Halloween

It was a Saturday. I worked in the morning. Jane and I went to Subway for lunch and while we were eating a car ran into the light pole across the street.

After lunch we went to our first ever dog show - at the Coliseum. It was kinda neat. Lots of dogs. Big ones, little ones, fufu ones, macho ones. We saw several Corgi's like Bogie. They were all much smaller than him, and darker. It was kind of sad though.

It was nice to see the Illini actually win a football game. Too bad it was against Michigan, I guess.

I fixed the vacuum sweeper. The hose had been clogged. Got a bunch of stuff out of it.

I replaced the light bulbs on the motion light above the garage. I got 100 watt bulbs, not realizing it had had 50 watt bulbs before. All the better to see you with.

We had ZERO trick-or-treaters. Even though I'm not real into halloween, it was still kind of sad. We had a candy bowl and everything. I guess we're going to have lots of snickers and milky ways to eat now.

I think there was even a full moon for halloween night.

I put away the grill, the patio table and chairs, and the hose.

I set all the church clocks back for the end of daylight saving time in the morning; set the ones at home back in the afternoon. It will be nice to sleep an extra hour on a Sunday morning. Although I've been waking up before the alarm goes off lately anyway.

A quiet night.

College basketball preseason polls

Both preseason NCAA Basketball polls have now been released. I'm not much of a predictor, but I thought it would be interesting to look at these later. Some thoughts I do have...

• I cannot believe 3 people actually gave Kentucky first-place votes in the AP poll. I mean, I just don't think Cali-cheater can make that much difference in one year. Personally, I would like to see them drop completely out of the poll by season's end.
• I am a little surprised to see so many Big Ten teams. Especially Michigan at 15, and Ohio State 16/17. I'm not real sure about Minnesota either. And, of course, I would like to see Illinois higher than 23/27. This 'could' be a good year for them... but I hate to get my hopes up too high. I'll shoot for the Illini taking Michigan's #15 spot at year's end.
• I don't have a problem with Kansas being at the top, and it's possible they could run the table. But I think there might be a little too much turmoil on that campus, and I'll go out on a limb and put Texas and Duke in the final game. No reason, really. I would like to see Michigan State there again, but... I can't see it. Now let's get on with the games...
  

The Top 25 Preseason Coaches Poll:
1. Kansas
2. Michigan State
3. Texas
4. North Carolina
5. Kentucky
6. Villanova
7. Purdue
8. Duke
9. West Virginia
10. Butler
11. Tennessee
12. California
13. Washington
14. Connecticut
15. Michigan
16. Oklahoma
17. Ohio State
18. Minnesota
19. Mississippi State
20. Georgia Tech
21. Georgetown
22. Dayton
23. Louisville
24. Clemson
25. Syracuse

The Top 25 Preseason AP Poll:
1. Kansas
2. Michigan State
3. Texas
4. Kentucky
5. Villanova
6. North Carolina
7. Purdue
8. West Virginia
9. Duke
10. Tennessee
11. Butler
12. Connecticut
13. California
14. Washington
15. Michigan
16. Ohio State
17. Oklahoma
18. Mississippi State
19. Louisville
20. Georgetown
21. Dayton
22. Georgia Tech
23. Illinois
24. Clemson
25. Minnesota

All saints day

This coming Sunday happens to be 'All Saints Day.' This is a Christian holy day observed by many Western churches on November 1 each year, and is a time to honor all the saints of the church throughout history. According to the Evangelical Dictionary of Theology:

From early times the church commemorated its great leaders and heroes, especially those who had suffered martyrdom, by observing the dates of their death. This gave rise to the sanctoral section of the liturgical calendar, and it was customary for those churches whose members had included great Christians or martyrs to gather for a Communion service at the martyr's tomb, which was sometimes used as a Communion table. At a later stage churches were built over these sites, and thus began the practice of dedicating churches in honor of specific saints.

Because there were other Christians whose faith and service (and even martyrdom) went unrecorded, and because some centers of the church gained more martyrs than could be commemorated in the days of the year, the practice of a general commemoration on All Saints Day developed. Originally celebrated on May 13, this festival was transferred in 835 to November 1, and medieval ideas of purgatory led to the following day being observed as All Souls Day, when the souls in purgatory were remembered.

At the Reformation the latter festival was dropped. Reformed churches use All Saints Day to thank God for the faithful departed.

I think this is rather interesting, because I don't recall ever hearing about All Saints Day in any of the churches I've been a part of. But most of them make a big deal out of Veterans Day every year. I guess it just makes me kind of wonder - what does that say about us as Christians that we make a bigger deal over those who have given their lives for country, rather than those who have given their lives for Christ? Not that I have anything against veterans, but which is more important to us: Christ or country?

We will be celebrating a communion toast to the saints this Sunday, and I will be preaching on the subject.

Is H1N1 making you sick, or is it something else

Jane just came in and told me that she learned last night that no one has ever actually died from the H1N1 flu. The people who had it that eventually died actually died from pneumonia. So, if pneumonia is what kills us, then why aren't they telling people to get pneumonia shots? Could it be because a pneumonia shot lasts from 5 to 10 years? In other words, there is little to no money that can be made off of a big media scare with pneumonia shots, but there's lots of money being made on the H1N1 hoax (not that it's a hoax, but... IT'S THE FLU).

Sometimes I think the problem with health care in this country actually has nothing to do with health care, and much more to do with marketing and how much money is to be made or lost by the big drug companies, insurance companies, and the health care industry in general. Kinda makes me sick.

Wedding website

Drew Carrie's wedding website: http://www.mywedding.com/drewandcarriefeipel/index.html. Holy cow, it's in 33 days!!

Backed up the computer

I finally dug out my Simpletech 60G portable storage device and backed up my laptop. Geez, it took 4 hours and 48 minutes. 19 gig to back up. I know Jim has reminded me a few times that I need to do this. Just one of those things. I doubt anything on my 'puter is that critical anyway, but... now it's done. I suppose I could just leave the thing plugged in and have it automatically back up... but that would take all the fun out of it, wouldn't it?

Of course, had I not already had the portable storage device, I would probably just use this free online storage at www.adrive.com that Tom told me about. 50G for free!

David bazan living room shows

The link for the David Bazan Living Room shows:

http://www.undertowtickets.com/product/david-bazan-living-room-show-new-haven-in-december-13-5pm

via

Filling the baptistry

When we do baptisms we have two basic options. One is to use the pond of one of our families who live just down the road. The other is to borrow the portable baptistry from a neighboring church. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. At any rate, today we baptized 2 people at the end of our worship gathering, and we borrowed the portable baptistry.

I like doing baptisms as part of the Sunday gathering, because more people come and it is more of a group celebration. When we go to the pond not everyone goes. Too bad we didn't have a pond on the church property. At any rate, I always forget how long it takes to fill this tub, so I thought I better write it down.

I always fill the baptistry part way on Saturday with hot water (about 4" above the seat). Then Sunday morning I fill it the rest of the way with warm water (about 8" from the top). It probably takes about half an hour each day. I use a garden hose from the back restroom sink. First I have to take the hose attachment from the sink in the storage room and screw it onto the bottom part of the faucet (after first removing the thing that's on there). When it is full I also need to remember not to drain the water out of the hose. This way, when I go to drain the tub I can just stick the hose back in, and take the end from the sink and stick it out the north door. Usually - if there's enough water left in it - once I get it to the bottom of the outside steps it starts draining out by itself.

We didn't even spill too much water out today!

New roof

Yesterday we had the roof re-shingled over the middle part of the church building. They tore off a single layer (H-lock, I believe), and put on new "regular" shingles. It wasn't a very nice day - rainy, windy and cool - but at least it's done now. Since I have been here we have now re-shingled the roof over the hallway and bathroom (lower section), and now the middle section. Those shingles all match now. Before that we had three different kinds of shingles. The only part that hasn't been re-done is the tall part over the sanctuary - which has the Sheriff-Goslin "A-lock" shingles. I don't even want to think about re-doing that. I would guess the parsonage will need it next. I don't really want to think about that either.

The first dance party (and Carrie's new place)

We went to our first 'dance party' last night at the dance-lesson place. Uh... it did not go so well. It started out ok. They always have a 1/2-hour group lesson before and then follow it with an open dance party so you can practice all the stuff you've learned (supposedly). The group lesson was for Foxtrot, and I thought I did ok. I already knew the basics of it. But, geez, there were A BUNCH of people there. The room was full all the way across. There must have been at least 35 people just for the lesson. Then, as soon as it was done, they turned out the lights, turned up the music, and the place was suddenly just crawling with people. There were young and old, hip and nerdy, it was a wild conglomeration of people. Which was kinda fun, and funny, to be honest. The problem was... this was when we went from the practice field to a real live game... and I was outta my league. We danced a Foxtrot, and tried a Swing and a Waltz - and Jane danced a Rumba with Chad - but... there were so many dances they did that I didn't even know existed, let alone know how to do them. And even the ones we did know... we soon found out we don't know very much. And the floor was so crowded that I felt like we were in everyone's way (even though I'm sure we weren't).

What they do is, they put on a song and usually announce what kind of dance it is. Then you pick a partner and people hit the floor. And let me tell you... the best dancers are the old folks. Especially the men. So mostly we stood along the wall like a couple of kids at a Jr. High dance until I finally talked Jane into leaving around 9:30. Another thing I was surprised by - we seemed to be one of the few couples there. It definitely seems to be a singles hotspot. Which I think is good. I was just a little surprised. And it's not that everyone else was good, but it was just a bit overwhelming. So, anyway, we have 5 more of these dance parties to attend by the end of the year. I imagine we'll do it again, but... the first time was very humbling, and not just a little discouraging. I am no dancer, I know that.

Afterward we swung over to get our tour of Drew Carrie's new place. It is only a few minutes from the dance place. A very nice little apartment they have. They had friends there so we didn't stick around too long, but I think it will be a nice place for them. I forgot to see how long it took us to get home from there though.

It was a mixed day. I need to find something to do, or someplace to go, on my day off. The lack of social interaction is killing me. I need to find a place to volunteer, or a place where I can go and make some friends or something. Someplace where I'm not necessarily "the pastor," but not that I don't want to be "a Christian." But what's new...

The beard - one year

I have had this beard for a year and a week. This post from October 24, 2008 has the one-week photo. Yesterday I got a wild hair and trimmed it back though (shorter than week one). I don't know why, because now I wish I hadn't. I wish I had never trimmed it at all. I gave up letting it grow out completely a long time ago, but I had hoped to let it grow under my chin at least. One time I spaced out while trimming and trimmed it under my chin a little, and lately I've been trimming more and more. I hate when I do spur-of-the-moment things like this. But... such is life... can't even grow a beard right.

I really don't know what I'll do now. I don't foresee ever shaving completely again, because I just really hate to shave. But... who knows. Who cares.

Mowing

I thought the last time I mowed was going to be the last time, but... I mowed again yesterday. East/West. Took 2 hours and 10 minutes. I lowered the deck down to 3 1/2" (from 4"), so hopefully the leaves and snow and stuff will blow right on through the yard. I need to remember to raise it up in the Spring (unless I end up mowing again). Interestingly enough, October 23 was the last mowing last year. So I'm guessing this could be it. We'll see. It has pretty much rained non-stop since I got done mowing.

Dance lesson (hustle/tango)

Wednesday night we had a private lesson followed by a group lesson. In the private lesson we continued to work on Rumba and Foxtrot. We learned how to put some of the different moves together in Rumba; and we learned how to promenade in Foxtrot (face and feet to left; body straight).

The group lesson was an introduction to the Hustle and Tango. The Hustle was easy to learn, but the turning made me dizzy. The Tango was a bit more complicated, but kinda fun once I got the hang of it. It made a big difference depending on your partner too.

I think I started to learn the names of some of the people. Teri, Sue, and Jill have been around before. The new ones on this night were Michelle, Katarina, and Olivia (I think).

Youtube of the Hustle

Youtube of the Tango

Drew Carrie's new place

Drew Carrie took possession of their new apartment today. Fortunately Drew had plenty of good help moving their stuff in and my back wasn't needed. Unfortunately Carrie had to work for Harrison during the day and at Best Buy tonight. She will probably be busy putting things away tomorrow. And, of course, after Nov. 28 there will still be plenty of stuff to move out of her residence-until-then. :) One of these days Jane and I will maybe even get to see the place. I think it will be perfect for them, and nice for us too. Not too far that we can't be there in half an hour, close to the mall, and our dance lessons, and lots of cool places we've not yet checked out on the north side of town. Congrats kiddo's.

(Many fanks to Mr. Felts for the fone pic)

ReJesus - conclusion (tell me about him)

I finished ReJesus by Frost and Hirsch yesterday. It was a good book - sometimes a bit wordy for me - but all in all I liked it. I found it interesting that they drew a lot of material from books I also liked. At any rate, I found the conclusion very touching. If you are reading here and have any intention of reading the book you might not want to read any further (spoiler alert).

Every now and then I will read something that sort of just 'grabs my heart'... and that's what happens here. They are describing an imaginary meeting between Peter and Paul. Old friends road-weary and worn from ministry and disappointment. They meet in a restaurant and on p. 193 is this:

And so it goes. Two tired men sharing back and forth, recounting stories of new cells in Asia Minor, new converts in Europe, new developments in Greece.

Finally Paul says, "Peter, I'm not sure when I'll see you again..."

"You say that every time we get together."

"I know, and it's always true. But in case our paths never cross again, can you tell me about him one more time."

Peter smiles sadly, "Oh, Paul, you've heard me tell you those stories a million times. You tell them yourself better than I do."

Paul leans forward toward his friend, "Comrade, I've been beaten, abandoned, betrayed, shipwrecked, and left for dead. It's hard to think of a cell I've planted that isn't in the grip of some crisis, personal or doctrinal. I'm not well. I'm often hungry. And, well, according to some of my friends, I look like an old man. The revolution is unfolding, slowly but surely. Ah, the things we've seen. But at times it feels arduous. I long for the Lord as the watchman longs for the end of night. And there are times when I wonder whether these small, struggling cells we're planting will become the movement we dreamed of. Yes, I do wonder. Even after all I've seen and done. All we've seen and done..."

Then he fixes his eyes firmly on Peter's and says, pleading, "Tell me again."

Wow... I can't even type it without getting misty-eyed. Certainly I am less than nothing compared to Paul (or anyone for that matter), but even as a simple pastor with a fairly easy life I so resonate with his desire to have someone tell me again about Jesus. Over and over and over. I know it's rather selfish, but I have always thought this was how denominational leaders could best serve their pastors (and therefore their churches). I know I don't understand things at all, but I wish I could tell my RD to forget the chapstick and ink-pen trinkets. Every now and then just tell me again about Jesus, and remind me of why we do what we do.

"I long for the Lord as the watchman longs for the end of night." (from Ps. 130:6)

ReJesus - ch. 6

I am still reading ReJesus by Frost and Hirsch, and ch. 6 simply had too many good quotes to save only for Facebook and Twitter. So here are some of the ones I underlined:

• p. 140 - "What we lack is not a will to believe, but a will to wonder." Abraham Heschel
• p. 142 - Nice portion on the difference between Hellenistic and Hebraic thinking. "...we need to 'undergo a kind of intellectual conversion' from the Hellenistic to the Hebraic mind."
• p. 144 - "...God does not reveal himself by means of a philosophical system or a moral code or a metaphysical construction but rather enters human history and accompanies his people."
• p. 145 - "The people of the third century and later have been converted to Christianity in morality and religion, but they have kept intact their mode of thinking. Conversion is needed in the mode of thinking, too..." Ellul
• p. 150 - "...none of the really great things in human life spring only from the intellect but rather from the heart, which can embrace what the mind cannot."
• p. 151 - "Only to our mind is God incomprehensible, but not to our heart." The Cloud of Unknowing
• p. 151 - "If passion is eliminated, faith no longer exists." Kierkegaard
• p. 152 - "lex orandi, lex credendi, lex vivendi - how we worship reflects what we believe and determines how we will live." "Worship expresses the faith of the community, but it also helps form it." Prosper of Aquitaine
• p. 152 - "...when we respond to God in actions done in his name, we meet with him in a new and fresh way. The rabbis teach that we are never alone when we do a holy deed because we partner with God in the redemption of the world."
• p. 153 - "Blessed is he capable of surprising and of being surprised." Elie Wiesel
• p. 154 - "The command to obey is not because God wants to have it over us, but because, at least in terms of Hebraic worldview, it always confers knowledge of God that cannot be gained by any other means."
• p. 157 - "...a true understanding of God required no less than Word, Works, and Wonders interacting together." John Wimber
  

Michael card monday

We had a really nice time last night. Michael Card gave a concert at St. Michael Lutheran Church in Fort Wayne. Good, good stuff. Jane took this picture on her phone from our front row seat! This was before the cello player came out. When Michael played the piano he was literally sitting right in front of us.

The evening was good from beginning to end. We arrived a bit early as we didn't have tickets yet, and there was a chance it would sell out. So I got us McDonald's crudburgers and picked Jane up at work. We were sitting in the church parking lot gulping them down when we saw Michael emerge from his bus and stroll around. When we finally went inside he was standing in the hallway. He stuck out his hand to greet us, and we chatted briefly. I relayed to him how his was actually the very first Christian concert we had ever attended. I didn't give all the details, but it was in Dallas, with he and Phil Keaggy (we were there visiting our friends K & T). At the time I had no idea there were people doing music like this in "Christian" circles, and it literally changed my world. We saw him several other times after that, but I have no idea how long it's been since the last time. It was kind of like 'going home' again listening to him last night.

When we entered the sanctuary (which we had never been to) we debated on where to sit. We tried a few spots, but noticed no one was sitting in the very front row on the one side. I thought maybe it was reserved, or they didn't want people sitting there because his piano was 'right there,' but we eventually decided "what the heck" and moseyed our way up. Someone else finally came and joined us, and it was a great seat. Probably not ten feet from him.

If you have never seen Michael Card... not only are you treated to some incredible music, but the stories between songs are just as good. He is actually perhaps more of a Bible scholar than musician, and it was nice listening to someone with a more seasoned and mature stage presence than some of the "cheerleaders-for-God" that seem to dominate nowadays. On this night he was taking us through the Bible from beginning to end. He started with songs/stories from Genesis, and wound us around 2 hours later into Revelation (with no break). He used 4 guitars, banjo, and piano; and Matt played cello and occasionally guitar. And I had forgotten that Michael is left-handed, so he gets a rather unique sound on guitar because he doesn't string it left, but just turns it upside down (like Hendrix).

Oddly enough, earlier in the afternoon I was playing/singing, and I suddenly felt God chipping away at my heart of stone. I hadn't even realized how cold and hard it had become, but all of a sudden I felt a piece fall away, and I knew God was trying to break in. As the show started I prayed that it might continue. When Michael played what he said was his 'favorite song,' I believe it was just what I needed. I don't recall ever hearing "Come Lift Up Your Sorrows" before, but what a song. It's based on Psalm 51, and it broke me well. I will include the lyrics at the end.

I liked how Michael started the show too - he just came out and chatted with some people, and then took the stage. No pretense or rock-star introduction. And the ending was just as nice. There was no encore. In fact, no clapping at all. He said he was going to play a final song, and then give a benediction, and he asked us to leave in peace. His benediction was something like, "Go... forgive one another... and love one another well." He said that over and over several times. "Go... forgive one another... and love one another well..." Then we left. I think I will use that Sunday.

All in all, this night couldn't have been any better. It brought back so many memories, and seemed to renew my faith and love for God, and remind me that there still is Christian music (and Christian musicians) out there worth listening to. I would also like to get some of his books.

Here are the lyrics to "Come Lift Up Your Sorrows":

If you are wounded
And if you're alone
If you are angry
If you're heart is cold as stone

If you have fallen
And if you are weak
Then come find the worth of God
That only the suffering seek.

Come lift up your sorrows
And offer your pain
Come make a sacrifice
of all your shame
There in your wilderness
He's waiting for you
To worship Him with your wounds
for He's wounded too.

He has not stuttered
and He has not lied.
When he says come unto me
you're not disqualified

When you're heavy laden
You may want to depart
But those who know sorrow
They're closest to his heart

Come lift up your sorrows
And offer your pain
Come make a sacrifice
of all your shame
There in your wilderness
He's waiting for you
To worship Him with your wounds
for He's wounded too.

In this most holy place
He's made a sacred space
For those who will enter in
and trust to cry out to him
And you'll find no curtain there
No reason left for fear
There's perfect freedom here
To weep every unwept tear.

Come lift up your sorrows
And offer your pain
Come make a sacrifice
of all your shame
There in your wilderness
He's waiting for you
To worship Him with your wounds
for He's wounded too.

Michael Card, from "The Hidden Face of God" album

Thoughts on a small monday

The trees look nice.

Yesterday I rolled up the carpet on the back patio and put it in storage for the winter.

I got a Purell hand sanitizer dispenser and hung it in the church hallway this weekend. Several people were wild with excitement. Geesh.

Isaac got home from Nicaragua last night. Apparently had a good trip.

I have never liked roller coasters (of any kind).

We bought the full set of Nooma dvd's, and "Luggage" just STOPS right as the car pulls out of the parking booth. If you've seen it you know how critical the remaining several seconds are. I called cbd and, even though it's beyond the return period, they are sending a new one for free.

You can hear happiness staggering on down the street...

A wedding today

I have a wedding to preside over this afternoon. A young couple in our church. They gave me the nicest card last night. Just what I needed, just when I needed it. I hope it goes well today.

I have to say, weddings have become much less stressful for me over the years; and they are almost all very beautiful occasions. In fact, even though I don't believe I have ever 'lost it' during the actual ceremony, almost every time I read through the vows portion beforehand I begin to tear up and get emotional. I'm not sure why that is, but I'm kind of glad that I do. I never want to get to a place where it has no meaning to me.

I pray, Lord, that it will be a beautiful, meaningful, and joyous occasion today. May Your presence be felt, and made known; and may you bless this couple, and everyone in attendance. Amen.

A random friday but not necessarily off

It is my day off, even though this week it won't necessarily be off, though it's nothing seriously on.

I have a regional/district pastors meeting today at noon at a church up by IPFW. The region's new part-time guy is supposed to be telling us about the "transformation process" available for the local church, and the director is supposed to be updating us about the cggc and the mrc. What I don't understand is: who has a noon meeting and doesn't have lunch? Whatever.

Then this evening we have a wedding rehearsal. This should be a no-hassles wedding ceremony, so I don't mind at all. Plus I like the couple and their families.

Daughter Carrie is off to work at Best Buy today. Last night was her first night, and she ended up working a cash register. Not sure what she'll be doing today. She doesn't have a blue shirt yet though.

We heard from son Isaac yesterday afternoon. He made it to Nicaragua. I guess they had an hour bus ride from the airport to where they are staying. He gets no phone reception, and internet is intermittant. He also said it was really HOT. Mid-nineties hot. That actually sounds kinda good since it is about 35f here.

Last night we had our last private dance lesson in our introductory offer. We reviewed East Coast Swing (which we took as a group lesson). That helped a lot, because I just could not get the hang of it. Instead of triple-steps, you kind of just raise up on your toe and step. But then when we got home I couldn't do it again. Argh. Then we reviewed Rumba and Chad taught us the Open Break & Underarm Turn, as well as some footwork technique. We're supposed to always come down on our toes, and slide our feet across the floor instead of taking steps. It's also very hippy (or sexy, as he said). Some rumba video lessons HERE and HERE. We saw many familiar faces at the group class going on at the same time. And Chad's house had caught fire the previous night. He lives with his uncle and takes care of him - he is on dialysis. Apparently a candle caught a doily on fire.

So anyway... we have one open dance left, and then we have to decide if we want to continue with another package of classes. Geez, I can't believe I am actually even considering it, but I do have to admit that it's kind of fun. Not that we are good dancers at all - we're still not really even dancers - but it's fun meeting new people, and just getting out and about.

Afterward we went to this new place that we've been frequenting. It's a nice place, and they seem to have live music just about every night; but I got the nachos last night, and they were probably the worst nachos I have ever had. I am still recovering this morning.

I should probably vacuum. Haven't done that in awhile.

Peace out; and in.

Isaac to nicaragua

Son Isaac left for Nicaragua last night for a long weekend visit with his friend and roommate, Caleb. I was glad to hear that Graham is going too, though I don't know that either of them speak any Spanish. Fortunately that is Caleb's major. I think they left from Indy at 8 pm, with something like a 10-hour layover in Miami, so they should arrive sometime late this morning.

I didn't really even know where Nicaragua was. It is a Central American country on that strip of land between Mexico and South America, so the weather should be nice.

Isaac has been fighting some sinus issues, so I hope the flying didn't bother him too much. Perhaps the Caribbean climate will help. And hopefully he will steer clear of gorillas.

Haircut

I've decided to create a new category for 'haircuts.' I don't know why, exactly. But why not?

I was between places in Fort Wayne today and since it was such a crappy, cold, rainy day, I thought I would get one. I've needed it "cleaned up" a bit for awhile, and I have a wedding this weekend, and I think that always helps.

I went to the Great Clips by Blockbuster on W. Jefferson. That's where I've been going lately. I hardly ever see the same people working there whenever I am there. But it's $11, plus a $2 tip, and I'm almost always in and out real quick. How bad can my hair be screwed up anyway.

Today I had a really nice girl. I can't remember her name... I wish I could. I think it started with a "V". Anyway, it was just the right amount of chit-chat and whatnot. And it wasn't forced. She also made a note to cut the back "rounded." They always ask me, and I can never remember if it's "rounded" or "squared." So now I know. I think she took off 1/2" all over. I like it. As much as I can like or dislike a haircut.

A radical party

On pp. 82-83 of Frost and Hirsch's book ReJesus they talk about the meaning of the word "radical" and how it ought to apply to Christianity (in the chapter 'ReJesus for the Church and the Organization'). They write:

While many people use the term "radical" to mean a departure from the traditional, it refers to a return to the root cause of a thing. Webster defines "radical" as 'of or pertaining to the root or origin; reaching to the center, to the foundation, to the ultimate sources, to the principles, or the like; original; fundamental; thorough-going; unsparing; extreme; as in, 'radical evils': 'radical reform'; 'a radical party.'"

I like that... "a radical party." I think that's what Jesus' people ought to be about.

They go on to discuss a 'radical traditionalism'... good stuff. On 83 they say...

But we can also learn from educational psychology in this matter. Jean Piaget, the great education psychologist, conducted much of his early research on the streets of Geneva, interviewing children and observing how they played structured games together. He noted that very small children unquestioningly played games according to the inherited rules. They slavishly obeyed the traditional rules of, say marbles, because their older siblings or their parents had taught them how to play that way. Piaget then noted that at a certain stage in the development of the child he or she wanted to throw these rules away. A rule-less game of marbles on the streets of Geneva last century was exactly as you'd expect it to be - chaos! Later in childhood, these same children, fed up with chaotic games that were always won by bullies or the most crafty, rediscovered the original rules of the game. Piaget noted how much more powerfully these rules worked in the lives of the older children. They were the same rules they were taught as tiny children. But the difference now was that they had discovered these rules as an antidote to disorder. They felt these rules were THEIR rules...

What we are advocating is a radical traditionalism. The church needs to follow the same path as the children did with their games of marbles. ReJesus, the refounding of the church, means departing from a blind, slavish allegiance to religious rules inherited from our parents and forebears. It means walking into the turmoil of chaos and daring to trust that at the end of the path will be not bedlam but a rediscovery of the way of Jesus, a rediscovery of the original rules that we can own for ourselves with greater conviction and authenticity. Jesus, as our founder, is our guide on this path. His words and his example are the constants as we leave our old traditions and look to bring the church and the gospel into new contexts of traditional radicalism.

Oh, man... this, to me, is what I liked about the 'emerging church' stuff when it was in its hayday. Good, good stuff. Jesus Radicals.

Sermon block

I saw this the other day... I think it was written by Richard Dahlstrom, but posted by Jordan Green on the Burnside Writers Collective site:

"Sermon block is like writer’s block, except you think you must be sinning."

I think I must be sinning. Dangit.

The founder and the found

I'm reading ReJesus by Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch. I haven't been blogging it in my usual manner for a number of reasons, but on pp. 75-81 they talk about the connection between the founder of Christianity (Jesus) and the found (Christians). The chapter deals with 'ReJesus for the Church and the Organization.' The point is that Christians need to look more like Christ than what many of our churches are churning out. On p. 79-80 they share this story:

Tony Campolo tells the story of a drunk who was miraculously converted at a Bowery mission in New York. Like all Campolo stories, it has a jokey punch line that betrays a far more serious and convicting point.

The drunk, Joe, was known throughout the Bowery as the worst kind of wino, a hopeless derelict of a man, living on borrowed time. But following his conversion, everything changed. Joe became the most caring person that anyone associated with the mission had ever known. He spent his days and nights hanging out at the hall, not balking at even the lowliest job. He mopped up vomit and urine and cleaned up drunks whatever their condition. He considered nothing too demeaning for him.

One evening, when the director of the mission was delivering his evening evangelistic message to the usual crowd of still and sullen men, their heads hung in penitence and exhaustion, there was one man who looked up, came down the aisle to the altar, and knelt to pray, crying out for God to help him to change. The repentant drunk kept shouting, "Oh God, make me like Joe! Make me like Joe! Make me like Joe!" The director of the mission leaned over and said to the man, "Son, I think it would be better if you prayed, 'Make me like Jesus!'" The man looked up at the director with a quizzical expression on his face and asked, "Is he like Joe?"

The New Testament writers likewise call people to emulate their example, knowing that they had committed their lives to Jesus and that he indeed "lived in them." ...Paul was never coy about calling people to follow his example. This might seem like arrogance to us, but, like the ex-drunk in Campolo's story, he was so given over to the example of Christ that he had become a living embodiment of Jesus. It was Jesus he was pointing to, but it is Jesus through the medium of his own life. He understood Jesus lived in him and he in Christ. It is out of this conviction that he could say "Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ" (1 Cor. 11:1); "Join in imitating me, and observe those who live according to the example you have in us" (Phil. 3:17); and "For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us; we were not idle when we were with you..." (2 Thess. 3:7).

As the authors conclude, "the found are to replicate the founder to outsiders and to each other."

Dance lesson: second group class

Last night we had our second "group" dance lesson. It was 'Intro. to Waltz.' It was a little nicer than the first one, because we knew what to expect, and also because no one worked up quite the sweat that we did at the Foxtrot and Swing lesson. Chad was our instructor again (he's the only one we've had).

The Waltz is a nice, smooth dance designed to move you around the room. And it's probably the easiest one we've learned yet. We went through the simple box step, the progressive, and the left box turn. So, being easier, it was also a bit funner. Of course, the problem with the Waltz is that it is in 3/4 time, and not a lot of the music we'll be hearing at the wedding reception will be 3/4, as most rock'n'roll is in 4/4 time. But it was still a fun dance to learn.

It was a little odd last night because there were 5 women and 7 men. We just paired up the 5, and 2 guys at a time went solo until we switched partners . The women were all fairly good dancers this time too. One couple were there for their first lesson, and they were maybe in their early twenties (he is a seminary student at Concordia); one girl was in college and she was a really good dancer (she's been taking lessons for 3 years); the one couple was in our last group lesson (the lady who stared at me); and the other couple was older - maybe in their seventies - but they were fairly hip.

The box step is just a step straight forward with the left foot, diagonal right with the right foot, and over with the left; then back with the right, diagonal left with the left, and over with the right. 1-2-3, 1-2-3. All the steps are even, and Chad says the bigger-the-better. The progressive just moves straight: you go forward with the left, diagonal right with the right, over with the left; then - instead of going back (as in the box) - you go forward with the right, diagonal left with the left, and over with the right, and so on so you're always going ahead. This is why you need the turn. To turn you basically just turn 1/8 at a time; and always counterclockwise.

Some instructions can be found at these places:

• Simple waltz steps
• American style waltz info with music and history
• Youtube of the basics
• Another youtube
  

Carrie's wedding music

The songs for Drew & daughter Carrie's wedding ceremony (I believe they'll all be played/sung by Joel Levi and Andrew Camp - other than the exit song):

• "It Is Well With My Soul" (traditional; instrumental) - grandmother's enter
• "Storybook Love" (Mark Knopfler) - mother's enter
• "With A Little Help From My Friends" (Joe Cocker) - bridal party enter
• "Into the Mystic" (Van Morrison) - Bride and father enter
• "The Lord's Prayer" (Rich Mullins version) - unity candle
• "You're My Best Friend" (Queen) - exit song (on CD)
  

"Storybook Love" and "Into the Mystic" can be found on my playlist. Very nice selections, all of them. Proud papa.

Discipleship instead of membership

Will Willimon has a nice post, Christians As Consumers or Disciples, based on Tony Robinson's book 'What's Theology Got To Do With It.' It's about the challenge churches face shifting from a culture of membership to a culture of discipleship. He uses the example of a health club to illustrate. The membership-mode does nothing but create consumers, and we are supposed to be creating disciples. As Will writes...

The point is not membership. The church does not have clients, members, or consumers of goods and services. The point is discipleship. The church exists to form and sustain individuals and a people who are followers of Jesus Christ, who are his disciples. Rather than buying into a consumer model of the church, where the customer is king and the church simply meets customers' needs, the church does more; the church redefines our true needs. The church transforms people according to the life and pattern revealed by God in Jesus Christ. It unites them with others who are committed to this way of life.

I would agree that this is a huge challenge. It is part of our church culture that has pervaded for so long that even among people who "know better" it is so easy to slip back into the membership mentality. Good stuff.

Church thoughts

Some things I've been tossing around inside my head:

• Apparently our "prayer chain" has become unlinked. I think this is a great time to just do away with the sucker entirely. To me, there ought to be two distinct groups: (1) there should be a 'Prayer Team' - this would be people who have prayer as a spiritual gift, and who you could call any time - day or night - and ask to pray for you. (2) there should also be a 'Church Alerts' group that you could call with information like when someone goes in the hospital or is having surgery or whatever, and it would operate more like the traditional "prayer chain," where certain people would be responsible for calling other people. It's not to say you couldn't pray for 'church alerts,' but it would be different in that not everyone who wants or needs to know this information needs it at, say, 2 am; and also, not everyone is a pray-er, but that doesn't mean they don't want to know. I might even look into one of those Phone Tree things.
  
• We need to start a newsletter again. Although, I don't know that I want to do snail mail, and I don't know how well email even works. Maybe the best thing is to just do a monthly "Fairview's News" insert in the bulletin. It could include when someone moves, or gets a new job, or has something significant happen. Maybe post job openings if anyone knows of any. Maybe do a member spotlight now and then so we can get to know one another. I don't particularly care much for most newsletter-y type things, but I think we need something to try to build some community again. We are getting pretty fragmented. I believe a sense of community is important, whether it's in a big church or small. I also think this would be a good way to share vision/direction. I haven't been doing a very good job of this lately, and vision is always going to be established by someone, it's only a matter of who. Sometimes by default it is done by people who shouldn't be doing it.
  
• I would like to start up our "Third Sunday" meals again. We used to have a shared meal on the third Sunday night of each month. The original idea was to appoint someone to kind of oversee the kitchen, and contact different people to organize each month's meal. It didn't really work out that way, and it ended up being a competition to see who could outdo the other groups. I wonder if we could just have an old-fashioned carry-in... where everyone simply brought something to share with others, and the church would provide table service and drinks. I wish we could find someone to come up with "themed parties" even - you know, maybe in December have the 'Ugly Christmas Sweater Party', or have a 'Hat Party' or... I don't know. I'm not good at stuff like that, but I bet someone is.
• I would also kinda like to start doing communion on a more regular basis. Maybe the first Sunday of each month. I hate making it a set-in-stone type of thing though. We'll see.
• We need some type of discipleship training. Building community and doing service projects are great, but I think the biggest thing the church lacks is the actual spiritual development of disciples, or AS disciples. I have been hearing from too many people the idea that they seem to think they already know everything there is to know, and that's a dangerous assumption to make. I'm not at all sure how to go about this. I would like to start some small groups - as I still say that is absolutely necessary for people's spiritual development, and the church's development - but it's a tough thing to get going; and tougher still to get people to see the need for it in their own lives.
• Maybe a place to start in regard to the previous point is to start up the Monday Night Prayer Thing again. Simply opening up the church for anyone desiring to come and spend an hour in prayer. We usually had a brief greeting, then you could spread out in the church building and pray wherever you liked. I played some soft instrumental music in the sanctuary, and had a list of things to use as a prayer guide if people wanted. Then we met at the end of the hour and prayed in a circle and left. It was always one of those things that I never really wanted to attend, but I almost always felt like I had really been in the presence of God when I left.
• Mmm... that's probably enough stuff for now.
  

Mowing

I mowed today - possibly for the last time this year. It was north-south, and I believe I set a new record for the fastest time ever: It took a couple minutes shy of 2 hours exactly. I mowed wide and fast, and hit the corners and rows just right.

I didn't plan to mow today, but it was supposed to start raining tonight and the rest of the week; and it actually looked like rain this morning, so I went ahead and did it during the day. I got hit with a couple of sprinkles, but right after I got done it started to rain. So I guess I timed that perfectly. I probably could have waited, but since we're having the fish fry this weekend I wanted to get it done.

If this is, indeed, the last mowing of the year, that means I mowed 19 times this summer. The first time was April 23. I mowed 5 times in May, and 3 times per month June through September. Last summer I mowed 21 times total, and the last mowing was October 23... so it's possible there could be one more. We'll see.

Dance lesson: first group class

Last night we attended our first group dance lesson. It was for Beginning Foxtrot and Swing. The lesson began at 7:45 and lasted 45 minutes. Chad (who has been our private instructor) was teaching this class also. I would say there were maybe 14-16 other people there.

We started with the Foxtrot with the Left Rock Turn - which we had already learned during our second private lesson. So it was nice to review. The Swing was totally different though; and we learned the East Coast Triple-Step Swing (I found this lesson on YouTube). I had a little trouble with this. It goes: Rock-step, triple-step (left), triple-step (right); rock-step, triple-step, triple-step; etc. I could do the rock-step okay, but I had a hard time with the triple-steps. They're really small steps; and it was wearing me out. I worked up a sweat. I think I finally got the hang of it though.

The weirdest thing about these group lessons - which I wasn't expecting - is... WE HAD TO SWITCH PARTNERS! Everybody had to dance with everybody else. Fortunately there was an equal number of guys and girls. This is supposed to help us learn to lead and follow with other people - for those of us who have partners - but I also think it helps the single people who come there, so they don't get stuck with somebody they don't like. And there were quite a few singles there. So it's probably a good idea.

Once I got over the initial shock it actually wasn't too bad. It was a nice way to meet new people, as you had to introduce yourself, and there were times for chit-chat. And stepping on someone else's toes is a pretty good icebreaker. Even though some people were pretty good, and others were not good at all, everybody seemed to have fun. I would say we were fairly middle-of-the-road; not nearly the best, but definitely not the worst. There was one young girl - maybe in her mid twenties - who drove up from Marion. She was a regular dancer and was much better than the rest of us. A couple ladies were pretty big (or I'm pretty small), and I felt kind of odd with my arms way up in the air. And the one lady just stared at me the whole time we danced. She may have done this to everybody, but it was freakin' me out! And some people just get really sweaty. I didn't really care much for putting my right hand in strange women's sweaty armpits. You definitely want to dress cool for these classes. And it was always nice to come back around to my 'regular' partner. Even still, I have to admit that it was kinda fun.

When we got there the lady whose butt was hanging out of her dress the last time, was there again... with the same dress on. She was practicing with a guy, and there was also a couple there practicing with a guy. I am guessing these people do competitive dance. They were pretty good.

I think the next group lesson we're going to is the Waltz. Then we have one more private lesson. What I want to know is: what kind of dance do we do to a song like "Wonderful Tonight" by Eric Clapton? That's usually the only song I dance to.

The theological poor

I saw this quote from Jose M. Vigil this morning (via):

Theologically speaking, 'poor' refers precisely to those who are 'the victims of injustice.' God does not opt for the poor because they are poor (economically or materially), but opts for the poor because they are 'the victims of injustice.' Economic poverty is not in itself a theological category, but injustice, often a cause of economic poverty, is a theological category. Theologically considered 'the option for the poor' is in reality an 'option for the victims of injustice.' If it is called 'option for the poor' this is due to the fact that the poor (economically) are the primary victims of injustice and its par excellence expression. Speaking with theological precision, the subjects of this option for the poor cannot be identified with the 'economically poor' in themselves nor with 'the poor who are good,' or with those who are 'poor in some other sense of the word' or who are 'poor in spirit' (because of the metaphorical word games, all of these definitions are elusive and inadequate), rather the subjects of this option are 'the victims of injustice,' economically poor or not, metaphorically or not.

This makes a great deal of sense. I was just reading from Exodus 23 the other day where it says in verse 3, "Don't favor the poor just because they are poor." Certainly Scripture is clear that we ARE to look after the poor, and it's not like the church is doing a stand-up job of it, but sometimes I think we have a tendency to see the poor only in the economic sense, and we can often be biased against those with money; when they, in fact, might be just as "poor." I believe we also fail to usually recognize that "poorness" is often a result of an injustice, rather than a simple stand-alone malady. A nice little piece, I thought.

The full article is HERE.

Post-church perspective

I have not read any of Frank Viola's books, but I recently came across this article: "Frank Viola on the Post-Church Perspective." To be honest, I was kind of surprised that I basically agreed with him, because from the things I'd heard about him and seen from him, I didn't think I would. Granted, I am probably a little biased towards church (as the body of Christ and local faith communities alike), because I happen to LOVE everything about the church (well, okay, maybe not EVERYthing; I am well aware there are some pretty deformed expressions of it out there). I have not always had such a love for her though, and this is why I also care a great deal about those who have been hurt by, or turned off to, the church. Overall, though, while I likely have a much looser definition of what constitutes a church community than Frank does, I think he does touch on some simple hard truths in this article - you can't call just any ol' gathering of people "church." But... I also realize I'm so far in the forest that maybe I can no longer see the trees either. So, I dunno. I think it's a good article nonetheless.

Peace out; and in.

New computer battery

I almost forgot to log that I put a new battery in my laptop today (the Gateway). I got it awhile back when the warranty was expiring. My warranty allowed for 1 new battery, so I got it and have had it in the file cabinet ever since. I don't really know if it was time or not, but it seemed like the old one was running out of juice quicker and quicker. So, whatever. That was almost the most exciting thing I did today.

The worst sin of the church

I was reading through a commentary on Hebrews (p.169 NIV Application Commentary) and they quote Donald W. McCullough from his book 'The Trivialization of God'. He wrote:

Visit a church on Sunday morning - almost any will do - and you will likely find a congregation comfortably relating to a deity who fits nicely within precise doctrinal positions, or who lends almighty support to social crusades, or who conforms to individual spiritual experiences. But you will not likely find much awe or sense of mystery. The only sweaty palms will be those of the preacher unsure whether the sermon will go over, the only shaky knees will be those of the soloist about to sing the offertory.

...reverence and awe have often been replaced by a yawn of familiarity. The consuming fire has been domesticated into a candle flame, adding a bit of religious atmosphere, perhaps, but no heat, no blinding light, no power for purification.

When the true story gets told, whether in the partial light of historical perspective or in the perfect light of eternity, it may well be revealed that the worst sin of the church at the end of the twentieth century has been the trivialization of God.

Ugh. Gulp. Hmm. Yeah. Far be it from me to know what the worst sin of our time is, but I would agree that this is still a pretty bad one. I think most people just want to add a little Jesus into our lives and leave it at that. It's much more difficult, and much scarier, to abandon ourselves totally to God, giving him complete control. God, help us.

Dance lesson #2

Tonight we had our second dance lesson. It was a little more challenging than the first one. There were also a lot more people there for the group lesson that was going on at the same time. They didn't look like beginners either, but I tried not to watch what they were doing too much, as I had plenty to think about myself.

RUMBA REVIEW...
We started by reviewing the Rumba: the simple box step, and the under arm turn. Then Chad taught us the CROSS BODY LEAD. This is where, on the back step (with my right foot) I put our left hands down (to signal turn), and my side step is a quarter turn counterclockwise; then my first forward step is a quarter turn to the left as well. So we turn 180 degrees in the turn. It took us awhile, but we finally got it down.

FOXTROT...
Next we started learning the Foxtrot. This is a smoother dance (supposedly). And instead of the slow-fast-fast of the Rumba in a tight little box, the Fox Trot is a slow-slow-fast-fast across the floor. I start with my feet together and slightly left of center of Jane. With my knees slightly bent, I take a long step forward (to the left of her right leg), then I take a long step with my right leg between her legs, then a short step straight left, and over with my right foot; then right on to the next long forward step with my left foot, etc. We had to go the length of the floor in front of the whole group lesson several times doing this.

The way we learned how to turn is with the LEFT ROCK TURN. When I go forward with my left foot, I drag my right foot up to my left, but then I move back a big step with my right foot, and then turn an 1/8 turn with my left, and slide the right over to it. We actually did this fairly well.

That was all we learned tonight, and it seemed a bit overwhelming when we were there, but when we got home and practiced it was much easier. I think it's a little harder there because the music is loud, and there are people talking and moving all around and there's the big mirror and the big front window and stuff. One of our biggest problems is too much "negative space" between us (or maybe we don't have enough). Whichever it is, we get too close together. We're supposed to look more formal. Yeah, yeah... story of my life. I'm also supposed to work on my leading, and Jane on her following. Ugh. And I feel a little weird because it seems everybody else has "dance clothes," and people come in and change their shoes and stuff. I just wore my black t-shirt and jeans with a hole in the knee, and Jane had on what she wore to work. I think she really wants an outfit like the lady whose butt was hanging out of her dress though. :) Some of them are decked out like dancing-with-the stars. Oh well, it's innaresting.

This and that

Yesterday was an odd sort of day. I felt a little behind in the morning. I was a little out of it from the start. But once things started at church I actually felt pretty good. It was one of those days where the singing was very good for some reason. It seems some songs just go well together, and it was maybe one of our better Sundays in that regard. I wished we had done more songs. We had a great 'sharing' time. It went longer than usual probably. My sermon seemed to flow well for a change, but I went a little long. It was time to leave before we even got to the communion liturgy. So we cut some stuff at the end and didn't get out too late. I honestly don't run over very often. Especially since I moved the end time back to 11:07 several years ago. I felt bad that we had an older person take communion and ate the wafer before dipping it... then didn't know what to do with the cup. :( And we had someone point out a visitor during the sharing time - that was a little awkward. But all in all it was a nice morning. One which actually left me more energized afterward, rather than drained like I usually feel. I didn't even take a nap yesterday. Oh... and the new twenty-somethings class had ELEVEN PEOPLE in it!!! I thought that was awesome.

People must have been setting up the basement for the fish fry after church, but Jane and I had to leave as we went to Anderson to take son Isaac out for lunch. We made it by 1, and went to IHOP. Man, it was the noisiest restaurant I think I've ever been in. And the three of us were seated at a round table, but all on the same side, like a movie set. Anyway, it was a nice time. He needs to ask this girl out.

It was a really nice day for a drive, so when we got to exit 41 we decided to cut over through Muncie and take route 3 home. We'd never been that way before. We drove right by the Ball State football field (David Letterman's alma mater, for those of you who don't know). This was actually a pretty nice route. And we went by this church called 'Sound the Alarm Church of God.' Ha! That just seems like a funny name to me for some reason. I'm guessing it is not the same Church of God as we are. Probably Cleveland, TN.

When we got home we watched the Cowboys get humiliated. You know, I have been a lifelong Cowboys fan, but I could really care less if they win or lose anymore. And Tony Romo seems like a nice guy and all, but he either does good, or he does bad. When he starts to do bad they need to just yank him immediately, because he's not going to change during a game. I think he is still effected by that botched extra point against Seattle several years ago. His body language is too obvious. I just don't think he has the competitive drive to be an NFL quarterback. And, as for Roy Williams... please. I just don't think he realizes he's in the NFL now. High school is over. He is not a player. But it's not like any of it really makes any difference.

Later we all worked on wedding stuff. I cut the bottom off of fake flowers so Jane could make table arrangements, and Drew Carrie were working on mailings. We tried to show them some dance moves, but they didn't seem too interested. Plus Jane keeps laughing every time we try to practice.

For some stupid reason I got on the 'net before going to bed and had some disturbing messages. I hated ending such a nice day on a sour note, but... I guess that's how it goes. Funny how sometimes it's the people who think they are doing the best who are actually doing the worst; or the ones who think they 'get it' the most, who don't really 'get it' at all. Hmm. It's always something.

Anyway, I slept good last night. But when I woke up I laid on my back for a moment and started to spin. Uck. I haven't done that in awhile. Everything was spinning counterclockwise sideways. I felt ok when I got up though. Tonight is dance lesson #2.

Peace out; and in.

Necessity of words

I forget where I stumbled onto this link of the CT article by Mark Galli on 'Speak the Gospel: Use Deeds When Necessary.' It's about the quote that is often attributed to St. Francis of Assisi: "Preach the gospel at all times; when necessary, use words." Apparently there are two problems with this: (1) he never said it; and (2) that wasn't how he lived his life.

I have actually used that quote, and said it was by him. But I've heard many times since then that - while it's a nice idea - it's not exactly correct. Good article.

Stetzer slides on comeback churches

DD posted the powerpoint slides and audio from Ed Stetzer at his seminar on Church Revitalization. Some good stuff, and very nice of them to post. For the links go HERE (http://www.dashhouse.com/2009/10/ed-stetzer-slides-and-audio/#comments).

Dance lessons

File this under "Oh man, I can't believe it": Lady Jane signed us up for dance lessons, and last night was the first one. I don't even like 'Dancing With the Stars' (I've watched it once or twice). This is more a case of Frank Zappa's 'Dancin' Fool.' But, you know, the things we do for love.

Actually, we have talked about taking dance lessons for years. We thought Drew Carrie's wedding was a good excuse to finally do it (which is NEXT MONTH by the way). So Jane called americanstyleballroom.com and we got the deal where we get 3 private lessons, 2 group lessons, and 1 free night at their Friday night dance parties. And hey, at least I have a nice looking partner.

I do have to admit, it was even kinda fun. Chad was our 'guy,' and even though he called me Don all night, smelled kinda like pot (maybe it was just cigarettes), and was a little sweaty, we had a good time. He taught us the Rumba. We learned how to do the four-step box with rotation, the ladies slow spin, and about posture, timing, and leading/following.

As the guy, I am supposed to lead. I put my left hand up to hold the woman's palm (held about the height of the woman's nose). My right arm goes under her left arm, and I place my palm so my fingers cup her shoulder blade. My right arm (and her left) are to be held (her) shoulder height. Everything is in 4/4 time, and the Rumba is slow, fast-fast, slow, fast-fast. With the slow being 2 beats, and the fast as 1 beat. You start with your heals together and toes pointed at 11 and 1; the first step is always with my left foot, and I go straight forward just past my right foot; then my right foot angles over about shoulder width, and bring my left over to the right; then I step straight back with the right foot; and angle back with my left foot, and bring the right over to the left (slow on the step forward; fast right over and left over to right; slow back with right; fast over with left and right over to it). We rotate on the angled steps, not the straight forward or back; and only rotate about an eighth turn at a time. When I want Jane to do a spin, I raise my left hand (and her right) as I step back with my right foot, and I continue with the four-step box, but she does a six-step spin, and we come back together as I take the right foot over to the right (I think).

All in all it was actually a pretty good time. Chad even gave us a smiley face and a star. The lesson lasted 45 minutes. We were in a big room with mirrors all along the one wall. There was also a group lesson going on at the same time, but you didn't really notice the other people. I think there were four other students, plus two other instructors (or maybe it was three and three). I felt bad for the two guys that got stuck together. Although they may have wanted it that way, I dunno. So, we go for private lessons the next two weeks, and we get to pick whatever nights to go for the group lessons. We're supposed to pick anything listed as "social dancing." They have something different just about every night.

Afterward we stopped at a little place owned by a guy Jane knows from work. There was a guy there playing guitar. We've seen him before, though I swear he used to go by a different first name. Anyway, another night of fun in the Fort.