Blogging wasn't a winter fad? Man, did I miss the boat. It seems people have been keeping their blogs updated, and I'm the only joker who didn't get the email. I did however read that the T-Blakes have solved a family feud, dating back to the early 80's, regarding the poop in the bathtub. See the comments section on Leah's blog.
So here's the story. It's 1am on the night before our big event at the Merriam Marketplace. As usual during any big event for KL, we have house guests. It hasn't been much of a distraction ... just classic that the timing was an exact match again.
I'm feeling pretty good about the plans so far. Tom's talk on "Did Jesus practice Judaism or Christianity" looks great. I have my outline put together, but it needs some polishing tomorrow. Jack managed to pick up the folding chairs about 10 minutes before they closed. That's right ... folding chairs. We realized there's no way everybody remembers to bring a lawn chair ... and that's if they even own them.
We've had 3 folks from our neighborhood say they are coming, plus 3 others who Lauren had spiritual conversations with this week. That may be 3 more spiritual conversations than we've had with anybody in the neighborhood, except Chad and Rachel.
The band practiced today. I'm actually feeling really good about the band. Sam has a good flow. In the words of David Ruis, he feels the rhythms of the earth.
Dr. Yang finally emailed me back. He's out of town now, but he had a good reason for being out of touch for awhile. Minister Hole won't be able to make it due to a commitment, and he let me know that he is officially retiring at the end of '08.
Overall, this is my feeling. Why not now? Why not Merriam? Why not?
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
The fear of God
My wife emailed me a picture, with a subject of "the real you." So maybe this is how she pictures me in her mind when I'm not around.
What many of you may not know, is that we have our very own absentminded professor ... in house. In the great think tank of Kingdom Living, there are many days when the basement is not used for formal meetings, but for mystical times of divine revelation. "The real me" even has a distinct set of clothes he likes to wear for these encounters, and we have now captured one of these moments on still picture for the first time ever. No video is available. It may be a little fuzzy due to the nature of the event, but in a landmark decision we are publishing one of these as inside information, reserved exclusively for readers of this community blog.
On this particular occasion, a comprehensive revelation was given after a four year journey into the question ... "What is church?" There have obviously been moments of significant revelation along the way, but this day was truly unique. It was a day when the factual knowledge turned into revelation at the spirit level as to who we are and what we are doing. The years of waiting have paid off, and the baby has now been born. Hopefully we're good parents.
If you'd like to know more, you can join us at the regular meeting times. Oh yes, the long awaited picture ...
(click image to get a zoom-in of the moose slippers)
What many of you may not know, is that we have our very own absentminded professor ... in house. In the great think tank of Kingdom Living, there are many days when the basement is not used for formal meetings, but for mystical times of divine revelation. "The real me" even has a distinct set of clothes he likes to wear for these encounters, and we have now captured one of these moments on still picture for the first time ever. No video is available. It may be a little fuzzy due to the nature of the event, but in a landmark decision we are publishing one of these as inside information, reserved exclusively for readers of this community blog.
On this particular occasion, a comprehensive revelation was given after a four year journey into the question ... "What is church?" There have obviously been moments of significant revelation along the way, but this day was truly unique. It was a day when the factual knowledge turned into revelation at the spirit level as to who we are and what we are doing. The years of waiting have paid off, and the baby has now been born. Hopefully we're good parents.
If you'd like to know more, you can join us at the regular meeting times. Oh yes, the long awaited picture ...
(click image to get a zoom-in of the moose slippers)
Monday, January 21, 2008
I'm back!
Well, since one of the ten people who read this blog asked why it's been so long since I've posted ... I have to answer the cry for more.
Don't look now, but I think somebody new came to house church last week. And the week before that. And the week before that. We are officially in a radical growth season ... if they come back. :)
Speaking of expansion, the latest title I'm using for "the books" is Kingdom Expansion. It's a more all-encompassing term than Kingdom Law. I have all 900+ pages of the notes that Maasen has faithfully typed up, and they are all now organized into quasi-chapters. There are still more notes to come, but there are definitely enough to get started now. I am considering allocating some time this semester to writing the first, in a series of about 10, of these short books ... maybe 50-100 pages each.
And while we're talking about expansion, the number of pastors in our city that have committed to praying for the city of Merriam just doubled ... Brother Gillis told me he would join me once a week. Notice I called him Brother Gillis, as I'm now pretty sure that's what he goes by instead of Pastor Gillis as we've called him for over a year now.
In other news ... it's cold out.
Harrison and I played two fierce games of Risk this weekend. He even wanted to order a new game, similar to the old Crossbows and Catapults from my childhood. Good times. Elsewhere on the kid front, Noah can go from laying down to sitting up now. He can also go from laying down to standing up if he's in his crib with the bars to hang onto.
Finally, I've been trying to semi-monitor the Presidential campaigns so that I can understand a bit more. Primarily, I've realized that Chuck Norris is about to round-house somebody.
Don't look now, but I think somebody new came to house church last week. And the week before that. And the week before that. We are officially in a radical growth season ... if they come back. :)
Speaking of expansion, the latest title I'm using for "the books" is Kingdom Expansion. It's a more all-encompassing term than Kingdom Law. I have all 900+ pages of the notes that Maasen has faithfully typed up, and they are all now organized into quasi-chapters. There are still more notes to come, but there are definitely enough to get started now. I am considering allocating some time this semester to writing the first, in a series of about 10, of these short books ... maybe 50-100 pages each.
And while we're talking about expansion, the number of pastors in our city that have committed to praying for the city of Merriam just doubled ... Brother Gillis told me he would join me once a week. Notice I called him Brother Gillis, as I'm now pretty sure that's what he goes by instead of Pastor Gillis as we've called him for over a year now.
In other news ... it's cold out.
Harrison and I played two fierce games of Risk this weekend. He even wanted to order a new game, similar to the old Crossbows and Catapults from my childhood. Good times. Elsewhere on the kid front, Noah can go from laying down to sitting up now. He can also go from laying down to standing up if he's in his crib with the bars to hang onto.
Finally, I've been trying to semi-monitor the Presidential campaigns so that I can understand a bit more. Primarily, I've realized that Chuck Norris is about to round-house somebody.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
I learned that ...
So the P-Blakes have been bunkered down for about 5 days now, with various flus being passed around the house. First Noah, with projectle vomiting. Then Lauren got it before Noah recovered, leaving yours truly as Mr. Mom caring for two sicklings. Now I'm just now recovering from a 12 hour vomit flut that turned into some kind of "no energy" scenario after that. I just laid in bed and slept a bunch. Well that was below average.
So what did I learn so that it wasn't a wasted experience? I'm glad you asked. I learned that you can fall behind and catch up during an illness. In 4 days of being out of commission, we're swamped to get ready for Christmas, while at the same time I was able to catch up on some soccer news.
I learned that I am NOT gifted at being a full-time mom. I remember laying down in bed once at around 4pm, and I realized it had been four hours straight of walking around the house taking care of my loved ones. I was exhausted. Then when I realized that was only a half-day's worth of work, my brain joined the exhaustion party just thinking about it. It's great to have a new level of respect and love for my wife who takes care of us every day. She is a wonderful mom, to be admired by all, using her gifts to raise him up to be a mighty warrior. Noah's even falling asleep relatively soon after we lay him down now.
I learned that if you sleep all day, you may end up being awake from 3am-8am. And THEN fall back asleep.
I learned that Brooks knows a lot about enzymes.
I learned that Tom can step up the plate even if I bail out on him and a church meeting at the last minute.
I learned that Eric will re-arrange his schedule at the last minute in order to fulfill a commitment that I made (which had nothing to do with Eric).
I re-learned how much better health is than sickness. But maybe the Lord felt I needed a reminder of how helpless and prideful I am. Isn't it amazing that He loves someone like me despite my flare-ups of arrogance. I need some revelation on how to love arrogant people.
I learned that Mark is wise to stay downstairs when there are this many germs on the main level.
I learned that Talkative Jim, with his brilliant home-owner ingenuity, used his leaf blower to clear snow off his driveway. Now my leaf blower is the cheap kind, but my leaf mower isn't! It's the strongest blower on the block, so I'm excited to try that next time. Just have to do it before anybody drives on it.
I learned that Tom shoveled my driveway on his own initiative. What a guy.
I learned that Harrison can shovel our entire driveway in under 20 minutes all by himself. He proved to be a good solo worker for a kid who does his best when others work alongside him.
I learned that the human body isn't designed to be in bed that many hours - it stiffens up in odd places.
I learned that Arthur Burk has more good teaching, and don't be surprised when you realize he's directing you towards ancient Jewish thought ... even if he doesn't realize it.
I learned that smelling the vomit in the toilet makes me want to vomit even more, so giving myself a courtesy flush after the largest upheavel of the session often helps relieve the gag reflux.
And finally, I learned that Lauren is much better at serving me while I'm sick than I am at serving her while she's sick. Add that to the list of things I need to die to self about.
So in sickness and in health, just remember ... a good spouse like Lauren, and friends like I have, makes life more enjoyable during both of those seasons.
So what did I learn so that it wasn't a wasted experience? I'm glad you asked. I learned that you can fall behind and catch up during an illness. In 4 days of being out of commission, we're swamped to get ready for Christmas, while at the same time I was able to catch up on some soccer news.
I learned that I am NOT gifted at being a full-time mom. I remember laying down in bed once at around 4pm, and I realized it had been four hours straight of walking around the house taking care of my loved ones. I was exhausted. Then when I realized that was only a half-day's worth of work, my brain joined the exhaustion party just thinking about it. It's great to have a new level of respect and love for my wife who takes care of us every day. She is a wonderful mom, to be admired by all, using her gifts to raise him up to be a mighty warrior. Noah's even falling asleep relatively soon after we lay him down now.
I learned that if you sleep all day, you may end up being awake from 3am-8am. And THEN fall back asleep.
I learned that Brooks knows a lot about enzymes.
I learned that Tom can step up the plate even if I bail out on him and a church meeting at the last minute.
I learned that Eric will re-arrange his schedule at the last minute in order to fulfill a commitment that I made (which had nothing to do with Eric).
I re-learned how much better health is than sickness. But maybe the Lord felt I needed a reminder of how helpless and prideful I am. Isn't it amazing that He loves someone like me despite my flare-ups of arrogance. I need some revelation on how to love arrogant people.
I learned that Mark is wise to stay downstairs when there are this many germs on the main level.
I learned that Talkative Jim, with his brilliant home-owner ingenuity, used his leaf blower to clear snow off his driveway. Now my leaf blower is the cheap kind, but my leaf mower isn't! It's the strongest blower on the block, so I'm excited to try that next time. Just have to do it before anybody drives on it.
I learned that Tom shoveled my driveway on his own initiative. What a guy.
I learned that Harrison can shovel our entire driveway in under 20 minutes all by himself. He proved to be a good solo worker for a kid who does his best when others work alongside him.
I learned that the human body isn't designed to be in bed that many hours - it stiffens up in odd places.
I learned that Arthur Burk has more good teaching, and don't be surprised when you realize he's directing you towards ancient Jewish thought ... even if he doesn't realize it.
I learned that smelling the vomit in the toilet makes me want to vomit even more, so giving myself a courtesy flush after the largest upheavel of the session often helps relieve the gag reflux.
And finally, I learned that Lauren is much better at serving me while I'm sick than I am at serving her while she's sick. Add that to the list of things I need to die to self about.
So in sickness and in health, just remember ... a good spouse like Lauren, and friends like I have, makes life more enjoyable during both of those seasons.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Hmmmm
Why do carrots either get really dry ... or really wet and slimy?
Why don't more people in my neighborhood utilize the ultra-efficient leaf removal system of blowing/mulching/sucking that limits my leaf bags to one per week plus one trash can?
Why is Noah so cute?
Why doesn't Noah take longer naps?
Why I say ... why?
Why don't more people like to read?
Why doesn't Eric grow a ZZ Top beard?
Why does Mark ever cut his hair when his afro looks so good?
These are the things I'm thinking about.
Why don't more people in my neighborhood utilize the ultra-efficient leaf removal system of blowing/mulching/sucking that limits my leaf bags to one per week plus one trash can?
Why is Noah so cute?
Why doesn't Noah take longer naps?
Why I say ... why?
Why don't more people like to read?
Why doesn't Eric grow a ZZ Top beard?
Why does Mark ever cut his hair when his afro looks so good?
These are the things I'm thinking about.
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Neighborhood Junkies
Mastin Street is a great place to live, especially this time of year. The leaves are changing colors, not too many leaves are falling, Team Merriam just swept the leaves off the street, and the smell of revival is in the air.
We like our little street. We find it hard not to look out the window when we hear loud noises. It may be Jim's daily project of blowing leaves for himself and the two widows' yards, or it could be the local fire truck that intentionally comes down our street in order to wave at their off duty fireman buddy Tonka Sean three doors up. It may be Tom's muffler on the truck, or my hawg for that matter. It could be the sound of the saw coming from Del's work shop, or the new construction company using front loaders to make the patio for Tom's neighbor. It could be the bus at 3:20pm sharp on weekdays, or the A-1 trash man at 8am Wednesdays. (I've noticed that several more people have signed up for A-1 trash.)
And of course who can forget the sounds of the train, a signal to take 75th St instead of 67th if you're getting in the car - that coal train is long and slow. After school, the kids screaming outside is Robin, as she plays on the swing set that seems to be in a different location of their back yard all the time - not sure if that's safe! If it's a dog, Guppy's is the persistent, quieter bark ... while Guiness is the loud infrequent barker. The high-pitched "Guiness!" is Julie yelling at him to get back in his own yard, or to quit pooping in ours.
Anyhow, since I've mentioned several characters on our side of the tracks already, I'll introduce you to a few more. When they get saved, they'll feel even more like family ... so I thought you should at least know their names.
There's Airstream Gary, who used to typically have his huge Airstream (a silver bullet looking RV) parked in the front drive. Don't forget Tonka Shawn, who has a huge custom truck for shows in his drive, with Tonka written on the back. You can hardly take a walk without running into Army Ed. He likes to talk about semi-spiritual things now that he knows I'm in the ministry. Joy is the newest on the block, and she likes yardwork and having the grandkids over to play and spend the night.
Elmer (no adjective needed with a swiggin' name like that) has lived here since the beginning about 40 years ago - but he's moving to a semi-retirement village with his wife. Their moving truck was there today I think. Great deal on a house - just needs a little updating. Or Elmer's neighbor who foreclosed awhile back, but that house may need more than a little facelift. Down the road a bit is Heather, who teaches school ... but she doesn't want to have kids yet! Her husband must be an introvert, as he seems to sneak inside the house without looking at me even though I'm walking right past.
Cathy walks her dog every night, and sometimes she has a second dog with her ... which we think is because she helps house stray dogs or something. Harley Todd behind us may be moving, but he offered to fix my hawg anytime I needed help. And he likes to offer you a beer on the weekend. The other guy in the neighborhood who has a hawg, can't think of his name but he likes to wave when I'm on mine, is Lars' dad. Lars came down for Harrison's hot tub party last summer. Next to Harley Todd is Guiness Tom, co-owner of the famous pooper, and unfortunately he had a stroke recently. I'm pretty sure his daughter Julie stays home with him now instead of teaching school.
How could I forget the faithfulness of Mailman Tom. He likes to smile and offer a loud, "See you later!" If you were wondering who that strange guy walking next to Mailman Tom was the other day, it was USPS "quality control." I asked Mailman Tom if he was making sure he put the mail in the right slot, but he didn't think that was funny. Lance likes to sit on his back porch and listen to classic rock, and he helped me trim a tree once when I almost killed myself. Randy next door to me just used his new leaf vacuum to clear most of the leaves off my front yard. Tim likes to sit out back and have a smoke, while Brad likes to keep his Christmas lights up all year. Did you know Brad and Tim and their wives go out for dinner sometimes?
I like to take walks in our neighborhood instead of the trails, which is how I've accumulated a lot of my neighborhood junkie expertise. Brent is the 6 year old behind us that will talk your ear off, but his jokes are pretty good for a kid his age. Robin is in 1st grade, and she likes me to stop so she can see if Noah's asleep or not. Allen Troyer, former Merriam city councilman lives on my route, and he typically just gives a wave. And last but certainly not least is dear little old Lorine, the widow on the corner who rakes her leaves every day. She's got a lot of energy.
It's a good street ... you should check us out sometime.
We like our little street. We find it hard not to look out the window when we hear loud noises. It may be Jim's daily project of blowing leaves for himself and the two widows' yards, or it could be the local fire truck that intentionally comes down our street in order to wave at their off duty fireman buddy Tonka Sean three doors up. It may be Tom's muffler on the truck, or my hawg for that matter. It could be the sound of the saw coming from Del's work shop, or the new construction company using front loaders to make the patio for Tom's neighbor. It could be the bus at 3:20pm sharp on weekdays, or the A-1 trash man at 8am Wednesdays. (I've noticed that several more people have signed up for A-1 trash.)
And of course who can forget the sounds of the train, a signal to take 75th St instead of 67th if you're getting in the car - that coal train is long and slow. After school, the kids screaming outside is Robin, as she plays on the swing set that seems to be in a different location of their back yard all the time - not sure if that's safe! If it's a dog, Guppy's is the persistent, quieter bark ... while Guiness is the loud infrequent barker. The high-pitched "Guiness!" is Julie yelling at him to get back in his own yard, or to quit pooping in ours.
Anyhow, since I've mentioned several characters on our side of the tracks already, I'll introduce you to a few more. When they get saved, they'll feel even more like family ... so I thought you should at least know their names.
There's Airstream Gary, who used to typically have his huge Airstream (a silver bullet looking RV) parked in the front drive. Don't forget Tonka Shawn, who has a huge custom truck for shows in his drive, with Tonka written on the back. You can hardly take a walk without running into Army Ed. He likes to talk about semi-spiritual things now that he knows I'm in the ministry. Joy is the newest on the block, and she likes yardwork and having the grandkids over to play and spend the night.
Elmer (no adjective needed with a swiggin' name like that) has lived here since the beginning about 40 years ago - but he's moving to a semi-retirement village with his wife. Their moving truck was there today I think. Great deal on a house - just needs a little updating. Or Elmer's neighbor who foreclosed awhile back, but that house may need more than a little facelift. Down the road a bit is Heather, who teaches school ... but she doesn't want to have kids yet! Her husband must be an introvert, as he seems to sneak inside the house without looking at me even though I'm walking right past.
Cathy walks her dog every night, and sometimes she has a second dog with her ... which we think is because she helps house stray dogs or something. Harley Todd behind us may be moving, but he offered to fix my hawg anytime I needed help. And he likes to offer you a beer on the weekend. The other guy in the neighborhood who has a hawg, can't think of his name but he likes to wave when I'm on mine, is Lars' dad. Lars came down for Harrison's hot tub party last summer. Next to Harley Todd is Guiness Tom, co-owner of the famous pooper, and unfortunately he had a stroke recently. I'm pretty sure his daughter Julie stays home with him now instead of teaching school.
How could I forget the faithfulness of Mailman Tom. He likes to smile and offer a loud, "See you later!" If you were wondering who that strange guy walking next to Mailman Tom was the other day, it was USPS "quality control." I asked Mailman Tom if he was making sure he put the mail in the right slot, but he didn't think that was funny. Lance likes to sit on his back porch and listen to classic rock, and he helped me trim a tree once when I almost killed myself. Randy next door to me just used his new leaf vacuum to clear most of the leaves off my front yard. Tim likes to sit out back and have a smoke, while Brad likes to keep his Christmas lights up all year. Did you know Brad and Tim and their wives go out for dinner sometimes?
I like to take walks in our neighborhood instead of the trails, which is how I've accumulated a lot of my neighborhood junkie expertise. Brent is the 6 year old behind us that will talk your ear off, but his jokes are pretty good for a kid his age. Robin is in 1st grade, and she likes me to stop so she can see if Noah's asleep or not. Allen Troyer, former Merriam city councilman lives on my route, and he typically just gives a wave. And last but certainly not least is dear little old Lorine, the widow on the corner who rakes her leaves every day. She's got a lot of energy.
It's a good street ... you should check us out sometime.
Thursday, November 8, 2007
The Doctor is In
Susan and I met with Dr. Yang from the Korean Presbyterian church today, and after one hour of get to know ya stuff ... here's the drill. He is IN! He wants to show the Almolonga transformation video to his congregation, plus participate in the "Merriam Pastors Fellowship" that we're forming. He likes to preach on repentance, the key for transformation, even though it's not a popular message in his neck of the woods. Just wanted to share the faith bomb that we were blasted with today. Ground zero, baby!
We also invited the Doc to speak at KL, so mark your calendars for Nov 25. He was very honored that we asked him, and he wanted to make sure we did not feel obligated to pay him. His preaching/teaching style is "line-by-line" while including the historical and cultural context, so this should be a great fit!
And thanks to Leah for the hospitality of homemade chocolate chip cookies for the Doc. He was very thankful. WE'RE IN THIS TOGETHER!
We also invited the Doc to speak at KL, so mark your calendars for Nov 25. He was very honored that we asked him, and he wanted to make sure we did not feel obligated to pay him. His preaching/teaching style is "line-by-line" while including the historical and cultural context, so this should be a great fit!
And thanks to Leah for the hospitality of homemade chocolate chip cookies for the Doc. He was very thankful. WE'RE IN THIS TOGETHER!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)