Thoughts

I got the new 'sunsets and sushi' remix of David Crowder Band last week and the "praise habit" that shares the same title "finding God in sunsets and sushi"

It is actually a pretty good book. It has helped me begin to center myself again, remembering exactly what it is I found so refreshing about the new journey we've been on. It is easy to find the same old religion in the new forms we create for ourselves and I think I have been falling into that. Forgetting to see this life as the epic tale it was designed to be and the adventure we all want it to be has left me a little deflated. Forgetting to look for God in the mundane can bring a person to really despise the mundane...mundane happenings of life really suck unless the creator of the universe can be found in them...but then it isn't a question of whether or not He can be found but rather if we choose to look for Him in them. I must admit that I have done a lousy job looking for Him for the past several months. In fact...most times I haven't even bothered. It is in the those times that He seems absent that I must pursue Him in through the silence.

A quote from the book:

Our lives are not painted in so positive a light as much of our
traditions of piety might lead us to believe. There is a romantic
tendency in our selections of liturgy to make use of only the
careful and pleasant Psalms that in Brueggemann's words "support
the polite hermenuetic of the church." It is no wonder we have
trouble when trying to fit our "spirituality" into all the stuff
of life becasue we've neglected to bring all the stuff of life
into our "spirituality." There is impoliteness in our experience
of living. There is darkness and pain. But the wonder and the
joy and the surprise are that even in the middle of darkness and
loss is the unexpected presence of God.

On a lighter note...my friend Eric has a rickshaw...At first I laughed about it...I just tried to picture it and I wished I was there to see it in its full glory and splendor. We talked about it tonight after our shared meal and we all decided we needed a picture...so Eric if you're reading this...could you post a picture...(and 2nd...I haven't told anyone this but I would secretly love to have a rickshaw, but keep that on the down low...I don't want anyone to find me out)

This is the Physics T-shirt...you know you want one...for a nominal fee I could hook you up with one...maybe

poker and stuff

we had 7 over on Saturday night for poker. I was hoping to have a "regular" night already set but that may come sooner than later. 3 of the guys were from work...I was very glad they came. I invited my neighbor again, but his little girl was having a birthday party that night. Thinking about dropping a little note to each of the neighbors and telling them we'd have something every 1st and 3rd friday night, but I don't know...just trying to get something rolling here.

Still trying to figure out what is supposed to happen with our Tuesday night gathering and how our neighbors fit into that. The numbers are such that we can't have any more people coming because of space and partly because you just lose too much intimacy with so many people...do we start a whole second night...how intentional to we become in guiding this thing...
We've been extremely hands off and that has been a good thing, but I feel like we are at a place where if we don't do something purposeful to foster some more depth, then we'll be turning into a "holy huddle" or a feel good club and missing the whole point altogether...

Oh well, what's new...trying to find the balance of hands off and intentionality when it comes to this new life we're experiencing...

Headed to cedar point tomorrow with the physics class...was pretty excited to go this year. Last year we couldn't go because of all the budget cuts, all field trips were cancelled last year and the first semester of this year but now they're back on and we'll be heading out in the morning. We made Julius T-shirts again this year...I must say that I really like them even if people say we're geeks...I don't care what they say this geek is going to be loving it tomorrow cruising on the bike to the park behind the school vans sporting my brand new Julius shirt...eat your heart out...

jobs...friends...life...

so I've been playing with this new photo posting site and have been up entirely too late the past two nights trying to be able to post pictures on my blog again...is it really worth it? I doubt it, unless the laughter that was spawned by my new picture brought some healing to someones soul, then I guess it was...

I found out there is an 8th grade science position opening up at BG jr. high next year. I don't think I want to teach jr. high, but I might think about it if it gets me out of my current 40mile one way commute. It sucks beyond all description...it's only worse than normal because the ONLY bridge in Napoleon that goes across the river(Maumee)has been out since Feb. 1st and will be until October. I don't think I want to stick around to see the re-opening. I've really been torn with what to do about it, but I have felt this every increasing chasm between home and work and I just don't want to have that anymore...they are two different worlds that don't intersect very often if at all. I put in my resume' and need to complete the application for this BG job and I guess I'll let the Lord take it from there. He knows where he wants me and I am eager to go there, wherever that may be.

I am even more anxious about seeing us take some more steps forward with this living outside ourselves stuff. Community is becoming more and more the desires of our heart and I think we are ready to take the next steps in seeing more of it taking place in our lives and in our home/barn.
a friend of ours this week that comes to our weekly meal, when able to, told us how much they appreciate how we love without some hook or pressure to "become a christian"...how we just love people for who they are and how much that is appreciated. I am just amazed at how the Lord has used this journey to have us in the right place at the right time...I just hope beyond all hope that enough of me gets out of the way so that people can see Jesus in our lives and in our home. Lately it seems that more times than not, I don't do a very good job reflecting Jesus to those around me...

Lord, I want people to see you in us...in our home...in our lives...break me of my pride, my selfish ambitions, and my greed...

As the song says,

Raise me up, from this grave
Touch my tounge and then I'll sing
Heal my limbs and joyfully I'll run to You
David Crowder

That is my prayer...

check out the melon on that kid

just checking if this thing really works...I'm having some trouble with it