Some things I know about

Yeah, so..... I've been thinking about how stupid I can be sometimes. Like, I don't think I know as much about emerging, missional, evangelical and all that as I sometimes think I do. I know virtually nothing about politics. I am a terrible counselor. So I'm trying to rack my brain about some things I do know.

• Baby, I know it's cold outside.
• I know college basketball, and some NBA.
• I know football - most notably the Dallas Cowboys (my room used to be wallpapered with pictures and stats of them).
• I can cut, bend, and weld sheet metal (and make a mean chimney and some other cool stuff).
• I know what it's like to be transformed by God into a new person.
• I know how to run on a treadmill (hey, I know people who can't).
• I know a little bit about cultural trends.
• I know what a broken heart feels like, and I know it bothers me to see it in others.
• I know how to type pretty good. I think I would be a good secretary.
• I know how to play the guitar poorly.
• I know how to play the bass even poorlier.
• I know how to do laundry and I am an excellent vacuumer.
• I know how to ride a motorcycle and a horse (but not at the same time, and it's been a looooong time since I've done either).
  
• I know I know other stuff, but I just can't think of it right now.
  

It's a good thing

Sometimes I think I whine and complain too much (I know, I know... MOST of the time). So I was just trying to think some positive thoughts.

• Last night at 8:30 it was 54 degrees F and raining and blowing so hard we had to pull off the road. This morning it is 6 F. It's a good thing it was warm last night and we got rain, instead of all of that as snow.
• Saturday night son Isaac called about 8:30 and said his coolant light came on. He was on his way to see Jerry Seinfeld in Terre Haute. It was a good thing his girlfriend was with him, and that he had a cell phone, and that he was able to make the show on time, and he made it home with no more problems.
• Monday daughter Carrie called and said her car was having transmission problems in Van Wert, OH. It was a good thing she'd forgotten something at boyfriend Drew's, and he was meeting her in Van Wert, so he was there to help take care of things and give her a ride back to our house so she could borrow one of our cars.
• The last time we bought a car (when my parents traded theirs in and we bought their old one) we kept our old(er) car. We tried to sell it, and even had a few offers made on it, but every time I backed out at the last minute. So it's a good thing we kept it for all the times we have breakdowns. All of our vehicles have 100,000 + miles, but if you keep enough around there should always be one that runs.
  
• We have a mechanic that attends our church, and he and his wife are THE NICEST people in the entire world. He went and picked up Carrie's car in Van Wert and brought it back to FW. It's good because they are people we can trust, and they always treat us especially nice in the billing department. Although I'm hoping she doesn't need a new transmission.
• When I went to take the key to the mechanic so he could pick up Carrie's car the truck wouldn't start. I knew it needed a new battery. It was a good thing the ladies Bible study was just getting over and I got a ride to Jane's work and snagged her car, and since I was at the mechanics anyway I picked up that new battery I'd been meaning to get.
  

So there ya go. In spite of it being really cold outside, being poor, and having a bunch of old cars... my life is pretty darn good (otherwise this would have the makings of a bad country-western song).

Stained-glass tattoos

Is it just me, or have you ever noticed how much tattoos can look like stained glass windows? They say the body is the temple...

Jesus McDonald

I finished Raines & Geiger's book Simple Church. It was a good book - even if it's not the best read. At the end they referred to Morgan Spurlock's movie Super-Size Me where Morgan is showing just how effective McDonalds is at impacting upcoming generations. He meets with schoolchildren and shows them pictures of famous people. Most of the children recognized George Washington. All recognized Ronald McDonald (who isn't even real). But none of them recognized a common depiction of Jesus Christ. NONE OF THEM!!!

The authors of Simple Church said this:

Yes, we know the depiction is probably inaccurate, but you get the point. Most children in America are growing up without any knowledge of Jesus. We are living in a post-Christian culture. For upcoming generations Christ is no longer the starting point. Children and teenagers no longer rebel against the standard. Today there is no standard.... McDonalds is influencing future generations. Churches are not.

Hmm. How do you respond to that? The authors suggest the church must either change or die. I couldn't agree more. And if churches need to change or die, doesn't that mean the people need to change or die?

I think it's time we put up or shut up. For instance, the other day I read a comment left on someone else's blog. The post was about being missional-minded, which is something I believe we need to be/do (and it was a good post, btw). But the commenter stated how her and a friend had "skipped" church that morning and spent the hour talking on the phone about that subject. She was all proud about "skipping church" and for some reason apparently thinks TALKING ON THE PHONE ACTUALLY HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE MISSION OF GOD. I think not. Now, I will admit, sometimes it might actually do some people good to skip church and go do something. BUT NOT TO TALK ON THE PHONE! I mean, is that the point of being missional... or being the church?!?

I think what the church needs is for people to quit being so self-centered and actually give a flying fhoot about what's happening around them. It's one thing to not like your church and to want to improve things, but it's another thing entirely to do nothing but bitch and complain about those who are actually trying to make a difference.

I could go on, but.... I think you get the idea. Does the church need to change? Absolutely. Is bashing or leaving going to bring it about? I don't think so (please note: I'm talking about leaving church altogether, not just going to a different one. Some churches should be left, but not THE church). I suppose some people would argue that it needs to die before it can change. But I don't believe you can say you love Jesus if you don't love his body. I don't know how many times I've heard people say they don't like church because the people are so unloving. Hmm... and if you don't like them, then what does that make you?

Lord, give me love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. And a Big Mac to go, please.

Denominational mapping

Here is an innaresting little map of dominant denominations by county in the US. You can see the low-down at strange maps, which is where I saw this via marko. And if you click on the map it gets readable.

I guess I don't really have anything to say other than.... where the heck is my denom? Oh, that's right, we're not on anybodies map. Actually, I didn't expect to find it, and it doesn't bother me. I have always liked our little denomination. It's the only one I've ever really known much about. I have a lifetime ordination (supposedly) through her. I always used to be fond of saying "We're about as non-denominational as a denomination can get." Although I don't know if that was really true or not, but I liked to say it and I thought it was true. I've been having my doubts lately though. Things seem to be changing. No, they ARE changing.

I don't think I have any readers from our denom leadership here - with the possible exception of my friend Lance. And I'm not trying to point any fingers - especially at him. But.... well.... I am becoming a bit disillusioned with things. I don't really know how to put it into words even. I guess most of the fault lies with me - I had a good relationship with the only director we'd had since I've been involved, and I don't really know the new one. Plus I've never had a particularly good relationship with my regional director. He's a super nice guy, but is sort of a micro-manager who seems to busy himself a lot with non-essentials. I guess I'm wondering if that's where we're headed as a denom. There just doesn't seem to be much leadership, or vision, or direction, or.... anything. At least nothing that I hear about. I don't know, it's probably just my imagination. That happens.

So.... I was hoping this map might get me motivated or something. Yep, it's a map. Pft.

Why I prefer emerging over missional

I've been going to write for awhile about why I prefer the term "emerging" when describing church instead of "missional." But.... it just hasn't happened, so here's a random rambling. If you're not familiar with either term you can check out Scot McKnight's Five Streams of the Emerging Church, or Ed Stetzer's Understanding The Emerging Church, and the Friend of Missional site.

Actually, I have no problem with the *meaning* of either term. My preference for emerging over missional has more to do with perception. And I'm not speaking for anyone else, but IN MY MIND, when I hear the word "missional" it conjures up mental images of *doing something.* Even when people speak of "being a part of God's mission" (or however you want to say it), I understand and agree with what they're saying, but it still seems to be about *me* *doing* *something.* And while I agree that most, if not all, Christians do need to do more in living out their faith, it's not just about doing. I also think for many people the term carries with it some negative energy. For some it can make them feel guilty ("I'll never be able to do enough"), or defensive ("I don't want to go to Africa and be a missionary"), or it can even (unintentionally) lead some into a works-based theology ("God already did his part now it's our turn to do ours"). So while I believe it is a good concept, I just feel the word is much too narrow in perception to fully define its intent.

Of course it's not like the word "emerging" isn't without baggage of its own. But again, FOR ME PERSONALLY, I like this word. When I hear "emerging" or think of my faith as "emerging"... I have this sense of GOD doing something in me, and through me; and as a result of that I am working WITH God and becoming something more. It's makes me think of becoming more Christ-like; being transformed into the image, made into; being ...SANCTIFIED, and set free. So it's more of a 'me and God and church' everything-working-together sorta thing.

At any rate, I realize this is rather simplistic but I wanted to get something down before I forgot about it entirely. And it's not like it really makes a difference, but... it's my blog and I can write what I want to! If you have any thoughts on the subject I would certainly like to hear them. For instance: Do you prefer the word "emerging," or "missional," or something else? Lemme know.

Peace out; peace in.

Heath vs. the heathen

I was bummed when I heard Heath Ledger had died. I always liked him as an actor. I don't know too many details of his death, and it doesn't really matter to me anyway. I'm sure his friends and family are quite distraught nonetheless. But today I read where the unfriendly jerks at Westboro Baptist Church plan to protest at his funeral. These are the same people who protest at military funerals. Man... it's stuff like this that makes me mad! It's all because he played a gay cowboy in Brokeback Mountain. Now, I admit, I never saw the movie; but I did see Heath in plenty of other movies where he depicted less-than-moral characters. For one thing though, these are stinking MOVIES! And for another, regardless of how you feel about a person's morals and ethics, I think it's pretty un-Christlike to not only lack compassion for hurting people, but to be downright vile as well. I believe these people give Christ a bad name, Christians a bad name, and... well... I don't like it.

So... not that it's much consolation, I wish Heath's friends and family well. I pray they not even notice these idiots, and may God surround them with grace and peace.

Fair view of the moon

I took this picture of the moon hanging over our church building yesterday at 7:45 am. It was colder than snot and I was standing in front of our garage.

Today

One of those days. I stayed up too late again last night. Watched the fighting Illini get whooped by Ohio State. At least they made a game of it at the end. I was actually kinda glad to see Weber sit Shaun Pruitt for the game. I don't know what's going on, but between he and the other senior on the team... it just ain't workin. You can hum "There's Always Tomorrow" at this point if you want.

This morning I took the coolest picture of the moon sitting behind our church building. Then I went to put it on the computer and for some reason I can't get it to open with my Kodak software. I can get the picture on the computer, but I wanted to crop it a bit first. That bummed me out. I think we might get photoshop elements eventually.

Otherwise... it's one of those days. Had breakfast with Tom at the Brew Ha; had a meeting with someone from a nursing home; ordered a new AV cart; made some other phone calls; opened the mail. You know, it's almost always a good day when all the mail goes directly into the garbage. I wish there were more days like that. Otherwise it's either bills, or it's something I put on the mail pile and wait until it's out of date and THEN it goes in the garbage. Mail is not one of my favorite things.

I did get another friend request on my facebook thing. And something about movies. But I just cannot seem to understand that system. I must be too old.

Well, this is just this. I am still bummed because I was hoping to post the moon-over-fairview pic at lunch, and still couldn't get it to work. Dangit.

I have a question

For those of you who read this via a feed or reader (you know, like, bloglines, etc.)... If I edit a post and re-publish it, does it show up again, or do you just get the original?

I can tend to change the content of posts quite a bit and I've always wondered if it's re-sending it every time I do. I shudder to think how many times that must happen, and those of you who read this way probably wish I would get it right the first time. Unfortunately I have always tended to speak first and think later. I think I'm getting better, but, you know, I'm not a professional writer or blogger, so... it is what it is. But I've been wondering, and if anyone would be so kind as to leave a comment I would be much obliged. Heck, you can leave a comment even if you don't know the answer.

Peace out; peace in.

Praising God

I saw this nice, but convicting, little quote from J.D. Hatfield on Milton's blog:

"We praise [God], not to get something, but because He IS something."

Hmm... yeah, there oughta be an exclamation point at the end of that. Or else it should say "We SHOULD praise God... because He is something." I am way too guilty of wanting to use God, or blame God, or argue with God.... and seldom do I simply praise him for who he really is. It makes me wonder... if we're doing stuff *for* God, without understanding this quote, are we really serving God, or simply serving ourselves?

Simple church - 2 - programming/process

In ch. 2 of Simple Church they compare two different types of churches: First Church and Cross Church. First Church does a lot of *things* but they are not *simple.* Cross Church is committed to just a very few *simple* things. They say what is missing in most churches is a simple process that moves people toward spiritual maturity. Too many churches aren't programmed around their process.

At Cross Church their goal is to: love God, love others, and serve the world. According to one of the leaders: "We ask people to do three things a week here. Come to a worship service to fall more in love with God and His Word. Go to a small group to love others in community. Serve in a ministry to impact others. Love God, love others, serve the world. We really try to keep it that simple."

On pp. 43-44 they explain how their programming is also their discipleship process. They say:

The simple process is experienced weekly through the programs the church offers. The weekly programs are tools to help people love God, love others, and serve the world. If the programs were not used to move people through the process, then the vision/process statement would be meaningless.

The first step in the process is to love God, and the weekend worship services are used to help people do so. The worship service is where guests, new people, and nonbelievers enter the church. It is also the weekly event where believers draw close to God through inspiring worship and dynamic biblical teaching.

The second step in the process is to love others, so the next program in the process is designed to help people connect relationally. The weekend services do not connect people to others very well. Like most churches, people sit facing forward and have little interaction with one another.

The staff concluded that small groups were the best environment for people to love one another in biblical community. Some small groups are on campus on Sundays or Wednesdays. Some groups meet off campus in homes or restaurants. People are encouraged to plug into one group.

The third step in the process is to serve the world, and ministry teams engage people in ministry. People enjoy camaraderie in a team environment while experiencing the joy of serving others. Some of the teams focus on the church while others focus on the community. New members are told at the new member's class that they should not join the church if they do not plan on serving.

At Cross Church, there are three main programs. One for each phase in their process. They are placed strategically and sequentially along their process. The goal is to move people from program to program (but never out of a program) so people naturally progress through the process of spiritual transformation. People who attend worship services are encouraged to move to a small group. People in small groups are challenged to serve on a team.

It seems to be all they do. Three weekly programs. It is a simple design.

I actually like this idea *in theory.* I mean, it sounds great! But... you know... sounding good, and happening, are usually two very different things. Hmm.

A two-lamp day

Our water tank is in our garage - because there isn't room in the house (even though there isn't really room in the garage either). So when it gets cold we have to put a heat lamp on the tank (the fittings actually). However, when it gets really cold - like the 0 F that it was today - even that isn't enough. I don't know why it was okay this morning. I remember a couple times taking a shower at 5 am getting ready for church and losing water in the midst of a nice lather. But today it didn't freeze up until the middle of the afternoon. At any rate, I plugged in a second lamp and in about 15 minutes it was running again.

It's the same thing at the church building even though the water tank is in an underground pit. Of course that makes it a wee bit harder to get to. You can either climb through a teeny opening and get down in there, or choose my method of dangling upside-down trying to do everything one-handed. This year I bought a heavy-duty lamp for the church - hoping I wouldn't need to add a second one. It apparently did the trick yesterday. And I'm glad I thought to do this during the week when it was warmer instead of waiting until it was already frozen like some years.

Monday it's supposed to be a balmy 24 F, so hopefully we can go back to one lamp at home again.

Word count

I did a word count on my last four sermons. I'd never done this before, and it was pretty dern easy since I write my sermons out in Microsoft Word, so I just have to click a button and it does everything for me. The reason I did this is because son Isaac asked me a couple weeks ago how many words they were. Not sure why, but I'm guessing it's because he has to be aware for his movie-reviewing gig.

At any rate, here are the details for my average sermon (based on my last four):

• Pages (double-spaced, 14-font) - 8.5
  
• Words - 2,207
• Characters (no spaces) - 9,600
• Characters (with spaces) - 11,806
• Paragraphs - 39
• Lines - 175

I will say, there have been times when my first draft is up to 20 pages. It's not quite so bad now. After 8+ years of doing this I'm getting a little better. However the hardest part is still trying to decide what gets cut out. But I would be much too boring to listen to for an hour like some people. Usually I preach 20-30 minutes. It varies mostly depending on how many times I go "off the page" (go on rants that aren't in my manuscript). And I try not to just read directly from the manuscript, but I do stick to it pretty closely.

For crying out loud

Today has kinda been like a vacation. Jane and I both had the day off. We slept until 8, lounged a bit, went out for breakfast, and went to a movie this afternoon. Nice.

We went to see The Bucket List - which I wasn't particularly looking forward to. I thought it looked a little sappy for me, but me-lady wanted to see it... so, we went. There were several previews that actually looked good - though I can't remember the names of any of them right now. But one - a Marty Scorsese flick about the Rolling Stones - particularly got my interest. Lemme tell ya... in my little mind there isn't much that can top hearing those first few chords of Brown Sugar and seeing Keith Richards saunter out with his guitar. I thought that right there was going to make this day worthwhile.

The Bucket List was actually quite good though. I was surprised. But it's a tear-jerker. Man, let me tell you... I've cried during movies before, but there were several times when I thought I was going to go into uncontrollable sobbing. Seriously. I don't know if it was the movie, me, or what. I haven't had that much trouble holding back in awhile.

Which then made me think about the times I've cried the hardest. I'm sure there are times that I've forgotten about, but there are four times that stick out to me now. The first was at the funeral of my then-best friend. Skipper was 33 when he was killed and we had been best friends since freshman year of high school. I don't really remember crying when he died, but I was asked to give the eulogy at his funeral. It was the first time I'd ever done anything like that. I maintained composure during delivery, but when I was done and went back to my seat, it was the first time I ever remember publicly just losing it. I couldn't stop. After my good friend Marvin died was also particularly difficult. He was much older than me, but he took me under his wing when I came to this church and I didn't realize until way too late just how good of a friend he was. There were many times following his death that I wept uncontrollably in my office. It was similar to after my mother-in-law passed away. It's not that I was ever really close to her, but she was one of the truly good people I have known in my life. The fourth event that sticks out was Carrie's high school graduation (though Isaac's was similar). Something about the first child graduating. They were all tears of joy, but it was an emotional time for sure.

Yeah, I'm sounding like an old sap, aren't I? :) Kinda feel that way right now. But it's not all bad. I've been told more than once that I don't show enough emotion. Most of the time they're talking about during my sermons. You know, I just don't like doing that when I preach. But consider yourselves warned.... if you see The Bucket List, take some kleenex.

Peace out; peace in.

Hope in the church

I have read and heard Bill Hybels say many times that, "The local church is the hope of the world." And I believe it. I was thinking today about a quote of his that's been hanging on my wall for as long as I can remember. I think maybe it's my favorite quote of all time. He said:

Think what a local church would be like if its people were radically devoted to Christ, irrevocably committed to each other, and relentlessly dedicated to reaching those outside God's family with the gospel of Christ. It would be an unstoppable force for good in the community, an inspiration to other churches, and a testimony to God's unfailing grace. It would be a church against which the gates of hell could not prevail.

Amen an' all that! Every time I read that it gives me goosebumps. THAT is what I want my church to be about. Just think if they were all like that? Go church!

My hats

I'm not real hip to hat-wearing - I only wear one if I'm too lazy to shower or if it's cold outside. But when I do, here are the hats/caps I wear. The back row of caps are for all-day, my-hair-is-funky days; and the hats are for warmth. It's amazing how well they actually work. I think the hats seal better than a cap, and there is then space above your head to store the heat. Going left to right...

• The green cap is from where my daughter went to college. I don't wear it a lot because it's more of a keepsake than anything. Plus they changed the name from Huntington College to University.
• The middle orange cap is from the University of Illinois. I didn't go there, but am from Illinois, and have been a long-time fan of their sports teams. I don't wear this cap much either, because it just doesn't fit well. It's too snug or something.
  
• The orange cap on the right is my favorite. It's from where I went to college - The University of Findlay. This is the only cap I have ever had that really seems to fit my head well. As you can probably see, it is a little worn though.
• The hat on the left is Blacky. It's my dress hat that is usually only worn for funerals or if I would happen to be dressed up for something (which is rare).
• The middle hat is worn more for casual occasions. It's a little floppier than the other two. I usually wear it with my green coat - which used to be my main coat.
• The hat on the right is my new favorite. It's the newest hat I have, which I bought because I got a new coat for Christmas and the brown hat didn't match too good. This hat actually fits the best of any of them too. I don't think Jane wanted me to get it, but as I rarely do, I went ahead and bought it anyway because *I* liked it, and I like how it fits.

As I said, I am not a big hat wearer, but I will say that I was surprised how much the *hats* kept me warm. So I'm warming up to the idea.

Aren't you glad you stopped by here today? :)

Getting the art out

I believe one of the more neglected groups in most churches are the artists. And I don't know if artistic ability is something God-given, learned, or both. But whatever the case may be, I think art is meant to be shared. Is there a better way to glorify God than by showing and sharing the gifts he's given us? So I put a blurb in the bulletin last week asking if anyone had any paintings, drawings, or other types of original artwork they would be interested in displaying in the church.

I just came in the door and found eight of the most beautiful canvas paintings of nature scenes, already framed, leaning against the wall across from my office. Very cool! I had actually already talked with this lady, and one other, because I knew they had some nice stuff. And I know there are more.

It's a funny thing, but there are several older women in our church who are phenomenal artists (mostly painting). I told them I might even hang up a couple of my drawings from my art class a few years ago (well, geez, I guess it was like 10 years ago now).

I originally got the idea for this when Jane and I were trying to figure out how to make the church basement look a little "homier," or at least not so much like a church basement. I was thinking of putting up some bookshelves, maybe painting some of the white stuff a different color, and then I thought... you know, we could make it a place to display our artists works. So... there ya go.

Simple church - 1

I hesitantly began reading this book again. Hesitant because I don't know if I'm up for anything big. My soul needs some refreshing. But... it was there.

On p. 3 they say: "If you are a church leader, you have been exposed to plenty of models. Most of them are on your shelf. Or worse, you have blended a bunch of models into one schizophrenic plan. If that is the case, neither you nor the people in your church are really sure what your church is all about. We see it all the time."

Yep. Guilty as charged. Speak to me.

On p. 21 they say of Ministry Schizophrenia: "It occurs when churches and church leaders are not sure who they are. They are not clear what their fundamental identity is. They run in a disjointed and frantic fashion. It occurs most often when churches attempt to blend multiple church models into one."

Okay, but all the bloggers and board members and people in the pews are saying..... And if they're all right, then who are you to say....

(p. 27) "Imagine a church were you, as a leader, can articulate clearly how someone moves from being a new Christian to become a mature follower of Christ. Imagine that your church is no longer just busy but is alive with ministries and activities that make a difference."

Hmm. Sorry. I don't think I can even do that anymore.

(p. 26) "To have a simple church, leaders must ensure that everything their church does fits together to produce life change. They must design a simple process that pulls everything together, a simple process that moves people toward spiritual maturity."

Okay, so, I think I've tried this before. It always pisses people off, makes life difficult, requires that I spend great amounts of time weeping over scripture and in prayer, and... is probably the right thing to do.

Gulp.

Nest running and anthony gomes

The nest is empty again. Son Isaac moved back to college yesterday. To keep us from sitting around thinking about it too much, the first order of business was to move the treadmill into Carrie's old bedroom (sorry sweetie, there's still the couch). As you can see in the pic, it's not a huge room, but it will be nice to not have to store the treadmill in the kitchen, then move all the living room furniture so we can set it up to run on it. I think I actually even got an extra tv hooked up so we can watch dish channels in there. You have to watch whatever is on the main tv, but, hey... it's better than staring at the wall.

Last night the lovely lady and I also took in a free Anthony Gomes concert at C2G. We hadn't been there in awhile, and there was a really good crowd. You can see it on Fort Wayne tv channel 33 after Saturday Night Live. I had never seen AG before, and he was good with his band 'the new soul cowboys.' If you like Stevie Ray Vaughn you'll love him. And c2g is a great place; however, last night was the first time I noticed that - while their sound is really good for most music, it was a wee bit lacking for my taste in this genre. It needed more power; more of that 'feel-it-in-your-chest' type of thing. At any rate, it was a good time, even though.... I dunno, not that I'm complaining, but.... I feel weird whenever I'm at c2g anymore. Not sure where this vibe comes from.

There was an opening band too, and I never did really understand their name. I need to hear it spelled and in a sentence. But one thing I noticed - you can really tell when professionals take the stage. I mean, even people who are small in stature just have this *big* look about them; like they're larger than life.

I just remembered I forgot to turn the heat on for the ladies Bible Study. I will be in the doghouse.

Peace

A continuation of yesterday into randomness

Regarding the post from yesterday: Reality church by another dan...

I don't think that means that everyone who leaves a church does so because they are going through those stages. Dan K. states, and I agree, that some churches should be left and they shouldn't be returned to. There are some bad churches. There can also be some very legitimate and maybe even good reasons to leave a church. So don't go thinkin' that I'm dissin' anyone who's ever left a church. I've done it myself.

But I HAVE seen many people go through those stages. And there are plenty of people who are just plain messed up too. I always think it's funny to run across pastor haters, or church haters, and then they'll run off a whole list of things they want the church or the pastor to do for them. And usually, even if it could be done, then the list continues to grow. Some things just take a lot of time, a lot of patience, and a serious commitment to obedience to God and loving one another.

Which brings me to another thought: I have a hard time reading people's criticisms of the church, and of church leaders in particular. I admit, I usually take it personally. It's hard for me to grasp that they might not be talking about me. Part of the problem may be because I know there are always going to be things people CAN criticize me for. I am pretty critical of myself. I'm not perfect. However, I forget that part of the reason I went to seminary was because I didn't like how things *worked* in our church at the time. Sure, I think I felt a specific calling, but I was also sick of what seemed to me to be a faulty system. I didn't like the fakeness, the inauthentic going-through-the-motions, the doing of things "just because." I believed there had to be a better way. And I think there is. I like to think the church I am a part of now is different from that. But at the same time, I also have to confess that we still fall way short. There ARE times when I do things "just because." There are times when I am less than into what I'm doing; when I do things solely to keep people from complaining; etc.; etc.; etc.

So... I guess I don't really have an answer or a point. I'm trying, ya know. And I think most people are. I don't know what else to say.

Anyway, I'm feeling snarly about the games yesterday. I was rooting for the Cowboys, Colts, and the Illini - and they all lost. I need to repent of this hatred I have for IU basketball. I'm not kidding either - it's not a joking matter to me, and I don't know why I feel this serious about it. Plus I just had to shut down my credit card because someone is trying to use it in Taiwan; I had some *issues* yesterday; I've got some stuff on my plate that I don't want to look at, much less eat; and... well, there's other stuff but you get the idea. I need to find somethin' to get my mind off this.

Peace

Reality church by another dan

Dan Kimball probably thinks I'm stalking him after I searched through his entire archives tonight. I have always resonated with, and have a great deal of respect for, this other Dan; but over the past couple days I've been trying to recall one post in particular. It's about the stages people can tend to go through in their *church experience.* I am reminded of this post quite often, and I think there's a lot of validity to it. While looking for it I also ran across Origin of the terms "Emerging" and "Emergent" church - part 1 and Origin of the terms "Emerging" and "Emergent" church - part 2. They're both good reads too. But I hope he doesn't mind if I display the one I was looking for in its entirety. This is Reality Church?.

Reality Church?

The First Stage: We begin going to a church, exciting, thrilling, love Jesus, the church is exciting, all things new.

Second Stage: We begin getting involved, learn behind the scenes things, feel privileged to know the church staff and leaders more personally, we are totally excited.

Third Stage: We see things you start to question, the thrill of the big church meetings wanes, as it seems more and more predictable, the leaders seem more human now and not as special as first.

Fourth Stage: We start to get tired of serving in ministry. It seems routine now and we only see it as fueling the big meeting that we don't really like anymore. The leaders we once were in awe of now seem not only normal, but there is a suspicion of self-serving vs. serving the church in their motives. We lose excitement and wonder if church is even something we should be part of. We grow more disillusioned by the day.

Fifth Stage: Total disillusionment, begin feeling bitter towards church leaders, and wonder why people don’t question things more. We sit in the big meeting and feel very alone. We look at the crowds around us and don't feel like we belong anymore. Is church just a produced big meeting? We are tired and it even angers us to see excited new people joining the church as we now know how it really works and how they too will eventually become tired like we are and see church is a program and organized religion.

Sixth Stage: We silently drop out of church. We read the Bible and early church history and see that they didn't have bigger weekly meetings in the early church. We read "house church" literature and begin thinking this is the real New Testament church. We get excited about really doing church the right way and not the big organized way. We find a few other disillusioned Christians and either form or join some sort of small house church gathering. We want it to be simple and not "organized" or programmed or big, but pure like the early church. Everyone all sharing together, true community will happen here, unlike the bigger programmed meetings.

Seventh Stage: Fairly quickly, we realize it isn't too easy leading people. Even in a small house church. People don't show up, or you have people dominating conversations. There is the same bickering, some gossip, people whispering to others that they are not happy with how the meeting went etc. We sometimes try to sing worship songs with ten people and it feels very odd. So you don't try to sing anymore, but do secretly miss the corporate singing that happens in a larger group. Eventually we find the same disappointments in the smaller house church that we did in the bigger programmed church, but at a different level. We get even more disillusioned, as we realize that even the key leaders (including ourselves) and the people of the house church are just as messed up as the big church leaders and people in those churches.

We also feel subtly uncomfortable that the house church feels a bit inward focused. It would be weird to have non-Christians break up the intimate dialog and prayer we have taken such a long time to establish together. But we know something has to be done, as we keep thinking about those who don't know Jesus and that our house church might not be the best place to invite them. Plus dealing with little kids running around every week during your meeting certainly limits your full engagement into the Bible discussion. We get more disheartened as our 4 year old knocks the entire strawberry shortcake dessert onto the kitchen floor as he was trying to get at it early before it is served at the house church.

Eighth Stage: We stop going to any church of any kind. We forget it all. Watch a lot of TV. Play video games. We go see the Dukes of Hazzard movie.

Ninth Stage: We begin missing other Christians, and regular fellowship. We do some introspection and eventually deal with the disappointments and high expectations that we had. We begin a new level of maturity and thinking about the church and church leaders.

We start thinking about our options. We don't want to go to a preaching-driven church that just has everything revolve around the senior pastor or the preacher, as that subtly creates passive spectators who depend on the preacher to "feed" them weekly - rather than maturing as Christians whom should primarily be "feeding" ourselves (since we aren't infants anymore). We don't want to go to a hyper-Reformed church where we feel guilty all the time and get caught up in the everybody else is worldy and wrong but us mentality. We don't feel good about the seeker-type of churches where everyone is so happy, the music is hyper-cheery and we fill in the blanks in the notes they give out. That excites us for a little while, when we fill in the blanks, because it feels like you are really learning. But after a while we see the stack thickening in our Bibles that we stuff them in and realize that we have never even looked at them since we filled them in. We look at our notes that we filled the blanks in on, and can't remember a single thing from these sermons, even the one from two weeks ago.

Tenth Stage: So, we slowly go back to our original church that we at first felt good in because of the overall vision and mission that drew us to it in the first place. We find that the leaders do admit freely to you there are weaknesses and flaws and mess ups and ego issues, but still try their best to blend both the bigger meetings and smaller home meetings for the purpose of the mission. They try to be organized, without being "Organized".

It's not perfect, but we begin to enjoy and even more appreciate the benefits and momentum of the church. But now we get involved with more realistic expectations of what church is and understand the leaders are just like us, trying their best to serve Jesus. We become happy again with a balanced life and imperfect church family all serving on a mission together.

Things I like

Just off the top of me head... some random things I like (in no particular order):

• Tom Petty's Damn The Torpedoes on a warm summer day driving around with the windows down.
• The Dallas Cowboys (ever since I was in second grade).
• The University of Illinois Fighting Illini basketball and football teams, and the Bradley University basketball team.
• Hot tea with a honey-lemon halls in it right before bed (decaf only).
• The smiling face of someone who's happy to see me.
• Kids in that 4 year-old range - when everything is neat.
• A purring cat.
• Listening to the blues, in the summer, outdoors, all day/night long.
• Tombstone deluxe frozen pizza.
• Peas, green beans, lima beans, calliflower (cooked), brussell sprouts, carrots (cooked), onions on stuff.
• Concerts/live music: big venues or small.
• A worship gathering where people are really into the singing.
• T-shirts.
• Being with my wife.
• Seeing my kids happy.

There's probably more, but that seems a good place to stop for now.

Sometimes... sync/groove

Home alone today in the silence of darkness. I wasn't going to run, but finally gave in. However, instead of moving furniture so I could tread in front of the tv, I stayed in the kitchen. Thought I'd just put a cd on. I guess I had forgotten that I had the enhanced version of U2's "How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb." So I watched that on the computer. Hmm.

I have liked u2 since they were punks. Since I was a punk. Likely we all still are. Different. I like this album especially. Vertigo, Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own, Yahweh, and everything. While Jason & the Scorchers has got to be the best live club band, I'm wondering if U2 isn't one of the best arena bands. I wouldn't know - never had the pleasure - but I would think.

At any rate, while watching/listening to Sometimes You Can't Make It, I began to think about the race. You know, when you've been passed up, do you still keep on running? Most definitely I've been passed, and proud of it, but I don't think it means I stop. Too many people fall victim to thinking winning is the only thing; that second or third or nine hundred and twenty first has no purpose. Sync. Groove. Wisdom. Long.

I was tooling around 5 mph - which isn't particularly fast, but it's as fast as I've been going in awhile - and I realized I was perfectly in sync with Vertigo. I love that song.

I had a great run today. Good sweat. Hopefully outta the hole. I remember the best I ever felt running was right before I tore my hamstring when I was in high school. I mean, it was almost ecstasy right before feeling I had been shot. The question remained though... would I keep running.

Title crisis and other crap

I really hate the title of my blog. Danno's Dangerous Mind so does not describe me so much of the time. But I don't know of anything that does. And on most days, like today, I am just hesitant to have anything.

I used to never have trouble having an opinion. Not sure when things changed. I remember a couple of years ago someone asking me to state my position on something - and even my wife was telling me I just needed to say it - but I couldn't. And I don't know why. It wasn't even that I didn't know how I felt. I just couldn't get the words to come out. And I wonder... is that what it's like for a wife being battered by her husband, and she has the chance to turn him in... but the words won't come? Or a teenager being 'peered' into doing something they don't want to do... but the words won't come? Or the man who is constantly berated by his wife and made to feel like nothing... but..... Or the child, or the worker, or the...........

I'll tell you who I think oughtta shut the hell up. Roger Clemens and congress. I mean, I admit I'm no baseball fan, but who does Rog think he is that he thinks anybody even cares if he did steroids or not? And Congress... DOES CONGRESS HAVE NOTHING BETTER TO DO THAN INVESTIGATE FREAKING BASEBALL PLAYERS???????????????? No flipping wonder our education system is declining, and our roads are terrible, and we spend gajillions upon gajillions of dollars to keep ourselves in wars so people can keep their high and mighty jobs and we don't care about the poor or the disenfranchised or welfare of the average joe. Because of baseball?! BASEBALL!?!

I predict the next major obstacle Congress will be tackling is the bowl/playoff situation in NCAA football. Yeah, that's pretty important too (if you don't detect sarcasm please leave my blog!). You know, I actually do like college football; but for the life of me I don't know why people think it matters a hill of beans who the national champion is. And if people think a playoff is going to settle it, they're even more nuts than I think they are. The BCS hasn't helped, a +1 won't help, a four-team playoff won't help, eight-team won't... Just leave it alone and let 'em play, and let the bowl people make their money, and move on.

And I suppose as long as I'm talking nonsense this is probably as good a time as any to announce that... I bought some new work boots. Yep. I hadn't bought a pair of work boots since my days of welding sheetmetal chimney parts together. I got these 6-inch Wolverines from shoebuy.com. It was extra sweet because I had a 20% off coupon. I don't know why I NEED work boots, but... you just never know. My last pair are pretty torn up, plus they were steel-toed and heavy. I think they were Red Wing. We had to wear steel toes in the shop, and I went through enough cheap boots that I finally got smart and decided it was worth it to pay for nice boots. Those Red Wings are still comfortable and they're probably 12-14 years old. I had another pair that was even older that I gave to son Isaac to work in on the grounds crew at his college.

Sometimes I miss having a blue collar job. But I remember many a day when that really sucked too. There's really not that much difference between blue and white. Other than what you do. Memories are good though. One of my big fears is that someday I won't have them.

Yeah... I need another cup of coffee. And it sounds like winter is back. In so many different ways. The dog is snoring and it sounds appealing. If I were not a shadow... I might be somethin' else.

What does spirituality look like

I receive a little paper each month (or so) from Herb Miller entitled Leader's Edge: Equipping for Effective Ministry. In the September 2007 issue he discusses whether or not we are helping people grow spiritually. He says the "business" of the church is to: Help people to make a spiritual connection that transforms their relationship with God and other people (Jesus's summary in Luke 10:27). Yeah... I like that.

He goes on to say "The objective of 'spiritual growth' is movement toward 'spiritual maturity' - having the mind of Christ. Research indicates that spiritually mature people have nine qualities that set them apart from other people:

1. They are much more likely to have a daily time of private prayer.
2. They feel a genuine sense of the presence of God in their lives.
3. They report that their religious experiences are a source of strength, personal growth, and the healing of inner conflicts.
4. They tend to have a greater sense of inner peace, to feel more joyful and happy, and are less likely to feel depressed.
5. They are more humble, less likely to exhibit an inflated sense of self-importance.
6. They are far more often engaged in compassionate helping acts to others.
7. They are less racially prejudiced.
8. They are far more capable of forgiving people who wrong them and of being constructive, reconciling members of society.
9. They are more favorable to church involvement in political activity in order to right wrongs in society.

Summary: Spiritual maturity has three principle results: People (a) find their emotional hurts being healed, (b) develop a healthy personal value system that influences the way they treat other people, and (c) feel the peace and power of faith in God's guiding providence."

Hmm. You know... I can buy the a-b-c summary points. I'm not so sure about some of the nine qualities. Either that or I'm just not very spiritually mature, or don't know what it really looks like - which is entirely possible. I dunno... what do you think?

McKnight @ wts - pt. 2

You can read Scot McKnight's assessment of his talks at Winebrenner Seminary HERE. Even a mention of me-lovely daughter. :)

McKnight @ wts

Had a really nice day today over at Winebrenner Seminary in Findlay, OH for Ritz Lectures. Of course, the highlight was seeing daughter Carrie, and having son Isaac go along. Here are Carrie and Isaac at her desk. And if you've never been to WTS - it is a b-e-a-u-t-f-u-l building, and a fine institution (and not just because I'm an alumnus or my daughter works there). :)

And I have to admit, after several years of reading his blog almost every day, it was pretty cool getting to finally *hear* Scot McKnight. He is an entertaining and engaging dude. ;) At left is a pic from my phone while he was talking with an attendee. I wanted to get a pic of the two of us together, but the times I talked to him I forgot. I also didn't get him to sign the books of his that I own. Oh well. Anyway... The topic for the day was *Conversion.* Session 1 was Conversion as Leaving and Finding; Session 2 - Leaving Church, Finding Independence; Session 3 - Leaving Wheaton, Finding Rome; Session 4 - Leaving Synagogue, Finding Church.

These are just some random notes I scribbled. I didn't do a very good job. I hope what few things I did jot down are somewhat close to correct. I'm sorry they're so incomplete, and this won't likely do a lot of good for anyone, but I just wanted to write them down before I forgot.

A main thought was: "People respond to the story of the Bible."

** "God's Spirit awakens people to faith, not our arguments."

SIX ELEMENTS OF CONVERSION:
1. Context -
- Absorb the context of where our people are.
- Relationships with others is a part of responding to the gospels.
- Jesus told the gospel story in a NUMBER of ways (so should we).
- Adapt the story of the gospel in the context we find ourselves in.

2. Crisis -
- People commit to Jesus out of crisis
- It can sometimes be as "gentle nods of the soul" (not always major).
- Crisis can be defined in a number of ways.
- Lewis Rambo(?) defines 10 crises that precipitate conversion.
- We shouldn't try to provoke crisis in others.* (Superficial crisis leads to a superficial conversion).
- Crisis leads to conversion, but we shouldn't try to create a crisis.

3. Quest - (questers are seekers)
- A person in a crisis will be on a quest to find resolution.

4. Encounter - (there is an interaction/encounter between convert & advocate)
- Advocate can be person, program, or whatever.
- An advocate seeks to correlate the message with the potential convert.
- Encounter is connecting with potential converts.

5. Commitment -
- All kinds of different ways to make commitments: going forward, joining small group, joining church, settled in mind, etc., etc., etc.

6. Consequences -
- The ongoing surrender of a persons life that makes changes in their actions, thoughts, minds, etc.

ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS...
- "Conversion means you join the church."
- We need to be connected to other Christians.
- idea of "Pre-moral Society" (sin makes no sense; it's thought of more in terms of shame than sin).
- above idea from Allen Mann's book Atonement In A Sinless Society.
- We all experience sin differently.
- In response to current Young Life situation: "Conversion happens in so many different ways we cannot manufacture *a* particular way." "We can't institutionalize the response."
- Find the reasons for the crisis and you can find the pattern to the conversion stories.

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SESSION ON APOSTACY: WHY PEOPLE ARE WALKING AWAY...

**Ecclesiographies - stories of churches that work (People go to places like Willowcreek because they can see that something is happening there).

People are walking away from Church (crises) because of (besides and in addition to: guilt, independence, it doesn't make sense anymore):
1. Scripture - is it more important to practice Scripture or just have a right theory? (story of kid who was questioned by youth pastor about innerancy. Kid finally says, "If it's so true, why are there like 2000 references to caring for the poor, but you don't know a single poor person?"
2. Science - We are not hospitable enough to people who have questions. We've got to get over the take-it-or-leave-it approach to the Bible. Scientific evidence is the most common collision point. 95% of his Christian students believe in evolution. We (the church) need to begin to look at evolution differently. Examine it.
3. Behavior of Christians - not just hypocrisy, but immorality.
4. Hell - We need to talk about hell; allow people to ask questions. How can endless punishment be just for temporal sin? How can God justly punish eternally?
5. The God of the Bible - Some find him unnacceptible. God seems mean; some think he's too soft.
6. Education - a) unfulfilled biblical promises; b) one's social location; c) randomness of birthplace; d) theodicy; e) the demand on one's life that faith expects (discipleship demand).

Thomas Payne's "The Age of Reason" - #1 book for leaving; everything leads back to him. Too many resonate with Payne's "My own mind is my church."

What we need: Churches that are safe places for people to ask questions.

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The next session was on ERC's (evangelicals who convert to Roman Catholicism). This is where I quit taking very good notes (it was after lunch).

A major crisis for ERC's is a desire for transcendence. They are seeking: Certainty, History, Unity, and Authority.

"There is no such thing as a Bible-alone idea. Every interpretation is subject to the interpreter."

700 former Roman Catholics are baptized per year at Willowcreek.

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I don't even have scribbles from the last session on Jews becoming Christians.

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THOUGHTS ON THE DAY:
- A darn good day. I enjoyed the ride over with Tom and Isaac, and even moreso the conversation on the way home.
- Had a nice lunch with Carrie, Isaac, and Tom.
- WTS is a fantastic facility, with some topnotch people.
- Glad to see some of our denominational leaders there.
- I wish I didn't feel like such a misfit in our denom.
- Disappointed there weren't more CGGC people there for this. I think our denom. is rapidly declining/fragmenting. I miss seeing old friends. I don't understand why cggc pastors don't attend stuff like this.
- Disappointed no one else from the CGGC blog was there (Bill left before I had a chance to talk with him).
- Overall... Good day. Not near as tired as I thought I'd be.

Random

What the heck? Yesterday it was like 65 degrees (F); last night there were tornado warnings, and thunder and lightning, and it rained like the dickens. Our AIR CONDITIONER actually kicked on!!! What is this… January?

I actually received a friend request on my Facebook account! I forgot I even had one. Actually, I think I might have two: one from a long time ago, and one from just recently. Shoot, I still haven’t figured out MySpace. At any rate, it is kinda neat having people *request* to be your friend.

I think the Big Ten should start it’s own bowl series. I mean… if they can have their own TV network… Heck, at least then we wouldn’t have to play bowl games at other people’s HOME stadiums!

I don’t write a lot of sports related posts – which is odd because my mind is fairly sportscentric. But just let me say this about the University of Illinois basketball team: Chester Frazier seems to be the only guy that is even remotely trying. Brian Randle and Shaun Pruitt should just quit. They are so loaded with talent, but just don’t seem to get it. The rest of them… well, maybe there’s a good division II team they could contribute on.

Sometimes my weekly depression doesn’t hit until Tuesday. And this stinking rain doesn't help.

Tomorrow I’m taking a field trip. Scot McKnight thinks I’m coming to Winebrenner Seminary in Findlay, OH to hear him speak. Actually, I’m going there to see my lovely daughter, and Scot just happens to be speaking that day. :) Son Isaac and I are riding along with Tom. I hear there are still seats available if you’re not doing anything. Give them a call!

I should probably get ready for the Annual Congregational meeting tonight. I actually like these meetings – now that we’ve disallowed bloodshed – but it is hard to get excited anymore since no one else seems to give a... Anyway, I need to pick out a song to start things off with, get the coffee table ready (Jane has the cookies made), and figure out what to give prizes for.

I was just looking through some files yesterday, and if I read things correctly, I just might have the longest tenure at this church of any full-time pastor they’ve ever had. One was here longer, but it was when our church was on a circuit with other churches. Hmm. I don’t know if that’s a particularly good thing or not. Seriously. At first I think it’s great, but then I began to wonder if it just means I’m dense and don’t get that I was supposed to leave.

Yep… still Tuesday.

Becoming christ-like vs. attending church

One of the difficulties of being a pastor is getting across the idea that church isn't about "attending"... instead it is about "becoming." And I'm not just talking about the Sunday gathering, but Bible Studies, Small Groups, Sunday School classes, work days, special projects, potlucks... whatever. For too long, or perhaps I should say, for too many people, church has always just been something you *go to.* We try to have a Bible Study and people don't show up because it's *something else I have to go to.* Etc., etc., etc., etc.

The thing is (IMHO)... when Christians gather to worship, or look into the Bible, or pray, or fellowship, or serve... it's not about merely *attending.* Instead, the point of it all is that these are things that help us BECOME more like Christ. Learning to get along, sharing, befriending, eating together, serving together, worshiping together. It's so hard to get over the notion that since a relationship with Christ is *personal* it's not at all *individual.*

I was thinking about this the other night when we went with Isaac to get him some new running shoes. He's going to run in the mini-marathon in Indianapolis this spring, so we went to Three Rivers Running Co. (or something like that - it's on North Clinton). What a great store. You can tell when you walk in that the employees are runners themselves. When they ask if they can help - you not only get personal attention, but they want to know your whole running history. They measure your foot, get you a *sample* shoe, and have you run on the treadmill. They are videotaping your foot - so they can better fit you with the proper shoe. So after Isaac ran on the treadmill, the associate suggested three shoes (in three price ranges). He had him try them all on, and test them out on the treadmill - all the while he is writing down as many details of the conversation as possible, as well as the shoes he's tried, how he likes them, and anything else he can think of. He even made a suggestion as to which shoe *he* thought Isaac should get (which also happened to be the least expensive). See... the thing is... he said they aren't there to sell shoes. They are there to help people become better runners. And it doesn't matter what your current skill level is... they work with you from where you're at. Helping people grow as runners. Hmm.

That kinda sounds to me like what the church should be about. Aren't we supposed to be about helping people become more like Jesus? Isn't that what *makes* the church the church... the body of Christ?

What if we quit trying so hard to get people in our "stores"... and worried more about how we could help them *become*? Which is another interesting thing about this shoe store - they didn't even have a sign. Apparently their customers are advertisement enough.

Much to think about here. And I know where I'll be going for my next pair of running shoes. Because I don't just want shoes; I want to grow as a runner. They made a convert.

Disposing and recycling

If you're getting rid of old televisions, computer monitors, motor oil, tires, etc. - check out www.earth911.org. Plug in what you're wanting to dispose of and your zip code and it will tell you where to take it.

I'm probably not the greenest grape in the bunch, and I need to do better at things like this. Or I could just tell my kids I don't give a rip about how their lives or their kids' lives will be. But I do.

Me and j.g.

This morning as people were arriving for our worship gathering I was in my office grooving to Josh Garrel's CD "Stone Street." I thought to myself, "I should always listen to J.G. before worship." I mean, I just can't help but move, and it puts me in a good mood.

Then, we met Isaac and Laura for lunch at EOC, and somehow JG came up in conversation. He is affiliated with the tribe of churches son Isaac attends. I asked if he was still pastoring (He used to pastor a church in Indianapolis). Isaac didn't think he was anymore. He believes he went full-time into music. It would appear that way looking at his 2007 schedule. Not much there for '08 though. I would LOVE to have him come play here. I'm just not sure how it would go over though. And I would be embarrassed if like no one was here.

I was actually going to play and sing for a "special" this morning. I chickened out at the last minute though. Jane filled in nicely by playing an instrumental of one of my favorite hymns (Be Thou My Vision). I don't know why I get so stinking nervous about playing alone. I mean, I sing and play almost every single Sunday... why can't I do it? I used to. I guess it keeps me from the dilemma Josh faced - having to decide between pastoring and playing full-time. Ha! Yeah. I'm not there.

But... I can dig him on Sunday mornings whilst I am here. Because here ain't so bad, ya know.

I just finished up the 2007 Annual Reports. I decided to use hot pink for the cover. =) I'm thinking of giving away prizes at the annual meeting too. You know: who has attended longest, who drove the furthest, etc. I'm sure I have enough trinkets advertisers send out to make it worthwhile.

Peace out, folks; but more importantly - peace in.

Part-time

This was the first official week that me-lovely lady has only had to work part-time again. She cut back to making pizza's only FOUR days a week instead of five. I wish she could quit entirely - but it's a start. Of course, her first day off she found out she has the spine of a 60-year-old. I'm sure kneading the ol' dough doesn't help that any.

This is actually the first time in about 8 years that we have both had the same day off of work (at least it will be every other week). Oh, sure, I have a flexible enough schedule that we can do things if we need to, but it will be nice to know that every other Friday we can actually make plans for the day - or plan to do nothing ...together.

Last night's date consisted of trying out the El Patron Mexican Restaurant at Jefferson Pointe. I was impressed with how nice this place was, and the food was reasonably priced. Then we rented The Astronaut Farmer. Not likely to be a movie son Isaac reviews, but it was a good ol' fashion tear-jerker for this fading dreamer nonetheless.

I thought I was doing pretty good with end/beginning-of-the-year stuff, but how did I suddenly get so much to do... Argh.

Krusty idea of church

I just added Letters from Kamp Krusty to my sidebar. Good stuff there. And to think that I'm only about six degrees from being friends with this guy (and Kevin Bacon).

At any rate, his post We "Quit Going to Church" A Year Ago really struck me. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about everything, but... it's innaresting.

Best biblical moments for donkeys

According to Jason Boyett's Pocket Guide to the Bible, the FOUR BEST MOMENTS FOR DONKEYS are:

1. Balaam's donkey speaks (Numbers 22:23-30). In one of the most original biblical miracles ever, Balaam's donkey is given the gift of speech when his master encounters an angel of the Lord on the path. Even weirder, Balaam jumps right in and engages the suddenly literate beast of burden in conversation, without so much as batting an eyelash.
2. Samson kills a thousand Philistines with the "jawbone of an ass" (Judges 15:13-17). And while today, Jackie Chan-types can turn pool cues and potted plants into deadly armaments, the donkey-bone-as-weapon trend never really catches on.
3. Donkeys praised for their large genitals (Ezekiel 23:20). No, really. And by none other than God himself, in a sexually explicit metaphor condemning Israel's unfaithfulness.
4. Jesus makes his triumphal entry on the back of a donkey (Mark 11:1-11). Which cements the humble donkey as one of the earth's holiest creatures. Or, perhaps, not.
   

Illinois wins the rose bowl

Boy, what do I know. I thought the Illini were going to get thumped. No way! I love this post from Kamp Krusty. I don't know who he is, but I like the way he thinks. In a nutshell, he says:

Last night, a rival team from another university scored a LOT more football points! I booed this, heartily!

Fortunately, since universities remain, ostensibly, educational institutions, there is another score to consider! The University of Illinois' libary contains more than 10 MILLION BOOKS! The University of Southern California has FOUR million! That's a pretty big spread!

Football points favored USC by 32.

Final Cumulative Score: Illinois wins by 5,999,968! Oskee-wow-wow!

Many thanks to Randy for pointing this out.

Pictures

I finally got to use *our* new camera today. Of the bajillion or so pictures on it, these three were taken by me. :)

This is the new hutch. The bottom part was actually the dresser I had when growing up (minus the mirror - which is in the garage). Jane's brother made the top part so she would have a place to store her mom's china. I think he did a fine job. Jane will be painting it, of course. Btw, that's my kite in the corner. :)

I thought I better take a pic of the kitchen - since I don't do much in here. Jane painted the walls and cupboards.

Our poor little dog has no legs. We call him log-dog.

Hello 08

Well the old year is done and it's time for another. We actually had a pretty good end to 2007. We went out with another couple: had supper at Biaggi's (I had the pork chops), went to see Charlie Wilson's War, then came back to our house for chatting, desert, and a few rounds of "Golf" with the cards. We actually hung out until 1:30 am! Not bad for old folks. This morning it was just me and me lady, and we slept wayyy late (after 9). Jane made us sausage, eggs, and potatoes for breakfast. Mmm. It seemed kinda like Saturday mornings of old - when neither of us had to work, and sleeping late meant after 6:15 am.

It was rather nice going out with this couple. We like them. They aren't from our church, but attend a different one. Just nice, easy-going folks kinda like us. We go out to eat now and then and always have a good time. We used to try to do things like New Year's Eve with people in our church, but... I dunno. It's hard. And I hate to admit that. I remember one year, we were invited by a couple in church to attend their party (which we had done the previous year), but we couldn't attend because we already had other plans. It started a string of events that eventually led to them not only leaving the church, but causing a lot of personal and peripheral damage in the process. That still blows my mind... all because we couldn't go to their party. And that seems to have happened in too many other ways too. So... last night was nice. No repercussions.

I thought Charlie Wilson's War was pretty good - even though we had to sit in the front row. It definitely makes one wonder about how much of the whole terrorist situation could perhaps be the United State's own fault in a roundabout way. And, even as a pacifist, makes you think about our continued involvement in Iraq. Innaresting stuff. You can read Isaac's review HERE.

In an unrelated matter, I had a dream last night that we had a pet snake. A big one. But it was made out of cloth - like those door-draft things you lay along the bottom of the door. It was real though. See... I HATE snakes... but I actually tried to bond with this one. I picked it up, and pet it, and talked to it. But when I put it back in it's pen it started BARKING at me!!! That was weird. I don't even want to know what this might mean.

Well, the only thing to do now is decide whether to actually put clothes on or just wear the bathrobe all day. Then wait for the Rose Bowl. Did you know Illinois was playing in the Rose Bowl!?! :) I know, I know. I'm sure they will lose. And it could be ugly. But they're playing in it nonetheless! And we won't have a basketball team this year, so this may be as good as it gets for awhile.

I don't have a list of resolutions, but while watching the movie last night this thought kept creeping into my mind: What can I do to make a damn difference? I mean, a difference in the world, in someone's life - a difference of some kind. I hope that question will burn itself into an answer. Not a resolution, but maybe a prayer.

Anyway, happy new year, friends. Peace out and peace in. :)