>This morning I am searching over a few websites looking for some training to attended and all I am finding is outdated webinars, no way to get price much less even purchase service, and I am wondering if they are really selling them. The entire thing makes me think it is one of those ‘you should already know about us, if you want us’ deals. This really frustrates me and makes me think that the person who design and is in charge of the website hasn’t looked at it in years.
>The Road of Relationships is a wild one…what are you riding in
>http://www.gapingvoid.com/mt/mt-tb.cgi/3737
I have been convinced that the only thing that matters in life are the relationships you build. The old question, “What’s going to be going through you mind on your death bed?” Not which stock you should have bought, whether you went to the right school, or the deal you should have closed, but rather was I a good dad, husband, friend, co-worker, etc.
This bus is a reflection of that to me. Hugh the artist who created the Blue Monster created it after talking to people about why the still work at Microsoft when they could make more money and not take so much crap at other places. The story is online in a few places check out Hugh telling it. From there the monster was born, now there are stickers, a facebook group, t-shirts, wine, and even a bus.
Also what is cool to me is the people on this bus. The are smart active people who probably rub each other a great deal. I use te term rub intentionally because though they don’t see eye to eye on everything and probably get on each other’s nerves there is a collective connectiveness about their work that makes one another better.
>Psalm 139
>139:1 O Lord, you have searched me and known me!
2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.
3 You search out my path and my lying down
and are acquainted with all my ways.
4 Even before a word is on my tongue,
behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.
5 You hem me in, behind and before,
and lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is high; I cannot attain it.
7 Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
9 If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light about me be night,”
12 even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is bright as the day,
for darkness is as light with you.
13 For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.
17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18 If I would count them, they are more than the sand.
I awake, and I am still with you.
19 Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God!
O men of blood, depart from me!
20 They speak against you with malicious intent;
your enemies take your name in vain!
21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord?
And do I not loathe those who rise up against you?
22 I hate them with complete hatred;
I count them my enemies.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart!
Try me and know my thoughts!
24 And see if there be any grievous way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting!
When Karin and I went for marriage counseling, I was suspicious. Probably not for the reasons you think, I had studied counseling already. I understood the value, I just know that there are lots of clowns out there telling people what to do with their life and I didn’t want to deal with one of them. So as we sat in the waiting room and were handed the packet of forms to fill out, there was a recommendation on the first page of the paperwork from Larry Crabb, who I greatly respect, for the counselor we were going to meet with. It was a great experience, one even today, five years later Karin and I still reference things we learned. One of the things that stands out the most, and our counselor would always say to us is, “It sounds like your missing each other’s hearts.” That blew our mind. Our attention was on the words we were saying to each other and the details of the situation, we were unable to see past that to the great reality.
This is one of the things that makes God so great. He does care for the details, no a hair falls from our heads without his knowing, yet that is not all with him. He understands us, sees us for who he created us to be…his children. The great thing about children is their honesty, even when they screw up. I am amazed that when confronted with her actions, sometimes Aidyn will just begin to cry. When I ask her why she’s crying she express something like this is not how I want to act…but I feel like I can’t help it. As her parent I see that she longs to be good, “How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!” Sometimes when I am faced with my actions I just cry, because down deep, really deep my desire is to please my heavenly Father.
He knows that because he has given me that. It is a gift. At a very young age I made statements like, “Where I come from…” Still not sure what that meant but I had a clear awareness of something more. Then as I got older I would go for long walks and talk with God. I didn’t know that this was the God of the Bible, it was just my friend. The one who heard me, knew me, and probably kept me from great harm. Only later did God reveal himself to me through Jesus in worship. He placed a desire in my heart from my beginning. He knows me and leads me in his righteousness.
>Psalm 138
>138:1 I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart;
before the gods I sing your praise;
2 I bow down toward your holy temple
and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness,
for you have exalted above all things
your name and your word.
3 On the day I called, you answered me;
my strength of soul you increased.
4 All the kings of the earth shall give you thanks, O Lord,
for they have heard the words of your mouth,
5 and they shall sing of the ways of the Lord,
for great is the glory of the Lord.
6 For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly,
but the haughty he knows from afar.
7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
you preserve my life;
you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies,
and your right hand delivers me.
8 The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me;
your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.
Do not forsake the work of your hands.
Giving of yourself, generosity is one of the new themes that I am finding capturing my heart, and thought. It is exactly what the Psalmist speaks of here. In his book “Never Eat Alone”, Keith Ferazzi tells a story of his dad stopping at a house and asking for big wheel out of the person’s trash. Keith’s comments are about what humilty and boldness it took for his hard working father to go up to a total stranger and say I am so poor can I have your trash, and he also said how good it made the person feel when they gave not only the trashed big wheel away but also a bike that they were saving. In that story it is easy to imagine being each person and how it would feel. It also makes me think about how Jesus has rescued us from the garbage heap, he became poor to save us from the dump. What generosity has been shown to us, and the natural response is for me to offer my life. When you stand you don’t stand alone, the kings will join in, and the Lord will uphold you.
>Beginning my Reflections on 2007
>This was a really strange year, in our world and in our life. Today I had my end of year review at work, which went great, but it got me thinking about this year and what is ahead. To start here are just a few of the things that happened this year for me.
1. Spent New Year’s with two of my oldest friends (which we are repeating again this year)
2. Landed a job within two week of first touch at Sinometrics.
3. Made over 10,000 Cold Calls with my job.
4. Wife went Cat Skiing leaving me home alone with daughter for week.
5. Set up our financial plan which we neglected for years as intern pastor.
6. Became building managers.
7. Refinished chairs we got from Goodwill for $35, and a free table for our dining room.
8. Turned an closet into a closet/office, to free up bedroom for baby.
9. Had Aidyn’s Birthday at a local park.
10. Started Aidyn in a new school.
11. Went to first school choir concert and saw my oldest daughter shine.
12. Enjoyed just attending Church.
13. Started a weekly community group at our house.
14. Ate Thanksgiving with my boss and his family.
15. Nicknamed coworker/friend “little hottie”
16. Mixed a song about “Little Hottie”
17. Wrote on the Psalms
18. Had another daughter…surprisingly at the hospital.
19. Started setting goals for the future.
20. Made a repair on our car without putting it on the credit card.
21. Listened to my wife, much better.
22. Had two great performance reviews at work.
23. Spoke with executives and cool decision makers at some really interesting companies.
24. Ran marathon #3
25. ran marathon #4
26. ran marathon #5
27. Lots of training for marathons.
28. Learned a new joke. “A dyslexic man walks into a bra.”
29. Fallen in love with reading blogs.
30. Realized I need a mentor.
31. Read through the Bible.
32. Read about 20 books.
33. Commute on the bus.
34. Joined Flexcar.
35. Realized Mexican food is my favorite for breakfast lunch or dinner.
36. Took my parents to Montana.
37. Missed seeing a black bear while everyone else in the car saw it.
38. Went fly fishing.
39. Fell in love with the Mariners (baseball team, not group of sailors)
40. Took Aidyn to her first Mariners game.
41. Preached a few times.
42. Taught a group of kids I love about communion, and watched them partake for the first time.
43. Ate a fun breakfast with my old boss and his wife.
Honestly that was really good for me and I don’t feel like I really tried. What a really amazing year, who knows what I will think of over the next few days left in the year.
>Psalm 137
>137:1 By the waters of Babylon,
there we sat down and wept,
when we remembered Zion.
2 On the willows there
we hung up our lyres.
3 For there our captors
required of us songs,
and our tormentors, mirth, saying,
“Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”
4 How shall we sing the Lord’s song
in a foreign land?
5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
let my right hand forget its skill!
6 Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth,
if I do not remember you,
if I do not set Jerusalem
above my highest joy!
7 Remember, O Lord, against the Edomites
the day of Jerusalem,
how they said, “Lay it bare, lay it bare,
down to its foundations!”
8 O daughter of Babylon, doomed to be destroyed,
blessed shall he be who repays you
with what you have done to us!
9 Blessed shall he be who takes your little ones
and dashes them against the rock!
Not all the songs are positive, there are tough times and situations. When you are not free and those who have done it to you rub your nose in it. It is hard to not be at home, even worse when it is not by choice. The exile is a great picture for us and the lives we have, we get into trouble when we start to believe that this is it. God does not forget, he shows u for his people. He uses those who do this to us to teach us but then he saves us when we get the point.
>Psalm 136
>136:1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
2 Give thanks to the God of gods,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
4 to him who alone does great wonders,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
5 to him who by understanding made the heavens,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
6 to him who spread out the earth above the waters,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
7 to him who made the great lights,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
8 the sun to rule over the day,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
9 the moon and stars to rule over the night,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
10 to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
11 and brought Israel out from among them,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
12 with a strong hand and an outstretched arm,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
13 to him who divided the Red Sea in two,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
14 and made Israel pass through the midst of it,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
15 but overthrew [1] Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
16 to him who led his people through the wilderness,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
17 to him who struck down great kings,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
18 and killed mighty kings,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
19 Sihon, king of the Amorites,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
20 and Og, king of Bashan,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
21 and gave their land as a heritage,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
22 a heritage to Israel his servant,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
23 It is he who remembered us in our low estate,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
24 and rescued us from our foes,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
25 he who gives food to all flesh,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
26 Give thanks to the God of heaven,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
One of the best movie lines and deliveries comes in Moulin Rouge when it is screamed at the climax of the movie, “The greatest thing in life is to love and to be loved in return!” God made us this way, and provides for this deep need inherit in the human condition as we are reminded in this Psalm!
This love is the reason we give thanks, it is directed to Him who has done wonderous works of love on our behalf, who has been there throughout history, and who remembers us in our suffering. This is clearly a beautiful liturgy that would have been sung, read, and echoed back and forth by the people of God, and still should be!
>Best Holiday Greeting Ever!
>I got this email out of office reply from a client today…
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In the meantime, please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low stress, non-addictive, gender neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasions and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all…and a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling, and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 200x, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make this country great (not to imply that this country is necessarily greater than any other country), and without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith, or sexual orientation of the wishee.
This wish is limited to the customary and usual good tidings for a period of one year, or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting, whichever comes first. “Holiday” is not intended to, nor shall it be considered, limited to the usual Judeo-Christian celebrations or servances, or to such activities of any organized or ad hoc religious community, group, individual or belief (or lack thereof).
Note: By accepting this greeting, you are accepting these terms. This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal, and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wisher at any time, for any reason or for no reason at all. This greeting is freely transferable with no alteration to the original greeting. This greeting implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for the wishee her/himself or others, or responsibility for the consequences which may arise from the implementation or non-implementation of same. This greeting is void where prohibited by law.
Best regards,
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So funny
>My History of Violence
>I found great humor and was disturbed by that when I read Tim Ferriss article today, Why I started punching jerks again. Now I grew up with lots of violence in my neighborhood of Baltimore, MD. If anyone has watch the HBO show The Wire, I grew up one mile from that neighborhood. I was in my first fight, of significance, in the third grade. It was with an eighth grader. I got in one amazing shot right across his jaw..had to jump to land it…and that was about all I remember other than my head being bashed against a brink wall at some point. When I returned home, beaten badly, my brother showed no sympathy on my, but decided it was the best time to teach me to fight. After that I never lost a fight, I won’t say I won all of them a few may have been draws.
In my pea brain somewhere I do believe violence solves things. It gets results. Now with all of that said at 31 years old and a dad of two I have not been in a fight in ages, thankfully. Yet I still like a good action flick. When I step back I am able to see that there is satisfaction in engaging the world for change, even through violence. The question then becomes is violence the best means? From a Christian perspective the loud answer is, “Of course not!” Jesus would have never gone to the cross if that were the case. Now we live in a fallen world, and I know growing up there were times when the only thing a bully in my life understood was a hard blow to the head. I look back on that and it makes me sad. I still hate bullies, but these were kids who were doing awful things, and they learned it somewhere. I find it sad that as a kid the only solutions I knew was violence in order to get me out of circumstances of being bullied, and I feel really sad for the kids who were not strong/big/brave/goofy enough to stand up the way I did.
Anyway I guess that I do not support punching someone in the face not matter how much they might deserve it. Yet, that doesn’t mean I won’t pray that they do get it eventually. Call it Karma, or you reap what you sow, but they will get it and sometimes I even pray that I’ll get to witness it, not really.
>Psalm 135
>135:1 Praise the Lord!
Praise the name of the Lord,
give praise, O servants of the Lord,
2 who stand in the house of the Lord,
in the courts of the house of our God!
3 Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good;
sing to his name, for it is pleasant! [1]
4 For the Lord has chosen Jacob for himself,
Israel as his own possession.
5 For I know that the Lord is great,
and that our Lord is above all gods.
6 Whatever the Lord pleases, he does,
in heaven and on earth,
in the seas and all deeps.
7 He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth,
who makes lightnings for the rain
and brings forth the wind from his storehouses.
8 He it was who struck down the firstborn of Egypt,
both of man and of beast;
9 who in your midst, O Egypt,
sent signs and wonders
against Pharaoh and all his servants;
10 who struck down many nations
and killed mighty kings,
11 Sihon, king of the Amorites,
and Og, king of Bashan,
and all the kingdoms of Canaan,
12 and gave their land as a heritage,
a heritage to his people Israel.
13 Your name, O Lord, endures forever,
your renown, [2] O Lord, throughout all ages.
14 For the Lord will vindicate his people
and have compassion on his servants.
15 The idols of the nations are silver and gold,
the work of human hands.
16 They have mouths, but do not speak;
they have eyes, but do not see;
17 they have ears, but do not hear,
nor is there any breath in their mouths.
18 Those who make them become like them,
so do all who trust in them!
19 O house of Israel, bless the Lord!
O house of Aaron, bless the Lord!
20 O house of Levi, bless the Lord!
You who fear the Lord, bless the Lord!
21 Blessed be the Lord from Zion,
he who dwells in Jerusalem!
Praise the Lord!
Here they are tail-gating again, standing in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God. So while your at is sing the songs you know. Not the ones from the bar, but the one your parents taught you handed down from generation to generation about how good God has been. About how it’s not because of our goodness or beauty but simply because God has chosen to make us his own.
Don’t just get caught up in the act of singing or going to church. Remember this God who you are singing to. He is amazing and better than the other Gods. He is really the one who controls the sky and sea, wind and rain. When you see him coming on a cloud make sure you know who it is.
In that song you will hae to remember the redemption of our fathers. Especially out of Egypt. How God passed over our kids. It is amazing to me that Aidyn has already latched on to that story, one I found very hard to teach her, and hard to teach the kids in the first communion class. Yet it is central to our story. The story of Jesus is incomplete without an understanding of the Passover.
The idols which get so much of our attentions, “Have mouths, but do not speak, they have eyes, but do not see; they have ears but do not hear…” we serve a living God. Let the idols of our life be exposed for what they are.
Blessed be the Lord
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