bikes and friends

so I bought another bike this week(yes, after I already sold two in the past 6 months)...I know what you're thinking...I gave in...sold out...bought into what this culture's sellin'...
I don't think I did. I am coming to grips with the fact that I can still get something I want even while we are continuing to give away more of what we've been given. We still have a long way to go but we're still moving.

...it just felt right this time, besides I'll probably sell the T-bird anyway, I guess if I buy something new I at least have to get rid of something too.

Anyway, maybe more on that later.

I was pleasently surprised to see another friend of mine started a blog...Shawn was one of the 4 of us from high school that taught each other, challenged each other, held each other accountable...we were like brothers and I haven't had any relationships in my life like it every since...I'm anxious to eves drop on him...

Also, talked to Roger last night...I haven't sat down with Roger for quite a while and it was good to here from him...I miss he and Jackie...they are good Godly people...the kind of people you just can't help but love to be around.

Lord, thank you for friends, for relationships(even though I stink at them most of the time)help me to be faithful with what you've given me...

Beautiful Creation

I've had a full day already...a walk this morning with Sara, Macee and cole...what a day to get out and enjoy this spring weather we are finally having. I got a workout in...man do I love that weight set out there, went over to the church building to help for a couple of hours on the garage we're building, then went out for a quick ride on a friends motorcycle. I'm not sure it gets any better.

Thank you Jesus for the simple things, help me never to take them for granted. You are the only one I could ever need, thank you for this beautiful creation you've allowed us to be a part of and for my family, who have helped me grow into becoming more of what you've called me to be.

Leaving

We'll be leaving Lebanon here shortly, but I'm glad we've had this chance to come down and spend a couple of days with my brother and his family. We were never very close growing up, but as we've become adults...and especially after they moved out here, we've talked more than we had ever before. Sitting out the other night with an amber bock in one hand and a dutchmaster in the other was good. I got to share with Chad some of Sara and I's heart for people as we sat out in the garage last night...I don't really talk much to my family about the changes that have been going on with us, but it felt good to get it out there. My family already thinks I'm wierd...at least that's what they tell me...I guess if I put another picture of myself now with my bald head and my new "buddy holly" glasses on here you'd probably think so too, but anyway...

I'm glad we came down and I'm ready to get back and start working on the barn. I was looking into getting an olympic weight set with a really nice bench to put out in the barn and was talking to a few people about it. As I was talking they said I should talk to a guy in the church, Dave, about a weight set they thought he wanted to get rid of, so I called him up and offered to buy what he had. He told me he'd rather not sell it in case he ever gets the itch to get back into training again, but that I could use it as long as I wanted unless I wanted to own my own stuff...

I was thinking to myself this is perfect for the kind of lives we want to have...we don't need to own everything under the sun, so I picked up the stuff and set it up in the barn. 400lbs of weight, squat/bench cage, with leg extention and curl, preacher curl, pull down and seated cable attatchements. Wow...even better than what I was going to buy.
So now I've been telling everyone I know that the barn is always unlocked anytime anyone wants to stop in the work out. I'm also going to be buying some green felt to put on an old table that the previous owners left in the barn and use it as a poker table...a pool table or fussball table would be nice too, especially if someone out there doesn't want the one they have...some furniture would also be nice and hey, what about a stereo? We gave our old couch and love seat away last year when we got new, which would have been perfect for the barn...oh well, I'm not sure why we didn't think about it then. I hope this barn will be a place where people can stop in, hang out, chat, relax, and just feel like they belong. I think that is the direction we're headed...I just don't want to have to spend any money on the stuff inside...
I struggle with that...what should we have out there? Is all this just perpetuating this materialistic culture? I guess having used stuff donated makes me feel a little differently about it because it has nothing to do with the kind of stuff, the niceness of the stuff, or even who owns it...More than any of that I want people to be able to experience real community...whatever that takes

Lord, continue to guide and direct us in all of this. From the construction, deconstruction, and reconstruction of our concepts of how you work and of the barn itself, I pray that this is and would continue to be your idea and not ours