I wasn't going to post about this for a while but Mike has forced my hand with this post about the OC AIDS Walk. Our church has been on a series that is casting vision to our people for being more involved in our community. These need to be consistent ministry relationships that are close to our community where we can eventually talk about Jesus. Mostly we want to live Matthew 5:16 of letting our light shine before people so they see our good deeds and praise our Father in Heaven.
I knew that I was going to Kenya this summer with our high school students and an organization called Christ's Hope ministering to people who have AIDS or are affected by AIDS. So I thought, why help across the world, but not at home? Then I started searching online for a good AIDS organization in Orange County and I found OC AIDS Services Foundation. A week ago I went to a Volunteer Information/Orientation Meeting at their office in Costa Mesa. It seems like they are doing good work and I can get involved in some different ways - starting with helping in the office and the Food Pantry. Then working at the OC AIDS Walk on May 12. Later I could deliver meals to client's homes or drive client's to the doctor office or things like that.
I'm excited to break some barriers between evangelical pastors and the AIDS community. It should be challenging, but fun and rewarding in a Kingdom-sense.
I WOULD LOVE FOR YOU TO JOIN ME ON THE AIDS WALK ON MAY 12.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Lunch with My Hero
So I had lunch with Mike Erre today - the teaching pastor of ROCKharbor. That guy is a complete stud. We are meeting about four times a year in a sort-of-mentoring relationship. He has helped me with teaching preparation and thinking creatively about teaching and church strategy issues in the environment I am in where I teach a lot but I'm not the Senior/Lead Pastor. He helped me today to be thinking more about replicating preacher/teachers in the church, training them up, and using them in situations like College and Young Adults - especially when myself and our College and Young Adult Pastors are teaching a lot in Elevation. He gave me a CD set of a series that he did with a group of people he was training.
He also talked to me about a guy named Peck's stages of faith that are roughly described as:
1. Chaos - don't know God, all over the place mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
2. Order - come to know God and love structure and a form of legalism that feels really good to them for the time. One Year Bible reading, etc.
3. Breakdown - Dark Night of the Soul, daily devotional reading feels horrible, straying from organized religion or religiosity
4. Return - a return to God in some sense, but also a redefining of what spending time with God looks like, etc.
This is a rough description from our 10 minute conversation on the topic. I want to read more about it, but the main thing Mike talked about was to be intentional about considering that we have people from all four groups in our congregations when we are teaching. We need to connect with all of them in some way.
Finally, we talked about some cool things they are doing at ROCKharbor with reducing Mike's teaching to about 20 times per year so that they aren't based on his personality alone. They have some interesting plans for the future around this reduction that I don't know if I should say yet. We also had some good personal conversation. The guy is really good with remembering things about you. I felt bad because he remembered Bea's name and knew that we were having a girl and I didn't even remember how many kids he has.
Update: Here are Peck's Stages from a Wiki - a bit of an ultra-long post. Sorry.
He also talked to me about a guy named Peck's stages of faith that are roughly described as:
1. Chaos - don't know God, all over the place mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
2. Order - come to know God and love structure and a form of legalism that feels really good to them for the time. One Year Bible reading, etc.
3. Breakdown - Dark Night of the Soul, daily devotional reading feels horrible, straying from organized religion or religiosity
4. Return - a return to God in some sense, but also a redefining of what spending time with God looks like, etc.
This is a rough description from our 10 minute conversation on the topic. I want to read more about it, but the main thing Mike talked about was to be intentional about considering that we have people from all four groups in our congregations when we are teaching. We need to connect with all of them in some way.
Finally, we talked about some cool things they are doing at ROCKharbor with reducing Mike's teaching to about 20 times per year so that they aren't based on his personality alone. They have some interesting plans for the future around this reduction that I don't know if I should say yet. We also had some good personal conversation. The guy is really good with remembering things about you. I felt bad because he remembered Bea's name and knew that we were having a girl and I didn't even remember how many kids he has.
Update: Here are Peck's Stages from a Wiki - a bit of an ultra-long post. Sorry.
* Stage I is chaotic, disordered, and reckless. Very young children are in Stage I. They tend to defy and disobey, and are unwilling to accept a will greater than their own. Many criminals are people who have never grown out of Stage I.
* Stage II is the stage at which a person has blind faith. Once children learn to obey their parents, they reach Stage II. Many so-called religious people are essentially Stage II people, in the sense that they have blind faith in God, and do not question His existence. With blind faith comes humility and a willingness to obey and serve. The majority of good law-abiding citizens never move out of Stage II.
* Stage III is the stage of scientific skepticism and inquisitivity. A Stage III person does not accept things on faith but only accepts them if convinced logically. Many people working in scientific and technological research are in Stage III.
* Stage IV is the stage where an individual starts enjoying the mystery and beauty of nature. While retaining skepticism, he starts perceiving grand patterns in nature. His religiousness and spirituality differ significantly from that of a Stage II person, in the sense that he does not accept things through blind faith but does so because of genuine belief. Stage IV people are labelled as mystics.
Scott Peck argues that while transitions from Stage I to Stage II are sharp, transitions from Stage III to Stage IV are gradual. Nonetheless, these changes are very noticeable and mark a significant difference in the personality of the individual.
Weigh-In Day
The new weight is 170.8 pounds. That means I dropped a pound this week and 17.2 pounds since I started on January 2. My original was 188 pounds.
It's weird because I was pretty bad this week with eating. I went on our church's Men's Retreat and ate a bunch of bad food. I probably exercised more than usual though.
By the way, my favorite "diet" food is Hebrew National 97% Fat-Free hot dogs. They are only one weight-watcher point each. Wonder Light hot dog buns are one point each too. So you can have two hot dogs for four points. Four points is the same as a small bowl of Frosted Mini-Wheats with milk. It's the same as four apples. A six-inch Subway sandwich with only turkey (no crazy Chicken Parmesan sandwiches) is five points.
It's weird because I was pretty bad this week with eating. I went on our church's Men's Retreat and ate a bunch of bad food. I probably exercised more than usual though.
By the way, my favorite "diet" food is Hebrew National 97% Fat-Free hot dogs. They are only one weight-watcher point each. Wonder Light hot dog buns are one point each too. So you can have two hot dogs for four points. Four points is the same as a small bowl of Frosted Mini-Wheats with milk. It's the same as four apples. A six-inch Subway sandwich with only turkey (no crazy Chicken Parmesan sandwiches) is five points.
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Crazy Weekend
So I left on Friday afternoon for our church's Men's Retreat. It was a Wild at Heart theme with a couple people from John Eldredge's team coming to do the speaking - one of which is Bart Hansen who is a member/former elder of our church. It was pretty cool actually. I usually think the Men's Retreat is incredibly boring. The whole million video clip method of teaching definitely keeps you engaged. The big thing I don't understand is why we have to have so many meetings. More fun, less meetings. It's like the clip from Jerry Maguire that we watched. Fewer clients, less money. I say, "More fun, less meetings." Am I going to get fired like Jerry? Probably not. We did play Ultimate Frisbee in about 4 inches of snow on a huge football field. Very tiring, but muy fun.
Some of us drove home on Saturday night because we had church responsibilities. I actually preached both services on Sunday. I like doing the Celebration service. It's about twice as big as our Elevation service, but that's not why I like it. It's has less energy and enthusiasm as our Elevation service, but that's not why I like it. I like it because the people love talking about it after the service. I was talking to these three adorable older ladies after the service who just wanted to chat. It was funny and kinda fun. They loved that I teased our Sr Pastor in my sermon about being a germa-phobe.
Then we had Hume Lake sign-ups and had hundreds of people outside the gym. We had a big "cookout" as my southern friends would call it. We raised about $1,500 for the Kenya trip with the BBQ as us SoCal people call it. Awesome.
I left the house at about 6:30am and got home at 2:45pm and I was on my feet the whole time after being on the Men's Retreat. Needless to say, I am exhausted. It's good to be with my family.
P.S. We leave for Maui next Saturday. I CAN'T WAIT!!!
Some of us drove home on Saturday night because we had church responsibilities. I actually preached both services on Sunday. I like doing the Celebration service. It's about twice as big as our Elevation service, but that's not why I like it. It's has less energy and enthusiasm as our Elevation service, but that's not why I like it. I like it because the people love talking about it after the service. I was talking to these three adorable older ladies after the service who just wanted to chat. It was funny and kinda fun. They loved that I teased our Sr Pastor in my sermon about being a germa-phobe.
Then we had Hume Lake sign-ups and had hundreds of people outside the gym. We had a big "cookout" as my southern friends would call it. We raised about $1,500 for the Kenya trip with the BBQ as us SoCal people call it. Awesome.
I left the house at about 6:30am and got home at 2:45pm and I was on my feet the whole time after being on the Men's Retreat. Needless to say, I am exhausted. It's good to be with my family.
P.S. We leave for Maui next Saturday. I CAN'T WAIT!!!
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Letters from Leavers
A friend of mine, Jason Loftis, is doing a project at Fuller Theological Seminary on people who have left the church. They have a website called LETTERS FROM LEAVERS. You should check it out and recommend it to anyone you know who has left the church to be able to tell their story.
Barack Obama as Anti-Christ Update
A friend sent me this article in an email but there is no citation so I was skeptical to post it, but I'm not a journalist so who cares.
This could actually seriously damage Obama's chances of being the anti-Christ. I think a radical Muslim background could hurt his chances of becoming President. However, in true Anti-Christ fashion, Obama could overcome this setback and that would virtually crown him as the big bad guy of the end times.
If Gavin Newsome gets beyond his current struggles with a shiny image, he might be a longshot for anti-Christ.
My main man, Bono, is still in the hunt.
Side-note #1 - I have to give my friend, Matt Doan, some credit here. He truly began this whole Anti-Christ guessing game and it has been a source of some good humor. But I think he still has his money on Vladimir Putin. Come on, that's yesterday's news.
Side-note #2 - How weird would it be to have a President with the middle name - HUSSEIN.
Probable U. S. presidential candidate, Barack Hussein Obama
was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, to Barack Hussein Obama, Sr., a
black Muslim from Nyangoma-Kogel, Kenya and Ann Dunham,
a white atheist from Wichita, Kansas. Obama's parents met at the
University of Hawaii.
When Obama was two years old, his parents divorced. His father
returned to Kenya. His mother then married Lolo Soetoro, a radical
Muslim from Indonesia. When Obama was 6 years old, the family
relocated to Indonesia. Obama attended a Muslim school in Jakarta.
He also spent two years in a Catholic school.
Obama takes great care to conceal the fact that he is a Muslim. He
is quick to point out that, "He was once a Muslim, but that he also
attended Catholic school."
Obama's political handlers are attempting to make it appear that
Obama's introduction to Islam came via his father, and that this
influence was temporary at best. In reality, the senior Obama returned
to Kenya soon after the divorce, and never again had any direct
influence over his son's education. Lolo Soetoro, the second husband
of Obama's mother, Ann Dunham, introduced his stepson to Islam.
Obama was enrolled in a Wahabi school in Jakarta. Wahabism is the
radical teaching that is followed by the Muslim terrorists who are now
waging Jihad against the western world.
Since it is politically expedient to be a Christian when seeking major
public office in the United States, Barack Hussein Obama has joined
the United Church of Christ in an attempt to downplay his Muslim back-
ground.
This could actually seriously damage Obama's chances of being the anti-Christ. I think a radical Muslim background could hurt his chances of becoming President. However, in true Anti-Christ fashion, Obama could overcome this setback and that would virtually crown him as the big bad guy of the end times.
If Gavin Newsome gets beyond his current struggles with a shiny image, he might be a longshot for anti-Christ.
My main man, Bono, is still in the hunt.
Side-note #1 - I have to give my friend, Matt Doan, some credit here. He truly began this whole Anti-Christ guessing game and it has been a source of some good humor. But I think he still has his money on Vladimir Putin. Come on, that's yesterday's news.
Side-note #2 - How weird would it be to have a President with the middle name - HUSSEIN.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Weigh-In
The verdict: 171.8 pounds.
That is up 0.2 pounds from last week.
Not bad. I was pretty bad this week so I'm satisfied with this result, but I need to get back on track to lose a bit more before the Hawaii trip. I have decided to not be on a diet at all while in Hawaii.
That is up 0.2 pounds from last week.
Not bad. I was pretty bad this week so I'm satisfied with this result, but I need to get back on track to lose a bit more before the Hawaii trip. I have decided to not be on a diet at all while in Hawaii.
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Pictures of Every Day Life
People have been making fun of me because I have been taking my camera everywhere and taking pictures of things are normal and not special or anything. I just want some pictures of regular life instead of just Christmas morning and vacations. So here is my first installment in what I hope to be a regular feature on wakebird.com.
This is me putting Grace in her carseat in the morning and she decided to make a funny face at me.
Then she smiled.
This is the outside of my office.
This is the inside of my office. Pretty clean desk,huh?
This is my lunch on my lap in my car on the way to school.
This is me going over my sermon in my car in the Biola parking lot.
That's all for now. More to come soon.
This is me putting Grace in her carseat in the morning and she decided to make a funny face at me.
Then she smiled.
This is the outside of my office.
This is the inside of my office. Pretty clean desk,huh?
This is my lunch on my lap in my car on the way to school.
This is me going over my sermon in my car in the Biola parking lot.
That's all for now. More to come soon.
Saturday, February 17, 2007
IT'S A GIRL!!!
Prepare for more princesses and Polly Pockets. We are having another girl.
Grace is extremely excited about having a baby sister. Bea is loving having another girl because I think that boys are gross to her. Eric has loved having a daughter with Gracie and looks forward to another, plus we have a garage full of girl stuff that we don't have to buy. Eric is also a bit apprehensive of having a family of all girls - forever.
Grace is extremely excited about having a baby sister. Bea is loving having another girl because I think that boys are gross to her. Eric has loved having a daughter with Gracie and looks forward to another, plus we have a garage full of girl stuff that we don't have to buy. Eric is also a bit apprehensive of having a family of all girls - forever.
What is it???
Here we are walking into the doctor's office. I bet you want to know as badly as we wanted to know.
Here is the actual ultrasound taking place. Look closely and maybe you can tell if it's a boy or a girl!! No, you won't be able to.
We tell our family at lunch from about 11am-1pm today. I will post the results after that.
Here is the actual ultrasound taking place. Look closely and maybe you can tell if it's a boy or a girl!! No, you won't be able to.
We tell our family at lunch from about 11am-1pm today. I will post the results after that.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Boy or Girl? You guess.
We find out tomorrow (Friday) if our baby will be a boy or a girl. We are telling some family on Saturday at lunch so we can't reveal until after that.
Bea wants a girl, but she thinks it is going to be a boy.
I'm good either way. Honestly. I have loved having a daughter and we have a garage full of girl stuff so I would be happy with a girl. Then I think every guy thinks about throwing the ball around with his son. So a boy would be cool too. If I had to guess though, I would say it's a boy.
Kim guessed boy in an earlier post.
We need lots of guesses so please comment!!!
Bea wants a girl, but she thinks it is going to be a boy.
I'm good either way. Honestly. I have loved having a daughter and we have a garage full of girl stuff so I would be happy with a girl. Then I think every guy thinks about throwing the ball around with his son. So a boy would be cool too. If I had to guess though, I would say it's a boy.
Kim guessed boy in an earlier post.
We need lots of guesses so please comment!!!
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Valentine's Day
I'm at church for youth group tonight. Bea is at her class at Biola.
How romantic?
Do you believe in Valentine's Day? I actually like it. I know it's a Hallmark holiday, but even so it's cool to show my wife a little extra love. I had 18 red roses delivered to her classroom and took some lunch over to her at school today with Grace.
How romantic?
Do you believe in Valentine's Day? I actually like it. I know it's a Hallmark holiday, but even so it's cool to show my wife a little extra love. I had 18 red roses delivered to her classroom and took some lunch over to her at school today with Grace.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Weigh-In
I forgot to weigh myself yesterday morning so I am posting it today.
So I lost 3 pounds and I wasn't even good this week. It's so weird. Maybe the good week doesn't take effect for a while. Also, maybe Marie Doan's delicious food is also magical and makes you lose weight instead of gain weight. I love it!!
It says that I have to slow the pace of my weight loss. Hilarious! Awesome! Join me on the weight loss journey to health with Weight Watchers Online.
Weight Tracking Summary
Your current weight : 171.6 lb
Weight change since your last recorded weight | -3 lb
Total weight change to date | -16.4 lb
WELL DONE! You've recorded a loss this week. That's great news!
However, we notice that you've lost more than an average of 2 pounds per week over three or more weeks. This rate is too rapid — it may be unsafe or unhealthy.
While we're proud of your achievements and pleased you're making changes in your life, we need you to concentrate on one more thing: You should slow the pace of your weight loss to no more than 2 pounds per week.
So I lost 3 pounds and I wasn't even good this week. It's so weird. Maybe the good week doesn't take effect for a while. Also, maybe Marie Doan's delicious food is also magical and makes you lose weight instead of gain weight. I love it!!
It says that I have to slow the pace of my weight loss. Hilarious! Awesome! Join me on the weight loss journey to health with Weight Watchers Online.
Monday, February 12, 2007
Steps to Peace and Quiet
My dad sends me a cheesy forward email every day and I thought this one was actually funny.
If you are sitting next to somone who irritates you on a plane or train
follow these instructions:
1. Quietly and calmly open up your laptop case.
2. Remove your laptop.
3. Start up
4. Make sure the guy who is annoying you, can see the screen.
5. Close your eyes and tilt your head up to the sky.
6. Then hit this link: CLICK HERE
This could also be called "How to get arrested"
If you are sitting next to somone who irritates you on a plane or train
follow these instructions:
1. Quietly and calmly open up your laptop case.
2. Remove your laptop.
3. Start up
4. Make sure the guy who is annoying you, can see the screen.
5. Close your eyes and tilt your head up to the sky.
6. Then hit this link: CLICK HERE
This could also be called "How to get arrested"
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Fun Dinner and Africa
So today we had our first Africa Team Meeting and it went really well. It was a bit of an information dump, but there was a lot to communicate. I told them about the Travel Warnings and they weren't freaked out or anything.
Then we had dinner at Matt and Marie Doan's house and Tim and Natalie Nellis came too. Matt is the High School Pastor at Calvary and Tim used to be an Associate in High School Ministry and is now the youth pastor at Rancho Bernardo Baptist Church. Marie is the serious Barefoot Contessa. Awesome food. The weigh-in will probably be problematic tomorrow. The creamed corn and the flourless chocolate cake with a raspberry sauce and chocolate chip ice cream were my favorites. The Spinach-Artichoke dip was delicious too. Everything looked beautiful. Such great hosts!!
Tim and Natalie took high school students to Kenya with the same organization we are going with last summer. They also just got back from a two week trip to Kenya about a week ago. They were contemplating becoming full-time missionaries there, but have decided that this is not the right time for that in their lives. They were able to tell us all about the places we would go and even had a cool video and some pictures. It made me start to get really excited about the trip, but it's also making Bea get kinda nervous. I feel bad about it, but I'm committed to taking all these people and I really feel like God wants me to do this, so what can I do? If you are in SoCal in the middle of August and you know my wife, then help keep an eye on her and our two kids!!
Then we had dinner at Matt and Marie Doan's house and Tim and Natalie Nellis came too. Matt is the High School Pastor at Calvary and Tim used to be an Associate in High School Ministry and is now the youth pastor at Rancho Bernardo Baptist Church. Marie is the serious Barefoot Contessa. Awesome food. The weigh-in will probably be problematic tomorrow. The creamed corn and the flourless chocolate cake with a raspberry sauce and chocolate chip ice cream were my favorites. The Spinach-Artichoke dip was delicious too. Everything looked beautiful. Such great hosts!!
Tim and Natalie took high school students to Kenya with the same organization we are going with last summer. They also just got back from a two week trip to Kenya about a week ago. They were contemplating becoming full-time missionaries there, but have decided that this is not the right time for that in their lives. They were able to tell us all about the places we would go and even had a cool video and some pictures. It made me start to get really excited about the trip, but it's also making Bea get kinda nervous. I feel bad about it, but I'm committed to taking all these people and I really feel like God wants me to do this, so what can I do? If you are in SoCal in the middle of August and you know my wife, then help keep an eye on her and our two kids!!
Saturday, February 10, 2007
Bea's Belly at 20 Weeks
Here is my hot wife with our unborn child inside of her tummy. We will find out if it's a boy or a girl on Friday, February 16th. Any guesses? I will reveal next Saturday night.
Briefs
1. My wife is going to Winter Formal tonight. That sounds weird. She is chaperoning for the High School she teaches at. I'm staying home with Grace.
2. I played Guitar Hero for the first time last night. That stuff is fun.
3. The Pro Bowl is the lamest game ever.
4. Some African missionaries from our church say that they think it's fine to go to Kenya even with the Travel Advisory. Others who have been to Kenya recently agreed. The people from Christ's Hope think it's fine too. We shall see.
5. I have been reading a lot lately. I need to update my reading list because my Ph.D. program is completely altering my current reading. A few of the current books: Friendship and the Moral Life - Wadell. Integrative Theology - Lewis and Demarest. Wasting Time with God - Issler.
6. A Barack update will be coming soon with some revelations about radical Muslim connections.
7. I preach in Elevation on Feb 18, Feb 25, April 22, April 29, and May 6.
8. Our church just hired Gary McIntosh as a consultant and he will be observing on April 22. As you saw above, I am speaking that day. Yikes!
9. I am directing at Elevation tomorrow. It's kind of fun. I work in the Tech Booth once a month or so as a director to make sure that the people running lights, sound, video, PowerPoint, recording, and that they are all doing their jobs at the right time and in the right way. I like it. It probably has something to do with my issues with control, but I also know what's going on in the service potentially better than anybody else (a few of us could be described this way) so it makes sense to have me back there.
10. Grace has been sick a lot lately and I feel so bad for our sweet little girl.
11. We are going to Maui on March 3 for a week and I can't wait.
12. Then we are going to Vancouver Island on April 9 for a week and that is going to be awesome too.
13. I love Light Ruffles - Cheddar and Sour Cream flavor. They are awesome and not horrible for you. Fat Free. 15 chips for one point for any WeightWatchers people.
14. We find out the gender of our baby next Friday. WOOHOO!!
2. I played Guitar Hero for the first time last night. That stuff is fun.
3. The Pro Bowl is the lamest game ever.
4. Some African missionaries from our church say that they think it's fine to go to Kenya even with the Travel Advisory. Others who have been to Kenya recently agreed. The people from Christ's Hope think it's fine too. We shall see.
5. I have been reading a lot lately. I need to update my reading list because my Ph.D. program is completely altering my current reading. A few of the current books: Friendship and the Moral Life - Wadell. Integrative Theology - Lewis and Demarest. Wasting Time with God - Issler.
6. A Barack update will be coming soon with some revelations about radical Muslim connections.
7. I preach in Elevation on Feb 18, Feb 25, April 22, April 29, and May 6.
8. Our church just hired Gary McIntosh as a consultant and he will be observing on April 22. As you saw above, I am speaking that day. Yikes!
9. I am directing at Elevation tomorrow. It's kind of fun. I work in the Tech Booth once a month or so as a director to make sure that the people running lights, sound, video, PowerPoint, recording, and that they are all doing their jobs at the right time and in the right way. I like it. It probably has something to do with my issues with control, but I also know what's going on in the service potentially better than anybody else (a few of us could be described this way) so it makes sense to have me back there.
10. Grace has been sick a lot lately and I feel so bad for our sweet little girl.
11. We are going to Maui on March 3 for a week and I can't wait.
12. Then we are going to Vancouver Island on April 9 for a week and that is going to be awesome too.
13. I love Light Ruffles - Cheddar and Sour Cream flavor. They are awesome and not horrible for you. Fat Free. 15 chips for one point for any WeightWatchers people.
14. We find out the gender of our baby next Friday. WOOHOO!!
Friday, February 09, 2007
Kenya Frustration
I am supposed to be taking about 30 high school students and staff to Kenya this summer to work with people suffering with AIDS or affected by others suffering with AIDS. Our team and their parents are having our first formal meeting this Sunday, but then the US Government just issued this Travel Advisory. It's pretty serious.
Our Missions Ministry at church doesn't want us to go there and I don't think it's a great idea either, but I'm not sure if I should have more faith or patience. The organization we are going with, Christ's Hope, has ministry sites in other countries such as Namibia and Zimbabwe so we will probably be able to transfer the trip to another site. But this is all a big bummer.
February 06, 2007
This Travel Warning is being issued to remind American citizens to consider carefully the risks of travel to Kenya at this time due to ongoing safety and security concerns. This supersedes the Travel Warning of August 10, 2006.
The Department continues to recommend that private American citizens in Kenya evaluate their personal security situation in light of continuing terrorist threats and increasing incidents of violent crime. Terrorist acts may include suicide operations, bombings, attacks on civil aviation, and attacks on maritime vessels in or near Kenyan ports. Violent criminal attacks, including armed carjacking and home invasions/burglary, can occur at any time and in any location, and are becoming increasingly frequent, brazen, vicious, and often fatal. In January 2007, two family members of a U.S. Embassy employee were killed by armed carjackers. Kenyan authorities have limited capacity to deter and investigate such acts.
U.S. citizens should be aware of the risk of indiscriminate and random attacks on civilian targets in public places, including tourist sites and locations where foreigners are known to congregate, as well as commercial operations associated with U.S. or other foreign interests.
American citizens in Kenya should remain vigilant, particularly in public places frequented by foreigners such as clubs, hotels, resorts, upscale shopping centers, restaurants, and places of worship. Americans should also remain vigilant in residential areas, schools, and at outdoor recreational events, and should avoid demonstrations and large crowds.
Americans who travel to or reside in Kenya despite this Travel Warning are encouraged to register through the State Department.
Our Missions Ministry at church doesn't want us to go there and I don't think it's a great idea either, but I'm not sure if I should have more faith or patience. The organization we are going with, Christ's Hope, has ministry sites in other countries such as Namibia and Zimbabwe so we will probably be able to transfer the trip to another site. But this is all a big bummer.
Thursday, February 08, 2007
Praying with Coffee
Have you ever been holding a cup of delicious, hot coffee right before a group prayer is about to start? Then the prayer begins and you are still holding it and want to take a sip and feel the warm liquid rush down your throat. But you can't because you are praying? Or can you? Such a conundrum.
Would you take the sip?
Would you take the sip?
Awesome Night!
I led worship in our Jr High Ministry last night and it was both fun and God-honoring. Here's the set-list:
1. No One Like You - Crowder
2. Take it All - United
3. My Glorious - Delirious
Then a great message by Josh Simpson beginning a sexual purity series on how only the agape love of God can fill the void in our lives that we try to fill with relationships with guys/girls.
4. You are My King (Amazing Love)
5. From the Inside Out - United
6. Marvelous Light - Charlie Hall
7. What the World Will Never Take - United
The people in the band were really good and the kids were totally into it. I love nights like that. High energy and high response from the students and having fun playing the songs at the same time. During the first set I was dressed up like Yosemite Sam with this HUGE cowboy hat and ridiculous long moustache made out of red yarn. It was a Cartoon theme night. I had to take it off for the second set because I couldn't even take myself seriously.
1. No One Like You - Crowder
2. Take it All - United
3. My Glorious - Delirious
Then a great message by Josh Simpson beginning a sexual purity series on how only the agape love of God can fill the void in our lives that we try to fill with relationships with guys/girls.
4. You are My King (Amazing Love)
5. From the Inside Out - United
6. Marvelous Light - Charlie Hall
7. What the World Will Never Take - United
The people in the band were really good and the kids were totally into it. I love nights like that. High energy and high response from the students and having fun playing the songs at the same time. During the first set I was dressed up like Yosemite Sam with this HUGE cowboy hat and ridiculous long moustache made out of red yarn. It was a Cartoon theme night. I had to take it off for the second set because I couldn't even take myself seriously.
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Kobe quote
I love that Kobe found out that the NBA wants him to judge the Slam Dunk contest through a reporter. He said something like "It's funny, they didn't say anything about that when they suspended me."
Hilarious!
Hilarious!
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
CRAVE
Our College and Young Adults ministries do a small discussion group on Sunday mornings where they use this curriculum called The Wired Word. It is just a thing where this company emails a discussion based on something that happened in the news that week. It seems pretty cool for a group like this. Cheesy Website though - be warned.
This week was all about a group called CRAVE - Christians Reviving America's Values (I guess the "E" comes from the fifth letter of value). Crave's president, Don Swarthout, said, "We have apparently been fighting the war on terror with one hand tied behind our backs." They recommend increasing our military from 1.4 million to 2.1 million and allow it to fight without restrictions.
Swarthout said,
I don't know about you, but this scares me. A lot.
The curriculum asked some good questions.
1. Christian views on war have tended to fall into three broad categories: pacifism (refusal to fight), a just war (qualified participation) and crusade (no holds barred participation, sometimes with the conviction that God is on our side). Which one these seems most biblical to you? Why?
2. When a Christian group calls for fewer restrictions on U.S. troops so that more killing can occur, how does that square with the Christian understanding of the sanctity of human life? (I think this question is pretty straw-man like, but I like where they are going.)
3. Does an issue become a "Christian" concern simply by having Christians care about it?
They suggested looking at Ex. 20:13, 2 Samuel 17:14, Psalm 46:9, Luke 14:31-32, Matthew 5:44, and Proverbs 12:20. They had more questions, but I'm probably bordering on copyright infringement.
Two things:
1. Scary that a "Christian" political activist group is lobbying for more freedom to shoot to kill.
2. This spurs a good discussion. I tend to lean somewhere between pacifism and just war on the continuum. I believe that there are just wars, but I just believe there are only a miniscule amount of wars that would qualify as "just." Hitler being overthrown in WWII was just. I tend to think of both Iraq wars as unjust. There are other equal if not greater causes in the world today that we are not fighting wars over. So why this? WMDs? Human rights? Oil? Halliburton? Freedom?
Thoughts?
This week was all about a group called CRAVE - Christians Reviving America's Values (I guess the "E" comes from the fifth letter of value). Crave's president, Don Swarthout, said, "We have apparently been fighting the war on terror with one hand tied behind our backs." They recommend increasing our military from 1.4 million to 2.1 million and allow it to fight without restrictions.
Swarthout said,
“Radical Islam has become a formidable force and it is time for us to fight to win. World War III is already here and we must come to that realization.”
I don't know about you, but this scares me. A lot.
The curriculum asked some good questions.
1. Christian views on war have tended to fall into three broad categories: pacifism (refusal to fight), a just war (qualified participation) and crusade (no holds barred participation, sometimes with the conviction that God is on our side). Which one these seems most biblical to you? Why?
2. When a Christian group calls for fewer restrictions on U.S. troops so that more killing can occur, how does that square with the Christian understanding of the sanctity of human life? (I think this question is pretty straw-man like, but I like where they are going.)
3. Does an issue become a "Christian" concern simply by having Christians care about it?
They suggested looking at Ex. 20:13, 2 Samuel 17:14, Psalm 46:9, Luke 14:31-32, Matthew 5:44, and Proverbs 12:20. They had more questions, but I'm probably bordering on copyright infringement.
Two things:
1. Scary that a "Christian" political activist group is lobbying for more freedom to shoot to kill.
2. This spurs a good discussion. I tend to lean somewhere between pacifism and just war on the continuum. I believe that there are just wars, but I just believe there are only a miniscule amount of wars that would qualify as "just." Hitler being overthrown in WWII was just. I tend to think of both Iraq wars as unjust. There are other equal if not greater causes in the world today that we are not fighting wars over. So why this? WMDs? Human rights? Oil? Halliburton? Freedom?
Thoughts?
Monday, February 05, 2007
I'm Superman!! Who are you?
Your results:
You are Superman
Click here to take the Superhero Personality Test
You are Superman
| You are mild-mannered, good, strong and you love to help others.  |
Click here to take the Superhero Personality Test
Post-Super Bowl Weigh-In
Alright, here's the verdict. After a day of Super Bowl gluttony I weigh...
174.6 pounds
That's a weight gain of 1.8 pounds in one day. Frightening. Time to get back to work.
174.6 pounds
That's a weight gain of 1.8 pounds in one day. Frightening. Time to get back to work.
Sunday, February 04, 2007
Pre-Super Bowl Weigh-In
Alright, I weighed in this morning just for the experiment.
I weigh 172.8 pounds. Same as last week. Kind of bummed because I was really good this week and I thought it would be at least a pound lower.
I decided long ago that the diet won't exist for the Super Bowl Party I'm going to today. So we shall see what I weigh tomorrow morning after a day of gluttony.
I weigh 172.8 pounds. Same as last week. Kind of bummed because I was really good this week and I thought it would be at least a pound lower.
I decided long ago that the diet won't exist for the Super Bowl Party I'm going to today. So we shall see what I weigh tomorrow morning after a day of gluttony.
Saturday, February 03, 2007
Another Perspective - Christ Follower
I liked this video too because it shows humility and that we are not just working towards a new "label" or a new "form." It's about being genuine and authentic and honest with Christ and people, not just dressing casually or not having bumper stickers. I like it.
I'm a Christ Follower (Mac vs. PC Parody) Part 01
Have you seen these classic videos from Community Christian Church. The link is for their store where you can buy High-Res versions. They tackle some of the superficiality of being a Christian. I will post the rest coming soon. Funny stuff!
Friday, February 02, 2007
Two New Classes
So I'm continuing with my PhD in Educational Studies and I'm taking two classes on Thursdays. Yesterday was the first day of the semester.
1. Friendship and Community: A Context for Learning. This class should be interesting although the professor's pace was a little slow. This is the first class he has ever taught. There are six people in the class and we will be reading things like Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Life Together and about 10 other books that I will post about later.
2. Theological Foundations and Issues in Christian Education. In this class we will look at the Gospel, Sanctification, the Church, the Holy Spirit, Teaching/Learning, and a couple other theological issues that aren't coming to me right now. We will study each concept and then consider the implications for educational ministry in the church. We will write a chapter for a book in pairs on the subject assigned to us. I will be studying the church or ecclesiology. This class is being offered for the first time and should be pretty interesting. The primary text is called Integrative Theology by Demarest. We will also read a book called 5 Views on Sanctification.
More to come each week after class.
1. Friendship and Community: A Context for Learning. This class should be interesting although the professor's pace was a little slow. This is the first class he has ever taught. There are six people in the class and we will be reading things like Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Life Together and about 10 other books that I will post about later.
2. Theological Foundations and Issues in Christian Education. In this class we will look at the Gospel, Sanctification, the Church, the Holy Spirit, Teaching/Learning, and a couple other theological issues that aren't coming to me right now. We will study each concept and then consider the implications for educational ministry in the church. We will write a chapter for a book in pairs on the subject assigned to us. I will be studying the church or ecclesiology. This class is being offered for the first time and should be pretty interesting. The primary text is called Integrative Theology by Demarest. We will also read a book called 5 Views on Sanctification.
More to come each week after class.
Thursday, February 01, 2007
An Open Letter to All "Crusades"
To:
Campus Crusade for Christ
Billy Graham Crusade
Harvest Crusade
Can you please stop using the term "crusade?" Why would you want to use a term that references the use of war and murder to spread the gospel? I strongly believe that your organizations would continue to thrive and produce much fruit with a different title. There are many possibilities like "Campus Cause for Christ" or just "Campus for Christ." The term festival or something like that could be used for Harvest and Billy Graham. The negative connotations simply aren't worth whatever positives the organizations see in the names.
For a brief, non-scholary description of the Crusades. Check this wikipedia.
The quote below is from Campus Crusade from their website explaining why they still use the term crusade. It seems like a cop-out to me. They say that in recent years the world's sensitization to the beliefs of Islam make the term crusade negative. Uhhh...how about the Christians murdering the Islams in the name of Jesus throughout the Middle Ages. I must add that I was involved with Campus Crusade in college at UCSB and I experienced some of the most important spiritual growth and challenge in my entire life. I believe in their cause, just not their name.
Franklin Graham calls his version a Franklin Graham Festival. I appreciate his change in terms. I'm sure he is still able to have the same impact - if not more. He was even willing to abandon the name that his father made so famous - The Billy Graham Crusade. Franklin could have thought that he should keep it for marketing reasons like Campus Crusade for Christ, but he was willing to change despite the conveniency. I applaud that.
So please change your name and help all Christians show that we are not seeking to murder the infidels, but share with them the redemptive story of Jesus Christ which offers love, peace, and forgiveness.
Thank you,
Eric Wakeling
Campus Crusade for Christ
Billy Graham Crusade
Harvest Crusade
Can you please stop using the term "crusade?" Why would you want to use a term that references the use of war and murder to spread the gospel? I strongly believe that your organizations would continue to thrive and produce much fruit with a different title. There are many possibilities like "Campus Cause for Christ" or just "Campus for Christ." The term festival or something like that could be used for Harvest and Billy Graham. The negative connotations simply aren't worth whatever positives the organizations see in the names.
For a brief, non-scholary description of the Crusades. Check this wikipedia.
The quote below is from Campus Crusade from their website explaining why they still use the term crusade. It seems like a cop-out to me. They say that in recent years the world's sensitization to the beliefs of Islam make the term crusade negative. Uhhh...how about the Christians murdering the Islams in the name of Jesus throughout the Middle Ages. I must add that I was involved with Campus Crusade in college at UCSB and I experienced some of the most important spiritual growth and challenge in my entire life. I believe in their cause, just not their name.
When this occured, the word "crusade" was used, especially within American Christianity, to denote a "movement or cause." The word did not carry the weight it does now in light of events in recent years, and the world's sensitization to the beliefs of Islam.
There has been debate concerning the impact of our name and the impression it may eilicit. At first it might seem a simple decision to change the name of our organization. However, because we are a worldwide organization with more than 25,000 staff present in more than 196 countries, the scope and impact of such a change would be massive and quite costly.
Franklin Graham calls his version a Franklin Graham Festival. I appreciate his change in terms. I'm sure he is still able to have the same impact - if not more. He was even willing to abandon the name that his father made so famous - The Billy Graham Crusade. Franklin could have thought that he should keep it for marketing reasons like Campus Crusade for Christ, but he was willing to change despite the conveniency. I applaud that.
So please change your name and help all Christians show that we are not seeking to murder the infidels, but share with them the redemptive story of Jesus Christ which offers love, peace, and forgiveness.
Thank you,
Eric Wakeling
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