Snow Day! Update

The snow never really stopped. Schools were closed all week (which never happens in Spokane), people go to the grocery store on skis, and at least 8 people have passed by our house nude.

I really don’t mind the snow at all. However, my little Nissan is completely worthless in the snow so I couldn’t get it off the street before the big snow and the plows. Welp- my little Nissan, I’ll see you in April.

Lent

When growing up, my siblings and I were often “encouraged,” or forced, to give something up for Lent. I hated it.  Why would I give up sour patch kids, or buying new baseball cards, or hunting squirrels just because…?  I think that was the problem, I didn’t know WHY I was giving anything up.  I knew it had something to do with Jesus and Easter bunnies, but it just seemed like some silly exercise I was forced into. The things I was asked to give up seemed tokenistic- and this mentality stayed with me until, well… now.

But this year I decided to spend a little thought-time with the idea of Lent and Ash Wednesday.  The idea of repentance and sacrifice now seem appealing at this stage in my life. I’ve been thinking a lot lately that there has been a lot of ME in my faith right now and its become clear that I could really use some sacrifice in my life.  Frankly, I’ve become enough about myself that I need something to divert my attention and my desires toward the Living Christ and his role in my life.

So, I’m in.  I’m going to play the “Lent Game” this year.  I don’t know what I’m going to give up- but it will be something that is truly a sacrifice.  I’ve got a week to think about it… but your thoughts/ideas are welcome.

Anyone want to join me?

I dare you…

To listen to this and not laugh. Or chuckle. Or guffah.

Snow Day!

It has now been officially snowing outside our house for 28 hours. Non. Stop. I’m a big fan of snow- but this is getting crazy. I was leaving for church this morning at around 7:30. It was almost 9 by the time I got my car out from the front of my driveway. As a self-proclaimed “snow driving master,” it was a little embarrassing. There were even crawls on the TV announcing church closures.

It is good fun though- trekking to the grocery store, watching my car disappear at the curb… and watching my dog try to pee. Why is that entertaining? Because her legs are 14 inches tall… and we have almost 17 inches of snow… not a lot of room for crouching.

(*these pictures were taken about4 hours ago. We’ve got another good 2 inches to add on top of this. It is supposed to snow for another 4-5 hours.)

Guitarded

Just this last weekend, Sarah and I celebrated Christmas with her family over on the WESTSIIIDE.  Her parent’s gift to me?  Guitar Hero III for the Wii.  (I heart rhyming)  I like it.  A lot.

If you know me at all, you know I love Pearl Jam like a fat kid loves cake. So when I ‘beat’ the British Invasion stage and got to perform Even Flow for an encore… I peed a little bit.

Who doesn’t love middle school boys?

Last night we started a series with the middle schoolers about friendship. Nothing too earth shattering, especially last night. Mostly we just intro’d the topic and let them talk in small group about their experiences with friends: the good, the bad, and the ugly.

One tool I used to help them get a little more ‘hands-on’ in their small groups- was to draw 2 pictures. One picture of what the perfect friend would look like, and one picture of what a terrible friend would look like. All of the girl’s small groups drew these great pictures of perfect & terrible friends. They gave them attributes and styles and really did a great job. The boy’s small group gave us these:

The “Perfect Friend.” Complete with “clown afro,” “bling,” and “Mr. T catchphrase”

The “Terrible Friend.” Complete with “eye booger,” “weird hat,” and yes, “Mr. T catchphrase.”

Homebrew #3

I just finished making my 3rd batch of homebrew. The 1st was an “English Style Pale Ale” which turned out ok. Some people (like my brother-in-law) seemed to really like it… I thought it was ok. My 2nd batch was an “African Ale,” sort of like Mac & Jack’s. And I’m not going to lie… it is perfect. Like a party in my mouth. If this was available in restaurants/pubs I would order it every time.

Right now I’ve just made a Scottish Ale… it could be compared to a Pike “Kilt Lifter.” I won’t know for a month or so how it turned out… but I’ll keep you updated. And by “you,” I mean, um, whoever the heck might read this nonsense.

The Boil: Right after the hops were added

Now it sits and ferments for a couple week. This is right after the yeast was pitched. Soon it will be bubbling up through the tube and into the waste bucket.

Pandora dot com

Pandora is something that gets a fair amount of press… but not nearly enough considering how completely awesome it is. I listen to Pandora almost daily. I have an issue of getting bored with things quickly, including music I purchase, and Pandora allows me constant variety. And the best part?! You can “thumbs down” a song if you don’t like it and it will never play on your station again! Muahahaha

My best success has been with a “Pedro the Lion” station. It hardly plays Pedro, but my last 3 songs were from Modest Mouse, Fugazi, and The Strokes. Not bad, not bad at all.

Project Runway – No Shame in my Game

This confession may have meant more a couple years ago… when Project Runway wasn’t quite as mainstream as it is today. However, I have no shame in saying that I love it. I love watching people sew. I love watching outfits be judged. I love watching caricatures of reasonable people make clothing.

My wish for tonight’s episode? That tearful Ricky (and his ridiculous hats) gets the boot. Or, shall we say, Auf’d.

Bye, Bye Ricky!

Must we relate?

Last night with the high school group, we started looking at our lives as “stories.” Everyone has a story, and each kid can tell their story by heart- which really is a pretty powerful thing when you think about it. After setting up what it means to have your own story, we took a look at what it means to allow God’s story to be a part of their story. We talked about where it was easy to let the two stories intertwine, where it was difficult- and where it seems straight-up impossible. I then asked them to write down the 3 hardest parts of their life for them to fully allow God’s story to meet their story.

EACH and EVERY response came back with at least one reference to relationships. Friends, boyfriend, family member, etc. I could have told you before last night that relationships would be the #1 answer… but it was still a bit of a shock to see it written down on every response.

What is it about us and about our ability (or lack thereof) to relate to God that is so wrapped up in how we relate to other people? I have ideas and I even believe some of them to be correct and true (community, accountability, blah) but it almost doesn’t seem fair. I have friends who have turned away from Christ and 15 friends who loved them because of one friend who jerked them around. I know people who have spent years seeking and desiring to know Christ, but aren’t able to, because they want to do it themselves- without relationship. I could delve into scripture and theology and discuss why there aren’t any walls between us and a relationship with Christ, why that has all been taken care of, and why we should let the influence of (wo)man dictate God’s role in our story.

But when I sit down with the high school students and talk about why it is so hard to let Christ ‘own’ our relationships- straight theology just isn’t going to cut it. We can tell them to ‘do better,’ but that won’t cut it either.  Its an interesting challenge, and one I’m excited to explore more with these students. One thing I’m sure of- is that while we explore it- we’ll make sure to do it in a loving relationship.