"It's your Family Fare Neighborhood!"

I get grumpy sometimes in the mornings after I work. Here's a story. Once every couple months the Church I work at does a can drive to raise money for the youth mission trip. This past week we had a lot of cans. A few things happened and I needed to get the cans out of the church right away. So, I went and got them one day after work. I didn't really want to go get them. But I did. So I had a lot of cans in the back of the van that Jodi's parents gave to us.

Sunday morning I had a hour to kill before church so I decided to return the cans at the 68th street Family Fare. There were less than 5 people in the whole store. I took two shopping carts in and had the can station to myself. If you know me well, you know that i hate being dirty. This effects a number of things in my life from changing diapers, to playing football in high school, to backpacking, to showering, to toiletry behaviors (I use wet-wipes). So, getting my hands in dirty nasty sticky beer cans is not a fun thing to do for me. In fact, I hate it!

I did cans for about 40 minutes. I had a system down. Jodi can attest, that I can always find the best and most efficient way to do things. Or, she can attest to the fact that I always think I have the most efficient way of doing things. Part of this efficiency is not having the pop can machine beeping at you when you need to have it operational. The bottles take the longest. So it needs to be working if the system is going to work. You get it.

The FF folks did not get that I had a system and that it was essential for me to be able to work this system to keep my mind off the germs on my hands and shirt sleeves. So they lolly-gagged their way over to be helpful. This happened three times.

I had like $47 that I ran through the machines. I still have more cans in my van. But I made me way to the checkout to cash in. I was gonna buy doughnuts, but since FF employees took so long to stop the beeping, my system got hi-jacked and I no longer had time for the said doughnuts or hot chocolate I needed for youth group that night. (note: the doughnuts and hot chocolate was a part of a larger system that had been set up in my mind to make things run smoothly on a busy Sunday). So I just needed to cash in my slips and get out of there. I waited for at least 3 minutes for somebody to show up and scan my slips. I could see them hustling off to sweep or clean or whatever, but it was pretty clear to me that can-man was not on the top of their priorities. Finally a woman showed up. She was old. She walked past me without looking at me. She grabbed my slips and started scanning. This was fine I thought. No time for chit-chat. She's working her system. I wasn't really in the mood for talking anyways. My hands were dirty and I was tired. But then she says without ever having even looked at me, "You know there is a $25 limit on these?". Now I was pissed. Damn the system. I explained to her in an assertive way that I was disappointed that she hadn't even acknowledged me and this was the first thing she had said. She smiled. Then I explained to her that the law was clearly in my favor on this. I read an article this summer in the Press stating that stores may not limit how many cans are returned. She said she doesn't make the rules.

I can understand having a can limit if things are busy. Nobody wants to wait around to do their cans if they have like 10 cans but there is some yahoo with three shopping carts of cans a bottles. This makes sense. But she wanted to follow the rules because she was lazy. She was inconvenienced by me. She needed to switch the cans and then needed to stop what she was doing to help me.

The morale of the story is, the next time I buy a case of beer, I will inform the store that my policy is to only pay a $1.00 deposit per trip. If they don't like it, I'll just say, "Sorry, I don't make the rules". This may be misleading since I will in fact be the one who has made the rule, but that's beside the point.

Also, I have been trying to figure out how to say this: "I couldn't care less". I think a lot of people say "I could care less". "I could care less" could mean a lot of different levels of caring. The only thing it rules out is the fact that it is not on the extreme level of not caring. It may mean you care a great deal or that you care a moderate amount. This is why the expression needs to be "I couldn't care less". This means, "I care so little, that there is no possible way for me to be less caring". Be careful when you use this phrase. It's tricky.

Peaceful

I have successfully aligned my chakras and have become one with the world. The positive energy now flows freely through all 5 chakras and my spirit is free.

Well, I don't know about that, but I am much happier today than I was a couple years ago. I spent several years in desolation after moving back from the U.P. In fact, I was sort of insane for a few years. It didn't help that my job at Wedgwood was highly stressful emotionally and physically. But I seem to have come through on the other side seemingly stronger.

I was reading a book about the Rule of St. Benedictine. One of the chapters was on hospitality and prophecy. I though it was weird that the two chapters were together but the author explained well how they were linked. (you'll have to read the book for a good explanation too). But as I was reading this chapter on hospitality, I was reminded of how passionate I was for being hospitable. Especially int he last 2 years, I have kind of lost that passion and desire. But now it seems to be rising up inside me again. I believe that because of my much healthier mental state I am able to reclaim gifts, desires, and passions that God placed in me. It's hard to explain, but this is such an exciting time for me. I honestly wasn't sure if I'd ever snap out of this funk, but now feeling these very natural feelings, I am reminded of God's goodness in my life. I spent far too long being genuinely wounded and spent a large portion of time feeling sorry for myself.

Don't get me wrong, I'm still righteously cynical, irreverently prophetic, and sarcastically reflective. These things may change as I continue to seek the God-life, but until then, I'll embrace these wonderfully awful characteristics.

Peace!

"Bye-Bye Alligator"

"Bye-Bye Alligator". This is what Mo is saying to try to mimic her mama or "mapa" (My papa). She really is pretty sweet. She's also been going potty on the big girl potty regularly. She's only pooped on the potty once. I think she's scared.

Grandma Grace Baron died last week. She was a good grandma. Mo liked to hang on the side of the coffin at the visitation. She did it at least 3 times and I had to shoo her away from it. It could have been pretty awful if something would have been wiggled free.

I had hoped to go hunting this year, but looks like it won't work out again (sorry Keith). We're just too frickin busy.

I've been kind of obsessing about my own death today. If this is my last entry, I guess I'm a prophet.

Tubby Time

Better day today. Mo went trick or treating. She refused to say "trick-or-treat" until after we were done. Not even a spanking made her give in. I think her favorite part was knocking on doors. She loves to copy Papa. She didn't really get the candy exchange thing.

When we got home, she took a really long bath. I watched her and Jodi playing and giggling. She is so wonderful. She has learned to say "A-B-C". Nice work Mo. You are a prodigy.

I went to spiritual direction tonight. It was good. I really like the woman who directs me. I think it will be a great relationship.

When I got home Jodi and I snuggled on the couch. It looked kind of like the picture, except we weren't in the tub. I love the family guy and get to watch it every day on fox at 1:30 am. Peter is very funny.

Oh, I saw the guy in the whealchair again today. I thought about him all last night and a bunch today. My words were ringing in my ears repeatedly and I felt guilt over my dealings with him. "I can't help you" I shouted. Then today he motioned me to pull over as I was driving by. He needed $5 for a taxi to get to st. mary's for physical therapy. This time I could help him. I offered him a ride over there. He declined stating he couldn't ride with me for liability reasons. I gues I'm thankful that he is just looking out for my well being. He's probably been sued several times and can't risk another financial downfall. I felt justified in my anger is my point.

Leonard Cohen, Fundy Hippies, and Living like Jesus

The Hippie Christian Bulletin Board that I've been on for about a year really got to me today. Some other bad things happened too.

1. On the HCBB there are several different "forums". One of the forums is for new believers. I don't venture in there very often because for the most part Fundys think I'm scary and that I'll screw up their good thing. But for some reason I went in and was reading about a young woman who wasn't a Christian and was explaining her objections. She pointed out her disdain for war and how it seemed like many Christians are all about it. She said she read the beatitudes and how they made her cry but that she didn't see these valuable principles lived out by those who claim to follow Christ. She also pointed out her struggle to understand the only theology of hell that she had ever been informed of. The angry God who wants to send us there kind of hell. She said she didn't get it and that she couldn't subscribe to a religion that believed God would send people to hell. To a fundamentalist, these questions are easy. "When a perspective believer says they don't like hell, tell them 'this'." Faith is quantified and mathemetized. They say things like, "God wants us to know him so he gave us his Word to read and study." They think we can know all we need to and that God will take care of the rest. But I mentioned that I resonated with her comments and that I too had those questions. I mentioned that I thought that her search for truth was a noble one. I told her that even though there are many who will say things like "The bible is black and white and will answer your little questions", that she should continue to search for truth. So, the moderator deleted my posts and sent me a message saying that my perspective was "liberal" and that I shouldn't post on there any more unless I take a biblical stance.

2. We had a dispute with a friend tonight. I won't go into detail, but it was kind of a big deal. We were angry with this person because we felt wronged. The decisions that this person made affected our whole family. That makes me cranky. This happened right before I had to leave for work. I don't know if we handled things in a loving or peaceful way. I'm not sure how we'll handle things tomorrow.

3. On the way to my car, a man in a wheelchair was asking me for money to get to his brothers. This happens often in my neighborhood. The folks never want a ride, they want $0.75 for bus fare or $1.50 for bus fare, or in this case $3.50 for bus fare. It's always a specific amount I guess because then it seems like they have earnestly been trying to help themselves, but they just aren't able to do it. They simply need my help. Anyways, can you tell I wasn't buying it. I am ussually very patient and offer to help without giving out money. But tonight, I was grumpy and I didn't have any money and I was loading my kids into the car at 10:30PM. I needed to get to work and this guy wasn't giving up. I tried three times to be polite. Jodi was upset. I was vulnerable because I had my kids and I was tired of it. So I kind of gave him an ear full. I don't think I was very Christ-like.

4. Then I read some Leonard Cohen poetry. He is very dark. It kind of made me feel better. Here is a poem he wrote.

SOS 1995

Take a long time with your anger,

sleepy head.

Don't waste it in riots.

Don't tangle it with ideas.

The Devil won't let me speak,

will only let me hint

that you are a slave,

your misery a deliberate policy

of those in whose thrall you suffer,

and who are sustained

by your misfortune.

The atrocities over there,

the interior paralysis over here--

Pleased with the better deal?

You are clamped down.

You are being bred for pain.

The Devil ties my tongue.

I'm speaking to you,

'friend of my scribbled life'.

You have been conquered by those

who know how to conquer invisibly.

The curtains move so beautifully,

lace curtains of some

sweet old intrigue:

the Devil tempting me

to turn away from alarming you.

So I must say it quickly.

Whoever is in your life,

those who harm you,

those who help you;

those whom you know

and those whom you do not know --

let them off the hook,

help them off the hook.

Recognize the hook.

You are listening to Radio Resistance.

Never Cry Wolf

Tonight my job sucked. When my job doesn't suck, it is great, but when it sucks, it really sucks. I was trying to meditate and do some of my prayer exercises, but couldn't focus because my mind was racing thinking about traumatic events. So, I watched a movie. "Never Cry Wolf"

I saw this movie when I was boy. Mostly what I remembered was the man eating all the mice and seeing him naked a lot. but I watched the movie tonight as I was trying to relax. It was good. Not a lot of dialogue and some very beautiful cinematography. There wasn't a political overtone (though I could make one) and it wasn't overly emotional. I just enjoyed watching and dreaming about being in the wild. It felt quite healthy. Here are a few observations about the movie.

1. My week was filled with meetings and work. That is OK because it's not always like that, but I feel like I have missed a lot with my girls. So watching a movie that was kind of about breaking free and slipping off the grid entirely was refreshing. There was a line in there about an old Inuit Eskimo (I'm not sure if that is PC). He was following this Eskimo to where the Caribou were and they hiked for 3 days. He mentioned how much more endurance this old man had but how the old man didn't really notice how slow the main character was. He said it was because the Eskimo had no understanding of impatience.

2. The main character was in the arctic studying the wolves. A major theme in the movie was about how he was spending all of his time noticing and watching. he also mentioned how much more in tune with things the wolves were. He said they used all of their senses to notice what was going on but that really all he was using were his eyes and brain. (is the brain a sense?). Anyways, Jodi and I have been trying to live our lives in an attentive and reflective way. Always noticing what is going on and how we respond to those things. I look forward to much more progress in this area.

Coffee and Such

When I get my work done, I drink coffee to stay awake. Here are some things I like to do.

1. Read. Right now I'm reading about 6 books for my vocational discernment program. My favorite book is a commentary on the Rule of Benedict. I'm learning a lot about Benedictine Spirituality and about myself.
2. Journal. I also have started journalling for my vocational program. It's good to journal, but I've never been very good at it. I like to blog which is a way to journal, but I don't really like to keep a dear diary. It will probably never be something that I do with any kind of regularity.
3. Movies. I have watched a few good ones lately. Right now I'm watching a documentary on Leonard Cohen. I really need to buy a book of his poetry. It is very beautiful and pretty dark. In the documentary it says that it takes him at least a year to work on a single song. Pretty crazy.
4. I've been lifting weights. Check out my huge arms next time you see me.
5. I also have kind of a routine on the internet. I read a few different blogs, check the hippie Christian BB, read CNN's board, read Sojo, check my fatasy football stuff, and sometimes write a new blog.

But that's about it. Inbetween all of this, I am doing bed checks, doing laundry, starting a meal for the guys for the next day, and fill out my paperwork.

Thanks for reading my blog. Let's get together and have a cup of coffee (or beer) soon.

Jesus loves the little children- but Bush doesn't?

Well, maybe the title isn't fair. But isn't that what it looks like? Bush says he will veto a bill expanding the State Children's Helaht Insurance Prgram (SCHIP). The program would offer insurance to more children who are not necessarily under the poverty line but who cannot afford insurance.

The proposal will cost 35 billion over the next 5 years. Bush supporters will say that he should wait till SCHIP is more efficient and streamlined. They will say that they want the plan to be more refined so it doesn't allow for abuse. "We want good intel." "We don't want to waste money on something we aren't sure will work out."

I am not a wild spender (well with my own money I may be). In some ways, I am conservative on how I think the gov't should send our tax dollars. But isn't it ironic that Bush is deciding to be "responsible" on the backs of the poor children of the US?

This is all coming out about SCHIP at the same time Bush is asking for $55 billion more for the war in Iraq. Thank God we got the intel right on that and that we aren't losing millions of dollars to abuse over there to no-bid contracts and crooked military folks who administer money as they see fit with no accountability for the funds they dish out. I don't want to hate Bush, but it is sooo hard not to. I wish it was harder.

Blackwater

So... this is interesting. If you don't know what "Blackwater" is, then you aren't paying attention. Check it out. I heard about Blackwater last year during the election for governor last year. My friend Jay told me about them. Here are some interesting things about Blackwater

1. They are a mercenary group which is hired for private protection in volatile areas. The obvious hot spot right now is in Iraq. Here is my understanding, and I'd love and welcome correction if I get the facts wrong.

2. They were started by one of the Prince kids from Holland. Erik Prince went to Holland Christian and was/is a Navy Seal. His father is very rich and he used some of the family money to start a training school in S. Carolina to train these mercenaries.

3. How I understand it, they don't have to follow the same rules of engagement as the military and don't really have to follow and rules at all. I think they get their license to practice mercenary type things from the State Department and don't really have to follow Iraqi law.

4. So when they kill at least 11 civilians and Iraq says they must leave, they don't have to listen because they don't really answer to the Iraqi gov't. It's a sweet deal for these businessmen. They can keep their constituents happy and safe because they can carry out operations and violence that not even our military can. They can guarantee safety because at any hint of danger, they can start blasting. The problems with this are obvious.

5. Dick Devos's daughter is married to Erik Prince. There is a lot of Michigan money tied up in this whole thing. A lot of West Michigan money. Two families from our area that are very influential and thought of highly.

I wonder how the U.S. will handle this. The Press today interviewed a "senior military official" that said that this most recent scandal was bigger than Abu Graib. That's frickin' scary!

This is the scariest part:

"Meanwhile, the State Department interceded in a congressional investigation of Blackwater last week, ordering the company not to disclose information about its Iraq operations without approval from the Bush administration."

Well, if we can't trust the Bush administration to give it to us straight, then who can we trust. I'm sure Cheney will look over the material and let us know exactly what we need to know.

God save us from this war. Give us a way out that will glorify you and waste as few lives as is possible. Help us to love our enemies and to do what is right for all involved rather than seeking our own benefit.

St. Benedict

Jodi and I are in a vocational discernment program to help us figure out God's calling in our lives. We are trying to see if God would have us go to seminary to become an Episcopalian Priest. (Turns out Jodi is also feeling a call to either the priesthood or to become a Deacon. That's exciting too.) It is a frustrating and exciting time. We have already met for two weekends, and will meet for six more before the end of the year.

IN many ways I feel like this program is just a hoop to jump through, but when I am thinking clearly and not defensively, I am able to notice how good it is for me. Much of the discernment is helping me to focus on the internals of my life rather than the externals. As many of you know, I have focused on the externals for a LOOOONG time. So it is hard for me to change my patterns of thinking. I'm really learning to notice how I am responding in certain situations and how I need to listen and be still more. It's liberating.

The people in the discernment program are great. I would work with any of them at any time. We went out for drinks last Friday. Well, they each had a drink, and I had a couple. I was thirsty. But we had a great time and we laughed a lot and talked about the future. I think they will all make wonderful Priests or Deacons.

One of the classes is on Benedictine Spirituality. I was nervous it would be boring, but it is actually very interesting. We have a devotional (it's actually called a "rule") that we read each day and then journal about. Turns out I like to journal. The Benedictine Rule has been pretty interesting. Today's rule was about leadership and what Benedict's take was. If you get a chance, pick up a copy of the rule.

I also saw a movie today. It was called "Super Bad". It was funny but very vulgar. I wouldn't have paid to see it if I knew what it would be like. It's more of a rental movie which is too bad. I never go to the movies anymore. I went with my friend Matt. Then we went and got pizza. Jodi is in Florida with the girls. I miss them.

7 Year Itch

As of August 26, Jodi and I have been married for 7 years. It's been great. Here are some highlights:

1. August 26, 2000. Jodi and I had sex for the first time. It was really fun and we decided to try it a few other times since.

2. Sept. 23, 2005. We had Mo. She is great. It has been fun being parents. It has changed our relationship but for the better. we both enjoy watching each other grow and develop as a parent.

3. May 12, 2007. We had Gretta. She is great too. She smiles a lot and poops less than Mo did. What a combo.

4. We have fought a lot. Jodi and I fight a lot. If you have spent any time with us, you know that. We piss off our friends often when we bicker in front of them. We don't know any other way to live though. I think the older we get the healthier our view on disagreements and how we handle them. We are both pretty sensitive and hurt each other's feelings often. but then we try out #1 again. Just kidding. i think we both have a pretty good handle on when we have offended the other and make ammends when we do. Thaks years of therapy!

5. Some of my favortie memories with Jodi are camping memories. I knew I found a great lady when she wanted to camp with me a lot before we got married. I think she just wanted to make out most of the time though. She is a good kisser!

6. Spiritual Journeys. Jodi and I have been through a lot together in this area. We both started out pretty screwed up by Fundamentalism and have now figured most everything out. Just kidding. We are still screwed up, but think that we have a healthier view of God than we did 7 years ago. This gets carried over into our daily living and how we view the world and how we parent. Thanks Brian McLaren, Mike Yacconelli, Rob Bell, Donald Miller, Josh and Kim Baron, Larry Bryans, Jim and Joan DeGraaf, Ed and Nancy Baron, Mike Fedewa, Karl Numinen, Allendale Friends, Erik and Beth Racine, RBC Friends, WW peeps, well, I guess pretty much everybody I have ever interacted with.

So, the bottom line is that we are happy. I think that's important. It's still hard to put up with each others' bullshit, but we do. And it's good. Thanks be to God for Jodi Baron.

The Bourne Ultimatum

I just saw this movie. I am constantly looking for ways to point out perceived injustice within the Church. Here are a few thoughts about how I am Jason Bourne. If you haven

t seen the movie and want to, (I highly recomend the moovie by the way) then stop reading. I am going to give away the whole thing.

Remember near the end when he finds out that he "chose" his position as spy and unquestioning patriot? Well, anytime I hear the word choice, I don't start thinking about abortion, I start to think about intellectual evangelism and a bastardized version of the gospel. So... here is an unfair critique of modern evangelism and how I believe it has been misused and how heavy handed the Church has been with it's new believers.

The doctor in the movie reveals to Jason Bourne that he was the one who chose his life. He "signed on for this". The doctor readily admits that the new recruit (Bourne) was trained to not think but to simply follow orders. But Bourne was never really given the full story. I have 2 points about this:

1. I think that Fundamentalism is a lot like the doctor in terms of following orders. Once a new Christian "signs on", the culture does not allow for the questioning of it's beliefs and practices. Any perceived questioning or doubt is chalked up to the believers lack of faith and ineptitude. This creates a culture of needing to know you are right (and saved). This is what cause many to "learn" the gospel presentation and find a way that nobody can argue with. A way to rationalize God and to understand him logically. This arrogance is not only bad theology, but a foul odor that taints the air and keeps many from the pleasant aroma of the full gospel. It actually repels people from Christ. Bourne starts out wanting to serve his country at all costs: a noble act. He ends up doing much more harm and actually taking the lives of those he has promised to serve and protect.

2. An intellectual understanding of the gospel is no good news. When we present an easy to explain and easy to understand gospel we erase years of Christs' teachings. The gospel took Jesus 33 (give or take) years to explain and those closest never fully understood him. It is presumptuous for us to think we can explain it in a booklet or over a coke and french fries. A gospel that so many died for should not be delivered in snip-its or bullet points. It must be chewed and digested and vomitted and re-ingested, and deficated and studied and handled and stomped on and burned and used as fertilizer and experimented with and grown and then eaten again. It must be experienced on a daly basis in community and it must be desecrated and made to be displayed beautifully and...

I am not happy with this post. I am pretty scatter brained right now. Let me know if you can ore something good from this mess eh.

I Am Re-Learning to Read Good

I started reading again. I haven't read in a long time. I'm not totally sure why. Sometimes when I read, I feel crazy. When I read really good books that inspire me to do things I think are noble and right, I feel crazy. It makes me want to abandon everything i have planned and follow my youthful idealism.

So... I'm readin the Irrisistable Revolution by Shaine Claiborne. It is very good. I feel very crazy. And I want to abandon my plans. Sort of. I still plan on attending seminary next fall, but I think what I plan to do after that is changing again. I think I like living in the city. I like living in the rough part of the city. I like to dream with Jodi about how we can love people and help them. I like to bring salsa andsalmon and hot peppers over to them and see their faces.

We have made some other life-style choices that will help us on our quest to become more active in social justice issues in our community. I'll write more about it next week after we see if we can do it.

"How can they learn to read if they can't even fit in the building?"

Jesus... Just in Case.

So... this is weird. Jodi and I went and got a drink tonight at a pub in our neighborhood. Our awesome friend Rachelle listened for crying babies so we could go. Some interesting things.

1. It was Open Mic Night. The girl that was on when we got there was great. She had a beautiful voice but could have used a bit more guitar practice. She sang some Dylan as well as other stuff. Very nice.

2. The next guy played harmonica with her and harmonized with her. It was also very nice. he sang some Dylan, Dead, Merl Haggard, and I think some of his own stuff. He sang a song called, "Jesus, Just in Case". I couldn't hear the vocals very well, but knew what he was getting at.

I'm now going to rant about American Evangelicalism. What this guy knew about Jesus was that he could be helpful if there was a chance that God sent people to hell. If this is how others view Christianity, the Church is in jeopardy. If this is how others view our Christ, then we have done a piss poor job of portraying him. I hope someday the singer writes a song called, "Jesus... because his followers don't know what the hell they're doing". That would be more accurate I think.

3. A man showed up after that with a Big Lebowski T-shirt on. I bought him a White Russian as is customary in our tradition and waited for him to come over to talk. Nobody can argue with the fact that the BL is the best movie of all time. We talked about the Achievers and about the music on the sound track and about how smart we are for recognizing what a great movie it is. He was from Boston and traveling across the country. Nice man. His name was "Mando". If you haven't seen the movie, you may not read my blog again until you have seen it.


"Nobody F@&ks with Da Jesus" -- That's ironic. The first guy sang about Jesus and Mando loved the movie with this quote. Coincidence? I think not. The Lord is Moving in mysterious ways.

I Hate Catholics

Check out this News article from CNN.
Click here dippy.

I am constantly amazed at the anti-Catholic sentiments in this country. In the past couple years I have experienced first hand evangelical Christians renouncing the Catholic faith and it's members. It has happened so often that I probably shouldn't be surprised anymore.

I differ with some of Catholic doctrine and won't see eye to eye on a lot that the new Pope has to say, but I consider the Catholic Church a beautiful and important part of the body of Christ. I'd like to highlight a few encounters with Catholic Hatred in the local circles that I've milled around in.

1. During the '04 election, I was discussing presidential hopefulls with some RBC students in a public area of the college. The college had sent around some "unbiased" voting info for all of its students to peruse. It was mostly, "Bush could be Messiah returning. I hope you're ready." and "Kerry is the anti-Christ. If you vote for him, you will turn gay and have to have an abortion" type things. The brochure also had on it what church the hopefulls were a part of. Under Kerry it had "He has flip-flopped on this issue too. He is part of the Church of Satan but is also a nominal catholic". (It didn't really say that). Under Bush, it mentioned that he was Methodist. I said out loud, "Oh boy!!! Bush is a Methodist. I can't vote for him." I was joking. I really couldn't vote for him, but not because he was Methodist. Just as I said that, the Dean's secretary walked by, heard me and said, "At least he's not catholic!". I didn't know how to respond.

2. Jodi and I were looking for a church in our neighborhood. I hate the baptist church and all baptists, but the only church around that wasn't catholic was a baptist church. So, we went. The pastor fromt he pulpit mentioned how their organist was catholic all her life but once she started to play the organ at the Baptist church, she heard the gospel for the first time and got saved. He then went on to make some other disparaging remarks regarding the CC. Later he came a callin' to our house and I asked him about his remarks. he drew out the difference between orthodox doctrine and catholic doctrine and how we just need to help the catholics be smarter and resist the devil. We told him he didn't need to come a callin' again and that we wouldn't be coming back.

3. At work, we take the kids to Kentwood Community Church. It is very vissually stimulating. There are a lot of lights and loud music and the worship leader is very smiley and fun. The people realy close their eyes hard when they pray. Nothing wrong with any of that. There was a testimony time one day and this guy came up and testified about how he got out of the trap of catholicism and how he praises God for KCC. I think people may have actually clapped. My friend, Luke, who is catholic didn't clap. I think it made him feel sad or another emotion on that end of the spectrum.

Did you go to CNN and read that article? I think that even though the man apologized for the remark, it will probably help the Huckabee camp. Being Catholic is a dirty secret I think if you are a Republican. But I don't get why. The Catholic Church is very conservative on issues that are important to Republicans: abortion, stem cell, and homosexuality. I guess as we're getting things hashed out for the primaries, this kind of thing will happen on both sides of the aisle. But I don't have to like it.

These are a Few of My Favorite Things

(This is a picture of me in Canada on my fishing trip last year.)


1. Jodi. We were both in really good moods yesterday. It's always nice when that happens and everybody is friendly like. The day before I was in a bad mood. I think because I've had a crazy busy week. But I have a 5 day weekend coming up.





2. The girlies. Mo is great. She has been pretending a lot lately. ONe day she pretended to be crying over and over again. She'd burry her face in her hands and lay down on the bed and whimper. We would say, "Oh! Look mama. Momo is sad!" And then she would turn towards us giggling. We'say, "Oh, she was just faking!". Then she would do it again. She did this for 10 minutes. Gretta has been sleeping great. Jodi puts her to bed at about 9is and then I think she sleeps mostly through the night. Is this accurate Jodi?





3. Canada Fishing. I have 4 of my friends commited to going. I


am so excited, that i made up the menu yesterday. The trip is 4 months away.





4. Baseball. Tonight I took 3 kids to a Whitecaps game. It was very fun and we had great seats. Monday I'll take 2 kids to go see the Tigers. I can't wait. I haven't seen the Tiger's since I was a boy.





5. Erik. I think my friend Erik may come visit. He lives in Chicago. We will go fishing if he comes.





6. Working on the house. If Erik doesn't come, I'm going to get a lot done on my house. I don't get in these moods often, so I need to get a crap-load done. I'll keep you informed.

Blogging's for Losers

Well, I officially have nothing to say but am going to blog anyways. Steve said I have to. Montana discovered the moon on the way to the U.P. We were in Houghton Lake and she wasn't sleeping though it was like 9:30 PM. She saw the moon and did her "Oh My God!" face. We couldn't figure it out at first, but then finally understood. So now she says "Moo" or sometimes "Moo--Nu". And since that time has often declared that she wants to see it at all times of the day. I tried to explain that the moon itself wasn't giving off the light but that it was instead reflected light from the sun. I think she got it but then asked me about the crescent. I told her I wasn't sure and she started to theorize that maybe it had to do with the triangulation of the moon and sun and Earth but then I stopped listening.

We went to Marquette to visit with friends and to go to the Hiawatha Music Festival. It was fun even though we didn't see much music. My favorite part was actually staying at my friend Luke's beach house. We swam and had a bonfire. It was very nice.

W's "Pro-life Policies

This is an article by Obery Hendericks. He writes for Sojourners from time to time. I figure it's time to get back on the horse and start bashing Republicans and silly Christians again. Here is the article in it's entirety. http://blog.beliefnet.com/godspolitics/2007/06/obery-hendricks-the-height-of.html

Obery Hendricks: The Height of Hypocrisy
This week President George W. Bush ceremoniously vetoed a measure promoting embryonic stem cell research that could help to relieve the suffering of millions, declaring that the bill disregards the sanctity of human life. "I will not allow our nation to cross this moral line," Bush said.
It is hard to believe that this pronouncement could come from the mouth of a man who has shown a frightening disdain for the sanctity of human life for the entirety of his career in elective office. Here are a few of the examples of George W. Bush's lack of respect for human life that I document in my book, The Politics of Jesus.
While governor of Texas:
· Bush signed more death warrants than any governor in the history of this nation, at times mocking those he condemned to death, according to conservative commentator Tucker Carlson; at the same time, he was vetoing legislation that would have guaranteed effective counsel to those accused of capital crimes, even though the lawyers of the Texas Defender Service denounced the Texas courts as "a thoroughly flawed system."
· Bush actively fought against a program passed by the Texas legislature to provide medical coverage to the 500,000 poor children in the state who lacked it. After five years of his active opposition, Bush succeeded in reducing the number of children covered by the program by half, despite his certain knowledge that his actions would result in death and terrible suffering for an unknown number of innocents. All this while he fought for a $2 billion tax cut for Texas' richest families and a $45 million cut for the oil and gas industry, with this explanation: "These are tough times for the oil and gas industry."
As president:
· Moments before he was to appear on national television to announce his declaration of war on Iraq, Bush was caught on tape pumping his fist as at a sporting event, declaring, "Feels good," in what the journalist Paul Waldman called "a glimpse of the president's vulgar callousness."
· He not only sent thousands of Americans to their deaths based on lies and knowing deception, he was caught on tape laughing about it at the 2004 gala of the Radio and Television Correspondents' Association, in a skit in which he looked under furniture and behind curtains and joked, "Nope, no weapons [of mass destruction] over there… maybe under here?"
· On national television, in the hearing of children, he has openly and gratuitously vowed not to neutralize or capture individuals he calls by name, but to kill them.
· He publicly gloated over the killing of Saddam Hussein's sons and, in a particularly macabre moment, allowed their mutilated bodies to be put on public display.
There is little question that Bush has exhibited less respect for human life than any president in memory, including Richard Nixon. But what is more troubling, if that is possible, is Bush's apparent sense that he can deceive the American people with impunity, as if we will believe that he cares about human life simply because he says so, no matter that his every significant policy decision shows that to be a lie.
What is more troubling still, however, is that thus far he has been right—at least with regard to a sizable number of Americans. As long as Bush cries crocodile tears for the unborn—and now the unformed—too many Americans will fail to hold him responsible for his reprehensible disdain for the suffering of innocent children, women and men throughout the earth. And he will continue to make moral pronouncements to mask his immoral policies.
Obery Hendricks is past president of Payne Theological Seminary, an ordained elder in the African Methodist Episcopal Church, and the author of The Politics of Jesus: Rediscovering the True Revolutionary Nature of Jesus' Teachings and How They Have Been Corrupted.

I've recently (in the past 4 years) come to a different understanding of the term "pro-life". The word is so loaded anyways, but I find it strange the people who use it as their battle cry. These folks often have the "I support our troops" stickers or the "W" sticker. Or you hear them talking about justice for the murderer or sex offender. It's just so strange that these folks don't really value life like I do. They value life when it is convenient. When it suits their purposes and agendas.

I don't know much about stem cell research, but I know which side I'm "supposed" to be on as a Christian. I guess I that since I'm not really sure though, that I'll rebel and react to what the right is trying to persuade me to think. This is definitely a flaw of mine, but it has worked out pretty well.

Nick and Baby Smiles

My friend nick got married this weekened. He is one of my bestest friends and I was happy to see him get to marry such a wonderful woman. Here are a few thoguhts about the event and the sub-events surrounding it.
1. His bachelore party was fun. We went camping. They had this game called "corn hole" or something though that may have been a made-up name to make me look stupid.
2. The rehearsal was fun. The wedding was at a church in Holland. This church was very beautiful. Sort of. It was also kind of repulsive. Very large and lots of grass and ponds and water fountains. I know you also have to sign a waiver stating you won't drink, or smoke, or swear, or vote democrat or stray from Jesus view of homosexuals. That's all true except for most of it.
3. The wedding was very nice. I did do something really stupid though. I always try to be a smart ass and try to make people laugh. During one of the photos we were not supposed to laugh. So I said, "just think about the war". That made everybody laugh... except the Vet fresh home from Iraq. He's a good guy and I wish I could have talked with him more though. Mayeb just to prove that I'm not a total a-hole. NIck wrote a speail song to his Katie. Nice weddings where you know people love each other make me think about Jodi and how much I love her. This was one of those weddings.
4. At the reception, Gretta smiled at me. It probably was because of my sharp and whitty sense of humor. Or.. because it felt good to poop. Who knows for sure?
5. My friend Erik is coming from Chicago this weekend. We are going salmon fishing. I'm stoked.
6. We have been getting peppers for a while now. I brought some over to the Somali family. They weren't very friendly. I also brought them eggs.

Camino de Santiago

I am in the beginnning stages of planning a trip to Spain for the youth of my church. The trip will be a religious pilgramage that pilgims have been walking for over a thousand years. James, the son of Zebedee, apparently is buried in Santiago which is where the pilgrimage ends. It is also the Western "end of the world" for all during the middle ages. The plan would be to take about 6-8 youth to Spain to walk 100 km of the walk. The trail is actually much longer, but you need 100 km in order for it to officially be a pilgrimage. We'll also do some other sightseeing, butthe walk will take about 6 or 7 days. I'm enjoying the beginning stages of the plan.

Bored with Blogging

Hey. I haven't blogged in a while. I think I'm tired of making controversial posts. But I can't think of anything else to write about that anybody would be interested in. Maybe I'll just say some things I'm thinking about.

1. Can Christianity exist without a group of us trying to change the minds of the world. Can it exist without using violence and intollerance? Can we live in peace with others who believe differently?

2. How serious am I about trying to live simply? How willa church respond to a youth director who calls for students to live simply?

3. Can I live without polarizing myself from other groups. Canb I live in peace with anybody? Am I a person who knows no other way than to thrive on conflict?

4. I watched "I Heart Huckabees" last night with Jodi. It is really really funny! It also asks some good questions. Are we all connected or are we all seperate entities? Mark Wahlberg is very funny in this movie.

5. Do I have what it takes to be an Episcopal priest?

I plan to figure out the answers to all of these questions this week. I'll let you all know next week what I have discovered.

Bawk! Bawk!

We got chickens. Friday we bought 4 new pets. We will eat their eggs. I wish I had a digital camera so I could show you the work I put into prepping our yard. Mo loves them and liked chasing them when they got out. The cops told me to get rid of them when I was chasing them around the neighborhood. But I'm a rebel. I gave the cop the finger and told him to get rid of his own chickens.

We are hopefully going to have lots of eggs. So far we have collected 2 and they have laid at least 3. (They ate one I think ). Apparently chickens will eat anything. Some people say they are better than pigs for disposing of wasted food. We really like them.

Pearl in the Sea of Bitterness

Jodi had my baby! This is a picture Father Mike blessing her the day we left the hospital. She is great. Both mama and Gretta are doing well. MOntana loves her little sister. She always says, "Ma Baby" (My Baby). The other pictures are Jodi and and Gretta, Me and JOdi and Gretta leaving the hospital, and then a proud papa with his girls.

Ka-Boom!!!

Here is an interesting article that goes with my post on Soul Force. Apparently somebody really was upset about them coming to Ohio. I must say that they can't prove at this point that the bombs were made specially for Soul Force, but it's pretty suspicious. The group found out about it when they were in Grand Rapids. Thank God we were here for moral support.

"There is all the rest of Kent County to meet with these folks."

Don't just pass by this hyperlink... Read this article.

So this group called Soulforce, comes and protests schools they believe to be hostile to homosexuals . They were on tour and planned on protesting at Cornerstone and Calvin (maybe Hope too, I can't remember). The group sends the school they are planning on visiting a letter to let them know their intentions. Cornerstone responded by saying that the group is not welcome and that they would be arrested if the came on school grounds.

So, the group showed up and two students came on the property and were arrested. But I got in to some discussions with some friends about the subject. Here are some of the questions asked by one another.

1. Isn't it Cornerstone's perogative to allow them on campus or not?

2. What would it hurt to let them on campus?

3. What is the "homosexual agenda"?

4. Is it "cool" to be gay?

5. How do we dialogue with people who disagree on the issue of sexuality (especially Christians)?

I'll try to give some of my opinions on these 5 questions.

1. Yes- But it makes them and Christians look stupid, arrogant and not willing to dialogue about issues that afeect our culture.

2. This was actually something I hadn't thought of but that I thought was a good point. My friend said that since they are not affiliated or supported by a denomination but instead by individual donors, that they had a lot to lose. Money. I can see how this would be a concern, but don't think it's a very noble or honorable one.

3. According to Wkipedia, Dr. Dobson has stated this "homosexual agenda" as: "Those goals include universal acceptance of the gay lifestyle, discrediting of scriptures that condemn homosexuality, muzzling of the clergy and Christian media, granting of special privileges and rights in the law, overturning laws prohibiting pedophilia, indoctrinating children and future generations through public education, and securing all the legal benefits of marriage for any two or more people who claim to have homosexual tendencies."

Any thoughts on this "agenda"?

4. I stated that in 10 years of youth minstry, I had only met 3 youth who thoguth it was "cool" to be gay and none of them were outside of Wedgwood.

5. I don't know how. I think it starts with discussing these tough issues with people that it affects most. I know very few LGBT people, and have little personal experience with this issue, but hope that I can continue to see things from somebody elses perspective. My problem has been discussing hot issues with other Christians that I disagree with.

Fundamentalism

I am so under qualified to blog on this subject. But since I'm usually under qualified, I'll just do it anyways. If you have any info that would be good for all of my readers to know about, please include it.

I watched PBS tonight at work. It had some great programming on about Islam. The name of the program was America at a Crossroads. Check it out if you get a chance. One of the programs was specifically about Indonesia. Apparently it has more Muslims than any nation on the planet. Who would have thought? As I've said before, I don't have a ton of knowledge in the area of Islam, but I've always been alarmed when Christians talk about Muslims in a negative way. This must be the liberal media's influence on me making me tolerant of pagan religions and people. One time, I was on a men's retreat and a guy that was a little... I can't think of a label that isn't offensive, said that Muslims want to kill Christians. Quite a statement for somebody who didn't know any Muslims I thought. But I don't know any Muslims either... so I wondered secretly if maybe he was right.

But this program was good for me. Actually there was a program on before that by a "liberal" Muslim. It was uncanny how her language was so non-offensive to me but how many fundy Muslims felt threatened by her ideas and language. She has the audacity to say that maybe much of Islamic law wasn't really what God (Allah) wanted for His people. She specifically mentioned issues of gender and war.

Sounds familiar doesn't it? She was saying that the text itself wasn't flawed, but that how Muslims interpreted it was flawed and needed to change. She actually used the word blasphemy. A Muslim cleric (I don't really know what a cleric is, but the guy was an important Muslim figure in the U.S.-- maybe like a local pastor type) talked about how dangerous this type thinking was to Islam. She made a great case about the roots of Islam and how it was formed on education, reason, good dialogue, and religious tolerance. She said, that this is what allowed Islam to flourished before fundamentalism hi-jacked the faith.

She kept quoting the Quran and it didn't sound kooky or angry. It sounded friendly and loving. This really rankled some of the folks being interviewed. But it was good for me to watch. She kept making the statement that tolerance is different than oppression. Some Muslims were justifying horrific acts, like suicide bombings, because somebody had offended Islam or Muhammad. It was very complex and I am not doing it justice.

But I feel the same way about Christian fundamentalism. I feel like this movement worships the text rather than God and let's the sinful part of humanity get in the way of how we are to view God. For a long time, I felt like I needed to keep any views that were not the view of the masses under my hat because of how dangerous they could be for my soul or for young Christians. To be honest, as I started to explore some of these thoughts, it was a little dangerous. It has caused me to have some real doubts about my faith. But it has also brought me to a higher level of truth than I have previously known. I feel like I know God in a healthier way. I feel like I have a better grasp on what I doubt and am unsure on but this too seems healthy and truer than the faith I had even a few short years ago.

Has anybody else had this experience? What parts about Fundamentalism are healthy for Christianity?

A Happy/Non-Controversial Post

Here is a link to my friend Jonathan. He is in Uganda doing important things while I'm here blogging about star bellied Sneetches. http://jryskamp.blogspot.com/

If you get a minute, check out his blog and throw one up for him and the work he's doing. Maybe even give him a little comment to let him know you are thankful for the way he is furthuring the kingdom of peace.

The "Fix-it-up-Chappie"

I blogged last week about the guy who tattled on me. He was pretty clear in his last e-mail that I am not a Christian. This got me thinking about the Sneetches. I love Dr. Seuss. Well, I really like him. It brings me back to a convention I went to a couple years ago in San Diego. It was a convention put on by Jerry Falwell and Chick Tracts. As I was reading about the "Death Cookie", it made me think... Just kidding. It was an Emerging Church Conference.

A pastor and author named Doug Padgitt did a session on rethinking theology or something like that. I'll try to be honest about how I felt during the session.

1. I felt naughty. Seriously. Most of what I had been taught about Christianity this man was saying wasn't important. That's not totally true. My judgment is that he was saying, there are NO BOUNDS to the faith.

2. It was kind of an awkward time as well. I remember during the Q+A time feeling very awkward. Some people were pretty hot and I remember feeling sorry for Mr. Padgitt and wanting to make peace and smooth things over. But this got me thinking about what I DO believe are bounds for the faith. I have totally figured it out now and want to tell you exactly what God wants you to think on this issue.... heehee. Just kidding.

3. For some reason, when I think about the picture in my head about this topic, I think of railroad ties. I think of this inanimate object called "The Christian Faith" that is in a box with Railroad ties for its boarders. Isn't that weird? I have railroad ties in my backyard and i think about Doug Padgitt when I'm gardening or picking up trash. Or watching my daughter play in her new sandbox.

4. This did get me to read some other books that have been good (I think) for my spiritual formation. One was called "If Grace is true, why God will Save Every Person". Sounds scary doesn't it? It isn't. Though I am not a Universalist, I hope that God will indeed save every person. Even by this statement, I kind of mislead about my thoughts on salvation in general. Sozo (Thanks Rob Wondergem) -- or salvation-- comes in many different forms. This is where redemptive theology comes in. We can offer salvation to those around us as Son's of God. Yes? Not the kind of salvation that most think of when they hear the word, but a salvation from many things, mostly ourselves. Or from loneliness. Or from self-destructive behaviors. or from consumerism. Or anything else that opposes the true kingdom.

So to try somehow to connect the EC and Sylvester McMonkey McBean and Chick Tracts, and Sozo: So, in the parable of the Star Bellied Sneetches, Who is who? (Should that read who is whom? or whom is who?). Who is the exclusive group and who is trying to fit in? I guess it doesn't really matter because both groups are victims to their own desires. And victims to an outside force who has come to exploit. Nobody would really believe that McBean is a literal figure, but instead an evil force. (just kidding. That was for Oscar). The point is, McBean came to kill and destroy. And the sneetches fell for it... but in the end, they were all still redeemed and relationship was restored.

The Sneetches

THE SNEETCHES by Dr. Suess
Now the Star-bellied Sneetches had bellies with stars. The Plain-bellied Sneetches had none upon thars. The stars weren't so big; they were really quite small. You would think such a thing wouldn't matter at all. But because they had stars, all the Star-bellied Sneetches would brag, "We're the best kind of Sneetch on the beaches."
With their snoots in the air, they would sniff and they'd snort, " We'll have nothing to do with the plain-bellied sort." And whenever they met some, when they were out walking, they'd hike right on past them without even talking.
When the Star-bellied children went out to play ball, could the Plain-bellies join in their game? Not at all! You could only play ball if your bellies had stars, and the Plain-bellied children had none upon thars.
When the Star-bellied Sneetches had frankfurter roasts, or picnics or parties or marshmallow toasts, they never invited the Plain-bellied Sneetches. Left them out cold in the dark of the beaches. Kept them away; never let them come near, and that's how they treated them year after year.
Then one day, it seems, while the Plain-bellied Sneetches were moping, just moping alone on the beaches, sitting there, wishing their bellies had stars, up zipped a stranger in the strangest of cars.
"My friends, " he announced in a voice clear and keen, "My name is Sylvester McMonkey McBean. I've heard of your troubles; I've heard you're unhappy. But I can fix that; I'm the fix-it-up chappie. I've come here to help you; I have what you need. My prices are low, and I work with great speed, and my work is one hundred per cent guaranteed."
Then quickly, Sylvester McMonkey McBean put together a very peculiar machine. Then he said, "You want stars like a Star-bellied Sneetch? My friends, you can have them . . . . for three dollars each. Just hand me your money and climb on aboard."
They clambered inside and the big machine roared. It bonked. It clonked. It jerked. It berked. It bopped them around, but the thing really worked. When the Plain-bellied Sneetches popped out, they had stars! They actually did, they had stars upon thars!
Then they yelled at the ones who had stars from the start, "We're exactly like you; you can't tell us apart. We're all just the same now, you snooty old smarties. Now we can come to your frankfurter parties!"
"Good grief!" groaned the one who had stars from the first. "We're still the best Sneetches, and they are the worst. But how in the world will we know," they all frowned, "if which kind is what or the other way 'round?"
Then up stepped McBean with a very sly wink, and he said, "Things are not quite as bad as you think. You don't know who's who, that is perfectly true. But come with me, friends, do you know what I'll do? I'll make you again the best Sneetches on beaches, and all it will cost you is ten dollars eaches.
Belly stars are no longer in style, " said McBean. "What you need is a trip through my stars-off machine. This wondrous contraption will take off your stars, so you won't look like Sneetches who have them on thars."
That handy machine, working very precisely, removed all the stars from their bellies quite nicely. Then, with snoots in the air, they paraded about. They opened their beaks and proceeded to shout, "We now know who's who, and there isn't a doubt, the best kind of Sneetches are Sneetches without."
Then, of course those with stars all got frightfully mad. To be wearing a star now was frightfully bad. Then, of course old Sylvester McMonkey McBean invited them into his stars-off machine. Then, of course from then on, you can probably guess, things really got into a horrible mess.
All the rest of the day on those wild screaming beaches, the Fix-it-up-Chappie was fixing up Sneetches. Off again, on again, in again, out again, through the machine and back round about again, still paying money, still running through, changing their stars every minute or two, until neither the Plain- nor the Star-bellies knew whether this one was that one or that one was this one or which one was what one or what one was who!
Then, when every last cent of their money was spent, the Fix-It-Up-Chappie packed up and he went. And he laughed as he drove in his car up the beach, "They never will learn; no, you can't teach a Sneetch!"
But McBean was quite wrong, I'm quite happy to say, the Sneetches got quite a bit smarter that day. That day, they decided that Sneetches are Sneetches, and no kind of Sneetch is the BEST on the beaches. That day, all the Sneetches forgot about stars, and whether they had one or not upon thars.

I Love to Play Basketball

I played basketball on Wednesday and then again Thursday night. Here are the details:

On Wed. I played with guys from work. I didn't move very fast and I didn't play very good defense. But I think that is what basketball looks like after 30. I did however make about 7 three pointers. Seriously. And I maybe missed 3-4. That's a better percentage than any NBA player in the league. I wonder if I could play in the NBA? I am going to go to the Pistons website and see when they have open tryouts.

This morning (Thursday) I played with kids from work at a lock-in. The rim was lowered to maybe 9 foot. It was great to be able to dunk again. I noticed with the extra 100 pounds, I shook the rim more. The kids couldn't believe I could dunk like that. I was just like Darryl Dawkins or Shaq. Seriously, just like them. My back hurts now though.

Bet you thought I wasn't going to say anything about hell didn't you? Well, Hell might be figurative. Anybody want to debate it with me for a change? Larry is such a stud!

A Busy Weekend

1. I built a sandbox. If you have never built a sandbox, you need to do it. It's pretty complexed. I bought some wood and nailed it together in the shape of a square. Then I put sand in it. Now Mo can play in it. She dropped her apple in it a few times. Mom showed her how to brush the sand off. When she did it again, she tried to brush it off herself and wasn't very effective and ended up eating sand. Yuck.

2. I built a garden box. This was even more difficult than the sandbox. It was a rectangle shaped box. The hard part came when I needed to load cow-poop into my van and then put it in the box. Yucky. Mo-mo liked the texture but not the flavor. Hopefully this will get us back on the path to become more involved in our neighborhood. We are hoping to share our vegetables with the neighbors. Being outside all weekend allowed us to re-connect with some of the neighbors and meet others.

3. Privacy Fence. Not sure how to feel about this still. I want to not keep people out of my space, but it seems necessary in our hood. Hopefully our space will be more welcoming to our neighbors in terms of hosting a barbecue. We'd like to host a pig-roast this summer. We'll see.

4. I met with a bunch of kids from church for lunches and breakfasts and what-not. I got wings, a burger, a chimichanga and some mex-brex at my meetings. They were all delicious except the chimi. Kind of underwhelming. I was surprised at the different levels of trust allready being formed and not formed. I still find it a challenge to interact with highschool girls. I need a good volunteer.

5. I also spent an hour or so writing e-mails to somebody who has been peeking in on my blog. This person e-mailed the priest at our church to let them know my views on hell. I guess I'm not really surprised, (other than I'm not sure about my view on hell). It seemed though that this person seemed only interested in getting me in trouble. Hopefully I won't. I honestly can't think of a situation where I would track down a person's boss to try to get them in trouble. Well, if there was somebody being harmed I suppose I would. I'm sure he fealt that my words were harmful and I guess justified his actions that way. Different paradigms I suppose.

It was interesting to dialogue about different styles of confrontation. I actually take what I would consider a "biblical" approach to the matter. Mathew 18 seems pretty clear on how Christians are to handle conflict between believers. Maybe he doesn't think I'm a believer though.

It was amusing to see a biblical literalist wiggle and weasle his way out of following Jesus' wishes on how the Church is to handle these kinds of situations. He knew I wouldn't fall for "The Devil made me do it" but instead tried to convince me that since the military handles things this way that it would be OK for him to. It's hard to argue with that. Since we are in the Lord's Army. Amen!

But, since I am adamant on the Mathew 18 principle, I have confronted him in private, and am now looking for a brother (sorry ladies) in Christ to help me confront him. The next step is the elders and then after that I shall treat him like the pagans and tax collectors. I think that means I have to buy him a beer and thank him for holding my money before I spend it on stupid things.

Summer is Officially Here!

Well... I bought my first Oberon today. I haven't partaken yet, but will tomorrow. My friend Jay the hippie says that he doesn't like wheat beers. I don't really either, but I really like Oberon. Apparently Oberon is one of the moons around Uranus. Ummm.... Before it was a moon, it was the name of the king of the fairies.

I can't wait to be on a picnic this summer and to cozy up with the fam and enjoy a few brews while I watch the kids play. Well, Justice won't be doing much. Enjoy the summer and I hope we can sit down soon and enjoy one together.

Total Depravity?

So there I was... minding my own business and trying to get some winks before work when all of the sudden...

There was intense screaming in the street. This happens fairly often in my neighborhood. Sometimes there is a shooting or a drug bust or domestic violence. But tonight I wasn't sure what was going on. I threw my pants on and ran downstairs. Jodi called the police. As I walked out the door there was a man in the fetal position by our car. Another man was kicking him in the face. Not like a "get off my side of the couch, I'm trying to watch the A-Team" kind of kick, but a running head start and then kick you in the face kind of kick. Then the kicker took a few steps back and ran and kicked the kick-ee in the face again.

What to do in this kind of scenario? So I yelled, "Hey". That didn't really do anything. I actually contemplated a few things: 1) get personally and physically involved. 2) get my gun and become personally involved 3) wait for the police. Right or wrong, I waited for the police. When the cops got there, it was kind of like on cops only the cops were less nice. By this time the men were rolling around in the street. Really. They were laying in the street. So the cop throws one guy off another. and then there are like 5 cop cars there. It was pretty bizarre.

But these kind of things get more and more common because we are near the end times. What's really disturbing is that we are becoming used to them. I don't like to see people kicked in the face. I don't like violence at all really.

Good Friends

This weekend we got to see some of our good friends. It's always nice when you get to hang out with good people and enjoy good conversation.

Wayne and Erin came over on Friday and we had Pad Thai. It was delicious. Jodi really made spectacular batch. Then we sat back and talked quite a bit about theology. Wayne is one of my favorites to talk about these issues with because he's not afraid to tell me when I'm full of crap or just plain wrong. We also talked about taking a class at Western Theological together this fall. That would be good so I could copy his notes when I skip class. It was also nice to see Erin. i don't think I have any readers who this would spoil their news so I'll say that Erin has a womb dweller living inside her. I almost started crying when they told me and I don't know why. Driscol would have a hay-day with how feminine I am.
Then we saw our friend Chad and Jodi. They were in the hospital because Jodi had twins Saturday. We didn't see the young ones yet, but I'm excited to get a glimpse. Jodi is such a stud. She was walking around and you couldn't even tell she had babies taken from her body a day before. She even had a C-section. Yucky. Nice work Chad and Jodi.

Then we went for dinner with Jay and Amy. They are our hippie friends. We went out for Indian food. They offer a buy one get one free beer on Saturdays. Can you believe it? We also had good conversation. It's always fun to make camping plans and beer making plans with these kind folks. We really enjoy their company.