U2 Thoughts...

Hey just in case you are a lover of all things U2 then you have to check out this blog. It is also located in my list of links. What is cool is that if you go and look at one of the posts from a couple of days ago you will see a comment on the link I has to the worship experience I did with The Mix! about a month ago! If you want to read what they said click here U2Sermons.

And just in case you missed the flash on the song "Sometimes" by U2 and you don't know what I am talking about you can see it by clicking here Sometimes Worship Flash.

Lots of links...

So I finally got around to adding some links to my blog. I'm not finished by any means, but I figured this was good for now. I invite you to check them out. These are a lot of my favorite places on the web to surf. Now I got to figure out how to do pictures!

On another note, today it is a classic beautiful northwest day full of sunshine, blue sky, a slight breeze, and a temperature of about 78. I love Seattle!

Hope you can find time to enjoy!

Got Pope?

Remember the song by the GO-GO's called "We Got The Beat"? It's a classic! Well either way this will help answer the "Got Pope?" question...

We Got A Pope

enjoy!

For the love of llama's...

And now for something completely different...

The Llama Song

enjoy!

So I've been told...

Many of my friends have read the book "Blue Like Jazz" by Donald Miller and have raved about it. After a good vote by my couples group on what should be our next book we decide to read this one! I am excited to get into it. My wife is reading one of his first books called "Prayer and the Art of Volkswagon Maintainence" which is not in print any longer but is coming out again under a new title..."Through Painted Deserts: Finding God on the Open Road." She loves it so far. Anyways, if you haven't read it or you are thinking about a good book for a small group I found a great resource connected to "Blue Like Jazz" made by Donald himself. It is much more than just questions to ponder, but it also includes some experience projects/assignments that are very cool. And the best part is that it is free to download. So if you are interested in the book, or the study guide you can check it out here... BLUELIKEJAZZ.COM. To get the study guide follow the resource links and click study guide. I'll share some of the conversations that come out of this book later!

I'm left wanting...

So do you ever have those times when you think life will be better if you have certian things? Like life is good, but it could get even better if... Well, I am not saying that I am not content, but there are a number of things that I have been dreaming of. As a result, I have been left wanting, and singing the chorus to 40 by U2 "How Long?"

So here are some of the things I have been dreaming of in no particular order...

1. 60g ipod photo (that looks like the special edition U2 ipod - even though they don't make such a thing)
2. a digital camera
3. The new Coldplay album X and Y
4. My Dad coming to know the Lord Jesus Christ
5. The new Bruse Springsteen album Devils and Dust
6. My youth ministry to have a true hearts desire for outreach
7. Loosing 15 pounds
8. Being able to do the type of work that I love doing and being able to make enough to support my family
9. My new deck on my house to mysteriously appear
10. Having more time/discipline to read all the wonderful books that are my shelves
11. Being able to see my friends more often
12. And while we are on the whole dreaming thing...I would love a Red Land Rover Discovery II SE that gets really good gas mileage that I could simply get by a straight trade for my 87 Subaru GL (yeah right!!!!!!!!)

Hey I can always dream!

The Sounds of Silence...

Sorry for the uncomfortable amount of silence from this blog. I have been busy. My wife's 30th birthday is this Sunday and I am throwing her a big party to celebrate. I decided to do my own homemade Italian Feast, but now that there is over 30 people coming I am realizing what a big job this is going to be. I don't know if you can but try to picture a massive vat of my "special sauce" and a crazy amount of chicken parmigiana cooking for hours! Can you smell it? Oh let me tell you it is glorious!

Another thing that has kept me busy is the youth ministry I am in charge of call The Mix! just had a amazing event called Dodgeball Night! We had over 100 students turn out! I will try to get some pictures for you to gaze at as soon as possible.

The last thing I have been working on is my website for my private counseling practice that I am getting up and running. Honestly I have close to no knowledge of how to build a website, but I found this free website deal and have been working on it. It's not half bad. Once I purchase my own domain it will be splendid. But until then if you would like to see the preview of it you can do so by clicking here Authentic Living. Post some comments and let me know what you think. I'd love to hear from you!

DMB and Frosty's for free...

So after having had an incredible night last night full of great people and incredible music by Better Than Ezra and Dave Matthews Band it just got even better. How you say?

Well, I just got a phone call from my wife who was at home checking the messages and low and behold. The contest we entered last night for tickets to Dave's concert at the Gorge this summer was won by no other than ME!!!

WOW! So Jen and I got another incredible free date with Dave! I can't believe it! Ok, that's enough. But on a lighter note...if you like Dave Matthews Band then I think you will enjoy his new album. I have been listening to it all day.

And on a tasty note...this Friday thru Sunday the burger chain Wendy's is giving away FREE FROSTY'S to everyone no strings attached. Click here for the story. It is a way of saying "thank you" for support during the whole "finger in the chilli deal" that turned out to be a trick. They said they believe Wendy's will end up giving out about 14 million frosty's!

How cool! Or should I say...how frosty!

What a night...

So after a great day at work I came home and picked up my wife. We headed down into Seattle to Kells Irish Pub for the The Mountains Dave Matthews Band CD release party. We enjoyed the beautiful sky line of Seattle and listened to the entire album. After that we headed to Dicks on Capital Hill for some burgers, fries, and shakes! Then we headed to Neumo's a new music venue on Capital Hill for the Better Than Ezra concert. This concert came to us as a most wonderful gift from our friends the Hansons.

THANKS ROD AND KATHY FOR THE WONDERFUL GIFT!!

Both Jen and I love the band but had never seen them in concert before. This place was small and intimate, the sound was quality, and the band ROCKED [and so did Michael Hanson who got to sing on the mic]! We fell deeper in love with the band after the night was done! Our good friend Erin Hanson [who had introduced us to BTE] is a huge fan and now I understand why. She got seranaded to by the lead singer while she was rockin' out in the front row. She and her friend Sarah are heading down to Portland for another concert of theirs tomorrow night!

Again, can you say jelousy?

Now that we are home, smelling like smoke and spilled beer, it is time for bed and at the same time almost time to get up for tomorrow [which is today]. I wish we did nights like this more often. And will post again later about a topic Jen and I had about Christians going to bars and what it means to be missional. Until then go get Dave's new cd and wait a couple of weeks and get the new BTE. You won't be disappointed!

peace out

Heaven and Hell...

One of my most memorable professor's a Mars Hill Graduate School was Brian McLaren. He just came out with a new book that is Part 3 of the New Kind of Christian Trilogy entitled The Last Word And The Word After That: A Tale of Faith, Doubt, and A New Kind of Christian. This book deals more specifically with the conversation about Heaven and hell. I have not had the time to read the book, but to say it has had it's controversial engagements would be an understatement. I thought you might enjoy getting into a internet conversation with him so... Below you will see links to a number of blogs that are hosting him on his "blogtour." You can ask him anything - it is very cool and incredibly interesting! And by the way, all of these blogs are very thought provoking and I encourage you to check them out either way!

1. andrewjones
2. jordancooper
3. jenlemen
4. dwightfriesen
5. paradoxology
6. pomomusings

I hope you enjoy!

I finally did it!

Well it is official! I graduated from Mars Hill Graduate School with a Masters of Arts in Counseling on Saturday! The ceremony was incredible. I will try to figure out how to post pictures asap so you can get a glimpse of what happened. Thanks to all of you for all of your support, prayer, and encouragement along the way!

Sometimes...

Those of you who love U2 like me know the song "Sometimes" on there newest album. I found this great worship flash using the song. I wish I knew how to do this. Anyways I thought you all might like to see it. I am going to be using it at The Mix! next week during our worship/prayer time. Hope you enjoy!

Sometimes Worship Flash

Some Quotes/Thoughts from Doug Pagitt...

The other day I was listening to a conversation led by Doug Pagitt that was done at the National Pastors and Emergent Convention. It was called Spiritual Formation Beyond The Educational Model. It was full of great thought provoking statememts. Here is one that stood out to me...

"Information needs a belief partner - hopes, desires, aspirations, experiences - in order for it to be driven into out hearts, lives and belief system. We aren't people who primarily believe. We're people who primarily hope, dream, desire, and imagine. Most people believe what we believe because we want it to be true not because we have proof that it is true."

Is the education model the best way of teaching/learning spiritual formation? Is providing the best information to people in ways that they can understand the best way of teaching spiritual formation? Is there more ways to be formed other than simply hearing someone tell/teach me?

For example...what if service was something you did before you were "spiritually formed" because it was the actual act that spiritually formed you? What about confession? What if before you becaume a Christian you experienced confession. Not because it is something you do after you become a Christian - but it is one of those acts you do that makes (distinguishes) you a Christian? What is Hospitality is not a nice garnish on our maturity in Christ, but it is one of the very acts we do that leads us to maturity? What if dialog is not something we do simply when we are totally confused, but it is the essential act we do in forming out understandings and theological foundations in the fellowship of other believers?

If we are to become people who live like Christ lived in the world we are to live in the "rhythm of faith" not belief. He says that spiritual formation is not some separate area we must form in life, but that it is actually human formation and what we do to become more like we were designed to be (that is to be like Christ). That being spiritual is not a subset of being human, but that the very act of being human is spiritual.

Chew on that!

I got the hankering...

Tonight I went to a professional soccer game at Quest field. It was the Seattle Sounders vs. the Portland Timbers. I was given a bunch of free tickets and so my wife and I and another 9 friends went together. It was a perfect night, a great group of friends, and a very cool stadium. The one downfall of the night was that the Sounders lost 2-1. I still had a blast and my nephew Matthew (who is 5) came along. It was his first professional game. He totally loved it. This could be a great tradition for him and his Uncle Rich to do together.

Watching the game brought back all kinds of memories. Seeing a couple players that I had played with. Seeing Brian Schmetzer and Bobby Howe coaching. And most of all just watching the game. I wanted to be out on the field playing! I miss it! Overall it was a great night. Now all I have to do is find a team to play for! Got any ideas?

Last night...

On Friday my internship site had its annual fundraising program called "The Big Event." It was set up kind of like Oprah with a host showing different clips of the different guests and then inviting them up to talk to them live. The host was the president of my graduate school, an incredible author/counselor Dr. Dan Allender. What was really incredible was that I got the opportunity to get on stage - just me and Dan to help set the tone for the evening. We were talking, cracking jokes, sharing stories, etc. in front of a ton of people. I felt so honored to have this opportunity to represent both Eastside Academy and Mars Hill Graduate School. But even more so was the incredible priviledge it was to share the stage with with Dr. Dan Allender. This is a man that I have learned so much from, and a man that has modeled many things that I now long to live out. He is a friend and one that I have the utmost respect for. And I got to share the spotlight with him and help others to laugh. This truly was a memorable moment!

I can't believe it...

Today on my way home from meeting with clients all day at Eastside Academy I stopped by Mars Hill Graduate School to pick up my cap and gown and tickets for my graduation! May 7, 2005 I do the graduation walk. It is starting to sink in!

What are the odds???

So this last weekend U2 was here in Seattle doing a couple of shows at the Key Arena. They were sold out so I couldn't go! LAME!

The stage was set up right in the center of the arena so everyone could see them more equally. But they had a section of seats called "THE INNER CIRCLE" which they filled randomly as people showed up to the show. So here is where it gets crazy...out of the 12 people I know that got to go to one of the shows 10 got randomly picked to be in the inner circle. Two of which (Bernd & Gerd) were dead center first row. And not only that, but they got to shake hads with Bono! Is that not AWESOME!?!

Can you say "jealousy" and "envy"?

U2 lyrics that move my soul...

I must own the fact that I will never be able to write like Bono. But thankfully God created Bono to help express some of the glories of language and its ability to paint pictures. For some reason this song has really been my hearts cry and I can't get enough of its lyrics. THE LOUDER THE BETTER!

Miracle Drug - Off of "How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb"

I want to trip inside your head
Spend the day there
To hear the things you haven't said
And see what you might see

I want to hear you when you call
Do you feel anything at all?
I want to see your thoughts take shape
And walk right out

Freedom has a scent
Like the top of a new born baby's head

The songs are in your eyes
I see them when you smile
I've seen enough, I'm not giving up
On a miracle drug

Of science and the human heart
There is no limit
There is no failure here sweetheart
Just when you quit

I am you and you are mine
Love makes nonsense of space
And time will disappear
Love and logic keep us clear
Reason is on our side, love

The songs are in your eyes
I see them when you smile
I've had enough of romantic love
I'd give it up, yeah, I'd give it up
For a miracle
A miracle drug (a miracle drug)

God I need your help tonight

Beneath the noise
Below the din
I hear your voice
It's whispering

In science and in medicine
I was a stranger
You took me in

The songs are in your eyes
I see them when you smile
I've had enough of romantic love
Yeah, I'd give it up
Yeah, I'd give it up
For a miracle

Miracle drug
Miracle Miracle drug

Something to work on...

Two things that I realize I need to work on in my life came up the other day in one of my classes at Mars Hill Graduate School. The first came in the form of a quote that went like this...

"Is your comfort more important than someone else's pain?" - unknown

How easy it is for me to hear and not listen and to simply try to "Pastor" someone out of whatever it is they are going through. I think I am doing that for them, but it really is about me not being comfortable with sitting with someone in the midst of their pain. I want to be a man who knows how to empathize with others. Which leads me to the second area I need to work on. This time coming from a definition...

Empathy: “Ability to put oneself in another person’s place; to understand how someone perceived the world and how those perceptions affect the person’s feelings.”

I know I can guess what it would be like to be in someone else's shoes, but to actually seek understanding from that person as to what it is like for them and to allow myself to experience all of the pain is very uncomfortable.

I have come to realize that this practice of empathy is not only necessary, it is redemptive. It is the living out of the Gospel. It is a true expression of sacrificial love! Me sacrificing my comfort (which I love) for someone else's pain.

Here is a quote...

I have been going through this book called "Renovation of the Heart Student Edition" by Dallas Willard in my youth ministry. It is not bad so far. In the book it used a quote from the Matrix where Morpheous is talking to Neo. It goes like this...

"Neo, sooner or later you are going to realize just like I did that there is a difference between knowing the path and walking the path."

This quote made for some good discussion at The Mix! but was even more engaging when I shared it in one of my counseling groups with students at Eastside Academy. They loved it, because they are struggling with addictions to drugs and/or alcohol, and for some reason the movie and the leading up to this quote seemed to have an impact.

This quote addresses the issues of knowing truth and truly experiencing truth. I believe Jesus, put it like this... "Then you will experience for yourself the truth. And the truth will set you free." John 8:32 The Message