A Long Obedience

Reflections on Olympic Joy

2008-08-26T20:20:00.005-05:00

I love the Olympics! I don't know what it is about them - maybe it's the competition or the national pride. It doesn't matter what the sport is, I'll stay up into the late hours to watch Flatwater Canoing or Badminton. Kathi and I probably watched at least 4 hours of Olympics every day the past two weeks, and we loved it!

Beijing 2008 was particularly exciting. Michael Phelps is amazing. China is going to take over the world. American track and field is overrated. It was all here. The drama, the heartache, the triumph. It was sweet. I hate to say it, but when the competition closed on Sunday, I was actually a little depressed. I'm already looking forward to 2010.

Reflections on Bad Blogging

2008-07-19T16:28:00.002-05:00

I'm a bad, bad blogger. I've been getting kind of tired of keeping this blog up. I'm thankful to all of you who have continued to come by. I don't want to really shut completely down. But, I think I'm going to focus my blogging now at our Missio Colonia blog. I'll still post here when I get inspired to do so, but I'm not going to force it.

Anyway, Kathi and I were working at a youth camp this past week. Afterwards, on our way to the IKEA in Pittsburgh, we came across this sign off of U.S. 30.

Reflections on Our 3rd Anniversary

2008-06-11T23:35:00.002-05:00

Today my bride and I celebrate 3 years! We think this is the first anniversary that we've actually where we weren't doing something. I say we think because we can't remember for the life of us what we did last year. So, to make sure that doesn't happen again, I decided to chronicle this 3rd anniversary.

We had a wonderful day today. We actually did have to do a little "work" at first - we met with a pastor in the area for lunch. But, this evening I took Kathi to one of our favorite restaurants in the city called Yats, which is cajun and creole food. Yum. The time also served as an opportunity to play with the Garmin that my dad got us. After that we took a lengthy bike ride on a path through the city. Then, we came home and watched Juno, had brownies and ice cream, and looked at wedding pictures.

I love my wife. Tonight as we looked a pictures, she asked me if I thought she looked beautiful on our wedding day. I told that naturally I thought so, but I can say beyond a doubt that she's more beautiful to me after three years. Happy Anniversary, Kathi.

(Incidentally, the picture I included in this post is one of our favorite wedding pictures. For one, we look great together, and also because Randy is giving us the greatest look! We love it!)

Reflections on Politics and Beer

2008-06-10T14:07:00.002-05:00

Ugh, politics. Well, it's down to two candidates. I think both are good people, but they each have some unpleasant ideological baggage. I would totally vote for McCain if it wasn't for the beer issue.

Reflection on My 30th Birthday

2008-05-14T23:35:00.000-05:00

Well, it was my 30th birthday today. I'm not sure how to feel about it all. In the grand scheme of things, it's just a number. I don't feel any different, and this day is just like the last one. But, there is something weird thinking that I'm entering my 4th decade alive! Yikes. I'm not one for mid-life crises, so I'm not really freaking out. I'm just a little sad that I'm no longer in my 20s. Everyone tells me though that 30 is the new 20. I don't know.

Despite all of this stuff, it was a pretty sweet day. The past couple of days we've been hanging out in Indianapolis doing some support raising. Today we spent most of our time with Brian and Karin. I got to eat steak, and I won at both Bohnanza and Settlers of Catan! So, all in all it was not bad.

On a side note, it was around this time 9 years ago that I accepted Christ. I remember that it was shortly after my 21st birthday. It's fun having my physical birth and my spiritual birth around the same time. Anyway, I'm 30 now. Society says that I should be an adult now. We'll see about that.

Reflections on the Kingdom

2008-05-06T16:10:00.003-05:00

Last week, I was asked to fill the pulpit at our church in Dellroy. Even though I've done messages for youth groups and such, this was the first time I've ever done a sermon at a "grown up" church. The work and prep was pretty much the same, but some how it was different - it was more weighty. Anyway, I spoke on the Kingdom of God - what does it mean? What difference does it make for our lives? It was a good experience.

One of the sources that I used was George Eldon Ladd's The Gospel of the Kingdom, which is classic on Kingdom theology (and a great book to boot). Here's a great quote:

The Kingdom of God is a miracle. It is the act of God. It is supernatural. Men cannot build the Kingdom, they cannot erect it. The Kingdom is the Kingdom of God; it is God's reign, God's rule. God has entrusted the Gospel of the Kingdom to men. It is our responsibility to proclaim the Good News about the Kingdom. But the actual work of the Kingdom is God's working. The fruitage is produced not by human effort or skill but by the life of the Kingdom itself. It is God's deed.

Reflection on Voting the Image

2008-04-29T14:07:00.004-05:00

So, I got a couple of stern comments a while back when I posted about my disillusionment in the election process in America. Basically, I have a hard time voting not because I think my vote doesn't count, but because I think that one votes not for a candidate but an image concocted by a political machine. Well, an interesting article in this weekend's Parade (yes, we read Parade, give me a break) verified my skepticism.

The most striking quote comes from an Nixon administration internal memo dated around the time of the 1968 Presidential Election. Nixon's image advisor wrote:

The response is to the image, not to the man...It's not what's there that counts, it's what's projected. [The selection of a President] has to be an act of faith...This faith isn't achieved by reason; it's achieved by charisma, by a feeling of trust that can't be argued or reasoned.

At the end of the article, the author cites statistics showing that campaign ad budgets no longer reflect who wins elections, which suggests, according to him, that Americans are beginning to move away from voting based on image. I think this trend reflects more a distrust in political advertisements, and I definitely believe that the image machine is still full functioning giving us nicely manufactured products that bear little resemblance to what kind of President the person will actually be. This is why I have a hard time voting.

What Can I Say?

2008-04-11T23:13:00.002-05:00

Is that not awesome?

Reflections on Stickin' It to Skybus

2008-04-11T05:19:00.003-05:00

Take that, Port Columbus International Airport! It's 6 a.m. and we're sitting in Concourse B of said airport waiting for our flight to Kansas City via Chicago O'Hare. Both Kathi and I haven't slept for almost 24 hours, and we are rockin' it out! We're on our way to visit our friends, Meryl and Neal in Kansas for the weekend.

Let me weave for you the tale of our struggle to actually get to Kansas City. About a month ago, using the financial windfall from our recent tax return, we purchased tickets to fly out to KC to visit our friends. Lucky for us we were able to get inexpensive tickets our a regional discount airline. Well, last week this regional discount airline - let's call them Skybus - declared bankruptcy and shut down all of their flight operations.

In a scramble to try and salvage the fun-filled weekend we had planned, we managed to get relatively comparable tickets using William Shatner's keen negotiating skills (aka Priceline.com). Well, those tickets happened to be with American Airlines. For those of you following the news, American Airlines this past week canceled over 2,000 of the domestic flights to conduct emergency maintenance on their MD80 airliners. It just so happens that the Chicago to KC leg of our journey was one of those canceled flights.

Well, crap. Let me just acknowledge how amazingly friendly and helpful the customer service lady from American Airlines was (really, no sarcasm intended). She managed to get us on a United flight from O'Hare to Kansas City within 10 minutes! Kudos to American Airlines!

So, we drove down to Columbus after work tonight (or last night...uh...what time is it??) and stayed over at our friends Randy and Sarah's. Wouldn't you know it, Ravi was in town. We decided to just stay up all night capping the entire experience off with a killer 4:30 a.m. breakfast at Waffle House. Kudos to you Waffle House!

Now fast forward 2 hours. We're waiting for our flight to board riding our 3rd wind. Reading over this, I'm astonished that it's this coherent. Regardless, I say poop on you U.S. airline industry.

Random Signage IX

2008-04-04T22:12:00.004-05:00

Man, it's been a while since I've posted. Anyway, we found this sign in Magnolia, Ohio. It was in front of a out-of-business restaurant. Obviously wasn't the best marketing idea.

Reflections on Nerd-dom

2008-03-10T12:10:00.003-05:00

If you're ever bored and want to blow a couple of hours online, go to www.NationalAtlas.org. It is the federal governments online collection of maps including everything ranging from congressional districts to industrial energy consumption per capita. The fact that I spent two hours playing around with it the other day proves that I'm a complete nerd. But, even if you're not a nerd, they have an interactive layers map that interesting to play around with for a little while.

It enlightened me to some pretty interesting facts about our country. For example, I was completely unaware of how much land our government still owns. Military installations and national parks aside, the Public Land Office is the largest land holder in the United States. Here's another fun fact. There are parts of western Pennsylvania that are still considered unexplored wilderness. Anyway, if you're not a nerd, you may commence making fun of me now.

Reflections on MLB Prognostication

2008-03-08T13:07:00.002-06:00

Over the next 24 hours, we're expected to get almost a foot of snow around here. So, needless to say, we are housebound for the next couple of days. As I stare out at our snowy front yard, I'm comforted by the fact that spring is so near. To gear myself up, I'm thinking a lot about baseball season, and I'm getting pretty excited about the Reds' chances. Since I'm bored sitting around, I thought I'd post my MLB predictions for this season.

NL East - Atlanta Braves
I know that the buzz is surrounding the Phillies-Mets rivalry and Santana's arrival in the Senior Circuit. But, I think that both of those teams have significant holes that will prove to be fatal this season. The Phillies have no rotation depth behind Hamels, and their new closer Brad Lidge got injured the first day of spring camp. They'll certainly score 800 runs again, but they'll give up 750. Likewise, behind Santana the Mets don't have many proven starters. Pedro will show flashes of his old self but will not top 100 innings this season. Maine and Perez will not perform up to the level they showed last year. Atlanta will dominate starting pitching this year with Smotlz, Glavine, Hudson, and company. They also have the young position players poised to make a huge impact this year.

NL Central - Cincinnati Reds
I'm sure I'll be accused of being the partisan optimist, but when the Reds make the playoffs this year, I want there to be documentation that I called it. The only reason I think this is a solid pick is because they're in a very weak division. Houston will falter because of bullpen and rotation concerns, the Cubs have some unproven position players they're hinging their season on (Pie and Fukudome) and the Brewers are a weaker team this year. The Reds though have added to their big weakness from last year: the bullpen. They have two solid starters at the top of the rotation in Harang and Arroyo, and they added Josh Fogg to bring some veteran stability to the center. The key for the Reds this year is to have some breakout years from some of their young guys. Look for Jay Bruce, Johnny Cueto, and Encarnacion to come up big this year. That'll put the Reds over the top, and they'll only need 88 wins to do it.

NL West - Arizona Diamondbacks
This division is probably the strongest in the National League, and therefore the hardest to call. The D-Backs, Dodgers, and Padres have all made significant additions, and the Rockies should also compete again this season. The big question across the division is lack of offense. The Dodgers probably have the edge in that category with Kent and Martin. But, I chose Arizona because I think Randy Johnson is going to have a comeback year, and add him in between Webb and Haren and you have a rotation good as any in baseball. But, it could just as easily be any of the other three I mentioned also.

NL Wild Card: Los Angeles Dodgers

AL East: Toronto Blue Jays
This pick is bound to get some hoots and hollers. But, I'm going to go out on a limb. I strongly believe that the Reds Sox are overrated this year, and they have some serious questions facing their rotation. Beckett is as good as any pitcher out there, but I think we're going to see a big sophomore slump from Dice-K. The Yankees will undoubtedly score close to 1000 runs again but their pitching will once again be their down fall. With that said, look for the Blue Jays to be the dark horse this year. They have a great one-two punch in their rotation (Halladay and Burnett) and they'll have their closer back this year. It'll be a three way race for the division through the end, but I think the Jays will come out on top.

AL Central - Cleveland Indians
This is going to be a fun division. The Tiger made some huge improvements that upgrade an already potent offense. Their rotation and bullpen are still big questions, but they'll score the most runs in the majors this year. But, I think that the Indians will slightly edge out the Tigers because they have more depth in the rotation (although I doubt Carmona will pitch like last year) and a far better bullpen. Regardless the 19 games these two teams play against each other will be full of fireworks.

AL West - Seattle Mariners
This is the division that I know least about, but with the addition of Erik Bedard, the Mariners have made some significant improvements. The Angels will chase Seattle all season but I think that they'll falter in September.

AL Wild Card - Detroit Tigers
I pick the Tigers only because the AL Central is a two team division where as the East is a three team division. I think that the Red Sox, Yankees, and Jays will beat on each all season, and the Tigers will end up with the better record.

Cleveland Indians beat the Atlanta Braves in 6 games for the 2008 World Series title.

Reflections on The Machines

2008-03-04T19:53:00.002-06:00

So, we voted today. It was the first time that I had used those electronic voting machines, and I'm not sure what to think of them. What worries me is that what little I know about computers is that they break and they break frequently. We're trusting our most sacred secular privilege to the Machines...it's Terminator all over again. What is worse is that these polling stations are usually staffed by retirees who don't much about computers. The man right after us started having problems with his machine, and I don't think they knew quite what to do.

Reflections on Wings and Chris

2008-02-28T15:35:00.003-06:00

Boy, did we have a wild couple of days earlier this week. On Sunday we drove down to Columbus to visit with some friends from college. One of these friends, Chris Cieto, was visiting from New Hampshire. To commemorate the visit, on Tuesday we gathered at Quaker Steak & Lube for all-you-can-eat wings night! We ended up having more than twenty people from our OU days there.

Aside from that we spent a couple of days catching up with these amazing friends. We laughed really hard and stayed up late. It was awesome. Kathi and I are so grateful for friends that we can pick up with right where we left off. It doesn't matter how long it's been since we've been together, it never felt like we were apart. Man, we wish these guys.

Reflections on Voting

2008-02-19T22:12:00.003-06:00

For the most part, I've avoided political comments on this blog mainly because I'm disillusioned with politics in America. Regardless, I have been very fascinated by the Democratic and Republican primaries recently. But, with all of my interest it's hard for me to really believe that my vote really counts. I don't mean that in the sense that most people mean it. It's hard for me to have confidence in the political process because politicians are essentially professional con artists. Their objective in an election campaign is to make themselves into the image of who they believe the electorate wants them to be. Once a candidate is elected, he or she hardly ever turns out to be the "person" you were voting for. You instead were voting for an image concocted by campaign managers and spin doctors.

I did discover something really cool though. There is a website that provides non-partisan information regarding candidates policy positions, personal beliefs, and voting records. It has really helped me cut through some of the bull. Not only that, it gives details of state and local ballot issues. I highly recommend it. It's called VoteSmart.org. The technology is available to truly make our leaders accountable, but we need to use it.

Reflections on Happy Fun Leslie

2008-02-12T21:50:00.002-06:00

Yesterday afternoon I got a call from Leslie Chamberlain saying that she's on the road coming to visit us from Philadelphia. Surprise! So, today we had Happy Fun Leslie Day! Much to her chagrin, Leslie traveled to Ohio right in the midst of the biggest snow storm so far this year. Leslie was therefore stranded at our place. We did what any self-respecting 30-year old would do in these situations. We went sledding.

Go times were had all around. Included in the great moments today was making the Poop Mountain Snowman. I know that sounds weird, but it's a little too in depth to go into. And, you probably don't want to hear about it anyway. Regardless, it was some amazing Leslie time. Tomorrow she gets to drive all the way back to Philly in freezing rain, so have fun with that, Les.

Reflections on Church Ambivalence

2008-02-04T21:10:00.000-06:00

One of the things that disturbs me about Christians my age is the total ambivalence and at times hatred they have for the Church. I know that it's hard to blame people. The Church is a messy business. But, the mantra of many young Christians concerning the Church is, "no thanks". For all of its foibles and sins, the Church is still the Bride of Christ. It makes me so sad that so many believers are giving up on her. Today I came across this quote from Carlo Carretto, which shows such a beautiful and authentic heart for the Church:

How baffling you are, oh Church, and yet how I love you! How you have made me suffer, and yet how much I owe you! I should like to see you destroyed, and yet I need you presence. You have given me so much scandal and yet you have made me understand sanctity. I have seen nothing in the world more devoted to obscurity, more compromised, more false, and I have touched nothing more pure, more generous, more beautiful. How often I have wanted to shut the doors of my soul in your face, and how often I have prayed to die in the safety of your arms. No, I cannot free myself from you, because I am you, although not completely. And where should I go?

Reflections on Apple and the End Times

2008-01-28T09:23:00.000-06:00

Two of my very good friends just bought the new iPhone from Apple. Even though this is one of the coolest things to be made in the last decade, I seriously dislike Apple, Inc. No one can fault them for producing quality machines. But, they've created a subculture around their computers that basically says, "you're not really cool, hip, or alternative unless you own a Mac." The near self-righteousness of many Mac owners (I have many friends who own Macs, so forgive me guys) is repugnant. What is more, I'm pretty sure that Apple, Inc. is a sign of the End Times. Here's how I got there:

To be sure, the iPhone is astounding. I toyed around with one a while ago, and I coveted the ability to seamlessly use your email, internet, play music, make calls, and much more. The technology is amazing. I can easily see how this can evolve into the next generation of ease and convenience. It wouldn't take much to integrate your personal banking and finances into the iPhone. Whenever you buy something, instead of pulling out your wallet just swipe your iPhone. In fact, you could easily make all of your personal identification securely ingrained in your device - no more need for a wallet at all. Heck, why stop there? Who wants to carry around a bulky iPhone? We can just miniaturize it and implant the device into our hands or foreheads. And, just to make security and identification easier, we can electronically imprint all of these devices with a key code, say... "666"!!!!

Does anyone else find it interesting that the first Fall of Man was also initiated by an apple? Is anyone else freaking out?!? While this is mostly tongue-in-cheek, I would be remiss to not acknowledge the seriousness of the End Times. I can't shake the sense the things are beginning to come to head in this world. I may be wrong - there have been many periods in world history that have been mistaken for the Apocalypse. But, there will be a time when it won't be very funny.

Reflections on Old School Baseball

2008-01-23T11:01:00.000-06:00

Recently, my dad has been going through my grandparent's old picture slides and scanning them into his computer. The other day he came across these amazing pictures and emailed them to me. Top left is a picture taken of Crosley Field in Cincinnati during a game in 1961. Top right is the same game down at field level. The player on the right (#20) is Frank Robinson who won the MVP for the National League that year. Bottom left is Yankee Stadium during a game in 1960. You can see Mickey Mantle trotting around second after hitting a home run. Bottom right is the scoreboard at Yankee Stadium. If you look closely you can see "Mantle Home Run Was Number 8 of Season".

Reflections on Thirty Years

2008-01-21T19:32:00.000-06:00

If you have ever felt like there was just something missing from the American church, you need to read the book I just finished. It's called Thirty Years That Change the World: The Book of Acts for Today by Michael Green, who is an evangelist and professor from Oxford. He basically is reflecting on what made the early church so amazing, and why we don't see these things in our churches today. He does a great job of avoiding the theological soapboxes found in Acts and focuses on the power, influence and priorities of the first Christians.

One of the biggest things I took away from this book is the fact that the church in the West has fallen into a maintenance mentality. By being focused on our buildings, church staff, and programs, we have for the most part lost our missionary and evangelistic zeal. The truth is that God is a God on a mission, and He has promised to equip His people in accomplishing that mission.

I want my life to be different. I want it to look more like those first Christians who were full of radical love, power, and conviction. But, I'm too much a product of my Christian culture. I honest don't even know what it would be like to have a life like that. But, I want it.

Reflections on Chicago Drill Bits

2008-01-12T22:12:00.000-06:00

So, yesterday we drove back from a week in Chicago. We were hanging out with some old friends and doing some support raising. We spoke at a young adults group in the city, which yield new friends and good contacts. It was actually a very productive trip, but we are so happy to finally have a rest day tomorrow.

This is totally unrelated, but we found out this week that the soon-to-be tallest free-standing structure in North America is currently under construction in Chicago. It's call the Chicago Spire, and it's going to be a 150-story residential tower right on the lake front across from Navy Pier. They've already been laying the foundation, and it should be completed in 2011. They haven't published officially how tall it will be, so it is possible that it will recapture the tallest building in the world honors for Chicago (it may or may not be taller than the Burj Dubai which is currently being constructed in Dubai and will top out at 2,111 feet). I had no clue they were building this thing in Chicago. Isn't that wild?

Reflections on Auld Lang Syne

2008-01-03T22:43:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year, everyone! I figured I would get the first post of the year out of the way by sharing a great picture of my nephew, Gavin. We took this at his birthday last month.

Reflections on Sixties Child

2007-12-31T09:48:00.000-06:00

Last night we went out with my mom to celebrate Christmas and the New Year. We started talking about her as a teenager and young adult back in the 60s and 70s. She shared with us that as a high schooler, she was actually very conservative and was a registered member of the Teens for Nixon champaign organization! Then when she went off to Purdue University, her political worldview completely changed. She became a ragging hippie protesting the Vietnam War, burning her bras, and taking part in the first Earth Day.

I remarked to her how it seemed strange that she so radically transformed in just a short time. She said that she even remembers the moment she abandoned her conservative ideals. Thinking that it was some deeply cathartic experience, I was very interested in this story. She said that early on in college, she got into a conversation with another girl in her dorm. My mom remarked to her that the war in Vietnam was necessary to the world's security. The girl simply responded, "No, it isn't." Not to be out done, my mom said, "Yes, it is." The girl again just looked her in the eye and said, "No, it isn't." And, then my mom told me something ridiculous. She said, "And, I believed her!" She said at that point she became a hippie!

What?!? That's all it took?!? I lost it right there. It cracked me up that her worldview could be so dramatically altered by the earnest beliefs of another woman. We laughed a lot.

Merry Christmas

2007-12-25T17:13:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas, everyone! We hope that all of your are enjoying your families, and most importantly having a day of rejoicing over the birth and continuing presence of Jesus. Kathi and I are spending the day at her sister's place in Wellington. That's been really enjoyable mainly due to Kathi's two young nieces. It's fun to be around kids during Christmas. Plus they just got a Wii.

I say this every year it seems, but I always want to cut through the busyness of the time to really prepare spiritually for the holiday. For the first time in a long time, I did take that time this year. It was a blessing to dwell on the present realities of the truth of the nativity. One of the best things that I did today was listen to a lot of Christmas music. Along with all of the fun secular music, I've absorbed some of the classic sacred songs that I never really stopped to listen to.

Hark! The herald angels sing
Glory to the newborn King
Peace on earth and mercy mild
God and sinner reconciled

The Cost of Getting Off the Sidelines

2007-12-17T16:00:00.000-06:00

I've been wrestling with some pretty weighty things lately. Here's what I wrote in my journal today. Is anyone else feeling like this, or is it just me?

Right now I’m reading Garrison’s Church Planting Movements book. The movements of God’s Spirit in the world are amazing. God truly is doing something in the world that we have never seen before. He is beginning to reap a harvest that we can’t even imagine. But, for the most part I feel like I’m sitting on the sidelines. I’m so comfortable with my easy evangelical life in my safe evangelical church.

I make grand statements about how I want to give my life for Christ, but do I really understand what I’m saying? The one thing I’m learning is that these great movements of God’s Spirit are advancing at a great cost. To get off the sidelines and into the game, so to speak, would cost my reputation, my comfort, my safety, and perhaps even my life. But, isn’t that the very cost that Jesus paid? He knew that the cost was miniscule compared to the glory that was reveal in Him in the resurrection. Paul knew it too.

“But whatever was to my profit I now consider a loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish that I may gain Christ and be found in him. I want to know Christ and power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.” (Philippians 3:7-11)

Reflections on Colorado Shootings

2007-12-12T09:17:00.000-06:00

Most of you have probably been following the news recently about the shootings at the YWAM training facility and the church in Colorado. The senselessness of the whole thing has really effected me. Apparently, the gunman had spent time at the YWAM center, and was kicked out. And, then he spent the next five years seething with anger. What kind of evil gripped this man?

What's even more staggering to me is the sacrifice of the four young people who died. At the YWAM center, the two victims were in the early 20's. They were serving God, and probably passionate about loving Jesus and other people. At the church, the two victims were teenage siblings. These deaths, especially the two from YWAM, remind me of the cost of discipleship. I don't know if we should call these people martyrs or not, but they counted their lives worth nothing compared to the greatness of knowing Jesus.

I'm becoming more and more convinced that Kathi and I are going to be called to make a similar sacrifice. I'm not expecting to be killed for my faith per se. But, I'm seeing more clearly that following Jesus means laying down your life. For us this may just look like giving up what others think of us (and believe me, this requires a kind of death), and living lives to please Him only. I'm understanding a bit more what Jesus meant when he called us to take up our cross. The Good News is that through dying (whether it's physical dying or some emotion/spiritual death) we then can know his resurrection life.

"I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection of the dead." -Philippians 3:10-11

Reflections on Winter Snow

2007-12-05T11:49:00.000-06:00

We just had the first snow of the year in northeast Ohio. The Cleveland area ended up with more than a foot of snow, while we settled for about 4 inches. I really love winter as long as it's snowing. It's the dry, windy, bitter cold times that I don't like. Both Kathi and I are hoping that the snow will continue through the month. We can't remember the last time we had a white Christmas.

Happy Thankgiving

2007-11-22T09:31:00.000-06:00

I know that I've seen this Thanksgiving clip art on things before, but I never really stopped to look at it. Doesn't this strike anyone as really sick? What's the turkey doing? Is he getting ready to eat some turkey? Is he going to eat himself? What's going on here?!? Anyway, Kathi and I are hanging out in Virginia with her brother and the rest of the family. So far, it's been a great distraction from everything that going on. I hope and pray that today is a good distraction for you as well. Happy Thanksgiving!

Reflections on Joe Nuxhall

2007-11-16T21:06:00.000-06:00

I just found out that Joe Nuxhall died last night from complication with pneumonia. Nuxhall was the youngest pitcher in Major League history joining the Cincinnati Reds at the age of 15. But, most people remember him as the "Ol' Left-hander" who worked the Reds radio broadcast booth for forty years. I grow up listening to Nuxhall and Marty Brenneman on WLW in Cincinnati. I know that every kid who listened to their team on the radio will say this, but I can't imagine baseball without those two voices. There are so many memories of listening to Marty and Joe summer nights. I know that he'll be missed in Cincinnati.

Random Signage VIII

2007-11-16T20:20:00.000-06:00

I'm going to be without regular internet access for a few weeks while our computer is undergoing some repairs. Blogging is going to be inconsistent, but I'll try and drop some hellos while I'm away. Before I leave, I thought I'd leave you with another random sign. We found this at a park in Columbus. It's one of the commemorative bricks people donate money for. Although this one is a bit unique.

Reflections on Mistaken Femininity

2007-11-09T10:41:00.001-06:00

Today we had to call TracFone's customer service line to figure out how to reset our voicemail password. While we accomplished this task, I encountered once again an issue that I've faced all of my adult life. Customer service operators always mistake me for a woman! I can't escape it. Every time I call one of these help lines - whether it be for a credit card, utility service, or tech support - they call me ma'am through the entire call. It literally happens to me every time!

Here's an example from a credit card company I called:
Operator: My name is so-and-so, can I help you?
Me: I was wondering if you could help me with your crappy credit card.
Operator: What's the name on the card, ma'am?
Me: The card belongs to me, Kevin Cram. That's K-E-V-I-N.
Operator: Is this your husband's card then, ma'am?
Me: [incredulous] No...it's my card...I am the owner of it.
Operator: Okay, ma'am, I'll be happy to help you with that.
Me: AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

I have no idea how to stop this. I've tried talking in a really low voice, but has never helped. I always emphasize that my name is Kevin every time I call. But, in all of my customer service experiences as an adult, I have never been called sir. Is that too much to ask? I'm getting really tired of this continual degradation of my masculinity.

For those of you who know me, do I really sound that girlish on the phone? Does anyone have any ideas on how to combat this?

Random Signage VII

2007-11-06T19:12:00.000-06:00

Since it's Election Day, I figured I would post this sign that was sent to Ohio residents by the John Kerry campaign during the 2004 Presidential Election. It's possibly the most disingenuous political advertisement I've ever seen.

Happy Reformation Day

2007-10-31T22:59:00.000-05:00

Happy Reformation Day everybody! It was 490 years ago that Martin Luther pounded those Thesis on the church in Wittenburg. Kathi and I have decided that Reformation Day can provide modern Christians with a better alternative to Halloween celebrations. This isn't really a new idea, but we took a step further. We want to dress up as figures from the Reformation like Luther or Melanchton. What's scarier than Pope Leo X? We'll then walk around the neighborhood asking for Bible tracts instead of candy! We can have an ole-fashioned Papal Bull burning in the town square. What do you think?

Reflections on Boston's New Dynasty

2007-10-29T12:42:00.000-05:00

Another MLB season is now on the books, and the Boston Red Sox have ended up on top of the heap. It's another sweep for the Beantown team - the second one in the past four years. In a decade that has seen a different team win the Series from 2000-2006, we're now seeing the first really Championship dynasty emerging since the Yankees of the late 90s. Coming from someone who's currently living in an Indians household, it was disappointing to see them eliminated so early. But, I'm also a baseball fan. So, here's my review of the 2007 MLB post-season:

1) Not another sweep! As I wrote about a year ago, I'm getting really sick of the blown outs we've been seeing in the World Series recently. This is the fourth Series sweep in a row. There hasn't been a World Series that has gone to seven games since 2002. Granted, the ALCS was pretty exciting even though it was practically a fore-gone conclusion after Cleveland lost Game 5. What I'm longing for is a World Series that has the drawn out excitement of a seven-game thriller.

2) Beginning with Game 5 of the ALCS, it was the most dominant offensive performance of a team that I've ever seen. The Boston pitching was certainly note-worthy, but I have never witnessed a lineup that was locked in like the Boston hitters. Any given inning had the potential to explode. They had multiple big innings fueled by a .350 team average during the Series! Every time the Red Sox came up, you expected something to happen.

3) Boston has emerged as the new New York Yankees. Back in 2004, they were the lovable idiots who were just trying to make in the world. It was hard not to root for a team that had seen so much misery and pain. Now all of that is over. They have emerged as the next great dynasty, and all of a sudden they are not so lovable anymore. Red Sox Nation is now an obnoxious mix of the old-time die hards who feel justified in their glory and innumerable bandwagon jumpers leaching off the the teams' newly found hubris. I recognize that criticism comes easier on the other side of the fence - if Cincinnati were emerging as the new dynasty, I would thrilled - but I don't care.

Regardless, I do give all credit to the Boston Red Sox. They were the best team in baseball this year, and they proved it. Now we can start the hot-stoving. Who thinks the Reds will go all the way next year??

Reflections on Coffee Addiction

2007-10-24T16:16:00.000-05:00

So, I think I'm officially a coffee drinker. All of my life I've resisted the social pressures of becoming a coffee consumer. That includes innumerable dinner parties, which turned uncomfortable with the question, "Would you like some coffee?" Even after a year and half of working at Starbuck, I still refused to become a coffee drinker. Now all of that has changed. I got up this morning, and Kathi asked me if I'd like a cup of coffee (I have no idea why she would ask me). And, I said yes (I have no idea why I would say yes). And, it turns out that I loved the bitter brown energy juice. I can't remember having a more pleasant, and vibrant morning. Sweet elixir, where have you been all of my life? Vive la Coffee!

To Beard Or Not To Beard

2007-10-22T13:56:00.001-05:00

Back in 2002, I took a trip to Europe to visit Brian in France. The day after I arrived, I realized that my razor that I had packed was broken. Since I was on a shoe-string budget, I just decided to not shave for two weeks. Much to my surprise, I grew out quite a lot of facial hair. So much so, that when I got back to the States a few weeks later, I decided to just keep the beard. I donned this beard for about five months that winter. They were the Days of the Beard.

Kathi's always been fascinated with my manly stubble. She looks at pictures from those Days and wonders why her man won't bring back the beard. I've always had an excuse why I don't. It's either because of my job or because it's simply too uncomfortable to grow it out. Well, I folded last week, and I agreed to grow out the beard. So, currently I have a face full of stubble that would put a hobo to shame. Unfortunately, it doesn't quite resemble a beard yet. We'll keep y'all posted on how it all goes.

Reflections on Autumn Colors

2007-10-19T21:28:00.001-05:00

We took a stroll around the King farm today, and marveled at the beautiful colors of autumn. This year the trees are tremendous. I love fall.

Random Signage VI

2007-10-18T10:43:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since I posted a sign. I found this one at a book store in the Mall of America in Minnesota. It's a display enticing shoppers to purchase books from the Left Behind series. Seriously though, if I knew that the Rapture was right around the corner, I doubt reading the Lahaye books would be high on my priorities list.

Reflections on Ole Timey

2007-10-13T19:07:00.000-05:00

Busy, busy weekend. Friday we watched a friend of ours get married - congratulations to Colleen and John. Kathi actually sang in for the ceremony, so that was nice to watch. At the wedding we connected with Randy and Sarah, and they came back to our place and spent the night. Today we went with the Surface's to the Algonquin Mill Festival. What is the Algonquin Mill Festival you ask? Well, it's the local ole' timey town festival held in Carroll County. It has your typical ole' timey type things - Apple Cider, raccoon-skin caps, bluegrass music. It was a hoot.

At the festival there was a used book hut. Randy spotted an antique book from 1941 called Is Tomorrow Hitler's? It is an American journalist writing before Pearl Harbor about the need for America to fight Hitler's Germany. A little piece of history, and I got it for $3.

Reflections on Gore's Prize

2007-10-12T10:10:00.000-05:00

Now, I rarely will speak my mind about political issues on this blog. As I've mentioned before, I've become so disillusioned with politics that it seems an futile exercise to try and argue it. But, something happened today that made me scratch my head. Al Gore along with the International Panel on Climate Change won the Nobel Peace Prize. Huh?!? No matter where you stand on the issues surrounding climate change, this one should have all sensible people befuddled. What does Al Gore's campaign to raise awareness of the threats of global climate change have to do with promoting world peace?

According to Alfred Nobel's will, which established the Prize in 1901, the Peace Prize should be awarded "to the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between the nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses." From what I've heard, the Nobel Committee's justification for award this prize to Gore was that his work has done much to avert future wars and conflicts that will be caused by climate change. So, this is the first Nobel Peace Prize to be award to a person for avoiding a future hypothetical conflict. Maybe I'm not seeing it, but I can not fathom what Al Gore's work has to do with the reduction of armed conflict in the world.

Reflections on Bug Baseball

2007-10-07T22:29:00.000-05:00

One of things I love about the game of baseball is the lore and legends that have surrounded the game throughout the years. Schilling's bloody sock, Gibson's home run, Mays' catch, the Shot Heard Round the World - it all makes the story of baseball a rich and beautiful tapestry. And, it seems that most of the greatest baseball legends occur during the postseason. The other night a new episode was added to the lore of baseball - the Bug Game!

For those who haven't been watching, the Yankees are playing the Indians in the ALDS. On Friday night down a game in the series, the Yankees took a 1-0 lead into the 8th inning on the strength of an amazing performance by Andy Pettitte. In that inning he was replaced by flame-throwing rookie, Joba Chamberlain. As he began the inning, a swarm of mosquito-like bugs descended on the stadium! The insects began swarming the players on the field, and after repeated attempts to apply bug spray to Chamberlain, he was forced to continue pitching.

He was obviously affected by the swarming bugs because he ended up walking two, hitting on batsman, and then throwing a wild pitch which brought in the tying run! The Indians ended up winning the game 2-1 in the 11th inning. But, it was the bugs that opened the door for the Indians to tie the game! BUGS!!! I mean, that's ridiculous!

The series went back to New York tonight, and the Yankees won the game to bring the series to 2-1. It looks like the Yanks aren't going to go lying down. Despite the bug game, they are going to make the Indians work for the series win. I love October!!

Reflections on Cubbies Curse

2007-10-04T22:38:00.000-05:00

When will Chicago fans learn? Kathi and I are in Chicago this week doing some support raising stuff. On Monday we were watching WGN, and they were televising the Cubs rally held downtown to celebrate their Central Division championship. Through the course of the hour-long rally, they paraded up on stage the governor, the mayor, and several celebrities all of them proclaiming not only a Cubs victory in the Division series but an inevitable World Series win! I really couldn't believe my ears. Hasn't 99 years of disappointment not taught Cubs Nation that jinxes are real?!?

As I write this, we're watching the Cubs get hammered in game two on the verge of falling behind 0-2 in the series. Don't get me wrong. I'm rooting for the Cubbies. But, I believe in baseball superstitions, and it's obvious that with all of their prognostication that they've doomed their postseason chances before a single pitch was thrown. You would think that years of experience would have taught them to keep their mouths shut until they have the Series trophy in hand.

Reflections on Kingdom Come

2007-09-27T19:51:00.000-05:00

I'm sorry if this is turning into a rotisserie of books I've been reading. It's not my intention that this become a book review blog, but I've been reading so great books lately. The latest was Kingdom Come: How Jesus Wants to Change the World by Allen Wakabayashi who is on staff with InterVarsity at Northwestern. In the book, he does a great job of describing Kingdom theology in layman's language and drawing a grand holistic mission for the church based on the Kingdom.

Basically, he writes that the American church has emphasized the individual aspects of salvation (Christ died for my sins so I can go to heaven) at the expense of the Gospel's teaching of the Kingdom. That teaching is that Christ's death and resurrection accomplished not only an individual's salvation but the restoration of God's reign in all areas - personally, relationally, and corporately. This means God's redeeming and reconciling work extends to not only my sins but to making right injustice, healing the hurting, etc.

I've been chewing on these things for a while (George Ladd's Gospel of the Kingdom has been really influential), and this idea comes up often in Emerging Church discussions. But, I've never found anyone who deals with this holistic view of the Kingdom while maintaining a robust evangelical view of the need for individual salvation. It always seems to be one or the other. Well, until now. This book provided the missing link between the Emerging emphasis on the Kingdom and the traditional evangelical beliefs in salvation. I highly recommend it especially to college students and those in campus ministries.

Reflections on Sin and the Cross

2007-09-23T20:28:00.000-05:00

Recently, I finished one of the most influential books that I've ever read. It's titled Not The Way It's Supposed to Be: A Breviary of Sin by Cornelius Plantinga, Jr. Now, with a name like that, you'd expect this guy to be dry and scholastic. But, this book was so profound and accessible that it was revolutionized the way that I view the cross. All I have to say is read it! How can you truly understand the glory and riches of the cross without plumbing the depths of human sin? most interesting was the chapter on the treatment of sin as the violation of the Jewish concept of shalom. I won't ruin it though.

Reflections on Movements Cartoon

2007-09-16T13:37:00.001-05:00

This cartoon has been floating around the Christian blogosphere, and I thought it was very funny and apt. I figured I'd share it considering some of my previous ramblings on the Emerging Church.

Reflections on the Civil War

2007-09-13T19:52:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago while Kathi and I were back in Dayton visiting family, we had a chance to dig through some family records left by my grandmother. In those records we discovered an ancestor of mine who had fought in the Civil War with the 5th Ohio Calvary. Now I'm no Civil War buff (how do you become a buff, anyway?), but this piqued an interested in the history of it all. Back when I was in college, I bought James McPherson's Battle Cry of Freedom, and I had never read it. So, I decided to pick up and read this 800-page behemoth.

Wow! It was an amazing read. The book didn't just focus on the battles and the military personalities. It really put you right there in the midst of what was going on in society at that time. I actually felt the tension and the angst that was so a part of antebellum America. He wrote with such a narrative style that you felt like you were reading a story, being caught up with all of the twists and turns.

If we think that our country today is divisive and broken, we got nothing on America in the 1850s and 60s. During the time leading up to Fort Sumter, fist fights regular broke out during sessions of Congress. During one infamous incident, a southern Congressman sensing an insult on his family honor, beat a northern abolitionist within an inch of his life with a cane. Now that's politics! That's what we need today - Congressional beatings.

Reflections on Roofing Servanthood

2007-09-10T08:37:00.000-05:00

My experiences as a country farm hand just got another chapter this weekend. There is a man in our church here that was recently diagnosed with cancer. He works as a carpenter in a shop next to his house, and recently this shop developed a leaky roof. With him undergoing treatment, he's had neither the energy or the money to replace the roof. Well, the men in our church came out in full force this weekend. About 20 of us showed up 7am on Saturday and stripped, sealed, and put on new shingles in about 8 hours. It was an amazing manifestation of the body of Christ.

On a personal level, it was also a lot of fun. Many of the people there said that I've missed my true calling and that I should abandon the ministry in favor of a career as a roofer. I don't know about that, but using the nail gun was pretty sweet. And, at the very least, I feel confident that I would know how to replace a roof if I needed to.

Reflections on Canoing

2007-09-05T16:11:00.000-05:00

Yesterday morning Kathi and I went canoing with a couple in our church, Larry and Beth. We went out on the lake near our house and paddled around for a couple of hours. I really can't remember the last time I went canoing. It must have been at least since I was a kid. Everyone agreed that canoing on a river would have been more fun, but the serene lake was nice and relaxing.

It was a brief respite in the midst of a hectic time. This weekend as I was talking with Brian, I bragged about how I don't let stress affect me too much. God must have been laughing because I've been in denial recently about just how stressed out I am. Support raising along with money concerns, dental working being done, and busyness all around have made it hard to catch up. Please be praying for us.

Reflections on Jane's Visit

2007-08-29T21:26:00.000-05:00

We had a fun visit from our Illinois friend Jane on Monday. I met Jane way back in 2001 through my church up in Libertyville. She felt sorry for me since I was new in town and didn't know anyone - plus she wanted to set me up with her 17 year old daughter. While things with her daughter never happened, Jane and her family sort of adopted me while I lived in Illinois. She would occasionally cook me German dinners and mended whenever I got holes in my pants.

Well, Jane is the business manager for a professional men's A'Cappella ensemble called Chapter 6. It turns out they were performing near here on Monday, so it was the perfect opportunity for us to hang out with Jane! After the concert (which was great), she drove down and stayed the night at the farm. We caught up on each others lives and enjoyed tea and laughter together.

Reflections on Catholic Wedding

2007-08-25T23:10:00.000-05:00

Today I went to my first Catholic wedding. We went and saw Kathi's friends Zach and Amy get married down in West Virginia. It took place in a simple Catholic church in Wheeling, and it involved a not-so-simple Catholic mass. It was definitely an interesting experience and it made me realize how little I actually know about Catholicism. It elicited some good conversations.

Random Signage V

2007-08-19T18:37:00.001-05:00

We snapped this picture on the campus of University of Illinois-Chicago. There are just no words. I think they're trying a bit too hard to be relevant to the youth culture.

When Did We Become Whiners?

2007-08-15T22:30:00.000-05:00

There have been a couple of things occurring in current events that have really upset me with evangelicalism in America. The first one is a lawsuit filed by the Christian men’s fraternity Beta Upsilon Chi against the University of Florida which prohibited on campus recognition of the group because they discriminate based on gender and religion. There has been uproar among Christians that the university is performing a great injustice on the group.

I’m beginning to fear that evangelicals are litigating and complaining away any effective witness in our culture. When did we become such whiners? When did we start believing that the world owes us anything in the way of rights, recognition, or privilege? We whine and complain when the world doesn’t treat us as it treats its own. The truth of the matter is that as followers of Jesus we are in opposition to the world – the conclusion then is that we will come under continual fire from the world. Why would we expect any less?

The second event is the kidnapping and killing of the South Korean Christian workers in Afghanistan. I perused several Christian blogs that decried how the mainstream media wasn’t giving this injustice the attention it truly merited. Why are we surprised? Certainly, we should strive to have their stories shared for their benefit and for the encouragement of the saints. But, it seems that evangelicalism has fallen into the same narcissistic compulsion in our culture to have our rights affirmed by the mainstream.

I’m beginning to fear that the result of this attitude has been to forfeit much of our credibility in the greater culture. It looks as if we are just another one of the many special interests trying to defend itself in the marketplace of worldviews. The biblical example seems to be to bless those who speak against us, and allow them to trample over us. Jesus spoke on the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). Time and again history has shown that people are won when Christians endure derision, abuse, and even death with peace, love, and compassion (check out Matthew 5:38-48). I admit that I have no idea if I’m strong enough to do this – I’m a big people-pleaser. God, give me the strength to accept abuse with love. Give us the strength.

Reflections on Messy Missions

2007-08-14T11:08:00.001-05:00

I started reading a book called From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya by Ruth Tucker. It's a biographical history of missions from the early church all the way up to today. It basically gives short biographical sketches of some well-known and not so well-known missionaries through the major periods of evangelism in church history. I can't tell you how impacting it has been to read this book, and I'm only a quarter of the way through. Evangelical Christians look up in awe at the great pioneers of missions - people like William Carey, Count von Zinzendorf, or Paul. But, these people were in many ways dismal failures.

Tucker does a great job of portraying these people honestly so that their successes and their astonishing weaknesses are made plain. Some of these figures whom we idealize were materialists, horrible husbands, impatient, ethno-centrists, and more. But, this has done so much to teach me that God works in spite of all of our weaknesses and sin. He took these messy people and established His Church. It's almost too amazing for me to grasp.

All of this has been doing two things in me. First, I'm not holding so high of expectations over myself and Kathi as we enter the mission field. Bottom line: we are going to screw up. We are weak and fearful, and, even worse, we're stubborn, impatient and prideful. But, God works in spite of all of that. Secondly, it is giving me such a great amazement at the love, grace, and sovereignty of God. The work of the Church has been a messy business throughout the centuries. Inquisitions, Crusades, colonialism, and Indian massacres have put a horrible stain on the Church. But, God is not daunted even by these things. He has moved and is still moving. He is so wonderful, good, and loving to all He has made!

Reflections on Family Visit

2007-08-06T12:06:00.000-05:00

This weekend we drove down to Dayton to visit with the family. We spent most of Saturday grilling out with my sister, her husband, their baby boy, and my mom. The picture is my sister and her son Gavin. She doesn't look too happy because Gavin has an iron grip on her hair. Anyway, that evening my dad and I rummaged through stacks of old documents and photos left by my grandmother. We found some pretty crazy stuff like personal letters from the 1880s, autographs of Frank Sinatra, Tommy Dorsey, and Glenn Miller that belonged to my grandfather, an old draft notice from the Civil War. It was wild.

Before we headed back yesterday, we went to a going-away party for a guy we met at candidate orientation last year. He just finished his support raising, and he's getting ready to move over to Finland to begin working in a church plant there. We were also able to see our supervisor from GEM as well as another couple from orientation. So, now we're back in Dellroy, and we're trying to get refocused on support raising.

Reflections on Media Sensationalism

2007-08-04T09:52:00.000-05:00

I pulled this image off the FoxNews website. They're using this as their tag for the Minneapolis bridge collapse tragedy. Am I the only one who things this is disgusting and shameless? I think we are all aware of the sensationalism that's prevalent in the media, but at what point does it become too much? Of course, the question becomes who is really to blame? They push this sensationalism because it sells, which means that people buy into it. Is the media to blame or are we?

Reflections on Poison Ivy

2007-08-02T18:06:00.002-05:00

The past days, I've been suffering from an accute case of urushiol-induced contact dermatitis - a.k.a., poison ivy. I haven't had poison ivy since I was a kid. And, I'm remembering now that I get poison ivy really bad. It's spread all over my arm like some Biblical plague, so I'll spare you the details, but it's generally disgusting. I'm pretty sure that I got it from our dog because I'm usually not one for rolling around in strange, leafy pastures. Regardless, we've been trying various home remedies like Calamine lotion or rubbing it with old fashioned laundry soap. Nothing's working so far.

The episode has piqued my interested on how it all works. Apparently, the oil from the plant doesn't cause the reaction per se. The oil called urushoil bonds with your skin, and once bound your immune system treats the skin as a foreign agent and attacks - hence the oozy mess. Oh, Toxicodendron radicans...what did I ever do to you?!?

Random Signage IIII

2007-07-29T13:56:00.000-05:00

This beautiful clock was donated to Ohio University by the campus's Phi Beta Kappa chapter to commemorate the opening of the new student center. In case you haven't noticed yet, check out the number 4. Oops.

Reflections on Five Years of Studying

2007-07-24T14:59:00.001-05:00

It's official, and they can't take it away from me! I now have the paper work to prove it, and no amount of red tape or bureaucracy can say otherwise! I'm actually pretty impressed that they sent it out so soon.

I look back now, and I'm so thankful for the opportunity God gave me to study. Not many people get to do that, and I know that I'm no one special and didn't deserve more than the next guy. I just pray that God would use it instead of allowing it to gather dusk and mothballs in my brain.

What's So Bad About Dogma?

2007-07-21T12:06:00.000-05:00

I recently finished a book by Rick Richardson called Reimagining Evangelism. Essentially, Richardson wants to challenge laypeople, who have previously been weary of evangelism, to view the endeavor as an invitation to a spiritual journey. He rightly appeals to the distaste many have for the salesman feel evangelism has taken on in many quarters. He desires that the church put away its propositional and dogmatic view of the Gospel and contextualize it to a post-Christian, postmodern society. He suggests that we need to move away from Gospel as dogma to Gospel as story, from individual focus to community focus, and event orientation to journey orientation.

While much of what he had to say is so valuable in regard to how we relate Jesus to a society that thinks they know all there is to know about him, I fear that many are taking these views too far. I’m disheartened by many authors’ apparent desire to cast off propositional truth as a relic of a bygone modernist era. The very word dogma in our culture carries an overwhelmingly negative connotation. To be dogmatic is to be inflexible, arrogant, and intolerant. But, what if dogma (meaning sets of truths and proposition by which we form a worldview) still has a vital role to play in the life and witness of the church?

That’s not to say that dogma isn’t frequently wielded in order to gain power or maintain self-righteousness. Such uses are wrong, unbiblical, and probably the source of all the stigma surrounding the concept. We should all recognize, Christian and non-Christian, that no one has a monopoly on truth, and we should humbly confess that we too are on a spiritual journey to continually discover that truth. But, Christians should proclaim that there are certain things about God, humanity, and Christ that we can hold on to as right. We need to reject the ungraciousness and arrogance while at the same time lift up the uniqueness of Christ as the way to God. Is that possible, or are these two things mutually exclusive?

To be fair, I don’t think that Richardson would necessarily disagree with me. His desire simply is to encourage the church to contextualize the Gospel to a culture that doesn’t put much stock in propositions. In that respect, what he has to say is very valuable. But, many take this call for contextualization as a call for the rejection of all things “dogmatic”. Such a complete rejection doesn’t view the post-Christian culture critically and will end up making the same mistake that post-modern Christians claim modernist Christians have made. Plus, dogma when used correctly plays a vital role in centering the church on the truth of Jesus Christ.

Reflections on County Fairs

2007-07-17T21:53:00.001-05:00

Today I got initiated into the wondrous world of the Carroll County Fair! Many of you may not know this about my Kathi, but she was a 4-H girl when she was younger. So, she was really excited to tread her old stumping ground. There were many things that I got to experience - show hogs, tractor pulls, elephant ears. Unfortunately, I couldn't convince Kathi to get the "Redneck Girl" temporary tattoo. We did eat a lot of fried foods though, so that's a bonus. Beyond the fried Oreos, pretty much all there was to do was look at unnaturally large tomatoes and ride vomit-inducing carnival rides. So, we only spent a few hours walking around. I give my first county fair experience a C+.

Reflections on Motorcyclists

2007-07-15T17:13:00.000-05:00

Now that it's summer, all of the motorcycle riders are out. We were driving behind one the other day, and we noticed something weird. Each time this motorcyclist passed another motorcycle coming from the other direction, they would wave at each other. This happened five or six times, and it happened between seemingly polar opposite peoples - a 50 year old retiree riding a Honda cruiser waving at a tattooed, long-haired Harley rider. Very strange.

So, all you motorcycle enthusiasts, what's with the apparent camaraderie among riders? I know that numerous subcultures revolve around motorcycles, but isn't that a little ridiculous? Does owning a motorcycle really bring you into some worldwide fraternity? I mean, any Joe Sweatsock with a midlife crisis and a couple grand can get a motorcycle. I think I'm going to start waving at every Honda Accord that I pass on the road. We'll see what happens.

Reflections on Living History

2007-07-13T21:13:00.000-05:00

We had a remarkable meeting the other day with an itinerant pastor and his wife from the Canton area. Kathi and I were referred to him by some friends because he was born and raised in Germany. We really had no idea what to expect from this lunch. The couple was actually much older than we had expected, and it turns he was born in 1925 and was drafted into the German Luftwaffe during World War Two! He grew up in a German Christian household in Poland and was a teenager when Hitler invaded that country in 1939.

The man just had some unbelievable stories! He was drafted in the middle of the War, and he was supposed to be put into the SS, but was drafted instead into the Luftwaffe after his father had intervened for him. He was trained as a medic and fortunately only saw the last few months of the conflict. He was soon taken as an American POW where he was secretly shipped to the United States to serve his time. After his release, he emigrated back to America where he went to Princeton seminary where he met his wife, and then taught at various Bible schools.

He had so many encouraging things to say about our desire to minister in Germany. His heart is that the Gospel would be revived in his home country. It just amazed us to see how God moved so miraculously to bring this child of His through war, prison, and into His service. It was a unique and powerful connection with a history that's slowly disappearing.

Reflections on High School Reunion

2007-07-08T20:57:00.000-05:00

This weekend we went to Kathi's ten year high school reunion. I can't believe it's been ten years since we've been in high school. The sad thing was that by the looks of the reunion not much has changed. You could look around and see all of the cliques that existed ten years before. We pretty much kept to the few people from high school that Kathi hung out with. We heard that all the cool people went to someone's house afterwards where they drank the rest of the night. We ended up at a friend's hotel room where we played Settlers of Catan well into the evening. We're such nerds. Like I said, not much has changed.

Happy Indepedence Day

2007-07-04T11:11:00.000-05:00

Here's what the deist, Thomas Jefferson, said about morality, religion, and government:

Can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with his wrath?

Jefferson never advocated for a Christian nation. Rather, he's saying that our rights and sense of liberty are derived from a belief in a loving, benevolent God who wishes every person to be set free. When we deny this belief, we take away the very foundation of our liberty, which only then leads to tyranny.

Reflections on Athens Trip

2007-07-02T19:15:00.000-05:00

This weekend, we joined Randy, Sarah, Brian and Karin down in Athens for a nostalgic tour de force at our beloved alma mater. We walked around campus reminiscing of college, which was interrupted periodically by fits of jealousy over some of the newly constructed amenities students are enjoying nowadays. We ate lunch at the Bagel Street Deli, lounged at the Donkey, and stuffed ourselves at the ole Casa Nueva. The conversation was filled with memories and laughs that had all of us pining for college.

Combining this visit with the book I just finished has left me in a pensive mood. I’ve been reading The Cairo Trilogy, which is a generational novel written by Egyptian author Naguib Mahfouz. It basically follows a Cairo family in the first half of the 20^th century from is heights through its disintegration. It made me so sad to watch these characters go through the glories of life only to end up right where everyone else ends up: on the verge of death. Time passes by so quickly.

There are so many things about college that I miss - things that have now become almost legendary among our friends. But, that time was only a vapor. We’ll blink and before you know it we’ll be 80 (Lord willing). It’s really sad. The only thing that keeps life from being a cruel joke is knowing that God has more for than simply good times. Knowing Him will be only thing we’ll be able to take with us when we die.

I hate to be a downer and all. There’s still so much to look forward to, so I don’t want to get bogged down in reminiscence. But, I wish I had drunk more liberally from those experiences when they were happening. Poignant lesson for the present.

Random Signage III

2007-06-27T11:59:00.000-05:00

We saw this one on the back of a van in Colorado Springs. I'm not really sure if this person's proud of being from Kansas or not.

Reflections on Speedos

2007-06-24T21:36:00.001-05:00

Thanks to a blog post by a missionary friend in France, I've only now begun to realize that I will never be able to swim once we move to Germany. It's not that swimming pools are bad over there or that I don't enjoy swimming. It's for the simple reason that I will never never ever ever wear a Speedo. And since that is simply the only swimwear men use over in Europe, I've conclude that I just will never swim. Kathi challenged me in this declaration and said that she wouldn't mind me wearing a Speedo if we went to Greece or something. In that situation, being able to lounge on the beautiful white beaches of the Aegean would be worth my utter humiliation. I responded with the absolute statement that I will NEVER put on a Speedo. I know that people say never say never and that God likes to thwart these sort of declarations, but I'm stating it now for the public record that a Speedo will never embrace my mid-section.

Dr. Greg Waybright: Pop Sensation

2007-06-19T15:52:00.000-05:00

This post is mostly for those people out there who attended or had some other connection with Trinity International University. For everyone who fits into that category, most of you know the former President of the university, Greg Waybright. Dr. Waybright is an amazing, godly, joyful man who really was the pastoral heart of that school for more than ten years. He recently resigned from that position to take up a pastorate in Pasadena, California.

Well, we found out today that years before Dr. Waybright established his professional ministerial career, he saw some modest success in the German music world! I pulled this gem off of a German ebay-site. This is no joke...Isn't that AMAZING!?!

Reflections on Greener Grass

2007-06-18T19:01:00.000-05:00

Some of you may be wondering why I've posted a picture of SFB? This is quite possibly the coolest family picture ever. Salentine's were one among many visits we've been making the past few days. All of these joyful reunions are making it really hard not wanting to just move back. The grass truly is greener. When we were here, we couldn't wait to leave the suburbs and get on with our lives in professional ministry. But, being back we are finding ourselves missing some of the very things we decried while we were here - like strip malls and suburban conformism.

Of course, we mostly miss the people. We worshiped yesterday at our old church in the midst of so many people dear to us. And, the next few nights we are hanging out with Frank and Betsy, and many others. With that said, it's completely frustrating knowing that we're not going to be able to see many of our close friends while we are here. There's just not enough time. So, if there's anybody reading this whom we haven't been able to see, please know we do love you. It kills us that we haven't had enough time to see everyone.

Reflections on Hanging in Chicago

2007-06-16T15:23:00.000-05:00

Welcome back to Chicago, Crams! We drove in yesterday and hung out with our friend, Tony in the city. We were very excited to finally meet Tony's new girlfriend, Hannah. We really like Hannah. We approve, Tony. Anyway, now we're up in the suburbs spending time with some other friends of ours. We are, however, up here to do a little support raising as well. We'll be meeting with a church missions committee on Tuesday, and we're hoping to arrange some other meetings in the meantime. With all of that on our plate, we are going to be really busy the next couple of days. Kathi actually got a migraine this morning brought on by our frenetic pace.

Reflections on Our 2nd Anniversary

2007-06-11T20:41:00.000-05:00

Two years ago on this day, I married my wife, Kathi. I always think it's funny when people say that their wedding day is the happiest day of their lives. If you think about it, that's kind of sad. They're basically saying that it's all downhill from there. For Kathi and I, it seems we keep having those "happiest days" continually. I'm so thankful that I married her, and I look forward to many, many more years of joy, companionship, love, and triumph with my wife.

The only sad thing is that we haven't been able to have a "proper" anniversary yet. Last year at this time, we were in Colorado doing our orientation training. This year we've been consumed with support raising. Hopefully, next year I'll be able to treat her to something a bit more special. But, if you asked her, she would say that being near her is special enough.

On a funny note, we did decide to go out and get a bottle of wine to celebrate. We went to the local IGA only to discover there was no wine there (plenty of cheap beer though). Apparently, there's no market for fine wine in Carroll County, Ohio. We ended up getting some Amish wine at a local Speedway. So romantic.

Reflections on Reds Curse

2007-06-10T13:01:00.000-05:00

I'm pretty sure when it comes to the Cincinnati Reds that I am thoroughly cursed. To start with, I haven't seen a winning Reds game in person since at least 1999. I think it all started when I saw the Mets beat the Reds in a season ending playoff game of that year sending the Mets to the post-season and the Redlegs to an early winter break. Since then they have lost every game I have attended whether it's been in Cincinnati or away.

Now I think the curse has even extended to even watching Reds games on television. I can't even remember the last time I've seen them win. It seems that whenever I'm busy in the evening and I can't catch the game, they win. But, when I'm at home and watching, they blow it. I just don't get it. It sucks being a Reds fan.

Reflections on Leslie Visit

2007-06-02T20:23:00.000-05:00

Last weekend, we got a great surprise when one of Kathi's friends gave us a call out of the blue to let us know they were in town. So, we got together with Leslie and Nathan for some coffee, and then we proceeded to steal Leslie from Nathan, taking her home for the night. We went to a neighbors for a cook out and stayed up late looking at college pictures. Nothing but a down-home good time.

I love watching Leslie and Kathi together, because Leslie is one of those people that brings out so much joy and laughter from my wife. You can't help but laugh hysterically when you're around this person. Unfortunately, though we see her way too seldom. She and her husband live in Philly and are in the process of going into the Peace Corp to serve in the Caucasus. I know, right...Peace Corp...hippies.

Random Signage II

2007-05-29T22:08:00.001-05:00

The gem was taken in Germany. The translation is: "Foodstuffs are grown in the meadows and fields."

Reflections on Lamb Season

2007-05-24T15:31:00.001-05:00

It's lambing season on the King farm. Forgive me for sounding like a girl, but...Aren't they cute? Baby lambs would make any person's heart melt. In fact, I'm convinced this is a guaranteed way to usher in world peace. Let's bring the Israelis and the Palestinians to the negotiating table and let some baby lambs run loose in the room. Inevitably everyone will become all emotional and sentimental, thereby ensuring generations of lasting peace.

Reflections on Lloyd-Jones

2007-05-22T15:11:00.000-05:00

So, I came across some writings of a Welsh revivalist named Martyn Lloyd-Jones. I had never heard of him before, but some of the stuff that I read was so relevant and poignant. He died about 25 years ago after having led the evangelical movement in Wales and England. After reading some snippets I think I'm going to have to pick up more of him. Here's one quote that floored me:

The glory of the gospel is that when the Church is absolutely different from the world, she invariably attracts it. It is then that the world is made to listen to her message, though it may hate it at first. That is how revival comes. That must also be true of us as individuals. It should not be our ambition to be as much like everybody else as we can, though we happen to be Christian, but rather to be as different from everybody who is not a Christian as we can possibly be. Our ambition should be to be like Christ, the more like Him the better, and the more like Him we become, the more we shall be unlike everybody who is not a Christian.

Reflections on Reds Depression

2007-05-19T10:41:00.000-05:00

I hate the Cincinnati Reds. Kathi and I went to the Reds-Indians game up at Jacob's Field last night. During the top half of the second inning, the Reds notched four runs thanks in part to a Ryan Freel triple. For a brief moment, I was happy to be a Reds fan. Then, in the bottom half of the inning, they gave up six runs to the Indians offense. It was pathetic.

As I watched Kyle Lohse self-destruct (1 1/3 innings, 5 earned runs), I started to consider abandoning my life-long allegiance to the Reds in favor of a team that is a little less heart-breaking. Perhaps the Indians? Heck, I could be a Yankees fan, and then I know I would be rooting for a winning team. But, I decided that I just couldn't leave'em. I'll continue to watch them with tears in my eyes.

Random Signage I

2007-05-18T13:42:00.001-05:00

We saw this sign in Sandusky last weekend. Not really sure what eschatalogical system they're trying to endorse through this sign.

Anyway, I'm starting a new post category today called Random Signage. Basically, it's something I can post whenever there's nothing going on thereby avoiding the cries of hypocrisy that arose after my recent absence. It'll include strange and random signs that I've encountered. It'll be funny, trust me.

Reflections on Twenty-Nine

2007-05-15T18:36:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday to me! Yesterday was the big 29, and Kathi and I went down to Columbus to celebrate with the Surface's and the Flora's They took us out to a BBQ joint in Gahanna called Hoggy's (yeah, isn't that awesome). We ate meat, reminisced, and laughed, and good times were had by all. We ended up staying up late looking at old college pictures.

With all the nostalgia that was happening last night, all of us were struck with the uncomfortable notion that we are all getting old! It has been more than 10 years since we all left home to go to college, and it all went by like a vapor. In the blink of an eye we'll be reminiscing ten years from now about how our 30's seemed to pass so quickly. Looking back at all those pictures I want time to slow down somehow.

The other notion that was on the minds of both Kathi and I was whether we'd still be close to all of our college friends in ten years. I have no doubt that Brian and I will be in a nursing home together someday, and I look forward to the day when we can take our kids to visit Uncle Randy and Aunt Sarah. But, other than those two couples, I barely have any contact with the people I was so close to just a few years back. It makes me really sad.

Reflections on the Pres-tones

2007-05-13T14:05:00.000-05:00

A big congratulations to Gabe & Brooke Preston on their marriage yesterday. God bless you all the days of your life. It was a great wedding for the simple fact that it was a virtual who's who of awesome Ohio University Alum. Kathi and I were both really excited to see so many college friends.

Happy Mother's Day

2007-05-13T14:02:00.000-05:00

"My mother had a great deal of trouble with me, but I think she enjoyed it."
-Mark Twain

To all those mothers out there (including a special one in particular), you've truly made us into the men and women we are today. I love you, mom!

Reflections on Graduation

2007-05-12T21:54:00.000-05:00

I didn't realize it until yesterday, but I graduate today from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School! I'm now a Master of Arts in Religion with the full certification and titles that brings. So, you ask, why aren't you in Chicago right now receiving your recognition? Two words: In Absentia. I actually finished classes back in December, but couldn't graduate then because of a paperwork snafu. So, I really didn't want to bother with all of the hassle of a commencement ceremony.

Reflections on God's Majesty

2007-05-11T15:17:00.000-05:00

I've been leading a Bible study at our church for the past several weeks, and recently we discussed the majesty of God. We've been coming to realize just how weak our vision of God and His holiness really is. The verse we studied was the commissioning of the prophet Isaiah in chapter 6:

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying.
And they were calling to one another:
"Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty;
the whole earth is full of his glory."
At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty."

Wow! I mean, come on! When was the last time any of us had such a reaction to the presence of God Almighty? It's amazing how much we have created a nice, tame God who is cuddly and soft. The reality is that God is awesome and mighty. No wonder our worship and our Christian lives have been flabby and weak.

Now I have no idea how we can return to right thoughts about God. I do know that this tame version of God is the essence of idolatry - the worship of a false image of God. Lord, help us.

Reflections on Bill's Messiah Complex

2007-05-09T20:48:00.000-05:00

Kathi and I were at the library the other checking our email and browsing some books. Kathi decided to check out Culture Warrior by Bill O'Reilly for her dad. Now, I'm not a big Factor guy, but I spent the rest of the afternoon reading through the entire book. It was interesting to say the least. He's basically saying that there is a war going on in America right now where certain "far left" elements in society are attempting to hijack our country and turn it into a socialist atheist state.

Now, I will give it to Bill that he does see a shift in our culture away from our tradition as a nation with a Judeo-Christian ethos (not a Christian nation mind you - we were never a "Christian nation" - but that's another conversation) to a more secular society. But, it seems kind of weird that Bill has set himself up as the standard barer of the fight to bring values back to America. It seemed a little self-righteous.

It got me thinking though. I know that America will come and go, and that what is happening in our society has been happening in countries since the Roman Empire. But, culture can be redeemed. There is still hope that our society will turn back to God, and I think that many Christians (especially younger Christians) believe that it's either not worth the effort or we should just build our defenses and wait for the parousia. But, Jesus can transform peoples as well as people. Bill is no Jesus Christ.

Reflections on Dieting

2007-05-05T16:13:00.000-05:00

So, about a week ago, Kathi and I decided to go on a diet. I saw how my dad and step mom had lost some weight on their diet and we got inspired. We're trying to do a low carb/good carb diet - cutting out most of our carbohydrates including all sugars, bread, pasta, rice, etc. We've only been eating some whole grain stuff. This means lots of meat, veggies, and dairy.

The diet was cool for about 2 days, at which point I started really craving Nacho Cheese Doritos. For the past week, I've been hungry all the time. It's amazing how much of our regular diet is all of those filling carbs. Anyway, I feel the diet degrading pretty quickly...I had a sandwich at lunch today. At the very least though, it has helped Kathi and I realize how much junk we do eat and how we can go about simply making better decisions.

Reflections on Sheep Sheering

2007-05-01T11:13:00.000-05:00

This suburban kid got to experience another farm adventure this weekend. In case you don't know, my in-laws raise sheep at their farm in Carroll County, Ohio. Actually, it's not really profitable as a business (both of Kathi's parents are retired teachers) but they keep about dozen sheep as a hobby. Anyway, this weekend was sheering day for the sheep. Kathi's dad hired a sheep sheerer to come to the farm in order to shave them down to their skivvies, and I got to help. Don't get too excited. Basically, my job was to help wrangle the sheep from their pen to the sheerer who then did his job. Regardless, it was an adventure. They are very uncooperative animals.

Reflections on Baseball Road Trip

2007-04-28T17:40:00.000-05:00

My apologies to everyone who have been waiting for a new blog entry. I know that I'm a complete hypocrite now for not having posted for more than two weeks. My bad. Really there hasn't been much to write about. I guess I could have spewed out something frivolous in the meantime. Oh, well. Anyway, the last few days I've been on the road. Thursday I drove with my dad and brother-in-law to St. Louis and attended a ballgame at the new Busch Stadium. In all, I spent about 20 hours in a car in order to see 4 hours of baseball. You may call it obsession, but it's just devotion to the greatest game on the planet.

The new stadium in St. Louis is really nice. It was right downtown, and it had some great views of the Arch and the city from the outfield. We saw them play the Reds, which was in itself depressing because they played like junk. I can't remember the last time I've been to a game that the Reds actually won.

Reflections on Y-ID

2007-04-12T17:38:00.000-05:00

Reflections on the Y

2007-04-10T18:06:00.000-05:00

Today I started my new part time job at the YMCA, and I love it! Technically, I'm Member Services Assistant, but really I'm sitting behind the front desk all day, answering phones, swiping people into the building, and signing up new members. It's sweet. Basically, this job is exactly what Kathi and I need right now because with all of the support raising we wanted something that would be too demanding. Hole in one.

Tomorrow I'm going in an hour early in order to swim some laps and work out a little bit. The real test will be how long I'll be able to keep that up. We really wanted this job because it comes with a free membership. It's a mystery whether I'll actually take advantage of the perk. But, I have good motivation - namely, I'm getting fat.

Reflections on Easter Bunny Madness

2007-04-08T22:11:00.000-05:00

Happy Easter, everyone! Yeah, isn't this picture awesome! The bunny suit is inhabited by my step-mother, and the baby is my newborn nephew, Gavin. Kathi and I have decided to start setting money aside that will go to Gavin's eventual psychological counseling.

In all seriousness, I hope everyone had a wonderful and contemplative Easter. I pray along with Paul that, "the eyes of your heart may be enlightened that you might know...his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms." (Ephesians 1:18-20)

Reflections on Blogging Wives

2007-04-04T10:12:00.000-05:00

It's official: I have finally sucked my wife into the narcissistic world of blogging. Ever since I've started doing this, whenever something funny or profound has happened to her, she's commented, "I wish I could blog this." Well, now all her dreams have come true. Join me in welcoming my wife to the blogsphere by visiting Model of Redemption. Leave lots of comments so that her first exercise in blogging is a positive one.

Reflections on the Andersens

2007-04-02T13:08:00.000-05:00

Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Andersen! You guys are awesome. The wedding on Saturday was by far the most worshipful wedding we have ever been to. We are so honored to be a part of it. Thanks guys!

Reflections on Lame Repetitive Subject Titles

2007-03-29T23:39:00.000-05:00

There have been several threats made against me by certain other bloggers who were offended by my Blog Etiquette post. It appears that I have stepped on the toes of the powerful fatherhood blogger syndicate. I must confess that I initially resisted the thought of bowing to their wishes. When will their tyranny end, my friends? But, then I was persuaded by a few factors. First, I realized that some day, God willing, I too will be a gushing father who will undoubtedly turn this blog into a forum for discussing how perfect my child is. Second, I was convinced that I couldn't stand up to the raw blogging power displayed by the sfb and b-u-r-l-y as well as many others from their cadre. So, I've decided to humbly and wisely confess that it was arrogant and wrong of me to speak against the practice of loving fathers sharing the joy of their children with the rest of cyberspace. What is more, I am convinced that sfb and b-u-r-l-y do indeed have the most beautiful (handsome), intelligent, clean, thoughtful, well-behaved, and well-dressed children in all of bloggerdom. Please accept my sincerest apologies.

Reflections on Travel Craziness

2007-03-29T23:27:00.000-05:00

So, we are in the latter half of our crazy travel schedule. The weekend began with a quick drive from Carroll County over to Toledo. We spent the night with our friends Luke and Steph. The next day we headed up to Detroit to hang out with Becky and Jason. After two days of relaxing fellowship, we hit the road again - this time in the opposite direction to Rochester, PA. We attended a wonderful meeting with a church missions committee there. We spent that night back in Carroll County only to get up eight hours later in order to make the seven hour drive out to Chicago. Plain ridiculous.

The past few days we've been spending time with the various Chicago friends whom we haven't seen in a while. Tomorrow and Saturday we'll be busy with Frank and Betsy's wedding! It's going to be pretty awesome.

Reflections on Auto Empowerment

2007-03-22T17:18:00.000-05:00

I've never really seen myself as a man's man. I'm not terribly athletic, I don't climb mountains, and I'm not very good at fixing things. So, it was a big step for me to actually learn how to change the oil in my car. For some people, it may seem like a small thing, but I've been forced all my adult life to rely on Jiffy Lube. Yesterday, Kathi's dad opened up their garage pit, and we change the oil on our Honda. It actually wasn't difficult at all. I feel kinda stupid now for having paid someone $30 to do a lousy job of it. You can laugh all you want, but I thought it was pretty cool.

On another note, Kathi and I are hitting the road tomorrow for a speedy trip to Toledo, Detroit, and then PA. We'll be visiting some friends and pounding the pavement for support. After a breif stop back here in Ohio on Monday, we'll be heading out to Chicago then on Tuesday for Frank & Betsy's wedding.

Reflections on Church Membership

2007-03-18T12:26:00.000-05:00

This morning I was officially inducted as a member of Christ Community Church here in Dellroy. This is the same church that Kathi's parents have been a part of since children and the congregation in which Kathi grew up in. Now I'm part of the family. It's been awesome getting to know these people, and it's awesome to see church happen in a context besides suburbia. There's more of a sense of community and communal responsibility here than in my previous church experiences.

It also means that I'm a member of a church for the first time in my life. I've always been reluctant to join a church because membership always seemed antiquated to me. What's the point? If you're committed to a body to serve, love, and engage in mission with, why is the legality of membership necessary? I'm still not sure on that issue. Any thoughts? At any rate, I'm now a part of this awesome church body!

Reflections on Guys Night Out

2007-03-14T10:42:00.000-05:00

Throughout the past six months or so, I've been craving a guy's night. I drove down to Columbus yesterday to hang out with Brian, whose wife had recently left for a week in California. We were joined by Randy Surface at which point we went to Quaker Steak & Lube for their all-you-can-eat wings night. Since college it's been a tradition to get together with the guys and eat obscene amounts of chicken wings. Unfortunately, we just can't pack'em away like we used to. Regardless, we had some good Louisiana Lickers, and then went back to Brian's place where we talked about politics and the fall of Western Civilization.

After Randy left, Brian and I stayed up till 3 am talking. It was a much needed reconnection, and an encouragement to both of us. Now I have to rejoin the support raising rat race today. But before I leave, I have to get a mandatory Chipotle visit while I'm here in Columbus.

Reflections on Blog Etiquette

2007-03-10T14:06:00.000-06:00

So, I have some comments about blogging etiquette. I know that I'm not the best at this, but there should be some unwritten social rule saying that you have to write on your blog at least once a week. If not, what's the point of having a blog anyway? You just continually give your friends and other followers false hopes that you may some day give them a morsel of commentary. Instead your readers fruitlessly run through their blogrolls day after day with no satisfaction.

Therefore, I'm putting the following friends on notice for their delinquency in blog posting: Randy Surface, Sarah Surface, Aaron, Leggett, Matt Riley (come on, what's going on in France, friend?!?), Pastor John Ramer, Chris Lorentz, and Ryan Hofacre! Please, give us something! Anything!

In connection with this complaint, there are certain friends of mine out there that should have blogs but don't. They include: my wife, Brian Flora, Dennis Hoyle, Brian Herman, my dad, Neal Herr, Aaron Salentine (he has a blog, but all he does is post pictures of his baby girl...okay, we get it...you think your kid is cute), Frank Andersen, and Eric Sandberg. Please get to work on that for us.

Reflections on OCEA

2007-03-03T16:44:00.000-06:00

So, we finished up our conference today, and it was all together a mixed bag. I'll start with the positive, I guess. We stuck solely to the break out sessions, and there were a few really good ones. We went to one about prison ministries, which was encouraging to hear about how God is redeeming and reconciling even those who are most hardened in life. We also went to an Islam session presented by a Pakistani who came to Christ as a teenager. He had some balanced, love-filled, and intelligent things to say about Christianity and Islam. He gave a wonderful presentation on understanding Muslim and sharing Christ with them.

That session proved to be a stark contrast to the other Islam session we went to. The presenter wasn't an Islam expert (she was a medical doctor who present earlier in the day about the crucifixion), and she was trying to give a biblical explanation as to why the Middle East is the way it is. Unfortunately, she didn't get very far because there was actually a Muslim in the audience who challenged (in many cases, rightly so) most of what she said. As soon as it came out that there was a Muslim in the class, it was like sharks smelling blood in the water. Many well-intentioned believers in the room decided they need to put in their two cents about the misguided nature of Islam - most of their comments not being very intelligent. Kathi and I were slightly embarrassed for the church because of it all.

Then there was the huge gym filled with Christian vendors trying to sell their wares. While much of that stuff I'm sure is helpful, I just couldn't shake the impression that the Church has become all about being a supplier of religious products and services for a Christian consumer culture. Blah. Don't listen to me...I'm just a Communist. On the whole though, it was worth the $35 at least.

Reflections on Christian Conferences

2007-03-01T14:51:00.000-06:00

Tomorrow Kathi and I are attending the Ohio Christian Education Association's annual conference. Not really sure how good this is going to be seeing as their keynote speaker is a Christian puppeteer. But, they have around a million break out sessions, so I'm sure we'll find something interesting. Why is it that Evangelicals love conferences? Is it the emphasis in church culture on the "big event?" I never really saw the appeal.

We just found out that Trinity is going to be one of the exhibitors at the conference. Hopefully, it'll be someone from the Admission office that I know so that we can heckle them. Anyway, hopefully this will be good or else I'm going to end up playing Spider solitaire all weekend.