Clayton's Adventures in Blogging

final post

2007-10-06T09:38:00.000-06:00

This is my 365th post. If I had posted everyday for a solid year, today would be December 31. But this blog has been in existence much longer than a year.

This blogspot site was created on Friday, February 18, 2005. So it has been in use for over 2 1/2 years.

Before that I blogged on an angelfire site: a pretty horrible attempt at blogging.

A new day has dawned in my blogging life. Margo and I have decided to combine our blogging powers. We will now have 1 family blog. Currently we have my blog, Margo's blog, and Deacon's blog. All 3 blogs will now be forged together to create:

MeetTheFaulkners.com

You'll still find all my typical rubbish there. I'm also considering starting a blog for the Worship Ministry at my church, where I can post stuff specific to worship/music. I'll let you know if that comes available.

But for now, update your favorites, links, and readers to MeetTheFaulkners.com

big changes

2007-10-03T08:00:00.000-06:00

big changes are coming soon...

stay tuned...

for a little preview: MeetTheFaulkners.com

Remedy

2007-10-01T21:42:00.000-06:00

The new David Crowder Band album is in my itunes/ipod now. I'm still getting acquainted with it, so won't offer many comments. I think "A Collision" may be a better album. I like the beeps/pops/whistles/other-techno-type-noises...when used sparingly, and not on every track. That is the only down-side I can see so far. But I lean toward the more folky style of things anyway.

The most amazing thing about the album...and I'm still trying to figure out how this happend...is that THE NUGE [Ted Nugent] rips it up on "We Won't Be Quiet." Don't believe me? Watch this...

Suffer Together

2007-09-30T14:15:00.000-06:00

Today at Grace we featured a song called "Suffer Together." The song was written, played, and sang by Mandi Eldredge, a high school student at our church. This was her first crack at writing a song, and I think it is a pretty good one. It fit the message/theme of the service perfectly, so we plugged it in.

Mandi is also one of my guitar students. She brought the song to one of her lessons a couple of months ago, and we started working on it. We changed a few words, changed the phrasing of the melody, changed the chord progression here and there, and tweaked it a couple of other ways. Songs are rarely finished first after being written. At least the good ones aren't. They usually need room/time to grow and transform. Like many things in life, they need a partner that can help in the maturing process. Someone who can strip away the fluff and make it as good as possible. Here are the lyrics:

Verse 1:
We put on fake smiles to cover up our pain.
We don’t want the world to see our shame.
We build up our walls to keep our hearts safe,
But all we end up doing is heaping on the pain.

Chorus:
Let’s suffer together
and take down our masks.
We don’t have it all together.
Please, let’s drop the act.

Verse 2:
We talk about our friends when they’re not around.
Look how bad they cover what we have learned to drown.
Two people are better off than one,
for they can help each other until the battle’s won.

Chorus

Bridge:
We all go through the same things. We all wear the same chains.
We all go through the same things. We all wear the same chains.

Chorus: just guitar
Chorus: full band
Outro:
Let’s suffer…………together.

Ron Mueck

2007-09-28T19:05:00.000-06:00

Today the family went to check out Ron Mueck's exhibit at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. It's in town through Oct. 21, if you haven't seen it yet. It is really impressive.

For a gallery of pictures click here.

Here is a video of some of his work...*warning* there is a little nudity...

What I like about the art:

it is real....too real...all the imperfections are left as is

the layout/placement...especially the fat guy in the corner...there is no buffer between you and the art

the variety in scale

the attention to detail...feet, hands, eyes, noses...they look more real than my own.

What I'll be doing tonight...

2007-09-27T17:12:00.000-06:00

The Office
1 hour season premiere
8:00 pm central

New bloggers

2007-09-26T13:30:00.000-06:00

Welcome new Grace bloggers...
Emily
Kristy
and welcome back to Shellee

return to blogging

2007-09-21T09:36:00.001-06:00

Life has gotten the better of me, but I'm back, at least for now. Deacon's big B-day #1 is this Saturday, so maybe I'll have some pics to post after that.

I saw a film last night [the last of our Netflix experience...we had to cancel it] called Danielson: A Family Movie. It is a documentary film that follows the musical/spiritual journey of Danielson and his family band. Basically Daniel and all his brothers and sisters, and their spouses, created this band. It started as a research project for his Rutger's thesis. They are technically a band made up of Christians, although they struggle for recognition in the mainstream Christian music market. They are labeled as oddities, and play lots of shows in bars [as well as the occassional church].

Daniel's voice sounds like a cross between Jack White, the guy from Modest Mouse, and Alvin and the ChipMunks.

One of the cool things about the film is it follows them on their European tour, which featured Sufjan Stevens on percussion, filling in for the youngest brother in the band who was still in school.

Why are all the best films now documentarys? Is it just the natural bi-product of the Reality TV culture we live in? Does documentary = reality movie?

The Next Big Deacon Movie

2007-09-15T20:20:00.000-06:00

Going to visit a church on Sunday night

2007-09-15T08:23:00.000-06:00

The Search is an emerging worship community at University Christian Church near TCU here in Fort Worth. They meet at 5:00 pm on Sundays, and Margo and I are going to check it out this Sunday. I'm really looking forward to it. You can hear a couple of messages here. I'll probably post a recap afterwards. It sounds like they launched this service about 1 year ago. I'm interested to see how they approach worship, the design of the service, and what elements they incorporate.

Erik Mongrain

2007-09-11T19:30:00.000-06:00

Technique: lap tapping
Erik performed live at the August 2007 Willow Creek Association Leadership Summit.
More on Erik Mongrain

random daddy & deacon pics

2007-09-09T17:44:00.001-06:00

not your typical Bible on tape

2007-09-06T11:32:00.000-06:00

The Complete Bible Experience due out in November, just in time for Christmas!

Ugandan Orphans Choir video

2007-09-04T21:41:00.001-06:00

Jay Sellers Worship Confessional

2007-08-31T07:41:00.000-06:00

why people stop volunteering

2007-08-30T21:29:00.000-06:00

A recent season of volunteer turnover in the ministry I lead has led me to some reflection. Here are my observations

Why do people stop volunteering in a ministry?

life changes - Something core to the flow of life changes, and everything goes out of whack. A new baby. A new spouse. A new job. A new obsession. What used to be normal, routine volunteering gets put on hold.

gift changes - I'm a firm believer that God is the one giving out the spiritual gifts in the Church. And since they are His gifts, He can take them back if He chooses, or give them to someone else. Someone will stop volunteering if the gifting for that ministry leaves.

vision changes - Maybe the direction the ministry is headed is somewhere the volunteer can't/won't go. They're not onboard with the overall vision of the ministry and what needs to happen.

spiritual life changes - God does something in the life of the volunteers and priorities get reset. Instead of volunteering in a ministry, something else that is needed is done [by the leading of the Holy Spirit].

spiritual life doesn't change - Stagnation. The conduit for the Holy Spirit that we can potentially be gets clogged up due to inactivity. Volunteers stop seeing the point of serving. Or worse, they don't "feel" anything from serving. Or even worse still, they don't "get anything out of it." When did the definition of servanthood change to "personal fulfillment/benefit"?

nothing changes - In other words...people get bored! Volunteers start dropping out when they don't feel connected with other volunteers. When the job is so monotonous and there is never a challenge or new twist volunteers don't believe it is worth their time.

random thoughts I'm having before going to bed

2007-08-28T20:53:00.000-06:00

1. The Ugandan Orphans Choir is in the house this weekend. Literally. The group is singing at Grace this Sunday, and we're hosting some of the kids in our home over the weekend. Expect to see some really neat pics, and maybe some video & audio early next week!

2. The Sleep Number bed has been in use almost a couple of weeks now. It has helped my back a lot. I prefer about a 95 [really hard], and Margo prefers about a 25 [really soft]. The great thing is that if next week, or next year, we decide we want a different firmness mattress, it is instantly ours.

3. I'm thinking about xeriscaping a portion of my lawn.

4. My 30 page research project for IWS is due at the end of October. I'm setting my goal to write 1 page per day, 5 days per week [take weekends off], which will have me finishing in mid-October with a couple of weeks to proof and revise.

5. Who likes Will Ferrell?

barefoot and in the kitchen

2007-08-16T20:45:00.000-06:00

is where Dr. Paige "Ewok" Patterson says women belong!

Here is the Star Telegram article.

This fall, a bachelor of arts in humanities degree will feature a 23-hour concentration in homemaking, with courses focusing on hospitality in the home -- teaching women interior design as well as how to sew and cook. Women -- men won't be allowed to take the homemaking concentration -- will also study children's spiritual, physical and emotional development.

There is also instruction on the intimate side of male-female marital relations. A staff physician will be involved in discussions of, "satisfaction and intimate life," seminary President Paige Patterson said.

"I suppose it's biblical sex-ed," Patterson said. "We discuss conception and abortion."

N.T. Wright quote

2007-08-14T20:30:00.000-06:00

I'd love to take a gander at this guys library. Check out this guys writing set-up. He has like 3 book stands on his desk, holding book pages open for him. That tells you something there.

I'm finally getting around to reading an N.T. Wright book. All the big thinkers say he is good to read, so I'm reading Evil and the Justice of God for my doctoral project. It is a quick read, and here is a quote from something I read today:

"According to the early Christians, what was accomplished in Jesus' death and resurrection is the foundation, the model and the guarantee for God's ultimate purpose, which is to rid the world of evil altogether and to establish his new creation of justice, beauty and peace. And it's clear from the start that this was not intended simply as a distant goal for which one was compelled to wait in passive expectation. God's future had already broken into the present in Jesus, and the church's task consisted not least of implementing that achievement and thus anticipating that future. I have found in my own work over the last few years that this eschatological framing of the church's task is the most helpful way I know of understanding the challenges, possibilities and limits of what we are supposed to be doing here and now."

[sheep jumping fence]...1...2...3...4...

2007-08-11T19:31:00.000-06:00

We're now the proud owners of a new bed. Well not yet, but we've signed the paperwork. Why paperwork? Because it is a Sleep Number bed. And buying a Sleep Number bed is like buying a new car. A car that you spend 1/3 of the hours in a day in.

We're getting the queen version of this bed. After the initial trial, I think I'm going to start out at about a 85, while Margo will start out at about a 45. Which is why we need the sleep number bed! Our current bed is about 2 years old, and was a used hand-me-down. So this is actually the first bed purchase we have made in our 5 years of marriage. This bed has a 20 year warranty, so hopefully it will be the last bed for us for a while.

Our current bed is a king, and we're moving down to a queen. When we were first married we had a queen bed, so it may take a little adjusting to get used to being so close to each other while sleeping. I've had some back pain the last couple of weeks, and when Margo and I switched sides of the bed for 1 night, she complained about it the next day.

The bed should be delivered sometime next week hopefully. If you'd like to buy our old king bed, it's $50 and goes to the first to respond in the comments section.

3 months w/Deacon

2007-08-09T21:16:00.000-06:00

It is amazing being a father! My favorite things are:

seeing his reaction when he sees me first thing in the morning

picking him up, and feeling him pat me on the shoulder

watching him smile and crawl toward me when I get home from work

feeling his fingers wrap around one of my fingers when I'm giving him a bottle

How rich are you?

2007-08-05T21:20:00.000-06:00

Do you struggle to make ends meet, like the rest of us? Do you float from one pay check to the next?

What if the world population was only 100 people? And all the economic, social, and racial proportions remained the same.

Watch this video to see...

Miniature Earth video

facebook

2007-08-04T20:04:00.000-06:00

My latest distraction on the internet is Facebook. You can see a little preview on the right side of the page now. If you are on Facebook, please say hello! Maybe we can be facebook friends, if we're not already.

I read this recently from another blog, talking about the difference between facebook and myspace:

The goodie two shoes, jocks, athletes, or other "good" kids are now going to Facebook. These kids tend to come from families who emphasize education and going to college. They are part of what we'd call hegemonic society. They are primarily white, but not exclusively. They are in honors classes, looking forward to the prom, and live in a world dictated by after school activities.

MySpace is still home for Latino/Hispanic teens, immigrant teens, "burnouts," "alternative kids," "art fags," punks, emos, goths, gangstas, queer kids, and other kids who didn't play into the dominant high school popularity paradigm. These are kids whose parents didn't go to college, who are expected to get a job when they finish high school. These are the teens who plan to go into the military immediately after schools. Teens who are really into music or in a band are also on MySpace. MySpace has most of the kids who are socially ostracized at school because they are geeks, freaks, or queers.

from Danah Boyd

God's ipod - Bob Dylan "Ain't Talkin'"

2007-08-01T08:23:00.000-06:00

Bob Dylan - Ain't Talkin'

As I walked out tonight in the mystic garden
The wounded flowers were dangling from the vine
I was passing by yon cool crystal fountain
Someone hit me from behind

Ain't talkin', just walkin'
Through this weary world of woe
Heart burnin', still yearnin'
No one on earth would ever know

They say prayer has the power to heal
So pray for me mother
In the human heart an evil spirit can dwell
I am a-tryin' to love my neighbor and do good unto others
But oh, mother, things ain't going well

Ain't talkin', just walkin'
I'll burn that bridge before you can cross
Heart burnin', still yearnin'
There'll be no mercy for you once you've lost

Now I'm all worn down by weeping
My eyes are filled with tears, my lips are dry
If I catch my opponents ever sleeping
I'll just slaughter 'em where they lie

Ain't talkin', just walkin'
Through the world mysterious and vague
Heart burnin', still yearnin'
Walkin' through the cities of the plague.

Well, the whole world is filled with speculation
The whole wide world which people say is round
They will tear your mind away from contemplation
They will jump on your misfortune when you're down

Ain't talkin', just walkin'
Eatin' hog eyed grease in a hog eyed town.
Heart burnin', still yearnin'
Some day you'll be glad to have me around.

They will crush you with wealth and power
Every waking moment you could crack
I'll make the most of one last extra hour
I'll revenge my father's death then I'll step back

Ain't talkin', just walkin'
Hand me down my walkin' cane.
Heart burnin', still yearnin'
Got to get you out of my miserable brain.

All my loyal and my much-loved companions
They approve of me and share my code
I practice a faith that's been long abandoned
Ain't no altars on this long and lonesome road

Ain't talkin', just walkin'
My mule is sick, my horse is blind.
Heart burnin', still yearnin'
Thinkin' 'bout that gal I left behind.

Well, it's bright in the heavens and the wheels are flyin'
Fame and honor never seem to fade
The fire gone out but the light is never dyin'
Who says I can't get heavenly aid?

Ain't talkin', just walkin'
Carryin' a dead man's shield
Heart burnin', still yearnin'
Walkin' with a toothache in my heel

The sufferin' is unending
Every nook and cranny has its tears
I'm not playing, I'm not pretending
I'm not nursin' any superfluous fears

Ain't talkin', just walkin'
Walkin' ever since the other night.
Heart burnin', still yearnin'
Walkin' 'til I'm clean out of sight.

As I walked out in the mystic garden
On a hot summer day, a hot summer lawn
Excuse me, ma'am, I beg your pardon
There's no one here, the gardener is gone

Ain't talkin', just walkin'
Up the road, around the bend.
Heart burnin', still yearnin'
In the last outback at the world's end.

Mark Labberton on Baptism

2007-07-31T22:16:00.000-06:00

Baptism is a mark of our new identity, based not on the power of tribe or family, education or status, race or gender, but on the power of God's promises. This is the gift of an identity that bears the marks of God's saving power. Infant baptism especially conveys this - emphasizing that before we have the power to do anything, God's power is for us. Similarly, in adult baptism we enter into the death and resurrection of the One who alone has power to triumph over sin and death. God's power, evident in baptism, is the power both to promise and to be faithful, to create and re-create, to name and rename, to die and to rise.

The Dangerous Act of Worship p. 120

sorry I haven't posted in a week!

2007-07-29T20:55:00.000-06:00

highlight of my day

2007-07-22T20:07:00.001-06:00

You may have heard that for the opening of the Simpson's movie, a select few 7-11 stores across the U.S. have converted to Kwik-E-Marts. There is one in Dallas, and we took a trip this afternoon to visit it.

The last picture is me waiting for my Squishee. We also bought some Buzz cola. I don't think I've ever seen a gas station so busy. There was a line to get Squishees, there was a line to check out. Everyone had their cameras out and were taking pictures. People were buying 12 cans of Buzz at a time. Here is the genius of this idea. Instead of just putting out trailers for this movie, they made an advertisement that you could actually experience. I believe that's why it was so busy/popular. What should the church hear? PEOPLE WANT AN EXPERIENCE, NOT JUST TO BE TOLD ABOUT SOMETHING.

Rob Bell Live

2007-07-22T19:21:00.000-06:00

Going to see Rob Bell on November 16 at the Nokia in Grand Prarie. I'm very much looking forward to hearing him. Full list of tour dates is here.

intern blog

2007-07-20T20:36:00.000-06:00

I have a couple of interns for the Worship Ministry at church this summer.

One of the things I'm teaching my interns about is blogging. I've created a blog just for them to interact with and leave comments on.

GraceIntern.blogspot.com

Hopefully I can inspire them to create their own blogs. If nothing else, I want to show them the potential blogs have for creating conversation, communication, and transparency.

the office uk

2007-07-19T21:25:00.001-06:00

Jesus was no Southern Baptist

2007-07-18T20:57:00.000-06:00

Al Mohler [president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary] says...

I can assure you of this: if you are associated with the use of beverage alcohol, I think I dare exaggerate not to say that 99% of all doors of ministry in the Southern Baptist Convention will be closed to you.

Dan Kimball says...

But what is intriguing me about this statement is that with this view, I am wondering - would Jesus then have 99% of the ministry doors shut on Him?

But I would be interested in how this statement would be played out in regards to Jesus, since He drank and even created wine (when there was also alcohol abuse happening in His time) - and even the sacrament of the Lord's Supper/Communion was originally with wine as well. I am wondering about this - especially if you are a Southern Baptist. If Jesus came to apply for a job as a Southern Baptist pastor, would He have 99% of the doors shut?

I've said it before, and I'll say it again...if Jesus showed up in Anytown, USA in year 2007, he would be labeled by the MAJORITY of Christians as a hippie with loose morals that hangs out with strippers and homeless people. So, Jesus surely couldn't be a Southern Baptist, and maybe not a Christian at all.

He'd just have to be himself.

Eight Principles of Public Scripture Reading

2007-07-17T12:41:00.000-06:00

These are some notes from my "Worship Leadership" class that I took in seminary:

1. Read at a pace that will help the hearer to grasp the message of the passage.

2. Practice the reading aloud until you have eliminated the "stumbling" from your delivery.

3. Make a conscious effort to help the hearer catch the proper emphases in the passage.

4. Learn to use the pause effectively.

5. Be convinced of the importance, relevance, and value of the passage for yourself and for the congregation.

6. Read with sincerity.

7. Make a conscious effort to complement the beauty of the passage by reading with appropriate tonal shading.

8. Reflect the emotion inherent in the passage.

death by ministry

2007-07-14T16:18:00.000-06:00

As controversial as he can be, he has some really good thoughts about how ministry can literally zap the life out of you.

Watch the video here.

Mark's blog

I quote his comments regarding getting a wedding coordinator for your church:

Otherwise you're going to be at a chicken dinner on Friday, you'll be wearing a suit on Saturday, you'll be at church on Sunday, and you're going to have a gun in your mouth on Monday. And that's going to be your summer.

Little Girl & Psalm 23

2007-07-10T09:54:00.000-06:00

visual effects are sooooo coool.

2007-07-09T21:05:00.000-06:00

You might need to click on these to see them bigger.

1. You should see a man's face and also a word...hint: Try tilting your head to the right, the world begins with 'L'

2. If you take a look at the following picture , let me tell you, it is not animated. Your eyes are making it move. To test this, stare at one spot for a couple seconds and everything will stop moving. Or look at the black center of each circle and it will stop moving. But move your eyes to the next black center and the previous will move after you take your eyes away from it.

Communion Service

2007-07-08T13:58:00.000-06:00

We had a neat, experimental Communion service today at Grace. We only had 1 service [instead of 3] with the whole church family gathered in 1 room, seated around tables. The theme of the service was "3 Tables of the Bible." We celebrated [1] a portion of the Passover meal, [2] the Lord's Supper, and [3] looked forward to the marriage supper of the Bride & Groom.

Some pictures:

A big thanks to all who helped make it happen. Here was the order of the service:

I. Gathering of God's People
-"We Are Called to Be God's People" [NETTLETON]
-Welcome

II. Passover Table
-"Passover Us" by Andrew Peterson
-Scripture Reading: Exodus 12:1-15, 21-30
-Message
-Unleavened bread & bitter herb elements

III. Lord's Supper Table
-Medley of "There is a Fountain, What Wondrous Love Is This, and The Old Rugged Cross"
-Scripture Reading: Matthew 26:17-30
-Message
-Bread and wine element

IV. Marriage Supper Table
-"How Beautiful" by Twila Paris
-Scripture Reading: Revelation 19:7-9
-Message
-Unity candle element

V. Sending of God's People
-Benediction: Hebrews 13:20-21

inked

2007-07-04T20:16:00.000-06:00

I'm thinking about getting a tattoo.

There are complications, due to my position at the church. Many church-goers disagree with the idea of profaning the "temple" with ink. I found the discussion at this site helpful.

I like to joke about getting the Virgin Mary on my forearm [like I'm some kind of sailor]. But more than likely it would be something of a religious nature: either a cross, or something in hebrew or aramaic.

I like the idea of how permanent it is. I like thinking that there is something that I believe in so completely and deeply that I would have it permanently added to my body.

Plus Margo has one, and I need to keep up.

So if you have any ideas for tattoos, I'm open for suggestions.

Also not sure where I would have it done, that is a whole other thing. Almost as important as what you have tattooed, is where you put it. I like the forearm. I like the neck [below the colar of course, in my case]. I like the wrist. The bicep seems played out. I like the tricep.

who wants an iphone?

2007-07-01T15:07:00.000-06:00

new deacon video

2007-06-28T21:11:00.001-06:00

There are some great faces in this one. I may not have time to blog as much now, but I make sure I have time to play with Deacon. And occassionally make a video.

An outsiders take on a mega-church service

2007-06-23T15:48:00.000-06:00

From Rev Magazine in an article by Sally Morgenthaler:

The [worship team] was young and pretty, dressed in the kind of quality-cotton-punk clothing one buys at the Gap. ‘Lift up your hands, open the door,’ crooned the
lead singer, an inoffensive tenor. Male singers at [this] and other megachurches are almost always tenors, their voices clean and indistinguishable, R&B-inflected one moment, New Country the next, with a little bit of early ‘90s grunge at the beginning and the end.

They sound like they’re singing in beer commercials, and perhaps this is not coincidental. The worship style is a kind of musical correlate to (their pastor’s) free market theology: designed for total accessibility, with the illusion of choice between strikingly similar brands. (He prefers the term flavors, and often uses Baskin-Robbins as a metaphor when explaining his views.) The drummers all
stick to soft cymbals and beats anyone can handle; the guitarists deploy effects like artillery but condense them, so the highs and lows never stretch too wide. Lyrics tend to be rhythmic and pronunciation perfect, the better to sing along with when
the words are projected onto movie screens. Breathy or wailing, vocalists drench their lines with emotion, but only within strict confines. There are no sad songs in a megachurch, and there are no angry songs. There are songs about desperation, but none about despair; songs convey longing only if it has already been fulfilled.

iws - headed home

2007-06-20T12:48:00.001-06:00

The classwork is all done! Now comes the fun stuff.

Read about 2000 pages of worship stuff
respond in writing to a few of the books read
turn in a prospectus [outline/annotated bibliography] of my final project
turn in a writing sample of the final project
turn in the final project [30 pages written]

Not as bad as it sounds. My final project topic as it currently stands:
"Social Justice as Worship in the Emerging Church"

I plan on touching on the Biblical foundations for social justice [Isaiah 1:10-17 ; James 1:27], then maybe observing what was going on in the traditions that the emerging church grew out of that caused such a strong connection to social justice issues.

iws - day ? lecture quote

2007-06-18T15:14:00.000-06:00

Differences between Eastern Church & Western Church approaches to worship [500 - 1500 AD]:

EAST: Worship as a window: it reveals something [always concerned with the beauty].
WEST: Worship as a hammer: it accomplishes something, with God (Roman Catholic) or with the people (Protestant).

anyone want to babysit Friday night?

2007-06-17T16:27:00.000-06:00

cause Evan Almighty is opening.

It's a green movie. And they've got a neat campaign to donate money, plant trees, and get your name on the DVD.

We saw the set when we were at Universal Studios last summer

iws - day 3 lecture quote

2007-06-16T15:02:00.000-06:00

From St. Augustine, North Africa, early 5th Century...Explanation of Worship, Enarr. in Psalm 85:1

When the body of the Son prays, it does not separate its Head from itself; and it is the one Savior of his body, our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who prays for us, and prays in us, and is prayed to by us. He prays for us as our priest; he prays in us as our head; he is prayed to by us as our God. Let us therefore recognize our words in him and his words in us.

iws - day 2 highlights from lectures

2007-06-15T15:08:00.000-06:00

'Emerging Church' is a term for expressing the need for new forms of church that relate to changing culture.
Why is there diversity in worship? Why will there always be diversity in worship?
1. Changes in theology [understandings of God, church, salvation]
2. Changes in the church’s relationship to culture
3. Changes in the way people view/practice spirituality/piety
For the Early church, communion/Eucharist was more associated with community than personal reception of the elements.

iws - day 1

2007-06-13T20:01:00.000-06:00

I'd like to give a shout out to my wife, Margo, and my little boy, Deacon.

Day 1 completed in Florida. Not much to it, just a lot of getting oriented, and a convocation service.

Highlight of the day...

So, when booking this trip, I tried to do everything as cheap as possible. Like Microtel Inn for $39.95/night. And of course the Budget Rental car was an economy class, small, gas-friendly deal. Cheap.

Well, when I checked in to get my rental car, I had to wait on the keys to show up. I waited about 10 mins. Then they said, "we've got this Dodge Nitro, would you rather have that?" I said, "is it the same price?" they said, "yeah." I said, "let's go."

So this is what I'm sporting this week:

So instead of giving lengthy descriptions each day of what I did, I'm just going to post what was said that stuck out the most to me. What I learned...what revelations I had. For today...

"It's not so important that God's church has a mission, but that God's mission has a church."

gearing up for florida

2007-06-11T20:17:00.000-06:00

I leave early Wednesday morning to fly to Florida. I'll be spending the week there, starting my doctoral program at the Robert Webber Institute for Worship Studies. I'm looking forward to it, and dreading it at the same time...both bummed and excited...

BUMMED - to leave my son for the first time.
EXCITED - to start this new phase of rigorous education
BUMMED - to leave my wife for a week [I'm going to miss watching the first season of Lost on DVD with her late into the night]
EXCITED - to get some time away from work/church to clear my head
BUMMED - Robert Webber, founder of the school, passed away recently, and I won't get the chance to hear him or meet him
EXCITED - the profs and new friendships made are going to be great
BUMMED - being away from my family on my first Father's Day [not really a big deal...I think it's a holiday made up by card companies to trick us into buying something]
EXCITED - to learn more about worship and church and meet a variety of people from a variety of different church settings that will hopefully stretch me and show me more of who God is

lepers made our comforter

2007-06-09T21:09:00.000-06:00

Today Margo made our bed with the comforter we bought in Ethiopia. It came from the A.L.E.R.T. hospital, and was hand-made by some patients who had leprosy. They say smell is the strongest sense, that it carries memories attached to them for the longest. Margo could smell Ethiopia on the comforter...I'm not sure exactly what it was she smelled. Maybe incense or something. I had trouble smelling it. I was kinda scared that it may have some kind of microscopic bed bug living in it that we carried back with us. But I think we'll be ok. We're used to a big down comforter, so we'll see how cold we get tonight.

On a famous note, the last video we posted of Deacon playing has nearly 2,500 views on YouTube. Now, it is not uncommon for a popular video to be viewed over 1 million times, so we're small potatoes compared to that. But I still think it's not bad for only being up 2 days. Half of those views are probably our parents.

deacon playing video

2007-06-07T20:45:00.000-06:00

dern it

2007-06-06T22:28:00.000-06:00

Andrew Jones has posted a thought-provoking article about the fine art of cursing [that is, using fowl language, ie. hell, crap, etc.].

What are your thoughts on cussin'?

Some points I liked:

But if your church has ever hosted an open mike night and 20 artists are plumbing the depths of their souls and expressing the results with language that fits . . . well . . you hear stuff that your mother never said. Once I was in a church meeting in Texas and a new Christian read some poetry that verbaized his repentance from a recent slip up. We all listened intently as he tearfully read out his confession, in a really loud voice, "God . . . I am sooo sorry. I feel like I have been f___d over by the devil".

What would you do if that happened in your church?

Words change. I am sure Charles Spurgeon would not talk about "nigger entertainments" as he did in a 1891 Sword and Trowel publication. And the translators of the King James Bible would probably not employ the word "piss" (1 Sam 25:22, 25:34; 1 Kings 14:10, 16:11, 21:21; 2 Kings 9:8) for "urinate" or "to relieve oneself". The word "sucks", it was pointed out by Justin on EmergentNo.com in 2005, is no longer a deeply offensive word. Words change, just like cultures change. And applying outdated templates is not always appropriate.

In our Post-modern times, as the voices of the margin dwellers and powerless have been given consideration and brought to the center, it is exclusionary language that causes most offence. Marginalizing people due to their race, gender, disability or status is about the most offensive thing you can say.

Jesus warned his listeners against calling anyone "Raca" or empty-head.(Matthew 5:22). This is the kind of exclusionary and demeaning insult that makes up the harshest offensive language today in these postmodern, postcolonial times. The equivalent of "Raca" will be different in every language. "estupido" in Spanish is a very harsh word but in English it isnt very offensive. But there are plenty of insulting words that rip people's esteem to shreds and the command of Jesus remains. Lets not tear each other down with these kinds of words. Love builds up and it never destroys. Love is the language of the Kingdom and the Kingdom is more about power than words (1 Cor 4:20) so we shouldn't get too hung up with wrangling (good Texas word) over words.

weekend in salado

2007-06-02T20:34:00.000-06:00

Deacon got to meet a lot more of the family this weekend. Everyone adored him and got to hold him. We had a great time in a house that was rented for the weekend. Here are the pics of Deacon meeting everyone:

with grand-Aunt Lady

with Nana Faulkner

with Pawpaw Faulkner

with Aunt Kelly & Uncle Boomer

with great-grand Aunt Charlie & Uncle Mert

with grand-Aunt Tricia

with grand-Aunt Cindy

in san marcos

2007-05-31T20:21:00.000-06:00

We ended up in San Marcos about 3:30 pm this afternoon. We checked into the EconoLodge, then made our way over to the outlet mall. We hit all our favorite spots: Gap, Old Navy, AE, Converse, Borders(!), and some places for Deacon (The Children's Place & Carter's).

We forgot how hot it was down here. It has been really nice in FW recently. But here there is so much humidity.

Now, whenever we chose to visit our old college town, it is a chore to figure out where we're going to eat. There are so many places that have so many good memories. Grins (a favorite right off campus...you can see the music building from the deck), Herberts (the best Mexican), Center Point Station (the best burgers). But tonight we hit a spot that I never remember. Margo picked the Gristmill in Gruene. This has special meaning, because Margo had a brief stint there as a waitress. I'll never forget the night she called from the parking lot, refusing to go into work. She wanted to quit, and never come back. And she did. It is a very traumatic working environment, I think she fell down once, and dropped a tray of food once also. But it is a great place to eat!

first Sunday at Grace

2007-05-27T20:00:00.000-06:00

Today was Deacon's first official Sunday at Grace. He handled all the buzz pretty well. He met a bunch of new people and got poked at and passed around a bit.

We also enrolled Deacon in TCU's summer Early Childhood Music Class. We want to give him an early start in the music world. But if he grows up and doesn't want to be a musician, that is fine with me. He can be whatever he wants to be. But I still think he'll be a musician.

2007-05-26T18:24:00.000-06:00

deacon video

2007-05-26T18:01:00.000-06:00

I love that with my imac, I could record and edit this in about 10 minutes.

5th anniversary

2007-05-26T08:39:00.000-06:00

Friday, May 25 was our anniversary. I planned [all by myself] the best date we've ever had. It included:

getting a babysitter to come over at 3:30 pm

taking off to the Gaylord Texan in Grapevine for a couples massage at the spa

going to Saltgrass for steak & shrimp dinner

I think we're going to make a habit of the massage thing. That was my first one, and I'd like to chase that feeling. She said I had a lot of stress in my neck...so we're going to have to work on that.

Ethiopia - Day 9, coffee ceremony

2007-05-26T07:43:00.000-06:00

We met at the Gladney care center this morning for a coffee ceremony. One of the care-givers prepared some coffee for us...roasted the beans, and brewed it up.

We also got to see the music school that Deacon was found outside.

Ethiopia - Day 8, conclusion

2007-05-22T06:30:00.000-06:00

We finished our day at an authentic Ethiopian restaurant [Fasika] with live Ethiopian music and dancing. You can also see some of the entertainment. I would describe traditional Ethiopian dancing as trying to unhinge every joint in your body simultaneously. And the food. I think this was what messed me up the most during our time there. Yes, I know what it looks like. You grab a piece of the bread [injera], and scoop up some of the meat/sauce/veggie stuff and eat it. Not the most tasty stuff, but we tried it. This led to the consumption of pepto later.

Ethiopia - headed home

2007-05-17T07:54:00.000-06:00

I'm blogging from the business center at the Hilton in Addis Ababa. This is just a quick post to say we'll be on our way home soon. Our flight leaves at 10:30 pm tonight [Thursday] and we'll be back in DFW around 6 pm Friday.

I'll be sure to post some pics from the last couple of days events. We have had a great time, and appreciate each of your comments and participation in the blog. Having this blog has made the whole adoption experience even richer, and connected us with many people who are/have gone down the same road.

Ethiopia - Day 8, entoto

2007-05-15T08:45:00.000-06:00

It is hard to believe our trip is almost over. It has really flown by. Tomorrow we head to the U.S. Embassy for the last time to do our final interview. And Thursday we will be leaving.

This morning we traveled up Entoto mountain, all 10,000 feet of it. It was a little chilly up there, but the view of all Addis Ababa was incredible. Here is a pic of the family at the top.

This evening we are going to a traditional Ethiopian dinner that includes some dancing.

Ethiopia - Day 7, lucy & alert hospital

2007-05-14T12:14:00.000-06:00

This morning we went to the National Museum of Ethiopia that contains "Lucy" and many other important archeological/anthropological finds. The museum also has Ethiopian art on display. It was a great way to learn more about the culture which Deacon is from.

In the afternoon we traveled to the Alert Hospital. This is the only hospital/center in Africa for the treatment of leprosy. If caught early enough, the doctors have a very successful way of treating it. The lepers work full time creating hand-made goods, which we are taking home as souvenirs. One of the things we got is a bed spread that they made. We actually got to observe them working at the looms.

As usual, Deacon is a hit wherever he goes. All the local people love to wave and talk to him. Even people in the cars passing by wave at him. Everyone likes to kiss his hands and make him smile. And he has no problem with all the attention.

Ethiopia - Day 6, church & crater lake

2007-05-13T12:19:00.000-06:00

Today Deacon experienced his very first church service! It was very cool that it got to be in Addis Ababa. We went to a small Ethiopian Church of Christ service. The singing was lively and the preaching was good. Everything was said/sung in both Amharic & English. This is a pic of Deacon with the preacher. We were welcomed very warmly and we could tell everyone enjoyed having us there.

It was also Mother's Day [Margo's first]. So we took some Mother's Day pics for Margo:

This evening we went to the restaurant Dream Land at Crater Lake. It is a lake created by a volcano explosion a long time ago. It was very beautiful:

There really is no need to explain this last picture:

Ethiopia - Day 5, shopping

2007-05-12T11:44:00.000-06:00

Today we hit all the major tourist spots to buy souvenirs. We spent a good deal of money and got some really neat stuff to take home. One of the things we did was buy some extra toys for Deacon that we will save and give to him on future birthdays. So for the next few years, he'll get a present from his homeland.

Tomorrow we plan to attend an Ethiopian church service. Here are some more pics of Deacon:

Ethiopia - Day 4, orphanages

2007-05-11T12:27:00.000-06:00

Deacon slept much better the 2nd night. We fed him more during the day, and wore him out keeping him busy. He only woke up once at around 4 am to be fed. It turns out the Gladney home had already been feeding Deacon some rice cereal. But all we brought was formula, so his stomach probably feels a little emptier than usual.

Today was mostly spent visiting 3 different orphanages in Addis Ababa. According to Ryan there are 18 U.S. adoption agencies working in Ethiopia, and 40 total [including other countries]. There were a lot of kids at the first orphanage, and one of the Gladney families was picking up there son there today. He was about 7 years old, and was excited about joining a family in the U.S. All the kids went crazy when the digital cameras came out.

The second one we visited was where Silas Bottomly lived for a short time. There were fewer kids at this one. They were all very well behaved and enjoyed having us as visitors.

After lunch we went to the orphanage where Deacon stayed from about 1 month to 6 months of age. There were a lot of kids at this one, and some older kids as well. Deacon was quite the ladies man when he was there, and all of them remembered him. One young lady picked him up and carried him around the whole time we were there.

For dinner we ate at a neat art gallery called "Kamush." By far, the highlight of the day occured there. Margo had dressed Deacon in a shirt that said "Automatic Sprinkler." That shirt came true at dinner. Margo was changing him at the table before the food came [which is cool in Ethiopia], and sure enough, he sprung a leak on her leg. It's her own fault for putting him in that shirt.

48 hours with Deacon

2007-05-11T05:48:00.001-06:00

After a little over 48 hours living with Deacon, here is what we have learned about him so far:

he is a laid-back, happy baby

he giggles more for Margo than me

he likes to put EVERYTHING in his mouth [place mats, our fingers, his hands, his feet, his toys, etc.]

he likes to kick his feet when he is having a good time

he likes to talk/make noise, but only cries when he wants to be held/fed/changed

he likes to be in the baby bjorn

UPDATED

the poor little guy was sick the previous week and had been to the doctor and was taking some medicine. He actually has no problem drinking his medicine from the little cup [no dropper needed!]

Ethiopia - Day 3, top view

2007-05-10T11:39:00.000-06:00

The first night with Deacon was not too bad. We put him down at 8 pm. He woke up at midnight and we fed him. He woke up again at 4 am and I put him back to sleep. I think he was a little scared the first night. And we think we didn't feed him enough. He was up again at 6:30 ish for another bottle.

So after a restless night, we weren't in the best frame of mind to start the day. Today started with going to the clinic for Deacon's last check up. The doc gave him a look and said everything looked good.

Next we went to the US Embassy to turn in some final paperwork and get a blood sample drawn for Deacon [one last HIV test I think?]. The poor guy. They stuck him real good, and he could be heard throughout the building screaming. He got over it after a bottle though.

Once all that was done we went to Top View Restaurant for lunch. It is on the side of a mountain, hence the name, and you can get a great view of the whole city from there. Here are a few of the pics:

meeting deacon video

2007-05-09T13:55:00.001-06:00

Ethiopia - Day 2, meeting Deacon

2007-05-09T05:48:00.001-06:00

We were on our way to the orphanage to meet Deacon at 9:00 am this morning. Here was our first encounter:

After that we had lunch with the Bottomlys and the Browns [our first dining with child experience] and now we're back at the Hilton resting.

Deacon is a very relaxed and chilled out baby. He has done a minimal amount of fussing and already had a bottle and a nap. I think he's going to be a very good fit for us.

Ethiopia - Day 2, meeting Deacon

2007-05-09T05:48:00.000-06:00

We were on our way to the orphanage to meet Deacon at 9:00 am this morning. Here was our first encounter:

Ethiopia - Day 1, travel

2007-05-08T13:21:00.000-06:00

We're here! We made it, finally. It is currently about 10:30 pm in Addis Ababa, and we are getting ready to turn in. Tomorrow we meet our son! We'll be leaving to meet him at about 9:00 am.

This was a long day. We left DFW around 11:30 am. Got to DC about 3 hours later. Then we killed some time while we waited for our flight to leave at 8:00 pm.

Then we were on a plane. Forever. That has been the worst part so far, that long flight. I still can feel/hear the roar of the jet in my body, and it also still feels like I'm going very fast at a very high alltitude.

We ate 3 meals on the plane. Dinner after we left DC. Breakfast before we landed in Rome, Italy to refuel. Then lunch as we were crossing northern Africa on our way to here. The flight was about 8 hours from DC to Rome, then an hour lay over, then another 5 hours to Ethiopia. I was feeling like yuck after all that.

But we got off the plane quickly, got our Visa in about 20 minutes, then got our bags and met our guide. And now we're at the Hilton. We got room service, because Margo had missed that previous lunch on the plane [she was sleeping]. Toasted Ham & Cheese with Fries:

Now all I have to remember is not to drink the water. I kept my mouth closed during my shower, but when I brushed my teeth, I didn't even think of it. Just to be safe, I rinsed my mouth out with Coke after brushing.

getting ready to go

2007-05-05T21:55:00.000-06:00

Not much time now before we leave. We are really hoping to keep the blogs updated while we're away. So check back, but no big promises. At the least it may be a couple of photos of the big events. At the most I'll have time to edit some video we take, post it on youtube, and blog it here. But as I said, no promises. The Hilton charges $12/hour or so for internet usage.

Regardless, I'll have plenty of time to edit/post videos when we get back, and they will be done on the imac, so they will be nice and fancy.

I'll also be posting tons of silly stuff like Los:

a letter to my son

2007-05-03T22:11:00.000-06:00

Dear Deacon,
[hopefully when you're old enough to read, you'll find this]
In a couple of days, I'm going to meet you for the first time. We're getting ready to get on a plane, and come meet you, get to know you, and bring you back home with us to live with us. We're kind of bummed that we didn't get to be a part of the first 6 months of your life, but really excited that we get to be a part of the rest of it.

Your mom and I were packing our suitcases tonight. We were packing yours too. We've got a whole suitcase of stuff we're bringing for you: diapers, clothes, socks, bottles, and TOYS! We're also bringing you some little shoes to wear. One pair of shoes are some Vans that we got at the mall for you. I used to wear Vans when I was in high school, and so we thought you should wear them too.

As I was taking the shoes out of the box to put into the suitcase for you, I decided to go ahead and lace them up. And I started thinking, "I have a lot to teach you." There are going to be tons of things I'm going to show you how to do: how to lace up and tie your shoes, how to ride a bike, how to put the toliet seat down for mommy [and maybe little sister one day], how to play the guitar and the drums, how to read, how to draw, and a whole bunch of other stuff. And when you get older I'll teach you how to drive a car, and how to mow the lawn, and how to study, and whatever else you need me to show you.

And hopefully I can teach you how to be some other things, that are really important, but a little harder to teach to someone. Like how to be brave, and how to work hard, and how to tell the truth, and how to help people, and how to judge what is right and do it. Some of that stuff we'll have to figure out together.

But your mom and I want you to know that we really do consider you our son. You haven't always been our son, we haven't always had you. But now you are our son. And that won't change.

We can't wait to meet you.

Love, Dad.

a preview of our trip

2007-05-02T20:57:00.000-06:00

Some of the sights from Addis Ababa.

gearing up

2007-05-01T20:32:00.000-06:00

Getting geared up for the trip starting Monday. We leave Monday around 11 am to:

Washington, D.C.

then to Rome, Italy to refuel

then to Ethiopia

then Thursday the following week we fly back to DFW [via Rome, D.C., Chicago]

Not sure what internet is going to be like there, so blogs may be few. I'm hoping to post some pictures [and maybe some video] if nothing else.

Also check the Baby Blog.

I'm also gearing up for my first doctoral session at the Robert Webber Institute for Worship Studies in FL. I've got a pre-course assignment I've got to finish before we leave, because it's due while we're in Ethiopia!

I'm kinda bummed that Dr. Webber passed away recently. I was hoping to meet him in person. But I know the school/profs will be just as meaningful. Here is another article on his life/passing.

anybody ever heard of this guy?

2007-04-30T21:41:00.000-06:00

I've become intrigued by this nut. According to his bio he:

pastored a large church in LA

hosted a late night tv show

ran a 24 hour satellite network

helped start Oral Roberts Univ.

got a phD from Stanford [as you humbly heard in the video]

was married 3 times

liked to smoke cigars and use off-colored language [as you can also hear in the video!]

was president of the Full Gospel Fellowship of Churches and Ministers International

was a missionary/evangelist for the Assembly of God denomination

died of cancer, after refusing traditional medical treatment, and claiming that God had healed him for 4 years

Obviously a nut right? I think I'd like to have known him though. I bet he was a riot. Sure, he's way off when it comes to church, but aren't we all?

"If you put religion over relationship, you'll be the most religious person in hell."

Not a quote from Dr. Scott.

going to see the movie tonight

2007-04-29T15:58:00.001-06:00

Bob Webber passes away

2007-04-28T07:48:00.000-06:00

Dr. Robert "Bob" Webber is recognized by pastors, denominational leaders, scholars and lay people as one of the foremost authorities on worship renewal. He regularly conducts workshops for almost every major denomination in North America through the Institute in Worship Studies, which he founded in 1995. Over 30,000 people have attended his workshops. He has authored over 40 books on worship and the Church, including The Complete Library of Christian Worship and Renew Your Worship! and a complete audio and video series based on his Renew Your Worship workshops. He is also a regular contributor to numerous magazines, journals and newspapers.

A prayer for the passing...

Depart, O Christian soul, out of this world; in the name of God the Father Almighty who created you; in the name of Jesus Christ who redeemed you; in the name of the Holy Spirit who sanctifies you. May your rest be this day in peace, and your dwelling place in the Paradise of God. Into your hands, O merciful Savior, we commend your servant Bob. Acknowledge, we humbly beseech you, a sheep of your own fold, a lamb of your own flock, a sinner of your own redeeming. Receive him into the arms of your mercy, into the blessed rest of everlasting peace, and into the glorious company of the saints in light. Amen.

would you follow this man?

2007-04-27T21:55:00.000-06:00

Paige is at it again! Saying more wacky things to get people to start throwing their seminary diplomas away [or at least remove it from a prominent place in their office].

Paige sez...

lives could have been saved at Virginia Tech if students had rushed the shooter and subdued him.

From Rev. Cole...

He praised administrators who are re-evaluating their emergency response plans rather than "seminary presidents who fancy themselves generals and their would-be student martyrs as Green Berets."

full Star Telegram article here

Yoakum makes the Star-Telegram

2007-04-26T08:52:00.000-06:00

Tandy Brands plans to keep the 60,000-square-foot Yoakum plant, and a staff of about 355, to handle receiving, distribution and administrative operations. But the loss of 165 jobs will be a blow for Yoakum, which counts Tandy Brands as its largest employer and features tours of the Tandy Brands factory each February as part of the city's annual Land of Leather festival.

Read the full article.

Wednesday night

2007-04-25T19:55:00.000-06:00

Time to pack...
The 2 on the right are mainly full of diapers. We'll have to squeeze some clothes/shoes in there too.

I'm planning on watching Babel tonight. It was nominated for 7 Academy Awards [including best picture], but only won for best score. Stay tuned for the rating/review. I've got to soak up all this movie-watching-free-time now.

lessons in fatherhood

2007-04-24T20:46:00.000-06:00

Margo is going to be a great mother. She was a professional nanny for a couple of years, and knows all the ends and outs. She can handle any situation.

I on the other hand, have no clue.

Here are some of things that she has been telling me before we get our son:

don't let him play with scissors

don't leave him on a table or other high area unattended

don't let him stick his finger in an electrical socket

don't leave him in the car alone while it is running

don't hold him in my lap while driving, like Britney

don't serve him a bottle with scalding hot liquid

don't allow him to give himself a haircut

don't let him operate the blow-dryer in the bathtub

don't let him run into the street

Most of these are made up, but still. I've managed to stay alive this long, I think I can handle most of those.

Gotta love Andy

2007-04-23T21:20:00.000-06:00

We're getting close to the trip. May 7 is probably when we'll fly to Ethiopia. Now, I'm at the point where I'm contemplating how each part of my life will change after we get our son. Even the smallest parts of my life.

I have a feeling that everything is going to change. Eating will be different. Getting dressed/ready in the morning will be different. Work will be different [schedule]. Evenings at home will be different. Going out on a whim will be different. Last weekend Margo and I saw 2 movies just because we didn't have anything else going on [Blades of Glory & Hot Fuzz...both 4/5 stars ****].

All that will change.

For the better.

dissolved

2007-04-19T21:40:00.000-06:00

I learned today that a church I nearly served at about 4 years ago has dissolved. Shut the doors, closed shop, moved on to something else.

Are churches like people? [They're definitely made up of people.] Do all churches have to die? Are there normal stages of life in a church? Are they like stars that explode into existence, then collapse at the end?

Sometimes I think we view churches too much like individual trees, and not enough like branches of a huge tree. One church dying is not much different than one branch or leave being snapped off. Maybe it was diseased or holding the tree back from growing. Maybe it was ravaged by pests. A church dying is not like a whole tree dying, but like a small part of a tree being removed.

A huge tree.

I like Tony Morgan's post about doing ministry without strategy. I feel for the people involved, but I'm glad God led me elsewhere to plant myself. Otherwise, I'd be out of a job right now. But I wonder if things would be different for that church if I would have been hired and served there. I'm not saying that I'm the solution to every church's problem! But I wonder if it would have made a difference.

Jesus of Montreal

2007-04-17T21:34:00.000-06:00

Tonight's movie was Jesus of Montreal.

What was annoying:

subtitles [Canadian movie, dialogue in French]

came out in 89, so tons of 80s culture. Jesus looked like a skinny Don Johnson and transition scenes were accompanied by metal ballads

What was good:

the whole movie mimicked the life of Jesus

the story is about a group of actors hired to spice up a church Passion play...and life ends up imitating art [the Passion narrative] in a very interesting way

***** [5 out of 5 stars]

newest pic of deacon

2007-04-16T21:35:00.000-06:00

He looks like me this morning. I did not want to get out of bed. But I did. And now the day is done.

I'm supposed to bring the devotional at staff meeting tomorrow, so I need to stay up and figure that out.

baby shower

2007-04-14T07:57:00.000-06:00

I'm debating on staying here and being with Margo on her birthday, or going to Starbucks to get away from the estrogen.

This is where I'm from.

2007-04-12T21:00:00.000-06:00

It is funny that someone made a video of this. I've been to dances at that hall. I'm proud to be a Yoakumite. Snaps for anyone who can name that hall!

our real son

2007-04-11T21:42:00.000-06:00

So I had to take down the previous "Introducing my son" post. The main reason being that he wasn't our son. Gladney made a mistake with the photos, and we got the wrong picture.

It's not a big deal in the long run, but a little traumatic at first. Especially for Margo. She was attached/bonded to the first picture. And after you've waited like we have, you're so excited to finally put a face with your new baby. But then they say that face isn't your face.

It wasn't as much a hard thing for me. I liked the first picture, but I like this little guy too. I know God has it all figured out and we'll get the baby we're supposed to. I also know that as soon as we pick this little guy up, we'll forget about the little picture trouble we had.

The hard thing now is trying to figure out what to do with the 40 something emails I got in reply to the original/wrong picture. All saying how cute he was. We had thought about printing them out for a scrapbook or something. But that wasn't the real son...so do we pretend like they were said about our real son and keep them, or do we delete them and move on with life?

hippest baby in town

2007-04-10T12:58:00.000-06:00

Just because you're a baby, doesn't mean you have to put up with all that crappy nursery music!

Our son is going to be so musically ahead. They also have Nirvana and Smashing Pumpkins. You can listen to samples in iTunes.

Quote from an Amazon reviewer...

...But It's genius is in the fact that this can be played in a children's room to help them sleep as it is quite soothing and infantile in typical lullaby fashion. but best of all you can stay in the room with your child and not have the urge to blow your brains out to a crappy predictable lullaby from the 'Play-school company over and over and over again. I can listen to this and enjoy it many time's. Get it if you are also ready to choke the stuffing out of mickey and Disney Babies: Lullaby and the such.

margo's hyper-nesting

2007-04-08T21:19:00.000-06:00

Now that we know we have 4-5 weeks before our son enters our life in person, Margo has gone on a hyper-nesting rampage. Furniture is being bought and assembled. I have to say, his nursery is starting to be the coolest room in the house.

Here you see the crib with blue, green, and white bedding.

Here you see a cube bookshelf from Walmart. On the right is the floating bookshelf from Ikea. The cool green lamp is also from Ikea.

Here you see the animal paintings. And a cool little pelican toy holder from Ikea. His mouth opens up! And the changing table will go on the wall space.

And finally the cool green night-lite vibe created with the lights off.

the movie is out 4.13

2007-04-08T19:13:00.000-06:00

I love the toy guitar with 2 strings solo.

"I made an omelet for Satan, and I made it out of your face."

what we know

2007-04-07T19:42:00.000-06:00

Here are the details about our son Tegene:

he is six months old

he was found outside a music school in Addis Ababa

he was found with another baby boy

when they found him, they think he was about 1 month old

they originally thought he and the other boy were twins, but after some testing it turns out they weren't related

we'll be traveling to Ethiopia in mid-May to pick him up

I don't know how to pronounce his name

We had a great Good Friday service at Grace. It was very reflective, and all the readings were taken from the ReJesus website. It was well attended and we asked people as they entered the sanctuary to be in prayerful silence. It was cool to walk in the sanctuary full of people, and it be dead quiet.

I used mostly hymns for this service: Beneath the Cross of Jesus, Were You There?, and When I Survey [with the Tomlin chorus]. They were the perfect fit.

It also snowed today. April 7. Snow. Just so you know I'm not making it up:

It is hard to see, but trust me, it is there. Nothing stuck to the ground, but still.

Len Sweet quote

2007-04-04T21:50:00.000-06:00

from "The Gospel According to Starbucks"

Christian faith is designed to be lived experiences of beauty, not well-structured thought experiments.

To see how far we have traveled down the rational path, look at your church. Don't focus on what it believes or its official statement of faith; rather, consider how much time your church expends in creating beauty. What does it do to develop embodied practices and multisensory experiences? For most of Christian history, the church was the major patron of the arts. But today, what role does art and poetry have in your worship? What works of art function as works of devotion in your spiritual life, enriching your home life and the life of your church?

I'm proud to say:

Grace has visual art hanging throughout the buildings made by our very own artists

Grace featured a group of very talented dancers in our Palm Sunday services

Grace is featuring a humorous drama presentation in all of our Easter services this Sunday

every week Grace has some of the greatest volunteers offering their talents in creating beautiful music in worship

Way to go Grace!

A Prayer for Easter preparation

2007-04-04T21:48:00.000-06:00

Father, quiet our hearts and still our souls.
We have done our best to prepare for this weekend.
We ask now that you do what only you can do.
Prepare the hearts of those that you have called to hear your message.
Remove anything that might distract them or keep them away.
Pour your Spirit out on our time of worship together.
Speak through what we have prepared.
Make any changes you deem necessary.
Help us to worship in Spirit and Truth.
Accomplish all that you have in mind this weekend.
We place our efforts before you now and leave them at your throne.
Only You can change lives.
Grant us the joy of seeing your hand at work.
All this we pray humbly in the name of your son Jesus,
whose death we remember with reverence,
and whose resurrection we celebrate with joy.

Amen.

rare find at the library

2007-04-03T20:25:00.000-06:00

Well, not really rare in the sense that it is an impossibly difficult item to find.

And not really a find in the sense that I found it on the shelves of the library. I actually requested it on the website and had to wait about 3 weeks to have my turn at it.

But it is just cool that you can get this from the library.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience Box Set

Now, my only dilemma is figuring out how to digest all 4 CDs and the included book.

Do I:

listen to 1 CD a night on my portable CD player w/headphones as I fall asleep at night?

listen to all 4 discs at Starbucks while reading and sipping a beverage?

work my way through the box set while driving in the car?

6 nights a week at home

2007-04-01T20:23:00.000-06:00

I wonder if it is possible for me to be home six nights a week?

In preparation of having a family with kids, I'm trying to prioritize family and spending time with them at home. The thought kinda came up while listening to the podcast of Catalyst. They were interviewing Craig Groeschel at LifeChurch.tv.

In it he said that he spends 6 nights a week at home, and he has 6 kids. So I figured if he could do it, I could do it. Mainly because I don't have 6 kids, and I don't lead the largest multi-site church in OK.

So Wednesday night is the given. We don't have Sunday night services. So Wednesday night is the night not at home. That means I've got to figure out what to do with Monday night Worship Band rehearsal [7-8:30 pm] and Sunday night Youth Worship Band rehearsal [5:30-6:30 pm].

I can probably move the Monday night rehearsal to Wednesday night, somehow. I'd probably have to lose the last half hour though. Which I don't want to do. Not to mention my Wednesday nights are already packed pretty tight. The whole thing requires a lot of thought/planning.

James 1:19-27

2007-03-31T21:43:00.000-06:00

Post this at all the intersections, dear friends: Lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear. God's righteousness doesn't grow from human anger. So throw all spoiled virtue and cancerous evil in the garbage. In simple humility, let our gardener, God, landscape you with the Word, making a salvation-garden of your life.

Don't fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear! Those who hear and don't act are like those who glance in the mirror, walk away, and two minutes later have no idea who they are, what they look like.

But whoever catches a glimpse of the revealed counsel of God—the free life!—even out of the corner of his eye, and sticks with it, is no distracted scatterbrain but a man or woman of action. That person will find delight and affirmation in the action.

Anyone who sets himself up as "religious" by talking a good game is self-deceived. This kind of religion is hot air and only hot air. Real religion, the kind that passes muster before God the Father, is this: Reach out to the homeless and loveless in their plight, and guard against corruption from the godless world.

I got hymns here - fresh from God's brain to your mouth

2007-03-30T16:40:00.000-06:00

Jesus Camp

2007-03-29T21:18:00.000-06:00

We just saw Jesus Camp. If Deneise or Shellee reads this, you MUST WATCH THIS.

This film was more disturbing than any horror movie. The scary part to me is that this is how ALL Evangelicals will be labeled/viewed because of a small minority. The funniest part to me is the interview/filming done of Ted Haggard [obviously before the truth was exposed]. It puts a whole new depth on the film.

My favorite part is when the kid tells the camp lady that he was saved at the age of 5 because he "just wanted more out of life." You know he is just regurgitating something he heard an adult say. How can you possibly even have experienced enough of life at age 5 to know you want more?

Also highly disturbing: kids praying for the end of abortion, and being shown toy fetuses, and being told that a 1/3 of their friends would have been at camp with them but they were killed by abortion.

I don't think most of those kids even knew where babies come from.

Margo thinks what happens to these kids in this film is borderline child abuse. She made the statement she would rather watch a movie about kids being kicked and beaten.

haircut

2007-03-29T21:12:00.000-06:00

What I was sporting before:

What I'm sporting now: