WORLDS ARE FORMING

Fat Tuesday: JBC's.

Today is Fat Tuesday. On this day, several men journeyed to their local Wendy's to embody the fatness.  Rules...Consume JBC's (Ninetyninecent Jr. Bacon Cheeseburgers) and anything on the Ninetyninecent value meal.  Totals...Men: 7.    JBC's: 14.    Frosty's: 5.    Fries: 2.  Darn our being worried about our health and weight!  We are getting old.  We all agreed that we could continue the festivities for much longer, but chose to embrace subtlety and health above all.  A glorious tradition.

The End of an Era?

So, we've established the fact that I am a Struggler.   However, I have recently been coming out of that stage in life, as it pertains to my Preaching Workshop class.  You may remember that I mentioned it here a few weeks ago.  Good news! I have not yet missed a class AND I preached my ONE required sermon for that class today.  Went well.  I preached this one.  The end of an era?  Probably not.  A good start at knowing my schedule responsibly once again?  Likely.

Wolterstorff: Lament For A Son

I need to start preparing for this coming summer's CPE experience.

It will be an intense summer of pastoral care in a hospital in Seattle.  I'm looking for books to help get me started...I know nothing but experience can prepare a person, really, but I'm trying.  I've heard good things about Wolterstorff's Lament For a Son, so I am going to start with that one.

Any suggestions on good, real, practical, solid pastoral care / grief counseling literature?

NEW FAVORITE: Teavana.

I know, I know...I often say that something is my "new favorite." It seems to happen once a week, or once every other week. 

But this time, this time, it's true.  New favorite: Teavana.  As I was waiting for my computer to be finished the other day, I had to walk around the mall, and stopped in to Teavana.  The store is full of tea pots, cups, etc.  Then.  Then, you see the wall covered with tins, full of tea.  Hundreds of kinds of tea.  A bit overwhelming. 

You know, I've been having something of a tea renaissance in recent weeks, so this was right up my alley.  Vanilla Bean with raw rock sugar, cheap!  Delightful. 

If you find a Teavana in your neck of the woods, check it out!

A Fresh Start!

Seriously, folks.  It feels like a fresh start...because it IS.   Got my Jerky computer back.  When I went to pick it up, Aaron (my second new best friend) said,

"Man, you're lucky."  "Why's that?"  I queried.  "Well, you are getting 10GB for free on this hard drive."  "What?"  "Ya, our instructions were to give you the 40 instead of the 30."  "Sweet."  "It is." 

I think for all the crap this computer has given me over the past few months, I am entitled to the extra 10.  I paid nothing.  Thank you, Mac. Forgive me for being cranky sometimes, and for all the mean things I said about your mom.

Thanks to Adam for his help in getting Jerk up and running again, and for helping me to start to use my computer for all it is worth again.

I'm not holding my breath, but I do not think I'll be making the trip to the Apple Store for awhile.  Unless I want to see my two new best friends.  (And really, I can wait.)

St. Francis of Assisi: He Asked For Charity.

God came to my house and asked for charity.
And I fell on my knees and
cried, "Beloved,

what may I
give?"

"Just love," He said.
"Just love."

It Was...Like Reuniting With an Old Friend.

The other day, I was driving in suburban New Jersey, and passed a Big K.  Friends, my heart skipped a beat.

You see, before I met this guy or this empire, I knew KMart well.  It was there that I was introduced to Blue Raspberry Icee's, Blue Light Specials, and value-priced clothing.  I have many a memory from countless hours spent at Kmart (affectionately called KMarche).  Really.

In college, my buddy Fish was passionate about KMart shopping (because of his family legacy), so we shopped there frequently, too, buying cheap Mac & Cheese, syrup, laundry detergent, and Martha Stewart Living towels and candles.  In Texas, I was forced to cut my relationship with KMart, so you can imagine what it did to me when I was driving and saw the red and white sign in the distance. 

Stepping into the store, a rush of memories flooded back...the smell...the bright blinking florescent lights...the tall aisles...they took me back a few years, and well, I just couldn't help myself.  I got a candle and two long-sleeved t-shirts for a grand total of $12.48.

Now, I won't shop there every day, but if I need a little value, and a little comfort shopping, you know I am going back.

A Pseudo Haiku to Apple Computers.

A new hard drive I will get.
Jesse at the mall
May be my new best friend.

(Many of you know the struggles I faced in December and January with my iBook.  It was a rough time.  This week, I've had some similar struggles, where my computer decided to work at the speed of molasses.  So today, for the third time in as many months, I took the Little Jerk (aka my iBook) to the Apple Store, and am getting a new hard drive.  Jesse is my new friend -- a great help.  Thank the Lord for AppleCare, fixing it for free.  Hopefully this will be the end of such struggles for awhile.)

What is Life Like on the Corner of MoPac & 2222?

Yesterday, I preached my "Social Issue" sermon in Preaching 202. For this assignment, we were asked to prepare a sermon based on a social issue within a congregational context with which we were familiar.  I chose my church, Covenant, and its ministry to the homeless in Austin.  If you'd like, take a peek.  I will say this, there are some sweeping generalizations within the sermon, but I also think it hits on some of the fears and issues the church is facing with its ministry to the homeless sisters and brothers who live under the bridge across the street from our church.  Some of the examples I used were from a few years ago, when I was in Austin, so perhaps a few things have already begun to change.   (Disclaimer: I would probably not preach this exact sermon to the congregation at Covenant...perhaps I would approach it from this and a few different angles, perhaps in a sermon series.  Much of what I was processing here has to do with my own discomfort with the homeless situation and my role in it while I served there.) I love Covenant, and think it has some room to grow in it's ministry to the homeless...the reality is that there is a great deal of fear and ignorance, which leads to guilt for many.  I chose James 2:12-17 as my text, focusing on "faith without action is dead."  Click below to read the sermon, "What is Life Like on the Corner of MoPac and 2222."  Download sermon_iii.doc

Happy 30th Birthday to Zach Walker.

Zach. 

He's a Bro.  He's a mentat.  He's Z.Dub.  He likes order.  He likes loves Star Wars.  He likes running.  He's Zach.  He likes to study.  He likes youth ministry.  He likes Kansas.  He knows every episode of The Simpsons, Star Wars, and soon, The Chapelle Show, season 1.  He's Zach.  We love him.  Alot.

So, join me, if you will, in wishing Zach Walker a very HAPPY 30th BIRTHDAY!