hindrance to any type of community feel. They are cold and impersonal - just what you DON'T want in a church setting. Go figure.
  
• Lots of sound and lighting equipment. I want to be able to have major lighting flexibility, with the ability to up-light, soft-light, change colors, brightness, etc. on the fly. We also need much more of a bass sound. At the very least I would like two big honking subwoofers -- NOW. Surround sound would be cool. And a whole bunch more stuff that I don't even understand.
  
• Some fully committed people. Even just a few people... who would be willing to put the mission God has for our church above everything else. Not just people who say they're committed, but people who are willing to do whatever it takes. Nothing will happen unless these people are found.
  
• A community-life person. (some might say "small groups" person) Someone who is either well-trained, or willing to get trained. This might need to be a part-time job, I don't know. It would need to be an aggressive go-getter type person. But someone who was definitely devout in their faith. I believe building community, or community life, is THE MOST VITAL aspect of the church.
• Cheerleaders. They don't even have to be good lookin', and they certainly don't need outfits. One thing I really need, personally, are some people willing to keep the joy no matter how grumpy I get. I am not a cheerleader, and I just can't fake it well. Any church I pastor doesn't need more people like me, it needs people the opposite of me. We need some "GO TEAM!" people to compensate for me.
  
• I wish I had a way to reach the late-teen/early-twenties crowd. We seem to have quite a few of them and I am pretty disconnected from this group. I wish I could quit spending so much time worrying about cheerleading and doing stuff for the "senior saints" and spend more time working with this age group.
• Passionate teachers. People willing to learn and grow on their own, who can then give time and energy to others. People who's lives have been turned UPSIDE DOWN by Jesus and they are forever grateful. People who can share their passion with others - of all ages.
  
• Most of all... I need a passionate heart. Honestly, I lack the energy and desire needed for any of the above to work. I need to get over this funk I'm in. I need a more intimate relationship with God. I need a deeper faith. I need more trust in Him. I could use your prayers.
  

Um, I could certainly go on, but this list is getting pretty long already. That's part of it.

Peace.

Crying Stones Church

I hadn't thought about this for a long time, but for some reason it slapped me upside the head yesterday. This is what I wanted to call my church when I was planning to do a plant in seminary. I had a prospectus made up and everything. I sent it around to about a dozen people - even sent one to the director of finance at Willowcreek (who, incidentally, seemed to be the only one that was even remotely excited about it). But most people didn't like the name - some even openly laughed. Maybe it is stupid.

HOW I CAME UP WITH IT
In Luke 19, as Jesus is riding into town on a donkey, people are going wild celebrating. Some of the religious folk tell him to quiet them down. And Jesus says in v. 40, "I tell you, if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out." People want Jesus around, and they'll celebrate him whether the church wants them to or not. We cannot be contained or controlled by religious systems.

My thinking was, it would be a church for those who aren't accepted in the church - 'church for the rest of us' so-to-speak. For people wanting to CRY OUT to/for God, but they've been silenced by our current religious institutions. I was also thinking somewhat of the Rolling Stones - a church for rock-n-rollers; for people who didn't fit in elsewhere; for the Keith Richards types. People who recognized their need for God, but needed it in their own way.

I guess it's fairly similar to what some people think of as the 'emerging church' nowadays. And I could explain further, but... I dunno. Kind of lost my verve. It's been a long, strange trip. If I end up sharing the "miracles" I was thinking about yesterday, it may help explain further. I'm getting kinda contemplative now, and it's hard for me to write and think at the same time. Plus I'm not good at painting pictures with words. Later.

Tomlin, Redman, Giglio concert

Since Tammie and Tony were kind enough to post a comment... I guess I oughta give my take on the concert yesterday. Overall it was positive. Although I actually spent most of the time preoccupied with: 1). The family sitting in front of us. They had two pre-teen boys that seemed to be really struggling with some issues. I spend a lot of time praying for them. 2). Crying Stones Church. That really jumped out at me and wouldn't leave me alone. You'll hear more about this later (probably). 3). Miracles I'm hoping for. You'll probably hear about these later too. For a further run-down on the concert...

The positives:

• How can you not like a driving bass that physically moves your body? I had heard bad things about the venue (Grand Wayne Center), but I thought the sound was really quite good.
• I was glad "the show" wasn't overdone. They had the lights and fog, but it really did appear to be more of a "worship thing." I liked that. I also liked that it wasn't very "celebrity-ish" at all. Chris and Matt were both very down-to-earth.
• No altar call and they didn't try to make anybody buy anything!!! Good job, guys. (Not that I'm totally against altar calls, but...)
  
• I was pleasantly surprised by Lou Giglio's message. I've only heard him speak once, and let's just say I wasn't looking forward to the second time. But he had a great message. Could have been a tad shorter, but, yeah Tony, Laminin is cool!
• I think they said there were about 4,000 people. Sold out. Other than having to wind through the entire place to get in, it was a nice place for this type event.
• I got my "Amazing Grace" fix even though we didn't sing it at church today. I love Chris's version.
• I had forgotten there were actually other Christians who got really fired up about loud music; who enjoyed music in general; and who had a faith that was pretty fired up. I also forgot there were churches with youth groups who took kids to things like this.
  

Improvements:

• As with hockey... it would have been better if it were an hour shorter. I was expecting them to go into "How Great Is Our God" right after "Amazing Grace" and it would have been a good time to end. And what the heck is with taking an intermission??? Just give us the dang show, we can go pee on our own.
• The set-up wasn't the greatest. The screens were all too low, and weren't really very big. And in a long room like this, it would help to have some screens in the middle for those of us sitting in the back row. If I could see the stage I wouldn't need a screen.
• I had forgotten how stupid some people can be at Christian concerts (though that's not an exclusively Christian thing).
• I was disappointed with "How Great Is Our God." Oh, it was plenty good, but I was really hoping it would have sounded more like the way we do it. :)
  

I guess I'm glad I went. If nothing else I think it inspired me to want to see the Goo Goo Dolls in a couple weeks. :) Chris, Matt, and Louis were good though. It was better than I expected.

Cancelling Church

I called off church today. I'm sure we could have had it - it's 43 degrees and pretty darn nice out right now. There was more slush than anything this morning though, and it was probably best to have people off the roads so they could clear them. It was kinda slick too.

I probably should have felt worse about cancelling than I did. I wanted to do it last night even. It's not that I don't like getting together on Sunday mornings. In fact, I have always REALLY liked it. But if I'm perfectly honest, sometimes it just gets to be such a drain when I feel like I have to play "cheerleader", or I feel like nobody else wants to be there. I've been feeling a bit drained lately. It didn't help that I had several people tell me Saturday that they were already planning to not come Sunday - because of the "big storm." Sometimes it seems like nobody would come at all if it didn't make them feel guilty when they saw me. Argh. And... I try to have studies and things that I think would interest people, or do things I think would be beneficial. And it's like pulling teeth. I hate that feeling. It's even worse when I say, "Okay, I'll ask what other people want to do." And guess what? Nothing! Nobody says a damn thing. Unless it's to suggest something I just got done doing which they didn't participate in. So I guess the alternative is to do nothing, but then I feel like even more of a failure. This community-building; disciple-making stuff is just a real drag sometimes. It's not that I don't like it, but, yes, there are times that I do not. I'm just not a good motivator, and it really zaps me when I have to try. And I don't think people understand how much offering "just a little bit" would help. But...... ahg... I'm tired of thinking about it.

So, I was actually more than happy to cancel church today. Sorry if that rocks your world. I think everybody hates going to work sometimes. And I can't change the fact that this is my work. So, it was probably better for everybody. Besides, it's not like the church "is" the Sunday worship gathering. That was even in my sermon I had prepared for today.

Jane and I went to my good friend Tom's church - the Zanesville United Brethren. It was nice. Funny how much I can enjoy just 'attending' church sometimes. They have a real comfortable arrangement, and we knew a lot of the people. Tom even preached a good sermon - though I'm not sure about that high-fivin' bit. :) (Tom had everybody high-five a couple people and say, "the best part's coming" right before his sermon).

This afternoon we are going to see Chris Tomlin and Matt Redmon. I'm a little leery, but hopeful. I pretty much got burned out on any kind of christian concerts years ago. But I like the music of both these guys - undoubtedly two of the premier worship music writers of our time. We sing a lot of their stuff. In fact, we were going to do stuff by both of them this morning. So I'm hoping it will be more of a simple worship-style affair than a concert. I don't want the "superficial alter call and compassion child guilt trip" as my daughter would say. It really does get old after awhile.

Well, now that you're wondering if I am even a Christian, and thinking I definately shouldn't be a pastor... it's time to sign off. Until later...

Peace in; peace out.

Authority

I just got back from a memorial service. One thing that really struck me while I sat in this packed-out little church sanctuary: The brother-in-law of the guy who died is a retired pastor (Paul Tobias). He just shared briefly, and then read some stuff from the Bible. I mean, he's a feeble old man who's hands shake like a paint mixer... but while he was reading Scripture something strange began to happen. People who had been nodding off or daydreaming were suddenly sitting up straight. Their attention had been grabbed. Focus shifted.

It was just really cool to sit and listen to someone read Scripture LIKE THEY KNEW IT. He wasn't making anything up; he wasn't adding undue drama to it; he wasn't 'waxing poetic.' He was reading the stuff of which his soul was made. And it was beautiful.

Tom and I ask each other every Wednesday, "So how's your soul?" I don't think we really know how to answer this question yet, but I think... you can kinda tell how someone's soul is just by looking at them; by listening to them. There was a definite contrast in souls today in the two pastors who were up front. And the one wasn't trying at all... he just WAS.

When I die, I want someone like that to read Scripture at my funeral. I can't really think of anyone right off hand, but I don't want it to be someone who's just doing their job. I want it to be someone who reads what they KNOW. You know what I mean?

How Stuff Works

I've just added a new link to my sidebar under "things I use." It is "How Stuff Works." I've seen this before, but just ran across it again. It has all kinds of information, and could be useful if you're in a bind, or if you're just bored and you happen to wonder about something. Two examples are:

• How Windows Vista Works (I know, I know... not all of you are Microsoft people) so...
  
• Why would daylight-saving time mess up my computer?

There are plenty of other things too, so why don't you see for yourself... how stuff works.

Another good example of ministry to homeless

Here is another great story about a group of people feeding/caring for some homeless people. I was going to just provide the link to Marko's blog, but it's not that long of a story. I thought about posting a comment on Marko's blog about what our kids are doing in Indy, but, you know... don't wanna brag and all. It's just nice to see that someone else has the same ideas as them. And... something that struck me... you mean they call this YOUTH MINISTRY? Yes!!! One thing that has always rankled my feathers is this idea that "Youth Group" needs to be about playing games and doing stupid stuff. Why do we think that? Is that all we think our youth are capable of? I say "Bull!" So, kudo's to Dave Merk, and to Marko for sharing (h/t Scot McKnight). Here's the thing...

beautiful example of consistency
Friday February 23rd 2007, 8:59 am
Filed under: youth ministry, church, youth work

i am simply blown away by the quiet, simple, consistent ministry of dave merk and a bunch of high school and college students from the church i attend in san diego. no one’s heard of dave outside of our church; and, frankly, the guy’s so humble that if the teaching pastor hadn’t had him on stage for an interview a couple weeks ago, most people in our church wouldn’t know who he is either. but what dave has done is nothing short of remarkable.

tonite is the 200th consecutive friday night (that means in a row, without missing any) that dave and these students have taken peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to homeless people in downtown san diego. that’s almost four years. they gather on friday evening, make 250 sandwiches, drive down to san diego (we’re about 20 minutes from downtown), hand them out on the same corners, and talk to people. they call their ministry “hope for the homeless.” the power of this ministry, in my opinion, is in a few non-flashy, stunningly simple distinctives:

1. they’re dependable. homeless people in san diego know that every friday night, their high school and college-age friends will be in the same place, waiting for them.

2. they’re not a feeding ministry, really; they’re a ministry of restoring or offering dignity. here’s one of the things dave said in that little interview a couple weeks ago that brought a lump to my throat:

“part of our problem is that we tend to see peoples’ lives as static — that the way they are now must be how they’ve been their whole life. our ministry isn’t PB&J sandwiches — it’s a ministry of restoring dignity. i tell the students every week: the homeless spend their entire day having people look down or look away to avoid eye contact. whatever we do, we need to look them in the eyes. we need to listen to their stories. we are going to say, ‘you deserve our consistency, you deserve to be treated with dignity.”

3. they minister in humility. there’s no media, no cameras, no press releases. they don’t have a website. they’re not pushing a program or a national agenda or even begging people do join them. they’re just making 250 pb&j sandwiches, every single week no matter what the weather, looking homeless people in the eye, and listening to their stories.

i want to be dave merk when i grow up. can there be any better youth ministry discipleship ministry that what dave has provided for the students who go with him?

Mass Producing God's Word

According to Wikipedia, it was on this date that Johannes Gutenberg began printing the Gutenberg Bible (pictured) in Mainz, Germany. The print run started on February 23, 1455, using a printing press and movable type. This Bible is the most famous incunabulum and its production marked the beginning of the mass production of books in the West. It was printed in the type styles that would become known as Textura and Schwabacher. A complete copy comprises 1282 pages; most were bound in two or more volumes.

Cloning Christians

Do you remember when they cloned that sheep named Dolly? It's hard to believe it was ten years ago. And I never knew they named the sheep Dolly - after Dolly Partin - because the DNA they used to clone her came from a breast cell. Ha.

Anyway.... there is a pretty good article on 10 Years After Dolly: Clones, Crooks and Crazies: How scientific progress was thwarted by fears and frauds.

I never really understood the whole stem-cell research thing. I am probably opposed to it - and cloning in general - simply on the basis that it kinda seems like trying to play God to me. But at least according to this article we don't seem to have too much to worry about.

However, do you suppose we ever try to clone Christians? I mean, not make actual new bodies, but do we try to force people into an image we have of what a Christian is? Certainly we are to be being conformed to the image of Christ... a Christian is supposed to be striving to be more Christlike. But don't you think some people have a picture in their mind of what that looks like; and maybe they can even think of someone they knew once who was a really Christ-like person... and maybe they compare everyone to that image they have. That's what they think all Christians should be like. And some people will manipulate and try to "help" their friends and loved ones fit into that mold.

I dunno. This probably doesn't make a lot of sense. That's the problem with blogging before thinking. But I do believe most people have a preconceived idea of how they would like others to behave... and depending on how much we define life by this idea can have a big impact on our frustration levels, our expectations of ourselves, and how well we get along with others. We've all got a journey to take. But even if we're all following the same Guide, it's unlikely we'll all be at the same place at the same time. But we can try to encourage one another along the way. Right?

So... I guess it's good that Dolly has come and gone (I wasn't aware she didn't live very long). And maybe the best thing to do is simply say, "Here's looking at EWE, kid." :)

(is that a sheepish grin on yer face?)

Problem with powerpoint

Why is it that I can't get Powerpoint to play all my songs? I just ripped two cd's to Windows Media Player, and I can insert all the songs off of one cd into powerpoint slides, but I can't get any of them to play in powerpoint from the other cd. First I just ripped it in the default setting (windows media audio), so I thought I would try it in the WAV format, and that didn't work either. It's driving me nuts because there is a song I want to use Sunday and I can't get it to insert! And I need to get my stinking sermon done (even starting it would be nice)! Arghhhh. Serenity now! Serenity now!

The full extent of his love

Last night was our first Lenten devotional group gathering. It went well. There were six besides Jane and me. The Scripture reading was John 13:1-5. Someone pointed out the end of verse 1: "Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love."

What was the full extent of Jesus' love? To do the servants job of washing feet. You'd have thought it might have been healing all those people of their ailments; or feeding the hungry; or restoring the shamed and guilty; or raising people from the dead, or some such miracle. But, no... doing a simple, menial task of service to others. I thought that was a great insight.

What's the most loving thing you can do today? Think about it.

Rock on, folks. Peace to you.

(I wasn't listening to any music while writing this, but in my head was playing Rich Mullins' song "Peace" off his "Litergy, Legacy, and a Ragamuffin Band" album. It is one of my all-time favorite songs. A little side-note story about it: I once gave the words of this song to one of my seminary profs, because he was one of the pastors of the church we were attending and they had just decided to close the church. He seemed especially distraught about it, and while listening to this song, it just seemed like sharing these words was the right thing to do. But after giving it to him, he never said anything, and I felt stupid. I still like the song though. And the prof.)

A problem in the church: confession

Several quotes from chapter 8 of Darryl Tippen's book "Pilgrim Heart":

• From Deitrich Bonhoeffer's 'Life Together' (exposing the temptation of false piety among believers), "The pious fellowship permits no one to be a sinner. So everybody must conceal his sin from himself and from the fellowship. We dare not be sinners. Many Christians are unthinkably horrified when a real sinner is suddenly discovered among the righteous. So we remain alone with our sin, living in lies and hypocrisy."

• "A Christian who is not confessional is in peril - a danger to himself and to the community. An unconfessed Christian is an oxymoron, like a baker who hates bread or a fisherman who won't go near the water."

• "If we cannot see the bad news in our lives and confess it, we block the one pathway to hope. So, an essential step is truthtelling. Telling the truth about our dilemma initiates the walk towards God and opens up the path to extraordinary possibility. Yet confession is not something you do just once to get on the path to God. Truth-telling becomes an essential daily practice in the life of the believer if one is to stay on course. Rich and varied practices of confession will be embedded in our lives if we are to reach spiritual maturity."

• "Hidden sin, as Bonhoeffer observes, makes a sham of fellowship."

Tippen does warn that our confession needs to be done wisely. It is unhealthy to just blurt things out to anyone. Thus the need for a soul-friend.

Lenten Devotions

Tomorrow we will begin our Wednesday night devo's. We're going to use a devotional from Lutheran Hour Ministries called Time for Renewal. Here's the deal: everyone will get a devotional booklet and a journal to write in. Each day there is a verse from the Bible, a little story, and a short prayer. Participants are to do the daily reading and pray, and then journal their thoughts or what they feel God leading them to write and/or do. I will recommend using Stuart Briscoe's: What? So What? Now What? questions (What is this saying? So what does it mean? Now what will I do as a result?). Then each Wednesday night through Lent we will gather together and share how our journey is going. We are beginning this Wednesday because it is Ash Wednesday. It will come to a close on Maundy Thursday with a feetwashing/communion service.

I have decided that, in keeping with the true meaning of the season of Lent, we should make this a real time of examination; a time of looking at our sin 'in community'/ together. So the tentative Wednesday night agenda is:

• gather together at 7 pm
• have the obligatory brief chit-chat
• begin with a recitation of the Lord's prayer (inserting "sins" for "trespasses")
• give everyone an opportunity to share any insights or questions they may have had from their devotions during the week (if no one feels like sharing, perhaps we will go through that days devotion)
• before dismissing, we will read together Psalm 51
• we will then have a time for prayer, and each person will have the opportunity to pray on their own behalf - more of a confession and repentance-type of prayer (this will not be a time to pray for your aunts, cousins, brothers, dog)
• we will then read together Scriptures of absolution: 1 John 1:9 and 1 John 2:12 (substituting "my sins" instead of "your sins")

My guess is that this will not be a very popular 6-7 weeks. Already there are not very many who were interested in participating. And any time we do a study we always lose people before the end. I realize a lot of it has to do with the fact that I'm not a very exciting small group leader, so I wouldn't be surprised if this one ends up just Jane and I due to the confessional/personal nature (well, I hope it's not just the two of us). But... you know... if that's what happens, that's what happens. I can't really say that "I'm" looking forward to it all that much either. But I think it's what we're supposed to do. So we will.

Befriending (Pilgrim Heart)

Today I read ch. 7 in Darryl Tippen's book 'Pilgrim Heart.' It's entitled, "Befriending: The Mutual Regard & Care of Souls."

On p. 92 Darryl lists three questions that help him distinguish his garden-variety friends from his soul-friends:

1. "Am I safe with you?" (Would you hide me if Hitler were coming)
2. "Could I call you at 2 am if I were in need?"
3. "Can I tell you who I am?" or "Can I tell you my story?"

I thought these were pretty good. Sometimes I think we fool ourselves by thinking we have a great many friends, when what we actually have are mere acquaintances. And they're okay, but we need soul-friends too.

Another thing I thought he was wise to bring out was the fact that even with a close "soul-friend" it also requires a certain amount of distance. This sounds a bit paradoxical, but there needs to be a certain amount of respect. We need to allow even the best of our friends their own space.

We also need to allow them the chance to be themselves. Tippen points out on p.94: "It is striking that Jesus never twists the arms of his beloved disciples to make them 'do the right thing.' Friendship flies under the flag of freedom."

He summed up well with this paragraph on p.96:

Yet we cannot accumulate friends like so many trophies. Friends are not objects to be found and collected. Our calling isn't so much to find friends as to become friends to others. I am not even sure it is possible to "find" friends. Instead, we befriend others, and in the befriending, worthy companions are mysteriously born. As imitators of Jesus we are here to grant to others the gifts of safety, attentiveness, compassion, empathy, accountability, truth-telling, loyalty, distance, time, forgiveness, spiritual care, and selfless love. In offering such graces to others, friendships emerge.

I believe this is one of the great hindrances of our society today - so many people desire soul-deep friendships, but so few of us are willing to BE soul-deep friends. I wonder if the problem for many people isn't that we feel so alone ourselves, and that that is because we fail to see Jesus with us; in us? Hmm. Might I be a better friend. Might we all.

NASCAR

I watched Nascar for the first time yesterday - I think it was the Daytona 500. Contrary to some folks, I was riveted to the TV. I mean, I didn't exactly watch the whole thing, and I was playing jawbreaker on my PDA for most of the time when I did watch, but geez... there were wrecks all over, I saw a guy get ran over in the pits, and the ending was nothing short of WILD. If this is what all nascar races are like, I can see why it's become so popular. Now to figure out how to get one of those lapel pins Kelly Clarkson was selling...

The Sound of Silence

Did you know that it was on this date in 1964 that Paul Simon wrote "The Sounds of Silence," the song which, in a year and a half, would catapult him and Art Garfunkel to stardom as Simon & Garfunkel?

I'm not sure why that caught my eye on Wiki's anniversary page today. Perhaps it's because the silence has been so loud today. Not only is there no sound (as usual), but I have cotton in my one ear - not necessarily because I have an earache, but sometimes it just makes life easier to take.

This is a weird day. I'm not depressed - but yesterday was difficult. I preached on Matthew 19:1-11. Jesus talks about marriage, divorce, and remarriage. Some days you can really sense the weight in a room. I could visibly see the pain on many faces yesterday. It's not that it's necessarily bad... but there's a heaviness, you know. It's troubling to see people troubled. It's hard to know if you're helping or hurting.

Then, today I started working on my sermon on Matthew 19:16-30 - where Jesus speaks to the 'Rich young ruler' about selling everything he has and following along. I'm thinking of titling it "Emerging Discipleship" or something like that. I really think this passage is relevant in the emerging church debate. I've been looking at a post from Andrew Jones on Leaving Church; Dan Kimball's book They Like Jesus But Not the Church; and an article by Sarah Cunningham What Disillusioned 20-Somethings Want.

So far it's been a bit daunting, because to be honest, at this point the idea of building Christian community seems downright next to impossible. Sure, one can still get people to show up for "church"... but there's a big difference between that and true biblical community. And it almost seems a bit futile right now. I dunno.

The silence is deafening. "Hello darkness my old friend..."

• ps - this was also the date Bon Scott (Ronald Belford Scott), lead singer of AC/DC, died after a night of heavy drinking (1980); and Ozzy Osbourne was arrested for urinating on The Alamo (1982).

Recent comments must be hard to do...

I don't know if anyone notices my "Recent Comments" on the sidebar, but it's been giving me fits lately. Since switching to Blogger Beta I have been using storago.com, and it works okay, other than every now and then when it won't work, and it makes it so my blog takes a long time to load. So I used the feed that comes in the wonderful beta, and now it is only showing comments from a long, long time ago. I liked my recent comments hack I had with the old blogger. It was easy to use, always worked, and I was able to change things the way I wanted. But it won't work with the current version of blogger. Such is life. It's hard to get a comment when you want it; harder still to make them stick. I guess it doesn't really matter if I have them. It's more of a convenience thing for readers. I'll try the storago thing again in awhile.

35 Things Every PC User Should Know

• http://tech.msn.com/products/article.aspx?cp-documentid=2897086&GT1=9132

No guitar, no ecuminism, no key

A WEIRD DREAM
This morning when I woke up I was dreaming that we were getting ready for a worship service, but it was in the gymnasium where I went to high school (which isn't a high school anymore, but it would be an awesome church building). At first I was outside, and all these people were showing up. I remember Isaac's new bass player was there (Ben, I think), whom I've only met once, and he and his little brother got out of the back seat of an old Dodge Omni being driven by their dad. There were a bunch of the people I used to know when I lived in Buda. And kids out the wazoo. I was feeling pretty good because all these people were showing up (not at all like a real Sunday morning). But then... I started to freak out. I went to get my guitar, and I couldn't find my office. At first I was fairly cool about it, but eventually ended up running around like a chicken with my head cut off. I ran into the gym, and it was like a circus with people all over - the pep band was even set up in the bleachers. But no guitar. Finally I ran into Dave Ballinger - who pastors a church in Huntington - and he asked what was wrong. I told him, and he said he could take me to my office. Instead he took me to HIS office and offered to give me his guitar - which was way cool - but I declined because for the first time in my life I felt a real attachment to the guitar I currently use.

I woke up when it was 10:02 in my dream - which is the time we start our gathering. This is a recurring dream where I can't find my guitar and it's time for church to start, but this is the first time it's been in my old hometown. More coffee, please.

CHURCHES WORKING TOGETHER
Yesterday I got really hacked off at another pastor. We have a young couple that wants me to marry them but our sanctuary isn't big enough. I called a Methodist church nearby and asked about renting/using their facility... and the guy said 'no.' The reason I called there is because I've actually used it for a wedding before. But he said that was when a different pastor was there, and they didn't really want to have people using their building who weren't a part of their church. I was speechless. Dumbfounded. I somehow ended the conversation, and then started to get mad. Like, geezaree... if churches can't even work together on stuff like this......... I dunno, I probably should just shut up and forget about it. It still makes me mad.

LOCKED OUT
I forgot all about being locked out of the house. When Jane and I got back from San Diego, we got a ride from the airport to our house, they dropped us off, and the doors were locked. No problem, I thought, I have a key hidden. But... for some reason the key I had hidden wasn't a house key! Still, no problem. I had given the neighbors a key. Ahh, but they weren't home. Fortunately I knew of a window that wasn't locked, so I ended up crawling through the window and getting us inside finally. It's really the only way this trip could have ended. Just more fun.

I am the door/gate

Wow. The following post from ginkworld really hit me between the eyes this morning. Disturbed me. Not because our church doesn't have door handles, but because so many of us on the "inside" don't even realize what we're doing. And maybe the handles are more a metaphor with many churches. Here's the post:

come on in?

recently, tina and i had an opportunity to visit a very interesting church. it is one of those "mega-churches." now, i am not going to share the name of the church because the name does not matter. my desire is not to embarrass the church, nor is it to make this about them - it is about us, it is about something very interesting. take a look at the picture on the right and tell me what is missing? take a good look and think about what is not shown. go on, take a good look.

give up?

the answer is, there are no handles on the doors.

that's right, the church has no handles on the doors leading into any part of the church. the only way into the church is to have a key, or be let in by someone who is in the building. no one is able to just "walk in," and you can never just "visit" without being allowed in. [in fact, to "visit" the church requires that you stop by the security office, sign in and get a visitors pass] when we pointed this out to some of the people who attend the church they had some very interesting responses -

one women said, "well we do have a great deal of homeless people in the area and they are always coming by for help. so we had the doors replaced so they could not just walk in." well, God forbid a homeless person should ever approach a church for help; i mean what are they thinking? do they actually think we care? do they actually think we are to welcome "those" people into our clean, well kept, over priced church? after all, they did not have anything to do with the building of the church.

one women said, "oh, how funny, i never noticed that before." then just walked away laughing with here friends at how funny it was that the church had no door handles. yea, it is so funny that a place that calls itself "God's House" should put locks on the doors so people could not get in. i wonder, what would happen if she got to the gates of heaven and found that the handles had been removed? do you think she would be laughing at that point?

as we started to ask more about the reasoning, what we found was very interesting. there were two sides,and both seemed very close. many of those inside the church, members, never gave the doors a second thought. to them, it was the norm; that is the way the church was and they liked it. they saw it as a way of protecting themselves, and keeping the church as they liked it.

the most surprising thing came from people outside the church. you see, they felt the exact same way. they saw the doors as a norm for what that church was all about. they felt the church was more of an exclusive club more then it was a church. they did not feel offended by the church not having handles. as one person put it, "why would we want to go into a place that wants nothing to do with us."

to me, a church without door handles is a church that reflects the church of our day. there was a time when the church was a place people could go and walk in anytime - today, one needs an appointment to speak with a pastor and a invite to get in the door. the part that concerns me the most is that the american church just does not see how closed it can be - even when you see a church door with no handles.

I remember when I first came to my present church, they put chains across the parking lot - only taking them down on Sunday morning - so people couldn't even get on the property, much less in the door. Now my mind is aclutter with how many ways we try to keep people out in more subtle ways... and it's not just homeless people. A sad note to start the day on.

Lord, free us from the prison of our own minds. Release in us the mind of Christ; teach us to love, to be loving, to not be a church of jerks.

Snowed in and snowed out

We got around 10 inches of snow yesterday and last night - on top of whatever little bit we already had. It seems to have pretty much brought everything to a halt. They shut down the pizza place at 2 pm yesterday and it looked like everybody and their brother were canceling schools, work, and anything else going on - for today too.

After the snowplow finally made a single path down our road about 7:30 this morning, and Doug opened up our driveway, I took Jane into Ossian to make pizza dough. It really wasn't bad at all as long as you didn't meet another vehicle. And once I got to the main road it was okay. So... why the heck are there still no cars out here. I bet I haven't seen 10 cars go by today. Did the world end and somebody forgot to tell me? I actually haven't seen a snowplow go by here since 7:30. Two lanes would be really nice someday. Just glad the wind isn't blowing.

Bogie had a hard time using his restroom out the back door this morning. I finally unblocked the back door and shoveled him a little pathway. But no... he had to wade into the middle of the back yard to poop. Then he couldn't figure out how to get back, so he just sat down. It was kind of sad. Somtimes I wonder about that little dog...

I dunno... I think we over-react sometimes. It's like a beautiful day outside. That is - if you're sitting inside looking out the window.

Hello out there...

Random thoughts from the National Pastor's Convention

I have about 20 pages from my written journal, and haven't had a chance to re-read or think through things yet, but I wanted to get some thoughts down from the week in San Diego.

It was a good week in spite of the stomach virus and travel problems. Just the normal noises for someone who does this all the time, I suppose. I didn't really get to hobnob too much, and didn't get any pictures of bloggers, presenters, or otherwise "known" folks. I did spot several people I knew "of." Brian McLaren and I exchanged "hi's" and waves; Eugene Peterson looked at me when he walked in the door once; I was going to chat with Todd Agnew, but he had some female attention and I didn't want to interfere; I should have opened the door for Josh Fox when he was carrying this big ...something, but I wasn't thinking; and I did actually chat with blogger/author John Frye a bit on Wednesday. He was a super nice guy.

For a really good bunch of pictures from the event I found this guys blog: HERE. There is actually a picture of the back of my head on like the 5th from the last shot. I remember when he took it because he was annoying me with the sound of his camera. But since he included the shot of my balding head on his blog... I guess it's okay.

Awright... a brief, random rundown of some of the highlights I can recall at the moment:

• Fernando Ortega and Todd Agnew were probably the best parts for me. It was just Fernando and his piano, and Todd and an acoustic guitar. Their humble spirits were as awesome as their music. The first thing Todd did was thank all the pastors there (estimated at 3500), and the way he did it was just really moving. Can't explain.
• Bible Study at 7:30 am Thursday with Eugene Peterson was a close second. He wrote the Bible, you know (well, at least "The Message"). Skye Jethani wrote a nice piece about it HERE. He summed it up better than I can. We missed the BS with Stuart Briscoe, but I'm sure it would have been good too.
  
• My favorite main speaker was a guy I had never heard of before: Mark Labberton. His was the only book I bought (though I got a TON of free ones). It's called "The Dangerous Act of Worship: Living God's Call to Justice." He asked, "Does our worship of God lead us to reach out to the poor, the oppressed, the needy, the forgotten? If not, maybe we're not worshiping God."
• I'm not really into all the cutesy skits and comedy stuff, but they were okay. One group - I think they were called "the skit guys" - did one one day and they said, "We can't let God down... because we don't hold God up. He holds us up." Perhaps the best line I heard all week.
• A thought I had at one point, and I'm not sure what triggered it, but I wrote it down: "Could it be that the greatest step of faith we take is when we are honest enough to question our faith?"
• The Jesus Painter. Nothing to say but... cool.
  

Well, there is PLENTY more, but that's probably good enough for now. I've got a big pile of books to read.

Peace, friends (and enemies).

Pictures from California and back

This is me on the last day of the National Pastor's Convention in sunny San Diego, CA. The squinty eyes are from the sun; the stupid grin is from being sick to my stomach. I happened to spot this lovely lady sitting in the courtyard. Imagine that, the most beautiful woman on this 45-acre resort, and she let me take her picture!
This was "one" of the pools at the hotel (I think I heard there were six?). This was the heated one though - so it got the most use. That's not our building in the background, but we were in a similar one off to the right.
And... the day after we get back home... this view across our front yard. You can't make out the blowing snow too good, but believe me, it is BLOWING.
I'm not sure how I managed to get this pic to look like this, but I thought it was a cool shot of the same scene.

Home again, home again, jiggety jig

I am back. It was an interesting sorta trip. Plenty of good, but had it's share of low points. We started with a four-hour delay at the Fort Wayne airport (after our original flight was canceled). Finally made it to Chicago's O'Hare, had to run through the airport almost from one end to the other, and ran right onto our supposed 4-hour flight to San Diego. The flight was pretty good, but it was taking longer than usual. We finally "tried" to land... TWICE! It was too foggy, so we went to LA and they bussed us the two hours down to SD. Instead of arriving at 6 pm, we arrived at 2 am. And instead of a 7-hour trip, it was seventeen!!! Argh.

Then... we completely lost Friday! After visiting a Mexican restaurant in Old Town San Diego, Jane and I went to bed at 10 pm Thursday and didn't get outta bed until 8 am Saturday. And we were in SEPARATE BEDS!!! Three of the six of in our group were sicker than dogs. Still not 100%, but MUCHO better.

We finally made it to the Sunday departure, and... guess what? It was delayed. We missed our flight from Chicago to Fort Wayne, but they put us up in a super swanky hotel. Too bad we were only there for like six hours. So we're set to leave Monday morning, and you know the story... that flight was delayed too. :) We did finally make it home in only 30 minutes from Chicago.

It's not like the whole trip was bad though. I will post about the conference later; and San Diego; and the cool place we stayed. But let me say... for someone who has never liked to fly... the take-offs on this trip were awesome. We left Fort Wayne in the snow, and just when you pop above the clouds.......... it is just too cool. Taking off over San Diego was neat too. Seeing all the places along the ocean; then flying over the desert... I had never flown over the desert. Amazing. Perhaps the coolest part was coming into Chicago at night. We circled over the lake and it was like a light show from down below. Even flying into Fort Wayne was cool. I've never seen our fair city from the air. Only wished we would have come in on another runway so we could have seen our house. Ah well. I'll say this, taking off in Fort Wayne is MUCH better than taking off in Indy. Nice and smooth.

Well, I just went through 160 emails, the Tombstone deluxe is cooking, and I hear my recliner calling.

Peace, peeps. Later.

The first glitch

Just got a call from the airport and our flight from 'the fort' to Chicago was cancelled. Argh. We supposedly have a flight on another airline a half hour later - which still gets us to Chicago in plenty of time. I heard there was a record high temperature in San Diego yesterday. Unfortunately there's this little snow cloud right over Illinois/Indiana. If we could just get out of here...

See ya!

Goin' to California...

Yes, it's a good song, but... I really am going to California! The expected high in San Diego today is 74 degree Fahrenheit!!! Sorry, but I just had to say it. Jane and I fly out tomorrow for the National Pastors Convention. I've never been to it before. I hope it's worthwhile (meaning, I hope I don't have to spend ALL my time with pastors; and that it's not ALL ABOUT the convention). I am looking forward to some of the talks and conversations, as well as just hanging out. The warm weather doesn't hurt either. Just wish it wasn't so far away.

And... if you don't hear from me for awhile, it's because I'm not taking the laptop. Not sure what the set-up will be as far as computers at the hotel. I'll post if I can.

I wish I was going to be at my church on Sunday though. The great and wonderful Lance Finley is preaching, and worship will be led by son, Isaac, and his new band of brothers from Anderson. We met some of them yesterday for an afternoon lunch in the Anderson. At any rate, it should be a 'swingin' good time.'

Tata folks!

Baby, It's Cold Outside

And inside. It is below zero, and it's not much better in our sanctuary. It is 60. And the thermostat has been on 72 since yesterday morning. Just too much space to try to heat. At least the water isn't froze... and the coffee's hot.

I need to go get a sweater. And boy are those guitar strings going to feel good on the fingers. Ouch.

Pastors Complaining About Congregations

From Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Life Together: (HT: dashhouse.com)

A pastor should not complain about his congregation, certainly never to other people, but also not to God. A congregation has not been entrusted to him in order that he should become its accuser before God and men. When a person becomes alienated from a Christian community in which he has been placed and begins to raise complaints about it, he had better examine himself first to see whether the trouble is not due to his own wish dream that should be shattered by God; and if this be the case, let him thank God for leading him into this predicament. But if not, let him nevertheless guard against ever becoming an accuser of the congregation before God. Let him rather accuse himself for his unbelief. Let him pray God for an understanding of his own failure and his particular sin, and pray that he may not wrong his brethren. Let him, in the consciousness of his own guilt, make intercession for his brethren. Let him to what he is committed to do, and thank God.

Groundhog Day

As usual, I'm a day late and a dollar short. Yesterday was Groundhog Day, and I have been made an "Official Honorary Member of PUNXSY PHIL'S FAN CLUB" - so says my card: "Pastor Dan is a True Believer in the One and Only Weather Prognosticator, Punxsutawney Phil." I would like to thank my good friend, and sometimes commenter on this blog, Pastor Frank Stoner, for bestowing this honor upon me. He even wrote to me on official "Home of the Groundhog" stationary. Frank pastors the Grange Church of God in Punxsutawney and we attended seminary together. Thanks Frank!

For a little Groundhog Day info, you can check out some Wikipedia links:
- Groundhog Day
- Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania
- Punxsutawney Phil
- For fanclub info.

And in case you didn't know it, the movie "Groundhog Day" starring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell - while set in the town of Punxsutawney - was actually filmed in Woodstock, Illinois.

Oh, and, btw... Phil didn't see his shadow this year... so that means spring is right around the corner! Yipee!!!

Sleeeeepy, meandering mind...

I slept until 9 o'clock today. That's pretty late for me - even on my day off. What's worse is that I could have slept even longer, but I tend to get a headache if I lay in bed too long.

Can't really think even still. Some things that have happened lately...

• I've made three trips to Dupont Hospital in the last two days (60 miles roundtrip). I like this hospital, because you can find a parking spot, it's easy to get in and out, and it's easy to get around in. I just wish it wasn't so far away. I feel bad for the lady who found out she has cancer. She was planning to have a hysterectomy and then go on a cruise.
• Jane and I had supper with daughter Carrie Jade and a "friend" last night. Still not sure what kind of friend John is, but I'll say this... he is one smart cookie. The first thing he says to me is, "So, who do you think the next coach of the Cowboys will be?" :) A really nice guy - even for an IU and Notre Dame fan (that's probably an oxymoron, since IU and ND fans are all morons - oops, did I say that out loud!?). :) Nah... we liked him. It was fun.
  
• Yesterday when I went to my office I found the water had froze in the church. Argh. Why does it always have to be so cold outside when this happens? I had to go out back to the well pit and slide the lid off, then dangle myself head-first down inside to fetch the heat lamp. Yep... the bulb had burned out. So I put TWO lamps in, and it thawed things out right quickly. At least it wasn't a Sunday morning. That's the worst time to find the water frozen. Standing in the shower with a head full of shampoo isn't a good time either.
  
• Last night I stood and looked out the back door for a long time. It was midnight and with a snowcovered ground it looked... pretty. It was really, really bright out. Sometimes living in the midwest is so cool. I can't imagine living anywhere else. Though that doesn't mean I might not someday. But I like being a midwesterner. It was a nice few minutes (especially so from a toasty warm house).
• I am glad I'm not tall. Well, of course, I wish I were a little taller than I am (I'm about 5'7", maybe 8). But just think if you were 7 feet tall. What would you be expected to do? Play basketball, of course. But what if that's not what you "wanted" to do? I mean, just because someone is tall, does that mean they can't want to be an artist or a writer or an accountant??? I'm glad I have the opportunity to be whatever I want to be. There are no external expectations placed on me. As I watched the Suns and the Spurs play last night, I just felt bad for all those tall guys, and wondered how many of them are really living their dreams? How many of them play basketball because they HAVE to? I dunno. Maybe the money makes it worth it, but it wouldn't be for me. Just the travel would probably kill me.
• Speaking of travel, I should probably start thinking about what to take to San Diego. We leave Tuesday. I'm ready to go, but not looking forward to the trip. I'm claustrophobic, so airplanes are not my favorite thing to be in. I also have equilibrium issues. So I fly kind of like David Puddy - if you've ever seen that Sienfeld episode where he just sits and stairs at the back of the seat in front of him. It's hard to read or sleep or anything else... I pretty much just try to space out and not be dizzy. Hmm... some people might suggest I got through life like that. :)

Welp, the coffee cup is empty. I might not accomplish too much today. Peace.

Amazing Grace Sunday

If you're a pastor or church leader, or can influence them in some way... Sunday, February 18 is "Amazing Grace Sunday." They're trying to get as many churches as possible to sing the song on this day. Go to http://www.amazinggracesunday.com/ for more information. There are free clips and Chris Tomlin's version for a listen (it's worth it just for that).

I don't know that we will be officially "signing up," but we have been singing "Amazing Grace" at the close of every Sunday service for over a year now. I'm not really sure why... I like the song and all... but it just sorta happened. And now I'm afraid to stop. Geez, just listening to it brings a tear to my eye...

At any rate, the reason they're doing this is to promote the movie Amazing Grace - which is being released Feb. 21 in a theater near you. The movie is about: "

British politician William Wilberforce and his band of loyal friends [who] took on the most powerful forces of their day to end the slave trade... His mentor was John Newton, the slave-trader-turned-song-writer, who wrote the world’s most popular hymn, Amazing Grace. This year is the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade. But the work of justice and mercy continues. 27 million men, women, and children are still enslaved around the globe."

• To find out how you can help end modern-day slavery: GO HERE.

• For William Wilberforce's biography: GO HERE.

In the words of the great Martin Luther King, Jr., "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." (Letter from Birmingham Jail, 1963)