A week

It has been a week since I blogged last. It seems like a long time too. Not too much has been happening... just Catie getting more pregnant and doing yard work and working... just doing life. No exciting adventures for now. So to start off.... hmmmmm.... I love spending time with my kids... I love them a ton. We were just hanging out on the couch a few minutes ago and I was taking a few pictures with the old digital camera. Here are a few pics.

Speaking of camera... supposively I am getting a SLR digital camera from my father-in-law! And a pretty good one at that. He isn't giving me any lenses (because he is just getting the really professional version of the body he is giving me (so all the lenses work on both) but the body will be awesome enough! What a blessing... I have been wanting a good digital camera for a while now, so this is really cool. I need to start taking more pics now especially because I am teaching people to take pictures at church... just basic stuff but I need to be practicing myself. Although photography and videography are similar they are totally different animals (they just use the same basic concepts). I am excited. I will try and post more pictures up as I take them.

So that is all for now. I am waiting for Catie to get home so I can go to youth group... I knew she would be late but I don't care... I am late often coming home too.

A good talk

I had a really good chat with the senior pastor of my church yesterday. It was good to hear from him. (I had emailed him the other day with some questions and honestly wasn't sure of he would respond). But he did... and I felt he was fairly candid in the email he sent and in the conversation on the phone (he call me the next day). I enjoyed it... I wish he would have done stuff like that more often when he was here... but hindsight is 20/20.

Anyways, it was just cool to hear him and hear how he and Tammy and the kids are doing. It is obviously a bit hard to leave so much that you love but I think he will be happier in the long run... (whether he know that or not right now).

He is in an exciting place... he is seriously looking at planting a Vineyard in the area he is living. I think he would really prosper in that... more than he would coming back. I think it works as a reset button for him (in ministry and in life). He will bring knowledge and excitement to a new church. I wish I was moving away (to Cali) and hanging out with people (doing church together). I think Paul will do a good job with a new small church... I think it will bring him back to his roots and he will be able to be less entrenched in all the details and more about people again. I think he will prosper in that.

So it was a good conversation and I was happy to talk to him.

Paul.... you will love to be somewhere new... it just might take a bit of time to realize that.

Pet Peave

Ok... Ipods are nice. I like them. I like using mine.... BUT NOT EVERYWHERE I GO.

Things an Ipod are good for:

1. If you are running (on a run)
2. If you are in the car
3. If you are just waiting around somewhere
4. If you are on a walk
5. If you want fall asleep to music
6. If you need to take all your music to an event... like a party
7. To just sit and chill by yourself someplace
8. All the other things I am thinking of except....

DO NOT USE YOUR IPOD IN THE STORE.... YOU LOOK LIKE AN IDIOT.

You may think it is cool but it isn't so stop. Ipods are not cool everywhere. Some places you actually have to bring yourself back into reality.

Are we that anti-social now? We can go for a few minutes without having music blasted into our ears. It drives me crazy!


So that is all... just a annoyance post.

Transparent

So we are doing this new series in church call "One Prayer". It is a really cool idea that Dave found in a blog that he reads. The basic idea is that you fill in the blank "Make us [as a Church] _____". I think it is a great idea and will help us begin to get the church back into the hands of the people of the church (because we are allowing more people to talk). It will also help the congregation see the leadership's vision but also give the congregation members a chance to speak to if they want to (We are going to do little video clips of anyone who wants to state their one prayer aka "Make Us _____"). It is a lot of video but it will be well worth it. So be excited!

I think if I did a prayer I would say "Make us transparent". I think most if churches would say: "Make us transparent but not too transparent... maybe transparent like frosted glass or a two way mirror). Someone recently said to me..." the Church so often treats the comgregation like mushrooms... it keeps them in the dark and cover them with bullshit".And after I got done laughing at that statement... I realized how true and sad that statement is. Wow... that is what the church has become... that is the perception of a person that goes to a church (no wonder so many people think Christians are full of crap... because even the most loyal members of churches think the Church is full of it).

I hate that... I hate the dark and covering people in crap... people do it to protect their Christian image, or the image of a church, or the image of Jesus (And just so you know Jesus doesn't need your protection... so don't flatter yourself). I so desire for truth to be spoken from the pulpit and in everyday life, into the lives of everyday people. So often it seems the only person you are fooling is yourself... and in the process you are making a bad name for the Church, Christianity and Jesus in the mean time.

I am just so tired of the classic Christian spin that we so often show the world... The lies that our lives so often are... we have allow half truths to be spoken in the name of Christ for the good of IMAGE. We think the best way to avoid anger, confusion, and confict is just to not tell the whole truth. Sadly I know this because I have seen this. We don't open ourselves up to each other (the Christian community) or the rest world and them we get wrapped up in the same crap as the rest of the world. (whether that is porn, alcohol, drugs, sex whatever the case)... Then because we know we have been "bad" we hide (just like Adam and Eve). Yes, not being transparent is a result of a sinful nature but Christianity is supposed to be a counteraction to sin not an aid.

Sadly, Christians have created an environment that breeds cover up for sin. We are trained to keep all our sinful desires hidden inside. We need to speak truth. Not speaking the truth to make ourselve look better but speak the truth to actually show people Christ. I want people to say... "Those Christians sure are open with their struggles. In fact it is really weird but they love each other still.. they love each other more because they go through the crap together."

Now I don't condone so much "transparency" that we express every though that crosses our mind. That would cause even more problems... Ultimately, Christianity it is about real people being real... being themselves. We don't have to hide if we make mistakes or are hurt or are unhappy... we are people... sinful people (although that is not an excuse overuse grace). If we are truely loving to each other and not judgmental this would/will be a lot easier.

Imagine transparent honesty... we are taught from an early age to be honest... but we don't know fully what that means. We think honesty is just simply not lying, cheating or stealing but that is selling honesty short... honestly is being transparent. Transparent in struggles of life, transparent with your faith.... it means being real.

The Meeting

So there was an interesting meeting at church as night... but overall I thought it was really good.

The meeting was to allow the people in the congregation who wanted to ask questions about Pastor Paul and his leaving.... cause the letter left a bit to be desired.

There were a few angry people there and there were a lot of people who weren't angry but just wanted to know where the church was going and what actually happened.

Some good questions were asked and some good answers were given... and in the mean time not one really got hurt and ultimately no skeletons were pulled out of the closet.... it was really... impressive.

Ken and the board did a good job and for the most part the congregation (the people there) did a good job too (asking good questions and keeping their cool).

Now I know coming out of that meeting that there are people who might leave... but I think that is ok. Like I said in other blogs God is pruning... and it might hurt a bit... in fact it will hurt a bit.

In the end I think most people were satisfied... not completely excited of healed but feeling a bit better then they were coming into the meeting. There was a reality that both sides probably made some errors (there were those people who thought certain sides made almost no error but that was their assumption).



****** Dang dude... church life can be a real.... stinker.... sometimes. Someone said last night that they are glad they weren't on the board to have to make the decision to tell Paul how they were actually feeling... and I am too.

I am just glad we are getting over the hill (even if it is the 1st of many)

Blog Night

I needed some time just to write. You my notice that

Religion

Alright ministry as a job is so... tough. I friend was a youth pastor for the past 3 years and just recently left his church because the head pastor was undercutting a bunch of his ministry stuff. Now I know there are always two sides to every story but it just seems so often that that is ministry that Christians getting mad at one another within leadership is just part of Christianity. That is hard for me to stomach.

Lately, I have found myself saying... "Do I want to do minstry?" It would just be easier to not know what goes on in churches... because apparently all churches behind the scenes are a bit ugly. But like people always tell me, stupid crap happens in church because church is made up of a bunch of people.. regular sinful people. The congregation: sinful, the leadership board: sinful, the pastors: sinful... we are all just people. Now don't get me wrong there should be a difference between a Christian and a non-believer just based on the fact that we are a part of Christ.. but still people are still people.

I love people though. They are what life is about. We live with so many people... so many awesome, beautiful, unique, funny people... all of whom are searching for something. And I want to show them Christ. I still am trying to figure out how to do that... how to be an "effective" Christian. A person that reaches other people on a real level... but I just have a hard time figuring out how to do that (I am sure there are a lot of ways).

Now, thing that I do know is that I need to break the ideas of "the religion" of Christianity... Religions are ultimately worthless... religious Christians make me not want to be a Christian.

A lot of this thinking comes from the book Unchristian... Dave gave me the book. It is super interesting and it speaks directly to me (and my generation). It talks about the need to reach a new generation of people that don't care about Christianity. People from Christian families just don't care about being a part of a religion of tradition. This is a new generation that sees Christians as close minded, hypocritical, and unable to be relevant to today's culture.

You know what... when I think of Christianity... that is what I think of too. And I work at a church. I am skeptical of most Christians when I meet them and as far as churches go.... I think all to many are filled with people who have yet to really experience life in Jesus Christ. Now, I am not saying that they are not "saved" I am just saying that they know the rules and the regulations of today's Christianity but they don't care enough to actually know Christ. To let Christ live in their everyday lives.
But Christ in everyday life really hard. I just want people to find out how awesome Jesus was and is... I want them to be set free from life as they know it..... I just have yet to find out how to reach a new generation that is tired of religious crap... If you have lived in the U.S. you know about church and have heard of Jesus and it seems that everybody and there dog is a Christian in some shape or form or if they aren't a Christian they went to church growing up (or something like that).

I need to reach people with Christ... Jesus was cool... and having Christ in your life is such a relief... I just long to show people truth... a transparent truth... just Jesus. No more religion.

A prayer thought

I just need some alone time to think and pray... blogging is one outlet but I need to make sure I take the time to pray and read the Bible too.

I am just so... frustrated with life right now... well kind of... this week has been a good break from the norm. I have gotten a lot done but I am stressed out about money right now.. which always puts me in a bad mood. Like I said in an earlier blog... I have the hardest time actually trusting God with my finances in tight situations... now we have always made it through the hard times (and I know that is thanks to God) but I still just never fully say, "Hey God... this is yours... my family, my finances and my life. I truly trust you and put everything in your hands because frankly I can't do this anymore."

I can't do life on my own anymore... not even pieces of it. God I give this to you... my house, my kids, my finances, my future... they are yours. I just pray that I can fully submit my life to you... I pray that you keep me energized and excited about you... and focused on you in hard times and in amazing times. I pray that I am not tired in life... and not tired thinking about life. Really, my life is good... it is blessed... I am blessed with a really awesome family, really good true friends and good jobs with people I love to be around. Not many people can say that.. so thank you God for that... for giving me more than I realize.. more than I need... you are amazing.

God, I just pray that you make my be who you need me to be at this point in my life. I pray that you send people to me at work that I need to talk to (whether they need to talk to me or I need to talk to them). Help me to know how to be a Christian that represents you to people who don't know you and who have a negative perception of Christians because frankly, I don't know how to be Jesus people. I think I just need more compassion... God give me more compassion.

On a side note... I just thank you for music... cause it is awesome and helps me to relax and see beauty in more things.

So that is all. I didn't plan this blog to be a prayer. In fact I am not to sure about posting it... but this is my random thought blog... so you will have to deal with it if you read my stuff :) Cause I write for me... you are just allowed into my head every few days.

GOD IS GREEN

Alright, seriously... I saw a bumper sticker that said that recently. Come on now... is it that trendy now. NBC did the green thing too... so does that mean NBC is next to God? Just kidding... or am I? :) Anyways, don't get me wrong I am sure there was and can be a good case made to show that God is green. He did create the entire earth, people, plants and animals... so if anyone knows how to be green it would be God (and he did instruct Adam to take CARE of everything). Jesus also was probably green to... this was because back then being green was called SURVIVAL.
(side note... I know where the sticker came from and I have no problem with the place)

Now bumper stickers are cool but here is the good stuff.

Catie and I are getting more green too. Because green is the coolest. Here are 10 reasons why.

#1. We recycle (like everyone else).
#2. Catie is signed up for yahoo groups call Freecycle, Cheapcycle and Michigan Tightwads (check those out they are sweet if you pay attention). We get all sorts of people's junk for free. And get good tips on how to do stuff for cheap/free. Now that it TRUE RECYCLING (thank you Catie).
#3. I bought a bunch of the books on how to be green but I have to read them quickly because they are made of biodegradable paper which will dissolve within one year after purchase
#4. The last number was a lie
#5. Most of our clothes are bought at Salvation Army on 50 cent day (thanks again to Catie). So we can get a bunch of peoples used clothes for a little money. (more recycling)
#6. We have small cars that are good on gas.... they are also old and crappy. And when we get a newer car it will be used... but this is mostly because we are cheap.
#7. We use cloth diapers. Not all the time but a lot of the time (on our daughter... our son will take them off and do his business on the floor).
#8. Catie is making wool (naturally antibacterial) diaper covers (for cloth diapers) out of 50 cent sweaters. (2-3 covers out of 1 sweater)
#9 We are putting gutters on out house that will run the rain into a water storage barrel (that has a hose connected) so we can water our plants... for free.
#10. The ultimate sign we are green......Today I broke up a sidewalk behind out house that we wanted to move... with a large rock (instead of a sledgehammer) and then we are going to take the old pieces of cement and build a patio... (pictures are above)


Now that is being green... all you crazy green people

The Reality:

It is true being green is about being smart, and not wasteful but most of all it is about being CHEAP and resourceful (but of course now because green is trendy everyone will be spending more money to be green... now that is funny).

A moment to blog

So what's on my mind today..... well a lot.

#1. I still have to go into the bank to talk to someone about my mortgage/escrow. (In a nut shell the bank REALLY screwed up on last years "estimation" of my taxes... so much so that they want me to pay $2,300 this month and then the actual tax amount per month (which is an extra $120 a month).... I have to try and work something out so that I don't get screwed. Money is frustrating... owning a home is nice but frustrating.) I need to learn to actually give this to God because in reality I haven't. Catie was asking me "How much more cheap can we be?" (which would be possible but hard cause on most stuff we are SUPER cheap.) But I told her I think it may not be about how much "cheaper" we can be but to make us actually rely on God and his power. I think we need to put this in His hands... which neither of us do so well.

#2. Teenagers..... what the heck... super drama. I like being a youth leader but I couldn't do what Dave does... kids are tough. And crazy... I just wish that teenagers could think without their raging hormones/with the correct head. It is just rare you find a teenager that isn't self focused... that is why when you find them you think... this guy/girl is rare and really easy to talk to.

#3. Kids... I love my kids but I like time away from them. I hope I never get to the point where I can not let them go and do what they need to do. I pray that I parent lovingly enough that I trust my kids and believe that they will make the right choices. And if they do something stupid, I hope that they know enough not to do it again.

#4. The Church (as usual). I just pray that people see the Church as it was really intended. I pray that I see (and help to create) the church the way that Jesus intended it to be. I just pray that no matter what happens that I know the Church is about Jesus and the reality of living a life IN Jesus. It is not about the cool worship (although I do like worship), the slick videos (which can be helpful too), or how many people you get in on a Sunday morning. It is not about one person or a great speaker.... The Church is a place for YOUR Christian community to meet together to pray and learn and listen to one another. No more "big show" concept.... frankly I think that is dumb. (Although I think God will use whatever he can) The people who are not Christian you can bring to church but that shouldn't be the main goal..... I idea of a church is that what you get from others on Sunday and/or in your small group/kinship you need to take to others who don't know Jesus. It is that simple. Church is not about anyone thing or person and if it is take a good long look at yourself and the Church in the New Testament ( we aren't so different today... if fact we are almost no different).

Birthday Girl

I am now (as of yesterday) a father of a 1 year old and a two year old (and one more soon to come).... that is crazy.

Soe had her first birthday yesterday. It was uneventful but good (we celebrated it with more people on Easter). It is crazy that it has already been a year... they grow so fast (and now I sound like an old man.... which I am turning into with my gray hair).

It has been hard to have kids but a blessing and can be fun.... but it is also trying... more often than not it seems lately... but that is part of having kids.