Tin Soldier's Redemption

Why is this so funny to me? Because I'm a guy.

2009-11-12T19:00:00.000-08:00

The Lindsay Song

2009-10-30T15:24:00.000-07:00

I wrote and recorded this back when Lindsay and I were dating. It never hit the charts, but it must've hit the heart. She married me.

I didn't teach her this.

2009-10-19T17:24:00.000-07:00

A couple of Grace quotes:

(at the grocery store, after turning down an aisle)"Mommy!!! They have diarrhea here!!!...I mean, they have tortillas!"

(in response to my statement of surprise at the--eh hem--volume in the toilet when Grace was done)

G: "There are five of them."
D: "There are five?"
G: "Five poops. They're a family."

No More Mr. Lice Guy!

2009-10-12T10:34:00.000-07:00

Radio Nowhere

2009-10-12T09:22:00.000-07:00

This is radio nowhere. Is there anybody who's alive out there?

A Tribute to Noel Nicole for her First Birthday

2009-01-11T16:43:00.001-08:00

... We celebrated her first year with us on January 6 and this is a letter I (Lindsay) wrote to her that day, but have been slow to post--just like most things these days:)

Dear Noel or "Noey girl", as we most often call you: Happy Birthday, my precious daughter! I cannot believe you're one year old already & that we all survived this year:). It began on a blustery Sunday--peaceful in the Salem Hospital--but soon became a roar. Arriving home to a 15-month old big sister didn't leave much time, peace or quiet to wonder in awe over you, but you soon found a way to make sure we knew you were here. You developed colic at 2 1/2 weeks. Until you were about 3 months old you screamed most of your waking hours--which were a lot since you were in so much pain. We cried too at the heartache of your discomfort, the helplessness of not being able to soothe you & the pure exhaustion. We wondered if it would ever end & then what your temperament would be like--if you would be "difficult" like the books suggested.

Much to our delight, you didn't fit the mold. You became the most mellow & contented baby I could've dreamed of. Watching you emerge from colic was not only a relief, but purely heart-warming because we finally got to know you and fall in love with you. Now we could see your eyes - not always squinted in pain & crying. We got to make you smile & laugh and Grace also became very enamored with you. I think the bitterness of those 1st months made the rest of your 1st year especially sweet!

You have brought us so much joy. You have the sweetest personality. You cling to daddy & me like a little monkey. You get pretty well bruised by your big sister and you are slight in frame -- not even reaching the 0 percentile for weight -- but you are a tough, resilient little thing, rarely crying!

You are super social... been waving like a wild girl for several months and recently "hi" became your official first word, which you eagerly greet people with -- everyone who walked past on the airplane received many "hi's" from you. You are Grace's biggest fan, laughing at all of her antics. And how can I forget--you're full on walking now, as of the last day of 2008. You love your new-found freedom & with this independence has come a little more spunk & attitude.

We thank God each day for the unexpected gift He gave us in you. We're so thankful His plans were better than our own:). We love you, Little Munchie, and are privileged to have you and celebrate this milestone with you!

Love, Mommy

These Socks Were Made for Walkin'

2008-12-11T18:55:00.000-08:00

Grace, Noel, and Lindsay: Country Dancin' Elves

2008-12-02T18:55:00.001-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Autumn Fun

2008-10-27T12:46:00.001-07:00

We've been enjoying our beautiful fall weather!

My parents enjoying their grandgirls

Grace thinking it's funny to dump leaves on her sister's head

Memory Lane

2008-10-26T20:22:00.000-07:00

We were just looking at our old yearbook photos. Man how time flies and we change through the years.

Turkish Delight

2008-10-24T20:19:00.000-07:00

My parents were in the Mediterranean, in Ephesus, and got Grace and Noel two Turkish dolls and some Turkish slippers for Grace. They got me some Turkish Delight.

pictures from our Montana vacation

2008-09-01T14:42:00.001-07:00

Universal Humor

2008-06-28T15:59:00.000-07:00

She figured this out herself, using the lid to her sippy cup. I did not teach her.

So You Think You Can Dance: The White Man, Wedding Reception Dance

2008-06-21T10:57:00.000-07:00

My beloved and socially confident brother-in-law...(poor video quality, I know, but keep your eye on that right leg)

Dancing to Puff the Magic Dragon and The Boss

2008-06-06T17:37:00.000-07:00

(Take note of the injury time-out)

Backyards, Cousins, & Goats

2008-06-06T15:32:00.000-07:00

small...big

2008-04-28T20:52:00.000-07:00

Noel: 23 inches tall
Ray: 84 inches tall (7ft)

I want one

2008-04-17T23:06:00.000-07:00

Spinning at the Capitol

2008-04-14T20:42:00.000-07:00

Grace, like all children, loves to be spun around in circles. The problem for me is that typically (though not in this particular video) the instant her feet touch the ground she's demanding/whining, "Spih! Spih! Spih!" She can't even walk, she's so dizzy, and she immediately wants to spin again, while I'm just concentrating on regaining my vision and keeping my lunch down.

Noël Speaks

2008-04-12T20:44:00.000-07:00

Here's another video of Noël. I'm trying out "Noël" for fun because people keep pronouncing her name like the word "knoll"...not people who know us, but people who read her name, not knowing she's a girl, and assume it's the boy name, like at the doctor's office.

Maybe if we put the dots over the 'e' then people will be more likely to pronounce it properly. Maybe the boy's name 'Noel' (knoll) is more common than the girl name, though we didn't think so when we decided to go with 'Noel' instead of 'Noelle'.

Next time someone calls her 'Knoll' I just might start singing aloud, "The first knoll, the angels did say, was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay.......Kno---ll, kno---ll, kno---ll, kno-----ll, born is the King of Isra-ohl."

Anyway, this wasn't supposed to be a post about the pronunciation of her name, but I thought I better explain the umlaut over the 'e'. So, the video...

our hyper daughter

2008-04-08T21:11:00.000-07:00

A little of Noel

2008-04-08T18:58:00.000-07:00

Finally!!

2008-04-06T22:29:00.000-07:00

Yes, family and friends, after two months I've finally taken the time to post some pictures. You'll notice that the last time I posted was just about two weeks after Noel was born. When she was two weeks old, colic and acid reflux set in. We thank God that her colic pretty much disappeared after two months. The reflux is still an issue, though not nearly as severe as the combo of colic and relux.

So when people asked me why I hadn't posted or emailed any pictures of Noel, I thought to myself, "Well, let's see, Noel cries whenever she's awake (which is a lot), she can't be put down or she'll scream, she has to be carried upright and bounced, nights are miserable, and I could sleep naked on a bed of nails in the cold next to a dead skunk if given the opportunity, I'm that tired (to say nothing of Lindsay's exhaustion which is worse than mine). Then we've got a toddler that almost never stops moving. Almost never. I don't have the time or energy to post pictures."

But thankfully Noel is doing a lot better, and as a result, so is mom, and so am I. We've emerged from the colic cave--I'm alluding to the "darkness" of the struggle and isolation of having a baby with colic and acid reflux. It's so nice to see Noel's big blue eyes (we almost never did for 2 months because they were either shut while sleeping or scrunched shut in pain and crying when awake). It's so nice to see her lay there content. She smiles so much now and hardly ever cries.

Grace loves her little "see-see". She walks over to her all the time and gives her kisses on the head. As a man, I really don't like the word precious. It offends my male sensitivities to even use the word. But I must say, when Grace kisses Noel and wants to hold her, it is pre..pre...so cute!

I think the majority of the pictures we have of Noel are from her first two weeks and then after two months. Good thing family came to visit during the second month of Noel's life because it forced us to take some pictures. Anyhow, enjoy the slide show.

Figure Skating's Living Legends

2008-01-18T18:02:00.000-08:00

My sister-in-law, Dawn, and I donned our skates in Montana on the frozen pond near Lindsay's parents' home. I wanted to share with you what I can only call figure skating magic...pure magic on ice.

Painful Goodbye...Joyful Welcome...Two People Being Welcomed Home (Part 2)

2008-01-10T16:03:00.000-08:00

It had been a long and intense week, from enjoying the holidays with Lindsay's family in Montana--relaxing, laughing, eating, and playing--to feeling the deep pain of losing Lola, yet relief and peace at the same time. I was back home Saturday night, and Lindsay and I were glad that I was home again with Grace and her. We breathed a sigh of relief that she hadn't gone into labor while I was away.

We were looking forward to having some time to get our lives and home back in order after the holidays, in preparation for Noel's arrival. Our Christmas tree and decorations were still up. The bassinet was still in the attic. Lindsay hadn't yet packed a bag for the hospital. We'd have time to take care of all these details. Or so we thought.

At 5:30 Sunday morning (12 hours after I had gotten home), Lindsay's water broke, or as the doctors call it, the "bag of waters". That little liquid revelation threw us into a frenzy. The first person I contacted (via text message) was our church's youth pastor, at about 5:34. I had previously asked him if he could be my back up for leading worship Sunday morning in the event that Lindsay went into labor. He must've had his phone next to him because he texted me right back. No problem. That was at 5:35 a.m.

We called our friends Monica and Aaron. They came over to watch Grace because we left for the hospital by about 6:30. Then they passed off Grace to our friends Kari and Nate to take Grace for the day and night. This was part of the plan we actually had put in place awhile back. We have great friends!

Ok, I've got to cut this story down or it'll go on too long. We were in the hospital for awhile...several hours with no real action (by "real action" I mean painful contractions). They gave Lindsay pitocin and that immediately kicked things into high gear. Lindsay labored hard for awhile then she found the blessed relief of the epidural. By 3 or so in the afternoon the cervix was almost completely gone.

By about 3:40 the doctor came in and got Lindsay all set up. At 3:45 Lindsay gave her first push. In 4 full pushes and 6 minutes later, Noel was out. She was healthy and adorable, as she is to this day (4 days later).

Unfortunately, because Lindsay went into labor well before expected, and it all happened so fast, Lindsay's sister and mom didn't make it in time for Noel's birth. However, they made it to the hospital not long after the birth. Family will continue to visit over these next weeks.

At birth, Noel weighed 7.4 pounds and was 18 1/4 inches long--over a pound less than Grace (8.6 lbs) and a bit shorter. She was, after all, 11 days early. She looks a lot like Grace did when Grace was a newbie, though Noel has her own distinctive features. They both share in common their inability to get any cuter. They are in the 100th percentile for cuteness and adorability.

Noel is eating well, and after a terrible first night at home it appears she may be falling into a regular schedule of eating every 3 hours and sleeping well in between feedings at night. Sleep, to parents of babies, especially newborns, is more precious than gold. Thankfully, Lindsay's mom Gini is here helping us, which allows us to get more sleep than we would otherwise.

Grace is too young to be jealous of her sister, though I think she is affected some by the fact that mom and dad's attention (especially mom's) isn't as fixed on her anymore. She's very interested in her little sister, and often points at Noel and says "baby," and she enjoys stroking Noel's head with her fingers. It's really cute.

I feel the weight of blessing, with the wife and two daughters I have and the extended family, both in blood and spirit. These last weeks and days have been complex and wide-ranging emotionally. We said a painful goodbye to Lola as the Lord called her home to be with him, and with joy we welcomed Noel into the world and into our home.

"The LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations."-psalm 100:5

Painful Goodbye, Joyful Welcome, Two People Being Welcomed Home (Part 1)

2008-01-10T14:43:00.000-08:00

"Lola"--that's what my sisters, brother, and I called her. It's the Filipino word for "grandmother". Marina was her first name, which we gave as Grace's middle name. To her family who knew and loved her, the name "Lola" is like a freight train a mile long with box cars packed full of wonderful and unique personality, meaning, and memories.

She was slight in height and frame, just shy of 5 feet tall and maybe a hundred pounds after a big meal. When we were kids she told us gripping stories...of being an orphan, running away from a boarding school, enduring the abuse of relatives, and surviving the Japanese occupation of the Philippines during WWII, even hiding a chicken in a jar when soldiers came to steal their food, hoping her chicken wouldn't make noise.

Lola and Lolo (our grandfather) came to the US a couple years after my parents returned to the States from the Philippines in the mid-70's. For much of our childhood they moved wherever the Air Force sent our family so that they could be near us. My little sister Kathleen even had a Filipino accent when she was a little kid because Lola took care of her so much of the time. As my older sister Bonnie put it the other day, "Lola was magic with children." Always ready to play with you, always making you the center of her world in the moment.

She was hilarious, though she wasn't trying to be funny. Her quirks were endearing and entertaining. She was so unique that trying to describe her is perhaps like trying to describe a dream to someone else. It made perfect sense while you were dreaming it, yet somehow it can't seem to be accurately conveyed with words.

She read her Bible and prayed every single night at around midnight. I doubt she ever failed to pray for us, her family. A woman familiar with suffering and trial in life, she was a model of faithfulness and perseverence. When she spoke of Jesus, it was clear she knew him like a dear friend and yet revered him deeply. That's how I want to be.

She had always been healthy and strong. Even at 86 years old, last September she was taking care of her great-granddaughter Sydney as my sister Bonnie and brother-in-law Scott were getting adjusted to caring for their newborn son, Devin. She fell severely ill in October. In early December doctors discovered a large, cancerous tumor in her intestine. They couldn't remove it. We knew she would die relatively soon and prayed that God would spare her from a painful death. He answered our prayers. Until her death, she felt no pain, other than the discomfort of lying in a bed for so long.

My family brought Lola home to Bonnie and Scott's place. Hospice care was set up for her. The day after New Year's (the day we got home from Montana), I flew to San Jose. I went to say goodbye. I read Scripture to her (including the story of Jesus raising Lazarus, testifying to the fact that he is the resurrection and the life) and reminded her, during her awake and lucid moments, that Jesus was with her. The night before she died I said goodnight to her. She said, "God is with me." Then she said goodnight to me. The next day (which was just last Friday) Kathleen and I went to visit Lolo at their apartment. We wept with him, as he had recently learned that Lola was no longer eating or drinking. The grief deep in his heart was visible. Lolo is 96 years old. He and Lola were married 68 years. Lindsay and I would have to be married until 2071 to married as long as Lolo and Lola were. Is it possible to imagine the magnitude of losing your wife of 68 years?

Later in the afternoon we returned to Bonnie and Scott's place. Lola's breathing became irregular. Breaths were spaced out by 30 seconds. Then 50. Then she stopped breathing altogether as we stood around her bed crying and saying goodbye.

I was struck that in that moment her spirit went to be with Jesus. I gave thanks to Jesus for his death and resurrection, which assures me that she is with him.

We mourned in the house that day, with Lola's body still there in bed in the living room. My parents brought Lolo over to the house. He kissed her face. I gave him her right hand. He wept and wept, and I wiped his nose with one hand and embraced him with the other arm. I both wept with him and for him.

The power went out during the day because of the rain and windstorm, and as night fell we lit the room and house with candles. In the candlelight we gathered around Lola's bed and had a memorial service for her. We shared stories and memories and things we loved about Lola. We also shared our tears. I knelt by the bed and prayed aloud to end our service. The funeral home people came shortly thereafter and took her body. Grief continues, but we've said goodbye.

We miss her deeply. I am so thankful I got the chance to see her and be with her before she died. The providential hand of God was evident to me in all of this. On New Year's day (Tuesday) I flew home from Montana with Lindsay and Grace. On Wednesday I flew down to San Jose. Lindsay and Grace couldn't come because Lindsay was too far along in her pregnancy. I was to leave for the airport to fly home on Friday. But an hour before I was to leave, Lola died. I had actually been hoping that she would die while I was still there, rather than have to say goodbye to her while she was still alive, knowing that that would be the last time I'd see her. Thankfully, I was there when she passed. So I stayed an extra night to be with my family. All the while, Lindsay and Grace were back home. We had been praying that Lindsay wouldn't go into labor while I was gone. Thankfully, she didn't. I flew home last Saturday and got home at 5:30 p.m. Twelve hours later, at 5:30 a.m. on Sunday morning, Lindsay's water broke.

Saying goodbye to Lola was painful. But I know that she is with Jesus. I know that I will see her again. She was welcomed into her eternal home with the Lord. Only days after a painful goodbye we were joyfully welcoming our daughter Noel into our home. God's hand of kindness and providence has been upon us.

Excited for Baby Einstein

2007-12-22T12:00:00.000-08:00

Grace's uncle Chris (my bro) gave her a Baby Einstein video for Christmas. We let her open it early...she'll have plenty of presents to open on Christmas. She was pretty excited about it, as you will see. Take note of her intermittent dance grooves (sans music), and listen carefully at the end.

Dinner for the Pseudo-bachelor

2007-12-21T12:51:00.000-08:00

I'm on my own for a bit here because the wife and child (and forthcoming child) are in Montana. Lindsay gave me plenty of instructions regarding what I could eat while I'm here by myself.

I think she was afraid that if she didn't help me know what to eat I may have ended up eating peanut butter on bread, cheez-its, and peanut butter. Perhaps she was afraid I would starve to death.

I reminded her that I lived on my own for quite some time before we got married, albeit my diet was quite poor. But I still stayed alive and that has always been my main objective in eating.

So last night I had eggs for dinner, but not the kind of eggs you might expect a pseudo-bachelor to eat. I did not scramble eggs in the skillet or hard boil them in a pot. I went to Fuji Rice Time, a sushi restaurant, with some friends. I ate a roll of orange fish eggs topped with the raw yoke of a quail egg. I, my friends, am a pseudo-bachelor who eats only the finest fare.

Tonight I eat pizza. It's what we do.

Fake Giggles

2007-12-18T20:07:00.000-08:00

Grace really likes laughing, so much that even when nothing is funny to her, she fake laughs, which makes us laugh, which makes her laugh for real. Of course, we then fake our laughter to try to get her to fake laugh, so that we can laugh for real. You follow?

You have to listen carefully. Try turning up your volume to be able to hear the extended running-out-of-breath, rapid-fire forced giggles.

Twistin' to Johnny Cash

2007-11-08T17:30:00.000-08:00

Grace's first music video was shot at a pumpkin farm, where she delighted in the farm animals and generally running around as if her parents didn't exist. She's got some smooth rhythm.

Chinese Toy Recall

2007-10-18T20:45:00.001-07:00

You may have seen in the news recently that there have been a lot of recalls on toys made in China. Stay informed because some of these things for kids are really dangerous.

Quotes from home

2007-10-18T20:26:00.001-07:00

Here are a few things heard in our household, related to Grace:

"What do you have in your mouth?"

"Where is she?"

"No, no." (to which she replies, "No, no.")

"We don't climb on the dishwasher."

"How did she get that?"

"Did she poop or was that you?"

"I know she chewed the corn. How do the kernels come out whole?!"

Happy 1st Birthday, Grace. Love, Mama

2007-10-11T22:26:00.000-07:00

Dear Grace,

Today is a momentous day… not because we did anything super special, but because it monuments such a precious thing… your first year of life. With your first year of life came our first year as parents. Wow. When I reflect on our first year together, I think ‘isn’t it amazing how God can make things in life the very most challenging yet the very best experiences of our lives all at the same time!?’ That is how I feel about having you. You’re my sweet little pea and I love you to pieces. Even though much of this year has been a blur due to sleep deprivation and the adjustment to the biggest life change I have ever experienced, it has been the sweetest year of my life and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I cannot believe all the ways you have grown. When you were born it was all I could do to keep you awake long enough to eat. Now you have more energy than I can chase. You climb all over the furniture. You love playing “boo” on the couch. You dance to your dad’s beat boxing. You sing into your play microphone. You do funny things to make us laugh and you join in with your own laughter. You put random things on your head because you think it’s amusing. You love being in mama and dada’s arms, yet you also love to explore. You say “what’s that”, “dada”, “uh-oh” and “no”. You clap your hands. You assert your opinions. You bang on the office door when dada is working. And you give hugs… to any and everything you feel affection for… your stuffed animals, your mom and dad, your little friends and even your sippy cup sometimes. I thank God for you multiple times a day and I thank Him for the countless lessons I have learned and continue to learn through you. I have learned about dependence upon Him for strength, feeling utter helplessness, about my selfish heart and my tired body. I have learned about His love for me and about my own parents’ love for me. I have learned that I have more love in my heart than I ever could have imagined. So thank you, Gracie Grace, for teaching me these lessons and bringing me the purest joy I could ever fathom. I love you and am so happy to celebrate this day with you. Happy Birthday!

Love, Mama

T-shirts and Worldviews

2007-10-04T17:28:00.000-07:00

T-shirts can reveal significant things about the people wearing them. Recently I've seen some t-shirts with statements that reveal particular worldviews--presumably those of the ones wearing the t-shirt. "Worldview" may not quite be accurate in all cases but it some cases it comes close. I am embarrassed for the people who wear t-shirts such as (btw, these are real, folks):

"It's All About Me"; "I Am Awesome"; "I'm Kind of a Big Deal"

That's egotism.

How about this one: "Whiskey and Women...Nothing Else Matters"

That's hedonism. I might add that this t-shirt has on it a huge bottle of Jack Daniel's and a scantily clad sexpot. The guy who wears this t-shirt leads a very empty and sad life. I truly feel sorry for him.

On another note--the picture below is of a fellow I saw at an ice cream parlor on the Oregon Coast. He had a sweet mullet so I took a picture of him, without him knowing, of course. I erased his eyes with iPhoto so that he wouldn't be easily identifiable, in case he's a friend or relative of anyone among my vast readership. Though with that distinctive of a hairdo his identity would probably not remain hidden to those who know him. Appropriately, his t-shirt (not visible in this picture) had cartoonish drawings and statements about being a redneck. Better to be a proud redneck than an unabashed hedonist, though they're not necessarily mutually exclusive. Anyway, I used to have a mullet.

(I know. The eyeless redneck is kind of scary.)

ambassador for spiritual fad

2007-09-17T00:54:00.000-07:00

I read an article entitled: Madonna: I'm an 'ambassador for Judaism'.

Here's an excerpt:

"Madonna, who was raised a Roman Catholic, has taken the Hebrew name Esther, and has been seen wearing a red thread on her wrist in a Jewish tradition to ward off the evil eye.

But her interest in Kabbalah in recent years has been criticized by Orthodox Jews, who say it is an abomination.

Other celebrities who flew in for the Kabbalah conference included movie star Demi Moore and her husband, actor Ashton Kutcher, Rosie O'Donnell and fashion designer Donna Karan. Madonna came with her film director husband Guy Ritchie.

The Haaretz daily quoted Kutcher as telling a group of Israeli businessmen and entertainers on Saturday that Kabbalah had answered fundamental questions in his life and made him a better actor."

Kabbalah seems to be the latest spiritual fad, especially among the cultural elites of film, music, and television. Kabbalah's giving Scientology a run for its money. Seems that the way to go about religion these days is by popularity and pragmatism. Truth is passé. Go with whatever works for you and enhances your life the most. It's all a matter of personal preference right? Do you want cheez-its or pringles? You pick. Drive stick or automatic? You choose what you like. Kabbalah, Buddhism, Christianity, eastern mysticism, atheism? Just go with what works for you and helps you in life. I mean, if Kabbalah makes you a better actor, why not?

looks like a toddler

2007-09-14T10:13:00.000-07:00

Grace is eleven months old now. It seems that in the past two months she's made the transition into toddlerhood. When you're shoveling dirt, when does a pile become a mound? I don't know. Same with the baby to toddler thing.

She's been walking for about a month now. She calls me "Dadad" and points at stuff and says, "W'ssat?" If you laugh, she often will laugh to copy. She makes faces because she likes when we laugh. She goes berserk when she sees dogs and cats because she loves them so much...she flails her limbs about in excitement and laughs. And she now enjoys dancing when I beat box, though she often loses her balance while bouncing. She is a funny, adorable kid. We get another one in about 4 months!

Listen Carefully...

2007-09-13T20:17:00.000-07:00

...pay special attention when the countdown hits 13 seconds

Avant-garde Comics

2007-09-06T17:08:00.000-07:00

My friend Dan came up with his own comic strip. I forget the title. I think it's called "Grayson". Awhile back, Dan and I worked to create a number of different "episodes" (I don't know what to call them). He did all the drawings. Below are four separate ones. Each line is its own episode, unrelated to the others. They are a bit avant-garde, you might say. I don't know if people will find these funny. But we could not stop laughing.

As you may know, humor is derived from the incongruities in life. Something has to be incongruous enough, and incongruous in the right way, to be funny. But it is possible, I think, to push the incongruity envelope too far, and you lose all connections and slide into complete randomness, which then doesn't make any sense and isn't funny.

We tried to push the incongruity envelope to the edge--so far that some may think the humor is lost. But we think it's there. It's dangling on the edge. But it's there conceptually. If there's a common thread in them, it's that the outcome is opposite of what is expected (irony). I won't be offended, though, if you don't find these funny. But please, read them slowly, contemplate, pay particular attention to the facial expressions, and enjoy the humor derived from the incongruity.

(For awhile, when my friend Chris and I thought something was funny and we laughed, we'd say, "How incongruous!")

(The comics below are small and hard to read so I've typed out the dialog below by frame)

1: My dad can beat up your dad
2: No he can't
3: Yes he can
4: I know

1: Well, look who we have here.
2: Wait a minute...Who are you?

1: Would you PLEASE just get out of my life

3: I love you so much

1: Do you wanna get some corn?
2: No. Do you wanna get out of my face?
3: Corn?

And it's a...

2007-08-27T22:35:00.000-07:00

I guess I was right about four readers. Dear Bethany, Nate, Chris, and Kim (and whoever else reads this but doesn't like to comment): We are having a girl!!!!!!!

I was going to post the ultrasound picture but I decided to just get on with the result and not mess with the pix. I'll post some of those later.

Crazy. Another daughter. Grace will be a big sister. Now we're workin' on a name. Our 10 year old niece Megan suggested "Bernice". Bernice Regan. It has a nice ring.

what's your guess?

2007-08-26T19:54:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow Lindsay and I go for the ultrasound appointment. We'll find out whether Lindsay's been carrying a boy or a girl. For some reason, I'm more anxious to know with this baby than I was for the first one. People often ask me, "Do you have a feeling of what it is?" It's funny that we have "feelings" about it because frankly they're worthless. Now, I'll ask you a question that may sound similar, but really it's different:

What's your guess? Boy or girl? This is different from asking you what you think it's gonna be. I'm just asking you to guess. And we'll see who's right and wrong.

So, to my four or so faithful readers out there: boy or girl?

Enjoyable tidbits

2007-08-18T09:18:00.001-07:00

July was a crazy, busy month, so, very little posting. Then we were in Montana for the beginning of August. What I've got for you today is an enjoyable sampling of pictures.

This is my brother-in-law, Scott.

This is Scott at an earlier, embarrassing time of his life, before he met my sister, Bonnie. She forced him to cut his hair, shave his mustache and chest, and give up the skin-tight leather pants. Fortunately, she was able to see the decent man under the machismo.

In Montana, we went on a four day hiking/camping trip in the mountains of Montana with Lindsay's family. Normally, I would just call it a backpacking trip, but we didn't carry our gear. Nine llamas did.

Lastly, Grace is now 10 months old. She's feeling pretty confident with her dexterity skills.

Surprise! (to us, too)

2007-07-06T12:05:00.000-07:00

Family Vacation in San Jose & Lake Tahoe

2007-07-05T20:07:00.000-07:00

I realize some of you won't appreciate looking at pictures of people you don't know. My advice then is ignore this post and look at pictures of people you do know. For the rest, these are photos from our vacation with my family in June. My sister Kathleen and brother Chris weren't able to be there, unfortunately. Lolo (Filipino for "grandfather") and Lola ("grandmother") met Grace for the first time. Lolo's gonna be 96 this August! Eating plenty of food and taking 14 naps a day keeps him going strong. Sydney, our 2 year old niece, thinks it's fun to dip in Tahoe's water sans pants. Like the baby seals, she has a protective layer of baby-chub to keep her warm.

How Deep the Father's Love

2007-07-04T23:23:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, on Father's Day, I preached on 1 John 3:1a: "Look at how great a love the Father has given us, that we should be called God's children. And we are!"

During the worship time preceding the sermon, we sang "How Deep the Father's Love". It doesn't happen to me often while singing worship songs, but as we sang this song--a song which captures the heart of the very verse I had been studying, praying about, and preparing to preach--I wept. I think they are some of the most beautiful and wonderful words I have ever heard in song. They are because the Father's love, given in Jesus Christ, is beautiful and wonderful beyond all comprehension.

Please read the lyrics slowly. They are even more beautiful when set to the melody.

How Deep the Father's Love

How deep the Father's love for us,
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure

How great the pain of searing loss,
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the chosen One,
Bring many sons to glory

Behold the Man upon a cross,
My sin upon His shoulders
Ashamed I hear my mocking voice,
Call out among the scoffers

It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished

I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no power, no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection

Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom

Xtreme Smiling

2007-06-16T17:20:00.000-07:00

Being in a car seat is fun

2007-06-14T19:18:00.000-07:00

Stuffed Elephant to the Face

2007-06-04T21:20:00.000-07:00

non-creative, non-humorous post

2007-05-29T21:25:00.000-07:00

Life is busy my friends. Rarely do I write anything, I've realized, other than captions to ridiculous photos, mostly. I have friends who have blogs. Some of them post entries about once every two months. Lame. You know who you are.

But I've been guilty of some long stretches too, which probably means I don't really have any good stuff to post...perhaps I do, just not the time or energy to do it. Once I get my pictures all sorted on our new computer, and figure out how to upload new ones (it's easy I'm sure), I'll be up and running. Then you can enjoy more content-less yet humorous (hopefully) posts.

Once I get done with seminary in 10 years I'm gonna be writing a junkload of seriously deep, moving, life-transforming, spiritual stuff. In the meanwhile, I'll just have to post pictures of stuff like fat, bulbous faces. It's the next best thing.

A Whole New World

2007-05-04T23:07:00.000-07:00

I can open your eyes
Take you wonder by wonder
Over sideways and under
On a magic tree swing ride

A whole new world...

My wife is HAWT!!

2007-04-30T22:57:00.000-07:00

Breathe E.Z.

2007-04-26T19:09:00.000-07:00

One Tough 6 Year Old

2007-03-29T23:24:00.000-07:00

I don't mean to brag, but when I was in first grade I was pretty dang hardcore. Note the object tucked behind my belt in my school photo.(Sorry the picture's so small. It's the best I could do.)
Ok, ok. It's a switchcomb, not a switchblade. I wasn't allowed to bring the switchcomb to school, for obvious reasons, but I snuck it to school on picture day and shoved it in my belt just before the photographer snapped the shot. When I brought the proofs home a few weeks later my mom was horrified that her 6 year old son would do such a thing. She was embarrassed, but I was proud. I guess I've always been hardcore.

More Squash, please!

2007-03-23T13:57:00.000-07:00

This is Grace eating solid food for the first time. She loved it...was even lunging for it.

New Pictures of Grace

2007-03-22T17:48:00.000-07:00

The first seven pictures were taken last weekend at the state capitol.

Grace asleep with her bottom in the air

Grace asleep with her face in the bear's bottom

Lil' Jo Rappah

2007-03-08T21:19:00.000-08:00

This is Josiah, the son of our friends Jeff and Tammy. He is a rapper at 4 years old. He spits rhymes by the bakerz dozen. Betta watch out, don't get the flu, cousin!!!

Wailing at the Tomb

2007-03-05T23:17:00.000-08:00

This piece was written by Greg Koukl of Stand to Reason:

The documentary “The Lost Tomb of Jesus” hadn’t even aired yet and many Christians were already in a panic. Just the suggestion that someone found Jesus’ bones in a limestone box had believers by the droves shaking their fists or sticking their heads in the sand in a don’t-confuse-me-with-the-facts posture.

Apparently, many Christians don’t even need to see the evidence to pass judgment. When one Evangelical web site polled its visitors with the question, “Do you believe the ‘Tomb of Jesus' documentary, which denies the resurrection of Christ?” 97% said no. This was three days before the documentary even aired. Blind faith is so convenient, isn’t it? You never have to actually confront your critics.

Then there’s the bullies. One media watchdog demanded Discovery “cancel this slanderous ‘documentary.’” Another prominent Evangelical organization composed this letter for their constituents to hammer Discovery with:

"I resent the Discovery Channel's attempt to demean and belittle Christianity by saying it is based on a lie. It is hard for me to believe that The Discovery Channel would dare do such a 'documentary' on any other religion.

"It may turn out that you have done Christianity a favor by awakening millions of Christians to your anti-Christian bias and bigotry. Perhaps they will no longer stay silent."

This kind of bullying is profoundly embarrassing to me, a follower of Christ, and should be discomfiting to every thoughtful Christian. It is not only a dismal retreat from a legitimate challenge that must be answered; it’s obscurantist.

Look, if the Bible says it and you believe it, that might settle it for you, but it doesn’t settle it for millions who might be interested in your ideas and are waiting to hear a thoughtful response to what appears on the surface to be a fair challenge.

There are good reasons to doubt the conclusions of this documentary, but no one will ever know them if Christians pull up the drawbridge and bellow from the parapet. Having seen the documentary, here are some problems that quickly come to mind:

*
Scholars have known about these tombs for over 25 years. There’s a reason they haven’t taken these names seriously. Only three have any direct biblical significance: Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. And that cluster of names is statistically unremarkable. In fact, it would be odd if a family with those three names was not found in a tomb together, given their common use (there are at least four ossuaries discovered inscribed “Jesus, son of Joseph,” and one in four women were named Mary, so it’s even money that one of these tombs would have that combination). And connection of Jesus to any of the other names? Wild speculation. So what you have here is a creative guessing game.
*
The entire argument is based on the statistical significance of the names in a cluster. If Jesus was married, and if Jesus was married to a woman named Mariamne, and if Mariamne was also a nickname for Mary Magdalene, and if Jesus had a brother named Matthew, and if Jesus had a son named Judas, and if the now-famous James ossuary belonged to James the brother of Jesus, then you’d have all the members of Jesus’ family together in one tomb. But that’s a lot of “ifs.
*
Even though this is called the “Jesus Family Tomb,” there is no hard evidence that any of these so-called “family members” is even related. The only DNA testing that’s been done—between Jesus and Mariamne—came up negative. Let me repeat that: The DNA test came up negative. That is fact. The rest is speculation.
*
The documentary claims, “Jesus and Mary were married, as the DNA evidence suggests.” This is nonsense. Think about it. How can DNA evidence suggest someone is married? DNA can’t “suggest” anything about legal relationships, only biological ones. In this case, the DNA evidence showed Jesus and Mary were not related by a mother, not that they were husband and wife. The truth is, she could have been married to any one of the males in the tomb, or to none of them for that matter. The DNA “suggests” nothing.
*
The researchers claim they’re just trying to connect the dots? Fair enough. But why connect the dots the way they did? I’ll tell you why. Because it tells their story. There are many other legitimate ways to connect those same dots—some much more probable than the way the documentary connects them, but won’t give the story they’re promoting. But, of course, that wouldn’t create breaking news, would it?
*
Jesus’ family was a poor family from Nazareth, not a middle- to upper-class family from Jerusalem. So this tomb is the wrong kind of tomb located in the wrong city.
*
The documentary claims Jesus spoke in codes. This is false. Jesus spoke in parables, like many of the teachers of His day, not in codes that needed to be deciphered. They say Mary Magdalene was Jesus’ most trusted apostle. But you have to wait 400 years before this evidence pops up in any alleged historical record. They said that Jesus’ family members were executed because He was a pretender to throne of Israel. This is pure fiction. Notice what this accomplishes, though. All of these little exaggerations and inaccuracies make an unlikely tale sound more plausible when, on its own unembellished merits, it is not.
*
What we have here are two different characterizations of what happened to the body of Jesus of Nazareth 2,000 years ago. One is based on artifacts—the ossuaries—and one is based on documents—the historical records of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Peter and Paul. Now granted, these kinds of things are not entirely exact science, but all things being equal, which do you think gives us more precise information, bone boxes or written records? The written records, obviously.
*
The claim of Jesus’ resurrection, was part of the earliest, most primitive testimony regarding Jesus. And it was made by those very same people that the documentary suggests knew Jesus’ bones were actually secretly buried in Jerusalem. Why would so many of them die for this lie when they knew it was a lie? It doesn’t add up. But that’s what you must believe if you take seriously the conclusions of this documentary.

If Christianity stands or falls on the historical fact of Jesus’ resurrection, as the Apostle Paul said, then Christ’s followers have no liberty to retreat behind blind faith or hide behind an angry scowl.

No, if you’re a Christian you shouldn’t run, whine, scream, or have a religious tantrum. Instead, you should be thanking the Discovery Channel for giving you the chance to step up to the plate and knock this soft ball out of the park.

To Montana

2007-02-17T18:04:00.000-08:00

Lindsay and Grace left for Montana today [sniff sniff].

The Happy Baby Pterodactyl Song

2007-01-26T17:06:00.000-08:00

WWWWHHHHYYYYY?!!!!! TELL ME WHY!!!!!!

2007-01-21T21:11:00.000-08:00

Perhaps you are speechless? I know I was when I first saw this poor child. He is too young to comprehend the social implications of the mullet....the Mississippi Mud Flap, the Wisconsin Waterfall, the Tennessee Tail, the North Carolina Neck Warmer, the Alabama Shag, the Nashville Bi-level, the Beaver Paddle, the El Camino Head Rest, the 10-90, the Camero Crash Helmet, the Achy Breaky Big Mistakey.(Aside: I discreetly took these photos myself.)

This is coo'

2006-12-22T19:28:00.001-08:00

X-treme X-mas Tree Decorating

2006-12-13T22:12:00.000-08:00

My friend Chris is x-tremely x-treme, so much so that he even does x-treme Christmas tree decorating. My x-treme friend Clay, who's so x-treme he goes by the name "Bulldog", and once had a white man's Keith Green afro, wears x-treme deodorant. My x-treme friend Tino (nickname not so x-treme, but cool nonetheless) told me of x-treme ironing. I think that may be my next hobby, since I'm so x-treme.

Happy Smiles

2006-12-06T00:24:00.000-08:00

Grace is eight weeks old today. Her first smile was at 2 weeks, but in the last several days she has grown so much more responsive to us and so smiley. She's a happy baby (most of the time)! My face gets to hurting from my involuntary smiles and laughs when she's like this. When she looks into my eyes and smiles I know I'm blessed by God to experience a kind of joy and love I'd never known before.

From Oct,Nov,Dec. ...

First Date

2006-12-05T23:45:00.000-08:00

From extreme living

Micah and Grace on an awkward first date

From extreme living

Micah's bored. Grace isn't sure this is working out.

X-treme Living

2006-12-02T16:17:00.000-08:00

Seems like people are into "extreme" stuff, so much so that we have things like extreme sports, extreme snack foods (e.g. Extreme Doritos), extreme deodorant, and even the "Extreme Teen Bible". My friend Dan and I wanted to participate in the ethos of our day through "X-treme Living".

X-treme Reading

X-treme Sweeping

X-treme Typing

X-treme Nail Clipping

X-treme Sitting

X-treme Napping

X-treme Vacuuming

Bottle Feeding

2006-12-02T11:38:00.000-08:00

Sometimes when Lindsay's gone I have to bottle feed Grace.

The Word Became Flesh

2006-11-21T18:55:00.000-08:00

John 1:1-14
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.

Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. 7He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.

He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."

This is perhaps one of the most treasured passages of the entire Bible. In several short paragraphs we get a glimpse into the infinite love and grace of the eternal God who chose to dwell among those whom he created and to save and bring them into his family. It is truly revealing of the great wisdom of God that he can make this message understandable to a child, and at the same time blow our minds with things that are seemingly more incomprehensible the deeper we go. Who can understand these great truths? A child. Who can penetrate to the core of God’s heart and mind? No one.

Let just one drop of water from the Word’s eternal fountain of love and grace touch the tips of the tongues of those, who with parched and sticky throats, are dying of thirst. Their thirst will be quenched and they will live forever—not by some fairy tale magic of a fountain of youth, but by the life that is in the eternal Word of God.

That the Word became flesh and dwelt among us has a fairy tale quality about it, so much so that some are quick to dismiss it as just that—a fairy tale. But why do we invent stories that speak of things that capture the imagination and inspire a sense of wonder? Is it not because we hunger to be filled with awe? Do we not thirst and seek for things that are grand and beyond us? Things that transcend the bubble of our often monotonous daily existence?

People watch certain movies so they can be caught up in a grand, powerful, creative drama and experience its excitement and the vicarious feeling of being involved in something hugely significant. People turn to technology to feed their hunger for the amazing and unbelievable. Sports fans cheer by the millions and are charged by the feeling of being part of something that excites them and represents them. Adventure seekers climb mountains, jump out of planes, rappel into caverns, and raft wild rivers to experience something that will make their hearts pound and adrenaline pump. People want to be moved. They feel as if life should not be ordinary. There is no shortage of books that try to help people help themselves overcome the ordinary. We all want it. We want something bigger than us, something grand into which our little lives can be absorbed and find their fulfillment. We’re all looking for it. We just turn to different things. What will satiate and at the same time fuel this hunger for wonder?

I believe the food and the fuel for wonder are found in John chapter one. The Word has always been God. The Word is God. The universe was made through the Word. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. God became one of us. For what? To bring us into the life of God, a life which no one can have apart from the Word. There is eternal life in the infinitely loving and gracious God. He is the infinite fountain of all that inspires matchless wonder. He is what we are seeking. He invites us to drink.

What's so funny, Grace?

2006-11-17T15:35:00.000-08:00

I submit to you that this is one of the cutest things ever photo- graphed.

Love your God with all your mind

2006-11-15T23:03:00.000-08:00

Jesus said that the greatest commandment of all, the commandment that carries the most weight, is "Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." It means loves God with your whole person, with all that you are.

We often hear that love is more than emotion, that it's an act of the will. This, I believe, is true. Sure, a husband and wife can fall out of love, but what they really mean is they don't "feel love" for one another like they used to. True love, God's kind of love, says you remain committed to your spouse and desire and do what is truly good for him or her. It's great when emotion and the will line up, but if emotion is gone for the moment (or however long), it matters not, at least with regard to the essence of love, which is an unwavering commitment to the highest good of another.

Now, to get to my main thought...

I have a thought tonight about loving God with my mind. I'm currently studying for my theology test and working on a big assignment. With what feels like a mountain of other things that require my time and attention, I don't feel like studying. I'm tired. This causes some dissonance in me because here I am studying, reflecting on, and learning about wonderful truths about God, things that in my heart bring me deep joy, and yet there is a feeling of dread about this task of studying for the test and completing assignments. So I started thinking about the greatest commandment to love God. Loving God with my mind is included in that command.

If love were only a feeling, I'd close the books, push back from my desk, and perhaps try to feel love toward God without this mental strain. But how can I feel love for someone unless I know something about them. True, to know someone is different from merely knowing things about them. But you can't truly know someone without knowing things about them. When it comes to loving God (as in all meaningful personal relationships) you need both. The two (knowing and knowing about) should not be separated. If we are to know God personally we must seek to understand the truth about him as he himself has revealed in the Scripture. The two are joined.

It's been wisely said before, "Theology without piety (my personal reverence for God) is sterile abstraction. Piety without theology is empty emotionalism."

I don't want the pressure of my studies to pour water on my fire for God. Rather, I want my studies to be gasoline for the fire, even if my emotions at the moment are not where I would like them to be, for true love involves commtiment of the will. Therefore, God help me, God help us, to love you with our minds, our hearts, our souls, our strength.

What we ALL need more of

2006-11-14T12:01:00.001-08:00

I haven't had time lately to post anything meaningful. But today I made the effort because in conversation with my friends Aaron and Monica, we were reflecting on something important: We ALL need more cow bell in our lives.

Baby Aerobics

2006-10-26T16:51:00.000-07:00

Trouble Sleeping in the Delivery Room

2006-10-24T18:11:00.000-07:00

Lindsay was in labor for almost 23 hours. At about the 17.5 hour mark Lindsay got an epidural. The climate in the room changed dramatically. Her pain stopped and she was able to take a short nap. Gini (Lindsay's mom), Dawn (Lindsay's sister), and I all felt better ourselves, but we too were exhausted and decided to try to catch a few winks. The problem was there were three of us but only one place to sleep, so we had to get creative. Take a little looksee at some of our various attempts to sleep in the delivery room. There is one picture in this bunch where one of us actually fell asleep. Can you guess which one? You may post your guess in the comments section.

David Hasselhoff - Hooked on a Feeling

2006-10-21T23:09:00.000-07:00


Thanks to my friend Nate for sharing this with me. This video is truly a testament to the fact that America is an amazing seedbed for musical artistry.

Grace in a Polar Bear Suit

2006-10-21T12:47:00.000-07:00

Pictures of Grace

2006-10-13T17:59:00.000-07:00

Click on the photo below for the pictorial saga of Grace's arrival.

Grace's Birth

Baby Grace

2006-10-12T23:10:00.000-07:00

Grace Marina was born into our world on October 11, 2006, at 4:35 a.m. God has poured out his grace on us in giving us this little one. We are so thankful.

Oct. 10: The New Labor Day

2006-10-10T08:52:00.000-07:00

Lindsay's in labor. It started a couple of hours ago and we're going to remain at home for a little while.

Soon I have to deliver a pumpkin that's in our car to Lindsay's work. Of all the things going on, we MUST make sure to deliver that pumpkin!! Lindsay has made it clear that delivering the pumpkin must happen before delivering our baby. I guess I'm just struck by the juxtaposition of the delivery of two little pumpkins--one extremely significant, the other not.

Well, gotta go. She just asked me when I'm going to deliver that pumpkin, and I'm like, "When are YOU gonna deliver THAT pumpkin," as I point at her huge pumpkin-sized belly.

On another note, there are some benefits to having a large pregnant belly, one of them being using the belly as an eating tray for your Ben & Jerry's ice cream.

In all seriousness, please pray for Lindsay and Grace, for the strength and health of their bodies and spirits. Thank you.

Chalupa

2006-10-06T15:10:00.000-07:00

I highly recommend the Mexican restaurant "El Mirador," located the corner of Market and Lancaster in Salem. Their food is fantastic, as you will see in this video. I eat lunch there sometimes with my friends Andy and Chris. Unfortunately, with these videos the sound runs a bit behind the video.

Seriously, that's not a basketball

2006-10-06T11:47:00.000-07:00

As of yesterday, Lindsay was 50% effaced and 1 cm dilated. The doctor estimates that Grace is already 7.5 to 8 lbs. That's big. Lindsay was 9 lbs. 14 oz. when she was born, if you can believe that! Yowzahz!

Mr. Crazy Eyebrows

2006-10-02T23:39:00.000-07:00

This is my friend Jeff. He's a 13 year old trapped in man's body. Note how amused his wife is with his antics.

So what's up Doc?

2006-09-28T18:49:00.000-07:00

Doc says Grace could be born tomorrow, she could be born in 3 weeks, or anytime in between. Should Grace tarry in the womb much longer, I may try to get Lindsay a warehouse employee back-support belt, the kind with suspenders.

I was thinking earlier about related issues within this birth saga. Lindsay's level of discomfort and horizontal expansion [which I'll call "A"] are directly proportional to our excitement for Grace's arrival [B]. A and B increase together.

For me, the proportional increase of A and B are merely correlational, whereas for Lindsay there is a causational component (i.e. B increases as a result of an increase in A), though the rise in B for Lindsay certainly has a whole host of other reasons. To simplify: "Get out Grace!!!I'm getting huge and will soon need a crane to help roll me over in bed! Plus, I can't wait to meet you face to face."

On Church Community

2006-09-22T21:31:00.000-07:00

[This is something I wrote for our church's monthly newsletter]

Open Doors

When I walk through my neighborhood I often think about the fact that it’s called a community. It seems the primary reason for calling it such is that my neighbors and I happen to live in the same geographical location. Considering that so many of us don’t even know what our neighbors look like, let alone actually know them personally, in what sense is it a community? It seems closed doors are reflective of closed lives.

What then is the meaning of community for our church? Is our community based on the fact that we all congregate in the same location on Sunday mornings? True, being together in the same place plays an important role in community, but that’s only part of it.

Com- is a prefix that means together or with. Unity means oneness. Essentially, community means oneness with others. In one sense, our Christian community is a present reality. It’s based on our acceptance into the eternal family of God by his grace through faith in Jesus Christ. We’re united with believers everywhere because we’re members of Christ body, the Church.

But in another sense, Christian community is something that must be entered into through personal relationships with other Christians. These must develop for there to be oneness with other believers in the local church.

In his prayer to the Father in John 17, Jesus said, “I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”

Jesus prayed that his followers would know the same kind of relational oneness that he experienced with the Father. The Bible tells us that the Father loves the Son and the Son loves the Father. Jesus prayed that we would know the same kind of love for each other. And this love will be a powerful witness for a lost and dying world. Not only should we enter into meaningful relationships with one another for the good of the Christ’s church, but also for the sake of a watching world in need of salvation.

Sadly, our world doesn’t value what Jesus prayed for. Our culture in particular values the individual over community, self-reliance over humble recognition of our need for others, and the pursuit of one’s personal ambitions at the expense of sacrifice and service to others.

More married couples are foregoing having children, seemingly because they love their freedom from having their lives constrained by family responsibilities. People avoid making their needs known because they don’t want to be viewed as “charity cases” or lead others to think that they’re incompetent. Like contestants on “The Apprentice,” people, in order to get ahead in life, practice a cut-throat, do-whatever-it-takes-to-advance-yourself strategy even if it means trampling the trust and dignity of others.

These are but a few of the symptoms of a culture of self-absorption. But Jesus calls his followers to cut against the grain of self-rulership. We’re called to enter under his rule together; to strengthen, support, and love each other as brothers and sisters of the same family; and to build a community in which we serve one another and move out together in the world to help bring others into this community of Christ.

According to Jesus, anyone and everyone is our neighbor. We see the faces of our neighbors on Sunday at church. But do we know them? True, we’re already a community by virtue of our relationship to Christ. But we also need to grow in community—in oneness—because this was Jesus’ prayer for us. Let’s ask God to answer that prayer in the life of our church. And let’s be willing and ready to move into each other’s lives when God starts opening up the doors.

Wild Child Terrorizes Village of Smurfs

2006-09-21T17:19:00.000-07:00

Toddler pictured here after gleefully tromping through the Smurf village and eating Papa Smurf and Smurfette.

Actually, my neice Sydney had a great time eating her birthday cake on her first birthday. She needed a bath afterward, as you can see.

Quotes from The Confessions of St. Augustine

2006-09-20T22:36:00.000-07:00

I'm currently reading The Confessions of St. Augustine. I'm moved by his candid and eloquent re-telling of his journey toward Christ. My theology textbook describes Augustine as "the greatest Latin theologian and the towering figure of Christendom's first 750 years." Here are some excerpts that have struck me. Granted, I'm not giving their context, but I think that for the most part they're understandable.

"If you find physical pleasure in earthly experiences, use the occasion to praise God for these gifts. Turn your love not on the pleasures but toward their Maker."

"Proclaim this message, that sinners can only be carried to the Father after they go down into the valley of tears. You do not speak out of God's Spirit if you feel such a fire of sympathy for the lost that you do not tell them the truth."

"From You I now learned that nothing is any more true because it is eloquent. Nor is anything any more false because it is explained through inelegant lips."

"I did not yet hold to my Lord Jesus Christ. I had been humbled, but I could not yet find my way to the Humble. Nor could I yet discern what lessons this lowly teacher would give. Your word, the eternal Truth, far above the higher parts of Your Creation, raises up the meek. He came into this lower world to build for Himself a lowly habitation of human clay. He was abased to find such as would be subdued and bring them over to Himself. He heals their swelling, and nurtures their love so that they might go no farther in self-confidence. Rather He seeks those who will become weak, seeing before their feet the Divinity who became weak by taking our coats of skin. He was wearied that the weary might cast themselves down upon Him and be lifted up in His rising."

Prego Pics

2006-09-15T15:52:00.001-07:00

"Lindsay, Full of Grace"

"Wonder-twin powers, activate!!"

Celebratory Toddler: "Oh Yeah!!!"

2006-09-14T17:06:00.000-07:00

This is my niece, Sydney. She is stinkin' cute!! She's doing her uncle Tom's trademark intentionally geeky celebratory cheer.

Thanks, Kipper.

2006-09-13T20:38:00.000-07:00

That's what I'm talkin' about.

personal sharing

2006-09-13T17:29:00.000-07:00

I've had something on my heart that I want to share with you, my friends and loyal readers. I'm going to go mow the lawn now.

Something Smells Good in the Kitchen

2006-09-12T17:27:00.000-07:00

Somethin' smells good in the kitchen.

I guess I'm technically a blogger now

2006-09-12T17:21:00.000-07:00

I've never blogged before, but I read blogs. Maybe I'll try this for awhile. If more than 1 person reads this in the course of one month, I just may continue.