on the road...

amazing grace.

2011-04-08T14:00:00.001-07:00

well at least it hasn't been a WHOLE year since my last post. a lot has happened. but that's for another post. today i experience true, amazing grace.

i was recently brought on full time at my church, and got some health insurance along with that. it's not the greatest coverage, but it gave me the opportunity to get a physical (after about 4 years) and some bloodwork. i also needed to get an ultrasound in order to check on a mass to make sure it was benign.

the insurance covered the physical and bloodwork fully, as preventative coverage. but the ultrasound came back to me at $1500. part of the church insurance (since it's a $2500 deductible) deal is to give us a $1000 flexible spending account. so in the end, i was going to be able to use that $1000, then pay $500 out of pocket. i figured it wasn't a terrible deal.

so today was the day to settle my account. and strangely, for some reason, i decided to go in to their office to settle up -- i think part of it was that i was going to have to use two different methods of payment. but anyway, i walked up to the desk with my statement, and handed it to the woman at the counter -- Ruth. as she walked over to the computer to bring up my account, i took my two credit cards out of my wallet: the flexible-spending-account card, as well as my own. as Ruth looked at my bill, she raised her eyebrow a bit at the $1500 i was about to have to fork over. and with no provocation, she picked up the phone and dialed some internal extension. it was unclear to me at that moment what was happening.

someone at the other end picked up, and Ruth proceeded to ask, "I've got a guy here with a $1500 bill for an ultrasound -- anything we can do for him? Uh-huh. Uh-huh. $750? Ok." and she hangs up. i look at her and say, "Just like that?" she replied, "Just like that." i proceed to thank her extensively, and tell her that this is one of the most encouraging things i have experienced in a long time. so my spending account has some money left in it, and i didn't have to pay a single cent out of my own pocket.

as i walked out of the building, i teared up a bit, realizing that this is what true, unwarranted grace feels like. and i feel truly blessed as a result. and i am going to send Ruth some flowers.

in humility.

2010-05-30T08:06:00.000-07:00

great words from ancient spiritual father John Chrysostom. he's talking specifically about the gift of speech/preaching, but this easily applies to any gift/ability...
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i have been given the power of speech. there is no intrinsic merit in this; it is not something for which i should be especially admired or respected. to possess this gift, like any other natural ability, is a blessing bestowed by God; admiration and respect should be directed toward him. the challenge facing me is how i use this gift. do i develop it through seeking guidance of accomplished speakers and through practice? more importantly, do i use it in the service of God or myself? of course i may also claim to use it in God's service, and even congratulate myself on the excellent sermons i preach. but how easily pride infects the use of this gift. when i hold the attention of a congregation, when each person is concentrating on my every word, when my eloquence stirs every heart that hears me, how easily my head begins to swell. instead of simply being a mouthpiece of God, i begin to imagine myself divine. the gift of speech, which is truly a blessing, can so easily become a curse, poisoning the soul that possesses it.

>> john chrysostom.

wise words.

2010-05-25T17:18:00.000-07:00

i thrive on wise people -- people who share from their humble learnings. thomas merton is one of those people. below is a passage i read the other day in 'no man is an island' -- it pretty much rocked my boat. enjoy if you dare...

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the deep secrecy of my own being is often hidden from me by my own estimate of what i am. my idea of what i am is falsified by my admiration for what i do. and my illusions about myself are bred by contagion from the illusions of other [people]. we all seek to imitate one another’s imagined greatness.

if i do not know who i am, it is because i think i am the sort of person everyone around me wants to be. perhaps i have never asked myself whether i really wanted to become what everybody else seems to want to become. perhaps if i only realized that i do not admire what everyone seems to admire, i would really begin to live after all. i would be liberated from the painful duty of saying what i really do not think and of acting in a way that betrays God’s truth and the integrity of my own soul.

why do we have to spend our lives striving to be something that we would never want to be, if we only knew what we wanted? why do we waste our time doing things which, if we only stopped to think about them, are just the opposite of what we were made for?

we cannot be ourselves unless we know ourselves. but self-knowledge is impossible when thoughtless and automatic activity keeps our souls in confusion. in order to know ourselves it is not necessary to cease all activity in order to think about ourselves. that would be useless, and would probably do most of us a great deal of harm. but we have to cut down our activity to the point where we can think calmly and reasonably about our actions. we cannot begin to know ourselves until we can see the real reasons why we do the things we do, and we cannot be ourselves until our actions correspond to our intentions, and our intentions are appropriate to our own situation. but that is enough. it is not necessary that we succeed in everything. a [person] can be perfect and still reap no fruit from [their] work, and it may happen that a [person] who is able to accomplish very little is much more of a person than another who seems to accomplish very much.

--Thomas Merton.

wise words.

2010-04-20T10:21:00.000-07:00

if you've read any of my posts before, you probably remember JURGEN MOLTMANN. he's a german theologian who has helped me to love and understand theology. you may remember that i got a chance to MEET HIM and hear him in person this past fall. i just finished reading his book JESUS CHRIST FOR TODAY'S WORLD, and the final couple paragraphs blew me away. i love this guy. so i wanted to share...

"evangelism is an invitation, nothing more than that and nothing less. it is not instruction, and not an attempt at conversion either. it is a plea: 'be reconciled with God!' the people who consciously or unconsciously witness to the gospel, and the people who are commissioned to proclaim it, have no authority except the authority of this plea. it is the authority of the pleading Christ, who carries our sins on the cross and with his outstretched arms invites us: 'come, for all is now ready.' the pleading Christ doesn't force us, and he doesn't threaten 'unless you decide today you'll go to hell.' the pleading Christ begs for his invitation to be accepted. he appeals to the people invited, but the appeal is based on their freedom. in Christ, God reconciled the world with himself, so be reconciled with God! reconciliation is possible. so here too we are told: God is going to create everything anew, so seize the opportunities. they are there already, in yourself and close to yourself. peace is possible. justice is possible. liberation is possible.

"God has made the impossible possible, and we are invited to seize our possibilities for living. participate in the renewal of society and nature! we want to invite people in all civilizations to the new creation of all things. we don't want to expand the sphere of influence of the church...the kingdom of God isn't there for the sake of the church. the church is there for the sake of the kingdom. so ... all the church's own concerns and interests must be subordinated to Jesus' concern for God's kingdom. the church's concern is not the church. it is more than that. the church has to do with God and his future for all men and women. it has to do with the new creation of all things for eternal life."

amen.

youth ministry.

2010-04-15T08:31:00.001-07:00

THIS POST over at STUFF CHRISTIANS LIKE was too good not to post. i took the survey (based on my last youth min. job) and scored an 88. my favorites are #s 72,73, & 82...
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Below you will find more than 100 statements about youth ministers. I encourage you to score your youth minister. More than that, I encourage you to email this or tweet this or facebook this to your youth minister. Together, we’ll give the fascinating creature known as the “youth minister” the attention they deserve.

The Youth Minister Scorecard.

1. Has at any point made one of the students cry because they are so competitive in the sports. = +2 points

2. Always stacks the team they are on in any games they play. = +1 point

3. Drives a car a church member sold them for $1. = +1 point

4. They think burping is gross. = – 2 points

5. They can burp the entire five points of Calvinism. = +10 points

6. They are awesome at Frisbee golf = +1 point

7. They are awesome at Ultimate Frisbee. = +2 points

8. Their toddler can throw a Frisbee farther than you can. = +3 points

9. They know how to fix the youth group van when it breaks down on the side of the road. = +2 points

10. They’ve had a “talking to” from the elders. = +2 points per each talking to

11. They have a goatee. = +1 point

12. They are professionals at pulling off epic pranks. = +1 point

13. There are still three counties your youth group is not allowed back into after one of those epic pranks. = +2 points

14. They work at another job because they love the youth but can’t afford to live on the salary the church pays. = +100 points

15. They are just using the youth minister job as a stepping stone to being a senior pastor. = -100 points

16. They have a baldhawk haircut. = -3 points

17. They have rapped at youth group before. = +1 point

18. They have rapped at “big church” before = +2 points

19. They are no longer invited to big church. = +3 points

20. They are known to regularly cheat at youth group games because they want to win. = +2 points

21. They refuse to use “youth slang” like “Phat” because that’s just not how they talk even if the “kids are all doing it.” = +2 points

22. They have been known to wear fanny packs on mission trips. = -3 points

23. They are willing to call “fake” on the camper who always sprains their ankle to get out of helping clean up the cabin. = +3 points

24. They are so hyperactive you think their blood type might be “5 Hour Energy Drink.” = +3 points

25. They refuse to let college kids come back and hang out awkwardly in the senior high youth group, much like that college sophomore that went to the prom. = +4 points

26. They have been known to toilet paper houses. = +1 point

27. In their hands, toilet paper is like a paintbrush in Michaelangelo’s hands. The texture and rhythm of what they can do with two ply is breathtaking. = +3 points

28. They once made someone pee in a Mountain Dew bottle because they didn’t want to stop during a road trip. = +3 points

29. They are the church’s version of a centaur, half youth minister/half worship leader and know how to play acoustic guitar. = +2 points

30. Often tells you that they “married up.” = +1 point

31. Often tells you how “hott” their wife is. = +2 points

32. Is single and often gets set up on awkward dates by church members. = +2 points for each date

33. Once convinced the church to pay for an official youth group event that may have involved going to a U2 concert. = +15 points

34. Justifies iPad purchase as “something I need because a lot of my students have one.” = +3 points

35. Has eaten a live goldfish as part of a sermon illustration. = +2 points

36. Is currently writing me an angry email about “goldfish rights” = – 10 points

37. Dresses 12 years younger than their actual age. = -2 points

38. Willing to fit 10 kids in their 2002 Honda Accord if it means they’re coming to youth group. = +1 point for each kid

39. Named youth group something extreme. = +2 points

40. The extreme name starts with a lowercase “i,” e.g. “iExperience” or “iYouth.” = +3 points.

41. The extreme name contains a capital X, e.g. “Xkids” or “Xfactor.” = +4 points

42. Is regularly offering to shave their head if the students accomplish certain goals. = +2 points.

43. Designed a cool youth group room at church, complete with working traffic light, a booth from a coffee shop and a mural. = +3 points

44. Has more toys in their office than Michael Scott of the Office. = +1 point for each toy.

45. 80% of their wardrobe consists of free t-shirts from camps and conferences. = +1 point

46. Had to explain to church elders that a summer mission trip is not the same thing as a vacation. = +2 points

47. Is on a first-name basis with the people at the laser tag arena or local skate park = +2 points

48. Has popped and repaired a “jumpy thing” before. = +3 points

49. Has been known to take students off-roading in knee deep mud in a church van on the way to camp = +3 points

50. Was in a hardcore band that caused no small degree of musical ruckus before “settling down” in the ministry. = +2 points

51. Has a tattoo and explains that if you look at it in the right light, it has deeper meaning as a witnessing tool. = +3 points

52. Tells youth group that the Psalms are kind of emo. = +1 point

53. Has referred to our Lord and Savior as “This Jesus guy” or “Big Dude” on multiple occasions. = +2 points

54. Their refrigerator at home is full of leftovers from youth group events. = +1 point

55. Can easily distinguish Dr. Pepper from Dr. Thunder in a blind taste test. = +1 point

56. Has full knowledge of all the names of Target and Sams Club knock off sodas. = +2 points

57. Has ever purchased “sandwich cremes” instead of Oreos. = +3 points

58. Regularly rocks an oversize backpack or satchel bag with sewn-on patches. = +2 points

59. Proactively shaved his head to hide the fact that he is going bald. = +2 points

60. Convinces the kids in his youth group that children’s shows like veggie tales or 3,2,1, penguins are actually cool so he can simultaneously hold a youth event and entertain his own children. = +3 points

61. Has ever placed a slip n’ slide inside the church building. = +3 points

62. Believes that most of life’s problems can be solved with a well run car wash fundraising event. = +3 points

63. Staged a successful, “Get this church a Wii” campaign. = +1 point

64. Has been known to keep tabs on the students by spying on their facebook statuses. = Not sure about this one.

65. Often confused for a student since they look so young. = +2 points

66. Was ever at a restaurant having a beer with his family when he saw a student, felt incredibly awkward and then slid the beer toward his wife as if it were her’s. = +3 points

67. Still making Chuck Norris jokes. = – 2 points

68. Devotes an entire month to talking about sex and abstinence. +2

69. Also uses luggage to demonstrate sexual “baggage” in this same lesson. = +7 points

70. Had to hold a serious conversation with his students during which he explained why they had to retire the phrase, “that’s what she said.” = +2 points

71. Is a girl and constantly rages against the perception that only boys can be youth ministers. = +2 points

72. Has some sort of other worldly sense that alerts them whenever someone sneaks out and breaks curfew during a retreat. = +3 points

73. Believes no youth retreat is complete without a “fear factor” session, complete with habanero peppers and beef & peas baby food. = +3 points

74. Requires that all movies watched on youth group van be motivational sports movies, like Rudy, Remember the Titans, and the Sandlot. = +1 point

75. Wakes up at 4:30 am on youth retreats and runs down the halls singing “Rise and shine, and Give God the glory glory” at the top of his lungs while banging on doors to wake everyone up: = +10 points

76. Has a sense, like Spiderman, whenever two kids are “making purple” at camp. = +1 point

77. Will interrupt kids making purple with a rain of water balloons. = +2 points

78. Bought every student a copy of the Stuff Christians Like book. = +100 points

79. Will kill you at Guitar Hero. = +2 points

80. Owns Justin Bieber CD because it helps them relate to students, but secretly loves it. = +2 points

81. Owns their own megaphone. = +2 points

82. Is no longer allowed to hold “Youth Sunday” after that unfortunate “mongoose incident.” = +3 points

83. Considers any game that does not end with at least one person vomiting to be a personal failure. = +2 points

84. Knows the value and importance of the liability forms they make kids sign before any event. = +2 points

85. Often has the fire department involved whenever they hold a lock in event at the church. = +3 points

86. Has the teenagers volunteer in the screaming baby nursery as a way to encourage abstinence. = +3 points

87. Is willing to sew your stitches for you. Seriously, I’ll do it dude. = +3 points

88. Regularly holds some sort of mustache growing event. = +2 points

89. Happens to be a girl, but still insists on participating in the mustache event. = +weird

90. Has a “parents voice” that is about three octaves lower and slower whenever he has to talk to adults.

91. Tries, unsuccessfully, to turn cleaning up the youth room into a fun game! = -2 points

92. Has a map, much like the Marauder’s Map in Harry Potter, of all the popular makeout spots that kids try to hide at camp = +3 points

93. Believes that when it comes to youth group events, it’s always better to ask for forgiveness than it is to ask for permission from the Senior Pastor. = +3 points

94. Overuses the fog machine, turning every event into a smoky, pineapple flavored haunted moor. = -3 points

95. Has ever said the phrase, “If it was illegal, there’d be a sign telling us not to do it.” = +3 points

96. Found a way to get the youth group room outfitted with a better sound system than the sanctuary. = +2 points

97. Tweets more than Jon Acuff. = +3 points

98. Owns a skateboard or snowboard. = +2 points

99. Had to sign a legally binding document with the church administration that they would not go near the baptismal again. = +3 points

100. Turns any youth group trip to a restaurant into an eating contest. = +3 points

101. Knows how to multiply cheap pizza almost as well as Jesus multiplied the loaves and fish. = +3 points

102. Buys shaving cream and marshmallows in bulk at Costco. = +3 points

103. Is often asked by parents, “What do you do all week?” = +3 points

104. Once sustained a wrist sprain during a foosball game. = +3 points

105. Ruined their cellphone when they were throw into a pool/lake/crick by the students. = +3 points

106. Prior to joining the church staff, the office they have was called by it’s correct name, “Closet.” = +3 points

107. Does more things with Duct tape than McGuyver. = +2 points

108. Has ever accidentally left a youth at a rest stop while on a road trip. = +1 point

109. Had someone in the church ask, “Do you think someday you’ll want to be a ‘real’ minister?” = +10 points

110. Insists on regularly doing a Song of Solomon/True Love Waits medley message. = +2 points

111. Often reminds girls in the group that, “the butt is not a billboard.” = +2 points

112. Has swam in the church fountain. = +2 points

113. Owns all the Nooma videos. = +3 points

114. Owns a Nerf gun that is so big they had to register it with the state. = +3 points

Did you add up your score? What does your total mean? Here is the breakdown:

0-10 Points: Temporary Help

You’re not a youth minister. You’re a random person at church that was temporarily asked to help out with the students. You actually kind of don’t like teenagers and are counting the days until they hire someone full time.

11 – 30 Points: Amateur Hour

You wouldn’t know how to lob a roll of toilet paper in a perfect tree covering arc if it came up and bit you. You think Lady Gaga is the sister of Lady Antebellum and your car is way to nice to be owned by a youth minister.

31 – 50 Points: Minor Leagues

Now we’re talking. You’ve been to a Skillet concert or two. This isn’t your first goatee (unless you’re a lady.) You know the joys of discount pizza and off brand sodas. Congrats, you’re in the minor leagues of youth ministry.

51+ Points: Legend

Seminaries have classes dedicated to your escapades. Your work on the Johnson house in 2008 is still discussed at the Charmin factory headquarters. You’ve put so many kids in your car it made Circus clown cars seem lazy. You are a legend my friend. You will go down in the Youth Minister Hall of Fame. (Which I made up for this post but would probably be in Ohio if I had to guess.)

How did your youth minister score? How did you score? Hopefully high. (Only time that sentence can be said about youth ministers and be positive.) Big shout out to all the readers who contributed to this list. There were dozens of folks.

What was your final score?

the missional church: simple.

2010-03-17T10:53:00.000-07:00

ht to scott jones.

think.

2010-01-26T06:46:00.000-08:00

so i'd like to press each and every one of you with this post. lately, i've grown increasingly tired of liberal and conservative 'wars'. and by 'wars', i mean the lumping together of these two camps and pitting them opposed to each other, throwing nothing but cynicism, criticism and degradation back and forth. it's pretty pathetic on both sides. and i truly hope that everyone knows that as long as 'liberals' and 'conservatives' place themselves as vehemently opposed, nothing will ever get better. as long as one side sees the need to 'win' a majority over the other, we will never accomplish anything.

a couple thoughts:
-an 'open-mind' does not mean the foundation one stands on is shaky.
-caution and restraint are necessary components in decision making.
-change must be preceded by thoughtful reasoning
-generosity is a noble characteristic.
-all people desire to be loved and respected for who they are and what they offer.

so i'd like to press you, for a moment at least, to not think of yourself as a 'label' (read: 'conservative' or 'liberal'), and to jot down a list of 5 things that you stand for -- they can be both general or more specific. and once you've sat with that a bit, think about how that describes you as a person. i simply encourage you to think about who you are and what you stand on -- and not the label or stereotype you ascribe to.

and out of curiosity, i googled some web definitions for both 'conservative' and 'liberal'. some of the results follow:

CONSERVATIVE.
-resistant to change
-Traditional or restrained in style
-Moderate; cautious
-a person who is reluctant to change or consider new ideas; conformist
-tending or disposed to maintain existing views, conditions, or institutions

LIBERAL.
-showing or characterized by broad-mindedness
-generous and broad sympathies
-tolerant of change; not bound by authoritarianism, orthodoxy, or tradition
-favors a philosophy of progress and reform
-free from bigotry
-open to new ideas for progress, and tolerant of the ideas and behavior of others
-Tending to give freely
-characterized by generosity and willingness to give
-from Latin liberalis, from liber, free

LOL! :-0

2010-01-13T06:15:00.000-08:00

so i know i post pics of a lot these random LOLs pretty often, but i've been meaning to compile a post with all of the sites that i've found over time. the humor they have provided has been such a dose of relief to my soul some days. so anywho -- each site will be listed with an example pic. but if you want to fastforward, there's a list of just the sites at the bottom of the post. enjoy. laugh hard. share them with your friends. and feel free to add any of your own fun sites in the comments...

FAILBLOG. the one that started it all for me...

ICANHASCHEEZBURGER. the one the only...

ROFLRAZZI. celebs at their best...

TOTALLYLOOKSLIKE. amazing comparisons...

PUNDITKITCHEN. news/politics-related funnies...

GRAPHJAM. for the nerd in all of us...

THEREIFIXEDIT. some of these qualify for darwin awards i believe...

PHOTOBOMB. hysterical...

THATWILLBUFFOUT. vehicle-related mishaps...

GALLERYOFREGRETS. horrific choices in tattoos...

WTF. straight WTF...

PEOPLEOFWALMART. oh walmart...

REGRETSY. a compilation of utterly strange items being sold on Etsy... (the quips that follow the actual post are what makes it)

AWKWARDFAMILYPHOTOS. some.. well.. awkward family photos...

VERYDEMOTIVATIONAL. great plays on those cheesy motivational posters...

ODDLYSPECIFIC. some great signage...

EPICWIN. some captured WINs...

FRIENDSOFIRONY. great ironic shots...

COMIX'ED. some great compilations that lead to hilarity...

FAILBOOKING. fantastic funny and awkward facebook posts...

FAILBLOG.
ICANHASCHEEZBURGER.
ROFLRAZZI.
TOTALLYLOOKSLIKE.
PUNDITKITCHEN.
GRAPHJAM.
THEREIFIXEDIT.
PHOTOBOMB.
THATWILLBUFFOUT.
GALLERYOFREGRETS.
WTF.
PEOPLEOFWALMART.
REGRETSY.
AWKWARDFAMILYPHOTOS.
VERYDEMOTIVATIONAL.
ODDLYSPECIFIC.
EPICWIN.
FRIENDSOFIRONY.
COMIX'ED.
FAILBOOKING.

MUPPETS!

2010-01-06T06:52:00.000-08:00

The Stories Behind 20 Muppet Favorites
by Stacy Conradt

Like a lot of you, I grew up on Sesame Street and the Muppets. But did you ever stop to wonder where they came from? Some of the characters we know and love were recycled from other TV shows and commercials Jim Henson worked on, while others were invented by using whatever materials were around. Be prepared for a little nostalgia, and I hope I didn’t leave out your favorite – not all of the characters have interesting background stories (sorry, Big Bird).

1. Cookie Monster. Jim Henson drew some monsters eating various snacks for a General Foods commercial in 1966. The commercial was never used, but Henson recycled one of the monsters (the “Wheel-Stealer”) for an IBM training video in 1967 and again for a Fritos commercial in 1969. By this time, he started working on Sesame Street and decided this monster would have a home there.

2. Elmo. The way it’s described by a Sesame Street writer, apparently this extra red puppet was just lying around. People would try to do something with him, but nothing really panned out. In 1984, puppeteer Kevin Clash picked up the red puppet and started doing the voice and the personality and it clicked – thus, Elmo was born.

3. Telly Monster was originally the Television Monster when he debuted in 1979. He was obsessed with TV and his eves would whirl around as if hypnotized whenever he was in front of a set. After a while, producers started worrying about his influence on youngsters, so they changed him to make him the chronic worrier he is now.

4. Count von Count made his first appearance in 1972 and was made out of an Anything Muppet pattern – a blank Muppet head that could have features added to it to make various characters. He used to be more sinister – he was able to hypnotize and stun people and he laughed in typical scary-villain-type fashion after completing a count of something and thunder and lightning would occur. He was quickly made more appealing to little kids, though. He is apparently quite the ladies’ man – he has been linked to Countess von Backward, who loves to count backward; Countess Dahling von Dahling and Lady Two.

5. Kermit was “born” in 1955 and first showed up on “Sam and Friends,” a five-minute puppet show by Jim Henson. The first Kermit was made out of Henson’s mom’s coat and some ping pong balls. At the time, he was more lizard-like than frog-like. By the time he showed up on Sesame Street in 1969, though, he had made the transition to frog. There are rumors that he got the name Kermit from a childhood friend of Henson’s or a puppeteer from the early days of the Muppets, but Henson always refuted both of those rumors.

6. Real Swedish Chef Lars “Kuprik” Bäckman claims he was the inspiration for the Swedish Chef. He was on Good Morning America, he says, and caught Jim Henson’s eye. Henson supposedly bought the rights to the Good Morning America recording and created the Swedish Chef (who DOES have a real name, but it’s not understandable). One of the Muppet writers, Jerry Juhl, says that in all of the years of working with Jim Henson on the Swedish Chef, he never heard that the character was based on a real person.

7. Animal. Everyone’s favorite member of Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem may have been inspired by Keith Moon of The Who. This is speculation, but people who support this theory will point out that Jim Henson named one of the Fraggle Rock characters “Wembley,” which is the town Moon was born in.

8. Miss Piggy is apparently from Iowa. Makes sense. Anyway, she started as a minor character on The Muppet Show, but anyone who knows Miss Piggy can see that she wouldn’t settle for anything “minor.” Her first TV appearance was actually on an Herb Alpert special. It wasn’t until 1976, when The Muppet Show premiered, that she became the glamorous blonde with a penchant for frog that we know and love today. Frank Oz once said that Miss Piggy grew up in Iowa; her dad died when she was young and her mother was mean. She had to enter beauty contests to make money.

9. Rowlf the Dog, surprise, surprise, was first made in 1962 for a series of Purina Dog Chow commercials. He went on to claim fame as Jimmy Dean’s sidekick on The Jimmy Dean Show and was on every single episode from 1963 to 1966. Jimmy Dean said Rowlf got about 2,000 letters from fans every week. He was considered for Sesame Street but ended up becoming a regular on The Muppet Show in 1976.

10. Oscar the Grouch is performed by the same guy who does Big Bird, Carroll Spinney. Spinney said he based Oscar’s cranky voice on a particular NYC cab driver he once had the pleasure of riding with. He was originally an alarming shade of orange. In Pakistan, his name is Akhtar and he lives in an oil barrel. In Turkey, he is Kirpik and lives in a basket. And in Israel, it’s not Oscar at all – it’s his cousin, Moishe Oofnik, who lives in an old car.

11. Gonzo. What exactly is Gonzo? Nobody knows. Even Jim Henson had no particular species in mind. Over the course of The Muppet Show, Muppet Babies and various Muppet movies, Gonzo has been referred to as a “Whatever”, a “Weirdo” and an alien. Whatever he is, he first appeared on the scene in 1970’s The Great Santa Claus Switch. His name was Snarl the Cigar Box Frackle. In 1974, he showed up on a T.V. special for Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass. He became Gonzo the Great by the first season of The Muppet Show and developed his thing for Camilla the Chicken almost accidentally: during one episode where chickens were auditioning for the show, puppeteer Dave Goelz ad-libbed, “Don’t call us, we’ll call you… nice legs, though!” It was decided then and there that Gonzo would have a bizarre romantic interest in chickens.

12. You have to love Statler and Waldorf. I couldn’t find much on their particular inspiration, but I can tell you that they’ve been around since the 1975 Muppet Show pilot. They are named after popular New York City hotels (the Statler Hotel was renamed the Hotel Pennsylvania in 1992.) Guess what Waldorf’s wife name is? Yep… Astoria (she looks startlingly like Statler.) FYI, Waldorf is the one with the mustache and white hair. Statler has the grey hair. Apparently Waldorf has had a pacemaker for more than 30 years.

13. Beaker. I always thought of Beaker and his buddy Bunsen Honeydew as characters that came along later in the Muppet timeline, but they have been around since the The Muppet Show. Although Beaker usually says things along the lines of, “Mee-mee-mee-mee!”, he has had a few actual lines: “Sadly temporary,” “Bye-Bye” and “Make-up ready!” Despite being word-challenged, he manages to do a pretty convincing Little Richard impression and, surprisingly, had mad beatbox skills. Beaker is one of the only Muppets that was never recycled from some other purpose – he was created solely for The Muppet Show.

14. Fozzie Bear. Poor Fozzie. He’s the perpetual target of Statler and Waldorf because of his horrible jokes and puns. It actually created a bit of a problem during the first season of The Muppet Show, because when Fozzie got heckled, he got very upset and sometimes cried. Viewers didn’t feel sympathy; they felt embarrassed. The problem was solved by making Fozzie an optimist so that even when he got heckled he was good-natured about it. It’s often thought that he was named after Frank Oz, who was his puppeteer, but Frank said it’s just a variant of “fuzzy bear.” Yet another story says he was named for his builder, Faz Fazakas. Wocka wocka!!

15. Bert and Ernie are the Muppet version of Felix and Oscar (the Odd Couple, for you young’uns). Lots of people think Bert and Ernie were named for some minor characters in It’s A Wonderful Life, but according to the Henson company, that’s just a rumor. Jim Henson always maintained that it was just a coincidence – the names just went well together and seemed to fit the characters. Jerry Juhl, one of the head writers, corroborated this and said that Jim Henson had no memory for details like that and would have never remembered the name of the cop and the taxi cab driver in the old Jimmy Stewart movie.

Other rumors to clear up: Bert and Ernie aren’t gay and neither one of them are dead. Now that we’ve got that straightened out, here are a few more tidbits: the original Ernie used to have a gravelly voice similar to Rowlf the Dog’s. Frank Oz was Bert’s puppeteer and hated him at the beginning. He thought Bert was ridiculously boring, but then realized that he could have a lot of fun with being boring. Jim Henson once said, “I remember trying Bert and Frank tried Ernie for a while. I can’t imagine doing Bert now, because Bert has become so much of a part of Frank.”

16. Grover. Everyone’s favorite “cute, furry little monster” made his TV debut on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1967. At the time, he was known as “Gleep” and was a monster in Santa’s Workshop. He then appeared on the first season of Sesame Street, but sported green fur and a reddish-orange nose. He didn’t have a name then, but by the second season he transformed into the Grover we know today, more or less – electric blue fur and a pink nose. The original green Grover was reincarnated as Grover’s Mommy for a few episodes. In Latin America and Puerto Rico Grover is known as Archibaldo, in Spain he is Coco, in Portugal he is Gualter and in Norway he is Gunnar.

17. Sweetums is one of a handful of full-body Muppets. He showed up in 1971 on the TV special The Frog Prince. This is where he got his name – when Sir Robin the Brave is about to defeat the ogre, a witch shows up and changes him into a frog (who later becomes Robin, Kermit’s nephew). Apparently smitten with the ogre, the witch tells her darling “Sweetums” that he can have the frog for breakfast.

Bigger fame awaited Sweetums, though – in 1975, he appeared on Cher’s variety show to do a duet with her to “That Old Black Magic”. He officially joined The Muppet Show cast in 1976.

18. Rizzo the Rat might sound familiar to you, especially if you’ve seen Midnight Cowboy – he is named for Dustin Hoffman’s character, Ratso Rizzo. He was created after puppeteer Steve Whitmire was inspired by rat puppets made from bottles. He first showed up on The Muppet Show as one of a group of rats following Christopher Reeve around – he’s easy to spot because he hams it up more than any of the other rats. He occasionally performs with Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem.

19. Pepe the King Prawn’s full name is Pepino Rodrigo Serrano Gonzales. I heart Pepe. He was a chef in Madrid before going Hollywood on Muppets Tonight in 1996. He was paired with Seymour the Elephant (Pepe was originally going to be a mouse) on the show, but Seymour never developed quite the same following and was only in two episodes. He rarely gets names right – some of his mispronunciations include “muffins” instead of Muppets, “Kermin” instead of Kermit and “Scooper” instead of Scooter. He’s quite full of himself – in addition to thinking that he’s quite the ladies’ man, he also fully expects to win several Oscars.

20. Herry Monster from Sesame Street was the Big Bad Wolf in his original incarnation, which you can kind of tell by looking at his fur. It’s pretty wolf-like (if wolves were blue, I mean). He became a Sesame monster in 1970 to replace the Beautiful Day Monster, who looked kind of like Sam the Eagle and existed to cause destruction wherever he went, thus ruining the beautiful day people had been having before he showed up. Herry used to have a furry nose but got upgraded to his non-furry, purple nose in 1971.

happy birthday rudolph...

2009-12-07T05:50:00.000-08:00

from MENTALFLOSS...

"I saw that Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was on the other day and I refused to watch it. It just seems so early! But I probably should have tuned in for two reasons: it might have been my only shot this season, and it would have been nice of me to acknowledge everyone’s favorite Christmas misfit on his 70th birthday. To make up for neglecting our crimson-nosed friend, we’ll dedicate today’s Q10 to him."

1. Rudolph was created in 1939 when the department store Montgomery Ward asked one of their writers, 34-year-old Robert May, to come up with a character they could base coloring books around so they would have freebies to hand out to the kiddies who came to visit Mr. Claus. As you can probably tell, the character was a huge hit. Montgomery Ward gave out 2.4 million copies of the Rudolph booklet in the first year alone and Rudolph ended up going commercial.

2. Although the song has become synonymous with Christmas at this point, “Rudolph” is actually still copyrighted.

3. He could have been Rollo the red-nosed reindeer or Reginald the red-nosed reindeer. Those were two of the names considered before May settled on the name we know today. Rollo was rejected for sounding too sunny and happy; Reginald sounded too British.

4. If you grew up in Finland, you’re probably be more familiar with Petteri Punakuono than Rudolph. Peterri is Rudy’s Finnish counterpart. The Finnish legend of Santa Claus (AKA Joulupukki) doesn’t name his reindeer the same way we do – Dasher, Dancer Donner and so on – so the beginning of the song doesn’t start out the same way. Instead of running through the laundry list of reindeer the Finnish version translates to something like, “You remember Cinderella, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty, Little Red Riding hood, and the grey wolf, but this reindeer is often forgotten.”

5. Apparently Rudolph hooked up with Clarice at some point, because he has a son named Robbie. At least, he does according to the BBC. They developed three cartoons based on Rudolph’s offspring, but the name of Robbie’s famous dad is never actually mentioned. The plotline tells us that the villain of the series, Blitzen, can’t stand to hear Rudolph’s name. In reality, it’s because the BBC couldn’t get permission to use it (or didn’t want to pay to use it). If you haven’t seen the British version but still remember Robbie, that’s because Fox Family ran the show for a few years in the early ’00s with redubbed voices, including Ben Stiller as Robbie, Hugh Grant as Blitzen, Britney Spears as Donner, Leah Remini as Vixen, and Brad Garrett as Prancer.

6. Although the character came out in 1939, the song wasn’t recorded until 1949. It was May’s brother-in-law who wrote the lyrics for it; Gene Autry recorded it. He actually almost passed on the song, but his wife urged him to go ahead and give it a shot. The song hit #1 on the charts during the week of Christmas, then plummeted right off them entirely. It’s the only song in history to ever hit #1 and then just disappear.

7. In addition to being named Reginald or Rollo, Rudolph almost guided Santa’s sleigh much differently. Instead of having a red, glowing nose that could cut through the fog, May considered giving Rudolph large, headlight-like eyes that would light the way. After much consideration, he decided that mean kids would be more likely to make fun of a red nose than huge eyes. Which is a good thing… that would have changed the song drastically! “Rollo, the bug-eyed reindeer, had very large protruding eyes.” No??

8. Speaking of the song, songwriter Johnny Marks specialized in Christmas songs. We have him to thank for Rudolph, obviously, but also “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day,” “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” “Run Rudolph Run” and “A Holly Jolly Christmas” (in addition to a bunch of lesser-known Christmas songs). The irony? Marks was Jewish.

9. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, the stop motion animated T.V. special, is the longest-runing Christmas T.V. special of all time.

10. The puppets used for that T.V. special disappeared for many years. When they resurfaced, they did so on Antiques Roadshow in 2006. Well, not all of them – just Santa and Rudolph. A woman who worked for Rankin-Bass, the company who made the show, had stored them in her attic since at least the ’70s. Prior to that, she let her kids play with them. Rudolph last his red nose and somehow Santa’s eyebrows disappeared. But they were fully restored after their trip to Antiques Roadshow and have been displayed at the Center for Puppetry Arts for visitors to see. The new owner hopes that the puppets can go on national tour so more people can enjoy them.

opportunity for collaboration...

2009-11-23T11:33:00.000-08:00

so i'm leading/speaking at a retreat in a couple weeks. and while i love coming up with things to share and talk about, i always struggle a bit on my own with enough creativity for the small group materials. i've got some questions and ideas down already, but i want to offer an opportunity for some collaboration.

below you will find the outlines for my talks: 3 talks on 'Gifts' -- a broad generalization, but mostly geared toward talking about what it means to discover one's unique gifts as given by God. each 'talk' is followed by a small group session to tease out the ideas. this will be a JUNIOR HIGH crowd -- so think like a junior high-er. so as far as small group stuff goes, questions are good, but relevant activities/projects/involvements are better. so put on your thinking caps and COLLABORATE.
___________

retreat DESCRIPTION:
--the theme is Gifts of the Spirit, and will involve helping the kids identify their own personal gifts. Too often kids spend time coveting, for lack of a better word, the gifts of others and not learning to identify and appreciate their own gifts.
--we are created unique and wonderful beings as children of God. part of our journey is discovering our gifts - and we achieve this through determining our strengths, as well as the things that we might not be very good at. God desires us to use our gifts to build His Kingdom -- we'll take a look at what it means to discern our gifts, as well as what it means to apply those gifts to God's Kingdom.

A Starting Point. Who we are, where we’re at.
--> you are uniquely created out of God’s unending love and creativity.
John 3:16, Ephesians 1:7
-->there is a plan – a greater purpose/mission/joy – THY KINGDOM COME ON EARTH. and we are invited to be a part of that. Ephesians 2:10, Rev 1:6
-->it involves EACH of our unique selves – which implies that we need to learn our self and what we have to offer. 1 Cor 12, Romans 12:6-8
-->gifts vs. talents/abilities. gifts as the discovery of your nature – how you are programmed.
--> Holy Spirit: Enabling the Christian life. The Holy Spirit is believed to dwell in the individual believers and enable them to live a Godly, righteous and faithful life.
--> The Matrix – there is a deep identity below the surface. you can take the blue pill and stay on the surface of things and seek a life full of the things the world offers. you can take the red pill and dive into who you are – who God created you to be – and what gifts you have to offer in the building of the Kingdom.
-->involves asking yourself the question: who or what is at the center of your life?
-->there are pressures and presumptions that will try to dictate how your life unfolds and what ‘gifts’ you have to offer: your choice is to discover your deeper self and what you have to offer in joy to the world and to the building of God’s Kingdom.
-->movie clip illustration: October Sky
-->introduce Apostle Paul – he grew up a roman citizen, and was ‘shaped’ by that. with his natural gift of leadership, he assumed a position because of what he knew as a Roman: he became a lead persecutor of christians. and he was GOOD at it.

The Journey. God’s role – life as opportunity and opportunity to explore self.
-->once we have begun something, we are on a journey. our life is thus a journey.
Philippians 1:6
-->one of the greatest things we can offer back to God is to explore ourselves, learn who we are, and apply that to living out the Kingdom. 2Timothy 1:7, Ephesians 4:17f
--> analogy: marble-carving. if we are created unique beings, w/ purpose, then we are beautiful sculpture waiting to be revealed. in marble carving, the carver takes great care to chip away all that is meaningless, ugly, and unnecessary. will we try to ‘reveal’ ourselves? or will we allow the carver to slowly and deliberately reveal who we are and what gifts we have to offer?
-->it takes a willingness to explore deeper – to put/acknowledge something or someone else at the center. a willingness to be honest, humble. this takes many years, and many difficult experiences. John 15
--> we all experience envy of what others have or are able to do. outline envy’s qualities/effects.
--> one of the great challenges in discovering who we are as a unique child of God is to love ourselves for who we are, as we are, EVEN for the gifts/abilities that we don’t have.
-->one of the keys here is to pull close to God: to listen, think, ask questions – all in humility. Matthew 5:14f
-->movie clip illustration: Unbreakable
-->continue with the character of Paul. in his life journey and discovery of his gifts, he was becoming the best leading the persecution and murder of Christians. then God decides it’s time to regain control of the piece of marble known as Paul – and we know this as Paul’s conversion experience on the road to Damascus. from then on, Paul’s gift of leadership – which he already knew about and had been developing – was re-oriented toward where it could be best applied. paul had taken control of his marble-carving, and it was looking ugly.

The Mission. So what? Building the Kingdom with what we’ve been given.
-->construction crew analogy: the various roles that are necessary from start to finish on a building project: surveyors, architects, inspectors, builders, finish crew, decorator, etc. each requires unique gifts and abilities.
-->the world needs EVERYthing. it would be overwhelming to try to figure out what to offer based on what is needed. like a SINGLE person trying to do everything necessary for construction. this is further evidence for discovering our own gifts and what we have to offer. 1Cor 12 – unique for a purpose ... a mission. Romans 8:28
--> find your gifts, abilities, limits, and live it. BUECHNER quote: The place where God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet.
--“American Dream” vs. God’s call to Kingdom building: conflicting missions.
Ephesians 3:10-11
-->movie clip illustration: Unbreakable
-->Paul. arguably the most notable person we know of to advance God’s Kingdom thru the building of the church. and he turned his gift of leadership toward this, from something that was unspeakable. he had discovered a gift, and had steered hit toward a righteous, Godly purpose. and THRIVED. i can’t imagine where the Church would be today if he hadn’t.
-->called as ambassadors: 2 Cor 5:17-20, with what we have.
Ephesians 1:9

depressing.

2009-11-12T11:05:00.000-08:00

i hope most of you will find THIS disconcerting. what was most disturbing to me was this paragraph:

North-central Phoenix resident Scott Crozier said he's pleased with Corcoran's decision. "This decision is more about protecting a residential area than anything else," he said. "The nice part is the church can support the homeless elsewhere with UMOM or André House, but we can't move the residential neighborhood."

i hate what ministry is up against sometimes...

ht to cleave.

good read...

2009-11-12T07:39:00.000-08:00

great article HERE. informative -- puts things in perspective a little...

ht to SJ.

wtf!?!

2009-10-29T06:20:00.000-07:00

how did i not know about this?!! chastity bono is now CHAZ bono?

PEOPLE.COM

good stuff.

2009-10-29T05:59:00.001-07:00

while this article is a sarcastic 'joke' from the pages of the Rutgers Medium (cynical/humor publication), the gist of this article is often on my mind. while cell phones have certainly added a lot of convenience to our lives, i'm pretty sure that they take away a lot as well. i could go into it, but i'll leave it at that. enjoy...

and in related news...

2009-10-29T05:58:00.001-07:00

addendum.

2009-10-29T05:48:00.000-07:00

i apparently received mis-information. as if to possibly give them a little credit, westboro baptist was present for their picket for about 15-20 minutes -- and it was a half hour earlier than scheduled. just want to give them a fair report :)

westboro baptist.

2009-10-28T06:25:00.000-07:00

about a week ago, i learned that the Westboro Baptist Church was going to be coming to NJ [and yes, that really is their web address]. via their website description, it seemed that they were largely on an anti-jewish tirade, and one of their visits was going to be to the Rutgers Hillel jewish student group, because:

"Rutgers Hillel - You have two mascots? God H8s Fags already 93 College Ave Why does New Jersey have to be so friggin' weird about everything? These guys have two mascots at this college. Is that in case one of them is offensive to someone? I'm just sayin'! WBC needs to have a few words with these young people because all of the people who ever had any influence over them - LIED! What did you do that for? Why did you lie to those kids. Oh well, they're all grown up now, so they must find out for themselves that God is NOT a liar, like you told them He is. Numbers 23:19 God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? So, here we come - behave yourselves appropriately, keep your mouths shut, your eyes and ears open. You never know, you might learn something. Praise God! AMEN!"

yea, didn't really make any sense to me either. if you read up on some of the other 'reasons' for their pickets, i think you'll find them more humorous than offensive -- because it's just. so. ridiculous.

i've known about these folks for awhile -- picketing funerals and such. it's one thing to push your agenda, it's a whole other thing to disrespect and demean.

so i wanted to go see this event with my own eyes. they were slated to arrive at Rutgers Hillel at 8:45 and stay for a half hour. i got there pretty much right at 8:45. and, sadly, this is the only view i got of them:

because they were back on their bus and leaving within 15 minutes of arriving. apparently, they arrived at 8:40, stood out on the sidewalk for about 2 minutes, went back to their bus, and were pulling out by 8:55. come on -- i mean, even spider man came out for the counter-protest:

but seriously. it wasn't disappointment that i felt. it was curiosity. i was curious why a group that has mouths and convictions as large as they do, seemed to have scampered away with their tails between their legs. why would they have bothered? are they simply pot-stirrers with barks much worse than their bites? do they really have any deep-lying passion for what they preach? or are they just after the publicity in order to sustain their ridiculous propaganda?

the plus side, is that they successfully spurred the people of rutgers toward a bit of a unification against hate.

i was excited to see the students and Hillel making the counter-protest against hate. this could VERY easily been an 'anti-christian' counter-protest -- or 'anti-conservative-christian'. i'm encouraged by the way the counter-protest was handled -- maturely, and without irrational stereotypes and hatred. it also could have easily been laced with hatred toward Westboro Baptist. and it wasn't. there were a number of articles/editorials in the Rutgers newspaper over the past week encouraging people to be thoughtful about their reactions. the second reformed church of new brunswick resides across the street from Hillel. they were present and in full support:

anywho. just wanted to share my account. it provoked a lot of thoughtfulness in me this past week about my own convictions -- and what they are rooted in -- so i'm thankful for that. i encourage you to take some time for your own convictions this week -- remind yourself of them, think about them, test them. peace...

calvin.

2009-10-26T09:07:00.000-07:00

we had a 'john calvin' sunday yesterday to honor the great reformer and revolutionary. we had one of his hymns, I Greet Thee Who My Sure Redeemer Art, in the service. a portion of the lyrics struck me deep. so, any of you who seek inspiration, i pray you take in these words of john calvin -- 16th century revolutionary:

Lord, give us peace, and
make us calm and sure -
that in Thy strength we
evermore endure.

amen.

monday fun.

2009-10-26T05:52:00.000-07:00

some monday fun courtesy of MENTALFLOSS. i LOVED the smurfs as a kid -- and still love their message of community [republicans can insert comment about communism here ________.] anywho -- enjoy this 'quick 10' about the smurfs...

1. The Smurfs were invented as a result of a silly conversation over dinner. Pierre Culliford, a Belgian artist known as Peyo, was dining with a friend when he had one of those momentary lapses of vocabulary that we all experience from time to time – he couldn’t remember the word for “salt” and asked his friend to pass the “schtroumpf.” Mocking him, his friend responded with, “Here’s the schtroumpf. When you are done schtroumpfing, schtroumpf it back.” This sparked an idea, and “les Schtroumpfs” were born in comic strip form shortly thereafter. This, of course, was translated to “The Smurfs” when they hit the American market.

2. The cartoon series was created when an NBC executive spied his daughter playing with a plush Smurf doll. After observing how much she loved the doll, he decided that the Schtroumpfs might be a good fit for his Saturday morning cartoon-fest. It was; it aired for nine seasons.

3. The Smurfs are specifically “three apples” tall.

4. The white hat the Smurfs all wear have been around for ages and are called Phrygian caps. They’re often considered symbols of liberty and were once found on the tops of Liberty Poles. You can see one on the seal of the United States Senate as well.

5. Because the Smurfs shared all of their possessions, some people thought this was a barely veiled attempt to brainwash children into Communist ways. Of course, some people also thought the Phrygian hats meant that the Smurfs were a sect of the Ku Klux Klan, and others claimed the Smurfs were neo-Nazis promoting an Aryan race because of the lone, blonde female in the group. In fact, none of those things were true. Peyo’s son has stated that the Smurfs had no political undertones at all, and the only messages his father wished to impart were those of friendship and love.

6. Karenna Gore’s Secret Service code name was Smurfette, which she has apparently regretted ever since. In 1997, she said, “Ever since I was put on the spot and told ‘two syllables’ and ‘It has to start with an S,’ I have been cringing in the back seat when identified as ‘Smurfette’.”

7. The answer to the age-old question “What color does a Smurf turn when it’s choking?” is purple. At least we can assume it’s purple, based on the episode where a Smurf decides to hold his breath.

8. The Smurfs showed up at a bunch of Kings Entertainment amusement parks in the mid ’80s. King’s Island near Cincinnati had a boat ride that took people through the Smurf village, King’s Dominion had Smurf Mountain, Great America had a little roller coaster called The Blue Streak, and Carowinds had a children’s play area called Smurf Island. Since then, they have all been replaced with different rides.

9. There are some Smurfs from the original comics that never made it to the cartoon. These include Alchemist Smurf, Timid Smurf, Enamored Smurf, Finance Smurf (whoo-hoo! How fun for kids!), Mango Smurf, Lumberjack Smurf, Pastrycook Smurf, Submariner Smurf and Navigator Smurf.

10. The World Record for People Dressed as Smurfs (I can’t shake the feeling that the plural should be Smurves. I know. So wrong.) was set just this year in Swansea, Wales. More than 2,500 people crammed into a nightclub dressed in blue and white and weren’t allowed to have any natural skin showing in order to count toward the record. The previous record had been set just a year earlier, with 1,253 Smurfs gathered in Castleblayney, Ireland.

[facebook'ers 'view original post' for video]

happy monday :)

2009-10-26T05:38:00.000-07:00

the internet -- proof that God loves us...

[facebook'ers 'view original post' for video]

today.

2009-10-22T11:04:00.000-07:00

today i received this passage in my daily email from Sojourners. they are words that inspired my soul, so i was compelled to share...

The Lord, your God, is in your midst,
a warrior who gives victory;
the Lord will rejoice over you with gladness,
and will renew you in love;
the Lord will exult over you with loud singing,
as on a day of festival.

[Zephaniah 3:17]

motivations?

2009-10-21T05:25:00.000-07:00

is things like THIS that make me curious why some (and herein i am referring to 'pushy' atheists) atheists find it so necessary to press their claim that there is no God. i struggle to think of any other situation like this where someone or some group feels the need to press so hard against the belief of something. i wonder about the motivations of pushy atheists. maybe i should make a shirt that says 'i don't believe in atheists' -- and see what they have to say about that...

article HERE.

is it any wonder?

2009-10-19T05:20:00.001-07:00

do we wonder why THIS is something that's bubbling up? it shouldn't be a surprise when there are so many people 'afraid' that teaching aspects of religion and faith in school is considered 'brainwashing'. there is a word for this fear: ridiculous. religion is part of history, and it is part of present-day life. we teach capitalism in schools -- does that give me the right to think that 'they' are 'brainwashing' my kid into being a capitalist? no, of course not. there is infinite value in religion, whether you are a person of faith, an atheist, or a disenfranchised catholic. and this irrational fear surrounding religion in schools and the public sphere is a sad one. because we are losing values, and that's a problem. care to share otherwise?

[ht to melissa for the article]

a.ma.zing.

2009-10-12T10:31:00.000-07:00

THIS is super amazing. feast your eyes oh you star wars nerds...

how i wish i was still 4 feet tall...

thoughtful.

2009-10-12T04:42:00.001-07:00

HERE is an article with a great historical perspective on the recent awarding of the nobel peace prize to obama.

informative.

2009-10-08T10:23:00.000-07:00

HERE is a good example (watch the video) of someone who saw something that was unjust, and is doing something necessary about it. while i disagree with the headline labeling the GOP as 'pro-rape', i think it's an interesting profile of who voted how (see HERE for the breakdown).

reminds of the time i heard david crowder describe 'justice': we can stand on the banks of the river of injustice and help by pulling people out all day long. it is another thing to walk upstream and figure out who's throwing them in in the first place.

new fun site.

2009-10-08T06:36:00.000-07:00

i'm addicted to macro sites. here's a new one i found today (i'll eventually post a list of all the ones i've come across): COMIXED. and enjoy this preview...

only in jersey...

2009-10-02T16:24:00.000-07:00

this is a real story. unbelievable, but real. HERE is some further evidence.

girl scout cookie facts...

2009-09-29T05:59:00.000-07:00

1. The cookies started out being baked in the ovens of various troop members. The first Girl Scout cookie sale on record took place in Muskogee, Oklahoma, in a high school cafeteria in 1917. At the time, a basic sugar cookie recipe was used and the cookies were packaged in wax paper bags and sealed with a sticker.

2. In 1933, you could buy one package for $0.23 or six for $1.24.

3. The cookies first started being commercially baked in 1934 and the Girl Scouts of Greater Philadelphia were the first to go that route.

4. During WWII when there were shortages of sugar, butter and flour in the U.S., the Girl Scouts sold calendars instead.

5. In 1951, the consumer had only three Girl Scout Cookie options: Sandwich (like an Oreo, I suppose?), Shortbread and Chocolate Mint, which we know as the Thin Mint today. By ’56, they had added a vanilla sandwich cookie as well.

6. Thin Mints are the current best sellers, comprising 25 percent of sales. Samoas (ew, coconut) trail behind at 19 percent, Tagalongs come in at 13%, Do-si-dos at 11% and Trefoils at 9%. The other 23% is made up of all of the other varieties.

7. Elizabeth Brinton is known as the “Cookie Queen.” She sold more than 100,000 boxes of cookies over her Girl Scout career and more than 18,000 in one season alone. She was the first to abandon the door-to-door method and set up a booth in a high-traffic area (the D.C. metro stations). When asked the secret to her success, one of her responses was, “You’ve got to look them in the eye and make them feel guilty.”

8. Girl Scout cookies are kosher.

9. Only two bakers in America are licensed to make the cookies: ABC/Interbake Foods and Little Brownie Bakes.

10. You can make the early sugar cookie version yourself, if you want:

AN EARLY GIRL SCOUT COOKIE® RECIPE
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar plus additional amount for topping (optional)
2 eggs
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
-Cream butter and the cup of sugar; add well-beaten eggs, then milk, vanilla, flour, salt, and baking powder. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Roll dough, cut into trefoil shapes, and sprinkle sugar on top, if desired. Bake in a quick oven (375°) for approximately 8 to 10 minutes or until the edges begin to brown. Makes six- to seven-dozen cookies.

fun fact.

2009-09-29T05:55:00.001-07:00

In 2002, Norwegian McDonald’s restaurants had the bright idea to name a burger after a place where millions of people were facing starvation. Reps said the McAfrika sandwich was based on an authentic African recipe, but that didn’t stop many in Norway from accusing McDonald’s of extreme insensitivity. McDonald’s considered donating proceeds to famine relief, but ended up allowing relief agencies to place collection boxes in participating restaurants. I think that was the same year they considered the McTsunami filet-o-fish.

as we are...

2009-09-29T04:23:00.000-07:00

"We don't see things as they are, we see things as we are."
-Anais Nin

agreed. why would we ever think so highly of ourselves, to believe we are right about something above all others?

age of stupid.

2009-09-28T09:19:00.001-07:00

while not as noteworthy as i thought it might be, it was still pretty poignant. i'd recommend you viewing The Age of Stupid. had a couple good profiles of people trying to do their part and the barriers they come up against.

found the whole movie online HERE.

through this, i would simply implore you to not contribute to further stupidity and ignorance on behalf of the human race. thanks.

**in related news, checkout my buddy adam at Pomomusings.com and his post on An Experiment in Keeping Our Trash.

the plan in 4 minutes...

2009-09-24T07:30:00.001-07:00

thought this was a good compilation and quick summary of the potential healthcare plan...

sound like hitler to you? i thought not...

[facebook'ers 'view original post' for embed...]

fitting.

2009-09-21T06:46:00.001-07:00

fitting for today, being the international day of peace...

moltmann. pt.3

2009-09-13T12:11:00.000-07:00

Moltmann’s greeting to us: "Peace be with you – and good theology too.”

Jurgen Moltmann says ‘father’ as Goldmember does in Austin Powers: “Fah-shza”.

And he refers to the Holy Spirit as ‘herself’.

some questions/topics were posed by tony jones. tony recalls a billboard: “unless you confess, God cannot bless.” what does moltmann think of this?
-is God a contingent being? we are Christians by faith alone. the initiative is always on God. we cannot bargain with God – that is pure capitalism.

moltmann talked a bit about is reasoning for his ‘panentheist’ classification (meaning, God’s creator-role and relation to creation).
-before God created the world/the universe/everything, God decided to become the Creator.
-before creating the heavens and the earth, God must have created a space to make room for these created things.
-thus there is a space within God’s being where the heaven’s and earth were created.
-there is a presupposed contract between the finite and the infinite.

regarding God’s creative act, Moltmann suggests that it is ‘creative’ to let another being ‘be’. we can ask ourselves, then, if our attempts to control and manipulate others are decidedly inconvenient?

Moltmann believes that “God wants our response and responsibility – he wants us to come of age.”

on God’s becoming human in the person of Jesus Christ: “God became human being to liberate us from our God complex.”

with regard to evil and unjust things that occur in our world, Moltmann claims that we have a collective responsibility: “Everyone is guilty for everything happening in the world.”

in anticipation of future generations: “we have received life, and we should give life to another generation.”

“we must respect the image of God in every person – in a murderer, in a terrorist. it’s difficult, i know.”

with respect to ‘science vs. nature’, Moltmann says that we need a hermeneutic of nature that asks: “Do we really understand what we know?”

also, that “the struggle between theology and science is better than [just] regular science.”

over the time, the hierarchy of the trinity that has been created by certain theologies (ie, father as head, son as next in power, and holy spirit on the bottom rung), has aided in our human hierarchies (ie, God to Pope to Bishop to Priest to congregants). this is an unhealthy view of the trinity, that creates an unhealthy dynamic for human beings.

when asked about the hinge-pin issue of homosexuality, and whether he has an issue with it: “This is not a problem in Germany, because the Gospel is not about sex.” an interesting, simple answer. he also backs his opinion with the fact that we come to God on faith alone – not by our actions or orientations or behaviors. “homosexuality is neither sin nor crime – how can [we] not bless a union between two humans?” Moltmann puts it in perspective by saying: “We should care more about war and peace.”

with regard to war and peace, there are 3 options:
a) we can change our swords into Christian swords and conquer.

b) we can leave the swords to non-believers and let them fight, and we as Christians can take up our plowshares.

c) we can change our swords into plowshares – change our weapons manufacturing industries into food distribution facilities: to engage in making peace, and removing swords.

“we prepare the way for [God’s] Kingdom by anticipating the peace and righteousness of the Kingdom.”

with regard to the Church – the Church is the Body of Christ and the People of God.

there is a mission of the Risen Christ: ‘whoever hears you hears me’. this is the mission to spread the Gospel.
there is also an invitation of the Risen Christ: ‘whoever visits them visits me.’ this is the mission to spread the Kingdom of God as a result of our own hands.

Moltmann believes in an open Lord’s Table: “At the Lord’s Table, we do not celebrate our theories of the Lord’s presence, but [we celebrate] the Lord’s presence.”

he was asked what is the future of the congregation? he responds that there is power in the face-to-face community. Moltmann talked in reference to ‘cyber-churches’ and ‘technological connection’. he asked us to think of what senses are engaged. internet and technology only stimulate sight and sound. Moltmann makes a distinction between far-reaching senses (sight and sound) and near/intimate sense (smell/taste/touch).
**this is an interesting thought – thinking about our churches and our worship experiences in light of our senses. are younger generations gaining over-developed far-reaching senses? are they lacking development in the intimate senses? this should be an aspect of church and discipleship that we ALL should consider.

moltmann. pt.2

2009-09-11T06:31:00.000-07:00

thursday morning began with Jurgen Moltmann heading to the chancel to share with us. i felt a hefty emotional impact as this man came into our presence. Moltmann began by sharing with us his life story to begin. this man is extraordinary. his journey with God began in his teenage years when he was drafted into the german army. his first questions of God were raised when friend who was standing next to him was killed by a bomb that was dropped on the city of Hamburg. Moltmann instantly asked the questions: “Where is God? Why am I alive?” these were the beginnings of his journey, which continued soonafter in a POW camp, where the sight of a blooming cherry tree and kind scottish camp servants were some of things that shone the glory of God to him. an army chaplain at one point passed out bibles to the prisoners. and, as Moltmann describes, Christ found him in the dark pit of his soul and his situation.

as Moltmann began his schooling and his pastoring, he was noticing what things were and weren’t close to the experiences of life: like trying to preach academically to a congregation of farmers, or talking about God inside the confines of a lecture hall. an experience at Duke University lifted his view of amercian christianity during particularly dark times in the US:
in the midst of a time when the US saw an active KKK, and many african-americans mistreated and degraded, Moltmann was giving a conference when MLK Jr. was assasinated. the conference was dismissed prematurely, and in the midst of this national tragedy, 400 students at Duke staged a sit-in – for 4 days and nights to mourn the loss of a man who was seeking to embody God’s truth.

as he moved from personal history into discussion, Moltmann touched on a number of significant areas within Christianity. he talked a bit about the difference between one-ness and same-ness – as in the difference between Christ and God being “one” or “one in the same”. unity is in one-ness, not necessarily in sameness. he went on to talk about near-ness and far-ness with relation to God: God as ABBA (daddy, loving father) vs. God as ‘Our Father WHO IS IN HEAVEN’.

for Moltmann, truth is to be found in unhindered dialogue. thus, he breaks the mold of a typical ‘systematic theologian’. he believes systematic theology sees the need to be ‘perfect’ and ‘all in order’ – but he sees theology as an exploration and a conversation: something to be sought and discovered, rather than something that is organized and tied up with a bow. it was interesting to hear him comment about Barth in this regard: “the Dogmatics is 8000+ pages of doctrine and systematics: can the truth be that long?” he also commented how Barth was (self-proclaimedly) not good at dialoging with his contemporaries. Moltmann is a conversational, dialoging theologian: “we have a starting point: Jesus Christ, and a life-giving Spirit. and we have a universal horizon.”

tony jones asked him about his uniqueness in that he grew up in a secular family: that he is not tied to a particular heritage/tradition – asking if this plays into how his theology plays out. his reply: “Reformed tradition is my heritage, and the ecumenical church is my future.” his open-minded outlook is profound – especially in our world where so many people hold so tightly to their personal convictions. moltman: “don’t become so narrow-minded to only defend your own denomination. Christ is more than one’s own denomination.”

on “scriptural inerrancy” – moltmann makes a number of claims as to where he stands. “i read the bible with the presupposition of meeting the Divine Word in humans words.” as a man who has been exploring the gospel for many, many years, this is a profound statement. i can imagine that a lot of us (myself included sometimes) ‘worry’ about how seriously we take the bible. especially in the midst of the homosexuality debate and the “leviticus says this” / “jesus says this” throwdown. moltmann’s measuring stick in hermeneutics is this: using the scriptures to decide what is closest to Christ. he uses paul’s claim on women to be silent as an example: “if women were to truly remain silent, we would have no knowledge of the resurrection.” a simple but significant observation to support that some of paul’s commands are of a ‘cultural’ nature rather than a ‘divine’ nature. his comment on fundamentalist christianity got a bit of a rise: “I would ask them: ‘Do you really read the Bible? And do you really understand what you are reading?’”

“Pray with open eyes!” he says. he tells us that the NT calls us to not only to pray, but to watch – to look around at the world in which we live – to see what is in contradiction to God and his coming kingdom.

Moltmann offered a great reminder that there are two crosses that people subscribe to – the actual cross of Christ on Golgotha, and the cross that Constantine implemented: the cross of imperialism.

on being asked as to whether he would call himself a universalist, as he is sometimes labeled, he responded: “I am afraid that I am not a universalist; there are a few people that I would not want to see again [in heaven].”

_______

these were the highlights (from my point of view) of day one. day two will follow at some point...

moltmann. pt.1

2009-09-10T08:27:00.000-07:00

it's hard to put into words where i'm at right now. i'm in chicago -- at Libertyville Presbyterian Church. and Jurgen Moltmann is here for a couple-day 'conversation' mini-conference. Jurgen Moltmann. here. speaking to us. speaking with us. i can't even explain how honored i am to be here. so excited to savor his words - as they come our of his heart, through his mouth; and through my ears and into my soul.

last night was the opening session. Moltmann was not present for this. but a man by the name of John Franke -- a theologian and professor in PA. he gave some opening remarks that were pretty spot-on. John talked about the job of theology: that this job is to ask the question "What is God doing?", and to meditate on this and put the findings into action. asking questions is key. and asking questions leads to a plurality in the things that we as Christians think. he posed the perplex picture of how easily and readily Christians disagree with each other -- and asked, "How do we make sense of that?" his answer, as a result of many years of wrestling, is that we as a Christian body, are characterized by this vast diversity -- we are characterized by a plurality of truth.

franke went on to talk about this concept as an irreducible entity -- this plurality is one that cannot and should not be reduced to "this is how it should be"s. that the vast and complex nature of it is a gift from God to the church. this is an interesting concept -- because in my experience, this plurality of opinions and thoughts often leads to arguments and divisions rather than a loving community. so it is particularly interesting to think about this plurality as something that could in fact be just the opposite of my suppositions and experience.

franke is firm in his opinion that theology is not about the journey toward one right system of doctrine. rather, it is about a plurality of truth: about the multiplicity of ways that God works/is at work. the obvious question is begged: then does ANYthing go? as obvious the question is the answer: of course not. we need to be after what is on track with God's truth. his prayer in this regard is this: "LORD, don't ever let my theology keep me from seeing what you are doing in the world." this is humble prayer of guidance in seeking after God. and his insistence in his seeking is that it takes the whole church to paint the picture of the gospel. and it is with these thoughts that we begin our time with Jurgen Moltmann over these next couple days.

and in related news...

2009-09-03T06:50:00.000-07:00

good stuff.

Trash the diatribe; mull the ideas.

2009-09-03T06:22:00.000-07:00

COMMENTARY: OPEN YOUR MINDS, AMERICA.

great article. says what my mind has been thinking for awhile. a related post will come soon enough...

OMG.

2009-09-01T10:41:00.000-07:00

hope there wasn't a tree in front of him...

[facebook'ers 'view original post' for embed]

real or spoof?

2009-08-31T06:35:00.000-07:00

you make the decision. haven't been able to discover if THIS is a joke or not. the beginning of the infomercial makes it look like a spoof. but the site has a full-on ordering process and everything. either way, it's hilarious. my favorite line:

"I got odors in special places. And with Aspray, i don't have to worry about that anymore ... my butt."

anywho -- enjoy: Doc Bottoms Aspray.

and then watch THIS if you haven't seen it yet.

reform.

2009-08-26T06:48:00.001-07:00

TEEN OFFENDERS FIND A FUTURE IN MISSOURI
article HERE.

interesting what can happen when a positive investment is made in those who have made poor choices -- this would be the opposite of pigeon-holing / discriminating / black-listing. a great example of true 'reform' -- a departure from traditions that 'have always done it that way.'

CHEEEEESE.

2009-08-19T15:08:00.000-07:00

this one was too good NOT to post...

if i had a dollar...

2009-08-18T10:28:00.000-07:00

if i had a dollar for every time this happened to me during my bus-riding-years? -- i'd probably have about 5 bucks...

[facebook'ers 'view original post' for embed video]

insane.

2009-08-18T05:12:00.000-07:00

this is super crazy --

freaking head first!

[facebook'ers 'view original post' for embed video]

since when ...

2009-08-18T05:04:00.001-07:00

since when does spiderman where flippers?

oh and don't his webs usually come out of his WRISTS?!

never gets old...

2009-08-14T07:20:00.000-07:00

stuff like this always cracks me up -- reminds me of some stuff we used to pull in boy scouts...

[facebook'ers 'view original post' for embed]

some worship.

2009-08-04T06:38:00.000-07:00

i have a passion for leading worship -- particularly musical worship. but i do love crafting entire worship experiences as well, with prayer, liturgy, silence, media, etc. i've gotten to lead worship a few times in the last few months -- once at La Vida in july, and once at my home-church i'm working at just this past sunday. i've got video up of La Vida (in two parts) -- and i'll hopefully have video up from LCPC by next week. La Vida's celebration worship is really powerful, because a ton of kids have just returned from many days in the woods, living simply, and they've experienced so much. so worship is really raw and tangible with all that fresh on their hearts. it's good stuff. so here's La Vida celebration worship from July 3rd, 2009.

celebration worship from peter allen on Vimeo.

celebration worship 2. from peter allen on Vimeo.

[facebook'ers 'view original post' for embedded videos]

discs -->

2009-08-03T11:05:00.001-07:00

i think most people who don't actively recycle complain about the convenience aspect of it -- mostly the 'my town doesn't take #2 plastic' or whatever. i have striven to find more and more locations/organizations that take/recycle more and more items. a friend of mine passed this link on to me, and i am thus passing it on to you. it will only cost you the effort of gathering, and the money for postage. i encourage you to do this.

CD Recycling Program

i'll even make it REAL EASY for you.

because it's archaic and disgusting...

2009-08-03T10:44:00.001-07:00

heard about this on the radio this morning. had to see for myself -- now it's your turn. behold the comfort wipe...

while you might think, this is actually NOT a saturday night live mock-commercial -- 'tis a REAL PRODUCT. and what was wrong with THIS advancement i might ask?

[facebook'ers 'view original post' for embed]

a loveliness of ladybugs.

2009-07-30T04:41:00.000-07:00

so the-stupid-question-of-the-day on the morning radio-show i listen to was: "what is a group of cheetahs called?"(ps -- you'll find out below). upon hearing the correct term, i was reminded of how many groups-of-animals have interesting names. so i decided to look them up, and share some unique, fitting, and favorite ones with you. bear in mind, that some animal-groups have multiple possible terms -- and the ones below were consistent from at least two different sources.

a congregation of alligators.
a lick of anteaters.
an army of ants.
a cete of badgers. (?!)
a cloud of bats.
a sloth of bears.
a flight of butterflies.
a wake of buzzards.
a coalition of cheetahs.
a quiver of cobras.
an intrustion of cockroaches. (SO true!)
a gulp of cormorants.
a murder of crows.
a convocation of eagles.
a business of ferrets.
a leash of fox.
a tower of giraffes.
a cast of hawks.
a bloat of hippos. (THAT one makes sense.)
an array of hedgehogs.
a smack of jellyfish.
a loveliness of ladybugs.
a scourge of mosquitos. (aptly named.)
a romp of otters.
a parliament of owls.
a bouquet of pheasants.
a prickle of porcupines. (one of my favs.)
a coterie of prairie dogs.
an unkindness of ravens.
a rhumba of rattlesnakes.
an odor of skunks. ( ! )
a dray of squirrels.
a rafter of turkeys.
a wisdom of wombats.
a descent of woodpeckers.
a clew of worms.

really?

2009-07-30T04:38:00.000-07:00

"I truly appreciate all the love and support I've been receiving over the last 48 hours," Kardashian, 28, says on her blog Wednesday. "I just want you all to know I'm doing okay, and I really appreciate your support."

WHO F*&KING CARES.

in honor of... part ii.

2009-07-22T05:32:00.000-07:00

this is the first SNL celebrity jeopardy clip...

SNL Celebrity Jeopardy 12-7-96 - watch more funny videos

{facebook'ers 'view original post' for video]

in honor of...

2009-07-22T05:25:00.000-07:00

in honor of alex trebek's 69th birthday today, here's some great humor. granted, this is will ferrell PLAYing trebek, but this stuff is great. enjoy...

SNL Celebrity Jeopardy 5-9-98 - watch more funny videos

[facebook'ers 'view original post' for video...]

bold.

2009-07-21T06:42:00.000-07:00

i've long-admired jimmie carter - mostly for his long-term commitment to Habitat, and his actual involvement with it (read: he actually works on houses). got tipped off to this great mini-article. jimmie carter speaks his heart, and makes a move to back it. check it out. and i encourage you to ask yourself the question in the last paragraph - especially regarding your own relationship with the church.

article HERE.

space.

2009-07-20T06:25:00.000-07:00

one of my CA church friends and i stumbled across the topic of space a couple years ago -- to find that he was vehemently fascinated by our exploration of it, and that i am cynically opposed to it. he couldn't fathom why i would be against space. it took me a bit of explaining. and it's here that i'll do the same...

i love this man -- Buzz Aldrin. i did a report on him in 4th grade. i think my inklings even back then were on target regarding his humility. i love that neil armstrong has always been the 'one in the spotlight', and Buzz is the much less-mentioned/less-profiled second man on the moon. let me be clear that i appreciate the achievement of the first-team-on-the-moon.

but i outrightly disagree with our investment in space travel and space exploration, for this simple reason: for all of our investment, monetary and otherwise, what has it gotten us? and i don't mean things like "it has expanded our horizons" or "it provides the satellites that make our GPS work" (because frankly, i think our world we be more personable without cellphones, and there would be less idiot drivers without GPS). i mean practically and in quality-of-life terms -- how has our MUTLI-TRILLION DOLLAR space investment made life better for all americans? because i don't see it. i don't understand what our fascination is. we're never going to colonize mars -- we're just not. and no sub-billionaire citizen is ever going to get to travel into space. so why do we continue this investment? why, when so many are suffering and scrounging just to keep their house? or to put food on their table? or, to obtain simple, adequate medical care? especially in this current time where military spending is still at RIDICULOUS LEVELS, and when the government is trying to figure out a way to push forward universal healthcare.

i think that the government can, and should be made responsible in it's spending and allocating. and we need to be the ones to do that. and it takes our efforts to ponder what is true and right and necessary -- and then it requires our voices and more importantly our ACTIONS to back up what we believe.

here's your patriotism...

2009-07-20T06:22:00.001-07:00

hahahahaha. so good...

epic.

2009-07-16T05:13:00.000-07:00

look at that monster -- i'm amazed it can stand up...

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D.C.

2009-07-13T10:28:00.000-07:00

this is the perfect follow up to THIS and THIS. i. love. david. crowder. enjoy...

[facebook'ers 'view original post' for embed]

(ht cleave)

of COURSE they'll sue...

2009-07-13T08:08:00.000-07:00

THIS is also priceless -- i myself am pretty fed up with the way that cell phones/iPods/etc make people completely unaware of everything and everyone around them. i would pay money to hear the judge's response to this suit: "so you want to sue NYC, because you weren't watching where you were going and fell down a manhole. rrrriiiiigggghhhht. *gavel-smack* "

priceless.

2009-07-09T05:49:00.000-07:00

such good stuff. more HERE.

sigh

2009-07-09T04:26:00.001-07:00

it's THIS kind of thing that makes me a bit ill -- and more than a little embarrassed to be part of such an affluent culture...

ordained.

2009-06-29T08:44:00.000-07:00

i have mentioned previously some of desires-toward and hesitations-against ordination. well i may have found my answer:

romero.

2009-06-28T06:46:00.000-07:00

CREATING THE CHURCH OF TOMORROW
A prayer by Archbishop Oscar Romero,
(b. 1917- d.1980)

It helps, now and then, to step back and take a long view.
The Kingdom is not only beyond our efforts, it is even beyond our vision.
We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of the magnificent enterprise that is God’s work.
Nothing we do is complete, which is a way of saying that the kingdom always lies beyond us.

No statement says all that could be said.
No prayer fully expresses our faith.
No confession brings perfection.
No pastoral visit brings wholeness.
No program accomplishes the church’s mission.
No set of goals and objectives includes everything.

This is what we are about.
We plant the seeds that one day will grow.
We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promises.
We lay foundations that will need further development.
We provide yeast that produces far beyond our capabilities.

We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation, in realizing that.
This enables us to do something, and to do it very well.
It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way, an opportunity for the Lord’s grace to enter and do the rest.
We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker.

We are workers, not master builders; ministers not messiahs.
We are prophets of a future not our own.

Amen.

ummmmm.

2009-06-25T07:06:00.001-07:00

i'm going on the record to say that i'm thoroughly against twitter -- as it adds ridiculously-so to our already narcissistic and obsessive society.

that's illegal?

2009-06-25T05:57:00.000-07:00

came across these on youtube -- i was always amused by email forwards containing "strange laws". here's some video versions that are pretty hilarious.

i once came across a 'strange law' on the books for the town i grew up in:

 -- Lovers in Liberty Corner, New Jersey, should avoid satisfying their
lustful urges in a parked car. If the horn accidentally sounds while
they are frolicking behind the wheel, the couple can face a jail term.

semper fi?

2009-06-23T09:46:00.000-07:00

i've long had pretty strong opinions on the military. and i won't be going into them here. but, i saw this marines bumper sticker on a van today, and i had to respond.

the USMC slogan, SEMPER FI (fidelis) is latin for "always faithful." and, in addition, one of the strong themes that is always discussed regarding the military is honor. so, are honor and faithfulness now defined by rash ('overnight') destruction? really? i'm pretty tired of this bullshit-militaristic-force-and-destruction-machismo. and, if my feelers are correct, i think a lot of people are.

i think my radar is especially high after watching Gran Torino yesterday, because it speaks EXACTLY TO THIS: that there is a different way, and that way is better.

-end-

nerd humor.

2009-06-23T05:44:00.000-07:00

for a bit more thoughtful humor, visit GraphJam ... good stuff.

more great humor.

2009-06-22T09:28:00.000-07:00

another great site for guaranteed laughs...

TOTALLY LOOKS LIKE...

experiential worship.

2009-06-21T17:51:00.000-07:00

so -- if you know me, you know that i have passions for worship (and if you didn't, now you do!). in specific, i have a strong desire for seeing worship instilled with life, passion, and experience. too often, we call worship the "center of our church", but it doesn't really receive the attention and investment it deserves. so over time, i have grown to be less picky about worship "style", and more about the element(s) of experiential passion and authenticity within worship.

i've been able to get down to Broad Street Ministry in philly on a regular basis. i work at another church on sunday mornings, and lauren often works sunday mornings too -- so one of our only options is a later-on-sunday service. BSM has a 6p service on sundays. it's hard to describe Broad Street -- but i'll say this: it's different, and it's authentic. and it's not trendy-different-just-to-be-different kinda different. the authenticity takes care of that. my close friend elizabeth works there, and i've also been getting to know one of the pastors - erika.

a couple months ago, erika and i met up to talk a bit. she invited me to think about how i might get involved, even if not on a weekly basis. the next time we met up, i tossed out an idea of prayer stations in worship, for an interactive/experiential component. she said: "actually, we have this empty room up in the bell tower that we have prepped for a prayer room." booya.

so i went to work thinking and praying through what components to include. i did the intitial installation today -- and wanted to share some of the pictures with y'all. in theory, it will be something that grows and morphs and changes over time - with opportunities for participants to add to the room. anywho -- it's a cool opportunity that i was offered. feedback / suggestions / thoughts are welcomed!
_____

couple before shots --

in progress...quotes and scripture passages dot the walls --

a station for folks to create and add scripture passages to the wall...
chalkboard paint under the stairs for a 'wailing wall' of sorts: "share your prayers and struggles... so that you know you're not alone."
a few 'provoking' icons...
a lectio divina station...
self-reflections station --
the finished 'initial' installation - from above --

shine-o ball-o.

2009-06-20T16:41:00.000-07:00

please enjoy one of my favorite simpson's scenes:

shine-o ball-o from peter allen on Vimeo.

"Homer - did you polish your head in the shine-o ball-o?"
"mmm no."

genius.

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stuff.

2009-06-18T06:50:00.000-07:00

i've talked bits before about our culture's seemingly inherent need to accumulate more and better stuff. it's bad news -- in case you haven't spent a second thinking about it before. well THIS WOMAN has probably spent more time thinking about this than most people -- getting at the root of the issue. annie has put a lot of effort into being AWARE (there's that word again...) of what she, and millions of other people walking this earth consume. we are consumers -- our culture has been shaped into MAKING us consumers and materialists. and we have the RESPONSIBILITY to be aware of that, and make thoughtful, ethical decisions on how we live our lives so as not to FEED THE MACHINE of 'planned obselesence' and 'disposable society'. so i encourage you to take 20 mins and watch the video. and then DO something about it.

on a related side note: i saw the reality of this the past couple weeks, as my brother's 3-year-old plasma TV died. it MAYBE had 8000 hours on it, and plasmas are 'said' to have upwards of a 50,000 hour life span. BULLSHIT. planned obselesence RIGHT there.

peta?

2009-06-18T04:48:00.000-07:00

i have long been a person with an awareness for animal testing and animal treatment -- i have used animal-free (as much as possible) haba products since i can remember, and i went vegetarian for 5 years after reading an undercover expose' on one meat company's practices. and i have respected PETA - generally - but would never have said i was a 'supporter' of the organization.

ok. so now i'm pretty sure i've lost all respect for PETA. i heard about THIS 'incident' on the radio this morning, and i had to check it's validity. yup - right there on PETA's blog. they're a bit up in arms - BECAUSE OBAMA KILLED A FLY. i hate proverbial sayings - but this is the VERY DEFINITION of losing the forest for the trees. a dead fly? really? oh right -- this isn't a country that has 5million people out of work, so there's nothing more important than obama killing a fly.

in related news...

2009-06-09T18:33:00.000-07:00

article HERE.

re-f'ing-cycle.

2009-06-09T10:29:00.000-07:00

ok. this will be pseudo-brief, but it is a rant. because if i see another plastic bottle or aluminum can in the trash, i think i'm gonna lose it.

RECYCLING is now a commonly used word and known concept. thanks to the efforts of MILLIONS OF PEOPLE, recycling has become mandatory in many cities in many nations. yet it seems that laziness and apathy still win out on most days -- and i'd be willing to bet that AMERICAN CULTURE has played a large role in that, with how ENTITLED WE ARE and how DISPOSABLE our society has become -- go watch some TV and notice how many commercials advertise 'conveniences' that you 'simply use, then throw away'.

one of the biggest culprits is BOTTLED WATER. MILLIONS of plastic water bottles get tossed in the trash every day (because, OH THE HORROR, the recycling bin is down the hall). by yourself a frickin' nalgene (don't even give me the BPA argument -- their new ones don't contain it) or a sigg and fill it up from the tap.

but this takes an active choice -- a choice to be CONSCIOUS of what you do and what you throw out. i guarantee that if you consciously look at everything you are going to 'dispose of', you can recycle more than 50% of it...maybe not CONVENIENTLY, but again, that's what takes the conscious choice. because it's not about CONVENIENCE, it's about NECESSITY.

my opinion may or may not affect me, but let me say this: i have a profound lack of respect for those who are not conscious or thoughtful about their impact -- in ALL forms, but especially their impact on the environment, and their impact on others. so here i tell you: hold on to your f'ing plastic bottle until you find a recycling container.

and ps: i don't want to hear anyone ragging on NJ anymore -- because the first city in the ENTIRE US to mandate recycling was Woodbury, NJ - back in the 70s. so eat that.

some EASY (i.e. only the lazy wouldn't do these) suggestions:
-buy a nalgene (all new ones are BPA free) or a sigg bottle for water.
-use a travel mug for getting coffee at Dunks or Starbucks, or ask for a mug at places like panera or independent coffee shops.
[Starbucks even makes a reusable version of their iced-drink cups]
-most food/product packaging is paper/paperboard and is EASILY RECYCLABLE, but often thrown out. DON'T THROW IT OUT.
-don't buy/use plastic when there is a paper alternative.
-shutdown your computer when not in use(when being left plugged in)... shutting down often is no longer bad on hard drives.
-unplug larger electric devices when not in use (or put them on switchable powerstrips if CONVENIENCE is an issue) -- even when off they draw large amounts of electricity: if you don't believe me, go feel the back of your plasma tv even when it's off.

untitled.

2009-06-07T11:20:00.000-07:00

i've been consciously/subconsciously wrestling with something the last couple weeks -- an 'aha' from which popped into my head the other morning. i'll start earlier though. but i'll preface it all with this: if you don't wrestle with concepts/opinions, then your reality is probably thin.

so a couple weeks ago (as described in previous post), lauren and i went to this great music festival. the generalized definition of the larger portion of attendees at said festival were definitely of the hippie/grateful dead-ish persuasion. while i definitely consider myself to have some 'hippie' elements, i would never classify myself wholly as such, as so many other qualities and characteristics come along with such a categorization.

one such component, is the 'everything goes'/'love and accept everyone's beliefs'/'don't worry be happy' mentality. brett dennen was one such artist promoting this, as was martin sexton. i appreciate the push that these types of encouragements are meant to have -- especially in our present times where discrimination still runs high, where conservative christians tend to look like judgemental hypocrites, where war seems to be the solution to most large scale problems, and where it generally seems that people hate what is different. but something that dawned on me was this: there is an unfathomable difference between trite inclusivism, and thoughtful universalism... with the 'peace love happiness' mantra being the former.

what leads me to be suspicisous about trite inclusivism, is that i don't believe there is usually much thought behind it. i see that there is often much passion, but usually suspect that there hasn't been much scrutiny behind the belief. it is often obvious (to me) that those in this realm of thinking simply jump on the bandwagon as a way to qualify their do-what-they-want actions.

what then is thoughtful universalism? a little backstory first. back in seminary, i became captivated with theologian Jurgen Moltmann. briefly, Moltmann has a very wide-reaching, outside-the-box theological mind. he asks good questions, and doesn't presume to know the boundaries of God - but has an stunningly beautiful way of writing about God. his words and his thinking pierce my heart. Moltmann's christology is cosmic in scope -- meaning it is far-reaching: that the scope of christ's atoning work on the cross is infinitely larger than we can imagine. this has resonated with me since i first began to read Moltmann. and practically, it resonated most in a precept during seminary when a theology professor asked this question during a discussion on Christ as THE Way: "if we suppose Christ as THE Way, and we accept his atoning work by accepting him into our hearts with the decision to live for him, then how do we suppose the mentally handicapped accept this redemption that God offers?" what he was saying, is that if we as christians presume that the only way "to heaven" is "to consciously pray and accept jesus into our hearts", then are the mentally incapable S.O.L.?

this is a difficult thing to wrestle with -- to believe that Christ is THE WAY, but to also believe that God is bigger than we can presume. is Christ the redeemer of humanity? or is Christ the redeemer of the universe? how big of a picture of Christ are willing to paint? how small of a box are we willing to risk keeping our Christ in? these are questions that we are CALLED to ask -- to wrestle with. seeking truth, I.M.H.O., is immeasurably more important than pleasing/including others. what lines up with the Kingdom? what lines with up with this world? what seems like a self-centered-pursuit? what seems like a loving, selfless endeavor?

so i ask: is Christ the ONLY way? HOW is Christ the only way? can we fully determine/explain how Christ is the only way? can we ever completely and concretely know how God ultimately works?

Christ must increase, i must decrease...

muzak.

2009-06-02T05:17:00.000-07:00

a few months ago lauren and i decided to get tickets to this music festival at hunter mountain. this past weekend, our waiting was done, and we got to enjoy a crazy weekend of hippie culture and good music. it was a lot of fun. i'll give you a rundown.

we arrived on friday -- with a hefty hike to find a spot for our tent. AND had to make a couple trips. but after getting settled a bit, we headed to the stage. i wanted to see one of the first bands -- the Marco Benevento Trio. i know Marco from a group called The Duo, and this is another venture of his. he's a wizard on the keys -- organ, piano, etc. in this trio, he was playing this cool mini-piano, with a whole lot of effects. it was pretty sweet. i'd describe it as a good mix of simplicity and creativity.
[marco benevento trio - photo by pja]

next up was Railroad Earth -- i've known about these guys for awhile but never seen them play. great grassroots-ish bluegrass rock. can i tell you?--i love mandolin players. can't get enough of listening to them, let alone watching their fingers fly on the fretboard. my first experience with this was seeing the Jazz Mandolin Project live. jamie masefield is a BEAST on the mandolin. unbelievable stuff. anywho -- i was fixated on RRE's mandolinist, john skehan, for most of the show. great stuff.
[skehan -- photo by mountain jam]

we stayed over to watch Umphrey's McGee -- had heard their name for a long time, but never seen them or heard their music. so yea. cool stuff. not quite what i expected -- kind of a harder genre of jam-rock. a LOT of syncopated rythyms - which i throughly dug. any band that can incorporate and coordinate significant syncopation is respected and enjoyed by me. and they seemed really young -- and i know they've been around for awhile. i was pretty impressed. lauren was pretty impressed too.

before heading to the late night show (which i'll get to), i stopped by the end of Government Mule's set -- to catch them covering NEIL YOUNG'S CORTEZ -- one of my FAVorite songs. i had a moment. Warren had a few moments -- on his les paul -- thrashing away on the strings as he traded solos with Josh Clark from Tea Leaf Green. so good.
[josh clark - photo by mountain jam]

as lauren headed to pass out, i then moved on to the late night show (1a-3a!): Eric Krasno and Chapter 2. the only one i knew in this crew was Adam Deitch - a pheNOMinal drummer who i discovered when he played for a while with the John Scofield Band. Deitch is a straight up funk and soul drummer who is just unbelievable. and this show didn't disappoint -- two hours of the type of funk that i would describe to be 'perfect'. funk bliss for sure.

[not from mountain jam, but will give you a taste -- jump past the first 50seconds:]

so that was friday. saturday dawns all too early -- but we arise to greet the day, and the music ahead. we were anticipating epic performances. first up was Brett Dennen. now. i tend to have an automatic aversion to all-things-trendy-and-pop. and Brett definitely falls into that trendy, popular, indie category. so the cards were stacked against him. but since seeing him wouldn't cost me anything additional (other than maybe an hour of my life), lauren and i checked him out. front row. and let me tell you -- this guy is fantastic. what a great performer. he was super laid-back, but uber passionate and engaged in performing his music. he was dancing up a storm as he played, and jazzed up the crowd as he did so. you could tell he's been performing his stuff in front of people for a long time. he was the biggest surprise of the weekend for me.
[brett -- photo by pja]

i went back to the main stage shortly thereafter for Gomez -- i first heard 'see the world' on a House episode and loved it. so i was excited to check them out. they were ok. they're from the UK -- which always automatically screams "POMPOUS" to me (Oasis ruined the english for me). i ended up leaving shortly into their set because the sound was terrible (yes, i know, not their fault -- but i'm not going to listen to something that sounds shitty right?). oh well. i heard them play See The World from back at the campsite.
[ tom gray - photo by pja]

funny story. while we were waiting for Coheed, the Gene Ween Band was doing there thing on the secondary stage (to the left of the main stage). we had started out watching them because i realllllly love the guy who was drumming for them - Joe Russo. but they were a bit too weird. this was confirmed when, while then waiting for Coheed, a lyrical line came through the speakers: "it freaks me out how much you fucking suck!". that was shortly follow by a song entitled "Let's Get Divorced."

then came epic-ness, in the form of Coheed and Cambria. this was the reason lauren found out about this festival - she is a huge Coheed fan. so this was her moment. and i was excited to check them out. before the show itself, we went to the meet-the-bands tent -- and lauren got to meet them, and get her picture with Claudio (who, i'm pretty sure, she wants to marry):
[lauren and future husband claudio - photo by pja]

for the show itself, we arrived early and got right up front. the time came, and the crowd went nuts -- Coheed has some pretty hardcore fans. i was super impressed -- they are really high energy, pay a lot of detail, and write in a lot of syncopation. lauren was in heaven. Warren Haynes even came out to join them on a couple songs -- definitely VERY different from warren's style of music, so it was fun to watch him. but the highpoint for me, was their last song: the played Final Cut. and midway thru the song, the guitar tech brings out a theremin. and Claudio proceeds to play it (in between guitar solos), WITH HIS FACE. dude. this guy. is. awesome.
[claudio - photo by pja]

[warren haynes joins Coheed - photo by pja]

[claudio plays the theremin with his hands AND FACE - photo by pja]

so yea -- needless to say -- good stuff.

after that orgasmic performance, lauren and i decided to indulge in some vendor food -- we are uber fatkids together. then we passed out.

sunday brought only an interest in seeing Martin Sexton before we left -- and he was ok, but again, the sound was shitty so that threw my enjoyment of the performance. so we bolted. but not before having some more vendor food and beer to send us on our way on a good note.
[martin - photo by lrs]

good stuff. great music. perfect companionship. and might i say -- the drugged out hippie culture is one that continues to baffle me. it's full of hypocrisies if you ask me. but it's tolerable, to enjoy music that it traditionally accompanies. good times.

the gps.

2009-05-28T05:12:00.000-07:00

behold: the gps...

you may have one -- and i don't judge you per se. but i'm going to rant a bit.

i understand the allure of electronics -- they do cool stuff, make your life a bit easier. it is a need of mine to always have a stereo with bass that makes you feel like you're having a heart attack. even with the gps -- what a great invention -- an on-the-go road atlas. esPECially for when traffic or construction strikes - you can navigate around. BUT. everyday i commute just under an hour, utilizing two major highways, leaving my house around 6:15am. and during my drive, i estimate that about 40% of the drivers i pass have a gps affixed to their dashboard, turned on, presumably directing them to their place of work. what's up with that? i feel like this should be a post on "stuff white people like". is it just the excitement of having a number of space satellites reminding you of your current position -- a position you have been driving EVERY DAY OF YOUR LIFE?

i do not share this as a judgment -- i would actually like to have one at some point for the previously mentioned reasons of negotiating traffic and construction. but i guess i share this as a reminder of our seemingly instinctual desire for accumulation of more and better 'stuff' -- and in this case, 'stuff' that can offer a sense of false security, as well as a reliance on a piece of equipment rather than our natural problem-solving abilities and sense of direction. that and a $5 map.

below is an illustration of the consequences -- yes, it is from The Office. but there are many cases of it happening IN REAL LIFE.

michael drives into a lake. from peter allen on Vimeo.

[my favorite line: "the machine knows!" ]

wise words.

2009-05-28T05:07:00.000-07:00

Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children. This is not a way of life at all in any true sense. Under the clouds of war, it is humanity hanging on a cross of iron.

Dwight D. Eisenhower.

________________
But those who want to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains. But as for you, child of God, shun all this; pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness.

1 Timothy 6:9-11.

fav.

2009-05-07T06:45:00.001-07:00

this is one of my new favorite blogs that i check regularly. it's a good dose of humor, and it reminds me that there are bigger idiots than me out there...

FAILBLOG.

great.

2009-05-07T04:39:00.000-07:00

for some reason this scene popped into my head on the way to work today. so i found it, watched it, smiled, and thought that i should share. so - here's the best scene in Good Will Hunting. i'm pretty sure i'd rather be a cynical-thinker, than a naive-optimist anyday.

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haiti. part deux.

2009-04-21T17:35:00.001-07:00

further haiti pictures can be found at the following two links:

priye pou haiti 1.

priye pou haiti 2.

a haitian pilgrimage.

2009-04-16T06:55:00.000-07:00

the following collection of pictures, thoughts and reflections is from my trip to Ouanaminthe, Haiti, with Tower Hill Pres. Church in Red Bank, NJ, march 15-21st 2009. as i've found in the past weeks, it is difficult to translate my experiences into words. so, as usual, i'll illustrate it a bit through image, along with some thoughts provoked by the images.

i haven't been to a developing country in about 7 years. my previous experiences were two trips to a small crossroads-town in Honduras called La Entrada. these were two of the most humbling trips of my life. and this trip to Ouanaminthe was the third most-humbling week of my life. we read and hear about developing nations once in awhile on the news, and get a fraction of a sense of life there -- but, as i am an advocate for all-things-experiential, there is nothing that compares with EXPERIENCING life in a developing nation. esPECially with haiti being one of the poorest nations in the world.

we flew into the Domincan Republic (if, like me before the trip, you have no idea of haiti's geography, haiti and the DR form an island SE of cuba) and commenced to drive 3 hours west to a town just over the border into haiti: Ouanaminthe. on this drive, departing a large city (Santiago, DR), and driving toward the border through sequentially poorer areas, i was struck wtih this question: what does it mean to LIVE in a place like this? a little philosophical, yes. but really -- what is the goal of a person who lives on nothing? as the picture above represents, a lot of people 'just sit around' most days. i know they are not lazy -- that's not what i illustrate. but there are a lot of people who seem to be 'waiting' for something. and this made me wonder what life is about for a poor person in the DR or haiti. we americans have our 'american dream' that we continually strive after because our country is 'economically viable' as they say.

youth entitlement doesn't seem to be an issue in haiti. this is something i struggle with in the US, with gaudy over-indulgence as seen on 'My Super Sweet 16'. as illustrated above and below, as soon as they are able to walk, children are assisting with family chores and duties. i found myself wondering what would become of these children as they grew -- would they live to see adolesence? would they get an education? would they invest themselves in trying to make their country a better place?

to financially sustain themselves, most haitians seem to simply try and sell things - as the next few pictures illustrate. truckloads of this and that fly down the roads. people at every major intersection (in the more 'urban' areas) try and sell items to stopped cars. men and women line the streets - paved roads as well as back alleys - with various items to sell. all with the intent on attempting to continue supporting themselves as well as their families.

we were able to experience 'free-trade day' - where the DR and haiti open their borders (twice per week) to allow mass commerce to occur. this was a scene to behold. MASSes of people coming and going, many more planted on their plot of ground to peddle whatever it was they had to sell. the picture below illustrates a freshly-butchered animal of some sort that is spread out for the choosing. close your eyes and imagine the smell...

it's STILL amazing to me how much we as americans take for granted. take me for example. as we arrived at our house in town where we would be staying, i gathered up a bit of trash that i had accumulated from our travels, as well as some from those i had been traveling with. when i asked where the 'garbage' was -- i was instructed to 'throw it over the back wall'. i was puzzled for a moment, until the realization sunk in that 'oh yea, there's no trash service in a place like this.' so i walked up the steps to a landing at the top of the back wall - to behold the open lot that you see in the picture below. in poor areas of developing nations, there are no services to take care of things that we would presume - like trash management. in a place like Ouanaminthe, trash is either burned or it is tossed on an open piece of land. it's things like this that remind me of how much a country like haiti is up against in order to make it a 'better place'.

words like 'simplicity' and 'humility' came into my mind a lot during my week. simplicity, because most people did the best they could with what they had. it's pretty impressive. in our daily lives, availability and resources have become so close at hands and seemingly-unlimited, that i don't think we appreciate simplicity anymore. this is why i enjoy the outdoors so much -- it FORCES simplicity. but see the picture below for haitian 'laundry facilities': this is simplicity. a small tub and a water source. we had a local woman staying at our house who did our laundry for us in this manner. let me tell you -- my clothes have NEVER been cleaner. i would argue that simpler is always better.

the image below always evokes an interesting response in me. i saw it in honduras as well. topping most concrete block walls built around houses or compounds, is broken glass and barbed-wire (and in this case RAZOR-wire as well [!] ). while it is a simple security mechanism to prevent theft, etc., i can't help but see this as something deeper -- as some sort of reaction-of-fear. these sharp objects meant to slice and mangle -- separating one from an other. there's something about this that grates against me and i'm still not sure what it is. i'm not going to get all deep and weird trying to tease out the symbolism. i'll just leave you with the image.

this has happened everytime i've been on a mission trip to another country -- local folks always seem to join in to help with whatever you might be doing. on this particular day, we were moving a huge pile of rocks. yes -- MOVING A PILE OF ROCKS. BY HAND. awesome. did i mention there are tarantulas in haiti? and they typically live in dry, rocky conditions? [yes, we found TWO TARANTULAS in this particular rockpile] anyways -- this picture below makes me smile for a couple reasons. 1) the little guy in his spiderman underwear is carrying two of the same sized rocks as the 9-foot tall guy next to him - and DIDN'T STRUGGLE WITH THEM. 2) the 9-foot tall guy was laughing at me the entire time because i would roll any rock that was bigger than a volkswagen, and he would then come over and pick up a rock BIGGER than a volkswagen and carry it non-shalantly to the spot 8 feet away where we were making the new pile of rocks.

we had lots of time to just head out into the street in front of our house to spend time with kids. if you've never experienced being an american in a poor, foreign culture, locals kids will FLOCK TO YOU. and NEVER LEAVE YOU ALONE AGAIN. it's really fun. in the picture below, heather thought it would be fun to blow bubbles for the kids. the kids decided it would be fun to blow back at heather. heather ended up wearing about half the bottle of bubble solution.

a few of the ladies decided duck-duck-goose would be fun. it was REALLY funny watching kids not-quite-get the idea of running once around the circle. some would run around MANY times -- some would run way out into the field to avoid getting caught. some of the onlookers would get to close and get CLIPPED by someone running around the circle. it was really fun.

one of the boys in the street initiated the hand-slap game. i placidly complied -- and this kid was GOOD. AND he slapped with authority. the backs of my hands were red for hours.

another example of one of those 'assumed' things here in the US -- school. there is opportunity for schooling in haiti. there is a public school system, as well as other privately run schools, such as those setup by missionaries. but staying in school is a fight for a lot of children growing up in haiti - as in any developing nation. with such a poor economy, along with the possibility of one-parent families or no-parent families, and often many siblings, there is often a strong pull on kids to drop out of school and get jobs in order to help support their family.

we went down as a team to work with a group called Aslan Ministries - based in NJ. they began building a ministry presence in Ouanaminthe many years ago. one of the issues i have with 'americans' being missionaries in developing countries, is the whole notion of white americans trying to 'fix' other countries in the name of jesus. i didn't know anything about how Aslan does things until i arrived and met joseph. joseph is the man in the picture below standing up front in the red-striped shirt. joseph is a local man who has grown up in Ouanaminthe, and is highly respected there. Aslan has built a relationship with joseph over these many years, and support joseph as their 'primary ministry presence' there. Aslan is thus less of the 'white americans' trying to fix haiti in the name of jesus, and more of a support to the town and the people of Ouanaminthe as followers of jesus. and this, in my opinion, is good missional theology.

[joseph leading a weekly sunday-afternoon bible study and gathering at Aslan's property]

Aslan supports a number of local young men - in the hopes of helping them through their schooling and on to a viable and fruitful career path. we worked alongside a number of these guys during the week, as well as interacting with them while at the house where we were staying. one these guys, junior, had a younger brother who - alongwith a group of friens - were into acrobatics. junior took us to a private performance on the saturday we were departing. the picture below was the finale' - the guy in the red shirt is flipping BACKWARD over the willing assistants.

and this is evanson. evanson is 16 and is one of the guys that Aslan supports. evanson always had a smile on his face - and even taught me a secret handshake. he didn't really speak any english, nor i any creole - so we mostly just enjoyed each others' presence. it was pretty powerful - hard to explain really. there was one day i remember just sitting next to each other against a wall - never said a word. just sat. evanson suffers from a bit of a disability in his legs. he limps pretty significantly. Aslan has been trying to get him evaluated - but, along with other things we may take for granted, medical attention is a difficult one in developing countries. even major hospitals in major cities are not what we have access to here in the states. so evanson's evaluation has been slowgoing -- they think he may have muscular dystrophy. but regardless, it was a blessing to get to experience a connection with him. and i'm glad to have the photo below to remind me of that.

so that was haiti - as told through the experiences of a few photos. i was blessed to get to share this trip with our team journeying from the states, as well as those who we got to serve alongside in Ouanaminthe. this trip opened my eyes a bit wider than they had been in awhile, and i am thankful for that. God is good - and God is at work in all kinds of ways.

peace and blessings --

BANGIN'.

2009-04-14T13:44:00.000-07:00

this looks so good. this was a significant book of my childhood, and looks to be a significant film of my adulthood.

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fantastic.

2009-04-09T05:06:00.001-07:00

this is pretty good. i heard about this on the radio on the way into work today, and then my friend adam had a link up to it (ht). i get a good bit of evil-pleasure when i see entitled, egotistical, wealthy prominents making total ASSes of themselves (the whole christian bale fiasco recently would be another good example). so this one adds to that. billy bob thornton. a bit of an odd-bird of the acting world. LOVE what he is capable of -- Slingblade anyone? but here's a perfect example of what thinking too much of yourself looks like. not making a holier-than-thou judgment here -- just using it as a reminder that i need to check myself once in awhile. as billy bob should have. enjoy.

this is my favorite exchange:

Jian: do you remember what you were listening to musically when you were a kid?
Billy Bob: well [this magazine] had a contest where you could build your own model – and it could be like a king-kong...it could be a frankenstein...
Jian: where does the music fit into that?
Billy Bob: uh no – it was a monster magazine.

gawker article HERE.

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justice?

2009-04-08T09:20:00.000-07:00

i found this article today and it resonated a deep injustice within me. i am currently 31 years old -- and feel like i am a DRASTICALLY different person from even a few years ago. i can't imagine my life being judged completely and permanently as a result of something i did WHEN I WAS FOURTEEN. that's really ridiculous - in my opinion. esPECially in light of this paragraph:

"Across the country, most juvenile offenders and many adults are given a second chance. Charles Manson, convicted in seven notorious murders committed when he was 27, will be eligible for his 12th parole hearing in 2012. He's been denied parole 11 times. Even "Son of Sam" killer David Berkowitz, who confessed to killing six people in the 1970s when he was in his 20s, has had four parole hearings, though he has said he doesn't deserve parole and doesn't want it."

read the entire article here:
TEENS LOCKED UP FOR LIFE WITHOUT A SECOND CHANCE.

psssssssht. LAKE.

2009-04-07T16:15:00.000-07:00

i know i haven't been around much in awhile -- and i owe you all a lengthy post on my Haiti trip. but here's some amazing humor i couldn't help but share. this movie was on this afternoon and i was reminded of it. classic scene from a classic movie:

Sixteen Candles.
Long Duck Dong.

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my heart.

2009-03-08T08:59:00.000-07:00

so i've had some things on my heart these past couple weeks. i don't think i've had anything on my heart so distinct since i left california (in the faith-related sense). i'll be putting some things on my sleeve here.

while in seminary, i was confronted, personally, with the issue of homosexuality. until then, i had never needed to 'make a choice' regarding the issue. i became associated with our homosexuals-in-ministry advocacy group through a couple friends, and began to explore the issue for myself. i quickly grew to know a few folks who were openly gay, and saw them as particularly amazing pastoral people -- saw them as the human beings they are, and for the wonderful ministers that they are. i have a number of close friends who are openly gay and in ministry, pastoral or otherwise.

the first time this confronted me to my face was my final year of seminary. i had begun helping out with a church in northern NJ who had a great youth ministry. about 3 weeks in, the youth pastor inquired about this group at princeton (that he 'heard' i was a part of). the short story was that i was asked to leave the church due to my association with supporting gays in ministry. since my time at princeton, i have always been in support of gays in ministry.

a lot of you know that many denominations are still 'figuring things out' with regard to the issue of homosexuality. the presbyterian church (USA) is currently working through this as well. while i don't know all the intricacies of the issue (i try to stay on the outside of the political aspects of most things), the short version is that it has been left to individual presbyteries to weigh in on upholding or ratifying the current ordination standards -- which state (generally) that there must be fidelity in marriage between a man and woman, or chastity in singleness.

recently, the church i work for, voted unanimously to affirm the standards. while this affirmation may seem straight-forward, it is the support of an EXCLUsive statement - and there are a lot of implications that come along with us. the primary, in practical terms, is that this can be perceived as a 'stand against' homosexuals in ordained ministry, and ministry in general. while typically people make it into an issue of 'sin' of homosexual acts, it comes down to excluding people - period. - from feeling welcome in the church. the proof of this case, is the simple fact that the church has NEVER made any other moral issue into such a lynchpin -- i.e. HETEROsexual activity -- like PASTORS who CHEAT on their wives, thus DESTROYING their marriage -- do we take away their ordination? no. this is my issue. this is LOTS of peoples' issue -- hypocracy. we'll include a philandering male pastor in the Body, but not a loving, caring, pastoral christ-follower who identifies themselves as gay?

this mini-manifesto is not meant to agitate or initiate any debate. -- it simply serves as a bit of a mini-testimony with regard to my heart lately, along with questions that this struggle has brought up in my relationship to the church and how i live my faith. so take it as you will.

my fiften minutes...

2009-03-02T13:03:00.000-08:00

here's a blast from my past -- fall '99 when i interned at a wildlife hospital in florida. his name is stumpy.

gatorclip from peter allen on Vimeo.

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boldness and passion.

2009-02-28T07:35:00.000-08:00

boldness and passion are two words i would use to describe dustin lance black's oscar acceptance speech. to put myself out there -- i, for one, pray that we truly are working toward the hopes that he describes.

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haiti.

2009-02-26T04:51:00.000-08:00

[warning: token shaky-face picture is unrelated to following post -- author simply felt that words without an image are boring, and author has not participated in said trip yet and thus has no related pictures to provide]

i know little-to-nothing about haiti. had to even wikipedia their language at first (it's creole, fyi). i'm going to haiti in two weeks. let me paint a bigger picture.

so a few weeks ago i get a random facebook message from my friend joe cole. got to know joe at seminary -- he was a third-year when i was a first-year -- did a couple younglife retreats with him. cool guy. so out of the blue (we definitely hadn't talked before then in years) he sends me a note asking me how i'm doing/what i'm up to/etc. so i fire back a pretty general update (i never want to bore people with the ins-and-outs of being somewhat 'aimless', altho i know that other people in ministry usually know why i'm where i'm at) -- i mention some things about what i'm doing presently job-wise, that i'm dating a wonderful woman, and that i'm feeling pulling in the direction of worship with regard to ministry. so joe responds: hey just a quick thought, i need a worship leader for a week in march -- for a trip to haiti. so i'm like 'whoa' and he's like 'yea' and i'm like 'sweet' and he's like 'awesome'. short story, i thought about it for like 7 seconds and jumped on board.

joe is a pastor at tower hill and they've been building this ministry to haiti for some time now. they've recently bought 6 acres in NE haiti, to build on and serve as a center for the ministry they are building in that local area of haiti. we'll be doing some hands-on work at their property, as well as continuing the investment with the local community. now, i can be a bit cynical about short-term mission trips that swoop into an area and "do" things for the local people, then leave feeling good about themselves never to return. so i am SUPER-psyched to be part of a church's longterm investment in a specific community of peoples -- similar to my home church of liberty corner who has a longterm investment in LaEntrada, Honduras.

so i share all this to ask for prayer as i and the team prepare for our trip over the next couple weeks, and while we are there, march 15-21. i am thrilled to be part of this experience for many reasons -- but mostly to go and get my hands and heart working for the Lord, and to experience that alongside others.

an anticipated thanks,
peter

everything's amazing, and nobody's happy...

2009-02-26T04:47:00.000-08:00

saw a couple people linking this on facebook. thought this was pretty great -- both the perspective AND the humor.

it won't embed, so view it HERE.

laughs guaranteed.

2009-02-16T06:58:00.000-08:00

pure humor. so good. best line at the 4-minute mark.

ht to Mike King.

so. good. II

2009-02-05T06:44:00.000-08:00

i laughed uncontrollably at this one too --

[facebook viewers "view original post" to see embedded video]

so. good.

2009-02-05T06:23:00.000-08:00

laughed out loud for the whole 40 seconds of this one. enjoy.

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pickle power.

2009-02-02T06:39:00.000-08:00

this is the princeton seminary mailroom supervisor. it will speak for itself.

funny stuff.

2009-02-01T08:13:00.001-08:00

once in awhile one of those email forwards makes me laugh. i thought that this was a good one -- and while it specifically applies to MN, it could also apply to northern new england...

__________

Cold vs. COLD

60 above zero:
Floridians turn on the heat.
People in Minnesota plant gardens.

50 above zero:
Californians shiver uncontrollably.
People in Eagle River sunbathe.

40 above zero:
Italian & European cars won't start.
People in Minnesota drive with the windows down.

32 above zero:
Distilled water freezes.
The water in Green Bay gets thicker.

20 above zero:
Floridians don coats, thermal underwear, gloves, wool hats.
People in Minnesota throw on a flannel shirt.

15 above zero:
New York landlords finally turn up the heat.
People in Minnesota have the last cookout before it gets cold.

Zero:
People in Miami all die.
Minnesota people close the windows.

10 below zero:
Californians fly away to Mexico
People in Minnesota get out their winter coats.

25 below zero:
Hollywood disintegrates.
The Girl Scouts in Minnesota are selling cookies door to door.

40 below zero:
Washington DC runs out of hot air.
People in Minnesota let the dogs sleep indoors.

100 below zero:
Santa Claus abandons the North Pole.
Minnesota people get upset because they can't start the Mini-Van.

460 below zero:
ALL atomic motion stops (absolute zero on the Kelvin scale.)
People in Minnesota start saying..."Cold 'nuff fer ya?"

500 below zero:
Hell freezes over.
Minnesota public schools will open 2 hours late

The Ted Haggard Dilemma.

2009-01-29T08:33:00.000-08:00

great article -- great perspective.

HERE.

ht to tony jones.

wise words.

2009-01-25T11:53:00.000-08:00

I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living. It's a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope - which is what I do. And that enables you to laugh at life's realities.

-Theodor Seuss Geisel

on the road...

amazing grace.

in humility.

wise words.

wise words.

youth ministry.

the missional church: simple.

think.

LOL! :-0

MUPPETS!

happy birthday rudolph...

opportunity for collaboration...

depressing.

good read...

wtf!?!

good stuff.

and in related news...

addendum.

westboro baptist.

calvin.

monday fun.

happy monday :)

today.

motivations?

is it any wonder?

a.ma.zing.

thoughtful.

informative.

new fun site.

only in jersey...

girl scout cookie facts...

fun fact.

as we are...

age of stupid.

the plan in 4 minutes...

fitting.

moltmann. pt.3

moltmann. pt.2

moltmann. pt.1

and in related news...

Trash the diatribe; mull the ideas.

OMG.

real or spoof?

reform.

CHEEEEESE.

if i had a dollar...

insane.

since when ...

never gets old...

some worship.

discs -->

because it's archaic and disgusting...

a loveliness of ladybugs.

really?

in honor of... part ii.

in honor of...

bold.

space.

here's your patriotism...

epic.

D.C.

of COURSE they'll sue...

priceless.

*sigh*

ordained.

romero.

ummmmm.

that's illegal?

semper fi?

nerd humor.

more great humor.

experiential worship.

shine-o ball-o.

stuff.

peta?

in related news...

re-f'ing-cycle.

untitled.

muzak.

the gps.

sigh