Monday, August 24, 2009

Ezekiel

It's been one of those days when life comes to a halt. The people we share life with, whether friends or family, thankfully all entered into this unique day with us. It was filled with the paradox as found explained only through Him and His Word: Time and Eternity, Life and Death. Although smiles seem out of character, they have helped restore peace and joy. While words seem shallow, they also carry us through. I don't even have a picture of him yet, so words and memories must bear the load. Blessed be the name of the Lord.

My wife has helped me learn that memories aren't just memories, but they are a hope of personally engaging again with the person. Our conversations with Ezekiel may be on hold, but only temporarily until we can dive deeply into fellowship with him. In this case, where memories are few, instead of the anticipation related to reminiscing, our hope is filled with other dreams. We will get to discover his demeanor, redemptive gift, mannerisms, humor, depth, and of course his unique reflection of the Spirit of the living God. Blessed be the name of the Lord.

There is an evangelism anointing associated with little Ezekiel, as was spoken to us by the Father during his ten days here on earth. As spoken through the Biblical prophet Ezekiel, his famous dry bones vision of chapter thirty-seven is explained in verses eleven to fourteen:

11Then He said to me, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel; behold, they say, 'Our bones are dried up and our hope has perished. We are completely cut off.' 12"Therefore prophesy and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I will open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves, My people; and I will bring you into the land of Israel. 13"Then you will know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves and caused you to come up out of your graves, My people. 14"I will put My Spirit within you and you will come to life, and I will place you on your own land. Then you will know that I, the LORD, have spoken and done it," declares the LORD.'"

May the passing of baby Zeke from time to eternity usher in a a great harvest ... including a return to the land by the chosen people of God, and may they find their Messiah as He places His Spirit within them. May each one of us align with God's purposes to bring this to fruition. Despite Job's trials in life, including the sudden and tragic loss of family, he valiantly proclaimed ... the LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed by the name of the Lord. (Job 1:21)

We love you Zeke.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Costco Kirkland Court Classics

We recently saw the Julie and Julia movie, and Julie took her blog fans seriously. So with all due respect, I've been neglectful to my fans. All 15 of you.

After seven months, you'd think I'd have something funny to blog about. Ideally. I'm actually in a blog windfall right now, as I have two ideas to write about. Both are in the slightly funny category. The first is a recent purchase, my CKCC's (my Costco Kirkland Court Classics).

My recent set of work shoes finally got the ax. I'm pretty sure I got them in college, so we're talking 13+ years ago. The internet had just been invented, and Al Gore had not yet claimed it. I couldn't find the cool black adidas that would make me popular at school, so I took a leap of faith and gave my credit card number to some strange company selling shoes online. I didn't try them on or anything, so I had ordered a half size bigger to make sure I didn't have to send them back (having to pay shipping) or find out their return policy stinks. Who are they accountable to? Nobody, since nobody was dumb enough to give their credit card to a stranger back then! After over a decade of faithful service, from casual wear to basketball to winter shoveling to lawn mowing ... it was time. It's possible that glue may have fixed them, if I glued together the 4-5 parts that were flapping all over the place.

But I've had my eyes on the CKCC's for awhile now. Why you say? They had that attractive price tag ... $14.99 baby. That's cheaper than the Obama coin that Montel was hawking.

Costco is one of my few brand loyalties in life, although I've recently realized that Hy-Vee (a grocery store) is another. Otherwise, I am just so neutral on most things. But even though in the big picture Costco and Sam's are the same store, for some reason they aren't to me. I like Costco. The food seems better, the products seems better, and the lines seem to go faster. We recently had both memberships for some promotion, but we like Costco and have settled back in there. I just like going.

Kirkland is the generic brand at Costco, and somehow they make food, clothes, and maybe 100 other things at Costco. It's really ridiculous. How can one brand be trusted to make quality shampoo, bread, and jeans? It's an urban mystery, but with their prices I like to try Kirkland stuff. So the CKCC's at 15 bones was almost a lock upon setting eyes on them ... all I needed was the justification to pull the trigger.

So for 6 months, I've been patiently waiting until my work shoes just became too annoying, and now the white whoppers are my digs for mowing. The CKCC's are definitely not for the court, but they do have that classic crisp white ... ala the straight man Jerry Seinfeld. I've inserted a few sweet pictures for your enjoyment, compliments of the lovely Lauren. Notice the sweet logo on the back, or the minimal hair on the legs (a Blake tradition).





You may not realize it, but you are probably very familiar with CKCC's. You've been at the shoe store before, trying to see if those bargain shoes will work for you. You try them on, and they feel funny. They're weighted strange. You definitely can't run in them ... like girls buying uncomfortable dress shoes for a wedding ... cramped toes or high heels. You're deciding if you can endure them, given the great price and their limited and specialized usage. It's a tough call. But since the price is usually $40+, it was a different ball game at $15. We went for it.

They should have made them three-quarter tops or low tops, but they're that in between top - the kind that nips at the bottom of your ankle bone. They also feel more like Dutch clogs than tennis shoes, as the heel is heavier than it should be. Overall, a great purchase.