Guess I have to write about 'ol Rich

See Dick
See Dick testify
See Dick calling himself a liar


Alrighty, well with everyone talking about Richard Clarke I think I'll chime in. But I won't use his words or anything he's saying. (He's said enough.) Instead I'll say something I believe in.

In working with kids, it's not uncommon to hear several interpretations of an incident. Perspective can be gained by listening to several stories, and trying to piece together the information from all the jargon.
Moving on. . . .I love the fact that I don't know what the government is doing at all times. (In fact, this is why I pay them for their services) If I knew every little detail about government actions, my own security would be jeopardized. Some people have a hard time with this raw fact. They simply want to know it all. What's going on behind closed doors, what's the CIA doing right now? What new military weapons are out there? Who's the biggest threat to us? How, Why, When??!?! Now, granted, I understand this mindset. I want to know all the details as well, but I realize if the government was foolish enough to make public every detail about its workings, we'd be much less secure, defeating the governments first goal.

With that in mind, what we as the people of America get, in terms of information, is bits and pieces of stories. We don't hear everything firsthand, so all we can know is what so and so claims took place; trusting a variety of sources. So here's the tie-in. It's just like hearing the kids stories. Sometimes they match up, but most of the time you get different 'truths' about what happened. This is what we're getting with these 9-11 hearings. We have some groups saying one thing, others claiming quite different 'truths'. So who do you believe? Well as always with partisan politics. . . .if you're a Bush supporter, you automatically think Clarke is a liar working undercover for John Kerry. If you're a Bush-hater, you assume Clarke is a hero for coming out and revealing the truth about an evil man named George Bush.

Here's my quick take. I'm not even going to comment on the issue at hand. I'll just say this. . . . .
Sometimes with the kids you get different stories, we already mentioned that. But sometimes you get one kid telling multiple stories; some that even contradict each other. When this happens credibility goes out the window.
Richard Clarke, with the latest 9-11 hearings, you have argued against positions you yourself took in the 2002 hearing. When asked to comment you have no explanation. Thanks for making it so clear who we should believe. Actually, I guess that's still up for grabs. I should have said "Thanks for making it so clear who NOT to believe."

See, working with kids comes in handy all the time. We just needed a kindergarten teacher to preside at the hearings.

This is some good revelation.

Sound familiar.

I posted awhile back about being dissatisfied with life. Not me in particular, but our human condition of being unhappy with our world. Archived here. It's at the bottom of the page. The post is titled 'Finding Home'.
Anyhow, I came across a taped sermon from Matt Chandler on the First Baptist Church in Dallas website. They have a College worship service Tuesday nights called Refuge that's become very powerful to me. It's been a place where I can go and not be a church worker. I go to praise my God. (Shhhh, don't tell the LCMS I worship with non-Lutherans; they just might make my day and fire me.) Sorry, got sidetracked. So that's how I came across this sermon, although I hesitate calling it a sermon, because that makes it sound boring. But it's Matt talking about this very idea I mentioned before. Overall he's heading in a different direction with his talk, but he mentions this idea of being dissatisfied with this life.

Here's a link to the archived sermon page, and the one I'm talking about is from August 31, 2003. It shouldn't be too hard to find.

If you want to listen to some of it, listen for this section. This is what hit home with me. This section comes at about 4 minutes into the audio, so don't worry, you don't have to listen too long!

"You're going to find a whole country starving to death for righteousness,
with human souls all over the place going "whatever can do it, Make me right because
something is wrong in me. Something is wrong in me and no matter what I do and no matter
where I go and no matter what I get involved in it gnaws at me and it aches in my soul
and no matter what trinkets I get or how large my house gets or how many romantic nights
me and my girl have in a row there is something still gnawing at me and I cannot fix it."
And the whole world begins to beckon to us the things that might fix our souls; and in all
of it we begin to understand Ecclesiastes 'Vanity, vanity, it's all vanity.'
Ecclesiastes 3:11 says that God has put a hole in the heart of man. He has placed
eternity there so that we might seek him. And that means there is nothing this side
of heaven that will fill the gaping hole of eternity in our hearts."
-Matt Chandller-

Creating Reality: Jethro and Mikel

Jethro could see through the field that the sun had just made it past the horizon. This day started as usual, with two buckets of feed and a short walk to the troughs. The only thing separating this day from the countless others was the anticipation. Today Jethro would finally see King Osland. Not only him, but Jethro’s entire family would be in town for the King’s ride through their humble community. Preparations had been in the works for several weeks, ensuring the village would be ready for their King. While some of the villages’ older members had seen King Osland, most folks had only heard rumors of the man. Jethro had been dreading this day since they first got word the King would be coming.

With morning work out of the way, Jethro headed in for a meal. There would be no time for much else, as he and his wife Claudine had several miles to get into town. “I’m sure he’s come to tell us of more taxes, at the very least”, Jethro mentioned as he passed Claudine. “At the worst, he’ll tell us how we’ve all been behind for too long, and he’ll have the village burned to the ground!” “Don’t be so paranoid!” Claudine muttered, as she finished gathering her things for the walk, “You buy into those rumors much too easily.” “Oh c’mon Claudine, Osland’s never set foot in our town, yet he’s been our King as long as anyone can remember, and you think he’s making this trip for fun? There has to be something wrong.”





Mikel could see through the field that the sun had just made it past the horizon. This day started as usual, with two buckets of feed and a short walk to the troughs. The only thing separating this day from the countless others was the anticipation. Today Mikel would finally see King Nartok. Not only him, but Mikel’s entire family would be in town for the King’s ride through their humble community. Preparations had been in the works for several weeks, ensuring the village would be ready for their King. While some of the villages’ older members had seen King Nartok, most folks had only heard rumors of the man. Mikel had been anxious since they first got word the King would be coming.

With morning work out of the way, Mikel headed in for a meal. There would be no time for much else, as he and his wife Nadine had several miles to get into town. “I’m sure he’s come to inspire us with words of the expanding kingdom!” Mikel mentioned as he passed Nadine. “At best, he may be seeking men for his royal army!” “Don’t get ahead of yourself!” Nadine muttered, as she finished gathering her things for the walk, “You always expect far too much.” “Oh c’mon Nadine, Nartok’s never set foot in our town, yet he’s been our King as long as anyone can remember, and you think he’s making this trip to harm us? There has to be something more!”






Jethro and Claudine stood in the back of a crowd. “I don’t know why I let you talk me into being up here Claudine. When Osland comes by, we’ll be in the first crowd he sees.” A deep-rooted fear came up from Jethro’s gut as he heard the trumpets. He knew King Osland was close.


Mikel and Nadine stood in the back of a crowd. “I don’t know why I let you talk me into being up here Nadine. When Nartok comes by, there’s no way he’ll see us.” A deep-rooted loyalty came up from Mikel’s gut as he heard the trumpets. He knew King Nartok was close.







After a great feast, King Osland had Jethro and Claudine come to the head table for recognition. “My faithful servant, how could you have been afraid of me? I love you as my people, and I’ve come to ensure your safety.” Jethro looked at his feet while he heard these words. Words that were turning his whole world upside down as his perceptions had been wrong.


After a great feast, King Nartok had the heads of Mikel and Nadine brought to his table for recognition. “How could this man rush my chariot? I am King Nartok, and I’ve come to take what’s rightly mine from this village.”
Just moments before Mikel’s life ended, he heard the words of King Nartok as he ordered his death. Words that were turning his whole world upside down as his perceptions had been wrong.

Give it up

So I try to stay away from giving out links just for fun, but this is fantastic. If you don't read The Onion you really should start. It's great. This is one of those posts that makes The Onion a great site.

My life of crime

Date: February 13, 2004.

Location: Downtown Lewisville, TX.

Scenario: A green Ford Focus, known near and far as 'The Green Machine' heads North on Main St. through Lewisville. The posted speed limit is 30 mph. The driver, obviously a wreckless danger to society, barrels through the streets at 41 mph. Suddenly, with swiftness and disregard for personal risk, an unmarked Lewisville policeman manages to catch the daredevil. Charged with speeding, this villain had the gal to present a drivers license donning an old address!

Today I went to Lewisville to state a plea to the judge that I was a student during 2003, and my address was still valid. All fine and dandy, except I was no longer a student come January 9, 2004, and law states you have 30 days to change your address, hence, the $85 fine remains. A few noteables during my time at the courthouse. . .


I walked into the courtroom to find 4 other people waiting. It was quiet. And I don't mean quiet like no one was talking. I mean quiet like if you blink everyone can hear it. I wanted to make a joke about the situation, but I figured some of the people around me might be in real trouble, or real pissed, so I didn't want to risk it.

Moment #1: When asked why she [the judge] should reduce the speeding charge of $180, a young guy said "Uhhhhhhhh. . .ummmmmmm, uhhhhhhh, welll. . . .uhhhhhhhh, hmmmmmm. . . .see I'm in college, and uhhhhhhhhh, I can't ummmmmm, afford it right now." Absolutely brilliant. Right there I wanted to tell the judge to guess what 'college' this guy attended. . . .man at least be smart enough to lie your way into an excuse. Geez I learned that when I was in kindergarten.

Moment #2: When I asked the judge how long the law gives you to change your license address, she didn't seem to know exactly. What ensued next was a mini debate between her, the balif, and the court reporter. The three of them came to the decision that you have 30 days to change it. And when I say 'the three of them', I really mean that the reporter said "I think you have 30 days" and that seemed good enough for the judge, so she just says "umm, yeah, you had 30 days to change it."

I love seeing Texas justice at work.

Who do you love?

Nice idea.

This site, called AOL Presidential Match, gives you a series of questions, then shows which presidential candidates best represent the positions you chose. Certainly not a tell-all, but fun nonetheless.

Passion Review #45,245

I'll make it quick and simple.
If you live in a culture where you see crucifixions, floggings, beatings, and Roman Law at work, you don't need to see The Passion. You may want to, but you don't need to. If you live in 21st century America, where the word 'suffering' relates more to missing an episode of Friends than anything else, you need to see the movie.
Go and see what you're worth to God.

The Spin we get.

I watched an interview on C-SPAN the other night with Elaine Brown. Here's quick taste of the way the radical left spins information for the American people. She finished a rant with this quote. "If we had an educated mass George Bush would not be President." As you can imagine, her audience gave her a thunderous applause, and she laughed hard at the comment. But did you catch it? Read it again. You see, at first glance, what we take from her comment is that George Bush shouldn't be president. But what she really said is that you and I are uneducated. She called the American people idiots, and everyone smiled and nodded.
She later made this gem of a remark. In reference to Martin Luther Kings views on the Black Panther Party, (which Brown directed in 1974), she made the statement that MLK was the "one great leader we ever had." Once again, at first glance this seems like a great comment, donning Dr. King with a title he rightly deserves. But read it again. Did you see how she degraded all other Black leaders of today? Did you see how she openly stated that not only was Dr. King one of many great Black leaders, she said he was the "ONE great leader we ever had." The spin is incredible.

Note these stats taken from Michael Savage's The Enemy Within.
First let me throw some facts out there.
"The CDC (Center for Disease Control) dedicates more money to AIDS than to any other disease. Just less than 30% of the CDC's $7 billion budget is earmarked for HIV and AIDS. As much as I would like to find a cure for this terrible disease, AIDS is not the leading cause of death in this county."
"Here is the difficult truth: cardiovascular disease is the leading killer of men and women from all races. Not AIDS. Not even close. In fact, more American adults, ages 25-44, die from heart disease, cancer, and suicide than from AIDS. But the media doesn't tell you that, do they?. . . . Why? Because HIV is the only politically driven disease."
(The previous came from Savage's book, but is all information that can be found on public domain: Savage sites 'Adult Mortality, Profile of the Nation's Health. pg.37)
Now. . .I told you all that so I could tell you this.

In San Francisco, the CDC gives $600,000 in federal funds to the Stop AIDS Project. With it, workshops like "Flirt, Date, Score" are funded. "The promotion, which targeted gay, bi, tri, and trans guys, said, "Want to flirt with greater finesse and date with more confidence? Share your expertise and hear how others are successful in meeting guys and staying safe today." "Other workshops like 'Bootylicious' offered insight and advice on topics such as sex with male prostitutes, as well as oral and anal intercourse. That's your tax dollars at work."
With all that; Julie Gerberding, Bush appointee to head the CDC, threatened to withhold funding. "When word of her inquiry reached the Stop AIDS Project, the damaged and deranged powerbrokers on the left marshaled their forces. They, along with 150 HIV/AIDS likeminded groups, dashed off a letter to George Bush thrashing the CDC. Gerberding had to back down."
Their letter included this comment.
"If the government does not fully fund federal AIDS programs, there is only one sure result: The American taxpayer will see both the costs of treatment and the death toll rise dramatically."

And, to tie all this together with what I said at the beginning of the post. . . .look at the spin. Read the line again if you need. In Savage's words, "Did you catch it? If AIDS numbers increase, it's because YOU didn't do enough."

There you have it. Just a few examples of the spin we get from the up and ups. Those like Elaine Brown, who consider us all too stupid to decipher her words, abound and seem to be given more and more airtime these days. Watch for the spin, it's not hard to find.

-The IP-

Read

Picked up a new book today by Philip K. Howard called "The Lost Art of Drawing the Line". So far it's been great, and by 'so far' I mean the first 20 pages. It's all about the way we've gone sue-happy in this country, and the way our lives have been forced to change as such. Howard provides many examples throughout the text of wild lawsuits, as well as societal impact on this monster. Here's a quick quote. . .

"The effects are sometimes tragic. Christopher Sercye, fifteen, was shot while playing basketball on a playground close to the Ravenswood Hospital in Chicago. With the help of two friends, the boy made it to within thirty feet of the hospital entrance. When Christopher collapsed, almost at the hospital door, his friends ran in to get help, but the emergency-room staff refused to come out. Hospital policy was that they should not leave the hospital because, as the explanation later indicated, of fear of possible legal liability for neglecting patients already in the hospital. But going thirty feet outside the hospital is not much different for staff than going thirty feet inside. As Christopher lay bleeding on the sidewalk, a policeman begged the staff to come out. But the hospital staff refused to budge and instead placed a call to 911. Christopher lay on the sidewalk for twenty-five minutes before a police sergeant arrived and commandeered a wheelchair to bring him in. The boy died shortly afterward."

"A new medical school graduate, one week away from getting her license to practice, was recently driving in suburban New York when she came upon a motorcycle accident with the rider sprawled on the side of the road, obviously badly injured. After a brief discussion with her mother, she decided not to stop because she might be liable for practicing without a license. At first blink, her logic seems perfectly reasonable. But this only shows how warped we've become. How about helping out because you're a human being who happens to have the skills to save a life?"

Wow. . .what a culture we live in. We were shocked at the McDonald's suit in which "an elderly lady spilled the hot coffee." (First set at $2.9 million, later reduced to $640,000.) How about these: "Boston Judge Hiller Zobel has been asked to decide a custody fight over a dog, a claim over a missing prize in a Cracker Jack Box, and a lawsuit over ownershio of birth control pills between a fifteen-year-old and a thirteen-year-old. These claims don't usually succeed, but they are symptoms of a society-wide preoccupation with rights."

What about the parents of the three-year-old who kicked another three-year-old in a sandbox at Charles River Park, in Boston. "Jonathan's social graces left something to be desired, and there was a pushing incident. At this point, Stacey and her mother could have left the playground or gone to another area, but Stacey's mother had her own problems in the social interaction area, and she decided to call the police." "In new America, the judge actually adjudicated the dispute, granting a preliminary injunction requiring the parents to 'keep each child supervised and separated from each other while in the playground' and prohibiting the mothers from talking to each other."

Now I know I'm only 23, but these two mothers couldn't figure out on their own to just keep their kids apart? We have created a society in which any and all interactions with other people become opportunities for me to find out which of my supposed rights have been infringed, and how I can milk the system for my free money. Check out the book if you want more examples of the craziness.
Peace. . .
-The IP-

On my mind.

Prone to wander Lord I feel it.
Prone to leave the God I love.

Here's my heart Lord take and seal it.
Seal it for thy courts above.

Reading

I finished reading 'The Savage Nation' last week, and have moved on to 'The Enemy Within'. What is it about finishing a book that gives you a great sense of accomplishment? I don't have much to say about the text. I enjoyed the reading. I agreed with some of the points. I'm glad we have people like Michael Savage; and I don't mean simply because I agree with much of what he has to say. It's necessary that we have people who are adament about something. Most of us are just wishy-washy in regards to whatever we claim to be a truth. We never take a stand for anything. . .taking a stand means having to stand when you're the only one left. You set yourself up to be criticized when you hold fast to what you know is right. There's actually a website titled Michael Savage Sucks. Even though I agree with him, I don't admire Savage for his claims, but for his intellectual honesty to stick to his claims and not go half-hearted into the night. These kind of people, regardless of political stance, are hard to come by.

On another note, Adam and I went to an Aquire the Fire meeting for youth ministry types at prestonwood baptist on Monday night. I have some other thoughts to get down about the experience, but we got to talk with Josh McDowell for awhile, and homedog was sporting a Fubu jersey that said 'West Side' on the front. Dang that was funny. . . .

Just some randomness.

I had a couple more thoughts on the day that I wanted to separate from the previous post.
First, I went to Best Buy today and no one said a word to me. I loved it. Not one single "how are you today?!" (which I hate) or even a "have a nice day!" on my way out. It was the greatest shopping experience of my life.

Reading some new books. I went AM-Radio happy at Barnes and Noble today and picked up Michael Savage's two most recent writings.

Reading The Savage Nation first. . .so I'll fill you in as it gets good.

Raise your hand if you're lost.

Saw Lost in Translation today on an inadvertent suggestion from my friend Thomas. I had been meaning to see it and his postings helped persuade me to go on my glorious day off. Here's my quick 3 word review of the flick.

I hate it.

Now, bear with me. . .
I believe that the world we live in is not the what we were created for. As Switchfoot so eloquently puts it, "we were meant to live for so much more; and we lost ourselves." Or, if you like, how Peter writes that we are "as aliens and strangers in the world. . ." (1 Peter 2:11) We are seeing an abundance of unsatisfied, purpose-seeking people screaming out, longing for a reason to be alive. The problem is that our very souls testify to the fact that we were created as immortal beings, destined for eternity; however, the physical world we live in laughs in our face and trys to convince us of otherwise.
I hate the movie because it looks exactly like I feel;
because it reminds me of so many lost souls. . .
because I daily feel like an alien immersed in another culture, even if it's my own. . .
I hate this brilliant, deep movie. . . .and you can bet I'll be owning it in a couple days.

From time to time, everyone needs a slap in the face.

Even if it's with a boob. . . .

Sorry, couldn't resist.



So here's the thing. I'll put aside all of my personal remarks for a couple more days and simply throw these bits of information out there.

In case you couldn't understand what was going on at the boobacious half time show, here are some of the lyrics you missed. For this family oriented, rousing Sunday afternoon game of innocent fun, halftime started with Janet Jackson singing these words.
"Got a nice package alright, think I'm gonna have to ride it tonight!"

Of course, we followed up those lines with our friend from St. Louis, Nelly. He had this to say.
"It's getting hot in here, so take off all your clothes."
[Welcome to Houston Nell, smells too don't it?]

MMmmmmmm, warms the cockles of my heart. And for another number, we have Mr. Kid Rock, (talented musician that he is) who has decided to show his patriotism by dressing himself with an American flag. And by dressing, I mean cutting a hole in our sacred symbol and letting his nasty pitts stench up the white stripes. He had this to say to our children.
"And this is for the questions that don't have any answers
The midnight glancers and the topless dancers
The gander freaks, cars packed with speakers
The G's with the 40's and the chicks with beepers
The northern lights and the southern comfort
And it don't even matter if their veins are punctured
All the crackheads, the critics, the cynics
And all my heroes in the methadone clinics"

I'll add my thoughts later. For now, just let it all soak in. Oh yeah, in case you've been desensitizied like most of us, don't forget all the leg humping and lack of clothing onstage either. I think my shirt has more material than what was used for the 2,000 women combined shaking their 'thangs' onstage.

New Youth Ministry stuff for the LCMS

Well, here it is. In an attempt to tap into the 1990's, it seems the LCMS has finally started doing something a wee bit flashy in terms of youth ministry. I haven't looked at all of the site, so I haven't ruled its suckiness factor yet. More to come.

-The IP-

A good time.

Well kids, it's been awhile. . .

I just got back from a high school retreat held at Camp Lone Star. . . I just got back from my home.
I wish I were able to say that camp is my comfort zone, but it's not. Many people think that's why the collective 'we' keep going back, but nothing could be further from the truth. Through the past 10 years or so, Camp Lone Star has developed into a ministry unlike any other I know. It' not like other camps; and I say this knowing the ministries at other sites, not just my bubbled experience. CLS has been blessed with leadership that seeks God in all things. It was a purposeful ministry long before PDYM was in a publishers hand. I believe what has made this ministry truly different from others is the focus and commitment given to this one purpose. . . Taking people out of their daily life experience and letting them taste what God intended life to be. People have come and gone through CLS's doors and been either frustrated or flat out mad at some of the implications this goal has presented.
"What do you mean we only play Christian music in the cabins with kids?"
"Why can't we raid the girls cabin at 3 in the morning?"
"What do you mean no cross dressing for the skit?"
People have come through the doors and left, sadly unwilling to give their life a try without the patterns of this world. As kids have been told, "just see what life is like without that CD for one week. Just one week, and see how you feel." Little things, I know. But lots of little things add up to a big focus on the reality of our world.

I am humbled to know that I have been a small part of the CLS ministry over the years. I am frightened to think that it will lose focus over time. People that were once so innovative and ready to redefine a focus for ministry now sit idle, desperately clutching what little control they still have. I pray vision and discernment will be given to those in control of CLS's future. May our sovereign God lead us.

I love camp.
-The IP-

I'm tired of popularity.

I'm sick of my TV telling me what I should be doing with my life. Every show like "Entertainment Tonight" never ceases to piss me off. I don't care which celebrity had to go the dentist after chipping a tooth on their Hummer, and I never will. All of my anger towards the current state of the media funnels into this thought. I hate when someone else tells me what I'm supposed to like. Until I ask for an opinion, I don't want someone throwing 'The Years Best. . . .' or 'America's favorite. . . . .' in my face. Quite frankly, I don't give a crap what most Americans consider worthy of their time. I'm afraid our culture is awash in a sludge of media opinion. Which brings me to another point; well, maybe a random point, but you get the idea.

Why am I supposed to care about the styles of some celebrity? By the way, we're also to assume that you're a nobody unless you can star in movies, play in a band, or be an amazing athlete. But why am I supposed to care about the styles of some actress who worked for two months filming a movie? Is it because she's rich? Well I tell you what, there are plenty of people in this world with much more money than anyone in hollywood could dream of having, yet we're not oggling over what kind of toothpaste they use. So if it's not the money, it must be something else. Maybe it's the perception of money, and the flaunting of it. We in America have this image of movie stars that is completely off the edge. We give them authority to make decisions in our lives in terms of what we watch, what we want to wear, and what political stance we should take. "Oh look honey, Tim Robbins hates President Bush; how eclectic and trendy of him!"
The shows themselves I have no problem with, at least for this topic. It's the reality that we watch that bothers me. We sit on our couches and watch life happen, instead of going out and living life. Thursday nights, instead of hanging out with real friends, we watch them on tv, as if they were our own. Reality tv is such a load. Why can't anything just be called a 'Game Show' anymore? By the way, Fear Factor has been done before, but it used to come on Nickelodeon and it was every kids dream. Remember? It was called Double Dare, and those physical challenges ruled. (By the way, I would have owned that final round thing, most of those kids who tried it were wusses.)

So here's my final round of rants. Quit letting so-called-celebrities inform you about real-life-issues. If I want to learn how to act, I'll listen to an actor. If I want advice on any other subject, I'm going to a professional; I don't care how many academy awards you have. Live life, quit watching it happen on a 'reality tv show' that isn't even close to reality. We should collectively ban the entertainment info shows and magazines. I would love to see the faces of the producers when the average American says 'so what' to every piece of media that informs them about who's dating who, and what J-Lo had for dinner last night. What we need, instead, is personal shows like this that inform me of the people I know and love. That would be exciting. To sit down and watch a 30-minute segment that informed me of my friends daily happenings. Well, until that happens, I'll be yelling at my TV on a daily basis like an old man.

Oh the love that ensues.

Had a good conversation with a friend the other day on the topic of love. Thought I'd gather some of my thoughts. . .
By being engaged, (yes you read correctly, if we haven't told you yet, my apologies, unless I don't know you, than hey, I can only do so much), I realize yet another detail on the subject of love. Most of what follows was sparked by the conversation I had online.


I've been thinking on the subject of unconditional love, and the idea that in certain relationships we claim this type of love. I feel I am blessed by God to have been given someone to love. Now, I can say I've been blessed by every person in my life, but this is something radically different. In the past, I've heard people say what a blessing so and so is in their life, but I'm not sure I've really thought about it in this way. In this case, and with this person, God has blessed me with someone whom I will be able to catch glimpses of the way in which God loves us. I now have a living example for me to begin to see and understand what it takes for God to love me the way he does. By loving my wife unconditionally, I will know joy, pain, anger, happiness, hurt, compassion, confusion, intimacy, frustration, grief, and of course, other emotions described by words I don't know. In all of this, I will be blessed with the ability to experience, in some small amount, what it must feel like for God to love us. I will know even more the pain God feels when I sin, and the amazing love that really exists for you and me. This love that exists for us to experience acts as a double edged sword. Love cuts deep, and it doesn't make sense. To continually love something that, at times, appears unlovely, or has no love to offer, is illogical and irrational. It isn't easy for me to wrap my brain around this kind of love . . . .I don't think I can. I can't understand a love that invites me and loves me when I run from it. One that runs after me, and begs to hold me, kicking and screaming, cussing and running. But this is the dirty kind of love God has for us. One that doesn't make sense in our selfish, sin-soaked world.

In my future marriage, I know that I will be unloveable. My fiance and I are, however, committing ourselves to loving each others unlovely selves. At this moment, love is easy, and it feels loving. This isn't, however, what we are committing to. We are committing to a love that will hurt, and one that will know pain. If we simply wanted the easy, feel-good love that this world offers, we would never have made it this far.

I think this blessing is made clearer in being a parent. Until I one day become a father, (oh geez), I will never fully understand what it is to love someone even when they don't want your love. Whew, I know I was that kind of kid. Dang what morons we are as children. heheh. As Bill O'Reilly says, "no good parent has never been hated by his/her children." I take full stock in that quote; not that I'm looking forward to the experience, but the aftermath.


This is the true blessing that loving one another brings; A God-given model to practice this love on. To feel what it is to love when there is no reason. A chance to understand, in a small part, what it is for God to love us. Whether we are given this chance in the person of a spouse, a child, a parent, or whomever, it is still a gift. A precious, pain-filled gift that will hurt us to the core if we jump in, but will be a real-life challenge course experience that gives us a glimpse of what it takes for God Himself to love people like us.

-Brandon-

Random Things.

Well, a lot has happened since I last chimed in. A few things that I won't mention, because I don't think my humble blog is the right avenue for sharing the news. Ask me about it if I haven't already talked to you. Anyway, here are a few random thoughts/happenings from the last couple weeks.


Patrick reminded me of a confirmation retreat I took my kids on. This guy I know, (Vonder), and I planned the retreat, and the day before we leave, he happens to tell me that one of the chaperones he's bringing just got out of prison. . . .I'll let that set in for a moment. So, here I am, a person charged with the care and well being of several children, and I find out that a chaperone on the retreat is an ex-con. Now, I'm not one to profile, but in this case I'll make an exception. I had no idea what this guy was charged with, and, knowing the vonder, it very well could have been child molestation, and he wouldn't have cared. (Vonder, if you're reading this, I'm not sorry; man it was a bad move) So, as it turned out, the guy was great and I think he's turned his life around. I'm not even sure what he was locked up for, but he seems to be on the right path to getting his life back together. Good for him. . . . . . . . . . . .freakin vonder.


[quick sidenote, as I write this, I've been on hold with Azuma Leasing for about 10 minutes. If you're thinking of renting a washer and dryer, don't use Azuma. No bueno]

Well, I just got off the phone with Azumza, and they got me all sidetracked, so I'll write some more later. For now, the vonder moment is all I got.
-Peace out-
Brandon

So that's what happens to the tough guys.

I thought this was funny.

The school at our church just had a thanksgiving program. (It's mainly a preschool, with a couple kindergarten classes.) So nevertheless, here's the scenario: You're got about 100 kids from the ages of 3 - 6, and lots of their parents in the back of the church; here's where it gets funny. I look around and see tons of dads walking around in their work clothes holding all sorts of cameras. For real, it's like we're having a best buy sale with all the different kinds of cameras. One poor sap had a digital still camera around his neck, probably over $500 for that bad boy, and a mini-dvd digital video camera in his hand, making his 'moment capturing ablility' somewhere near the $2000 mark.
It's just funny to me to see these guys who, for most of their day, probably think they're all hard and tough working wherever they do, but once they get to their kids program, they're nothing but softies.
And to think, 15 years ago the majority of those guys were probably sitting in a frat house somewhere swearing up and down about how they're 'the man' and betting on who can drink the most beer while riding a donkey through campus.
Man I hope I don't ever have to grow up. . . . .