Here and Now

My friend Aaron is trying to blog every day in December. Yeah, puts me to shame. But I think it's a good habit to get back into, so here's another post... Last week Lori and I took the girls to see Steel City Christmas which, if you're not familiar with it, here's a video: Now when these videos first popped onto my radar I assumed they were faked - you know, just flash animations set to the music. But I've been to this house, tuned in my radio to 88.7 and sat with Lori and the girls in stunned awe. It was incredibly cool. If you can get to see it, go. I mean, really. But as we were coming home I realized how skeptical I had been when I had first seen those videos on youtube. Who would really put 200,000 lights on their house and then computer control them to music? Well, it turns out, there are a number of people. But I couldn't fathom it. It didn't make any sense to me. Is Jesus like that for some people? They just don't get it - just can'

Here's the lyrics of the song I did last night: Late December '44 Grandpa rode the train back home Late December '44 He'd been away for far too long To fight the second "war to end all wars" He lived a life I only knew In black and white photographs Of soldiers smiling waving home And friends that never would come back I guess I never really noticed how he carried his years Or asked him what he'd learned in his life I guess I never paid attention To how the world weighed down on him He wore a scar from every place he'd been I remember being small And looking for a hiding place I still see those two strong hands Clear blue eyes and weathered face I guess I never really noticed how he carried his years Or asked him what he'd learned in his life I guess I never paid attention To how the world weighed down on him He wore a scar from every place he'd been The years are rolling by us now I can't believe how far we've come But I can still hear

Okay - so a couple people have (gently) chided me for being absent from the Blogosphere for nearly a month. Okay - guilty. Real Life (TM) has really taken hold - from sick kids to youth dinner theater (I was one of the Dancing Stars...yeah, a red giant...bleah...). So, I'm back - and I'm sorry, for those who have missed this. Truth is, *I* missed this - but it has been hard for me to get motivated... But I HAVE been reading blogs. My friend Aaron posted a couple videos in the past couple weeks that have pushed me over the edge enough to come back to good ol' blogger... They both focus on Africa - and if this church didn't already have a serious relationship with a mission in Zimbabwe I'd be pushing these two organizations church-wide. The first is called "Advent Conspiracy" and the video is, in my opinion, really powerful. The second is from a website called the Mocha Club which encourages folks to support the cause for Africa at 7 bucks a month - you know