Howard's and stuff

Ok, so it's been 5 months since I blogged last. If anyone is out here still checking to see if I'll ever be a regular blogger again, don't get your hopes up...

We are playing at Howard's Thursday night April 3rd and we have $5 presale tickets available. If you're going to be anywhere around that night buy a ticket for crying out loud and join us. Buy a ticket...you know you want to...

Also, I started reading in interesting book last night. Pagan Christianity is a new book by Frank Viola and George Barna. People pretty much think Frank is a heretic, oh well, you can't win them all. Give me a few weeks to get through it and ask me if you can borrow it...you might hate it and love it all at once.

Anyway, please...I'm begging you, come out and spend $5 supporting a wanna be band at Howard's next thursday night. We're going to have fun whether you're there or not and I know you wouldn't want to miss it.

still here

just thought I'd drop a line to anyone that still checks here. Jen, thanks for commenting...I miss you guys...

Things are just odd here, no other way to explain it.

Sometimes I feel like the words to this song I wrote a while back:

Not sure where I'm headed
Do you know how to get where we're going
'Cause I'm not seeing things very clearly
I'm trapped here in a world that doesn't know me
And I'm not sure if we'll ever get there
Can we get there?

Lost in the shuffle
Seeing double
Not sure where I am
Or where you are now
I was there, you were here
Are we missing it, missing it
Yeah we're missing it

It's kind of a good spot to be in because in reality, I don't know what the hell is going on here...I just go where he says go and do what he says to do...It's when I start asking too many questions that I get into trouble.

In the midst of the uncertain, the unknown, the unfamiliar, and the uncomfortable he is still my life and the source of all that is.
We're just still trying to figure out what the kingdom looks like here in BG on 11-16-07. Sometimes it is hard to only do what he has told us to do, no more, no less... We often try too hard and think that if "this much" is good then "even more" is that much better.

Sometimes I'm pretty dense...

On my mind

A couple of weeks ago Sara shared with us at church about the fruit of the spirit. It was an awesome time of reflection as we thought about the fruit that is to be the evidence of the spirit of Christ in us. We had some arts and crafts time as we were to draw our favorite fruit(with crayon of course)on a piece of paper and then share which area we desired to see the spirit show himself more fully. It was powerful and has stuck with me as I continue to see this crayon sketch of a banana in my bible...I mean come on...it IS pretty much the perfect fruit...duh...

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other."

In our discussion we talked about how all of these are interconnected and not separable as it is singular "fruit is" not "fruits are", but there are times that we seem to struggle in one area more than another. We decided there was no use in "trying" to concentrate and "work really hard" to grow in one area of this fruit...but rather to rest in the Spirit..."keeping in step with the Spirit" as we allow the Spirit already inside us to reveal himself more fully as he expresses his fruit through our lives. Paul says, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me." I'm not really sure why we've convinced ourselves that the harder we work the better we'll be at producing fruit that only the Spirit can produce. The more we surrender and abide...laying down our own rights, as we "keep in step with the Spirit" we will begin to see fruit produced that is impossible for us to produce.
I haven't been able to escape this passage and in fact have read Galatians the last couple of mornings. It really encapsulates the exchange life and has taken on all new meaning for me in the past few years.

This past Saturday night we did a Movie night outside at the barn and invited our friends and neighbors...it was over the top. Danielle's brother has a projector that we borrowed and of course I have the sound system so with popcorn and chips at the ready and a fire for s'mores we watched one of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. I put our mains in the front and a couple of our monitors at the rear...it sounded like we were in a freakin' theater...only outside...very cool.

We hope to do another one in a month or two as it will get dark a little earlier. Maybe grill out and have a cornhole tournament in the evening leading up to the movie. If you're in the area you'll have to stop in...stay tuned...

Good week

This week was not near as eventful as last week with the whole power outage, 3 trips to Sidney, and losing my ball glove for the 2nd time. Although I did forget to mention us being able to hook up with Mary and Lars last week...it was balm for us to be able to hear about what the Lord is doing in they're hearts and the journey they are on.

Softball season came to a close on Sunday and Monday nights this week, it was a great season, but I'm sorta glad it's over now.
Tuesday night Sophie, from the Co-ed softball team, came to our house for the meal. That was very cool and I hope she felt at home here. Her boyfriend Joe has played on the Men's team for a few years and is also a teacher, so it would be great to get to know them a little better.
Wednesday we made it up to the Zoo for a couple of hours. The membership is nice for that reason...spending a whole day at the Zoo can be torturous, but being able to pop up for a couple of hours is just right.
When we got back into town we helped serve the Wednesday night Live meal at St. Mark's. I'm not sure how long they've been doing this, but it is a pretty cool thing to have a no strings attached meal every week for people in need. We weren't sure what to expect having never served there before, but it was great to be able to meet some new people. Some of the people seemed to enjoy serving others, while a few others seemed pretty irritated by it all which made me wonder why they were doing this anyway. Maybe we're there to serve the people in the kitchen just as much as those in need of the meal.

Just had some awesome waffles this morning at Blinn's house...tasted great. They are good people and we're looking forward to spending more time with them. We get to take care of Miles, their dog, in a couple of weeks while they're out of town.

This afternoon we're headed down to St. Paris for Sara's Dad's birthday.
Sunday the band is leading sung worship again at St. Mark's which will be the last time for the summer.
Also got some awesome news yesterday that we'll be playing Headliners in Toledo Sept 21st so anyone reading this even the slightest bit interested please please please buy a ticket and come see us or we may never be invited back... $5 for presale tickets which we should have by next week sometime...$7 at the door...

In the midst of all of these happenings we are still learning what it looks like to love God and love our neighbors.

Crazy weeks

The past few weeks have been pretty crazy...way too many details to go into so here are a few...

We bought an '03 Kia Rio Cinco a few weeks ago, better gas mileage and a hatch back for better PA system transport were the main reasons. We're hoping to get enough from the sale of the Sable to pay most of it off...I hate car payments.

The energy tour finished up and it was very interesting...many things learned that will no doubt make my class more interesting.

This past Sunday I led sung worship at St. Mark's again with just me and my acoustic. It was ok I think, but then we had to rush out of there and head down to Sidney for Sara's grandparents 50th wedding anniversary party...then head to the nursing home to see my grandma who is recovering after surgery...then back up to BG for a 6 o'clock softball game. After the game we drove another hr and 20 minutes up to Devil's Lake in MI with Kim, Scott and the kids. It was really a great time up there.

On my return home for a Monday night softball game I found our house without power. I checked the breaker panel but nothing was tripped. I rushed to find our last electric bill and it appeared that we hadn't paid the June bill according to the July statement and of course we missed the "cut off" date. Feeling like a total idiot to forget something like that I called the power company and was told it would cost $250 to hook us back up after hours or we could wait for the morning an only pay $50. Needless to say I waited...in a very dark house...Meanwhile Sara and Macee were still at the Lake.
I called first thing in the morning and was told, "uh, you've not been disconnected there must be a power outage." After which I did recall paying the June bill but it didn't show up on the July statement(so I wasn't going crazy after all), but since we were the only house out here without power I didn't think it could have been an outage. Within an hour we had power restored and I was glad to know that I hadn't lost my mind or the $50 reconnection fee.

Yesterday I got an email from the school to tell me that a video projection unit will be installed in my room in a couple of weeks for this coming school year. I was stoked to hear that and shocked at the same time. I had no idea that it was even a possibility at this point. I can't wait to get some interesting stuff planned for use of this new technology in the classroom.

Mike and I have been reading in Luke this week...The more I listen to the Holy Spirit and read the scriptures I see exactly how selective I have been in following Jesus' teachings...it is amazing how many times I have read the gospels and how many times I have completely ignored certain sections.

Then Jesus said to his disciples: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes...
Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor."

Luke 12: 22-23, 32-33a

Will we take this seriously...what does this look like today when the church is just as materialistic as the culture at large. 30,000 children under age 5 dieing EVERY DAY from hunger related causes is calling us for some drastic measures. But then maybe these measures are not drastic at all...maybe they're completely normal in the kingdom we say we are a part of. Lord open our eyes to what it means to be your disciple.

Long Trip

I am blogging right now from the Findlay Inn...

The Ohio Energy Project put together this tour for science teachers to go around the state and see several energy sites. Started off yesterday with fuel cell technology in Columbus, coal burning power plant in Conesville, and a propane station in Newark.
Today started with the wind turbines in BG, First Solar in Perrysburg, and Davis Besse Nuclear Power plant in Oak Harbor.

Wow, very informative and many interesting pieces of information I will be using in the classroom. I've met some pretty cool folk along the way as well. Even so, I'm very ready to be home. Especially having already been through BG and now staying in Findlay being that close to home(although Sara and Macee just left after having stopped to see me on their way back from a visit to Sidney).

Tomorrow will be Honda, and some other automotive energy information from OSU I think...

My roomie had to back out at the last minute so I've had a little extra "alone" time to myself which has been nice, but it is also showing me how much the Holy Spirit has changed me to where I need people now unlike I used to.

Anyway...looking forward to get home and finish this tour...too much information is swimming in my head right now. There are stories that we've been told that I don't want to forget...hopefully there is still room for them in my little brain.

fast summer

I can't figure out where the summer is going...I usually have a big project or two to work on here at the house and this summer I just don't have a whole lot...or maybe I'm just choosing to think I don't have a whole lot.

These days we're usually either at the Zoo, the pool, the park, or with friends hanging out.

Mike and I were in I Corinthians for LTG and this section as been on my mind:

To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless: when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly. Up to this moment we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world.

I Cor. 4:11-13

Yesterday we had a discussion about the 3rd way. Not pacifism, not retaliation...but going the extra mile...the Jesus way. We decided that in every situation, moment by moment, we need to ask ourselves(or rather Christ) what is the 3rd way...what does it look like right now right here. We want our lives to be about a reckless love and a 3rd way that this world has seen very little of.

Lord give us eyes to see and ears to hear. Give us the power to turn the other cheek, walk the extra mile, give our coat away when someone takes our jacket...