LIFE AS A MIDDLE MANN

Bono's Top Ten

2010-01-05T18:46:00.001-08:00

I've got little more to offer these days than links to those who have much...here is one such link.

Bono's take on the top ten things he hopes the next ten years bring from the New York Times.

TOP TEN

Back to grading and painting for me, more blogging later.

Why Adopt From Ethiopia?

2009-12-11T14:59:00.001-08:00

• One in six children die before their fifth birthday
• 44% of the population of Ethiopia is under 15 years old
• 60% of children in Ethiopia are stunted because of malnutrition
• The median age in Ethiopia is 17.8 years
• 1.5 million people are infected with AIDS (6th highest in the world)
• 720,000 children have been orphaned by AIDS alone, and there are 4.6 million orphans in Ethiopia.
• Per capita, Ethiopia receives less aid than any country in Africa
• In the 90s the population (3%) grew faster than food production (2.2%)• Drought struck the country from 2000-2002 (first year no crops, second year no seeds, third year no animals)
• Half the children in Ethiopia will never attend school. 88% will never attend secondary school.
• Coffee prices (Ethiopia’s only major export) fell 40-60% from 1998-2002.
• Ethiopia’s doctor to children ratio is 1 to 24,000.
• In 1993, after 30 long years of war, Eritrea broke from Ethiopia and became an independent nation leaving Ethiopia landlocked without any major seafaring ports.

My preaching needs your help.

2009-12-10T16:38:00.000-08:00

My preaching does need help. In more ways than one.

One way my preaching gets help is by sitting down each Friday AM with these clowns and discussing a few things related to the previous weekend's message.

We ask whether the message was true to the text, relevant, interesting and applicable. This group is good at what they do and they're helping my preaching improve by leaps and bounds. I don't always like and agree with what they tell me, but that is kind of the point. I don't need 'fans,' I need coaches, and I've got a great set here. We also discuss the message that is going to be preached the upcoming weekend and take a look at the outline for the message in 10 days. It helps bring four different styles and communicators onto the same page and headed in the same direction.

I also get encouragement cards each weekend from 10-20 people each weekend I preach that help me understand what resonated and how God used what I shared to teach, encourage, or build up. If I don't listen to those who listened I miss something significant. I love feedback. If teachers aren't teachable then what do they have to say? As a teacher it's my job to push my pride aside and listen objectively to the response that my message brings. Sometimes my grammar is fixed, sometimes my references are corrected, sometimes my theology is challenged, sometimes my intention is questioned, but I'm always affirmed. I love this place and appreciate the affirmation of the preacher I am and the preacher I'm becoming. If you ever want to listen to one or pass one on they can be found in one place here.

*I'd hope this would go without saying but let me be clear. I don't preach for the response and approval of people. I speak as accurately, clearly and convincingly as I can what I believe God wants me to say and how he wants me to say it. But, I can often tell how well I listened to the Spirit by listening to the listeners. Preaching is increasingly about listening for me.

Another way my preaching needs help is from you! I'm on the weekend of Dec 26/27 and I'm attempting something unique. To pull it off I need YOUR help. Would you be willing to listen to a message from this last year and pass on to me the 2-3 points that especially spoke to you? This is going to be a collaborative effort looking back on the significant year of 2009 for Salem Alliance. It should take around 30 minutes and there are 20 more spots available! If you're interested, follow the steps below:

Step 1 Go to this page and find an available date. It will be updated as they are taken. Once you find one...come back to this email and go to step two

Step 2 Fill in your name and date you’re taking here.

Step 3 Download/listen to your message at the link here or from iTunes. Listen for at least 2, no more than 3 solid/passionate/anointed/summarizing/powerful (5-25 seconds/1-4 sentence) sound bites from the message you listened to.

Step 4 Click this link and let me know what your sound bites were and when in the message they occurred! Then click submit, that’s all!

IN REVIEW Pick a message Listen to a message Find 2-3 nuggets from your message and input into form.

THANKS!

March 4?

2009-12-10T16:36:00.001-08:00

My last blog post was March 4? I know, I know, back so soon you ask? Well, here I am. back on the wagon determined to invest more energy and writing into this wonderful little spot on the internet. Anyone still here? I'll try to take this whole thing less seriously which will lead me to post more.

Are you buying it?

2009-03-04T13:05:00.000-08:00

No, not another money post.

A creative way to engage a community on a relevant topic that extends to billboards, radio spots, direct mailers and tv commercials. Wow. I'm curious if my reader(s) like this stuff...I think I'm still curious if I like this stuff.

Are you buying it?

Money Money Money

2009-03-04T12:56:00.000-08:00

A wise person once said something witty and profound about money. But I don't remember and don't want to look for anything. So, instead I give you four recent blog posts/articles (all 60 second reads or less) that focus on the topic.

If/when I'm leading an organization/church/anything/non-profit, I'm going to make a big deal about money. I just decided. That's not true, I have felt that way for a long time but it seems more dramatic to say you just decided to do something.

That being said, said articles:

Joe Biden Ticks Me Off

Let's Give $1 Million Away

It Just Makes Cents

The Surprising Truth about American Generosity

Drunk Pastor

2009-02-25T09:26:00.000-08:00

Huge props for creativity on this one. Fits the 'made to stick' paradigm of Simple, Unexpected, Concrete...

Link

Services I'm using

2009-02-24T18:04:00.000-08:00

Every once in a while I appreciate the twitterers and blogs I follow letting me in on the services, products or websites they're utilizing. Here's my latest:

Mint

Twitterfeed

Things

Pandora

Indexed

Think

Now your turn? What must I check out?!

Did you mean:

2009-02-17T11:36:00.000-08:00

That's just funny. Do you see it? Click for a closer look.

No, no that's not what I meant.

Denominations

2009-02-10T18:12:00.000-08:00

Like em? Love em? Leave em?

Well, if you're the latter you're not alone. Irregardless, me and my Christ-following homeboys and homegirls are a part of one. I prefer to call it a worldwide network of churches but it's all semantics. Actually, I take that back, as I recently was reminded in a book I'm reading called Axiom, "language matters" and here's a link to that chapter summarized.

Irre-irregardless, I was reading about the XXX Church dudes and the fact that they're starting a church in Las Vegas called Strip Church (what a sweet name for a church on the strip). They had a recent news and highlights section and what did I find there under recent supporters but the network of churches I call home. Way to go Christian and Missionary Alliance, props to you/us/them, whatever, you get the idea.

Bill Gates wants to change the world...

2009-02-06T10:29:00.000-08:00

And here are some of his latest ideas from Ted.
Here.
18 minutes well worth the watching.

Apple products will get you laid.

2009-02-06T09:58:00.001-08:00

Their words, not mine. Read here for a well-written blog post from the one-and-only Donald Miller with his latest take on an aspect of society.

You should follow his blog too, I do, it's free.

Read the article here.

Happy Birthday Me

2009-01-22T09:23:00.000-08:00

In honor of my birthday the Academy has chosen to nominate my new favorite movie, Slumdog Millionaire, for 10 different awards, including best picture. This was so very thoughtful of them and I'd like to extend my warm personal thanks. To all those who are above the age of 17, I invite you to see if you'd like this movie! Here's a taste. And for those in Salem, the two closest places playing it are Salem Cinema and Bridgeport, enjoy!

Blue Tangerine

2009-01-21T16:40:00.001-08:00

Quote of the Day

2009-01-08T13:19:00.000-08:00

The easiest kind of relationship for me is with ten thousand people. The hardest is with one. - Joan Baez

Dear City of Salem,

2009-01-07T12:31:00.000-08:00

What a wretched man I am.

2008-12-05T15:14:00.000-08:00

I took the personal journey tool a while back and my lowest "C" was character. I'll explain what that last sentence means at some point but the following story is the reason why.

Let me set the stage. I work at a church. Our church has a kitchen. I don't like to prepare food to eat and therefore often don't eat lunch, or other meals. On days when my day has stretched into the early afternoon without a noon meal I venture up to said kitchen to see if anyone has left some food. You see, with a lot going on at our church there are often leftovers. Some lasagna from yesterday's elder meeting, a vegetable tray from a Hearts at Home lunch and raw onions from someone who gives the staff bags and bags of raw onions.

Today, at 2:45PM I decided to venture upstairs and check the kitchen. There are two routes to get to the kitchen. There is the main-church-hallway/walk-past-the-staff-mailboxes/receptionist-desk route and the through-the-smaller-sanctuary back route. Because I don't want fellow staff members to realize I'm an above-average kitchen-checker I almost always use the back route. Then, I can listen outside the door to see if people are inside. If I hear voices, I usually scram. I can't let people know I was there. I prefer to do my kitchen sneaking in a, well, sneaky way.

By the time I reached the kitchen, at approximately 2:46, I realize I am in luck. On the counter is the better part of a chocolate cake (not really my style), a browning salad bowl of...salad, and two doughnuts. I probably shouldn't eat straight sugar on an empty stomach so after eating one doughnut I get a bowl of salad. I check the refrigerator for dressing, check. I see if there is any pop, check--some coupla-day old Diet Coke. I'm not above that. After chitchatting with some other kitchen guests (shoot, they saw me!) I'm again alone in the kitchen. I'm not proud of what happens next. Remember the two doughnuts? The two doughnuts in the kitchen for this staff of fifty people? The, I'm-lucky-there-was-any-food-at-all-three-hours-after-lunch-why-can't-you-share-you-selfish-doughnut-mongering-pig doughnuts, yeah, I ate both.

Someday, maybe when I'm fifty, I'll be 'that guy' that walks into 'that' situation and doesn't take all remaining food in sight simply because no one will ever know. 'That guy' will share 'then.' Until 'then,' the only sharing I'm doing is here, hoping to get some release from my guilty conscience.

A risky quote

2008-12-05T13:36:00.000-08:00

A friend sent this to me and it resonated with me. What about you?

"The Bible says that Judas was a thief and Jesus knew it [see John 12:4-7]. Yet Jesus made Judas the treasure of his ministry. Why would Jesus make Judas the treasurer when He knew that he was a thief? ...there are only two reasons I can think of. The first one is that Jesus was trying to make Judas fail. But that doesn't seem like the Jesus I know....The second reason I can think of is that Jesus developed a culture of faith around Him. This faith culture was manifested in Jesus' trusting people before they deserved it. This resulted in eleven men becoming world-changers and one man hanging himself. World-changers are only developed in a culture of faith. Faith requires risk and the nature of risk is that sometimes you lose. ...If you don't produce a Judas now and then, you don't trust people as much as you should and you are reducing the number of Peters you will produce. The Kingdom is entered into by faith, lived in through faith, and extended with faith manifested through risk!"

Kris Vallotten "Developing a Supernatural Lifestyle"

Props

2008-12-04T21:26:00.000-08:00

This is good...this is veery good.

Burkina Faso 2009

2008-11-17T23:56:00.001-08:00

This past weekend had a lot going on especially as it relates to Student Ministry and missions at Salem Alliance. We had our second annual reach and was so thrilled on a variety of levels to see the dream of a 'new normal' become a reality as we take seriously our role in discipling students towards worldwide kingdom impact. It also marked the day of the first team meeting for our Student Ministry's second trip to Burkina Faso, Africa, in the last year. I was asked to lead this team and I couldn't be more excited, save one significant piece of disappointment. The excitement? Leading my first international team with two phenomenal other team leaders and nine ridiculously cool kids. Fifteen kids who all could have gone and done great applied which allowed me the brutal chance to crush/postpone six student's dreams for a bit. Not fun. But, March 19-April 1 will be another step forward for our Student Ministry, these particular student's lives and the work God is doing in West Africa. The significant piece of disappointment? There's some conspicuously absent from the team picture below...yuppers, my wife is not going to be able to join me. Which means two sad things, I take two of her small group girls on a trip that is right up her heart's alley, and I spend the longest time I've ever been away from her. The powers that be thought this first trip I lead would be best done with a seasoned short-term trip leader and a construction stud who volunteers for our high school ministry, two amazing individuals but not my favorite person in the world. The show must go on but it breaks my heart to go this one alone. Here's our good-looking team!

Reach 2008

2008-11-02T09:09:00.001-08:00

A heart+creativity+good design=

2008-10-20T22:51:00.000-07:00

Powerful imagery that moves people to action.

Here's my favorite from a cool page that shows 22 other examples of good design for good causes, check it out here.

Monday Miscellaneous

2008-10-20T22:34:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Monday Miscellaneous! Aka, (all together now) "My only post of the week!"

Middle school fall retreat this weekend-good times had by all. The theme was snapshots and even had one of those photo booths that would give a string of four pictures! We took about 1/4 of our group, a little small unfortunately, maybe because of price. We had a powerful time as a group on Sat night as students opened up and shared some heavy stuff, it was so encouraging to see our groups grow further and together at the same time.

Got sick near the end of last week. Being sick is my least favorite thing in the world. My method of coping? Quarantine myself, drink gobs of water, stay away from sugar, down vitamin C, get a ridiculous amount of sleep and do nothing in hopes of wiping it out in a day rather than it lingering for a week. Here's to waking up healthy manana!

Decided to get my iphone unlocked/upgraded to 2.0, that way it can do all those fun things you see in the commercials. Another $35 though, hence why I had been putting it off. But I got some unexpected $$ love and decided to splurge!

Speaking five times at a spiritual emphasis week this coming monday at Western Mennonite school, I'm getting very excited. Theme verse- 21 Cor 9:24-27 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

Overslept an early appt with my senior pastor this past week, of all my brilliant moments that is now near the top.

My wife's a stud and is a phenomenal blogger and is quite nice to me in said blog posts, i'm not as cool as she paints me out to be, check her out here! Not like that...

Monday Miscellaneous

2008-10-13T23:40:00.000-07:00

This monday has twenty minutes left, I better hurry!

Finished the class I was co-teaching/TA-ing with my dad, leadership and culture. It really was a lot of fun, more work than I expected, but good to be done.

Only problem is I don't do well with 'less.' Just ask my wife. There's probably some deep-seated reason for that I'll have to pay some counselor to tell me what and why. I'm not sure what the time will get filled with!

My attempts at eating 3 meals a day are going great! Random, but, trying to stay healthy and so far I'm achieving that about 75% of the time.

My attempts at exercising 3 times a week...yeah, not so much. I used to play soccer once a week, no more. I used to play tennis once a week, no more. I used to do this thing called running, no more. I'm frustrated and feeling the effects of it. What to do.

Had an amazingly awesome wonderful start to our midweek last week. A solid, huge-energy night that had WAAY more students than we expected. Let's say we were 30% bigger than when we ended last year? What happened?!? Maybe our church is finally growing again...maybe starting in october instead of september allowed interest to grow, maybe...kids actually like it?

Watched Body of Lies over the weekend, wow, we completely loved it.

Spoke this weekend to middle school and high school (most were on their fall retreat) on nonviolence and the New Testament. Not a true sermon, mostly the things I've been wrestling with regarding Jesus' words on love, enemies, nonviolence, and the times in which we live.

Difficult Languages

2008-10-08T14:58:00.000-07:00

As my wife and I explore learning a new language, which we've always been fascinated by, I'm reminded of the difficulty of our mother tongue, English. Here is something I came across that exemplified some of the odd aspects of the English language.

Let's face it English is a stupid language.
There is no egg in the eggplant
No ham in the hamburger
And neither pine nor apple in the pineapple.
English muffins were not invented in England
French fries were not invented in France.

We sometimes take English for granted
But if we examine its paradoxes we find that
Quicksand takes you down slowly
Boxing rings are square
And a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.

If writers write, how come fingers don't fing.
If the plural of tooth is teeth Shouldn't the plural of phone booth be phone beeth
If the teacher taught,
Why didn't the preacher praught.

If a vegetarian eats vegetables
What the heck does a humanitarian eat!?
Why do people recite at a play
Yet play at a recital?
Park on driveways Drive on parkways

You have to marvel at the unique lunacy
Of a language where a house can burn up as
It burns down
And in which you fill in a form
By filling it out
And a bell is only heard once it goes!

English was invented by people, not computers
And it reflects the creativity of the human race
(Which of course isn't a race at all)

That is why
When the stars are out they are visible
But when the lights are out they are invisible
And why it is that when I wind up my watch
It starts
But when I wind up this observation,
It ends.

Now that's funny~

2008-10-01T12:26:00.001-07:00

I think I would wear this.

Monday Miscellaneous

2008-09-29T19:33:00.001-07:00

"Monday Miscellaneous" has quickly turned into "my only post of the week." Ahh...it's alright.

Threw a bunch of stuff on craigslist today, hopefully some of it will sell, need to pay off the ol' Scooter ticket from a bit ago.

I am realizing more and more how much of a people person/need to be in the center of a lot of social activity kind of guy I am. In college it was great because that was easy. In fact, I had to be intentional at getting time away from the action because I do need some down/alone time. However, post college it's quite the opposite. I feel Becca and I get a great amount of time a week and I feel I can get my alone time when I need it as well. It's the lots of people time that takes a lot of work to maintain. That, coupled with the fact that the primary initiator in our family, my wife, has a different social appetite, leaves me with less of this than I was probably designed for. Oh well, being aware is half of the solution, i'm trying to think of creative ways to rub shoulders more with folks on evenings and weekends without overdoing my schedule, i'll keep ya posted!

Visited a new/different church in town yesterday simply because we could. A charismatic church on the other side of town. It was a great church that had very engaging worship and engaged folks, encouraging to see. The best way I can summarize the differences between our home church and this church is to say that SAC colors inside the lines and Life Church colors outside the lines. Probably the same crayons and the same paper but that subtle, simple difference explains it in my mind. I like many aspects of a colors-outside-the-lines church, there are some aspects I find a wee bit odd and especially uncomfortable for first-time church-goers. A great experience though and refreshing for my soul!

That's all for this week, see ya next time!

Monday Miscellaneous

2008-09-22T17:51:00.000-07:00

Okay so it's a little late, and in only its second week. Nonetheless, here she is!

-I lost to my wife's team in fantasy football this week. We play on one of TWO leagues at church (interest has grown). It's decently fun...when my team plays well. What is funniest is that inevitably at top of either league at the end of the season is some lady on staff who never even checked or did anything to their team. Good times...

-Had the first poker night I've ever hosted last night with some college-age friends. It was a lot of fun, although, I lost at that too! Unlike fantasy football, however, that cost me $5! Not bad though for close to five hours of fun.

-I constantly find the same things on my to-do list day after day, do any of you experience this? Apparently, I really avoid certain things I don't enjoy doing, not a good trait, I need to kick this!

-Check-in system week 2, much better, still not great. It's just too slow still. If we have any hope of this being a long-term fit in middle school it's got to get faster, and that's not even getting close to high school who I think would have a much lower tolerance level for stuff like this...we'll see. Usually faster means expensive-r.

-Rode my scooter in the rain and sub 60 degree weather this weekend....oh wow...that's cold and really really wet. I was completely soaked through in less than two blocks.

-played way to long with a new web-based program called sprout, watch that intro video, this thing is revolutionary. I'm imagining all the possibilities!

Monday Miscellaneous

2008-09-15T14:08:00.000-07:00

One of the blogs I read of a rockstar middle school pastor does a weekly post called "Monday Miscellaneous" and I've decided I'm completely ripping off the idea. He just posts some random thoughts, most of which wouldn't warrant an entire blog post. Since I've had trouble getting posts up I thought this weekly smörgåsbord might get my posts up.

-This weekend was weekend one of our church's two weekend "discovery weekend." We combine a spiritual gifts seminar with highlighting all the different ministries of the church to raise awareness and snag a few volunteers. The folks running this thing used to think that each booth needed to look the same so everything would be fair. LameO! This year we got a little more room for creativity so my wife helped me throw some random stuff up behind ours. It turned out nice and we got to talk to about 6-7 interested folks, sweet! And we've still got another week!

-Finally decided to buy a mobile me account for the primary purpose of making it easier to edit and maintain our iweb web page. The old model of publishing the iweb site to a folder and using transmit to upload it to some ftp thing was so laborious, confusing and time-consuming that I just never did it. So, I bit the bullet, paid my $99 and now I can hit one button, publish and it's done. I was paying $60 before and so this isn't too much of a difference. The only trouble has been getting my old webhost to close my account so that gotothelink.com will finally show the new content. It should be done by today or tomorrow.

-I've taken over leadership of the creative ministries team for the fall and I'm encouraged with how things are going. Sean O'Connor was employed by our church for the summer to take our struggling--at best, worship ministry and provide some structure, unity and momentum heading into the fall. Even though our student ministries team is well-staffed no one has direct responsibility for this area, hence, its current state. Sean did a great job this summer building into one strong team, implementing a new rehearsal schedule and so far so good. He headed off to YWAM Montana and he's no doubt gonna continue in his rock star journey. So...every saturday at 2:30 I show up and do 30 minutes of setup and sound check, 30 minutes of spir formation/creative planning/team stuff and then each week's guest leader leads a rehearsal for an hour. The leader (solo) then stays and does the 5:00 MS/HS hour and then the whole band shows up the next day to do MS at 9:30 and HS at 11. We've got about 4 different folks willing to come in and be guest leaders on a rotating basis. I really think this system is going to work as long as my lack of administrative skills don't ruin it!

-We (Middle School ministry) are currently in the process of deciding if we're going to attempt a city-wide middle school film festival as a creative way to reach waaay more students than we normally do...I'm pretty sure we're doing it but we're asking ourselves the tough questions about what it will take to do it justice and if we have the resources, $$ and time between now and Dec 12 to pull it off...

-At our first MS volunteer staff meeting in September we asked our group to set some goals for our ministry year. I was blown away by their enthusiasm, passion and vision to see God to incredible things with our ministry. To level the playing field I will use percentages because actual numbers can be misleading and separate rather than unite, i.e. we'd like to grow by 30% this year, not gain 4,231 kids. ;)

I tried to talk them out of some of these but they were persistent.

Goal 1-see our front door/outreach-oriented program grow by 30% from month 1 to month 9 Goal 2-see 17% increase of new-believers (regularly attending, connected to a group) Goal 3-see the MS film festival draw 800% more students than we see on a regular basis(we think this could be huge) Goal 4-see our game show outreach in the spring grow by 10%

I'll keep you posted on how we do!

-Anyone use this? Poll Everywhere? This thing looks soo cool, a little pricey but maybe for a couple one-time events? I can't wait to try it out.

-I'm finally enjoying structure in my work routine again. Summer's lack of structure threw me into major funk and I'm glad that the school year has got me feeling a little better and much more productive. My new goal at work is to never check my iGoogle page at work, maaajor time-waster, so far so good!

-We debuted a new computer check-in system this weekend to mediocre results. We've been working for more than 12 months on a way for us to track who's showing up. For a ministry of our size I believe it's imperative we are still able to have a high-touch and pastoral feel even though there's a ton of kids. We've headed down so many routes, fingerscan, touch screen, bar codes, you name it we tried it. I programmed a homemade check-in system through Excel last year that worked but took too much time to compile all the data. It was helpful, however, in getting a feel for how students would respond to 'checking in.' Our middle schoolers weren't phased so this year we upgraded to a system that would allow our check-in to tap into our churchwide membership database. Then, this thing can print us incredibly relevant data like... first-timers in october how many we average how many different students we see in a month it can alert us to anyone who attended 'regularly' and then dropped off that pattern so we can send them a card... etc... The software was pretty spendy as was our second laptop to run it but it's a worthwhile investment in my opinion. The computers were slow and the line got backed up pretty bad. The program also spits out errors every once in a while which is frustrating, not to mention it takes about 5 minutes to load. We'll talk about it this week and see where we go from here...

Girly/Burly 2008

2008-08-12T18:05:00.000-07:00

Below is our second annual Girly/Burly. It's nothing more than a five hour adventure where boys do burly things and girls do girly things. It's a pretty simple concept and it's a ton of fun. This year the boys headed off to a par three golf course, many playing 'real golf' for the first time in their lives. The girls headed off to make memories or something at some clay pottery store thingy. Lame-oo if you ask me ;) Anyways, we met up at the Dallas Aquatic Center to end a fun day. Here's a few of our adventures, enjoy!

On pace

2008-07-24T11:18:00.000-07:00

You might have learned from my twitter that I've decided to train for a half marathon. I wouldn't call myself a pure runner but I am competitive and do enjoy a challenge. A fair amount of co-workers have done a half the past two years and it finally came to the point where I said, if they can do it, i can do it. So, in the spirit of 'bring it--don't sing it,' here goes nothing. My goal is a 7:30 pace, that'd beat most of the other SACers and is also realistic yet crazy challenging considering the fact that it's taken me about two years to run the last 13 miles and that's about 2 months/mile pace. With the beautiful technology available to us today and a gift card from Best Buy from either Erik or Michelle (thanks!) I got a Nike+ runner thingymabobber. I thought I could share it with my wife but apparently they sync to one person's stride/weight etc so very graciously she's letting me use it but I think we'll get her one with the other gift card. ;) Anyways, third run total, first with the fun technology so here I go, let's see if I can stay on pace!

My week this week

2008-07-14T11:13:00.000-07:00

Hello all you punks in never never land, it's time I resurface again and do more than just update my twitter. I love twitter by the way, you don't need to have anything important to say, it's easy to update and i really feel connected to people through the smallest of details I'm regularly let in on. For instance, my sister-in-law started twittering and instead of 3-4 phone calls to them and one week a year if we're lucky i feel like she/they're not as far away and that does my soul good, well, whatever, you know what i mean. Okay, back to this week. I'm pulling double-duty and thinking this is going to work. I'm speaking in the evenings at the youth services of Family Camp for our district. Five talks in all. This week also happens to be the week of our middle school camp up at George Fox University called YouthQuake. The camps are only about twenty minutes apart and fortunately Family Camp really only needed a speaker for the evenings, not the regular type speaker where you're expected to dive in and get to know students and participate in as much as possible. They've got staff for that apparently and so after consulting with my VIP's we decided this might just work. Our staff for youthquake is solid and so I'm excited. I'll spend the days and sleep at youthquake and spend the evenings at family camp. Unfortunately, my wife has to work and won't be able to join me for either, but such is life and we're trying to be adults. Also, she's got one more mouth to feed and butt to clean up after in case you hadn't read. I was going to give the same general messages I gave at DYC earlier this spring which are huge in my mind and heart right now but I'm beginning to think that plan won't work as well as I maybe thought. I'm kind of sensing an audible right now. For starters, I've got four talks from DYC and found out a couple days ago family camp was five talks, not four, wups. Also, some camps/retreats are very message/general session focused meaning the week(end) is geared largely around the large group worship and message times and there are some camps/retreats that are very much activity focused meaning the worship and message times supplement the rest of the stuff. DYC was an example of the first, family camp is an example of the latter. Case in point, (or is that phrase, 'case and point?') at DYC i was given around 45 minutes per message. Last night as I was getting up to speak the guy tells me, why don't you shoot for, ohh, maybe 20 minutes. I laughed to myself and said, alrighty, here we go! Also, DYC was a bit more of a serious retreat where I felt the students were really there to be challenged, grow and wrestle through some things in their faith, this camp has a lighter feel I'm sensing, still an importance on growing but not quite as deep maybe. What I'm not saying is that one of these is better than the other. BOTH have their time and place. What I am saying is that the purpose for a gathering of students and the circumstances in which they're gathered really do affect what type of message should be given. So...I'm still figuring out where we'll go with talks 2-5. I feel good about the first one, it was a combo of 2 Kings 6 with Elisha, 1 Peter 5:8 and Jeremy's classic poop story, (i'm gonna get so much mileage out of that story, thanks bro :). My main goal was to break the ice, let them in a bit on who I am and establish the foundation for the rest of the week. I'd appreciate your prayers as we make some 'game time decisions.' I'll try and let you know where we end up going! A side treat that is ironic and fun is that the group doing the music all week where I'll be speaking is lifevoice from Crown! It's so trippy. They are a phenomenal group and it's been fun to serve alongside them. I love that place! Becca and I hosted one of them Saturday night at our house. After four or five choir tours, a summer of touring with stand your ground and close to one hundred host homes it was finally our turn to be on the other end. Okay, gotta run, adios!

I promise to wear my helmet

2008-06-03T11:41:00.000-07:00

I often rebel against 'safety' measures like wearing helmets, washing my hands a lot, and other random stuff . Every once in a while I get a rude awakening that those safety measures are there for a reason and while I do believe I'm immortal until God is done with me I also believe that being an idiot could end my life prematurely. I do stupid stuff like setting 10 feet tall fires only to find out that fires within city limits should not exceed 3 feet wide and 2 feet tall. I take river kayaks into 45 degree ocean water at eight o'clock at night, fall out of said kayak and proceed to endanger my life and others while trying to beach my kayak on rocks with waves crashing onto them. I admit, not always wise, but I do like living life on the edge in ways that make me feel alive. However, I have gotten a motorcycle helmet for our new scooter, one because it's the law, two because I value my life and want to set a good example and three because I don't want to be dead after experiencing something like this awful tragedy that happened a few days ago. What a picture, ouch!

21

2008-05-26T21:42:00.000-07:00

I'm officially joining card-counters anonymous. I'm serious, Spirit Mountain here I come. Can it honestly be that hard? I've still got the mnemonic device in my head. Actually, I know that it's a lot harder than it looks but the movie "21" based loosely on the book, "Bringing Down the House," was very entertaining. Had it not been true I don't know if it would have had the same impact because it lacks much of the draw of other casino movies like Oceans Eleven. But, the simple fact that some college students from MIT made hundreds of thousands of dollars doing something that wasn't even illegal was pretty impressive. I think I've told you enough about the movie without ruining it. Apparently some thought the film should have cast more Asian-Americans as the actual MIT Blackjack team was primarily Asian-American. It didn't get the craziest reviews but like I said the fact that it's based on a true story kept my attention. So...go see the movie and then see if you want to join me!

The Pope

2008-05-25T21:27:00.000-07:00

My dad had the distinct honor to sit on stage at Biola's centennial graduation ceremony right next to Rick Warren. Yep, there's my dad in the bottom right next to the Pope himself, how cool is that? Want some dirt on the dude? No? I'll give you some anyways. This is only juicy if you're a church nerd like myself and wonder what these people chat about sitting on stage. Apparently he preaches 26 weekends a year at Saddleback and spends the rest of his time away focusing on, the things he cares most about these days, their work around the world with the P.E.A.C.E plan. Check it out!

Fate?

2008-05-23T11:46:00.000-07:00

My heart is in such angst regarding, what I believe to be, one of the most important questions a Christ-follower has to answer and that being, 'what is the fate of those who have never heard?' I have said for some time that the answer to this question determines the direction and focus of my life perhaps more than any other issue. As it currently stands I have an answer yet I still find myself searching for a deeper level of conviction on that answer. I'm really open to being wrong. It could simply be my perception but it seems lately that more and more Christ-followers with an audience are shifting answers in regards to this question including but not limited to Peter Kreeft, Brian McLaren and Rob Bell. What do you think? Actually I don't care that much what you think any more than I put stock in what I think. What does scripture say? What scripture relates to this? If you ever read this thing go ahead and throw out some verses or your 2 cents. None of us have it figured out exactly but I'd value your perspective.

Go Brother!

2008-05-14T15:17:00.000-07:00

Homeboy barely made it in from Africa the night before but got his M.D./Ph.D. this past weekend, what a stud! I'll post some pictures of my mother who graduated as well when I get them!

Home Values...

2008-05-14T13:34:00.000-07:00

As the proud owner of a home in Salem, the following news was both surprising and encouraging, courtesy of Zillow.com Home Value Trends in Salem According to Zillow's latest Home Value Report, home values in Salem decreased 0.7% in the first quarter of 2008, compared to the first quarter of 2007. Nationally, single-family home values decreased 7.5% while condo values declined 9.0% during this same period. Sad that something that has traditionally been a solid investment is kind of struggling, happy that our random city is 10x better than the national average.

Missionaries then and now...

2008-05-06T20:41:00.001-07:00

A graph from my class, World Church Growth Principles and Strategies, yum yum!

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF MISSIONARIES BETWEEN
1970	2007
1. The call to cross-cultural missions was normally a permanent one.	1. The call to cross-cultural missions is not necessarily permanent. “Long-term” for Gen Xers maxes out at four to five years!
2. Cross-cultural ministry was seen as a career.	2. Cross-cultural ministry is most likely only one portion of a career. It looks good on an evangelical resume.
3. Expected to remain in one country until retirement.	3. Can transition countries various times (I even served in two countries).
4. A B.S. degree was sufficient for my mission.	4. A Master’s degree is now normally required and even Ph. D.s are showing up on the mission field (at least for brief periods of time before they move on to the academic world. Example A would be your professor!)
5. On the mission field in your early 20s	5. Rarely on the mission field before the 30s
6. Mission agency decisions were unquestioned.	6. All decisions are questioned!
7. Pretty much told what to do and where to go.	7. The missionary has veto power over decisions pertaining to his/her life and ministry.
8. Kids went to boarding school. Local options rarely used but allowed on exceptional basis.	8. Few kids go to boarding school. The C&MA has withdrawn from “running” boarding school during these 35 years. Most MKs now go to local private schools.
9. Five year terms. (My in-laws served seven year terms.)	9. Two year terms are become more common.
10. No IRA plan. When you retired you depended on the “mission communities” for cheap or even free housing.*	10. Various IRA plans with matching mission contributions. Many missionaries I know own homes!
11. Ships still used as a means of transportation to and from the field.	11. Ships no longer used. You only use ships for vacation cruises!!!!!!!
12. National Church had little if any say in the missionary’s ministry.	12. National Church has more control of the missionary’s ministry.
13. Church planting was the norm.	13. Church planting is the exception.
14. Nurturing ministry was done but not the focus.	14. Nurturing ministry is the main focus.
15. Community development and relief ministries just starting to become a major factor in missions.**	15. Community development and relief ministries now outnumber church planting agencies.
16. No trips to the homeland during a “term” unless there was an emergency.	16. Annual trips to the homeland are common.
17. Telegrams were the most efficient means of rapid communication - and done only on an as needed basis.	17. The Internet has replaced the telegram and the fax machine.
18. No phone in the first two homes I lived in on the field.	18. Satellite phones keep us in touch 24/7.
19. No TV; Armed Forces Radio or BBC were THE major news outlets and accessed only by Short Wave radio.	19. ALL U.S. TV channels can be accessed anywhere in the world. (This is NOT necessarily a “plus”!)
20. Rural ministries the norm.	20. Rural ministries the exception.
21. Ministry mainly among the marginalized.	21. A good portion of ministry effort is focusing on the influential and affluent classes.
22. Missionary body divided into veterans and rookies.	22. No overt divisions among missionary body (but implicit divisions still exist).
23. Not much specialization.	23. A plethora of specializations.
24. Cell Church was an anomaly.	24. Cell churches are becoming the norm.
25. Small, non-descript, out-of-the-way church buildings.	25. Strategically located large and attractive church buildings.
26. Short-term missionaries were an oddity.	26. Short-term missionaries now outnumber the traditional missionary.
27. “Lone Ranger” missionary model and image.	27. Almost ALL team ministries; and international teams at that!
28. Little “sending church” involvement	28. “Sister Churches” and “Partnerships” are common between sending and receiving churches.
29. Blackboards, typewriters, and mimeograph copiers	29. PowerPoint, text messages, and instant sharing of material
30. Big Brother mentality in vogue.	30. Big Brother mentality is thoroughly discredited.

I'm irrelevant...

2008-04-07T13:01:00.000-07:00

The leadership development organization Growing Leaders recently asked focus groups of young adults (ages 16-24) how they prefer to receive communication. Their order of preference: text messages, MySpace and/or Facebook, podcasts, instant messaging, cell phone, CDs and DVDs. E-mail finished off the list in last place. [Growing Leaders Leadership Link, 3/08; ivyjungle.org, 3/08] I'd been noticing this growing trend that my ingenious idea of using email to get in touch with our students was depressingly ineffective. Things change fast and this solid data definitely requires me to take a look at how we communicate with our students. I basically hear them saying, use email as a last resort. The interesting phenomenon is that MySpace and Facebook both has simple email features yet because they're embedded in so much more than just an email address it seems to get the priority attention. We've recently been attempting to figure out how to send group text messages from a computer, we're not quite there yet but I'll keep you posted. I should do this survey with our middle schoolers, I wonder what they'd say. The only problem is I'd want to email it to them...hmm...what to do?

2008-04-04T17:32:00.001-07:00

Think it might be time for an update to the middle school webpage?

Gringo in the Serengeti overnight without a gun--The Never-Ending Adventures of Bird Mann pt 5

2008-04-04T11:37:00.001-07:00

Had a MAJOR scare two nights back - I was in the Serengeti and got my jeep stuck in a mud hole (in retrospect it was more like a small lake and I should have driven around on the savannah - a classic hindsight is 20/20 situation - argh!). This was right after I had seen my first pair of lions resting in the shade (they are enormous and so powerful!) This pair had taken a hippo just the night before - a hippo that weighs much more than me AND my jeep - yikes! The worst part was that because of the political tensions there are no tourists here and the one vehicle I saw in an hour turned back before I could wave them down. But I needed to go forward to exit the right gate and head to Uganda. So . . . I got stuck, around 5pm and it gets dark at 6:30. The harder I spun my wheels the more stuck I got, even with 4x4. Hmm . . . the Jeep commercials were not too funny anymore. My jeep was leaning way to the left and I had about 10 gallons of swamp water . . . hmm . . . and I was afraid that if I stayed overnight I would sink in and never make it out. Oh dear. I got out and looked around. The elephants and giraffes looked a bit askance as I started down the road. You see, no one ever walks in the Serengeti, so the animals just see Land Rovers, not bipeds! My map said there was a lodge about 15kilometers down the road. I hoped it was right and started running in the beautiful evening light. This was one of the scariest things I have ever done. If I couldn't find the lodge or get there in time I thought my gravestone could read: Gringo in the Serengeti overnight without a gun. I seriously thought about writing a love note to Kitty in my bird book and giving them a number to call in case all was left was my book. To cut short the terror, I made it to the gate about 30 minutes after the sun went down. I was worn out and shaking a bit. You know (because I'm writing) that I made it, but I heard growling in the bushes along the way and didn't know how the story would end. As I came panting up, the rangers looked at me in amazement. The first thing they asked was, "Are you a man of God?" No joke - they said there's no way you can survive out there. My plan to climb a tree for the night would have been foiled by a leopard that can climb better than me. PRAISE THE LORD! I guess He's not done with me yet. I bonded with guys for a while and then we took their Land Cruiser out and pulled out my jeep without too much trouble. They were so kind to me and treated me like a brother. They live out there six weeks at a time away from their families, fighting poachers, to save this world treasure of an area. I was so worn out but they gave me a shower and insisted on treating me as an honored guest. It was my first hot dinner in a while. I slept well in my jeep and continued on at daybreak. By some miracle my clothes and books escaped getting drenched by all that water in the car. The next afternoon I had a tire blow out (the roads are terrible in the Mara!) but it was right in front of a Christian man's farm. They helped me find a good repair man in the next town and I got to bond with the people - it was wonderful! I met two cute little girls who wanted to touch my hair and giggle. The Kenyans are truly so warm and generous, and I have finally gotten used to them staring at me all the time. Before I left the Mara I got to find another pride of lions and saw a huge lioness hunting in the grass. I've probably watched this on National Geographic hundreds of times since I was a boy but it was completely different from 40 feet - God's majesty is so evident. Oh before I forget I wanted to mention a black-and-white colobus monkey - look them up if you can! Also eland and kudu! Wow. Today I had another sort of divine appointment with a kind of prophetic guy who just commands respect by his presence. He is the John Muir of Kenya and I felt so blessed to meet him at his home by a whole series of "coincidences" . . . right now he's working to save Kakamega Forest (the easternmost reach of the Guinea-Congolian rainforest) and nearby grasslands from the monstrous sugarcane, tea, and rose farms on the north shore of Lake Victoria. He is a strong believer and we were both really encouraged. Rather than calling for more guards to keep people from felling trees, he developed an innovative approach involving community partnerships (helping people to see the forest as a precious, limited resource that is their motherland, not the governments, that they can steward sustainably for their grandchildren). This is now the gold standard for conservation movements the world over. Oh, and guess what his name is! It's Wilberforce - quite a figure. He was actually christened Kenneth but he found a book about WW and changed his name. Okay, enough stories - I'm running a couple days behind and headed to Kampala, UG tonight. Love to you all! Jase =) PS: Another praise - you may recall that God blessed me with 341 birds in India, which is good. I was hoping for 800 total, with maybe 500 in Africa (and 41 overlap). Well, I'm just leaving Kenya (with ten days in Uganda left), and today I passed 900 total, including over 650 in Kenya - I can't believe it! This combined African part costs about $15,000 and they don't get this many birds . . . my world record was 863 in South America last July, but I'm not counting this as surpassing that because it's covered two areas. But still - I found 500 birds in America over 20 years, so 500 in Africa in 10 days is a bit overwhelming to say the least. A lifetime of memories (and close scrapes) with God providing through it all. Just wanted to share this joy with you.

Whoville Field Trip

2008-04-01T20:39:00.001-07:00

Had a great Sunday afternoon adventure last week with some amazing middle schoolers. We had just finished a series on the Bible called, What's This? We had divided the Bible into 12 eras each complete with a name, a hand motion, a sound, and a sentence. We figured that if you could see the whole story of scripture as connected and remember the parts that connect it then your understanding of the Bible would be better, as would your ability to explain it to someone else. We added a special challenge to anyone who could memorize all the 3 S's (signs, sounds, and sentences) for all 12 eras and Psalm 119:9-11. This was almost a full page of words and verses that they had to recite near-perfect. Welp, 8 did it! And they were all girls (what does that tell you? Personally, I don't know, but something!) I was so proud of them and their 'prize' was a trip up to Portland for a fancy lunch and a free movie! So...where'd we go and what'd we see? Uh, only the best restaurant in the world, PF Changs and walked on over afterwards to get to now our new best friend, Horton. Good job ladies!

Little Brutha Round 2

2008-04-01T20:18:00.000-07:00

I know blogs are supposed to be about the person writing them, namely myself, but with such fascinating things going on around me I've got to shift the attention off myself every once in a while (don't worry, i'll bring it back to me shortly ;) and focus on those who inspire me. You've read about my wife, Immaculee, my parents, my friends, my older brother, and now the attention shifts to my younger brother. He is going to absolutely kill me for doing this, he hates this kind of attention, but what are big brothers for? I was perusing Biola's website and then what did I see, staring back at me? Why, the face of some relatee, namely lao di di (chinese for youngest child, pardon the rhyme).

Yup, that's his mug alright! Apparently he has a unique role on the Biola Associated Students staff and that of...well, why don't we let his bio speak for itself...

How cool is that? And in a tie and everything, this dude is sharp. Well, I better wrap this up cause I can feel his 'older-brother-acting-like-a-schmuck' patience wearing thin. Okay, how about one more thing, just a comment from one of his recent events, hosting the acclaimed historian George Marsden.

Greg, I couldn't have said it better myself. That's all folks, just a toast to the lao di di who'll hopefully forgive me.

Immaculee Ilibagiza

2008-03-31T15:53:00.000-07:00

The other night Becca and I had an enjoyable evening with our friends, the Glazes and their friend Michelle from Biola. We went to Willamette University for the evening to hear the amazing story of Immaculee Ilibagiza. Wow, I had a little forewarning about who she was but I was not prepared for her gracious and powerful retelling of the atrocities that took place in Rwanda in 1994. For those who are unaware, almost 1,000,000 people were killed in 100 days. That was 10% of the total country's population at the time. She hid for 91 days in her pastor's 3' x 4' bathroom along with six other women.

Her story is primarily one of forgiveness and reconciliation. I was expecting that but what I wasn't expecting was the degree to which she believed Christ was the only one who could make that forgiveness and ensuing peace, possible. It felt ironic being on such an intentionally liberal campus in the least-churched state in America hearing this woman talk about the hope, peace and forgiveness made possible only through Jesus. Needless to say, it was incredibly inspiring and genuine. I think I'll pick up her book and get a more detailed version of the story, below is an excerpt from the book's website in regards to its popularity. Left to Tell has sold more than 250,000 copies worldwide, been made into a documentary, and through her Left to Tell Charitable Fund has raised over $150,000 for the orphans of Rwanda. Ms. Ilibagiza has been invited to speak to a range of audiences including dignitaries of the world, multinational corporations, churches, and local school children. The importance of her story has been recognized and honored with numerous humanitarian awards, including an honorary doctoral degree from the prestigious University of Notre Dame; the Mahatma Gandhi International Award for Reconciliation and Peace 2007; a finalist as one of Beliefnet.com’s “Most Inspiring People of the Year 2006;” and a Christopher Award, “affirming the highest values of human spirit.”Left to Tell has been chosen as Outreach Magazine’s selection for “Best Outreach Testimony/Biography Resource of 2007, and for the 2007-2008 One Book program at Villanova University making it a mandatory read for 6,000 students.

The Never-Ending Adventures of Bird Mann pt 4

2008-03-31T15:38:00.000-07:00

This is a great installment, hilarious and eye-opening, read on!

I don't want to romanticize it, but Africa really is an amazing place. Here are some highlights and lowlights:

3/24

Tired of everyone staring at me! Not only am I a big white guy (way over 99% of the people I've seen are African), but I'm looking for birds! I think I'm the most interesting thing that people have seen in a long time, so they stare at me all day . . . I'm actually relieved to get in the true bush because it's hard not to be self-conscious! In a small way, I think it's a bit of a taste for how celebrities feel, and why they go to special places for vacation, hate the paparazzi, and go out with bodyguards in disguise! Happy Belated Easter - I was up in the mountains at the time (Taita Hills) in a Christian area (more Muslim on the coast) and it was WONDERFUL on Easter morning to hear people praising the Lord all over the mountain side - there were few times I was out of earshot of a church - their music is so alive and fun as well!

It is very very hot! I pretty much sweat all day long, which is not too cool to be honest (no pun intended!) I am a bit surprised by how humid it is here along the Indian Ocean - there are some breezes (the water's beautiful though I haven't been in that mode really wihtout my B!) but even the breezes are heavy and hot . . . I've been sleeping fine in my trusty Rav-4, I basically read after dinner with the air on to cool down and then when I wake up sweating in the night just turn the air on for a whie, then I wake up again cause it's really cold! But it works =)

3/26

Aftr I arrived I drove down to the coast to Mombasa and up to Malindi . . . that's my starting point for this whole trek . . . I birded a big special forest called Arabuko-Sokoke and then hedaded inland, first through Tsavo West National Park and then Amboseli National Park. I saw some really neat animals there and got caught in a massive rain storm yesterday - I was just downslope from Kilimanjaro as well, and the road was actually washed out in one spot so had to go a LONG way around! But it was okay because I've been blessed to find neat birdies all the way . . . Kenya is more touristy than India, more expensive. My RAV4 is doing great, one flat, and the front shock got knocked out twice, leak in the power steering fluid but it rides like a dream compared to the little cars I normally get, though it uses gas and gas is really expensive, like $5 a gallon - yikes! It's normally high and then with the post=election problems the transport was disrupted driving prices higher . . . I walked across the border into Tanzania last night and the little boys around me asked if I knew David Becham in America! The people are wonderful and I ate in a muslim hotel that night - good beef for the first maybe the whole trip - I've had mild diarrhea off and on probably the last week but it's been manageable. No malaria, still taking medicine, finally got a shower after three weeks for $2 night before last - it was something else! Very muddy little town in the sticks, though htey had running water - no light in the shower and people kept walking by to pee against the wall - I was trying to was hmy clothes as well - qite an experiencE! I've now made it back from the coast to Nairobi (hence email) and I'm headed north to Mount Kenya right now . . .then to the desert north of there, then Rift Valley x2 days, then swap my jeep for a fresh one, Masaai Mara, Kakamega (greatest forest in Kenya) and finally into Uganda. So I'm working west!

Tons and tons of wonderful birds!! Really neat people called Masaai last couple days - try and look them up - very cool . . . and some really special animals . . . last night I watched about 100 elephants, each troup led by a wise female, and 200 cape buffalo (incl calves!), wildebeast, zebra and giraffes with hippopotamus/grants gazelle/impala/spotted hyena/mongoose/jackel all grazing, chilling in a marsh below majestic Mount Kilimanjaro - it was unbelievable . . . all by myself iwth the Lord - also saw Gray Crowned Crane - so cool! And Kori Bustard! and Ostrich - wow ! Flamingos, on and on . . . Lots of smaller birds that are a real challenge to identify but my book is good.

3/31

Finished my time in the desert and mountains, down in the Great Rift Valley and yesterday saw my first CRASH of rhinos - incredible - a couple we wallowing in the mud to cool off and my jeep got about 20 feet away - I came across a big herd of elephants in the mountains a couple days ago and it was actually kind of scary - you could hear them crashing in the forest and then every once in a while one would appear and rumble across the road. . . God did such a good job with them. Lake Nakuru has about 1million lesser flamingos (and lesser amounts of greater flamingos) and that was a treat yesterday. If you saw the movie "Constant Gardener" parts of it are set in the lake and you can see Baboon Lookout. Still no predators (lion, cheetah, or leopard) though I haven't been looking . . . I keep telling Kitty I'm saving the real "normal/tourist" things for later with my family =)

I've learned about keeping a Rav-4 well-tuned - in case you ever need it mama -aren't you driving one these days too? Good food is hard to come by - in the develping world restaurants are often associated with hotels (because people eat at home unless traveling) and in most of the areas I find myself at dark there are no, um, hotels. So I just eat some crackers (again) - I'm so excited for regular food again! My multivitamins and some anti-malaria meds were stolen from my checked bag from india - only problem like this - but I found some a couple days back in a fancy grocery store near nairobi - so that way i don't ahave to owrry about being malnourished. i got some milk there, drank a litre- much to the giggles of the boys who saw me - and by the next day the rest was soured - kind of interesting! I try and drink bottled juice when I can find it to get some "greens" that's the toughest part about being in the bush.

PTL the day before I arrived Kofi Annan's brokered peace agreement resulted in an amendment to the constitution from the British one that puts tons of power in th presidents hands to split it with a prime minister. I have not feared any violence here and though some goods are in a bit of short supply it's good overall - people are anxious for the state dept to lift the travel advisory b/c tourism is a big part of the econ and it's moving slow. I've enjoyed many beautiful spots completely alone and go many days without seeing a white person.

Obama is REALLY popular here and I got a big discount on my jeep rental when I said that I'd think about voting for him =) apparently his parents wre from Kisumu in the western part near Lake victoria.

I hit a speed bump going about 100kph and launched my jeep several feet in the air - it was actually kind of crazy - just like a stunt movie! I landed okay but one of my shocks needed some work - og figure! They usually warn you but this was in the middle of nowhere on a highway - not too good - one guy said "in America you could sue for something like that!" they LOVE America - and appreciate the support by Bush and visit from Condi after the disputed election . Feel like England has betrayed them a bit. There have actually been lots of "jeep commercial" moments that any guy would love - you're driving on the left side of the road, off roading, fording streams, climbing rocks, etc. Very fun! As they say, drive it like a rental =)

I just swapped my jeep for a freshly tuned one today - the guy was really nice about it and said he didn't want to hear I had broken down in the Ugandan rain forest and have to come get me. So I'm going to the Masaai Mara tonight, then Kakamega rain forest then into Uganda for two weeks to the Rwanda border. I'm basically driving halfway across the continent, from the Indian Ocena in the east through the savannah to the rainforest and mountains that form the "spine" of sub-saharan africa centered on Rwanda/Burundi. In fact, I wanted to go over the crest, down into the enormous Congo rainforest basin - very few roads, but one decent one that goes to the place in Zaire where Mama's leading a team this summer! very cool.

Please pray against loneliness (not too bad), illness, spiritual attack, car theft or trouble. So far so good. Learning a ton.

Much love to you all!

Jase =)

The story of my life...

2008-03-19T11:07:00.000-07:00

My iGoogle quote of the day What can I say? I think all my thoughts are unique and genius, don't we all??

The Never-Ending Adventures of Bird Mann pt 3

2008-03-17T11:14:00.001-07:00

Part 3 of my brother's bird-watching adventure in India-- Hola familia, Hope you're doing well! Just a shorter update today before I fly out to Nairobi tomorrow night. It was my last day high in the mountains and got off to a . . . er . . . bumpy start! I actually swore out loud - yikes not good Jase! I met a local guy yesterday who knew some good birding in the area and we planned to meet at 6:30 this morning at the stop of Snow View, above the old British hill resort of Naini Tal. The problem was that my little (stick shift) car does not do well on steep inclines and it's easy to get lost in the little alleys. I decided to sleep near the summit in my car . . . all went fine until I tried to drive out this morning - in a sleepy stupor I failed to correctly assess the road and ended up backing up into a drainage gutter about one foot wide and two feet deep. Fortunately, this was on the "land" side of the road, not the "air" side, but still, it was 6:15 and I was stuck. To make things worse, about two feet before I went down I realized what was happening and hit the brakes. Even with my emergency brake on, I slide the last two fee t and then clunked down into the hole (bad) and then rammed my back right corner into the stone wall (worse). What a bummer! It's tricky driving stick on the opposite side anyway, but I knew there would be no towtrucks or even pickups around. Most people walk or use a horse. Hmm . . . and my friend was waiting at the top. After freaking out for about two minutes, a sweet grandma who witnessed the whole thing found a couple strapping guys and knocked on my window. I was beginning to give it to the Lord when they went to work. They put stones behind certain tires and stones under the one in the ditch. The found a big crowbar and literally lifted the back end up while I hit the gas . . . kind of scary on a cliffside but they were used to the mountains. Praise the Lord - I made it out and there wasn't even really a scratch on the back corner! Not sure how that happened. So now it's about 6:35 and I head up the hill again, get stuck once again (much smaller this time) and run the rest of the way. My guide helps me push so I can get it into gear without rolling down backwards - yikes! All in all God has been so faithful and I'm headed down the mountain tonight to leave tomorrow. But . . . the main reason I'm writing this is to share about the *incredible* mountains I saw from the top . . . I was basically in the high foothills but you can view the highest mountain in India to the north . . . it's called Nanda Devi and stands over 25,600 feet high. Watching the sun rise and reflect off the gleaming white slopes was breathtaking. God did such a good job with that mountain . . . I had never really understood the whole spiritual draw to the Himalayas until this morning - wow. The sky was such clear blue and you just had to praise the Lord. Bottomline, I now think I want to go to the Himalayas, preferably with some family. Though climbing one of those peaks may be a bit intense for most, you can trek during the summer. I propose that we do this at some point in the next twenty years, my treat, with the difficulty level geared for group.

Oh, one more thing. My birding goal for this trip was 300 over 12 days . . . by comparison a professional tour lasting three weeks found 332. I passed 300 yesterday, and 332 today! I'm now at 340 - praise the Lord! He has really taken great care of me, esp when you consider that the cost of the tour is $7500, while my cost is <$1000. And they didn't even get to sleep in their car! ha

The Never-Ending Adventures of Bird Mann pt 2

2008-03-16T20:20:00.001-07:00

Part 2 of my brother's bird-watching adventure in India-- I drove back into Agra yesterday - this is a major city on the Gangetic plain and famous for that beautiful love poem of marble, the Taj Majal (have you seen that new line of luxury hotels called the Taj? I wonder what that means . . . hmm). It was incredibly beautiful - the white marble changes color with the shades of sunlight - I heard it described as contemplating the different moods of a woman -wow - I don't think I'm going to make any comment on that but thought it was interesting! I have found Hindu culture to be very earthy and sensual in a way - I had heard that Arabs think we Westerners have not imagination when it comes to sensuality, or maybe it's that our movies leave nothing to the imagination. The beautiful saris completely cover women here but I think I can see what they mean. Not to worry Kitty! But there is definitely a different take on gender roles here (much more like we used to be like in the West. It's amazing how they keep their clothes clean in the midst of the dust and dirt. Women draw water at the well or pump twice a day and it was really cool to see them drawing up the buckets from the well in the early morning as I looked for another kind of thrush! Ha! It reminded me of what Abraham's servant must have found when he first met Rebekah. The women walk down the road with even their heads covered - apparently they can still see somehow! And then they balance one or even two water jugs on their head with no hands - unbelievable. The have a little ring that they put on their head to make it more flat, but still pretty neat. I guess this is the closest I have been to the Middle East and the Holy Land, so it's interesting to think of biblical references and the Hebrew worldview in context (versus a more "rational" Greek view I'm used to in the academy). Lots of camels around - they are so big and still scare me a little bit - usually there's a little boy or an old man wrapped in a cloak (looks like Jesus to me) on a wooden cart behind. I'm in the western state of Rajasthan that heads into the Great Indian Desert on the border with Pakistan - ancient stone forts in the desert and caravan tracks. Oh, the most amazing thing today - I found some little shepherd boys and this one little goat kept running away from his buddies - the youngest little shepherd kept chasing him down and bringing him back to the flock but the little guy kept going astray. Finally, this five year old boy came over and picked up the little lamb and physically carried him back to the flock - wow - it was really powerful as I think how faithfully Jesus shepherds us, how often we wander off the path. So God spoke to me there through a biblical image that just came to life in a new way. I can't imagine what it'd be like to actually be in the Holy Land - maybe we could go someday together!

Oh, but I got off track - so most of India is Hindu, though there are lots of different religious traditions. Buddhism started here but is mostly defunct (interesting yeah?), I learned that the guys in Turbans who ride the rickshaws are mostly Sikh, and in Agra there are 40% muslim. So the Taj Majal was built by a Muslim king to his wife who died while delivering their 14th child about 500 years ago. Most Muslims in the subcontinent of South Asia were partioned into Pakistan or Banglidesh around the time of independence in 1947, but India's most famous monument is Muslim from when the Muslims ruled the Hindus (now that I think of it, militant islam is old than I thought, and Gandhi-like Hindus are not known for being mighty warriors!). i also found my first little man riding on the top of an elephant head - wow - i almost fell over it was so cool!! it was a sweet asian elephant with the little ears and his tusks were pretty good and very active nose!

After spending time in the city I needed to get back in the countryside where I belong! It took me about 3 hours to get out of the city - I had the most incredible traffic jam of my life - there were about six lanes of traffic going north south and six going east west into this one intersection - only problem was that each road was only two lanes wide. So this is absolutely mayhem to begin with, and then a big city bus breaks down right in the middle of the intersectino about two minutes before I arrive. (it took me askign about 10 people how to get out of town and i almost thought i'd never make it!) so it was incredible - total chaos - cars, rickshaws, big trucks, camel carts, horse carriages, scooters, motorbikes, regular bikes, all going in every direction on every road . . . and the big city bus in the middle of the whole market, with kids and stray dogs and pink saris and guys welding on the ground and hawking everything under the sun - i would have taken a picture but there was no way to capture the heat and the smells and the different languages and . . . wow - praise the Lord I made it out and without getting my car busted! i have a whole new understandin of rush hour traffic!

I had about a seven hour drive to the west to a special tiger reserve! it's called ranthambore in case you need to procrastinate from something and want to look it up =) so i arrived around ten this morning and met a guy who knew a guy who could get me a ride on an open-top safari bus into the park (no private vehicles allowed). I asked if there was room in any jeeps (six passengers instead of 20 for a more natural experience) and he said yes, then no, so I ate some more curry and got excited!! In the end he squeezed me in a jeep on a last minute cancellation and it was perfect!! I was with a nice naturalist who spoke pretty good English, the drvier and five other passengers. Two Indian guys about to graduate from high school and go to university in engineering (from good families I think - had a regal air about them but friendly) and a lovely austrian family living in australia now. they also spke english and it was my first real english conversation in several days- yipee! they had a darling little five year old blondier and she drew lucky number three in the lottery for which route we took in the park. Apparently three is the best for tigers and birds because it includes the most lake areas which attract crocodiles, tons of spotted and sambar deer and (by extension I guess) - the tigers wahoo! They don't always see tigers but the Lord had already blessed this trip and we were not 100 yars past the gate at the first lake (lots of great water birds) when we spotted a tiger sitting under a tree about 100 yars away - he was just magnificent. We were elated and felt so lucky, when a huge female came padding past our jeep like 20 yards away, spraying for her territory every so often. We tried to be calm but our guide was freaking out because he said we were so lucky! It was so close as to almost scary - you could look right in her eyes, esp through the binocs. The austrian guy got some great shots and said he'd email them to me so I can pass them along. We didn't see any other tigers for the next 2-3 hours but saw lots of neat langur monkeys and other animals - including two incredible male peacocks displaying!! I've seen quite a few peacocks here ni India but these guys had their huge trains up trying to attract a mate - you know I had to keep pinching myself - wow - God sure had fun with them!

So I'm going to sleep in a field tonight and then go on one more safari at sunrise tomorrow before heading through Delhi enroute to several days up in the Himalayas. It has already been more than expected and I've had great time with the Lord. Wonderful learning about the Muslim and Hindu people and God is really growing my heart for them.

Thanks for your prayers, again no need to reply just trying to stay connected across the miles. God is taking great care of me (had my first flat tire of the trip today but close to town and lots of helpful "friends" around!) though I miss you much.

Love JasE =)

Honey, we're (almost) home!!

2008-03-15T11:43:00.001-07:00

Holy schnikeys...the process we've been in of selling our house 'as is' to a friend at church and buying a home we walked through more than a year ago just might be coming to an end. Actually, that's nothing surprising. This whole process has been crazy and almost ended in the bad sense at many points along the way. But...a major hurdle was passed yesterday, read about it on Becca's blog, and we're into the home stretch. We might just move in this Friday, ahhhh!! Welp, here goes nothing and here's the new belle, isn't she gorgeous?

Some of my favorite...

2008-03-09T22:39:00.000-07:00

pictures from my wife and I's trip to China last summer. Enjoy.

Missionary Heroes

2008-03-08T19:27:00.000-08:00

Where have they gone? In reading an inspiring post entitled, "Has Anybody Seen Our Missionary Heroes?" Dr. David Sills laments about the lack of modern-day missionary heroes. He kind of has a point. He writes:

Has anybody seen our missionary heroes? Has anyone heard a dynamic, riveting missions sermon lately? Who can name ten contemporary, outstanding missionary role models under fifty? Where have they gone? Why are they so scarce? Some of my missionary heroes from the past include

Gladys Aylward Hudson Taylor

CT Studd Lottie Moon Amy Carmichael Jim Elliot A.B. Simpson I dream of being one of these dudes someday... Maybe it's just my ego, I've gotta keep that in check, ya know?! You might think that also means we've gotta serve overseas. Well, maybe/maybe not. Maybe we will go or maybe you don't have to serve overseas to be a mobilizer hero the enemy hates. What about you, who are your favorites?

Michael Clayton

2008-03-07T23:04:00.003-08:00

As you know, I LOVE movies. Wow, I really do. And, in an effort to taste what the critics tell me is good, I especially like to watch all the "Best Picture" nominated films every year. It doesn't always happen, but we try. So far I have only seen Atonement, I'll try and write on that later cause I absolutely loved it. But, tonight, was Michael Clayton. I'd say I'd give it an 8 out of 10. I have no idea what that means but I really liked it, but not like Atonement liked it. Clooney was money, he definitely delivered a powerful performance. The plot unfolds slowly but you know it's going somewhere. It was the kind of movie that made not-that-scary things scary. It has dramatic music and powerful imagery. It has a surprising moral theme that I can't say is a given. I could also see someone 'not getting it' because I had to pay attention pretty closely to try and follow along. I still felt like I wasn't always sure what was going on. This movie has a slight resemblance to a good John Grisham book, I think that might be why I really liked it. Either way, well, well done. It was a gripping keep-you-on-the-edge-of-your-seat story.

The Never-Ending Adventures of Bird Mann pt 1

2008-03-07T11:06:00.000-08:00

I asked, and was granted, permission to post the emails my family gets from my older brother as he goes gallivanting around the world in search of...birds. Jason (29) is on the left, Jeremy (22) on the right

Yup, in fact, the Fresno Bee, way back in the day did a cover article in the LIFE section on my older bro, entitled, Bird Mann. He was like a 7th grader at the time...welp, after an undergrad at Harvard and a MD/PhD this dude is what I'd like to call, grown up! Am I bragging, you ask? Of course, what else are brothers supposed to do? Anyways, if I get around to it I'll post updates from his recent trips to Oceania and South America. These adventures are hilarious and freaky all at the same time. After awhile we just hope he comes back alive. Where's he headed to this time? India and Africa. He'll be doing rotation (his last one, he graduates in May) at a Rwandan Mission Hospital but he'll look for South Asian and African birds for a little more than a month before that. In fact, he has the unofficial world record for being the person to see the most species of birds in 30 days. That number you wonder? 872. That's 28 more than the Dutch team in 1992, emphasis on team. Woo hoo! Here's episode one: So the flight was on-time, yippee (though i had a seat in front of a, well, energetic two year old who thought it was great fun to pound the back of my seat and pull my hair - fortunatley it was only a fifteen hour flight, right! ha), and i was reminded that i was back in Asia when everyone jumped up and got their bag the second we hit the ground - seriousyl, people were trying to run up the aisles while we were still headed to the terminal (i couldn't figure otu how to spell taxi - ing) - there were elbows and you just had this feeilng "we're not in kansas anymore". The smells were different, lots of Sikh turbans and beautiful saris - this whole sensory overload was just beginning though. PTL I found my bag and made it through customs easily. Then the fun part though - there were MASSES of people outside and everythign was kind of dusty and dingy. I found an ATM and found my car rental reservation sheet. It occured to me that there was no car rental areas at the airport - different - and i should have known it would be an adventure when i showed both the head taxi guy and the head security guy and they had no idea where the road was with the dollar rent-a-car office. hmm . . . any bright ideas? So i scoured the sheet and found a delhi phone number (thank you orbitz) and then found a phone and a guy helped me dial the 11-digit number - the person who answered gave me another phone number, which worked as well. They could not find my reservation, when I realized I had accidentally booked it for the next day . . . hmm . . . great, but at least they'll have extra cars (hopefully!) so the guy asked me to call back in 15 minutes while he tried to find a car. I squatted on the dirty curb until the phone guy told me to move along . . . called back and no one answered on the first five times. Then we couldn't hear - eventually, the phone guy gave the car rental guy his cell phone number, called back, and then explained where we were. Indira Gandhi International Airport - a huge mess and I was not sure the guy could find me, even if they did have a car. After a half hour I found a car drivign by with the company logo and jumped in - it was the guy! He was really nice and spoke some English (by the way, this is my first expedition to a country where I don't know the language - you should check out Hindi script sometime - it's amazing beautiful and I can't even sound out any words). So we drove out in the country, off on a dirt road, into a little office that's a kind of mobile taxi station (complete with dispatcher). I'm pretty sure I won't ever find it again, which will make returning the car tough . . . but I met some great guys who also spoke some English. Unfortunately they did not have a card swiper, so they wanted me to pay $435 in cash (rupees) hmm . . . my insurance is on my card, so they called a friend and we drove back into a downtown hotel (half hour) that had a credit swipey thing. The guy kindly helped me find the right road to Agra (very few road signs, and even the few are usually written in Hindi - hmm), so about 11:30 (three hours after landing) I was off! I drove on the left side and after asking lots of directions found the small road to the small town with an awesome nature preserve for this morning. I slept from 4:30-6. Big fog this morning and I was not prepared for what I found. I drove into the town, which was potholed and filled with pink and green and blue saris, lots of camels pulling carts, chickens and holy cows, tons of people, no signs, tons of dust and garbage everywhere . . . asked directions several times and by God's grace finally found the national park. I was pretty worn out from not knowing where I was or what was happening, and (a first for me) I accepted the offer of a nice 30-year old "naturalist" to be my guide around the park. What a great blessing - he spoke English well and we ended up finding over 100 kinds of bird just today! So exciting - my first south Asian birds. It was also fascinating to talk about his family, growing up there, attitudes toward the environment, changes in Indian society he has seen, etc. He's a Hindi guy so I'm praying for the Lord to speak in his heart. We had such a great time that we're going to spend time together tomorrow as well - at $1.50/hour it's hard to beat! Now I know why IBM outsources to India =) We walked probably 15 miles in the heat but saw lots of big antelope, deer, storks, hornbills, monkeys, etc. So I'm pretty worn out but I'm going to get my first curry - yippee!! I know Kitty's wishing she could have in on that ;) Just wanted to send my love and thank you for your prayers. A recurring thought as I have walked about and seen the people is that God loves each person here - it's really mind-boggling and mysteriously transforms it from an overwhelming, huge crowd of nameless faces to precious creatures loved by our King. I get choked up with it actually and pray that God would teach me all that He wants to while I'm in the land of 1billion Indians! Bless you today! Jase

Jaden Christopher Bacheldor

2008-03-07T10:34:00.000-08:00

My best friend from college is multiplyin'! Jaden Christopher entered the world recently and I can't imagine the excitement surrounding this little dude. Just wanted to give you a glimpse at this new hunk of love...here he is! Don't worry, he wasn't born with a blur, I'm just trying to keep the internet a safe place, ya know, ya feel me? Sheesh, nudity on the internet, what's next? Not from me!

What's your theological worldview?

2008-03-03T22:11:00.000-08:00

What's your theological worldview?
created with QuizFarm.com

Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan

89%

Emergent/Postmodern

82%

Fundamentalist

71%

Reformed Evangelical

57%

Neo orthodox

54%

Modern Liberal

46%

Charismatic/Pentecostal

43%

Roman Catholic

29%

Classical Liberal

21%

Sleepless...

2008-03-03T12:25:00.000-08:00

I cannot get this song out of my head, but, so far I really don't mind.

The competive side of me...

2008-03-02T19:11:00.000-08:00

98 words

Speed test

Save the Date!

2008-01-21T22:34:00.001-08:00

Little brutha ain't so little no more, in case ya ain't heard, he's got a lady friend worth writing home about and rumor is she's gonna marry him. See ya June 14th! The Save the Date was inspired by Wes Anderson, or so I hear?

Books I'd like to read...

2007-12-28T23:20:00.000-08:00

After wandering around Borders the other night with my wife I decided to post of some of the current books on my, "I'd like to read that someday" list. Born to Buy The Commercialized Child and the New Consumer Culture Juliet B. Schor "The United States is the most consumer-oriented society in the world..." Looks fascinating... Giving How Each of Us Can Change the World Bill Clinton The secular premise and primer on tithing...and written to one of the richest countries in the history of the world...yet the average American only gives 2.6% Freakonomics Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner This one has been out a while and I always read a few pages of it when I find it on a shelf but have never picked it up for myself... The Rough Guide to the iPhone No, I haven't decided for sure to get one...but...if I did, this guy looks fascinating. Shopping for God How Christianity went from in your heart to in your face... James B. Twitchell I'm speaking in February about societal misconceptions of Jesus and this guy might help in my prep... Three Cups of Tea One Man's Mission to Fight Terrorism and Build Nations One School at a Time Greg Mortenson I know it's kind of Oprah book clubish but a story about building schools in Pakistan, especially after watching Charlie Wilson's War, is interesting... Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light Mother Teresa A window into Mother Teresa's dark night of the soul and in her own words...evidence one doesn't always 'feel' God in the midst of serving Him Jesus in Beijing How Christianity is Changing China and Changing the Global Balance of Power David Aikman Duh. Mao: The Unknown Story Jung Chang After being in China I started to like this guy and almost bought a shirt... until I realized he might be responsible for more deaths in human history than any other person...hhmm...useful information when planning a wardrobe The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century Thomas L. Friedman Another no-brainer that has been out for a while... The Rabbi's Daughter A Memoir Reva Mann Hadn't seen this before yesterday but it looks interesting...here's the book description since it's not as well known: In this honest, daring, and compulsively readable memoir, Reva Mann paints a portrait of herself as a young woman on the edge—of either revelation or self-destruction. Ricocheting between extremes of rebellion and piety, she is on a difficult but life-changing journey to inner truth. The journey began with an unhappy childhood in a family where religion set the tone and deviations from it were not allowed. But Reva, a granddaughter of the head of the Rabbinic Council of Israel and daughter of a highly respected London rabbi, was a wild child and she rebelled, spiralling into a whirlwind of sex and drugs by the time she reached adolescence. As a young woman, however, Reva had a startling mystical epiphany that led her to a women’s yeshivah in Israel, and eventually to marriage to the devoutly religious Torah scholar who she thought would take her to ever greater heights of spirituality. But can the path to spiritual fulfillment ever be compatible with the ecstasies of the flesh or with the everyday joys of intimacy and pleasure to which she is also strongly drawn? With unflinching candor, Reva shares her struggle to carve out a life that encompasses all the impulses at war within herself. An eye-opening glimpse into the world of the ultra-Orthodox and their elaborately coded rituals for eating, sleeping, bathing, and lovemaking, as well as a deeply personal rumination on identity, faith, and self-acceptance, this is at its heart a universal story. For those of any faith who have grappled with their own spiritual longings, and for anyone fascinated by traditional religion and its role in modern society, Reva Mann’s chronicle of a journey toward redemption is an unforgettable read. Socrates, Buddha, Confucius, Jesus Karl Jaspers Book Description: Arguably the four most influential individuals in human history, Socrates, the Buddha, Confucius and Jesus have cast shadows on history that are nearly inescapable even today. Who were they, what were their doctrines, and what was their influence? Rome and Jerusalem: The Clash of Ancient Civilizations Martin Goodman After preaching on the world at the time of Jesus' birth I've been curious about this subject and this book caught my eye. The Secret Message of Jesus: Uncovering the Truth that Could Change Everything Brian McLaren I've got serious issues with some of McLaren's stuff...but the back of the cover and the direction he takes with this I think I can handle...and it might go with my talk on societal misconceptions of Jesus

Book Description: In The Secret Message of Jesus you'll find what's at the center of Brian's critique of conventional Christianity, and what's at the heart of his expanding vision. In the process, you'll meet a Jesus who may be altogether new to you, a Jesus who is

Not the crusading conqueror of religious broadcasting;

Not the religious mascot of partisan religion;

Not heaven's ticket-checker, whose words have been commandeered by the church to include and exclude, judge and stigmatize, pacify and domesticate.

The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible I think I might actually use my Borders gift card for this guy...looks fascinating and hilarious :) What am I missing? I realize there's not a lot of fiction of this list, I need to work on that. Read anything good lately I should consider? Comment!

To buy or not to buy...

2007-12-27T13:43:00.000-08:00

I'm struggling here folks, I really am. I have the least amount of tolerance for ladies spending hundreds of dollars on purses and random shoes yet at the exact same time I find myself contemplating an iPhone, currently tipping the scales at a whopping $399. Is that hypocritical? Probably. Here's where I'm at...if I sell my current phone, the venerable Treo 650, I could probably get around $100 for it...if I add that to some of my Christmas money from work, grandparents and a generous brother I bring my total up to $300. That leaves $100 left to raise. At this point I'm thinking either support letters, selling our dog or returning some of my wife's Christmas gifts. :) So...here's where you come in...I need advice. I either need to be slapped upside the head and told that I have the second best phone in the world and that money could and should be better spent elsewhere OR that I've never thought clearer, I'll never regret this purchase and in some twisted yet true way this advances the Kingdom. The only twist is that I'm a proud T-Mobile customer and there is no way I'm going to even begin to consider paying AT&T's $59.99 monthly data (internet) plan for the iPhone in addition to the rate (phone) plan. Not on my life. So...if I did go this route, I'd have to hack into the iPhone and unlock it, something that many people have supposedly done...then I keep my dirt-cheap T-Mobile rate plan and add internet for either $5 or $20 a month, much better. But what if I couldn't unlock the phone...then what? It's time for you to cast your vote: Yea Heck nay Josh

Maybe next year...

2007-12-25T13:22:00.000-08:00

I had the incredible honor this last weekend to co-preach with our lead pastor at church! We were in a quasi-two week series based on the passage in Luke 2 where the angels say, "Today in the town of David a Savior has been born, he is Christ the Lord." We broke the sermon up into three parts and he took the first two and I took the middle chunk. It was a total blast and I love any opportunity I get to do that! I think it went well and here's the direction I took... My conclusion was that for us to understand what it meant for the shepherds we had to get a better picture of what had gone on and what was going on. The word Christ or Messiah was a huge concept to them and I fear more of a 'last name for Jesus' for us. Also...with the political climate at the day...that phrase the angels said could have gotten someone killed. We took a big picture look at Jewish history and the clues God had placed foreshadowing the coming Messiah and also a look at who ruled the world at the time of Christ's birth, namely Caesar Augustus. I'll post the link to the message as soon as it gets uploaded. My favorite piece of encouragement came from a rough-looking guy who said, "if a junkie came in off the street today, God's story would have made sense, that was really clear from start to finish." Woo hoo! I'm still learning how to do this but I sure am having fun!

Have you heard this?

2007-12-21T23:55:00.000-08:00

I don't know what else to say...wow.

Rob Bell and Time Magazine

2007-12-20T22:20:00.001-08:00

Rob Bell...like him or hate him...he's the theologian and pastor to the next generation and a growing population of the current one. He was featured in this week's edition of TIME and a quote from Ben Witherington in that article states, ""He could be one of the most important 21st century Christian leaders." Regardless of how you feel about him or his theology his influence is growing exponentially. 1.2 million Noomas, a couple hundred thousand books, three speaking tours, the second highest religion and spirituality podcast in the country, all while leading and teaching regularly at a fatty church! A fascinating interview with him that was published in Donald Miller and friends weekly online magazine is here and yields some fascinating insight into his growing up life and how he views himself. While I'm not the biggest fan of picking people apart from a distance and really wouldn't appreciate that if it were me; the reality is that those in leadership and positions of influence are scrutinized more closely. Regardless, the guy is stinkin' gifted. I've heard his podcasts, read his books, watched the noomas and even heard him recently up in Portland at a sold-out showing of his latest tour, the gods aren't angry. He is a communicating genius that makes me insecure and inspires me at the same time. He also, through his unique style, gives me permission to be the unique and creative communicator God has wired me to be...an aspect of myself I've struggled in coming to terms with... This post doesn't have that much of a point...he's just an intriguing guy that I haven't figured out and from time to time my thoughts shift to his style, his substance and his influence and it all leaves me pretty blown away.

Chillin' with Crowder

2007-12-19T22:41:00.000-08:00

Whenever I hang out with one of my buddies, Erik Williams, another side of me comes out. Erik makes me laugh and brings out a certain kind of humor in me that normally lays dormant. He also can get me to do things I'd NEVER normally do...I have numerous instances of getting talked into random, uncomfortable, or cool situations with Mr W/ a "K". Anyways...our Student Ministries team was at Youth Specialties' National Youth Workers Convention and Erik palled around with us for most of the trip. We all had big events coming up (he had DYC, which I'm speaking at in Feb-woot woot...and we had reach happening two weeks later) so he has the brilliant idea to get and get some of the big name dudes at the conference to do a video plug for our events that we could incorporate into our promotional materials. Erik has done this sort of thing a lot, in fact, I've met Tait and Superchick walking around with him and a video camera. So...the night we have this idea Louie Giglio had just finished speaking, Chris Tomlin had led worship and David Crowder was setting up to lead the following morning. We walk up to Louie and he's totally cool and says a little spiel inviting students to DYC/reach...then we finally get the guts to go ask Crowder who also obliges. Erik had done a goofy video with him before and Crowder actually remembered! At this point...Tomlin had already gone backstage and for some reason the same gutsy guys that had the chutzpah to walk up to these dudes were not comfortable walking behind the curtains to go backstage. For some reason I was feeling gutsy and daring and I'm like, "follow me, here we go! Just act confident and no one will think anything, I learned that from my thieving days :)" We walked back, looked around and then found him just as he was walking onto his tour bus...rats! Well...here's what they did for us...it turned out pretty sweet and was a great promo and intro for our event!

Made in China...

2007-12-18T23:13:00.000-08:00

We made one big gift purchase for ourselves in China (other than going to see Henry and Ronaldinho play for Barcelona, wow!) and that was this custom, hand-painted calligraphy piece. We made a buddy one night walking through Beijing and after chatting for a while he ended up taking us to his studio and doing some original pieces for us. I got one for my office, we had some pieces made for everyone who supported us (don't worry peeps, they're coming, I promise!) and we had this piece made. We FINALLY got it framed after buying a frame online pretty cheap, buying plexiglass and 1/4" backing from home depot, cutting them to size and putting it all together. I felt pretty good after that one! Here it is and in case your Chinese is rusty, here's the translation.

But how can people call for help if they don't know who to trust? And how can they know who to trust if they haven't heard of the One who can be trusted? And how can they hear if nobody tells them? And how is anyone going to tell them, unless someone is sent to do it? Romans 10:14-17 MSG Here's how it fits in the room...

And yes...that is some new furniture. That's a whole story itself...the coolest part involving selling 3 pieces of a 4-piece furniture set we bought on craigslist almost two years ago for the exact price we paid for it. That means we kept one of the chairs, yet sold the couch, loveseat and coffee table for the same price!! Wow...we practically just borrowed it! But...it was the world's most uncomfortable furniture, in fact, our old couch was so uncomfortable we starting watching movies on my laptop in bed cause I couldn't handle it! We were also ready for something that would last, lord willing, a couple decades. Hence...the lifetime warranty nice sectional...we bit the bullet but hopefully our grandkids will enjoy it! ;)

Scuba Dude!

2007-12-17T17:26:00.000-08:00

If you say that just right it sounds like scooby doo...try it. No, really, try it! See! Anyways...I've officially completed my academic and pool portions of becoming scuba-certified and I can take that little bad boy with me on our cruise in January and complete the open water dives there, how handy is that!?! The scuba thing was a lot of fun yet took a little getting used to. I had a hard time 'popping my ears' (think of being on a plane and as the change in air pressure fluctuates you need to clear your sinuss'e's) underwater but by the end figured it out a bit. You need to clear your sinuses about every three feet, that surprised me. I can't wait to get in more than 7 ft deep water and begin to see more than band-aids and dead skin on the bottom (the bottoms of pools are grosser than you'd think when you hang out there for a while). I love wildlife and am excited to get this opportunity. How do I look?

2007 CRASH Academy Awards

2007-12-15T11:33:00.000-08:00

Ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats as the lights are about to dim. We had the first annual CRASH Academy Awards on Wednesday and we watched 8 videos that were all made by students. Each grade group (6th grade boys, 6th grade girls, etc) came up with an original idea and had a month to film it. We gave out golden rhinos that looked like this... We had a red carpet...a picture area...a live camera feed from the red carpet as Kevbo interviewed guests as they arrived, it was awesome as it played on the screens inside...students got dressed up...we served them cookies and sparking cider and it was a total blast. Even our leaders dressed up to 'present' different awards and the best leader outfit definitely had to go to Grant Jensen with his ZZ Top impersonation, very nice! We had a total blast and will DEFINITELY do it again next year... And we had the students vote on their favorite video...the following video from the 8th grade boys won in a landslide...enjoy and check out all the other videos on youtube here!

What kinds of students...

2007-12-15T11:07:00.000-08:00

decide to give their lives as missionaries or feel called by God to be missionaries? Have you ever wondered about that? Is it purely random or do certain personality types or kids with certain kinds of families and experiences that end up serving overseas? Well, I wonder about that and I'm sitting down right now to write my final paper for a class I'm in called data-driven decisions. It's way more fascinating than it sounds...but the point of the final paper was to do some data-gathering and then use that to inform a decision I need to make. The decision I need to make is two-fold...is a one-day event with middle school through college kids focused on missions an effective way to increase the missions value among our students and generate a pool of students that are preparing to serve overseas? The second part is, is there any significant differences between the students who went forward to commit their lives as missionaries and those who didn't? The last part which will take the next 10 years to figure out is...what are the factors that determine whether or not a student who made a commitment actually ends up on the field? So...me and my buddy survey monkey sent out a survey to about 225 students of the 325ish or so that were at our event to tell us a little bit about themselves and their experience at reach on Dec 2. So...I need to crunch some numbers, see what I see, and then write what I see...fun and exciting on one hand, and on the other...i'll be in this coffee shop for like the next 5 hours :(

Is it just me...

2007-12-13T11:33:00.000-08:00

Or does my mouth look bigger? I mean, I know that the braces are supposed to make things a little bigger but, wow, take a look.

BEFORE

AFTER

I'm just kidding...here's the new me! No pain yet...but I'll keep you updated.

Brace Yourself

2007-12-13T09:05:00.001-08:00

Or myself...whichever the case may be. Yes, it's true. A week ago I walked into the orthodontist's office because my dad has been bugging me for years about getting braces and most recently my wife has been encouraging me to get braces. So, I go to the orthodontist, not to get braces, but to see how badly I need braces. I ask him, "on a scale of 1-10, 1 being I don't need braces and 10 being I absolutely must have braces, where would you rate me?" Now, at this point I'm totally expecting like a 4, I don't think of my teeth as that bad! He replies, "9." I just laughed, I couldn't believe it. Needless to say, seven days later it will be official. In 10 minutes my appointment begins, to get braces. Here's the complimentary before picture, stay tuned for TWO whole years for the after picture, i hope it's worth it!

2007-12-10T18:13:00.001-08:00

What's up fools? Just trying out texting to my blog...if this shows up that means it works!

Red Hot Passion

2007-10-29T23:20:00.000-07:00

Bill Hybels said in a message last year that passion is one of the defining characteristics of young leaders. He also talked about how that passion has a tendency to wane in an individual’s life over time. While validating the power of passion in a young leader’s life he also challenged those by saying that passion alone cannot sustain the life and ministry of a leader. Skill must be added to the equation. In fact, skill, experience, wisdom and resources are four things that most young leaders don’t have in abundance, as least when compared to their later years. Obviously some young leaders have way more skill, experience, wisdom and resources than their peers but they probably don’t have more than they will have thirty years down the road. Why is it though that over time passion seems to decrease as wisdom, skill, experience and resources increase? Some might argue that the idealism and passion of a young person is not sustainable but that it lays the tracks for the rest of an individual’s life. Almost like you want to get that passion as high as you can at it’s peak so that you can ride it out for as long as possible. For those 45 and older, (I’ll call that a generous halfway point in life) are you more passionate or less passionate about the things that once fueled your fire? Has your passion increased or decreased with each passing decade? I want to see my passions, by the time I’m 45, double from the point they’re at now. I hope I’m more focused, more committed, more sacrificial, more fanatical and more determined than ever by that time. What do I need to do to make this happen? How do I stir and stoke my passions so that they don’t atrophy? I do realize that the idealism, almost by definition, has a hard time not getting beaten down by the sad realities of life in the world today. But passion is different than idealism. When I look at my heroes, (let’s leave Bill Clinton out of this discussion, he’s more of a lower-case “h” hero to me compared to the capital “h” heroes in my life, Hudson Taylor, A. B. Simpson and the like) they are often individuals whose passion grew as they aged, adding to it wisdom, experience, skill and resources. Their strength of heart (passion) acted as a catalyst to develop both strength of mind and hands. Are these the people we read about that inspire us to look at our own lives and challenge us in ways we’ve long given up on? I’m working on my Master’s in Intercultural Studies right now, actually I’m writing this post because I’m avoiding doing my homework at the moment, but how sad would it be if this degree and these studies merely added letters to my name and knowledge to my mind yet in doing so replaced the passion in my heart? Here’s what I’m not saying—that those I observe older than me are passionless. Here’s what I am saying—why is passion something we more often associate with being young?

I was out for a walk...

2007-10-29T22:33:00.000-07:00

...the other day with a friend of mine named Don Bubna. I feel incredibly fortunate that this treasure chest of wisdom, insight, and life-changing questions is willing to spend a morning walk with me every once in a while. Don asks questions in a way that reminds me of my Dad, the good kinds of questions that get you thinking about things you hadn't thought about and lead you down a trail of self-discovery. Sometimes I get nervous because I don't know where the questions are going to head and I always wish I was a little further along than I ever am. On this day, however, I turned the tables for a moment and asked Don a question about his life. My question was this: Looking back on all your decades in ministry (six, I believe), which one do you feel was your most significant? What do you think he said? He answered by saying, "this current one." He didn't even need to think about it very long. Keep in mind that this guy used to write for Christianity Today, Leadership Journal, has a few Doctorates, pastored a megachurch for a quarter century, and none of those took place in this current decade! But I believe he's right in that his influence and his effectiveness in ministry are at an all-time high. Here's where that answer took my thoughts and what I can't stop thinking about... If you knew that your most effective years/your greatest contribution would come in your eighth decade of life, how would that change the way you live now?

My friends in Sudan...

2007-10-22T14:04:00.000-07:00

I made some absolutely fabulous friends in college that inspire me, provoke me, encourage me, and join with me as we all try to live radical lives committed to Christ. We're all different in our passions, gifts, backgrounds, majors, zip codes, and telephone answering frequency but I feel in a way we're all still connected. The group has grown as well as spouses and offspring join the picture. Kurbis was one of those friends that while none of us knew exactly he would do someday we all knew that it would make us stand in amazement. He and his wife, Bethany, are moving to Sudan to work as the area coordinator for the American Refugee Committee. I just think that's pretty cool and I hope that some of our middle schoolers grow up to engage their faith, world, and lives to the extent that Brian and Bethany are, go Kurbisses's' Check out their world here!

One of my new heroes...

2007-10-02T13:44:00.000-07:00

William Jefferson Clinton. Apparantly Jimmy Carter made it cool to have a life after your presidency and Bill is following suit in a way that I find to be incredibly cool. This guy is an absolute machine. He's using his incredible favor around the world to connect people, raise billions and calling people to action. His new organization, The Clinton Global Initiative is doing some incredible stuff. He recently won the TED Prize for one of his current ideas: "I wish you to help create a better future for Rwanda by assisting my foundation, in partnership with the Rwandan Government, to build a sustainable, high quality rural health system for the whole country." When asked by Peter Jennings a little bit ago who he'd most like to meet, he answered, "I would like to meet the new President of Kenya because he abolished school fees for poor children and a million extra children showed up at school." As President Clinton articulated, the abolition of school fees in just one country was, " likely to affect more lives positively than almost anything any other political leader will do this year." His latest book sold more than any other book in the country two weeks ago, according to USA Today, and is called, Giving. This dude rubs shoulders with some of the brightest, most accomplished, wealthiest and influential people in the world and asks for checks bigger than they've ever written to be given to the world's neediest causes. That's cool. Here's to my hero of the moment...who's yours?

Daniel in the Lions Den: Take 5,426

2007-09-20T13:09:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I'm not the first to speak on Daniel in the Lion's Den, but it was my first time of preaching a full weekend of services here at church and to be honest it was one of the highlights of my life. It took place August 11th and 12th during a series here at church called Showdowns. They were kind enough to allow a rookie like me to take the platform and I did my best. It was coming about four days after our four weeks in China so I was feeling pretty inspired and a little tired...here's a link to the 9:30 version if you desire to take a hear...can't guarantee that you'll get any money back however if you're not satisfied with the product :) Daniel 6 Message A neat aspect during the weekend included an artist, Scott Erickson, who painted a unique painting each of the four services that was birthed out of the message. It was fascinating to have the message expressed through the paintings, message, and music. Here's his four paintings.

The reincarnation of Chris Farley

2007-09-18T17:05:00.000-07:00

Contextualization

2007-09-18T16:17:00.000-07:00

I'm taking every opportunity I can right now to grow as a communicator and I thought this week was particularly full and varied in terms of audiences. Sat 9-15-Middle Schoolers Sun 9-16-Middle Schoolers Tue 9-18-College Group Thu 9-20-Middle School/High School Chapel at local Christian school Sat 9-22-Middle Schoolers Sun 9-23-Middle Schoolers Sun 9-23-Senior-Citizen Home 5 different talks given 7 times over a period of 9 days--and I absolutely love every minute of it. :)

Shane and Shane's new cd, Pages

2007-09-09T11:37:00.000-07:00

Wow, rarely on a first listen through of a cd am I ever particularly struck by what I'm listening to but this new cd rocked my world. I absolutely love these songs, they literally stir things in my soul that little else does. I have enjoyed listening to and being moved by these homeboys since college and wow, get it!

Sweet Land of Liberty

2007-09-09T11:34:00.000-07:00

I will post in the coming days more extensively on our time in China but wanted to write that we had arrived safely home and immediately jumped back into the hectic yet meaningful pace of life here in Salem. Our month in China is hard to put into words and I was able to take a significant amount of footage that will eventually be organized into bite-size snippets for our middle school students and youtube. It was good to go for a while and good to come home!

In Canada at the moment...

2007-07-12T13:24:00.000-07:00

I was born in this great land and we're spending 2 hours here en route to the land I spent most of my first ten years in. We spent the night in Portland last night due to a generous gift from a friend and while I didn't get to sleep we finally got everything done and are off! It's so hard to imagine that in 12 hours I will step foot on the other side of the world and say in the spirit of the 3 Amigos, "we're not from around here!" Thanks for your prayers and thoughts, and middle schoolers, don't forget to pray for rain, you know what I'm talking about!

Off to China

2007-07-12T13:22:00.000-07:00

In response to where my last blog entry left off, my wife and I will take two days off to rest and recuperate and then we're off to the other side of the world. To the best of our knowledge we will be serving for almost a month in an area that has never had a church in the history of the world. What a privilege to bear witness to the King of Kings and the Light of the world, personally, with the prayers and support of hundreds back home. We are honored and humbled and trust that one day we will reunite in Heaven with those who came to a saving knowledge of Christ as a result of this trip. Your prayers are crucial, don't forget us. We will plant seeds but unless they take root in good soil and experience rain from above they will never grow.

LIFE 2007

2007-07-12T13:21:00.000-07:00

Wow...words cannot describe what a privilege it was to be a part of what God did in an through 7,500 high school students this past week in Orlando, Florida. There is just something special about this group and this gathering that is the reason behind where I'm at today and embodies so much of what I hope and dream for in regards to our students. I had three great guys (David and Don Cheney and Bryce Harding) in my room that were family for the week and I felt that we were able to be gut-level honest and have a blast doing it. We had a midnight snack run each night and spentt more than a few good and not-so-good meals together. One of my personal highlights was the incredibly significant missions focus this year's LIFE had...to a degree that I had never experienced before. In fact, a whole evening was devoted to raising awareness about what IS going on and what's NOT going on in East Africa, it was called Project 132 and was hosted by the guy I interned under, Erik Williams and he knocked it out of the park. (As did Brennan Manning even though he did sound slightly drunk at times but trust me, he wasn't, as did Bradley Hathaway, google him) The offering for the week, which had topped out in previous years at $50,000 came in at $114,000. A staggering amount for teenagers who are considered the most selfish generation in American history. Our group even gave above the avg person's at almost $20 a person. Wow...one person gave $90!!! A spirit of generosity and compassion was heavy and I LOVED every minute of it. This all culminated on Saturday morning with a mission's focused main session with Todd Adams speaking and more than a hundred missionaries and missionary kids parading with their flags and banners for all the countries the Alliance is active in. The Holy Spirit nailed me and I absolutely lost it. I've had strong head reactions to the tragedy of almost 2 billion people having never heard the gospel and to be fair I've had heart reactions but never to this degree before, I couldn't even explain what was going on but I couldn't stop losing it. I was crying and crying and crying, it struck a deeper chord, both my admiration for these heroes, the excitement about the abudant work taking place in the world, and the desire to see MORE flags represented because they're not all there. We know that this world won't end and the next won't begin until, as Jesus promised, there is life, redemption, and part of the bridge from every single community on the planet. We've got to do more. You can get to any place in the world in 24 hours and yet in 2,000 years there is still a third of the world that has never heard. Do you hear their scream? Their plea? Their please? How would you feel if after 2,000 years since the only hope for the world had became flesh you still had no way of experiencing life, light, love, hope and forgiveness?The call to ministry yielded more than 1,700 students who in some way wanted to make a difference and reach these people. Wow...amen. Be encouraged world...we're on our way! Also what a treat to experience life with my WIFE...we were both at the LIFE 98 conference in Salt Lake City, even in the same hotel, yet we did not meet for six more years. We both felt called into ministry there and to be serving in ministry now and head back togethere was a special memory and treat I'll cherish for a long time. See ya in 2010 in Louisville!

RX stands for...

2007-06-26T01:55:00.001-07:00

Do you know? As my wife and I were enjoying some fine dining the other evening, celebrating the earth's second full rotation around the sun since we committed our lives to each other, this question came up. What does the RX in prescription stand for or mean? I've wondered this myself before and never was quite sure...any guesses? Where do I turn when I need help? You guessed it, your friends and mine, wikipedia. RX

All Piper books, $5

2007-06-26T01:39:00.000-07:00

Hey folks...a former college roommate of mine works at Desiring God Ministries, the ministry that distributes resources from John Piper, and informed me that the sale of a lifetime is happening this week! This Wednesday and Thursday, every single Piper book they sell online is $5, and there's no limit! These books would be great for Volunteer appreciation gifts... looking smart... stocking stuffers... scratching your calvinist itch... click below for the link! http://www.desiringgod.org/Blog/690_all_books_for_5/ Some of my favorites: Desiring God Let the Nations Be Glad Don't Waste Your Life Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (just kidding, slightly different perspective than the Salem Alliance view, more emphasis on the different and less on the slightly :) p.s. please don't make the assumption that just because some of these books are on my favorites means that I've read them

Wow...and I've only finished the second chapter...

2007-06-18T11:03:00.001-07:00

Words fail me...the best preaching book I had never heard of until a week ago, seriously this book has changed my life. Employed as a leader, communicator, pastor and needing to constantly and consistently communicate ideas, vision, truth, etc this book has explored the underpinnings of why you still remember certain ideas from decades past yet aren't sure what you had for breakfast today. I'd love to hear anyone's thoughts...

Quote of the Day

2007-06-18T10:28:00.001-07:00

We confess our little faults to persuade people that we have no large ones. -Francois de La Rochefoucauld

Slept in today...for work.

2007-06-01T11:47:00.000-07:00

Yes, today I slept in until approximately 10:34AM...why you might be asking? Because I care about my job, I'm attempting to contribute to to the kingdom and today that meant sleeping. You see...this evening I will not be sleeping, not even a wink. Our annual all-night party is upon us, and when I say all-night I mean ALL-NIGHT! We have over a hundred students coming at 6:30PM and not saying goodbye or goodnight until 6:30AM. Hence, why I was sleeping in this morning. We're going iceskating, broomballing, pizzaeating, YMCA playing, bonfire burning, bowling ball hurling and breakfast eating all within 12 hours. Jealous? Don't be...and enjoy your sleep tonight! Just kidding, this event is a ton of fun and my ANP muscles have had three years to develop so bring it on baby, I'm ready!

Finally, a reasonable perspective on an important issue.

2007-05-27T17:27:00.000-07:00

I love this guy...he's brilliant and if I can figure out this blog thing I'll post a talk of his I recently heard. In the meantime he has articulated my perspective perfectly on a relevant issue of concern to many today. Read here.

Coming soon...Namesake Movie Review

2007-05-17T13:21:00.000-07:00

I'm Worthless

2007-05-17T13:10:00.000-07:00

Apparently I had made a deal with my wife that if she got a new job she was applying for than we would spring for a smartphone like the one I've been using for a while. I had forgotten about this 'deal' until she reminded me. In typical 'mann' fashion we had her new toy in hand no less than 48 hours later (and at 250 less than the retail price). The whole conversation got me thinking about my phone, which is two years old (poor me right? Not really) It's worked great for me, does practically anything (my favorite thing to tell the students is that it can change the channels on the t.v., beat that!) and I've only dropped it 2-3 times. Make that 4. Riding my bike on Sunday God took my phone out of my pocket and slammed it on the ground. I know, I'm thinking the same thing, how rude! My phone wouldn't turn on and I just laughed to myself about the timing of all this...I guess I was getting a new phone after all. The most disappointing fact of all is that I lost all calendar appointments for the past two years and coming months in an instant. My phone has been my brain for a long time now and has my Bible, calendar, info, dates, phone numbers, a cool drug-selling game (just a game :), nonethless still very addicting) etc. Gone! Ouch. I started looking for a phone similar to Becca's but a little cheaper and have gotten close twice now on craigs list but no cigar. One guy said he'd sell it for $50 less than he posted it as, then he wouldn't email me back for a day, then he decided he wanted to keep it, then he said he'd sell it for the original price and now he's not sure again. Another one popped up today but was sold by the time I got to it. You'd think the sad part is that I have yet to land one...no, that is not the sad part although that is unfortunate. The sad part is how worthless, disappointed, and frustrated I have been this week with my mind fixated on what I DON'T have. I can't think about anything else, it's absolutely embarassing. This thing owns me right now and it won't let me go. As I read on a friend's blog, my life is way too comfortable if this is the kind of thing that is causing the most stress in my life. In the meantime here's a picture into my head, the only thing in my head...

Ladies and Gentleman, I'd like to introduce you to...

2007-05-17T13:04:00.000-07:00

the new Ministry Assistant in Outreach Ministries at Salem Alliance Church...your hero and mine... Mrs. Becca Mann!!!!!!!!!!!! Hail to the chief...da da da da da da da!!! The Mann's are celebrating BIG-TIME as Becca looks forward to her new, full-time, $100,000* role beginning May 29th. Working at Salem Alliance is like the biggest of all dreams come true for Becca and I think she is going to do an amazing job. Steve Fowler leads the outreach team and it's a pretty cool team to be on if you ask me. And I would like to clear up any confusion you might have surrounding Becca's new role. I often get asked, working at a church, "are you a priest?" No...and you might be thinking, does this make Becca a nun? Yes, yes it does. I am married to a nun, I better get my act together! *one of the three qualifiers are false, can you guess which one?

Prayer

2007-05-16T14:41:00.000-07:00

I spoke at ethos, our college-age ministry last week on the spiritual discipline of prayer and came away with this thought... Jesus asked us to engage the world we couldn't see to change the world we could.

Thought for the day...

2007-05-16T14:38:00.000-07:00

Sometimes the things we're most thankful for keep us from what we were truly made for. Have you ever experienced that?

Quote of the Moment

2007-04-15T20:24:00.000-07:00

My google homepage gives me a quote of the day and today's was particularly poignant. We need not to be let alone. We need to be really bothered once in a while. How long is it since you were really bothered? About something important, about something real? -Ray Bradbury So...when was the last time you were bothered? And by what? Read more about the picture here.

School is cool!

2007-04-14T19:00:00.000-07:00

"Back to school! back to school, to prove to Dad I'm not a fool!" Name that movie, anyone*? No one asked me to do this, not even my dad, I promise! But I've been working towards a M.A. in Intercultural Leadership studies now for a little over a year and I can't believe what Crown College offers and I haven't been able to find it anywhere else. With a little too much time on my hands and an amateur passion for graphic design I decided to create the ad I would run, just for fun. Seriously though, if you're reading this and you've finished a Bachelor's and have always thought about getting some more education then ask yourself where else can you keep learning, work on a Masters, one course at a time, without leaving home, incredibly affordable, to help take your leadership to the next level, open doors, and potentially even make more money which at the end of the day is ultimately what it's all about? Until the next time I design an ad that will never run, peace out! *Answer-Billy Madison

Movie Review: Blades of Glory

2007-04-12T21:43:00.000-07:00

One of the most highly anticipated films of the year...from director Steven Spielberg and...just kidding. Will Ferrell and Napolean Dynamite, does he have a real name? Oh that's right, Jon Heder*. Ferrell: (in regards to some of his personal issues says) "Night is a very dark time for me." Heder: "It's dark for everyone, idiot!" Ferrell: "Not for people who live in Alask. Or people with night-vision goggles." What I think the author was trying to communicate there was the existential struggle of the postmodern mind trapped in a metanarrative with no absolutes. Absolutely...brilliant! Seriously though folks, one of the harder parts of my job is when I have to take time on student's spring break away from my desk and hang out with them on 'their turf.' I'm trying to contextualize the gospel and practice incarnational ministry and that usually involves sacrifices such as going to arcades, playing xbox, visiting ColdStone and sometimes even going to a movie. Trent, Kyle and I enjoyed a spring break day a bit ago and caught the movie Blades of Glory. I laughed out loud, many times, and all as I wrote this post recalling some of the more poignant moments. All the funny parts are not in the previews and I think that because God is more passionate about his glory that this film in some way could be a spiritual discipline for the postmodern disciple, give it a try! *Jon Heder, (Napolean Dynamite) actually went to high school in Salem, Oregon, the city in which I make such sacrifices as the one mentioned here.

God or Not

2007-04-09T11:16:00.000-07:00

Just read a fascinating article on Newsweek.com that featured a debate between Saddleback's founding pastor and the author of the Purpose-Driven Life, Rick Warren and the atheistic author Sam Harris. I wouldn't normally suggest the non-academic type such as Warren go head-to-head with someone getting a PhD in neuroscience. While they can discuss the same topic they approach it from such different angles and use such different language to do so that I really feel it puts Warren at a disadvantage, even though on Newsweek's site a poll shows 90% of readers believing in some form of God. The article is fascinating and highlights some valid points coming from the other side. There is, understandably, a fair amount of technical jargon but I really appreciated the place Sam was coming from when he made this comment:

How is it fair for God to have designed a world which gives such ambiguous testimony to his existence? How is it fair to have created a system where belief is the crucial piece, rather than being a good person? How is it fair to have created a world in which by mere accident of birth, someone who grew up Muslim can be confounded by the wrong religion? Harris is different than most atheists in that he is not a moral relativist (i.e. he believes in a moral law). My question is, how can you have an objective moral standard that all humans are under with it having a source? Am I wrong on that? My other question is, how can anyone know for certain that there is no God? I understand how many could not be certain there is a God, the word for that is an agnostic. But how can you be absolutely positive there is no God? Even if there is no evidence there could still be a God. Even if the world was created via the big bang and we all evolved completely seperate from God there still could be a God, right? Little humans believing with all passion, "No, I promise, I know absolutely, 100% for sure, there is no God." You can't know that, can you?

Unchurched in America

2007-03-29T22:59:00.000-07:00

The Barna research group came out with some recent findings regarding the demographic of the population in America that has not attended a church in the last six months.

63% of Asians are unchurched
49% of homosexuals
47% of political liberals
37% of single adults
34% of Hispanics
31% of heterosexuals
29% of married adults
25% of African Americans
19% of political conservatives

Where does your mind go when you read that? Is that there fault? Ours? What's the best we could really hope for? So pretty much if you're a married, conservative, African American you probably go to church.