A Son Misses His Dad

I have a son this age. It made me realize the cost of war.

My Personality

This was fun.

One.org - Fighting Extreme Poverty

One.org, which I am a compassionate advocate of, commissioned the Vote '08 campaign campaign to address global inequities in health and standard of living. The findings have been released and are interesting. Fighting extreme poverty matters to just about everyone.

Some of the data:

- There is bipartisan support for Presidential candidates who support measures to improve disease prevention, reduce hunger and improve education.

The majority of both Republicans (62%) and Democrats (77%) would be more likely to support a candidate who supports saving 15,000 lives a day by fighting the world’s most devastating diseases including HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. Similarly, the majority of both Republicans (60%) and Democrats (76%) would also be more likely to support a candidate who supports reducing by half the number of people in the world who suffer from hunger and live in extreme poverty, which would mean 300 million less hungry people each year. Additionally, 54% of Republicans and 75% of Democrats would be more likely to support a candidate who supports providing greater access to primary education for 77 million children who are not in school with a special emphasis on girls.

The majority of Republicans (52%) and Democrats (80%) also supports new approaches to how the United States provides foreign assistance, such as increasing micro-credit to help people start small businesses, and doing more to eliminate corruption to make sure the economies of developing nations thrive and that help goes to the people most in need. In short, members affiliated with both parties (73% Democrats / 62% Republicans) would be more likely to support a candidate who supports increased investments in foreign assistance programs and working with other countries to strengthen national security.

(Source here)

It's nice to see that a tide is turning. We really can be the first generation to end extreme poverty.

The Soundtrack of My Life

I am part of a men's group that is focusing on missional discipleship. Part of the process is listening to our own story. To engage this we each went back and created a CD of songs that helped tell the story of our lives. We could only choose 13 songs and each had to tell a story. The process was fascinating to say the least.

I first started with about 40 songs that really meant something to me, songs that I would listen to if I were stranded on an island. And then I began the strange process of really asking which songs were part of my journey. Which songs really meant something?

Here's the final list.

- Born On The Bayou (Creedance Clearwater Revival) This is the first song I can remember in my life. My parents used to take us on an long drive to Los Angeles to see my grandparents in the back of a VW station wagon. My parents had an 8 track of their music and we wore it out.

- Back In Black (AC/DC) This is the first real rock album I remember listening to. I can remember listening to it for the first time in my cousin Hugh's bedroom on an old album player. This was the best song on the album and has stuck with me over time.

- Don't Stop Believing (Journey) My sister and I used to travel 40 minutes to high school in her old Monza. She had a killer stereo and we used to sing this song at the top of our lungs. One of the most inspirational songs ever.

- Alive and Kicking (Simple Minds) This song got me through high school. I reminded me not to give up and that I was still here.

- Shout (Tears For Fears) Another anthem song that we used to shout at the top of our lungs on the way to ski trips to Tahoe. I can remember the road trips with Glenn and Tim and the constant need to rewind the song on the tape player.

- Been Caught Stealing (Jane's Addiction) This song represents the period in my life when I threw caution to the wind. Mostly in Los Angeles. The dark period. Lots of mind bending substances. But a killer sound.

- Let Love Rule (Lenny Kravitz) The beginning of my redemption period and journey back to wholeness. I've listened to this song at least a thousand times. It's the simplest way way to speak the Gospel.

- Brother (Alice In Chains) This was the song that marked my dark night of the soul. I was listening to this song when I overdosed on LSD. Not a fun night, but it became an important part of my journey.

- August 30th (Delirious) There are many songs that were an important part of my journey of redemption, but this one stands above the rest. It is my redemption song. It speaks to my soul in a way that few songs can reminding me that my Father will always love me.

- Alive (P.O.D.) When I first heard this song I realized that I had captured the very essence of what it meant to believe. This song is drenched in life and the recognition of what it means to be alive.

- One Love (Mary J. Blidge/U2) I heard this song (about 40 times) in Italy the week it came out. It was on heavy rotation on MTV Italy. The best cover of a U2 song ever. Pure Gospel. It spoke to me in way that
I cannot describe. Love is the only way.

- Holy Spirit (Nate Sallie) This song is one of the best worship songs EVER, from my perspective. It is gospel, epic, glorious and real, all at the same time.

Reading this list reminds me that I'm on a journey, and a great one.

So what's on your list?

My new Blog - Missio Dei

When I started this blog I began with an interest in exploring what it means to love. This blog has in essence become my journal of that exploration process. To be honest, it is mostly for me and my musings. I have for the most part avoided the conversation of the church for good reason. I wanted to explore love here, not jsut theology or missiology. But in reading other people's blogs I realized that those conversations are important to me. So I have begun a new blog that will focus on Missio Dei. The purpose is to explore what it means to engage God's Mission of Restoration. Within this context I can explore love but also a much larger context of His mission.

Check it out here.

The Need to Impress

I was sitting here doing some work and was listening to Sanctus Real, I'm Not Alright. Great song.

If weakness is a wound that no one wants to speak of,
Then cool is just how far we have to fall
I am not immune-I only wanna be loved
But I feel safe behind the firewall
Can I lose my need to impress?
If you want the truth, I need to confess

I'm not alright
I'm broken inside, broken inside
And all i go thru
It leads me to you, it leads me to you

The line, "Can I lose my need to impress" struck me. We're always looking for the validation of the self in those who can't handle that responsibility and typically not in our Heavenly Father who can.

What's Your Dead Body Worth?

This is just funny.

$4875.00The Cadaver Calculator - Find out how much your body is worth. From Mingle2 - Free Online Dating

A Great Man

Thanks to Makeesha for pointing this out to me. This is the story of Norman Borlaug, a man you never knew of but absolutely should.

Click here for story.

When Jesus said love your neighbor, this guy took it seriously and now he has a lot of neighbors.

The Dare

I was at a site recently that asked me to give my favorite quote. Well I have a new favorite quote. It's from Brennan Manning, who is quoting God.

"I dare you trust that I love you just as you are and not as you should be."

What I Really Want

Brennan Manning simple, little speech has really gotten me to think. It's making me ask what I really want in life. And what I really, really, really want is to get past the question, "Does God love me?" I want to live in the reality that his love is ever present no matter the circumstance. I want to know that space of trust that says, "Yep, my daddy loves me. Not even a question." I want to know what it means to move beyond this simple question and into the space of being love fully.

My wound in life was the loss of my father. And yet as I write this I realize that for the first time I am writing "was". Maybe God is reaching into my heart with a subtle whisper, "The time has come to let it go." The time has come for me to move beyond that identity and into the one he has been waiting to give me for so long.

The One Question

I've read a few of Brennan Manning's books. The best was Ruthless Trust. I came across this presentation he gave at Woodcrest. He asks a provocative question in the short video. What is the one question God will ask us when we meet him.

True Majority

This is a provocative demonstration of our nuclear arsenal stockpile.

Click here to view.

A Child Can Love

I haven't written in a while and I miss it. But I want to recount something that made me think about the journey of love and that even a child can love.

Recently I joined a friend in serving at a soup kitchen. My family has been talking about this for a long time and the opportunity finally came up. The kitchen is called "The Upper Room". It serves low income families in the Placerville area. Anyone can come and they provide a fairly good hot meal and a second take home meal for anyone that wants one. I talked to my wife about it and we made the decision to take my children and allow them the opportunity to love with us. My children are 5, 8, and 10 so it was somewhat of a risk but we both felt that they could handle it. We'd at least give it one shot and see what happened.

On the way to the kitchen my son fell asleep in the car. Normally this isn't a big deal but he doesn't wake up very easily and usually needs 10-15 minutes to really wake up. Wake him up early and he's not happy. We got there and there were more people to help than there were people waiting to eat. To be honest I didn't want to cause any stir so I politely offered to go home and fill in next time. But it was obvious God wanted us there. My friend Brandon insisted we stay and he was actually a little frustrated because we were told this was the day to help. Somebody forgot to tell someone something.

We ended up staying and basically it was a little crazy Volunteers were looking for opportunities and it still felt a little crowded. As things began to hum, my wife and I stood back and held my son who was not still not happy and watched our two daughters light up. Something inside of them rose to the occasion and they were awesome. They loved it.

What was interesting is that it normally would have been very easy for them to find their child moments and complain about this or that. From the moment we walked into the door until bedtime, they were different people. They had connected to love by giving love.

My wife and I were simply astounded at the change in their demeanor, which most of the time is good but this was exceptional. And later I spoke with a good friend who said the exact same thing happened with his children (7,10).

This last week I was out of town but my wife went anyway, without me. The exact same thing happened. It was not a fluke. Yes, even a child can love.

The Tipping Point of My Generation

Every once in a while I forget that if I eat anything remotely containing caffeine I can't fall asleep. So I inevitably end up downstairs in my underwear watching late night television. VH1 was the choice tonight, mostly because nothing else seemed interesting. I ended up watching the video "If Everyone Cared" by Nickleback. It's a really interesting video that reminded me that something has awakened in our generation.

We've seen artists highlight ideas about poverty, Aids, etc, but for some reason the song made me ask a different question. Have we reached a Tipping Point in our culture where something different has emerged. I keep seeing musicians, who are always the poets of any generation, bring up new ideas of mercy and grace. I saw it in My Chemical Romance, Linkin Park, and now Nickleback.

What if we have reached a tipping point? What if something has changed that will leave us with a different path to follow? What if our generation has discovered something that will produce a different world? It is possible.

Love in Atlanta - William and Ben

I was in Atlanta recently for a conference on culture. I got there a day early and was able to spend time in the downtown area, seeing MLK's memorial (wow). I must say that I was pleasantly surprised by the people of Atlanta. They were some of the nicest people I've met.

But I want to share my experience with two people in particular that I met while I was there. Both meetings happened late at night near the Tabernacle. After the first night of the conference I left a little early to go back to my room and sleep. I had to take the train and asked for direction from a guy named Ben. He was more than happy to help me and then proceeded to walk me to the train station. As we talked, it was obvious that he was homeless and was "escorting" me. I was in his neighborhood and he was protecting me. He was my friend. As we walked, something in side of me said to trust Ben with the direction he was taking me. We walked through several areas that put me at risk and to be honest I had my moments of fear inside. But along the way I began to see that Ben really was protecting me. This was his world and he was respected. We had one of the best conversations I had while in Atlanta.

As we arrived at the train station Ben guided me past the entrance and to a side street. I chose to follow him and just keep walking. We turned left and down a street towards a group of homeless people who were gathered on the sidewalk. I knew that if something was going to happen this was it. But something inside said, "trust him." I'm not gonna lie. My sense of fear was palpable. But I continued to walk with him. We passed through the group and again, they were all of his friends, and he was my guide. I began to realize that he was actually my protection.

We turned the final corner to a second entrance to the station. I realized that Ben had become Jesus for me. He smiled and asked for some help. I grabbed whatever bill was in my pocket and handed it to him. I looked at him and smiled knowing that I was standing with Jesus at that moment.

The next night I took a different station back to my room and ran into William. He also was homeless and was sitting in a wheelchair. He had no legs. I stopped to talk with him simply because something in me said to. I grabbed what paper was in my wallet and stuffed it into the bucket he had. Something in me said to simply talk with him. I then spent 20 minutes just listening to him. He did most of the talking and was surprisingly animated. And then it hit me.

I need these conversations. I need people like William and Ben in my life who remind me of love, who show me Jesus. I need people who take me out of my comfort zone and stretch me into a different life, one that is not stuck in complacency. I need moments to be reminded that my greatest ability to love is simply to listen and recognize the value of individuals that are put in my life. I got to see Jesus in Atlanta and he was awesome.

Thank you William and Ben.

Q Conference Afterthoughts - 2

Thursday

I recognize that on Thursday I was somewhat hung over from thinking so much. I was still on California time so getting up at what was 5 AM for me made it harder to be in the moment. But I gave it my best shot. The following are what stood out to me.

David Kinnaman, who is President of the Barna Group shared with the audience the initial findings about how the world sees Christianity. It was honestly sad to hear how we show up to people. They don't see us as people who are defined by love, but as people who are defined by judgment. That made me sad.

Andy Stanley shared about the value of impacting culture. I've never seen Andy before, but I loved his simplicity and style.

Shayne Wheeler, from All Souls Fellowship, and Chris Seay presented a great conversation on homosexuality. And this is when I got sad. Why is it so hard for people to love people who are homosexuals? Yesterday I was reading the verse in John 8 about the adulterous woman, and if Jesus showed up today, I think he'd probably choose someone who is homosexual. What are we afraid of? This conversation dominated the afternoon breakouts, and there was serious arguments that happened in the Q&A session afterwords. I don't get it. Are we going to change people's hearts with condemnation or love?

Sadly, at this point I was almost done thinking. The next three presenters spoke on the environment and I was not all there. I was worn down but liked what they said. I firmly believe in the stewardship of the environment, but nothing new hit me.

Jon Passavant from Model Home Project was really cool. He connected his friends in the modeling world to the simple act of love and this caught my attention. I met Jon afterwards and he was very genuine. I appreciated his honesty and love for God.

I ended up taking the trip to CNN, which was interesting but nothing special. I had assumed we would be meeting with people from CNN, but it was just a tour. Had I known this I would probably have taken the tour through the High Museum.

Rob Bell spoke that evening on the Eucharist. I've heard this idea from Rob at the Isn't She Beautiful conference and it was nice to hear him reiterate it. He was in such a sassy mood and I love that about him.

I went to bed and exhausted.

Friday

Today was held in the Fox Theater. I love Gabe's choices for sites. Both were very artistic and gave the gatherings an art feel to them. Nicely done.

Sadly, I just didn't get James Emory White or Clint Kemp. Nothing hit me and I found myself wandering. This may have been from my lack of sleep or being worn out. I also felt that the 3 minutes segment, where people shared their ideas was anticlimactic. Nothing hit me.

And then Rick McKinley spoke. I have to say that I love Rick for a lot of reasons. One is that he had helped me to understand what repentance can truly be through various methods and sermons. I love his simplicity and humility. He's a rock star that doesn't care that he's a rock star. He's rather be hanging with the homeless than sharing the spotlight. His message was simply to give away power, that within congregations are people who want to love and need to be released. He asked some really great "what if..." questions.

I said earlier that I think it was divine providence that he got bumped to Friday and I'll share why. I met a friend, Dr. David, at the conference and we were lamenting that it was sad that we all got together in this one place and weren't taking away or participating in some shared initiative together. There was a tremendous amount of influence in that room. Perhaps the ability to influence 100,000 or more and yet we were leaving disconnected. We had idea but there was no initiative. Rick perhaps provided that initiative. He shared how he was working on the Advent Conspiracy. It's a project to take the vast amount of money we waste on Christmas and solve the world's clean water problem. I instantly knew that I was on board.

I left Q knowing I'm coming back next year. Gabe said it would likely be in New York, which would give me a great reason to come back to NY. Love that city.

Initial Q Afterthoughts

I’m sitting at the Atlanta Airport thinking about Fermiproject’s Q conference. This is the first real opportunity I have taken to download my thoughts and take a look at what I’m really leaving here with.

Wednesday

Q was held in an old Tabernacle next to CNN. The location was awesome and really was inspiring for progressive thought. Whenever I looked around I felt like I was in a rock concert slash think tank. Each session was only 18 minutes, which created a rapid fire thought process. If a great idea came around, we didn’t have much time to think about it or we would miss the next presenter’s ideas.

What stood out to me?

For me, this was the best day in terms of new ideas and thoughts, which is like saying chocolate ice cream is better than chocolate chip ice cream. They’re both good. But my clear favorite was Catherine Rohr, with Prison Entrepreneurship Program (PEP). This is clear one of the most brilliant ideas I’ve heard in a long time. Catherine’s group restores prisoners by selecting the natural leaders in prisons, restores their dignity, loves them, and then prepares them for business when they get out. They’ve never had someone return to prison and the dropout rate was I believe 3%. To me Catherine was Jesus because she took a risk to love the unlovable. I dig that.

Andy Crouch broke down trends in culture and how we process culture. He helped language that process. It kind of felt like someone who helps you realize what you’ve always known but never had the words to describe it. He broke them down into postures over the last forty years (or so). First we condemned culture. Then we critiqued culture. Then we copied culture, and then we consumed culture. Each posture was simply an attempt to deal with how culture shows up. He then did something I really liked. He gave us a holistic approach to posture as people who love: create and cultivate culture, which is a reflection of our Father. Nice.

Rick McKinley, from Imago Dei, was supposed to be speaking today, but for some reason, which ended up being divine, he got pushed to Friday. More on that in a little bit.

Kevin Kelley spoke on the future. He was the former editor of Wired Magazine. I’ve never heard of Kevin but he helped encapsulate culture in a unique way. But one thing he said that struck me was the population growth will not continue. In fact, we will see it decline dramatically over the next generations. This caught everyone by surprise.

Donald Miller was as humorous and funny as he always is. But I’ve heard most of his presentation of narrative through articles and podcasts so it wasn’t new. It still was a joy to see him. He did have the most humorous moment of the conference that I think helped lighten the spirit of a leader’s conference, which can often get intense. The Q group chose to use a clock, which counted down to zero. At zero it pulsated, almost like it was coming out at you. So imagine for a second, two large zeroes pulsating, and Donald said, “My time is up. The boob’s are flashing.” Everyone laughed. Thank you so much for the humor Don. I love you for that.

Blake Mycoskie, from Tom’s shoes told his story, and if you don’t know about this guy, you should. It’s very simple. If you buy a pair of his shoes, he’ll give one to someone else for free. It’s that simple.

I’ve never heard or seen Chris Seay, but what he said caught everyone in the stomach. His conversation was passionate and somewhat angry, (which may have just been lunch) which made me wonder what other conversation’s he had about this. His point was that as a culture we are consumers, which was validated by data. No one could move or ignore what he was saying. At the end of the session we had a breakout to discuss how we could spend less. And the two guys next to me were stunned. It was clear this was a tough topic to look at. Chris’s point was that if we took a small portion of the money we spend frivolously at Christmas we could solve (yes solve) the world’s clean water problem. Think about that. What if we as a church got together to solve the world water problem? And this is why God pushed Rick McKinley to the end. You’ll see why later.

I got to meet David Batstone, from NotForSale campaign, which I’ve blogged about. He was extremely gracious and passionate about what he was doing. Human trafficking was a thick topic at this conference and I loved learning more about it.

If you’re getting the gist that the people just keep coming, realize that we’ve barely gotten past lunch at this point. It was almost too much to be honest. But I loved it anyway. It forced me to think and rethink, and rethink again.

Jeff Johnson gave a fiery dialog on the hip-hop culture. It was really cool to hear the true origins of hip-hop and how it all started. He did say that hip-hop was representative of the disenfranchised, But I thought Jeff missed an opportunity to connect everyone to a deeper point and that hip-hop is representative of the oppressed, the disenfranchised, people that we all are. Unless I misinterpreted him, which is always possible.

The highlight of the evening, which felt like the crown jewel of the day, was getting a private acoustic concert from Jon Foreman from Switchfoot. We got to hear a song he had never played before and was so beautiful. It felt like a great honor to hear him play.

I honestly went to bed numb. I’ll process Thursday when I get home.

Q Thoughts

We had coffee and dessert with a bunch of people after the evening session of the Q conference. There were six of us and we talked about what hit each of us. At a typical conference each person will have one thing that really stood out to them. A lot of the times, it is the same thing. What is interesting about this conference is that everyone had something different. It was like a firehose of thought and questions; ideas streaming at you all day long. That is why I came. To engage.

When I get home I will process more of each person.

Q Conference

I am at Fermiproject's Q conference right now. It has been an absolutely engaging experience listening to everyone present. The list of people is a whose who of speakers. (Andy Stanley, Rick McKinley, Rick Warren, Rob Bell, Chris Seay, Mike Foster, and more) It's been awesome. I'm in the CNN building right now waiting to tour the media giant.

The most interesting thing coming out of the conference is this idea of asking better questions, which the speakers are engaging us to do. I love it. I told my wife over the phone that this is the conversation that I need. I need people engaging my mind with new ideas and new thoughts. I'm an artist at heart, like my Father and I need new ideas.

More to come tonight after the tour.

Throught for the Day

Found this today:

“Christianity started out in Palestine as a fellowship; it moved to Greece and became a philosophy; it moved to Italy and became an institution; it moved to Europe and became a culture; it came to America and became an enterprise.”

Sam Pascoe

Love As A Checkout Boy

This is honestly one of the coolest stories I have ever heard. So often we think we can't make a difference. But we can. All it takes is love.

What Love Looks Like In Darfur

This is a letter I received from Oxfam President Raymond Offenheiser. Maybe this is our opportunity to experience loving someone.

------------------------------------------------------------------
Darfur has been on our minds for far too long.

Despite the world's attention, the situation continues to deteriorate. Violence is mounting, making relief work more dangerous, and the sheer scale of the crisis is almost incomprehensible – four million people now rely on outside aid.

But Oxfam's help is getting through. We are assisting 530,000 people, providing vital clean water, building latrines, and distributing water buckets, soap, ground sheets and blankets. Your immediate support will enable us to meet the growing challenges in Darfur and Chad.

Click here to make a donation and allow us to step up our response to the Darfur crisis.

I want to give you a picture of what's happening on the ground, where Oxfam's relief teams are struggling against violence to provide immediate aid.

Darfur has become more lawless and volatile than ever. In the first two months of 2007, more than 80,000 more people fled the ongoing violence. Many of these people have had to flee for the second, third or even fourth time as they desperately seek refuge and protection.

Humanitarian workers and operations are being targeted on an almost daily basis. Vehicles are being hijacked and robbed; staff assaulted and intimidated while carrying out their work; and offices broken into and looted.

Oxfam is one of the few aid agencies working in all three states in Darfur and in neighboring Chad. The violence means we need your help more than ever – you can still make a difference.

And in addition to providing immediate lifesaving supplies like water and shelter, Oxfam is there for the long haul. Our hygiene education and mosquito spraying programs are helping prevent the spread of disease in the crowded camps, and we are introducing new stove technology that is reducing the time women need to spend at the dangerous task of gathering wood. Meanwhile, we are advocating for increased pressure on all parties to the conflict to stop attacks on civilians, stop targeting humanitarian workers and operations, and make meaningful efforts to return to the political process.

Much has been given, but much more is needed. You can help. The more donations we receive, the stronger our ability to bring aid to the innocent people who desperately need it.

Please donate to the Sudan Crisis Relief and Rehabilitation Fund now.

We can't forget our promises to the people of Darfur. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Raymond C. Offenheiser
President
Oxfam America

What I've Done

I think Linkin Park is one of the most influential bands of the last ten years for a lot of reasons. They have a new album coming out May 15th. It's called "Minutes To Midnight." The first single is a song titled, "What I've Done." Nice.




Here are the lyrics

In this farewell,
There’s no blood,
There’s no alibi.
‘Cause I’ve drawn regret,
From the truth,
Of a thousand lies.

So let mercy come,
And wash away…

What I’ve Done.
I’ll face myself,
To cross out what I’ve become.
Erase myself,
And let go of what I’ve done.

Put to rest,
What you thought of me.
While I clean this slate,
With the hands,
Of uncertainty.

So let mercy come,
And wash away…

What I’ve Done.
I’ll face myself,
To cross out what I’ve become.
Erase myself,
And let go of what I’ve done.

For What I’ve Done

I'll start again,
And whatever pain may come.
Today this ends,
I’m forgiving what I’ve done.

I’ll face myself,
To cross out what I’ve become.
Erase myself,
And let go of what I’ve done.
What I’ve done.


Forgiving What I’ve Done.

Only the children got it

In our every day lives how often do we stop and smell the roses? This is the question a researcher asked recently. He took "one of the finest classical musicians in the world, playing some of the most elegant music ever written on one of the most valuable violins ever made" and put him in a Washington Metro station to see who would listen. The hypothesis was that people would stop and notice, taking in the beauty and respond by giving handsomely to the artist for his art.

No one noticed.

Only a handful of people stopped, with one exception: the children. "Every single time a child walked past, he or she tried to stop and watch. and every single time, a parent scooted the kid away."

Maybe children get it better than we do because we're so intent on getting somewhere. Maybe children realize that to do so is to miss all the beauty along the way. Or maybe they haven't bought into the confused mass appeal of the games we play that have devastating consequence.

Why did we lose so much of our focus on beauty? Why don't we stop and take in the beauty of the music that is there but often drowned out by the noise in our lives? My only hope is that I would be one of those who stopped.

Here's to 40

Scholars say 40 is a magical number. The number has so many representations in Scripture that it's significance is deeply noted. Noah first spent 40 days and 40 nights in rain that almost ended humanity. Israel spent 40 years in the wilderness looking for an alternative to the future God had already given them. Jesus fasted for 40 days before beginning his ministry. These are significant events in the story. They have meaning.

40 seems to be about cleansing, about purification and finding something deeper in the story. For Noah, it was cleansing the world from evil. For Israel, it was a purification of faith. For Jesus it was about finding reliance on His Father.

Yesterday I turned 40. I've now spent 40 years in this thing called life. I've spent 40 years in this world, twisting and turning the corners of life. I've enjoyed a lot of it. I've discovered the love of a good woman. I've known the bliss of my children. I've seen the heights and depths of friendship and community. I've known the joy of finding my calling in life and experienced it's pleasures. I've known the love of my Heavenly Father that astounds me. I've seen the Sistine Chapel, Central Park, Wrigley Park and the Botticelli's Primavera. I've read the Bible, Good to Great, No Future Without Forgiveness and Blue Like Jazz. I've tasted great wine, and enjoyed the world best Tacos. I've met great people and served some of finest human beings that still live on the streets. Life has been full of wonders and my heart has enjoyed so many of them.

I've missed out on a lot too. I was too scared during my teens to really enjoy my friends and discover what made them so great. I missed out on a stepfather that loved me more than I ever knew. I didn't get to play professional sports, even though I'm OK with that. I've never seen the seven wonders of the world. I've never been to the Alps. I still want to see the Great Barrier Reef, the Eiffel Tower, the Wailing Wall, and the Great Wall. I want to live to see my grandchildren and love them with a lasting legacy of hope and freedom to love. I want to find my Calcutta and show those who are lost that they are still part of God's creation and are deeply important to this world.

A lot of my friends have told me that 40 is when they began to settle into their shoes, enjoying the person they have become, as if the first 40 seemed to burn away the remnants of incompleteness. At 40 they discovered how much they had worried about the wrong things, and now could focus on the right things. At 40 they suddenly discovered that life really was about family and people and community. It wasn't about the stuff they could accumulate.

So here's to 40. I raise my glass to this magical number and hope that I can live up to the billing.

A Glorious Moment

I just want to draw attention to this moment in history. After spending so many years stuck in mediocrity in my fantasy baseball league (it has been almost five years since I've cracked the top five), I'm now sitting in first place. I'm enjoying this moment, the view from up here. It's good. It's fertile. The soil is so rich. People are throwing large dollar bills at me and the women are all beautiful. The sky is always blue and the champagne actually tastes good. So this is what all of you spend countless hours in front of your computer screens for, searching out the latest stats on the guy who hit .300 in AAA. I now see why you lose sleep. As God himself said, "It is very good."

Wait. What is that sound?

What? The ground is slipping out from under me. What do you mean Glavine's arm fell off? He's 10 from 300. What do you mean Gary Matthew's Jr got indicted? That was not supposed to happen. What do you mean Uggla was a one year wonder?

Oh well. It's fun while it lasts.

100 Equals Love

Every once in a while I run across an idea or a group of people who are doing something really great. My first response is to smile and my second response is to write about it, which I'm doing right now. I found this post through a random clicking process of blogs from people I know ending up on people I don't but I wish I did. And when it is a woman I smile and realize that our female counterparts do things way better than us men.

Katherine Siebert started Edeva, which means, "beautiful gift." She came up with this really great idea for a love project to get one hundred people together to buy the land for a trade arts "co-op" for a group of women in the Dominican Republic. Instead of asking a bunch of people to give her $100, she asked 100 women to give two dollars every week. Who can't do that. The idea is brilliant. You can read the story here.

Thanks Katherine for the inspiration. I hope you don't mind if I steal your idea. I promise to give you credit.

Very Nice Article

This is an interesting perspective on the changes taking place in the church. Sound off.

The History of Religion Map

This site is awesome. It shows the progression of religions through the world. There are other interesting maps to help understand history. Well done people

Nate Sallie - Incredible New Artist

I love music. Music puts me in touch with the soul and seems to speak to me in a way that few other things can do. I purchase a lot of music and love it when I can find an artist that speaks from the soul. Old music is like this. Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, The Who, and Elton John seemed to write music that was unhindered. It had melodies that were haunting and special. My iPod is always filled with these artists but at times includes new artists. I will buy a song from just about any artist once.

Today I found a new artist. His name is Nate Sallie. And you really should buy this album. It's called Ruined For Ordinary. It's put out by Curb Records. Go to iTunes and listen to "What I Believe." It's easily the best song on an album full of really great songs. The depth of the lyrics and passion from the music were quite surprising for a sophomore effort. It is was clear that Nate put his heart and soul into this album. It's not pop, as much as it is gospel soul.

Other really great songs include Holy Spirit, Let Go of Me, and Breakthrough. The whole album is good and worth discovering. Some have said he sounds like Gavin DeGraw and Daniel Powter, but I think he has more depth than they do.

Well done my friend.

Italy - The Land That Gets It

Last year I took a trip to Italy with my Master's Program. It was sixteen days of pure bliss in the land of my forefathers. In this trip I discovered my own heritage, the beauty of the land, and the mystery of the Renaissance. It was the best trip of my life.

A friend emailed me yesterday asking for help for those who were going this year. I sat down and began to compile the list of things I thought people needed to know who are going to Italy. This is my list.

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Here's my Renaissance recommendations.

1. Eat Slow - The Italians have discovered that food is not really the thing, even though its a great thing. They eat slow so that they can slow down from their hectic lives enough to meet the person across the table from them. The have somehow realized that people are what make life really interesting and if you have a great bottle of wine to share its all the better. Restaurant owners have somehow discovered that they are the meeting places of the heart and they fully embrace their role as stewards of community.

2. Don't Take Yourself Too Seriously - Any group of people that could design so many statues of naked people get that life is just too short to miss laughing with each other. They understood that the little children walking through the piazza needed something to snicker at because their parents were just to stuffy sometimes. Maybe Michelangelo understood that we needed humor in our lives.

3. Drink Art Deeply - The Italians gave us the Renaissance because they surrounded themselves with what makes us great as human beings. We create exquisite reflections of humanity and beauty when we allow ourselves the freedom to feel. Take the time to sit with the art, especially David, Leonardo, Rafael, Boticelli.

Here's my Top 10 Practical Recommendations

10. Who ever has the balcony room at the top floor of the hotel in Florence should host a group night. We did this and it was one of my best memories.

9. On the off day visit Cinque Terra. Walk from station 3-5, but bring good shoes, water and a camera. Breathtaking. Stop in Pisa for dinner on the way home.

8. Eat lots of Gelato at midnight. The best conversations are at this time.

7. Watch the Medici documentary from PBS before going. It completely alters the experience.

6. Learn to enough Italian to be dangerous (please, thank you, where is...?). It goes a long way to the locals.

5. Ask the local store owners where their favorite restaurants are. Trust me they know. They will most likely call and get you in too.

4. If you ask for a café latte in the morning at the hotel they will make you one but you have to ask.

3. Rome is interesting but Florence is life.

2. The sign that says "Sistina Capella" with an arrow pointing around the corner does not mean its around the corner.

And the number one recommendation for those going to Italy is:

1. The cell phones don't work no matter what they tell you.

In Not Of

I found this very interesting dialog by Jason Clark on the balance of learning to be in the world but not of the world. I don't know if it is original to him but his simple explanation is intriguing. The love that I seek is based on a healthy balance between finding the love I seek in my Father's love for me but also bringing that love to the world around me.

End Human Slavery - Not For Sale Campaign

The idea that slavery still exists today astounds me, but sadly it doesn't surprise me. Slavery has been around since debt and I wonder which came first.

In the spirit of Amazing Grace, which opens today, I want to highlight a really cool site that is working to end slavery worldwide. It's called the Not For Sale Campaign. The idea is cool and the deal is practical. Anything that uplifts the dignity of my neighbor is worth looking at and participating in. Check it out.

Not For Sale was started by David Batstone. Here's a note from his site.
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"THE INSTIGATOR, DAVID BATSTONE
A Professor of ethics at the University of San Francisco who started his "career" guarding Salvadoran pastors and literacy teachers from death squads. Batsone was the founding editor of Business 2.0 and is the founder of social venture firm, Right Reality. He writes regularly in USA Weekend edition as "America's Ethics Guru." He traveled around the world investigating the Slave Trade before writing "Not For Sale", the book associated with this campaign.

Kiva - Microloans Process

I was visiting a friends blog today and I came a cross a site that was listed at her page. The organization is called Kiva.org. Kiva provides a simple way of getting involved in the world around us. Participants, meaning us, provide microloans to someone on the website.

Microloans have been recognized as one of the best ways to help the poor get out of poverty. Because the money is small the lender takes less risk and the opportunity becomes much more available to the average person to help. In third world country's loans can be as small as $50 but they help build the dignity of the person behind the loans. Repayment in certain countries is extremely high because of the process.

Take a look.

Sanjaya Malakar

Okay, I'm diverting my attention here because I want to recognize talent. I'm not really a huge American Idol fan, but I did buy Chris Daughtry's album, which is amazing. I also did catch the Seattle and Memphis auditions this year. It was fun. In those two shows one kid stood out to me. His name is Sanjaya Malakar. You can see his audition here. Now I realize that if you are reading this you've probably seen more than me. But something in this kid is different. There is a grace about his smile and a real talent in his voice. I agreed with Simon that although his sister was good, he was great. Some people really like him. And some people don't. Regardless, I want to recognize his talent because he has it.

He did make it on to the final 24 and it will be interesting to see how his talent shows up this season. I may just have to catch a few episodes to see.

One thing that I also really liked was how much his family seems to shape him. In his interview he would thank his family first. During the auditions it was clear that his family played a strong role in his development. It shows in his smile. The image that stood out to me was of his proud father smiling from ear to ear after his children had made it to Hollywood. I love that type of image of family in the media. It reminds me that it is still possible and probable.

My best to you Sanjaya. May God smile on you this year.

One works

For those of you who follow One.org and the action that they help facilitate, and for those who don't, we're making a difference. Here's an update from Ginny on critical funding for poverty relief.

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Members of the U.S. House of Representatives just voted 286-140 to pass the 2007 continuing resolution!!

If the bill also passes in the Senate before Feb. 14 then instead of AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and refugee programs receiving no increases from 2006 to 2007, they will receive an increase of $1.45 billion. The difference will add up to hundreds of thousands of lives.

Thank you to those in the House who voted to fully fund the programs that are working to end extreme poverty. We'll post their names here shortly.

Virginia Simmons
Online Organizing Coordinator
The ONE Campaign

ONE Action

From Virginia at ONE.org

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A straight continuing resolution would have left funding at 2006 levels through all of 2007 - but a few weeks ago, ONE launched a major effort to raise awareness and save as much of the planned increase as possible. In January alone, ONE members sent over 200,000 emails, faxes and letters to their members of Congress urging them to fully fund poverty programs in 2007.

Last night, a bill was filed asking for a $1.3 billion increase in AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis funding - a full $300 million more than the one billion dollar increase ONE members urged their representative to save.

Sound Off

(Nothing is a done deal though until the bill passes both houses. A House vote is scheduled for tomorrow and a Senate vote is set for February 5. We'll be posting updates on these votes times and outcomes on the ONE Blog.)

We have been told that this money, which easily could have vanished virtually unnoticed, was saved due to the pressure from the community. Without exaggeration, outreach on the 2007 CR may have just saved hundreds of thousands of lives in the world's poorest countries.

Please send me an email or call me if have questions. Every convesation blog post on these issues counts.

Ginny

Virginia Simmons
Online Organizing Coordinator
The ONE Campaign

Isn't She Beautiful Reflections

It has been a week since I returned from the Isn't She Beautiful conference in Michigan and it has taken me a little while to really process what I experienced. The conference was deeply refreshing for me in that it was a call to love (my God, my self, my neighbor, and all of creation). The narrative of God is all about restoration and I want to be part of it. I want to fully engage Missio Dei for the sake of my own heart.

Images- Isn't She Beautiful

The Mars Hill stage



Rob Bell getting ready for the final evening.





Rob preaching.

Redeeming The Hurting

Tonight was perhaps the reason I came to Mars Hill. The night was dominated by worship and communion...and the cross. Okay, this was a pastors conference but as I was saying to my friend, "where do pastor's go to find their own redemption and love." I feel sorry for pastor's. They don't give themselves space to be human. There seems to be this cruel club they all belong to that says they can't be anything less than perfect and a shining example of what it means to be a Christian.

Tonight Rob call them out of this palce and gave them a place to be real, to hurt, to cry. Tonight a group of 2,000 pastors, elders, leaders and volunteers took time and space to remember (and embrace) what it means to restore their own hearts. Some took their place under the cross, many red faced and wet cheeked from the experience. Others took their place under the prayer shawl. Other sat with other elders and received prayer. The scene looked must like a revival only this was a group of pastors and leaders.

I thank my father for a brother like Rob. Some people don't understand him and that is okay, but he know what it means to restore. I like that. I like a person who stands up front and says, "We need to love." This is why I came.

Tweaking The Norm

This morning at the Isn't She Beautiful conference Rob was in full form. If Rob has the ability to do anything it is to tweak the way people see the story of redemption. This morning was all about Salvation, Heaven and Hell. And the content of these sessions are for another post. What is important was how Rob expanded the conversation of heaven, hell and salvation. And as I looked at the mood of the room it was obvious that he had tweaked the norm.

You see, there is historical way of operating that is so fixed, so completely restrictive to a select few (some would call it scholasticism) that it gives people no permission to think. Rob won't let you do that. He calls out a way of being that requires you to think. He's so much like Jesus in that he almost forces you to wrestle with it. His best subversive quality is his capacity to tweak the way you see it.

And the reality was that 20% of the people were deeply confused and immediately discounted what he said. I am at lunch as I write this and I just finished a conversation with a local pastor, who came because he just heard of Rob's church (this guy is really tweaked). The very first thing he said was "I didn't agree with about 25% of what he said." I asked him why, and he stumbled on it. "We did the proof text and..." You can finish the sentence.

See what Rob does that bugs people is that he makes people aware of their own way of seeing, and in the presence of a new way of seeing it most people question the validity of their own image. Some immediately walk away, some go numb, some just agree, and a small group wrestles with it. Some, like my neighbor at lunch, immediately assume an attack on their image and can't handle it.

What if we miss the whole story when we do this. What if we miss the story that Jesus is trying to communicate, when we assume our way of seeing is fixed and the only way to see something. I have been listening to Rob for about a year and a half and I think he would probably say, "I could be wrong."

How then do we find love in all of this? How then do we live in the tension of the new and the old and find a way to remain in the learning, the relationship, and the love? How do we stay in trust when something affronts our senses and constructs? That my friend is the question of living.

More pictures to follow.

The Spirit of Love

About three months ago I convinced my wife that I needed to go to Michigan in the middle of winter. Normally this would be considered a really stupid move (as some of my friends would say, "Are you insane?") but on this particular instance it was to go to a conference at Mars Hill. Well today I'm finally here. I'm at the Isn't She Beautiful conference, which is essentially a dialog about how to be a church that loves.

Rob Bell (the pastor at Mars Hill) says what I believe, which for someone who values language is like having a personal translator to my soul. His gift is in seeing and communicating the language of what we all are experiencing on this journey.

This morning was on the Eucharist, which is the giving of life by the pouring out of our souls. Its this practice of following Jesus in love in the giving of ourselves. Its this profound place where we connect to what it means to be a human in this crazy world and still not give up. The key for me this morning was actually not the Eucharist, even though I really, really enjoyed the conversation. The key was in seeing the little ways that I have forgotten to say, "I love you." Once we broke for lunch I had to stop and send my wife an email letting her know how much I appreciate her. I needed to write to her so that she could read it in her own space and reflect on it when she needed.

And then it hit me. What Rob is really trying to do is foster the spirit of love within a community so that it pervades everything they do. I could feel it within the building, within the people. We, the audience, we all on a little pilgrimage to experience that community. He was just smart enough to bring everyone together around this banner.

Thank you Rob for choosing love.

Oxfam's Farm Bill Action

This is a reprint from the ONE.org site. It was originally posted by Tim Fullerton of Oxfam.

It's incredibly tough to be a small farmer these days. From Mali to Mississippi, family farms are struggling just to stay afloat. Meanwhile, huge industrial-sized farms in the US gobble up small farms, and poor farmers across the globe struggle to survive on just a dollar a day.

But it doesn't have to be that way. This year, Congress will debate a new Farm Bill, which for five years will set policies that could either help small farmers at home and abroad - or keep them struggling.

Join Oxfam's Farm Bill Action Team and help pressure Congress to support hardworking farmers around the world.

We need you to make sure this year's Farm Bill lets small farmers compete and make a living. The last bill included billions of dollars in handouts for gigantic farming operations - while leaving family farmers across the globe struggling to make ends meet.

This is one of those touchstone issues where your actions can have a huge impact. Rural communities are devastated when small farmers lose their livelihoods. The results: Poverty and hunger skyrocket, the young move to cities, and unsustainable farming practices deplete the land.

As part of the Oxfam Farm Bill Action Team, you'll be given easy ways to educate your friends, Congress, and the media about how our tax dollars shouldn't go toward subsidies that hurt family farms both in the US and in poor countries.

Help us cultivate change to make our world a better place. Join the Farm Bill Action Team today!

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Please take a moment to help out.

How Does Love Intervene

Last night I had dinner with my cousin at Fats (great Thai food) and the conversation served as an strange tipping point to recognizing to the great costs associated with marriage. My cousin is currently separated from his wife of 12 years. I sat and listened to my cousin, chewing on a delightful Walnut Shrimp concoction and wondered if I hadn't just heard this conversation before. You see, one of my best friends had spent the previous night over at my house as we watched the BCS game between Florida and Ohio State. He too was separated from his wife. A third great friend had also separated, and divorced, from his wife this summer.

As I listened to my cousin I couldn't help but wonder why divorce happens. Why is it that we can reach a place where we give up, lose hope, or just lose touch. In each case, it was not instantaneous events that contributed to the demise but ongoing lack of concern for the other person. Each had simply lost touch with the other person.

But in the listening I became aware that I am now my father's age when he divorced my mom. It is a strange thing to really reach an age and realize how completely impossible it is to prepare for marriage and really understand what it means to love someone forever. In each case the couple had simply grown indifferent and apart. Little things added up to create a giant wedge that pulled them in different directions. I cannot deny that I was deeply sad for each of them.

How does love intervene when two people reach a point of giving up? How does love find a way out and see beyond all of the crap that gets in the way and steals our hope? How do we regain the ability to love even when our spouse doesn't reciprocate, instead lashing out at simple attempts to make sense of the mess? I don't know. That is the problem.

I sat looking at my cousin very aware that love takes work. It takes a willingness to see beyond the simple petty things that add up and still find hope. I have hope for them, but I don't know if it is enough.

Simple Ideas To Love

I have a friend who really inspired me this week. His name is Brandon. He's actually the boyfriend of my wife's friend Alicia. Brandon had this unique idea of doing something with his passions so he created a non-profit that would serve the poor in Colombia. The idea was to create something that would serve a specific community that needed help and consistently target one area. He's not looking to save the world from poverty, only a tiny corner of it.

This week he's traveling down to Colombia to meet with some people who live in the community and begin the process of creating an assessment of what they need. I honestly wish I was on the plane with him.

My hats off to you Brandon for doing something so inspiring with your life. Thank you for practicing love in its best form.