Here and Now

I got what I deserved yesterday. I put on a dinner and didn't ask anybody to help me. So, I had to cook, serve and clean up after 24 people. My own fault, really. Just didn't ask anybody to help. So, I got what I deserved. My back is crooked again - and the pain is none-too-pleasant, lemme tell you... Why? You might ask. You might not ask that, especially if you know me, but, for the sake of the post, let's assume you might want to know why... My first response is: I don't know. No, really, I don't know why I would do such a stupid thing. Anybody with half a brain would have asked for help... So, I guess I'm really bad at asking for help. I KNOW I am. WAY too independent, or something. What kicks that whole idea in the pants is that I believe that the church exists, in part, to be in community with one another. I believe that all of us should bear one another's burdens and share one another's joys. So - why can't I ask for help? I stil...

I'm reading this book of interviews with Bono and here's his take on grace (I know it's all over the web, but this is good stuff): Assayas: I think I am beginning to understand religion because I have started acting and thinking like a father. What do you make of that? Bono: Yes, I think that's normal. It's a mind-blowing concept that the God who created the universe might be looking for company, a real relationship with people, but the thing that keeps me on my knees is the difference between Grace and Karma. Assayas: I haven't heard you talk about that. Bono: I really believe we've moved out of the realm of Karma into one of Grace. Assayas: Well, that doesn't make it clearer for me. Bono: You see, at the center of all religions is the idea of Karma. You know, what you put out comes back to you: an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, or in physics—in physical laws—every action is met by an equal or an opposite one. It's clear to me that Karma is at...

How stupid... I have an absolutely empty blog that I set up and I have three comments on it praising it for being interesting...and, of course, while you're at it, check out MY blog, they say... Turns out to be spam, of course. Not immune here, either. I think the only comments on this blog so far are spam, too (unlike the Breakthrough Worship blog). So what? Dunno, just thought it was both kinda funny and really stupid. I hate spam. (Monty Python is running through my head now....make it stop!!!!)

Well, I'm thirty-eight as of Monday. Kind of went by without too much hoopla (staff got me a cake and we enjoyed it at coffee break). Lori and the girls gave me cards. I'm am SO happy that that's all there was to my birthday. I hate a lot of fuss being made... Well, nothing too deep about that. I guess I realize that just because I am the center of my own universe - doesn't mean that I ought to believe that I'm THE center of the universe (actually - God is my center - then Lori - then the girls...well, on the good days that's the order...on the bad days, well, I really AM the center of my own universe...). So what? Well, I guess I'm just thinking about how sometimes we make a show of things. You know, ooooo - look how big a party we threw for your birthday. Ooooo - look how expensive that gift was (man, if I had a nickel for everyone who asked me to speculate on how much someone else's engagement ring cost - well, I could shower Lori in diamonds....

Well, it's January so I'm doing the Weight Watchers thing again. I'm counting points. I'm up to ten points for today (for most people doing WW - that's close to half their points - at my weight, it's a third of my points for the day). Not too bad, considering I just finished lunch (chili...mmmm -- gotta love foods with high fiber - well, from a points perspective...there are all kinds of down sides...heh...) Anyway, Weight Watchers is the easiest program for me to follow because it's pretty easy for me to track how I'm doing. I can have a donut - but then I can have less "real" food... Check off the boxes for water, milk, fruits and vegetables...easy... So, I want a points system for my spiritual life. Ten commanments -- check. Prayer -- check. Fasting -- um... I know that's just the old "works righteousness" mentality - but without some kind of framework, I get spiritually lazy. And don't talk to me about schedules....

Well, I had the coolest thing happen last night. We were getting ready to go to Perkins for dinner and we had a few minutes before Lori came back from her meeting, so I pulled out the guitar and I asked Rachel to write a song with me. I said she could sing a line, and then I would and then her, then me (etc.) thinking, you know, that MY lines would help her's make sense (yeah, I can be THAT kind of daddy, too...). So, her first line wasn't very promising: I am beside the lemonade stand... So we went through a verse and, as best I could, I used her melody. Well, I didn't write down the first verse because the second and third were pretty exciting - and the chorus: I Made Different Colors When a baby lamb asleep Dreams of tomorrow How awful it would be To dream it all alone I tried to paint you happy I tried to paint you home I made different colors A rainbow's all I see I made different colors Come and share with me I made different colors A rainbow around me I made dif...

Here's something that disturbed me. On Jan 7th (2006) NPR ran a feature about philanthropy and they talked about Bill Gates. In the 80's he was criticized for not giving much money away. What follows is a quote from the NPR broadcast: He said he didn’t want to just shed a few million every year for tax breaks, but he wanted to build a fortune so that when he began to donate his money would have real impact. His detractors were contemptuous. Now of course, Mr. Gates is celebrated for his philanthropy. The Gates Foundation has the largest endowment of any in the world and vaccinates more children in poor countries than the WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION. It sponsors the largest minority scholarship program ever and also wires thousands of schools into the WWW. The Jimmy Carter Foundation which received 25 MILLION DOLLARS to combat guinea worm[?] disease called the Gates Foundation the most important organization in the world. So, what disturbed me? That the Gates Foundation m...

Heh -who knew? I just did a quick online personality test ( http://similarminds.com/othertests.html ) and here's what I came up with:

Just walked in from the rain... I hate getting wet, especially my glasses. This week is lectionary celebration of Baptism of the Lord Sunday. There's lots of neat possibilities for worship in that, but the service I plan every week has the youth praise band playing and I already have a bunch of stuff ready for that service... But I was thinking about baptism. There's no official record of my baptism at my home church - but my mom and grandmother remember me being baptized, so I'm not too worried about it. It always strikes me as odd, though, the people who get all uptight about not being able to remember their baptism and saying that they didn't have any say in it, or couldn't make the decision themselves. I think that's all well and good, and I guess I understand the complaint, but I just don't agree with it. The only one who really matters in baptism is God. God does the conferring of blessing and the changing of nature. God does the transforming. ...