Strange Encounter with Suicidal Bee

It is said that everyone is a critic. After last night, I tend to agree. My family and I were sitting outside going through our nightly bedtime routine. This routine consists of reading from some sort of book, a chapter in the Bible, as well as songs and prayers. It is a routine that we have been doing for years and the children have a fit if we don't follow through.

Last night we were reading a short story from the great American author Mark Twain. Our selection for the evening was one of stories entitled "The Bad Little Boy". The story is about a bad little boy that never gets in trouble, never gets found out, and gets away with everything. There is no moral truth behind his actions. In fact, he grows up, gets married, has a big family (that he bludgeoned to death with an ax), and then becomes a respected member of the legislature.

Now during the reading of this great American short story, a bumblebee decided to join the oration of Mr. Twain. He buzzed by my ear as I tried to flick him away. He came back at me as I stood up and tried to get away. At that point my old dog Jackson, walked forward and tried to come close to me. The bee, being completely subjective, decided that he was a warm body that was worth stinging. The bee flew towards Jackson and stung him once. I swatted at the bee with my copy of Mark Twain. I hit the bee, but he came rushing back towards the dog at lightning speed and stung him again. I whacked the bee again and managed to hit it away. Jackson ran into the house and jumped in the bathtub scared to death. I don't know if he was more scared of the bee that was stinging him, or if he was afraid of the fact that I was hitting him with a book!

After the bee inflicted his damage on the dog he went after my youngest child and stung him on the arm. My son was in shock trying to figure out what had just happened. He grabbed his arm and began to scream in pain. After my wife tried to get the bee away from him, it attacked her as well. The bee rushed in and stung my wife on the leg. She finally was able to give it a good whack and stun the bee to the ground. I took Mark Twain over to where the bee lay stunned and hit it as hard as I could with the back of the book.

This whole incident happened within about fifteen seconds. It seemed like an eternity. It was one of the most surreal situations I have ever seen. It is a story that will live in infamy and one that my children will probably tell their children. As for the bee, it is not for me to judge the state of its eternal soul, but I doubt it accepted Christ in it's last seconds on earth. I do know one thing, he wasn't much of a Mark Twain fan.

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To Scripture or not to Scripture

I find it interesting that there are two camps in the Jesus/theology department right now. One takes an extreme as far as making it almost impossible to get into heaven. The other takes the other extreme with an "inclusive" gospel. Jesus himself, would seem to contradict both sides depending on what scripture is read.

I don't have it all figured out. There are many things that I will never figure out. But, I do believe there are things in the bible that make it perfectly clear what is needed to follow Jesus and be on the "narrow road". But are we too afraid to find out? Are we too afraid to look at the scriptures and read them? Are we too afraid that they have been mistranslated over the years?

It is clear to me that Jesus wasn't afraid of the scriptures. Every time some argument was presented to him, he used (when necessary) scripture to combat his attackers. Perhaps we could take a lesson from Jesus and not be so afraid that we don't know what the bible is talking about and give a little study now and then.

Don't get me wrong, I am not advocating "bible worship" above "Jesus worship". But I am advocating a healthy dose of knowing what the bible says and living out our love of Jesus on a day to day basis. I really don't believe one is possible without the other.

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Michael Jackson 1958-2009

The biggest icon of my childhood, Michael Jackson passed away yesterday apparently of cardiac arrest. Although his reputation in recent years has been tarnished in allegations of child molestation, he remains an larger than life (albeit a strange one) person who seemed indesctructible. Even though he was aquitted of all charges related to the molestation accusations, he was tried and found guilty in the court of public opinion. Even though I personally thought he was rather a freak, I was one of his most ardent supporters during legal problems. Due to circumstances in my life, I could relate to him in a way most people couldn't and I understood what it meant to be found guilty until proven innocent.

If you were a child in the 80's you could not go very far without seeing moonwalks, white gloves, red "soldier" jackets or the like. Jackson was everywere. Whether you turned on the radio, MTV, or the Super Bowl you were likely to see Michael making an appearance. My heart goes out to his family and especially his children who now must grow up in a world without their dad. The rest of us never knew the man, but we know his music. And we will be fortunate to have that for generations to come.

Some of the response I have heard from people about his death are disturbing. To say that the world is better off without him is to not only take away what the man meant to his children, but it denies what Michael was in the eyes of God. He was a freak in most of our eyes, but he was a child of God, one whom Jesus died for. Let's not forget that. Let the man rest in peace.

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Up in 3D

The fam had the chance to take in a flick yesterday at our local cinema. After much deliberation between the new Transformers movie and Pixar's Up. I decided on Up. After comparing reviews, Transformers (unfortunately) seemed like a movie I would rather spend $2 on rather than $50.

So, my family and I trekked into the local Edwards cinema and purchased the pricey ($64 for my entire family) 3D version of Disney-Pixar's Up.

The first twenty minutes was an impressive attempt to show the potential of this new type of 3d entertainment. In fact my son commented afterwards that the commercials were more impressive than the movie itself. The 3d did add tremendous depth to the movie. It felt 3d in that area. But if you have been to any of the Disney 3d theaters in their theme parks, you will be disappointed by this 3d experience.

The movie is preceded by a cute (and typical) cartoon short by pixar about a gloomy cloud that creates dangerous creatures for an unlucky stork to deliver. It was an engaging piece and should be up for an animated short oscar.

The movie itself opens up with a young boy pretending to be his explorer hero, when he runs into a little toothless girl who shares the same interests. Thus begins the intro to the movie following the two from marriage to the end of the girl's (Ellie) life. This touching segment has no words but sets the theme for the whole movie. The adults in the audience will find it hard to maintain a dry eye.

After the audience is informed of the goals and aspirations of the couple we are brought to present day where we find our "hero", sitting on the porch of his house while high rises are going up all around him. It's at this point our adventure begins. We see the balloons come up and our hero takes off into the wild blue yonder.

The movie has typical Pixar slapstick comedy with wonderful animation and great dialogue. As with all Pixar movies, this movie is filled with many wonderful qualities that are sure to make parents happy. Love, honesty, loyalty are but a few character traits that are presented in this fine animated piece.

If you are looking for quality family entertainment that is fulfilling whether you're 80 or 8, give Up a try. Compared to most of the summer fare out there this year, Up is quality and well worth the investment. Save the other "blockbusters" for you Netflix que.

Nate's Rating
4 out of 5 nateys


ratings info
1=better used for trash liners
2=okay but not great
3=good and average fare
4=excellent and worthy of many awards and a trip to the theater
5=Simply Divine

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Men=War?

Recently I have been reading the book by John Eldredge entitled "Wild at Heart". Although I don't believe in a lot of things that Eldredge espouses in his book, the premise of the church losing it's masculine identity, I can definitely agree with. We as a church have let the popular culture make our saviour( and hence our men) weak and frail. Meek and mild, is not weak and frail. We as men need to stand up and reclaim our house, and our church and become men that are empowered by the Holy Spirit to do what is morally right.

Having said that, I have been subscribing to a blog published by the "Council of Biblical Womanhood and Manhood". Many of the articles I receive on a daily basis are well written and have a very valid message. But one recent blog made me rather upset. The title of the blog was "A Man's Summer Reading List..." When I first saw the title, I thought that this could be interesting and was excited to see what books were out there that might be a good read for a hot summer. When I began to read the blog, I was stunned by what I saw. Every single book that was recommended for "manly" reading was based around military generals, war, battles, or murders. One of the war books even tried to use Isaiah in its title to invoke some sort of "God's service" in the battle.

Now I like a good war book, and have read many. I even like learning about 1920's mafia and the like. But I take offense that this is the type of subject matter that has to be in books to make them a "manly" read. How about books talking about humility and servant hood. Or, if you want adventure, even a good story about some missionary?

The church needs to figure out what true biblical manhood really is. But in doing so we need to make sure we don't fall into the same trap as everyone else. In stereotyping genders, we are causing just as much harm as we would if we are trying to homogenize the genders.

If you would like to read the blog for yourself, here is the link.

http://www.cbmw.org/Blog/Posts/A-Man-s-Summer-Reading-List-Completely-Portable-Pleasure-Part-1

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Review:Marley and Me

I am not usually a big fan of "cute" flicks, but was actually looking forward to seeing this movie. "Marley and Me" starring Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston is about a reluctant newspaper columnist who finds himsef the owner of an out of control and rather psychotic Labrodor Retriever. Loosely based on the book by John Grogan "Marley and Me:Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog", this book is more about life lessons than it is about the mangy mutt.

The movie chronicles about fifteen years of Grogan's life from his marriage to the somewhat sad ending of the movie. In this time he struggles with job changes, children, and problems within his marriage. The movie portrays a couple and a family trying to stay together in a world that is truly bent on family destruction.

My two criticism of the movie is the many times "sex" is mentioned or alluded to, and the quality of acting from the main characters. Even though it all falls within the context of marriage, if you are watching with young children it can be a little embarrasing.

The acting is not all that great either. I found myself on occassion, thinking I was watching a not so good Hallmark Channel movie instead of major motion picture with a decent size budget and two fairly big stars. The movie does get a bit sentimental although by the end it endears itself into your heart. The Marely character is definitely the glue that holds the film together. Throughout the many different scenes in the movie, the one constant is the damage Marley is able to inflict.

I would recommend seeing this movie. Just be warned of the adult content.

Nate's Review---> 3 out 5 Nateys

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Want to Have a Bible Study in Your Home?

Better think twice if you live in San Diego. Some friends of mine who live in San Diego informed me (via facebook) that the county is telling a couple that they cannot have a bible study in their house because it violiates the "property use" clause. Hmmm. This one smells fishy to me. Watch the video and decide for yourself.

Thanks Denice for letting us know what is going on in your city.

http://www.10news.com/video/19563319/

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Wild At Heart Chapter 3

In chapter 3, Eldredge deals with the question that haunts every man.  He lays the thesis of "why won't we, as men, be what we are called to be."  I am assuming that means what he has already proposed-a battle to fight, an adventure to live, and a beauty to rescue.

He goes on to present a rather solid case that we as humans, whether female or male, are not living up to our true calling as either gender.  Men especially are hiding behind their masks or security features such as sports, work, or other more darker things.

The chapter spoke true to me in many ways. I have spent my life running from things.  If they get to hard, or if they get too deep; I bail.  I have started and quit college 4 different times.  I have had more jobs than I can count on two hands (and probably both feet).  Even within my jobs, I have avoided the hard things just so I didn't have to deal with the conflict that was sure to follow.

Eldredge spoke of a reoccurring dream that haunted him consistently.  He was involved in drama for years and would dream that he was in the biggest play of his life and didn't even know what his lines were although his part was crucial to the entire play.  I have had my own "what if they find me out" dream as well.  Mine is usually based around showing up for a class only to find out that the class had been going on for at least three months and I hadn't attended a single class.  And now it was time for the final!

Our world is screwed up.  It is not as God intended.  We don't know how to be who we are, we don't know how to have fellowship.  We don't even know how to have church!  My desire is to figure these things out before its too late.  I don't want to feel as if I am just filling space.  I want to be involved with my children, my wife, and even humanity as a whole.  But I need Jesus to show me how this is done effectively.

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Just a Fun Survey

After having a conversation with some friends last night, I am curious as to where you would live if you had the chance. I don't want to know where you would like to visit. I want to know where you can truly see yourself spending many years becoming part of the community. Post a comment below and let me know....

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Chevette's and Car Chases

In continuing my series on stories from my past, I am not going to continue to write in a chronological order. Rather, just stories that I recall or I that I think are worth repeating. This leads me to today's story.

The Trip

Back in the early 90's I was living in quaint little town in Montana. Bozeman was my birthplace. And because of that, I think it held a special romantic place in my heart. It is a nice little town. There are mountains in every direction. In the summer, the high temperature hardly ever hits 90. And in the winter, which I swear starts in October, hardly ever gets warmer than 20.

My mother came to visit over Independence day. It gave her a chance to enjoy the town she grew up in. It was a fun time that included lots and lots of fireworks.

The story truly begins on our ride to Idaho Falls to take my mom back home. The journey began quietly enough with a leisurely drive through the Gallitin Canyon area into West Yellowstone. After turning right out of West Yellowstone, we only managed to drive about 500 yards out of town when the traffic came to a complete standstill. A tiny little Suzuki Samurai decided to play chicken with a Deisel truck carrying hazardous chemicals. The Suzuki did not fair very well and the drivers were critically injured. The truck on the other hand, faired a little better but leaked chemicals all over the road. Thus began our wait. We waited, and waited, and waited some more. The hazmat team had to be called up from Idaho Falls to clean up the mess. West Yellowstone is about 200 miles away from Idaho Falls, so of course we had to sit there and wait for the team to arrive and then wait for the team to clean up the mess.

Eventually the mess was cleaned up and the disabled vehicles towed away. After 3 hours of being parked in a long line of cars on a highway in the middle of the woods, were began moving again. But, this journey was about to take a turn for the very strange.

We had been crusin down the road in my little Chevette for about 30 miles, drinkin Pepsi and listening to some groovy tunes when the odd day, became even more bizarre. While driving through the Henry Flats, I noticed a little station wagon coming up to the highway. He stopped for a short moment and then decided to cut out in front of me. His timing was such that there was no physical way I could have slowed down fast enough to avoid slamming into the back of it.

I swerved into the oncoming traffic to avoid the unavoidable and swung back into the correct lane in front of the little wagon. I was a little annoyed, but far from road rage.

Now my little car was not known for its speed. It wasn't even known for its good looks. It was however, known for being propelled down the road by my larger than average size stereo. But it did not have much acceleration. On top of that, I am not a big fan of inviting cops to pull me over and present me with little pieces of paper. So I generally try to drive very close to the speed limit. This fact must have ticked the driver of the little wagon off, because he kept creeping closer and closer to my little "vette". At one point I looked into my mirror and found the wagon to be less than a foot away from bumper.

I decided to do what any responsible driver would do. I "lightly" tapped on my brakes to let him know I was uncomfortable with how close he was following me. I think he interpreted my brakes more along the lines of"...look you jack ass get away from my car." Honestly his interpretation was probably more correct. All the time, my mom sat patiently in her seat watching me deal with the situation.

The driver did back off and gave me space, or so I thought. Just 90 seconds later, my mom and I experience a very hard jolt that knocked us forward in a very violent manner. my mom looked at me and asked if we had blown a tire. I told her no and that the guy behind us had just rear ended us. She turned around to look at him, then turned to me and informed me that he had just flipped her off.

I looked in the mirror just in time to see him press on the throttle and rear end us again. All this time we driving down the highway at 55 miles per hour. I was confused and didn't have a clue of what to do. One more time his front bumper met my rear end. It became very clear that this man meant business and he had reached the point of road rage.

By this time we had hit a section of road construction. I found a place to pull over and figured it best to do so before he forced me over. I pulled over and told my mom to lock the doors. We had nothing in our car to protect ourselves, save an old license plate! As my mom was reaching for the license plate, the driver of the little wagon came charging up to the drivers side door. He began punching my poor little plexi-glass window and telling me to get out. He was mad at what I had done to him "back there" and he was intent on kickin the sh** out of me. For whatever reason, I decided it best to open the door before he broke my window. I slowly unlocked the door and opened it as the smell of alcohol began to fill my nostrils. He told me to get out because he was going to teach me a lesson. I asked him to explain to me just what I had done and why he was so upset. He couldn't really elaborate on what I had done that was so bad, he just kept on telling me that he was going to "teach me a lesson".

Unbeknownced to me, my mother was trying to get out of the car during my conversation with the living beer can. Suddenly, the man reached his hand through the car and pointed at my mom. He told her that she better stay put or he was going to come around and kick her a** as well. At that point, the mama bear instinct took over and my mother looked at him and said "You just try it". Now here is this drunk man screaming profanities at a women who was almost twice his age and half his size. The funny part was, that the woman who was twice his age and half his size was screaming profanities back!!! All the while the man was trying to get in and the mama was trying to get out. By the grace of God (for the driver), the door was locked and my mom's adrenaline was flowing so fast that she could not figure out to unlock the door.

Thank God, my brain kicked in. At that moment my brain said "hey stupid, get out of there!" I said "Good idea!". I popped the clutch and spit gravel in the drunkards face. I took off as fast as my little Chevette would allow me to go (which was about 60mph). My decision was quick and fast enough that it left the driver of the little red wagon stunned and unable to comprehend for a moment, that he was standing on the side of the road...alone. By the time he was able to get back in his car, we had made it a fair distance down the road and he was never able to catch up. We did not loosen our grip on the license plate until we pulled into our garage.

So all this to say....Chevettes may be small, but they hold a special place in my heart.

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Yet Another Road Diverging

After three years of trying to sell real estate, I have finally decided to call it quits. I am at peace when it comes to leaving the business, but it hurts to admit what some would call failure. I have spent a lot of money to try to stay in the game, but it hasn't paid off. I have had to admit to myself that when it comes to this type of selling, I am no good. I have no idea what the future holds or where I will be next year. I just have to learn to take that little foot shuffle of faith and rely on Jesus. Pride gets in the way of that. It's a struggle that I deal with daily.

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Win a Copy of the New Book "Divine Commodity"

My friend Chad is offering a copy of a brand new book that he recently reviewed. The "Divine Commodity" asks the questions of how Christians can deal with the consumerism withing the church. He is giving away five free books to readers of his blog, Captain's Blog. All you have to do is go to his blog and leave a comment and your email address. Good luck!

Chad Estes' Captain's Blog

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10% (or two and half bags of sugar)

I just went to my latest weight watcher's meeting. I got a cute little gold key-chain because I have officially lost 10% of my body weight. For me that translates into 23.4lbs. I am now currently the lightest I have been since high school. my goal is to lose at least another 40 pound by the end of the year. If I reach that weight, it will be the skinniets I have been since Jr. High school.

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How Far Would You Go For Love

A New England Pastor has taken in an convicted child killer that has recently been released from prison after serving more than 30 years in prison. People have threatened to burn his house down. The neighbors have set up a tent across the street to monitor the convict's movements, and the cops have an hourly drive-by of the residence.

Is this what Jesus called us to do? Is this over the top. Is this showing love to somebody who doesn't deserve it? follow the think, read the article, and watch the video. Please leave a comment. I am curious as to what you think!

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=7102901

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Wild At Heart Chapter 2

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In Chapter 2, Eldredge makes that case that God is "wild at heart". He believes that most men have a warped idea of who Jesus is and was. People get their attitude of Jesus based on how their father was, the kind of pictures we always see of Jesus, and what the church tells us that Jesus was like. Eldredge says that most people end with the vision of Jesus being "Mister Rogers with a beard". We are told to be nice, be swell, and be like Mother Theresa. He makes the statement that he would rather be told to be like William Wallace from Braveheart.

I would argue that both characters where strong in their own right. William Wallace was strong in his stance against the English. Mother Theresa was strong in her determination to rescue the poor in Calcutta. I truly don't picture Mother Theresa very mild. But I guess I see Eldredge's point. I just would have chose somebody besides Mother Theresa to compare side by side with William Wallace.

Eldredge goes on to state that God has a battle to fight, and adventure to have, and a beauty to win. I think the premise is quite clear that God definitely has a battle to fight (or better said battle that has been fought), and a beauty to win (his bride the church). I am a little tepid to accept the adventure part though.

Mr. Eldredge says that since God created the world and since most of the world is dangerous and wild, then it obviously means that God prefers "adventure, danger, risk, and the element of surprise". I would argue that the world could have been much more tame and not as wild before the fall. Perhaps some of the traits we see around us-danger, risk, etc are products of the fall.

In the garden we have a world that is perfect. We have a world based on God's commands, God's love, and one on one communion with God. Was there death in the Garden before the fall? Was there a need for carnivores to be carnivores? Was there a need for danger until the serpent entered? I really don't have definite answers for that but it seems that if Eldredge's premise is a perhaps a bit skued on this point.

Now having said all this, I do believe that we have white washed the power and judgement of God. He is a lot more wild than we give him credit for. I agree that we associate Jesus with someone of the character of Mister Rogers. But he was much more. He was not timid. He was not mild all the time. God was not "nice" in the OT. God says he is a jealous God. He is righteous. He can be angry. Eldredge uses a quote from C.S. Lewis' The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. The beaver is talking to the children. The children ask the Beaver if Aslan is safe. Mr. Beaver's response is...

"Safe? Who said anything about being safe? Of course he isn't safe. but he's good."

And that is how it is with our Lord. If we think he is safe, we are sorely mistaken. But he is good.

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A Word to My LDS Friends

Yesterday, I posted a blog regarding the controversy between the HBO show "Big Love" and some members of the LDS church. Since then, I received some comments concerning why I felt the need to post such a message to my blog.

As most of you know, I am not of the LDS religion, but I live in a community that has a higher per capita percentage of Mormons than Salt Lake City. I have lived here the majority of my life. As such, I cannot help but to be fascinated and intrigued on any news I hear concerning the church. This news bit was seen on ABC's Good Morning America yesterday and I found it quite interesting that first, ABC felt the need to report on it, and second that some members of the LDS church were so upset. Now, since I am not LDS I cannot fully appreciate the significance of the Endowment Ceremony (or most temple ceremonies for that matter). But I do find it interesting that it has to be secretive.

Just as most of you know that I am not a Mormon, you also know that I am a born-again Christian (worse yet, I have theology and pastoral training). This means that we have very big theological differences. BUT, I consider my friendship with each and every one of you more important than any differences we may have. I believe Jesus has given us a higher calling to love each other. He never called us to argue doctrinal differences, but he admonished us over and over again to love each other. I am a work in progress full of faults and problems. I ask each of you to give me the grace I need to work out my salvation and become more and more like my Lord every day.

On a side note, I would love to have conversations with you in private via email if you would like. This blog, facebook, or any other public forum is not the place to have this conversation.

If you have any comments or opinions on this or any other posts on my blog or facebook, please let me know! I would love to hear what you think.

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Latter Day Saints Mad at HBO

It seems that members of the LDS church are mad at HBO's depiction of their Endowment ceremony on TV. The Endowment ceremony is one of the most sacred (and secret) temple practices that the Mormon's have. Here is the link to the news bit on Good Morning America this morning.

http://abcnews.go.com/gma

click on the link and scrool down through the videos. It will be close to the end.

Also here is HBO's apology to the LDS church.
http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/story?id=7059130&page=1

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Pharisees Be Warned! We Can Now Dance on the Sabbath!

The Idaho Falls chief of police wants to repeal a ban on dancing on the Sabbath in places that serve alcohol. The ban has been in place for 84 years. It doesn't really matter though, because bars that are not attached to restaurants are still closed on Sundays because of another ban of selling hard liquor on the Sabbath. The chief also stated that no one has been charged for dancing on Sundays in many years. Whew! That's good to know.

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These guys are pretty funny. It is kind of a Saturday Night Live thing. But from more of a conservative viewpoint.

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Wild at Heart Review: Chapter 1

Again I am by no means a writer. But I will do my best to critique this book and whether or not I think it is worth reading. Since I am taking my time to devour each chapter, I shall try to review the book one chapter at a time.

Chapter 1 Wild at Heart

Eldredge begins his book by saying that "Eve was created within the lush beauty of Eden's garden. Adam, if you'll remember, was created outside the garden, in the wilderness." This statement in and of itself is true. But the premise that Eldredge is trying to draw from it is a bit obtuse. He makes the claim that because Adam was created in the "wilderness" his heart longs to get back there. This has a complete disregard of the fact that the garden was created for Adam, not Eve. Who knows how many years, centuries, or even mellenia, Adam and Eve lived there happily. If Adam was wanting back out into the "wilderness" why didn't he try harder before the fall. Why was it a significant punishment to be cast out of the garden? To say that Adam did not want to be in the garden because he longed for the adventure is to say that Adam did not want or even desire to be with God (which is what the garden was).

Eldredge's thesis for this book is that every man has three desires...A battle to win, an adventure to have, and a beauty to rescue. I have to say that these sound intriguing to me and I am excited to see what he is talking about. Mr. Eldredge does have some good points. He makes the case that the modern church has been so influenced by feminism, that we have emasculated our men. How can the church expect to live up to it's full potential if we are so confused about gender roles? We are confusing what it means to have Christ like traits with what it means to be a woman.

Some of the negative reviews I read about this book complained that it was sexist. One in particular was quite negative and complained about Eldredge wanting the medieval chivalry back. I would argue that maybe we need a little chivalry in this day and age. We need men who are not afraid (or lazy) to open the door for a woman (or anyone for that matter). We need men who know their place in the family structure and are willing to impart what it means to be a man to their sons. We need men who are not afraid to treat their daughters differently than they do their sons.

I am not sure how far Eldredge will take this issue. Will he promote men going up into the wilderness and practicing the "primal scream"? Does he promote working on cars, going to monster truck rallies and banging heads in a football game? He has already laid the premise that we as men want adventure. I concur. But what kind of adventure is he talking about and at what expense?

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Wild At Heart

I purchased a copy of the book Wild at Heart last night at my local Barnes & Noble.  The book has been around for many years and has fans and detractors.  Both are seething in their approach to the book.

I have no idea what I will think of the book once I am finished.  I do plan on approaching it with and open mind.  I also plan on looking up every passage of scripture quoted in the book to make sure it was not taken out of context.  I live in an area where major religions have done that same error to promote their beliefs. I am a skeptic about everything I read, and this will be no exception.

On the other hand, I do need to find out what my identity as a man is supposed to be.  My physical role models have been few and far between.  Since there was no man in my life as a child, I have no preconceived notions of what it means to be a man (neither negative or positive).  So I do pray that God will show me the role that he has for me in my marriage and with my relationship with my children. 

I will keep a running journal on my blog on each chapter to let you know what I think of the book and any personal thoughts the book may be prompting me to consider.

Blessings

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4.4 Pounds

I went to my weekly weight watchers meeting today. I scored the biggest single week loss of weight since I have been going.  I totaled up 4.4 pounds!  That brings my grand total so far to 13.6 pounds.  Again, my goal to get my membership fees back to me is 19 pounds.  Only five more to go!

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Gotta Look at Cars

As I shared earlier, my van died a few weeks ago. It seems as if the fuel pump has gone out. To fix this small piece of metal, one has to drop the gas tank and replace the pump. I am not very keen on dropping the tank myself, and I am not very keen about taking it in and spending between $500 and $600 on a vehicle that might break down again in a few weeks. The van is on its last leg no matter how I look at it. I have oil in the blow by. I also have oil pressure problems. The passenger window doesn't work. The headlights flicker in time with the motor. So unfortunately, I am forced to look at other vehicles.

I am looking at a van tonight that sounds promising. It is owned by a private person and seems like a good deal. But, I hate bartering. I hate dealing with cars. If I had the money, I would buy a new car every year. But alas, I am a poor man and do not have the means to do something so drastic. I will let you know what happens.

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Mileage Tax Because Our Cars are Too Efficient

I just heard on the news that Massachusettes is thinking about putting GPS chips in cars to track people's car mileage.  The idea is, as the cars get more efficient the amount of money that the state goes down because people aren't fueling up as much. 

Oregon already has this in place.  So now matter what we do, we are screwed.  My only reason for buying a fuel efficient car would be to save money on gas.  That idea is out the window if this idea catches on.  Forget the environment, if I am going to be charged for the amount of miles I drive, I am going to buy the biggest, baddest gas guzzling suv or 4x4 truck and enjoy every single one of those purchased miles!

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2 More Pounds

So far I have managed to lose 9.6 lbs altogether. I think I have six weeks to go.  I really hope I make my goal.

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Practical Ministry

My van died a few weeks ago. Car troubles have to be one of the most obnoxious things to me. If there is anything that challenges whether or not the fruits of the Spirit are present it is this life situation.

Thanks to facebook, a friend of mine hooked me up with a friend of his who was generous enough to come over and give me a diagnosis. He said it was the fuel pump and informed me that it would probably cost between $500-$600 to get fixed. I really don't know if I want to spend that much money on a vehicle that could possibly break again in a few weeks. So we are stuck trying to figure out what to do and how to get some wheels that have six seats.

But the point of this blog is to talk about what I consider a practical ministry. I found out from one of our friends at church that they have a loaner van for people with car troubles. We called up and asked about it, and they gave us the key with no questions asked. This is a practical ministry.

Most churches are so wrapped up in the newest "Saddleback" program or how good their worship, daycare, coffee bar, or preaching is; that they forget about what really is important. How can we serve people in practical ways.

My question to you is, what are some other ways that we can serve people in practical ways? What things are you doing? What types of things is your church doing?

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Questions for Guys

I see all of these little deals on Myspace and Facebook, but none of them are ever catered towards guys specifically.  So I want to make a questionnaire that will help us find out a little bit more about the men around you.

This one is just for men!!!!

1. What was your favorite TV show when you were a child?
A-Team

2. The General Lee or the Sheriff's car?
General Lee

3. Hulk or SpiderMan?
Hulk

4. Do you like sports?
I didn't when I was younger but I do now

5. How old were you when you went on your first date?
15

6. Did you camp?
yes

7.  Did you fish or hunt?
fish..never hunted

8. Did you play any sports?
yes. little league baseball

9. Rock, pop, or country?
everything

10. Do you play video games?
very little, i like them but there are better things to do in life

11. Do you ever struggle with self-esteem?
yes, all the time

12. Do you cry easily?
no

13. Do you wish you could cry easily?
yes

14. Were you the bully or the bullied?
bullied

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week 3 Weight Watchers

Well I lost another 2 pounds.  So far it has been fairly consistent.  Total has been 7.4 pounds.  I had to walk to Kim's work where the meetings are held yesterday because our vehicle is broken, so I am guessing that most of that weight was shed yesterday alone!  I have to lose 19 pounds before the 12 weeks is up.  So far I am making pretty good progress.  Now I if I can just get my butt into the gym!

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10 Random Things About Me (okay I'll Play)

I usually don't participate in this sort of nonsense, but this time I will do it. 10 completely random things about me and my life.

1. Silkies. I like silkies...You know, the little pieces of silk like material that line blankets. Ever since I was a little tike I would take it in my hand and and feed it through my fingers as I crumpled the whole blanket up. Then, I would do it again...over and over again. Some of my friends know I like them, and they are thoughtful enough to save the silkies from their old blankets and give them to me. However they aren't quite the same as when they are on the blanket.

2. I am 1/4 Mexican. My Grandma is Mexican. I am as white as can be, so no one believes me. I tell them all I got was the attitude.

3. I recently found out that my great great grandfather was an upstanding polygamist Mormon.

4. My brother is a tattoo artist who lives in Missoula MT. He has done tattoos on lots of rock stars. Motley Crue, Poison etc are some bands that he has done his work on. I also have never met him. In fact I didn't even know for sure I had one until last year.

5. A few buddies and me used to participate in an activity we affectionately called VP (virgin patrol). We would drive around to the different parks and along the river and bright light anyone parked there. At one point we had become so professional that we had invested in a 750,000 candle powered spotlight and a PA system. We ticked a lot of people off, but I don't think we saved any one's virginity.

6. I was almost ran off the road in my Chevette by a crazy drunk man in Island Park, ID. If you want the full story, let me know.

7. My mom and I did not have a car until I was 16. We walked and rode our bikes everywhere we went. Groceries, Kmart, mall. Everywhere. My mom never has had a driver's license.

8. I met my beautiful wife on a blind date.

9. I have been to four different colleges five different times. I have had five different majors and I have nothing to show for it.

10. If I had my choice of places to live that I have been to, I would choose either Bozeman or Kalispell MT. Unfortunately my pocket book can't afford it too well.

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Weight Watchers Update

2.1 lbs

2.1lbs....My whole week rested on that fact that I had lost 2 measely little pounds. I have twelve weeks to lose 8% of my weight. I am not sure if am going to make it. I guess if I continue to lose 2 pounds a week, I will make my goal. I will let you know next week.

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Of Diets and Men

So my wife has talked me into joining Weight Watchers with her. My first day was Monday. It's all based on this point system that they have come up with. They calculate how much you currently weigh, how tall you are, whether your male or female, and how sedentary you are. I get 38 points every day. This means I can eat fairly decently. My wife on the other hand only gets 20. Now this may not be fair, but I am tremendously grateful that it is her with 20 points and not me. The bottom line is, the fatter you are the more you get to eat initially.

I will keep you all informed as to how this all works out....Right now...I'M STARVING.

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Steve Jobs Sick!

It's amazing that a once failing company has such power and prestige that Its ceo stepping down is headline news. Steve Jobs announced that he is retiring for the time being because of an illness that is rumored to be cancer. I have read reports that he is to have his pancreas removed after cancer treatment. If it is cancer of the pancreas, the chances of recovery is usually very slim.

It was just a few years ago that we talked about Bill Gates the way we now talk about Steve Jobs. Back then Steve was nothing more than a side note and a joke. People liked the Apple products, but it was just a fad. But nonetheless, when Jobs said he was coming back as the ceo. Things began to take off. just a few years later, Apple has gained significant marketshare in personal computers. Not only that, Apple has managed to dominate the music industry. The Ipod is the only media player that matters, and itunes sells more digital music than any other company. Only WalMart beats Apple in general music sales.

The future of the company remains to be seen. Stocks dropped sharpley after Jobs announced his desire to step down. Can they find another charismatic visionary such as Jobs? Companies (as well as other institutions) rise and fall when they lose such a person.

The computer world needs Apple. Whether you are a PC fan or a Mac fan, you have to agree that there needs to be competition in the market place. There is no other company that gives Microsoft a run for their money such as Apple. It is the only way to keep the once all powerful Microsoft humble.

Long live Steve Jobs and long live Apple.

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Trying to be Authentic

I really am trying to be more like Jesus this year. Not in a snobby, go to church every week, say the right things and read the bible every day sort of way. But more in how I think and how I respond.

My question to you is, how do I become more authentic? What steps do you think I need to take to achieve the freedom that comes from Christ. Feel free to respond...

Blessings

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Memories Part 3

Just a few minutes after getting ready for bed on that frightening evening, my grandparents called. As I remember it, they had just gotten back from a trip to Mexico and called us from the airport to see how we were doing. This memory may not be correct, because for the life of me I cannot figure out why they would call us from their and not wait until the got home. But I digress.

My mom answered the phone and chatted with my grandma for a few minutes before handing the phone to me. I talked with my grandma for a while conversing as well as a four-year old is capable of doing before handing the phone back to my mother.

She was sitting on the arm of the chair in our tiny living room chatting with Grandma, when she abruptly stiffened up and fell backwards. She dropped the phone and hit her neck on the arm of the chair with tremendous force. My mother had descended into another seizure.

My toddler brain could think of doing only one thing. I grabbed the phone and began to scream at my grandparents to get there as fast as they could becuase there was "something wrong with Mama". I didn't know what I was doing, I was terrified. All I knew for sure, was that this phone was my connection to the outside world. I needed rescuing. I needed some security. At that moment, that phone became my lifeline.

I was still screaming with anguish into the phone for my grandparents to "get here" as they walked in the door. I remember running to my grandfather (Papa) and hugging him while tears streamed down my face.

My memory blurs a bit from here. I recall the ambulance arriving. I recall my mom being placed into the ambulance. I remember going to the hospital and trying my best to explain to the doctor what had happened (I was later told that he didn't believe me). She spent a few days in the hospital and was later diagnosed with Epilepsy. She had been experiencing Grand Mal seizures.

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Year End Update

Another year. Another measurement of time. Another 366 days (it was a leap year after all). Another segment of time filled with happiness, sadness, anguish, pain, love, hurt, peace, anxiety, joy, fear, worship, praise, thankfulness, bitterness, and many other adjectives.

Of course we are all aware of the many events that made 2008 one for the ages. Banks collapsing, stock market crashing, housing prices down the toilets, and of course a new president. But this folks is not going to be about world events. No, in this little entry, it's time to be introspective and talk a bit about what happened in the Edwards' household this year.

The beginning of the year found our entire family stuffed into a tiny apartment that made us all slightly claustrophobic. Kim was searching for a new job and I was barely getting any sleep working full time at night and teaching the kids school during the day.

In February, Kim started a new job not knowing what the future held. Sofa Mart presented many challenges for the normally timid Kimberly. She did well, but it caused way too much anxiety in someone so introverted as my wife. So she began to look for another job that would suit her abilities as well as her education. After much persistence and applications. Potandon produce hired her on as a Food Safety Assistant. This job has been perfect for her. She has not only done well, she has excelled and found a place where she can see herself working for many years to come. God is not only good, he is Awesome!

The kids made it through their dad trying to teach them school. They enjoyed the summer and were excited to be back in public school. Lemuel is in Fourth grade and is excelling in all subjects, including making friends. He has a special ability to make anybody his friend. Not only that, he has a simple faith in Jesus that I admire daily.

Brayden Started Second grade with gusto. He is doing much better in his reading. Because of that, he is finding a lot esteem. He enjoys school and church and playing. He has an attitude that doesn't stop, but he is a good kid and a joy to be around.

Abigail entered kindergarten. She loves it to put it lightly. Everyday she can't wait to get to school and see her teacher and her friends. She is a joy! I am a father who is definitely smitten by his little girl.

Keenan....is Keenan. Feisty, forward and wanting things his way. he is your typical four year old. I love the kid, but I gotta say that I am a little afraid of him entering school next year. He has his own idea of how things should be and it is impossible to reason with him. If you try, expect to invoke the wrath of Keenan.

I went part time at Sam's and reactivated my real estate license. I thought going part time would help me recover from my lack of sleep. Shockingly enough, I seem to be just as tired working three nights a week as I was working five nights a week. You start to recover from the night shift and it is time to go back to work.

Real estate has not been good to me. In fact it hasn't been good to anyone. I only managed two transactions last year and one of them was the purchase of my own house! I have decided to give it one more year. If I can't make anything work of it, then it will be time to call it quits. If you know of anyone that is planning on buying or selling any real estate in the Eastern Idaho area, don't hesitate to give them my phone number.

I also started school again in December. I am attending Western Governors University studying Information Technologies/Network Administration. it is an online competency based school in which I can finish as fast as I can go. My target date is spring/summer of 2010.

Years come and years go. All we can do is hold on to the grace of God. I pray that each one of us search for Jesus this year. Make authenticity your goal. Learn to live without the shackels of human religion. Learn to live in the Spirit. Because where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. Lord teach us what true freedom is!!!

Love and grace in the new year.

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Rats and Death

My son's rat died a few days ago. The poor thing developed a tumor in her throat and gradually faded away. The last few days were very tough watching her suffer. She finally passed away on Saturday after a very courageous battle for a rodent.

Lem was devastated and had a hard time dealing with his little pet's death. It hurt his mother and me to watch him try to figure out his emotions. He has been strong about it although he has shed many tears over the past couple of days.

Death is a painful part of life. One that was brought about by our own doing. We begin dying the moment we are born. It is a sobering fact of life that one day we will face our own mortality. We as Christians believe there is life after death, but I am convinced that most of us do not really trust that this is true. If we did, would death be as troublesome to us as it is?

It is okay to mourn at the passing of a loved one, but shouldn't we celebrate more? Knowing that they are in the arms of their savior should be a comfort to us. Perhaps we should mourn for the ones left behind, but rejoice and throw a party for the one who passed. I have told my wife over and over that I want my funeral to be a party, full of clowns balloons, and music. Celebrate because your glad I'm gone, or because I am with my Jesus. I don't care the reason, just celebrate!

But I digress. My son has handled the death of his rat well. And although Jasmine was nothing more than a mere rodent, we will all miss her. God bless you ratsky.

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Pastor Terry Hershey

I first was introduced to Terry Hershey back in 1992. He was one of the speakers at the now defunct Jesus Northwest in Vancouver, Washington. He spoke on intimacy and gave one of the best talks I have ever heard. Below is an excerpt from his book "Jesus In Skin". I hope you enjoy it and please check out his website at http://www.terryhershey.com .

"This little boy was having nightmares. You know, the bad kind where you have to go to mama. It's really no use going to dad because he just says, “Go to mama.”
“Mama, mama, I'm having nightmares!”
“It's OK honey. Here's what I want you to do: I want you to go back to your room. I want you to knell down by your bed. I want you to pray to Jesus and he'll fix it.”
“OK, mom.”
He went back to his room, knelt down by his bed, prayed to Jesus, got back in bed and he had more nightmares. All mamas out there, you know this story. Back and forth to mama all night long, six times: “Mama, mama, I'm having nightmares!”
“I know, honey.”
“I know mom. I'm going back to my room. I'm going to kneel down by my bed. I'm going to pray to Jesus and he'll fix it. But before I do that, can I just lay in bed with you and have you hold me?”
“Well, sure honey. Why?”
“Because sometimes, mama, I need Jesus with skin on him!”
I understand where he's coming from. And it reminds me of a story in the Gospel of Matthew. A very strange story actually. Jesus is talking to a large group of people and his mother and brothers come to visit him. And Jesus, who is the PR man's nightmare, says the thing that you don't expect him to say. He pretends he doesn't know his family. He does an amnesia thing: “Who is my mother?” And the disciples are thinking, “Lord have mercy! He's been in the sun too long.” And then Jesus says something extraordinary. He points to the people in the crowd, just the people who there and says, “This is my mother. This is my brother. This is my sister.” If Jesus meant that, it's going to change the way we live, that we are literally linked. Now he's not making some theology about the nuclear family. He's not saying this is the way you treat your mother and brothers and sisters when you go home for Christmas or Thanksgiving. He's saying something more profound and that is this: that if we really are brother and sister then no one, no one is on a faith journey alone. No one.
If that's true, if we really are brother and sister, then it literally changes the way we live. But if it's true, then that means there is going to be some good news and bad news with this which is at least better than the sermons I got when I was a kid. Those sermons were bad news and then more real bad news! But this at least has some good news. But we'll start with the bad news first.
If Jesus meant that, we are really brother and sister, Mother Teresa said it best. She said that one of the reasons we don't have peace in our time is because we have forgotten that we belong to one another. So bad news number one: none of us can make it alone. Now this is bad news because we live in a culture that we pride ourselves in self-sufficiency, self-reliance, we pull ourselves up by our bootstraps. When we're flat on our back we shake our fist at the world. We can handle it, thank you very much! I mean even as a country we do this whole “we can do it.” None of us can make it alone.
Bad news number two: if we really are brother and sister, then guess what? We've got to quit keeping score. Now that really is a problem because in this culture our value, our worth, our very identity is predicated on keeping score: what we do, what we produce, what we achieve, what we accomplish, and how busy we are, anything that's newer and faster and more up to date. And then what happens is if our paradigm for our value and worth is keeping score, then we're no longer brother and sister and we see one another as competitor or adversary. And then I spend all of my energy because I'm keeping score, I spend all of my energy putting you down or trying to lift me up. And I use a lot of conversations talking about us and them. The problem is this: if our paradigm is keeping score then we're scared to death to be real with each other, to be ordinary.
There's a great story about a Sunday school class of first graders. The kids were acting up so the teacher tried to settle them down: “Kids, kids, kids, kids, kids!” she said. That's how you can tell you've taught Sunday school too long! “Kids, kids, kids, kids, kids!” She said, “Let's play a game. I'll describe something to you, you tell me what it is. It's a furry little animal with a big bushy tail and it climbs up trees and stores nuts in the winter.” Nobody said anything. She said, “You are a good Sunday school class. You know the right answer to this question. Furry little animal, big bushy tail, climbs up trees and stores nuts in the winter.” Finally one little girl raised her hand. The teacher said, “Emily?” Emily said, “Well teacher that sounds like a squirrel to me but I'll say Jesus!” If we're really brother and sister, a squirrel can just be a squirrel because we have nothing to prove and no one to impress.
Which leads to the third piece of bad news and that is this: if we are really connected, if we are really brother and sister, if we are on this faith journey together then that means we're going to be connected to some people we don't like, people we didn't choose, and people who are different. Here's the extraordinary irony. Some day, because we are brother and sister, someday God's grace will touch you, will touch me through someone I did not choose and someone I least expected. And some day God's grace will touch someone else, some one different through me in a way I did not anticipate.
You see, when I look at that person who is different I need to recognize that God did not put them on this earth for me to change or for me to convict or me to save. God put them here for me to learn from, listen to, to challenge and be challenged by, and to enjoy together this dance called life.
OK. That's the bad news. Now the good news. Three pieces. One: if we really are brother and sister, then we don't need to pretend we've got our act together! We can literally do this: whew! Why? Because if we're brother and sister there is nothing to prove and this is not a race or a contest or a beauty pageant. Which leads to good news number two and three and that is this: we can receive from one another without keeping score and we can give to one another without expecting a pay back.
Where I live in Seattle, there is a program in a town called Bellevue called Buddy ball. Now, Buddy Ball is a program for baseball that mixes able-bodied children with children with disabilities. It was started by an extraordinary woman named Beth Campbell. She started it for her own son who is ten, who was not allowed to play in—and I love the way we say it with kids—he was not allowed to play with “normal children” in Little League. So she started Buddy Ball. He had a variety of disabilities and it's called Buddy Ball because if you can't run, a buddy runs for you. If you can't hit, a buddy hits for you. If you can't throw, a buddy throws for you. You've got to go to a Buddy ball game! It's an extraordinary thing to see a kid in a motorized wheelchair as he gets to go by himself, to see a kid in a motorized wheelchair trying to stretch a double into a triple. It's a hard thing because he raises his hands to cheer. When he does the wheelchair stops. You've never seen such joy. I'm quoting from the Seattle Times now and it said this...oh, I have to say, you have to know the rules of Buddy Ball and one of the rules is it is against the rules to strike out! Once you get six strikes, you automatically get to go to first. I know a lot of you are saying, “Hey, I could have played baseball that way!”
I gave a talk once to some professional psychologists and ministers and I talked about getting six strikes and going to first. And this man was so angry because he got in my face and said, “How dare you teach that kind of freedom to children!” I said, “Sir, you could use more roughage in your diet!” We're scared to death when we live by grace instead of keeping score. And the Seattle Times says this: when that son gets to first, it says he doesn't stop there. It says, but he doesn't go to second either. It says he runs into the crowd and he hugs everybody. And then it goes on to say this: “It is what sports can be. People running and jumping and playing because nobody's keeping score because nobody cares.”
And I say to you, it is what community can be. Some place where we can run and jump and play because at least for a minute or a day we quit keeping score. Why can we do that? Because we know that essentially we are brother and sister, we are connected and we are not ruled by fear and we are not ruled by score. And in the end because we are connected, we can literally be Jesus in skin.

From "Jesus In Skin" by Terry Hershey

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Is Anyone There?

Although I enjoy writing this blog and would continue to do it whether or not anyone reads it; I would like to take roll call and find out if anyone actually does. If you do ever find yourself looking this way could you at least leave a comment and let me know. It would be greatly appreciated.

Merry Christmas.

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Now You Can Smell Like the "King"

"Burger King has introduced a new cologne that has the fragrance of "flame-broiled" hamburgers. The scent is supposed to really "turn on" the women. Here is a snippet from NBC's Today Show.

The way to a man's heart may be through his stomach, but the way to a woman's heart — according to Burger King — may be through a new meat-scented body spray.
While fast-food chains aren't exactly best known for selling signature fragrances, on Sunday The Home of the Whopper rolled out a men's body spray called Flame by BK. The 5-ml bottles are available for sale in Ricky's stores in New York City and on a dedicated Web site, firemeetsdesire.com.
If you're salivating for a chance to marinate yourself in flame-broiled flavor, relax: The experience can be yours for just $3.99 — a small price to pay for some seriously mouthwatering mojo. "-Sarika Dani

read the full article here

Would you want to smell like a Burger?

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Why Does He Get Good Press

Chuck Colson recently wrote an article where he discusses the difference between Buddhism's idea of celibacy and Christianity's idea. The funny part of it all is that if a Christian espouse this kind of lifestyle, it is considered old fashioned and out of date. But when the Dalai Lama discusses it, he is saying something profound! here is a slice of what Mr. Colson said in his article.

"A prominent religious leader recently said that sex, however pleasurable it might be in the short run, leads to long-term trouble. He argued that celibacy is the way that leads to “more freedom.”

If you’re thinking that the leader was ridiculed for his comments, think again. The Associated Press described him as “waxing eloquent.” It probably helps that the “him” in question was the Dalai Lama." ...

read the entire article

Thoughts and comments...

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More Memories

In my mind, we had only lived in our new little apartment for just a short time. But frankly, I really don't know how long we had lived there when this next event happened.


One of my favorite memories of being younger, was my mom reading to me every night. I loved books from an early age and wanted her to constantly read to me. She read to me on a nightly basis, although sometimes reluctantly.

On one particularly occasion my mother was reading to me my favorite book-"The Ginger Bread Man". We were sitting on the couch cuddled next to each other. We were about half way through the book when something strange began to happen. My mom stopped reading and was silent for a small period of time. I looked up at her and it seemed to my four year old mind that she was going to sneeze. She motioned (at least that's how I interpreted it) for me to move away. I stood up from the couch and watched my mom fall down on the cushions as she began to convulse. Her eyes rolled back into her head, she foamed at the mouth and made low growling sounds.

As a small child, alone and watching strange things happen to my mom, I was scared beyond belief. I didn't know what to do! There was a wall dividing the dining room from the living room. Not knowing what else to do, I ran to the other side of the wall and cried as I listened to my mom lying on the couch having convulsions.

Although it seemed like an eternity, it was more than likely just a few minutes. My mother came to after coming out of her seizure. She was disoriented and could barely hold an intelligible conversation. She asked me what had happened and I told her as well as a 4-year old vocabulary could muster. She hugged me and said we should get ready for bed....

(to be continued)

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Here is an interesting video about calling in "gay" to work. I guess it is their way of protesting the passing of proposition 8 in California. My question is, if you call in "gay" to work are you admitting that it is a sickness....Just a thought.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ynd30mghrVM&eurl=http://news.google.com/nwshp?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&feature=player_embedded

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Reflections on the Past

Recently I have been blogging about my experiences at the Christian bookstore. I think I will take a break from that subject and concentrate on some of my memories from when I was a child...



I was the product of a marriage that lasted less than two years. I was born in Bozeman, MT in 1974 and less than a year later, my mom and dad seperated and consequently divorced. Due to some physical ailments my mom suffered from, my grandparents, who were living in Idaho Falls, ID, took the trip up to Bozeman and moved my mom and I down to Idaho.



We were able to find a little studio apartment in what some call "the hood" in I.F. Now, of course, this neighborhood was nothing like living in South Central L.A., but it was bad enough. Auto theft, murder, and drug pushing were the norm in my apartment alone!



A few years later we were able to move into the little house that was located behind our current apartment. It was a tiny one bedroom converted garage. It was constructed completely of cinder blocks and was deathly cold in the winter. The only heating apparatus was an old style gas furnace that was stationed right in the center of the house. Consequently, only about a 10 foot radius ever was sufficiently heated. The place was small, cold, and located in a run down part of town. But we considered it home and stayed there for six years.

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Sick Kids

My daughter is very sick today. It breaks my heart to see something so delicate, so ill. She woke up with a very high temperature, sore throat, and a slight cough. She has no voice (i wish Keenan suffered from this problem). She can barely squeak out what she needs.

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Christian Bookstores Part 3

On a particular occasion, the soda fountain was "hoppin". We had every table full and a family just walking in the door. This family was rather upstanding in the community as they ran a chiropractic clinic. The family sat at the bar and began to order sandwiches for the whole group. Now, you need to understand that this family was not your typical 2.5 kids. Because of my location, the average size of a family is much larger. This group consisted of six kids and of course both parents were there as well.

I took the orders and began to systematically tackle the awesome task of making all the sandwiches at the same time. The goal, obviously, was serve all the sandwiches without much delay between them.

Before starting the other sandwiches I decided to make the grilled cheese sandwich for the mom and get it cooking. The other sandwiches did not need to be cooked and would not take as long. I plugged in the electric fry pan and began spreading mayonnaise on the others. After a few minutes I went back to the pan to check the temperature, and realized that I had failed to turn it on after plugging it in. I grunted just a little bit realizing my mistake, turned it on and proceeded to build my other michaelangelos.

A few minutes later the pan was ready to warmly caress the bottom of the first slice of bread. I carefully and lovingly laid the slice down and and layered it with a tasty piece of Cheddar cheese. I turned away to finish up the other sandwiches that were waiting to become masterpieces in their own right.

Fifteen minutes after starting all of the meals for this fine family, I finished seven of the eight sandwiches. I suddenly realized that the grilled cheese sandwich was still simmering away in the electric fry pan. I rushed over to see what kind of disaster awaited. I picked up the sandwich to discover that the bread was as black as night. After contemplating for a fraction of a second to just scrape the burnt crust off and serve it, I thought that perhaps this was not the best customer service and changed my mind quite quickly. I hastily tossed another piece of bread with a slice of cheese on the the grill and went to apologize to the mother for the length of time she was having to wait for a measly grilled cheese sandwich.

Five minutes later, it was time to serve the sandwich and be done with this family and this sandwich that was proving to difficult to get from pan to person. I grabbed a spatula to transport the sandwich from pan to plate....I didn't quite make it to the plate. The sandwich slipped off the spat and when "splat" on the floor. I was in shock. It had taken twenty minutes to get to this point and now, once again, I had to start from scratch.

I once again apologized to the mother (who was only sitting three feet from this fiasco) and began to try to make her another one. I put the sandwich on the grill, made sure the pan was on, carefully watched it so it wouldn't burn, and then delicately put the sandwich on the plate and daintily handed the mother her sandwich. almost thirty minutes after starting her tiny little grilled cheese sandwich, I finished. She was very considerate and did not have a bad word to say. I gave the sandwich to her for free.

There were many other fun experiences at the soda fountain like counting out $5 worth of penny candy, cutting my finger on an egg shell, spilling milkshakes on people, giving a person a banana split and forgetting the banana, and cutting my hand wide open while making a sandwich in front of the sandwich owner.

next time; part 4 of Xian bookstores.

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Christian Bookstores Part 2

The little bookstore opened its doors in June of 1995. It opened to some fanfare. It was located in an historic building in the center of Idaho Falls that had been the home to a drugstore and soda fountain for over 30 years. We tried to keep some of the charm of the place, the most obvious one being the soda fountain. The front of the store would sell the books, the center consisted of the music and gift sections. While the back would host the soda fountain with local ice cream, sandwiches made fresh and of course our huge shakes for a buck fifty. We even had to know the old soda fountain terminology like "mud", "chocolate cow" etc. It really was a nifty place with a lot of nostalgia for those of the baby-boomer generation especially.

tomorrow...stories from the soda fountain....

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Christian Bookstores Part 1

In the mid 90's I had the privilege of working in a Christian bookstore here in Idaho Falls. It was a local "mom and pop" bookstore run by some fantastic people that became near and dear to my heart.

When I first heard that the bookstore was about to open, I was truly excited. The only other Christian bookstore we had in town was run by a crotchety old man that cussed all the time and complained about all the "damned" kids that would come in and run around in his store. I really wanted to work at this new bookstore but did not know how to get a hold of the owners. So, I went up to the store and slipped a note under the door telling them about my qualifications. Those consisted of having incredibly useless knowledge of about every kind of Christian music one could imagine.

After a couple of weeks went by, I became convinced that I would never hear from and thus ending my thought of landing my dream job. Not a day later, I received a call from the owner who wanted to give me an interview! I was ecstatic, thrilled, and determined to land this job.

After another agonizing couple of weeks, the owner called me up and extended an offer for a job. They were looking for someone who about music and someone they could train up to be an assistant manager. He thought I fit the bill well enough and he wanted to give my a chance. I could barely contain my excitement. I couldn't wait to start. I promised him that he had made the right decision and I would be a person he could count on.

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Update

This weekend was very trying. The co-worker that I talked about in the last post killed himself on Friday evening. I am full of emotions that are proving hard to sort out. They range from sadness to anger to confusion as to how this could happen. I am going to the funeral tomorrow which will not be fun. Funerals are never fun, but when they are conducted by a certain religion, they are truly aweful.

Please pray for his family and especially for his four beautiful children that he left behind.

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Why Does God Use Losers?

This weekend was an interesting one for me. I have a friend at work that is going through an incredibly hard time in his life. He has lost his business, his house, and now his wife wants a seperation. He is devestated and distraught. On Friday night he confided in me that he almost comitted suicide last Sunday. With all that is going on in his life and the lack of sleep that comes from working two full time jobs, he was unhinged mentally.

He has only known me for six months and we only know each other through work. But, for some reason he chose me to confide in. Instead of going to his church or his close friends, he asked me for advice. I was stunned and completely at a loss for words. All I could think of was to grab him and step into the beer isle (we were at work) and begin to pray for him. I don't know what was stirred in the supernatural, but I am glad I let the flesh fall aside for once and let God give the advice.

Things did not miraculously change that night for him. He did not get his house back, his business wasn't restored, and his wife has not come back yet. In fact, things between him and his wife have gotten worse. But I have to believe that things were at least started in the spiritual realm and God has sent his angels to do battle.

Why did my friend choose me to talk to? Why did God choose to put me in this place at this time? I hate my job. I hate who I am. I am not a good Christian. I am not a good example. I know Jesus uses losers all the time. That is humbling. I don't think he should be able to use me, but I want to be ready when he does.

Please pray for my friend.

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Congratulations Billy Graham for your 90th birthday. You have been used by God in mighty ways. You have touched many peoples lives and have advanced the Kingdom of God.

If you haven't read the book Master Plan of Evangelism, please find a copy and read it. It is great book explaining how we can change the world in just a few years. Just by leading one person in the salvation prayer once a year, exponentially the whole world could hear about Jesus in just a few years.

Billy Graham has been a wonderful evangelist. But you and I can affect more people in a shorter time if we all truly felt the call of the Great Commission.

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Images

This is the picture I was talking about in the last blog entry. This, for those of you who don't know is Che Guevera. He was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary who was friends with Fidel Castro. And of course the cult of personality followed him around as well.

This is the image I saw on peoples t-shirts and banners. The imagry is striking.

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Thoughts on the Election

I watched the election on Tuesday night knowing the inevitable was about to happen. The candidate that I did not personally vote for was nominated as the president-elect.

Just like everyone else, I am excited that the dream that Martin had came to fruition just a few short decades after the turbulent 60's. We have went from blacks not even able to use the same water fountain in some parts of the country, to a black man being elected to the highest office in the land. It was an exciting thing to be able to turn to my children and say that no matter what their background, they can be anything they want to be in this great country. I applaud Senator Obama for his tremendous victory on Tuesday.

Now, having said that, there are many things that concern me about what I have witnessed the past few days after the election. I have so many thoughts rolling around in my very tired brain that I am not sure if I will be able to share them effectively. I know for a fact that I won't be able to do it eloquently. Please bare with me as you read on.

When it became clear that Obama would be the winner of the election, people began to celebrate in a way that I have never seen in my short life. I have only been alive during the terms of 6 presidents, and only 4 that I am old enough to remember. Even when the victory was so overwhelming when Reagan was re-elected, I never remember celebrations of the variety witnessed on Tuesday night. There were people from coast to coast, raught with excitement, demonstrating their emotion as if their favorite sports team had just won the championship, or as if we had won some sort of war. The raw emotion that I saw on many black faces discouraged me. Not becuase of the accomplishment of a black man being elected to the WhiteHouse, but because it became apparent that many people voted for him (whites included) based on the color of his skin. Now you may call me racist or ignorant or whatever, but to vote for somebody (or not vote) based on the color of his skin, is one of the shallowest things I can think of. How is the melanin a qualification for intelligence or lack thereof? Why to this day does it govern how we act or react to situations? People are cheering that this election proves that racism is dead or dying in our country. I propose that it is alive and well. It is just manifesting itself in a different way.
Another disturbing image was the banners and shirts I noticed that had the face of Obama embelished by multiple colors. He had this Stalin-esque or perhaps Che Gueverra like pose to him and it seemed as if there was perhaps some sort of cultish worship happening. Obama is an engaging man and can be someone who can inspire leadership. But does that make him a good leader? Some of the most engaging leaders in history have been evil dicators who killed millions of people. Some of these leaders are infamous...Stalin, Lenin, Hitler, Castro, Pol Pot just to name a few. And on the reverse side of this, many of the greatest leaders were meak and mild in nature. Lincoln, Jesus, Gandhi, Mother Theresa. The cult of personality reigns supreme and we like sheep are sucked in because they make us feel secure with their promises, thier nice smile, and their engaging personalities.

I have many other thoughts racing through my head as I write this, but I will sign off with just a few more things. Although I am nervous for the future, I do intend to respect the will of the people. I will pray for our new president. I will pray for his safety, his dicerment, and for God's hand to be upon him as he leads us into the future. It is an uncertain time, and we not only need a strong leader, but we need Jesus. The bible tells us who puts leaders in power, and even though we may not be able to see what is going on, we know and believe that "He has the whole world in His hands." After all, we as Christians do know the ending right?

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