I Know It By Heart

Do you know the Christmas Story? Sure, we all do. Do you know which Gospels tell what part of the story? Do you know that what most of us know as "THE" Christmas story is actually a harmonized story between a variety of sources? For example, did you know that the angel only appears to Mary in the Gospel of Luke? Did you know that the angel only appears to Joseph in the Gospel of Matthew? And yet, when we hear the story, especially in a children's Christmas play, we put both stories into the "one" story that we tell.

I've been thinking a bit about the harmonization of texts as I have focused on the texts that I have to preach on for the upcoming weekend. The assigned text is Luke 1:26-38, this is the part of the birth narrative where Mary learns from an angel that she is pregnant and then she sings the Magnificat (enter choir).

As I've thought about this and about the worship service that we are planning at Hope, I've thought about a dichotomy that seems to exist in two phrases that we seem to use interchangeably, those are "I have that memorized" and "I know it by heart". To make these phrases stand out just a little more, let's use a concrete example.

Most of us if asked will say that we have the words to "Jesus Loves Me" memorized. We know the tune, we know the words, so we can sing the song without any assistance from a piece of paper in front of us. Many of us will even say "I know that song by heart" again simply meaning, "I don't need a songbook in front of me, I can sing that song". And, I guess we can be right in both cases.

But, I will contend that to say "I know it by heart" actually is saying something more than "I have memorized it" Memorization is simply an act that we do. We memorize a lot of things from multiplication tables to addresses and phone numbers to people's names. But when we "know something by heart" I think we move into another level ... we actually find a large value in that item. So if someone asks me, "do you know the song 'Jesus Loves Me'?" and I reply, "Yes, I know it by heart" I believe what I am saying is, "I've thought about the words, these words are important to me, there is a deep meaning that resonates within me."

This brings me to a question ... have we simply memorized the Christmas Story or do we Know it by Heart? Do we simply recite details of the story that we've heard from a variety of sources? or Have we allowed the story of Christmas to penetrate our hearts and to resonate within us ... becoming a cornerstone of who we are?

Not a "Happy" movie watched on my Birthday

So, today is my birthday. I know, "Happy Birthday" ... it's obligatory, whether you care or not, you have to say it right? O.K. I'm a cynic. Most people really do care that you have a happy day, but I think it really has become one of the many niceties that we have a knee-jerk reaction to without thinking what we are really saying. But that's not the point of what I want to say here.

Today is my birthday. So to celebrate my wonderful wife took me to a movie of my choosing. Now, there aren't a whole lot of movies showing right now that I was excited to see, so I opted for one that I wanted to see but knew would be heavy and sad. Oh, well, what's a guy to do. You only get so many chances to see a movie in the theater when you have a baby at home.

So the movie we went to see was "The Boy In the Striped Pajamas" If you haven't seen the previews, it's a historical fiction about a boy who's father was Commander of one of the Concentration camps during the Holocaust. (spoiler warning - if you read the synopsis on the official website it says way too much about the plot of the film - so I suggest waiting until after the movie to read it). I went in knowing it would be a heavy and sad movie, but I wasn't quite prepared for this. The ending of the film was a shot to the gut and I'm certain that anyone who walks out of the film having not cried has to be the reincarnation of Hitler himself. It's sad, Period! There is no getting around that.

I will also offer that it is an AMAZING film and one that everyone NEEDS to see. Like Passion of the Christ, Schindler's List, and other such movies, it's necessary, especially for younger generations, to know about this part of history and think about how stories like this resonate with current events.

There are SO many amazing aspects of this film. Some of the choices in shot selection really speak volumes to messages being conveyed. Some of the storyline choices ask multiple questions (not just, "how could the Nazis do this?"). Some of the aspects of the film draw you into a story that you otherwise thought you were not a part of.

If I haven't said it enough, I really think this movie is amazing. I've already been thinking about ways that I could use this in a congregational setting. It certainly fits an Ethics class, but churches could surely use this film and conversation within small group and education times. I could even see preaching a pretty challenging sermon series with this film.

So, my summary about the film is that it will make you think, it is excellent. I've probably never said this about a film, but I would go as far as to say it is our responsibility to see this film!

Patience

I've come to the realization over the past few weeks that we are part of a society that has lost our ability to be patient. We are able to get anything we want 24/7. Stores are always open for us to get exactly what we want. We can always turn to the Internet for information at the click of a mouse. We can't stand the idea of waiting in line. We are willing to pay extra to get things faster. We simply have lost any sense of patience.

Just yesterday I was driving down the road and approached an intersection. The light was green in my direction so I was proceeding when someone from the cross-street decided to pull out in front of me. As if somehow the 10 seconds it was going to take for me to cross through the intersection was going to impede this person from getting to work (or wherever they were headed) on time. To make matters worse this person pulled out slowly and proceeded down the road slowly (causing me to slow down) which of course frustrated me and made me realize my own impatience! I had places to be (I really was running a little late to get to a meeting ... but that was MY fault). But I thought about the fact that this person couldn't wait at their red light for their turn. It's because we think we're more important than everyone around us.

In the church year we are in the midst of the Advent season. It is a season of preparation and anticipation. It is a season that is anti everything in our society. Our society tells us we can have it all RIGHT NOW and in Advent we learn we have to wait and anticipate. And waiting is good for us. It gives us time to think and reflect. It gives us time to appreciate what we will experience. When we look forward to something we get excited about. When we anticipate something we tell others about it. When we are patient we get rewarded. And Advent is a season of promise that never disappoints. Every year at the end of Advent we celebrate Christmas ... We wait for Jesus to come and guess what ... HE DOES!

So, let's wait ... let's be patient ... let's anticipate what is to come ... then when it does, let's party like it's 1999! (or something like that).

The World Needs Benchwarmers

A few weeks ago I went to a conference, well it wasn't so much a conference (where you learn new tools) as much as it was an inspirational event (go get 'em team). It was a good event, it just wasn't quite what I expected. I did enjoy the time, I was inspired. A few of the teachers/pastors had some great new insights that I was happy to hear, but one of them really ticked me off.

So this guy is rattling through his Bible quoting this scripture and that scripture and I felt like either he was ADHD or I was becoming ADHD at the frenetic pace that he was traveling back and forth in his Bible. Then, he spoke the sentence that really got under my skin ... he said, "you know, I never understood why there were guys who played sports in high school and practiced with the team and never played in the game. They were happy to sit on the bench ... why did they do that? Why didn't they just quit."

UGH! What a cocky thing to say. O.K. In this character's defense his point was "as Christians we shouldn't just sit on the bench - we need to get out the do it" But I think he chose a REALLY bad analogy. It didn't take long for me to shoot his analogy to pieces ... then in conversation with others they ripped it apart further.

Now, I'm not telling you this to say "this guy is dumb" but to make a point. The world needs benchwarmers.

In high school I was on the football team. I never started a Varsity game, in fact I rarely played in a game. But I think I made valuable contributions to the team. In the cold winter weather I kept the ponchos of the starters warm while they were on the field so they were pre-warmed when they came off the field. During practice, I was the guy willing to stand there with a blocking pad so they had someone to block. When one of the starters got injured, guys like me were there to carry them off the field ... and to take their place when they couldn't play. I'd say the guys on the bench did a lot for the good of the team.

I realize that this guy is trying to make a point ... but it's not a good point. There are plenty of people who were benchwarmers through much of their career who then went on to be great coaches. Maybe they didn't have the greatest talent but they could inspire others to achieve their potential.

I guess my point in all of this is simply that you never quite know how God is going to use you or in what ways God will prepare you for the ministry you are called to. For some of us, being part of the team in high school taught us valuable lessons for the life we are now living. So don't tell me that the world doesn't need benchwarmers otherwise you've just invalidated my entire life.

I'm thinking so hard my head hurts

O.K. My head doesn't really hurt, but it should. I've been doing a lot of thinking today and I don't think I'll get to stop thinking tomorrow. So, I guess that's a good thing, if we stop thinking I think we stop living, but I'm not entirely sure about that. But let me let you into a few of my recent thoughts.

The recent Presidential election was quite a treat. For the first time since my first time voting 16 years ago I felt like my vote really mattered and that the experience was actually kind of fun. It was the first time I had to duck the campaigners on the way in ... I don't care what they wanted to tell me, I made my decisions, I don't want to hear anymore (anyone else glad there are no more political commercials on television?). I especially enjoyed two guys who were standing just in front of me in line. They were most definitely college students voting for the first time ... they had that "just rolled out of bed look" to them (why they didn't wait until later in the day, I won't ever know). Still, they made it a point to go and vote. This leads to the fact that for the first time I wasn't the youngest person voting ... by a long shot. There were tons of young people (listen to me, am I someone's grandpa?) in line voting while I was there.

I was pleased with McCain's concession speech and Obama's acceptance speech. Yeah, it's politics, but they both played nice. I appreciated Obama's honesty that it might take a year, it might take all term. And well, it must have been alright, Oprah was there.

On to other thoughts ... What does God have in mind now? I mean, God's hand is in this whole thing, so what's next God? I guess we all have to listen. I'm tired of listening, but I've got a lifetime of it ahead of me so I might as well get used to it. Actually, I do plenty of speaking too ... I get to talk to too many people and somehow they are all convinced I know what I'm talking about. I guess I did something right.

Why is junkfood so bad for us? We all love to eat it and it tastes good so why does it make us fat? I would love to live on nacho cheese sauce ... there's just something disgustingly good about it. As a second course I'll take chocolate in pretty much any form. I've rarely found chocolate I don't like ... now, that doesn't count things that are "artificially flavored" simply, that is not chocolate. Now that Halloween is behind us, I have been fighting the urge to eat every "leftover" candybar in our house. Slowly but surely they are getting eaten, thankfully not all by me. Equally, why is fast food so bad for us and so expensive? I remember being able to eat out for under $5 ... those days are gone unless one eats on the "value" menu and where's the fun in that? I know, I should bring my own lunch, but alas some days I am too lazy to pack one (I'm honest) and other days, nothing sounds good (that has nothing to do with the fact that we're still eating cold cuts that we froze after Olivia's baptism 2 months ago).

Why don't the Packers ever get television coverage in California? I'm tired of the 49ers and Raiders, I think everyone admits neither of these teams is worth watching. Can we please have some other options in the Bay Area? And no, I am not buying Sunday Ticket in order to see the games I want (not like I get to watch the "early" game anyway since I'm in worship during that time). And what's up with this football at 10am thing? Can we not have time-delay on the game for those of us that go to church in the morning? I know, it's called a VCR but that's no fun for me, I'd rather complain.

I'm pretty sure that what I've typed above isn't worth much. It's just the ramblings of a mind that has spent too much time thinking over the last few weeks. I think what I really need is to sit in front of a good Hockey game with a nice glass of Jack Daniel's Single Barrel - remember Jack learned to distill from a Lutheran pastor, so it's part of my Lutheran heritage to drink JD.

Who's gonna change it?

Well, here's a thought or two that have been brewing in my head a while now. It seems that we're in a "perfect storm" of articles and suggestions coming together to finally irk me enough to write these words, so here goes.

When is the term "Christian" going to stop being associated solely with the "fundagelical" movement?

I am tired of reading about "Christians" and it becoming clear that the conversation is not about Christians but a specific segment of Christians. Recently I read a devotion that talked on this very topic (you can read it here) well, at least it hit me in that way. Additionally, a number of years ago a friend of mine wrote a wonderful song called "You Don't Speak For Me" and I'm often reminded of the fact that some people try to speak on my behalf without really doing so. Of course there's the current movie, that I want to see at some point, from Bill Maher called Religulous but again, it points at "Christians" but really means one segment of Christians.

I guess my point in all of this is not that I blame any of these folks for talking about the "fundagelicals" as Christians because they've been the ones bold enough to take a stand on things and get in front of enough people that people know who they are. No, my point is when are the rest of us going to stand for something or work to get in the press so that our name is put along side Christian as well?

I think about this now as I work with a small congregation in a retirement community. There's something brewing in this place and it's exciting because what is brewing is a dream, an idea that "this little church will do great things". I hope they can do something in this community and actually change people's impressions of Christians! This might be just the kick in the pants everyone else needs!

I got nothin'

O.K. So, I keep telling myself I'm going to update my blog more frequently ... I also tell myself I'm going to start exercising regularly. So far it's been NO on both accounts. I know all the reasons I should exercise, but there are few reasons to update my blog regularly at this point in my life. I mean, it's not like there is anyone out there depending on what words I write in order to make some move in their life (at least I hope there isn't).

Sure I can reflect a few musings that people will find humorous or at least insightful, maybe even inspirational, but there's nothing that I've done in this blog that has changed someone's world. It kind of makes me wonder why I even have this thing sometimes. Wouldn't life be easier if I didn't have that nagging voice in the back of my head that says "write something"?

So, here I sit trying to come up with something interesting, yet, I got nothin'. I did have an amusing day today. I woke-up an hour later than I intended to which caused quite the shock through my system. Now, it's not like I was just late for work or breakfast or something ... I was running late to catch an early morning airplane! UGH! fortunately there was a little bit of a safety net in my plans and I have a loving wife who took care of me (by driving me to the airport as opposed to my earlier plan of taking Public Transit). When I got to the airport I was amused to go through the security line with a whole heap of people from Denmark (the flight was going from San Francisco to Atlanta and "continuing" to Copenhagen ... incidentally can you really call it a "continuing" flight if everyone has to get off and the people "continuing" have to go 5 terminals over in the airport to "continue"?) I was also amused as I walked to the gate and heard, "Ladies and Gentlemen we've overbooked this flight and are looking for volunteers to take a later flight"

Now, normally, I'm all for taking the later flight and taking the flight credit, however the next flight they could get me on wouldn't have me landing in Atlanta until 7:30 or later ... since I'm only here for a little more than 24-hours, that just didn't seem to make much sense to me. So I watched as a large crowd of people thought about taking another flight, but also seemed to be of the same thought "If that's when I'm getting there, forget it, I'll take my chances."

What kind of way is that to run a business anyway? Let's oversell by 10% hoping that folks won't show up! CRAZY! What do you do when everyone does show up?

Oh, well. There's plenty right with the world these days. Like the other day when I was traveling on Public Transit with my daughter (who is now 4 months, so active, but able to walk onto a bus herself). Somehow in the wisdom of the Bus Company it is safer for me to hold her on the bus than to leave her in her stroller and lock the wheels and hold on to the stroller (explain that to me if you can). When I was leaving the bus, they have this "kneeling" system where the front of the bus is lowered by hydraulics ... well, for some reason the bus driver wasn't close enough to the curb, so the bus was still about a foot off of the ground ... a long way to "tip" a stroller. Fortunately, a nice guy got off just before me and noticed the struggle I was going to have and he helped me life the stroller down. (this redeemed another young man ... teenager) who decided he had more of a right to sit on the BART seat than I did and pushed his way around me to sit in one of the few seats available to someone with a stroller ... do kids just not think?

Anyway, I've probably ranted enough. I sit here in Atlanta ... having made my flight, enjoyed the meager snacks they provide on a continent-wide flight, and enjoyed a humorous movie too (Leatherheads, I highly recommend it if you want a good light-hearted laugh). I am ready to enjoy a retreat ... I look forward to this chance to get away every year. I encourage y'all to retreat as well ... even if for a day ... go to the park, go to a quiet room and just be in the presence of God and see what God has to say to you ... right now God is saying, "you have a sermon to write, you might want to start working on it before Sunday morning" ... OK, God, I'm listening.

It's not really about carrying your cross

This past weekend I preached on Matthew 16:21-28. Part of the passage is a point where Jesus is walking with his disciples (unusual, I know) and they just aren't quite getting it (even more unusual, I know). I'm sure most of us remember Jesus' words in the passage, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." (16:24)

As I preached on this part of the text this past weekend, I remembered watching a series on A&E called "God or the Girl" The series tracked 4 guys who were discerning a call to the Catholic Priesthood (ultimately coming down to the question "do they feel called to the Priesthood or Marriage?").

I recall one of the guys, as part of his discernment, went to the lumber yard and bought some landscape timbers in order to build a cross (weighing about 100-pounds if I remember right) and then he would carry it a distance (maybe 20-ish miles).

As I thought about this act, I was struck by a few things that I think we can all learn from and I think are ultimately the point that Jesus is calling us to in carrying our own cross.

1. He didn't just head out, buy wood, build a cross and start walking. He planned ahead. He had a vision for what he wanted to accomplish through this act.

2. He didn't head out alone, he had a support group walking with him. While he carried the cross for the lion's share of the journey, he did have others walking with him ... reading scripture to encourage him, giving him water to meet his needs, helping him when he couldn't carry the cross alone.

3. He was open to what he would experience along the way. Even though he had planned things out, he was open to those things that he couldn't plan for.

In our own lives what are the crosses that we have to carry?

Where is God calling us to plan ahead and cast a vision in our lives?

Who are the people walking with us in our journey? Are they encouraging us? Are they willing to push us those last few miles when we don't think we can do it? Will they carry our burdens with us?

Are we open to what we experience along the way or do we simply "stick to the plan" no matter what? What is God teaching us when we least expect it?

Feeling Convicted

So, here I sit in a Chicago hotel room as I process the information that has been "downloaded" to my brain in the last two days. I'm at a Mission Developer Training event hosted by the ELCA and I've been having a BLAST, but my head is feeling about like it will explode soon.

I've enjoyed the opportunity to meet face to face some people that I have known only through email or internet bulletin boards up until now. There is something surreal that happens when you meet people that you have a virtual relationship with, it really does shift things. It's not a bad thing, it just helps to really frame things in a more authentic way.

As I sit and process the information (after two very full days of seminars, eating really good food, and a wonderful worship opportunity at Willow Creek Community Church) I can't help but think about one sentence in particular that is running through my head. Someone (might have been a presenter, might have been a participant) asked a seemingly simple question ...

Do we love to tell the story or do we just love the story?

Hmmm ... that's a good point. If you missed the nuance in the sentence above, re-read it here, I'll try to make it obvious... Do we love to tell the story or do we just love the story?

I've had to ask myself, "outside of a worship service, when is the last time you've told the story of Jesus Christ?" I can't say I'm sure I know the answer. Yes, I'm sure I've made vague comments to people, but I'm pretty sure I haven't just sat down and answered any question by saying, "you know, it's about Jesus ... let me tell you about him and what he's done for you." I mean, sure, I'm a Lutheran and we're notorious for not being too out-going and yes, I'm an introvert, but those are simply excuses.

So, here I sit, feeling convicted, feeling like I need to tell the story to someone ...

Where does the time go?

If you're anything like me, you start out at various points of the year feeling like you have all kinds of time to accomplish a set list of goals only to get toward the end of that time to discover that you haven't accomplished a quarter of what you set out to do.

Well, I can't say that was entirely the case this summer, but I sure feel like I've gotten to the end of my "free time" with only a few of the items that I hoped to accomplish checked-off.

I did get to celebrate the birth of my daughter, I did go visit Alaska, I got moved into a new home, and I did travel with my family to Southern California for a few days. That sounds like a lot when put in a list, but I feel like I had so much more I could have accomplished. I had a list of books that I wanted to read and haven't gotten to any of them (I actually secretly hoped I would read one of them and that would have made me happy ... didn't even accomplish that).

Maybe I just need deadlines in order to accomplish things. I seem to have this tendency to put things off until the last minute, but if I have a deadline, then I get them done. For example, if I take magazines on a trip with me and promise myself I won't bring them home, I do tend to read them before coming home. Maybe there's hope for me yet.

In other news, I've been obsessing about the whole Brett Favre situation these days. I'm not sure why I care so much ... yes, I'm a Packer fan, yes, I think Favre is a great quarterback but in the scope of the world does it really matter if he comes back to play? Apparently in my world it does matter. Its one of my guilty pleasures ... next to watching hockey!

O.k. one of my goals for this summer was to write a blog entry that actually mattered ... and I will do it yet, but maybe not before I start my internship ... still, I have a topic in my mind that I really want to write on and get some thoughts on the table.

Peace!

Life, Death and Taxes

Has it really been 6 weeks since I last posted? I guess so. I know, I should have posted earlier but alas I keep coming up with good excuses as to why I haven't. Most of the reasons revolve around not getting enough sleep or wondering what happened to the hours of the day or having tons of other things that are more important than posting an updated blog. But this morning, I have no good excuses, so I sit here typing to hopefully explain the last 6 weeks.

Let's start with the fact that the school year ended in mid-May with a host of papers to be written all at the same time. Yes, I knew about many of them in advance, but why get started on a paper in advance when you have two weeks in which you can write them all. I have to say that I was most impressed with the score I got one part of a take-home exam ... after banging my head against the wall for hours thinking "this sucks" and then realizing the deadline was all too close and I had better refine what I had and turn it in, I finally got to the point of saying "forget it ... I'll turn in what I have with a note saying, "this sucks, but it's all I've got left" ... somehow on that one essay (1 of 5 I had to turn in for that class) I got a 28 out of 28! Go figure ... I guess I know more than I think I do sometimes.

On to the title of this blog. If you haven't been included on the news of LIFE then there must be a major malfunction in my information forwarding system. Yes, we finally welcomed our baby into the world on May 29 ... 9lbs 11oz and Olivia Grace finally got to see mom and dad with her eyes! There were a few delays in getting her home from the hospital, those were taxing on us emotionally, but all in all things went really well.

Between Olivia's birth and her coming home, we moved to a new apartment. Thanks to a wonderful group of friends who went way above and beyond the call of duty! We got moved to our new space in Walnut Creek where (now 3 weeks later) we are settled in and living happily. All of the books about birth say you shouldn't move too close to the time of the baby's due date, and now I know why ... there are simply too many things that can happen to derail a perfectly laid plan. Oh, well. We made it, although we're still trying to find our ice bucket!

Regarding DEATH there is never a good time for the passing of a loved one or a friend. I was shocked at the news of the death of one of my seminary classmates from a massive heart attack. She was only 55 and so vibrant. I remember seeing her smiling face before she left for the summer and in my mind I only thought, "we are so blessed to have Margaret here" ... now I utter those words again as I think about how blessed I have been to have her (and her wonderful husband) touch my life. Despite many students being gone for the summer, about 70 people gathered at the PLTS chapel for a service of memory and prayer the day after Margaret's death ... I know that will only be the beginning of how our class will remember her.

As for TAXES can I just utter how annoyed I am that the IRS is so difficult to figure out. So we got a letter from a past employer saying that they accidentally misreported income (I feel like a fool for not having noticed when I did our taxes) in 2006. So, I'm trying to figure out what I need to do in order to correct my filing with the IRS. I have a feeling it is going to be a huge hassle and there will likely be little help along the way. So, if you'd like to help me figure out how to give the IRS more money (because surely there will be a penalty involved as well as more tax due since the amount reported was too low originally) let me know.

It's been a sleepless night for me. I was resting well from about midnight until 3:30 am when Olivia woke-up hungry. As is the norm in the house, I got the pleasure of changing her diaper when she was done eating. After that, I simply couldn't get back to sleep. It's not like I had anything on my mind (except, "gee it would be nice to get back to sleep") or had anything I should be doing. So there I lay in bed debating about getting up ... finally at 6:30 (Olivia's next meal time) I decided I had enough of laying bed awake ... downstairs to the computer I trod ... played some games, checked some email, played more games ... now I blog. Maybe if I turn on the TV I'll be able to get a few minutes of sleep before the day begins.

I really do appreciate my thumbnail

O.K. So it probably sounds like a crazy thing to say, but I really do appreciate my thumbnail. I mean, let's be honest with ourselves - how often do we think of the minor parts of our body that tend to play a very important role? Probably, as in my case, we only think of these parts when we do something that makes them foremost in our minds.

Set the scene ... in the small kitchen in our apartment, preparing dinner I am quietly cutting up a bell pepper. Cutting out the insides, then into strips, then cutting into a small dice when low and behold the lovely sharp blade of my Chicago Cutlery chef's knife comes down on my thumbnail! Ouch! I exclaim. I pause for a moment looking down to see how much blood is already oozing out from the cut and to see how bad the cut is. It's doesn't look terrible (no need to call 911 or anything) but it's also not the kind of wound that you just shake off and keep working on dinner.

Upon further examination, I discover that I have cut clear through the thumbnail and just scratched into the surface of the skin. My lovely wife comes in to find out what I've done and I explain the situation to her calmly. She decides I need a bandage, I think a fingernail cutter is in order to attempt to remove the remnant of fingernail that is somehow still attached to my thumb. I discover there is not much blood, so I decide that finishing the dice on the bell pepper and throwing it in the pan is in order ... afterall, there's a pregnant woman waiting for her dinner and I don't want my carelessness to get in the way of that.

Once I get the fingernail trimmer, I attempt to remove the piece of thumbnail to discover it's attached by the skin under the nail ... so I opt to not rip the skin wide open and just put the bandage over the wound and figure I'll deal with it later.

The next day I examine the wound and discover it's really not that bad. But for the short time I had the bandage on my thumb I was abundantly aware of all the times that I use my thumb and how something as simple as a nail cut by a kitchen knife can get in the way. I also became very grateful for having a thumbnail ... afterall without it there's a good chance I would have cut well into the thumb itself. I also thought about the many uses the thumbnail serves ... the opportunity to peel things, pick things (c'mon, we've all picked our nose at least once in our lives), pick things up, etc ...

So, this is my ode to the thumbnail, one of the less appreciated parts of the body, but a very important one. And for those of you looking for a spiritual tie in this experience, you need look no further than Paul's letter to the Corinthians where he writes (in the 12th chapter): Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

Have I mentioned I love hockey?

Seriously, I don't think I talk about this wonderful sport enough. I admit, I'm a bit of a "fair weather" fan. Not so much in who I cheer for (sadness still for the Nashville Predators no longer being in the Playoffs) but for the fact that I tend to watch sporadically. That is, until playoff hockey rolls around.

There are two reasons that playoff hockey gets me watching more:

1. Games are actually televised

2. The hockey is much better

Let's take these topics item by item ...

1. Why is it that hockey is a second class sport? Why is basketball on television all the time and hockey is lucky to get one night even on cable television? Do that many more people really like basketball? Not the people I talk to. Most people I talk to could really care less about basketball. Those that watch basketball seem to do so because it's on (and they can't seem to watch any non-sports television). I realize that most of the country is not as obsessed about the sport as my home state of Minnesota where in March you can find the State High School Hockey Tournament covered game by game through the whole weekend of the tournament. But, I think that the reason more people don't watch hockey is simple ... it's not on television. Oh, how I miss the days of living in Minnesota where there was always a hockey game on some cable channel.

2. I used to think that hockey was hockey and playoff hockey wasn't any better or more competitive, but that's just not the case. During the playoffs you find guys who haven't checked someone all year hitting at every opportunity. You find a few more fights breaking out. You find guys skating like their paycheck depends on it (oh, that's right ... during the playoffs it does). Goalies are out of their minds with the saves they are making. Forwards are skating circles around defensemen. Enforcers are picking their guy and running for him. It's a great game!

I admit I am obsessed with the sport. Lately, I watch every chance I get (and now I'm bummed that there are no games on today). I put the game on in the background no matter what I'm doing. I become more productive during the intermissions because I don't want to miss a minute of the game.

I also admit that I view hockey as an activity. It's not something I passively watch, it's something I engage in. I'm thinking about the plays, I'm wondering who's on the ice, I'm considering which team will do what next. The best thing, I don't care who's playing. Yes, I cheer harder for some teams, but I don't care who's playing, I still actively watch. When it comes to baseball or football, I watch some teams but not others. Hockey, I watch whoever is on (heck it could be the B Pee Wee team and I'd watch it).

So, here's to hockey! I can't wait until tomorrow when I get to watch more!

Proud of those around me ...

I think we all have a tendency to want to be the one who gets noticed. I mean, let's be honest with ourselves. We want to be the one that gets asked to dance, that gets asked on a date, that gets picked for the team, that gets to play the solo. We want to be the one that people know (even if we don't want all of the trouble that comes along with it). We want to stand from the crowd.

So, in some way we tend to struggle when others get the press, get the accolades, and get rewarded for doing things we want to get noticed for.

Recently, I was reading my friend Jonathan's blog and learned that he was selected as one of 10 artists on a list of "best Christian Rock" songs in the New York Times! Can you believe it? Someone I know is in the New York Times! I should be thrilled (and I am) and yet a little part of me says, "man I wish that was me" ... and I hate that little part of me. I really do. I don't want to envy others, and yet it's in my gut that I do.

A few years ago a friend of mine was featured in (I think it was) Time magazine because she was part of a group of single people who watched out for one another. This friend is one of those people that "happens" to run into all kinds of famous people, gets picked for prestigious experiences, and knows everyone. I keep wishing there was one thing I could do that would top her.

A few years ago my wife was invited to submit an article for the Lutheran magazine. I was proud of her being selected and thought she wrote a great piece. I was excited when the magazine sent a photographer to take pictures of the band. I was thrilled to see that the cover picture of that month's magazine featured the hands of our guitarist, the feature picture for the series of articles had a picture of our lead singer, and my wife's picture was next to her writing, but I, the lowly drummer, was left out.

I know, we're not supposed to get down about such things, but we do. It's our nature ... at least it's my nature. I tell people I don't really care (which, in the big picture is true ... I really don't need the accolades to be a complete person ... nor do any of these people I've listed above) still I want to be the one who gets noticed, who wins, who gets selected.

I'm sure in my life there have been times when I have been selected over others and I've just seen those moments as me "getting what I deserved." I'm sure there are people who look at me now and think "he's got it all, I wish I were in his shoes." And I have to say, I'm quite happy with my life. I'm happy being the guy who knows all of the people who are getting the accolades. I really am.

Still, I think of a song that Duey Jolivette wrote years ago, a song that is sappy, cheesy, and whatever else, but nonetheless a song that sticks with me. A song that simply states, "my part of the story may be small, my part of the story may not have the curtain call, but when the story's done, I know there is one, who loves me as I am." I think of that lyric often (as a matter of fact, I blogged about it about this time last year ... must be something about Springtime) and when I think of it, I am reminded that the One who matters has chosen me.

Gems from 500 years ago

As a seminarian I get the privilege of doing some pretty cool things. I get to hang out in the afternoon soaking the rays of sunshine while holding a book and attempting to make sense of the words written in its pages. I get to spend hours in class on days when the sun beckons, "skip class, some hang with me." I even have the privilege of regurgitating what little knowledge actually settles into the gray matter between my ears out onto the page (page after page) in hopes that I somehow answer correctly the questions posed by a professor who tends to usually make my head spin with ideas.

Every once in a while though, I come across a nugget in my reading that I just have to share with others. Usually it's a lame quote or a one-liner that makes me re-think my entire existence ... or at best it is a few words strung neatly together that drive a stake through the heart of those I disagree with. Well, tonight, I found a wonderful piece of writing that I just had to share from the Apology to the Augsburg Confession:

...we confess that hypocrites and evil people are mixed together in the church
and that the sacraments are efficacious even though they may be dispensed by
evil ministers, because the ministers act in the place of Christ and so do not
represent their own person.

It's a beautiful thing when you realize that mudslinging language is not merely a creation of the 20th century ... Oh, Philip, you crazy, crazy man. There could be no such thing as an "evil" minister ... but if there were, I sure am glad that it's God's action, and not mine that saves me!

p.s. I just finished a paper for a class, due in 6 hours ... I guess I should get a little sleep before wandering into class, eh?

Holy Discontent

CHRIST IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN INDEED!

I write with the excitement of the empty tomb in my heart. I would like to relay a story from my trip to the Holy Land. We were visiting the chapel which is built around what might have been the tomb that Jesus rose from, one of the guys on the tour (a bit of a cut-up) went into the small space and emerged and looked at our tour guide saying, "He's not there!" our tour guide smiled, others in the group laughed. Later, the tour guide hearkened back to that moment and said, "Isn't it wonderful that Jesus wasn't there. Some people come to the Holy Land looking for Jesus. But for us, Lutheran Christians, we hold Jesus in our hearts because we know that we won't find Jesus here ... we know that he has risen, Alleluia!"

I have to admit that in the midst of the excitement over Easter I find myself with Holy Discontent (a concept coined by Bill Hybels to discuss those things that one feels so passionate about they can do no other than act on them) about the way most people treat Easter. I was almost pleased to see a larger than average crowd gathered for worship yesterday. It was nice to see some new faces, people who were maybe visiting from out of town, but more than likely people who feel that they have now done their duty and don't have to return until Christmas. So why even come? What's the point? Does it somehow lift your guilt from the year to know that you've taken this one morning to be with the Lord?

I also have to add that the worship space was beautiful. It was nicely adorned with colorful flowers, lively artwork, and vivid altar decorations. But I can't help but to think that next week we will be back to one or two flower arrangements, plain walls, and an altar adorned with a basic white cloth.

Does God not deserve our best when we come for worship? Should we not bring the excitement of Easter to worship each time we come into God's presence? Can we not make our relationship with God a priority and carve out time each week to be in God's presence?

A friend of mine who is a pastor in Wisconsin recently wrote on his blog about his frustration with his confirmation class. I added a comment to his blog that essentially said, "the system is broken and we can't be afraid to fix it." My friend understands the problems, but it seems he is trapped in a system that won't allow him to fix the problem. He is trapped with apathetic parents who are dropping off their children to "get religion" (sorry parents, Christianity is NOT a spectator sport). He is trapped with apathetic kids who would rather being doing anything than sitting in a confirmation class (I say, let them ... if they don't want to be there, I've got better things to do with my time). He is trapped in a system where confirmation is a "rite of passage" that can be compared to High School graduation, at the end of which the students say, "I'm outta here" (and statistics show how many young people leave the church at the point and NEVER come back). He's trapped with families who are at least honest enough to tell him, "I have more important things to do than to be a Christian." (again I say, good riddance, we don't need you in the church).

Now, I may sound a bit harsh ... afterall, if we get rid of all of the people who don't put God first all of the time then we've got no one left (and yes, that includes the pastors, because frankly, we all sin and put other things before our relationship with God once in a while) but there are communities of people who at least try to put God first in their life. I have been fortunate to be part of such communities. People who long to gather on Sunday mornings not for the coffee and donuts, but for the experience with the Living Saviour. People who realize that church is not just a Sunday Morning event, but spend each day of the week serving God in all that they do. People who are so excited for ministry that they are telling their friends about what happened in church on Sunday or in their small group on Tuesday night. Do these people sound familiar? They sound a bit like Jesus' disciples, but they also sound like people I have met in various places across the country.

Just like the picture at the beginning of this blog shows, the tomb is empty ... it's time to tell people about it and be excited about the life we get to live because of it!

Out of Touch

So, here I sit in California in March. It is beautiful outside (sorry to those of you who are still frozen in your ice caves in the Midwest) and here I sit blogging (where I am usually doing a heap of reading for classes so it's not like I usually get to enjoy the beautiful weather).

I feel a bit out of touch. I was just catching-up on some of the blogs I read (see the links to the right) and discovered that my alma mater's hockey season has drawn to a close. I wish I were more in touch with the pulse of the hockey season, but here in California, it's just not something that is important. When the games aren't on television it's hard for me to remember to check in on the results. I know, I'm a bad fan, but that's life.

I did catch the press conferences of the Brett Favre retirement. It truly is the end of an era. When I was in San Diego celebrating my 9th Wedding Anniversary recently, my wife and I saw a picture of Joe DiMaggio with a quote about how he played each game for the fans. I feel like that was Brett Favre in many ways, he did what he could to make the games fun to watch. I'm not sure there are a lot of players like that anymore. We hear a lot of complaint about how they are "underpaid" (yeah, that's what I think when I wonder if I can afford to buy my 10th vacation home) and how they "deserve" what they get. Whatever happened to the good ol' days when families could afford to go to games (baseball, hockey or otherwise) and watch a good event. Now it's just businesses that can afford the insanely high ticket prices!

I've also attempted to get in contact with people who I fell out of contact with by using this great new tool called Facebook. It's interesting. I don't know that I'm in any better contact with people, but at least some folks I hadn't heard from in years know I am still alive (and if they care to notice, they also know roughly where I live now, too).

In other out of touchness - when did Insurance agents stop being the person I go to when I need to make a claim? A friend borrowed my car yesterday and unfortunately it was broken into when she had it. The annoyance factor in this deal is quite high as she spent nearly 4 hours on the phone yesterday with different people trying to get the window repaired ... then today I spent another 2 hours. We still aren't sure whether or not someone will call to talk about the items that were stolen out of the car! Add to that a terrible experience with the Oakland Police Department ... let's just say unless it's a homicide they don't care.

Well, that's it for now ... hopefully y'all aren't as out of touch as I.

Lunch by the sea ...

Those of you who know me know that I am a big fan of food. I know, most people like to eat, but I go beyond eating to really enjoy a variety of food experiences. I like fine dining and all of its strange rules. I like food at the ballpark and all of its simplicity. I like trying new recipes and I love cooking without a recipe and seeing what I can come up with.

With all of that said, it probably comes as no surprise that on my recent trip to the Holy Land I paid attention to the food. At it should also come as no surprise that when I had the chance to eat fish by the Sea of Galilee I jumped at it. After all, this is the very food that Jesus served to his disciples after the resurrection (see John 21). I wasn't very artistic with my picture (above) I wish I would have put the potato in a better place, but alas I can say I've eaten fish by the Sea of Galilee, just as Jesus Disciples did.

In other food related news about the Holy Land, it was wonderful to enjoy the Meditaranean diet. Our tour guide, Naim, shared with us the secret to a long healthy life ... "eat a few olives in the morning and a teaspoon of Olive Oil in the morning." Well, I wasn't going to disagree with him so I enjoyed some Olive Oil on bread in the morning and tried a few of the many varieties of olives that were laid out for us.

We were fed well while we were there (especially when we were at the International Center of Bethlehem Guest House). Dinner generally started with a soup (most often a broth or consome' of some variety) then a generous portion of meat and vegetables and often rice. May I add that they do some amazing things with rice. It's not the simple rice or rice with broth and seasonings that we get here in the U.S. They add things in to the rice like raisins and nuts. At first I would think "that doesn't sound real tasty" but they have a wonderful formula for adding just enough of something different to the rice to make it quite enjoyable. We ate chicken in a variety of fashions, we ate lamb (oh, how I enjoyed the lamb), we ate fish. All the while I ate these things I thought, "my doctor would be proud, the preparation on these dishes is so healthy" (of course most of my tour mates came away after about 4 days saying, "I just want a greasy hamburger or a steak" ... I'll leave the arterty-clogging for them and take the healthy food, myself.)

Breakfast might have been the most interesting experience while I was in the Holy Land. First of all, much like Europe and Australia, they did not serve orange juice as I know orange juice. I would describe what was served to us more as "Tang meets Orange Juice" it wasn't quite as sweet and syrupy as Sunny D, but it didn't strike me as being made from real oranges. I realize, I am spoiled by Tropicana Pure Premium, and yes, I drank my share of the "orange juice" but I was glad to get home and enjoy my glass of pulpy orange juice in the morning. There was always a pot of hot water in the morning giving us the chance to drink tea or coffee (instant coffee that is) I rarely imbibed in the hot beverages, as is my usual nature. In Bethlehem breakfast always included warm pita bread (yum), a foccacia type herb bread, varieties of cheeses, meat, olives, cucumbers, and hard boiled eggs. They also had this fabulous "spread" that was explained to us as "cream-cream" it tasted like a combination of yogurt and cream cheese with the consistency of sour cream. It was excellent! (I found the cream-cream at breakfast everywhere that we were). In Jerusalem we encountered most of the items we found in Bethlehem (though instead of pitas and foccacia-type bread, it was whole-wheat sandwich slices and these biscuit-hard-roll things that were quite tasty) then added scrambled eggs each morning and get this ... hot dogs! I never thought I would be excited to see hot dogs for breakfast, but I thought I would give them a try ... and they were quite good. The hot dogs were cut into bite-size pieces and sauteed with onions. I think the quote of the trip regarding food was "the hot dogs are surprisingly good."

When it came to lunch we didn't get to enjoy the local fare as much as I would have liked. Often our travels kept us out of the city at noontime thus limiting our options for eating. We often ate at "kibbutzs" which are Jewish collective settlements which often have a cafeteria. They did have a nice salad bar there, but the other entrees were less than exciting ... usually some version of what the U.S. south would call a "meat and three" where you get a meat entree (beef kabob, chicken, fish, schnitzel) and three side dishes (usually two vegetables and a starch). We did have the occassion to try some, of what I would call, more local fare a few times. Falafels! what an interesting food. Basically a combination of mashed chick peas and herbs and spices made into a ball, fried in olive oil and put inside a pita with "salad" ... quite enjoyable. Then there was the schwerma ... I would call it the Holy Land version of the gyro ... meat (which I found out is not always lamb, it can be chicken or beef) made into a "meatloaf" then grilled on the spit (much like gyro meat is) then sliced off thinly and put in a pita with "salad" ... quite tasty. We stopped at a bakery one day where we were offered breads that were baked with a variety of items in the middle (spinach, cheese, meat, mashed potato) the best thing about the bakery experience was the price ... a sandwich and drink for $1.50 U.S.dollars! Amazing!

On the bus between our various points we were often sharing snacks and treats that we picked-up various places. We had baklaava, which I quite enjoyed. We had nuts (almonds primarily). We had dried fruit. Now, here is a topic all its own, but let me just say I have never eaten as much dried fruit as I did when I was in the Holy Land. They dry everything and most of it is pretty good. I did stay away from the dried papaya and dried pineapple since my experience in the past has been that those items are really just sugar (and those that ate it in the Holy Land made the same comment about it). The one thing that surprised me were the dates! I had never really eaten dried dates by themselves (in things, yes ... alone, no). Interesting texture, chewy, sticky, kinda like a carmel ... and relatively tasty. The downside is the pit in the middle. Overall though, I couldn't eat a lot of them, just too much concentrated sweetness for my taste. Though, Naim told us that if you eat 5 dates, you don't have to eat again for 12 hours! I guess that would be helpful if you're stuck somewhere where you don't have much food, but happened to bring some dates along!

I can't say I really found any food that offended me while I was there (unlike Western Europe where they insist on leaving the head on shrimp and serving tripe) and much of it I found quite tasty and worth heading back for. If I would have had a bit more spending money, I would have come back with a collection of spices from the Holy Land. On my final day there, I ventured through some of the shops and came upon a spice shop. Tables and Tables of spices. Some mixed for various uses, others just the spice. Oh, I was in heaven. A brief chat with the shop owner about the use of some of the spices (and my fellow travelers with me making purchases, so I didn't feel guilty about not making purchases).

I wouldn't say I ate my way through the Holy Land, but I did indeed enjoy each culinary stop along the way.

Thankful to be home!

At the end of many trips I've taken I've been thankful to arrive home, but this time I think I am the most thankful of all. In the last two weeks, I think I can honestly say that my world has been turned upside down, and that's a good thing. Here are some of the things I am most thankful for (on possibly a very superficial level):

1. Walking down the streets without seeing teenagers (18-19 years old) carrying automatic weapons ... sometimes holding them as though they will need to use them momentarily.

2. Not needing to carry my passport everywhere I go so that when we go through checkpoints (with same said 18-19 year olds as the guards) I can prove I am American and it's o.k. for me to go to the place I am headed.

3. Not having to travel with 22 other people! (it was a great group, but after two weeks I was ready to be able to spend more than my evenings alone).

4. Being able to put toilet paper in the toilet, and not the nearby trash can

I will miss certain things about my experience as well. It was nice to have someone clean my room each day, make meals for me, and take me everywhere I needed to go (if you ever get to the Holy Land, ask to have Walid as your driver, he's the best). I will miss the wonderful terrain of the Holy Land which changes drastically from one point to the next in less than a couple hundred kilometers. I will miss the impact that the things I won't miss had on my life and how grateful they make me for what I do have (how's that for a confusing sentence). I will also miss interacting with people who understand the experience that I had, because some of what I experienced is simply too difficult to share in words or pictures ... you simply had to be there.

I have to say that in some ways a trip to the Holy Land really destroys a lot of romantic notions that I had about the area. On some level, I assumed (as most Americans probably do) that I would get to places like the Mount of the Beatitudes and find a sign (or at least our guide) saying "here is where Jesus stood, this is where the people sat" but it isn't like that at all. At best, we have guesses of where some of these things happened. At worst, we (I'm using the royal "we" here because I'm sure at some level we all encourage this) have built shrines over where these things have happened.

I was quite annoyed, maybe even sickened, to see two of the places that I was most looking forward to. The birthplace of Christ (which is now covered by the Church of the Nativity) and Golgotha (which is covered by the church of the Holy Sepulchre). In both cases what torked me the most is that the shrines that have been built in these places have completely obscured what the place is. The place where Jesus was born is a cave ... with a few "rooms" but the walls of that cave are now covered in tapestries and there are all kinds of incense lanterns hanging in there, to the point where it doesn't look anything like a cave, it looks more like ... well, let's just say it's not anything I felt I wanted to take a picture of. Ditto on Golgotha ... I expected to see a hill or a mountain ... but instead, we were ushered into a HUGE church with stairs running every which way and people all over the places pushing ... we finally walked up some steep stairs to a "room" with a huge mosaic of Christ on the Cross, then a statue of Mary (which to many of us looked like one of those "fortune teller" machines from the carnival), and then an altar (surrounded again my lanterns and icons, and tapestries) which you could kneel at and put your arm through a whole in the floor to touch the rock of Golgotha ... but you couldn't see it at all!! UGH!!! From there we walked over to get in line near what was basically a "church within a church" this little chapel building, guarded over by some Eastern Orthodox Monk who let 4 people at a time into what is believed to be "the empty tomb" ... very interesting, but again, it looks nothing like a cave that they would have put a body in, it looks like a shrine, built to commemorate such an experience.

After all of my frustration though, I had a realization ... brought on by talking with others and then brought to point by our tour guide. "Isn't it great that we don't worship places?" our tour guide asked. "For if we worship places, some of you would be disappointed and may have lost faith. But we worship a living God, and Christ lives in our hearts." What a reminder ... going to those places was nice, but it doesn't shake what I believe ... it doesn't change the fact that I can look at everything in the world from the lens of the Empty Tomb ... Christ is Risen! Alleluia!

Notes from Bethlehem

Greetings from Bethlehem.

It's been an interesting week. I had quite an experience in the airports along the way. My flights were enjoyable (at least as enjoyable of an experience as one can have wedged into a small seat for 11 hours). I love the fact that they feed you on the airplane for International flights, but it sure would be nice if they could figure out how to feed you meals that are more than "nourishing". Because of the crazy schedule I was on, I got to spend 10 hours in the Amsterdam Airport and then I got to spend 12 hours in the Tel Aviv airport waiting to meet up with my tour group.

Schipol airport (Amsterdam) is a fun airport, but I would say that 4-5 hours there would have been plenty. I guess it might have been more enjoyable had I slept the night before, but I couldn't sleep and decided to watch a whole list of movies on the "personal entertainment system" on the plane (License to Wed, Chicken Run, Over the Hedge, Super Bad -which lived up to its name- and The Prince of Egypt). Thinking about it now, I would definitely have rather gone and done something in the city ... my only concern when I was there was "I can get anywhere from the airport ... how do I get back to the airport?" I figured that depending on where I went there may not be a ready supply of taxis to take me back to the airport ... although at least in Amsterdam I could have made pretty good sense out of a bus map. When I got to Tel Aviv I spent time reading a book. When I met up with the tour guide in Tel Aviv (12 hours after I had gotten there) he seemed surprised that I didn't venture out somewhere and suggested that the tour planners should have given me his contact information and he would have sent me to see some good sites. Oh, well ... maybe next time.

We've been staying in Bethlehem at the Guest House of Christmas Lutheran Church. It is a wonderful place to stay. The staff are all very wonderful and hospitable. The rooms are nice, very clean and even with many modern amenities (like internet access nearby and television ... Yeah for watching BBC World - how come we don't get that channel in the U.S.?) We are fed very well. The breakfast spread includes a variety of breads, cheeses, and vegetables. Dinners generally include chicken (always cooked very moist) and are always more than generous in their portion. I've even had the chance to enjoy a few local beers ... pretty good, too.

Part of our time has been spent getting to meet with local ministry leaders. We met with Dr. Mitri Raheb who is pastor of Christmas Lutheran Church and also the director of a wide-reaching ministry here in Bethlehem that includes a School, Health and Wellness Center, and the guest house. It is wonderful to hear of his plans for the future ministries in this area ... he has such a great vision (given by God) for how to live out Christ's command to love one another. We met with Zoughbi Zoughbi who leads a ministry that raises up leaders in the community ... I appreciated his emphasis on hope that is tied to the Empty Tomb! We also spent some time in a Palestinian Refugee camp, while it was sad to see how the people lived with such substandard housing, it was amazing to see the hope in their lives (especially the children) as they report things getting "better" for them in the last few years. Still, there's a long way to go!

Part of our time has been spent in sightseeing (as Zoughbi put it, "seeing the Holy Stones"). It is absolutely amazing to see some of the places that we read about in the Bible and help put into perspective some of the places where people went. No, there are no places where we can say "Jesus slept here" or "this is THE Upper Room" but we can get a feeling for the geography and the distances. There is also room for imagination. What would it have been like to live here 2000 years ago?

We're not even halfway through our tour and there is so much I could say and yet so much still to see. I hear often of people who come to the Holy Land and "run where Jesus walked" and I can't imagine what that experience would be like. Our trip is even going to be too short, but we have had a chance to meet people and get to know their stories. We've had a chance to see some of the sadness that people live with every day. But most of all I will take with me the HOPE that these people all have. Dr. Mitri Raheb, when talking to our group, defined for us the difference between hope and optimism. He said, "I am not optimistic, for that would mean believing that tomorrow things will be better. But I am full for HOPE for that means that my actions today will make a difference in the future." For me his hope resonates with Zoughbi Zoughbi's words when asked, "how can you have hope when you see all that is going on around you?" And he replied quite simply, "There are 14 stations of the cross, and the final station is the Resurrection! The tomb is empty. How can I not have Hope?"

Packing, Bonhoeffer, Packers

I would say it's been a good day. I started the day with a daunting list of tasks, but I've been able to chisel away at them all and accomplish the ones that I needed to finish.

First of all ... on my list of things to do was to watch the Packers womp the Seahawks. For those of you that were cheering for the Seahawks ... what were you thinking? When the Packers come to town, hometown pride has to go out the window. It was a joy to see the Packers for a change this season ... with their usually "early" starts conflicting with worship schedules, I'm usually lucky to catch a few minutes of the game. It was also a joy to watch the snow increase as the game went on ... ah, just like the good ol' days! That's one of the great things that football has over most other professional sports these days ... the element of Mother Nature! Although, I have to admit, it was weird to watch snow when it is very springlike outside.

Before enjoying the Packers, I decided to attend the "National Baby Shower" at a well-known Baby supply store. I've gotta say, I've not attended a lot of baby showers but this one was certainly a disappointment. Where was the food? Where were the gifts? Certainly not at the store ... but I did do some "looking" while there ... got some ideas for things that friends and family can buy for us!

For the last week, I have been immersed in Bonhoeffer's "Discipleship" What a pleasure. I enjoy Dietrich's writing, but more importantly I am inspired by the simplicity of what he is saying. I was annoyed at times that my classmates felt like the simplicity of Bonhoeffer was "idealistic" ... it seems like in a world where everything has to be complicated to be correct, a simple plan of following Jesus is lost in the message. I will continue to ponder my annoyance, maybe it's just that I'm a dreamer ... I just hope I'm not the only one ...

Well, I packed today ... for my trip ... leaving tomorrow morning ... for Israel. I'll be gone two weeks and am looking forward to it. As I've said before, you can put me on an airplane anywhere and I'll be happy, but this is the kind of trip I've been wanting to take for a while. I remember hearing stories of others who have gone to Israel and how amazing of an experience it was for them ... hopefully I can say the same. I'll of course take tons of pictures and hopefully share at least some of them via this blog ... and I'll offer to anyone reading ... if you want me to come do a presentation on Israel, if you put me on the plane ... I'll be there, pictures in hand!

So ... needless to say, I won't be posting for a while. I guess there's a chance of getting internet access while in Israel ... but paying by the hour, I doubt I'll take the time to update things here ... but you just never know.

Oh, Yeah! Van Halen Rocked!!!

O.K. I am a slacker. I was supposed to post this post two weeks ago, but hey, I've been busy and well, there were more important things (like celebrating Christmas and sleeping).

Can I simply say that Yes, Van Halen still rocks!!

I admit, I had my reservations about spending money for tickets to see a band that hasn't released a full-length album in over 10 years. In general I've been the naysayer (who by the reviews often comes out right) who does not spend the money on the "bands of my youth" because I figure "they're past their prime". But I figured with Van Halen, I had to take my chances. I never got to see them when I was in high school ... the one time they came to the Minneapolis area (I think I was a Senior in High School) I didn't get to the box office (yes, that would have been pre-Internet when you had to go to the actual arena or another Ticketmaster location to buy tickets) in time and all that was left were "behind the stage" tickets ... and frankly, I don't pay to sit where I can't see ... I'll stay home and listen to the CD ... but I digress...

The concert rocked!

The opening act was Kymani Marley ... who was good, fun, interesting. Certainly had the Marley influence, but also had a nice mix of sounds ... and blessedly was not too loud (maybe it was the seats I was sitting in, Van Halen didn't seem ultra loud either). The opening set was short enough that I didn't get bored, but I did ask the question ... what happened to the days when you would get stoked for the opening band as much as the headliner (Mr. Big opening for Rush, Bad English opening for Whitesnake, O.K. so maybe none of those are bands I would be terribly stoked about anymore ... but I still have my Mr. Big t-shirt from 1990!)

Van Halen came out in standard rock star fashion ... dark arena, lights that make you wonder just where the band is coming from, then clues to where each person is, then full lights up on David Lee Roth waving a flag (o.k. so I didn't quite understand the flag thing, maybe he always wanted to be a cheerleader) but of course the trademark sound of Eddie's guitar caused an Eruption (oh, sorry, he didn't play that song until later). It was a two-hour extravaganza of the hits from the early years of Van Halen. The sounds that made the band famous and put Eddie on the cover of countless magazines!

I dug the drum solo ... while not quite as good as the one on "Live Without a Net" it was still Alex with the joy and exuberance of a teenager. His goofy monkey-like smile when he pulled off some of his moves. And talk about being rhythmically in time ... WOW ... even with some weird polyrhythmic exercises, he kept coming right back to the groove.

Of course Eddie was in rare form ... his fingers nimble flying up and down the fret board. I expected nothing less from him. His energy on stage was incredible. What more can you say than simply WOW that guy can play! I was a bit disappointed that he didn't bring out the keyboard to actually play Jump ... but I guess since he had to keep the guitar rockin' it would have been a real feat to do both on stage.

As for David Lee Roth ... well. I'm pleased he kept his shirt on (even if it was unbuttoned all the way). He was definitely the same sexual-innuendo driven Dave, but then what would anyone expect. Vocally he was on (though his voice seemed to tire a bit by the end of the show ... which is understandable, he was going strong for two hours). I could have done without his feeble acoustic guitar playing leading up to Ice Cream Man, but I appreciate that he played the part so that the rest of the band could kick in with full energy at just the right moment!

Woflgang ... hmmmm ... part of me wanted to see Michael Anthony just because he was the original band member ... but really, I didn't feel like he would have added anything that Wolfgang wasn't able to pull off. Wolfgang sure has the genes from Valerie, but that works for a 16 year old. He surely has the gift of music that runs in the family ... I had read that he was only playing bass 5 months ... that may be true, but from his style I could tell he's been playing guitar much longer. I will always remember Wolfgang's intro to Runnin' with the Devil ... those notes will continue to pulsate in me for a while.

Overall, what a great event ... now the question is ... while the boys of Van Halen ever reconcile with Sammy so they could tour and play the other half of the discography? The songs from 5150, ou812 and For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge? Yeah, I know, in the big picture there's not as much material there, but it still is the music of my youth and I would love to hear it performed live just once. Then after that, there's always the dream of Van Halen on tour with both Sammy and David (yeah, like that would ever happen) so they could perform a 3-hour marathon concert of the GREATEST hits beginning to end. Now, that I would pay the BIG bucks to see!

A New Year!

Well, it's a New Year!

There's been a lot going on lately. For those of you that have been saying, "what's up" well, there's so much that I hope to include. First off, the pic above is with our new digital camera! That's right, we finally joined the digital age and hopefully I'll be able to update a few more photos of fun things (like sites from the Bay Area).

Since my last post ... I had a birthday. It was fun (I actually was awaken at 7:30 a.m. because of a dead battery in a vehicle ... not fun). I wrote about 42 pages of papers in two weeks (one of which allowed me to quote Yoda). I managed 4 weeks of Children's Theater productions (yes, I literally was herding cats). I celebrated Christmas in two states (the question is are those geographical or mental). Visited the snow-covered land of Minnesota (oh, how I miss winter in the Midwest ... well, except for the slushy roads that spray all over the car impairing vision).

Alright, a lot more happened, I saw my nieces and nephews, I watched a wonderful theatrical performance of A Christmas Carol, I rung in the New Year, I ate and ate and ate, but I digress. I want to add to a few of the highlights.

1. Eating Chinese on Christmas Eve is not all it's cracked-up to be. The plan was to grab a quick bite to eat between the two Christmas Eve services. The plan seemed easy enough, service at 7:30 and 11:00 pm left plenty of time between services ... except that in the wonderful Suburb of Concord, CA pretty much every restaurant closed by 9pm on Christmas Eve ... and they were in no mood to stay open a minute later for a few hungry wanderers (hey, c'mon, my wife is pregnant) so we drove until we found the welcoming neon glow of a Chinese Restaurant ... we had to laugh (especially with my obsession with A Christmas Story) we ordered up some Hunan Beef and Crispy Duck ... both fairly oily concoctions, but calories to keep us going.

2. Opening Christmas gifts is always a joy. Let's be honest, giving gifts is fun, but getting new things is even funner (yes, I know, funner is not a real word). I always have some list of things I really want but I'm always surprised when people come up with ideas that weren't on my list but still really cool. And as always, gift cards are fun ... I know, they aren't always the most personal gift ... but they travel well (try packing a full set of frying pans 8-13" in your suitcase) and you get to do one of my favorite things ... SHOP with someone else's money.

3. Traveling. I've said it before, I'll say it again. Put me on an airplane and I'll go anywhere. (proven by my job a few years ago that put me on a plane to Springfield, Illinois where every passenger commented, "this is definitely the smallest plane I've ever been on" ... of course I couldn't say that, but it certainly was the smallest commercial plane I'd been on). Traveling to see family is a bonus, but I just love the airport and airplanes. Yeah, there are the downsides, like the cranky people (but when I'm having a good experience, they are funny), sitting in the middle seat sucks (how nice I am to my pregnant wife). Eating in airports and trying to plan for long flights without food isn't much fun either (though, I have to say the Cheese Danish from Guava Java is worth every fattening calorie). And traveling to see family in Minnesota takes me to my favorite airport ... the Minneapolis/Saint Paul Lindbergh Terminal. Besides housing my favorite airline (Northwest) and having great shopping (tons of great Minnesota-themed shops) they have fun statues like the one pictured above of Snoopy the Flying Ace!

O.K. Enough of the life update ... oh, but I do need to add the detail that many of you are probably wondering about ... the expansion of our family. Yes, a baby is on the way due in May. We even went to an appointment yesterday where we got the skinny on the potential gender ... well, I'm not going to give you that information just yet ... I need to leave something to blog about in the upcoming weeks.

So, welcome to the New Year. I'm sure I've missed something that is important. Oh, like our registration at Babies-R-Us for baby. It was fun to shop with the scanner and pick out fun items, though it was a little daunting to think about all of the stuff that we need ... and where it will all come from (so folks whether you know us or not, we're happy to get a gift from you). I'll keep you posted on that stuff as the time gets closer (because for right now, the space is a bit prohibitive to store a bunch of extra stuff!