Remember the Seinfeld where Kramer and Newman's scheme is to make money by taking bottles from New York and driving them to Michigan where there is a 10 cent refund rather than the 5 cents refund on bottle deposits? Well, turns out people actually try to pull this off! And Michigan doesn't think it's funny.

Bear

Kelli has a funny post on Bear Grylls. You should read it.

Running Update

As you can see, to add a little spice to this bet and my sad, sad life, I have added a poll on the sidebar and a progress column I will update daily. As you can see, for this week (which started last Thursday) I have already used my two days off and need to run the next two days or I am already eliminated! Shouldn't be a problem though.

Three running observations I have had thus far:
1. Running is hard.
-No shocker there. Seriously, when you are starting out, your body just has no desire to run AT ALL! When I ran a few weeks ago while camping with Devin I almost threw up. That can't be healthy! I'm starting to feel better with today's run although it was difficult after the hike on Saturday. I'm hoping to feel a little better with every run. We shall see.

2. Running is painful.
-The first few times, (which has spanned over the last month), every muscle in my body hurt, especially the muscles in my back which love to spasm while running. Thankfully, those have gone away and I can relax more while I run now. That doesn't stop my knees from hurting. I'm not sure running is the best thing for guys (like myself) that have already had two knee surgeries and who's doctor after surgery told him that at some point your ACL will definitely tear because it's horribly loose. Hmmm.

3. Running is a mental contest.
-Our bodies are able to do SO much more than we think they can. That's why it's a constant battle to not stop when it gets painful or difficult. I am trying my hardest to push through the pain in this contest. Today was a good example! It was cold, my legs were killing me, and I thought I might collapse but I finished and it felt fantastic.

So with the difficulty and the pain, why in the world would a person run?
I'm not entirely sure yet, you should probably ask Devin, who ran 42 miles last week. But I can say that there is something appealing about a physical challenge. Something exciting about pushing yourself to do things that are currently beyond your capability. I think that's why I enjoy hiking so much. It's always a challenge, it is usually difficult in parts, but after you are done, you feel like a champion and have accomplished something.

It's a great feeling to accomplish something tangible but in reality, circumstances in life do not usually tee-up tangible goals for us, we've got to set goals for ourselves, define what victory looks like, and celebrate our wins. It's so easy to go through life never accomplishing anything, not because we haven't done anything, but because we have not defined what victory looks like and taken the time to celebrate after we accomplish a goal we have set for ourselves. As you can tell, this does not just apply to a physical challenge like running!

With all of this said, it would now be pretty embarrassing to lose this challenge. But honestly, I'm not all that concerned about losing!

Trade Him

R. Grossman

15/32

195yds

0TD

3 Int.

I will say exactly the same thing I said last year at this time. Get rid of Grossman, he's TERRIBLE! Why is this guy still playing football??? Seriously! I don't care that he has one good game every five, the guy stinks. It was torture watching him play tonight. I would rather Doug Flutie came back in his old-school short shirt and played for the Bears than to watch this any longer!

THIS is an article worth reading from a little while ago.

Where do YOU get your news? I have still yet to find a good news website that actually has news that is important to anyone's life and not just the typical low-brow news that appeals to the worst part of humans. Even on CNN there is usually only about 1 or 2 stories of actual importance, the rest is just stuff on O.J. or Brittney. Any suggestions?

A-Rod - Cubs Owner and Player???

Do you think THIS could really happen?

Lost Lake - Hike #5

Today Kelli, Elvyss, Kristen and I went on a hike at Lost Lake which is about 1 hour and 45 minutes away from Portland. It wasn't long into the drive until we realized why they named it Lost Lake!

We did the Lost Lake Butte Trail which is a short 2 miles but you ascend 1400 ft. so it's a tiring little hike. Not many places along the way are anything but an incline.





The view of Mt. Hood at the top is spectacular! This doesn't even come close to doing justice to what it's really like at the top! The viewpoint by the lake is where they take many of the postcard pictures of Mt. Hood. If I ever go camping again, this is definitely where I would go! It's beautiful and there's some good hiking and the scenery is unmatchable. Plus you can rent boats to take out on the lake. This is definitely the best hike we've taken so far. I highly recommend it!




Does anyone else think Mt. Hood is kind of ugly without the snowy cap?

The Bet

Today Devin gave me a challenge I couldn't refuse. If I run 5 days a week for four weeks straight he will buy me Settlers of Catan, one of the finest board games ever made! (Although some may argue that the greatest is Settlers of Canaan the biblical version!).

However, if for some reason I DO NOT complete this challenge I must buy Devin the great game (retailing at $28.00).

Steep some may say! But this is a challenge I cannot refuse!

Day one - Running complete (Distance - 1 Mile). This will obviously require a new sidebar to keep track of progress! Prepare to lose Devin! You evil genius!

some recs

Let me start this post by saying this has been an INCREDIBLE year for music so far! There have been SO many great albums released that it's been more difficult to keep up than ever! But here are a few things that have been interesting lately....

Okkervil River - The Stage Names







The Weakerthans - Reunion Tour







Band of Horses - Cease to Begin







Turin Brakes - Dark on Fire
You can listen to the whole album on the Myspace link. Click it!






Josh Ritter - The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter







Vic Chestnutt - North Star Deserter

Sports Sunday: The Big Show

Here's a good video for your Sunday morning.

I wish I could post it in this browser but this one's for sale. Let me know what you think.

Finally...

Someone finally sent me a free copy of "The Big Idea"!

This is Dave Ferguson's book from Community Christian Church in Naperville. Two of my best friends from college are pastors there and I have several acquaintances that are involved and can't believe it's taken someone this long to send me a copy!

Seriously though, thanks mysterious stranger (I'm guessing Nick) since he asked me for my address last week. Coincidence? I think not.

Anyone else have books they want to send me? I'll review 'em on my blog! Come on, I get like 60 hits a day! Sure it isn't 600 like Bob but are you caught up on numbers or something?

The End of Memory

The End of Memory - Miroslav Volf

Just finished this on the plane to Illinois last week and this is a phenomenal read! Miroslav Volf sheds light on what it means to remember wrongs done to us and by us rightly and uses his own experience of being interrogated as a potential spy for about a year using psychological methods to break him down. How does memory of wrongs shape our identity? Should memory of wrongs shape our identity? How should one remember wrongs?

Volf uses the remembrances of the Exodus and the Passion as a framework for how to remember and interacts with the thoughts of Nietzsche, Kierkegaard, and Freud as he builds a case of how we as followers of Christ are to remember and how it affects our identity and actions in the present day. Fascinating book! I highly recommend it.


Simple Church by Thom Rainer and Eric Geiger

I read this book on the flight home from Illinois yesterday and while I agree with the basic premise of the book that simple churches are probably more effective than complex churches and will probably grow quicker I get bothered by any book in which a church is defined as successful or not by how comparable it is in structure to companies like Google or Apple. Most of the illustrations of what it means to be successful were about corporate America. That's always an easy button to push to get me uninterested in a book right away. One thing that bothers me about this book is their definition (or lack thereof) of a "vibrant church". In the study they loosely define a "vibrant" church as one that has had 10% growth three years in a row. Believe it or not, I think it is possible to be a healthy church and actually decrease in attendance in a year and still be a success! Further, I'm not sure it is possible to "clearly define" what discipleship looks like for all people. It's almost like they are taking a Wal-Mart approach to discipleship. Try to appeal to the largest crowd and make it as easy as possible to receive their religious goods. In fact, to go a little further, (despite the quote of "My yoke is easy), I don't think discipleship is simple (and I acknowledge their differentiation from easy).

The information in this book would have been adequate for an article, but I'm not sure there is enough here for a whole book. Some interesting finds but pretty predictable. Simple church structures work better than complex church structures. When the staff are all clear on the process of the church and are unified around it, the church flows smoothly and grows. People need a clear idea of the process and what success in that process looks like, etc. Most of the book is common sense although it is a nice challenge to simplify and stick with what you have determined is your process for making disciples. I'm not sure you can clearly define this process and put people through the "stages" of discipleship like this book encourages. I think it is messier than that and a little dehumanizing when your goal is to push people through stages like cattle. I was turned off by a lot of the language of this book and was not very impressed over all. Nothing all that new here.

Death by Meeting - Patrick Lencioni

I was also able to read this book on the plane on the way to Illinois. A short and entertaining read. Who knew business books could be so fun! If you hate meetings and are wondering if there is a better way to lead meetings, this would be a beneficial read for you. I don't have a lot to say about this book but I will definitely remember some of the ideas for more effective meetings when it comes to church meetings which can be the worst!

No, I'm not talking about Bob, Chris, and I's meeting! Those are always stellar of course! I've got to get to school.

As turned off as I have been with business books in the past, I enjoy the leadership "fable" genre. Instead of a book full of principles to follow it's written in a story and I can remember it.

Ava and Aiden

Behold, my twin niece and nephew experiencing the joys of the beach for the first time in Florida!

Can't wait to see them at Christmas!

The end of life as we know it...

Last week Kelli and I realized that our nightly ritual of watching Friends at 6:30 and 7:00 and then watching Seinfeld at 7:30 had been destroyed by some moron at the television station who thought people might enjoy watching Family Guy and Two and a Half Men during those time slots.

WHAT IN THE WORLD WERE THEY THINKING?

I enjoy Family Guy as much as the next guy, but come on, can anyone justify taking Friends and Seinfeld off for that and Two and a Half Freaking Men? Are you serious? It's been a while since I've been so riled up about anything!

This definitely changes our lives and schedules in ways I have not yet stopped to even comprehend. To what shall we turn for our dining entertainment? I'm not sure there are any easy answers at this point. Life is complicated. Sure I could watch Seinfeld on DVD since I own all of the seasons currently available but that does not replace watching syndicated episodes with a large number of our population. It's just not the same. *sigh*

Bad News...

Greg Oden is OUT for the SEASON!!!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

In other news, Belichick is getting brutally clobbered all over the media and even by players from other teams. Apparently, his legacy of being an arrogant jerk and a confirmed cheater is coming to a head!

I officially know the Hebrew alphabet and vowels! It's all downhill from here, right???

Choose the Life

I just finished Choose the Life by Bill Hull today and found it to be a refreshing and challenging read. Bill talks about the state of "non-discipleship" Christianity within our churches where faith is more of an agreement than a commitment to follow Jesus with our entire lives. And because of that, people in the church remain unchanged but think they are Christians because they've agreed with a theological statement. In the spirit of Bonhoeffer, Hull states that "the trouble with our evangelism is that we have made it so easy to enter the Christian life that we miss the repentance, commitment, and regeneration that provide the power to live the Christian life."

Inspired by Dallas Willard, Hull says that the spiritual disciplines have no value in and of themselves for discipleship. If the idea is to produce depth for depth's sake, it is self-indulgent and births pride, the king of sins. "There is no virtue in spiritual exercise without a reason, and that reason is the Great Commission; it is, as we have already considered, losing ourselves in the mission (Luke 9:23-25)".

Another interesting quote is in the context of speaking of myths that exist within our faith. The myth he is speaking of is that "Religion is a private matter." "Churches will exhort members to let their lives speak but won't ask them to say anything or take a stand. one of the most arrogant things a person can say is, "I will let my life speak for me." As Sam Shoemaker used to say, "that is too much about us and too little about him." Pg. 113

Finally, here is a quote for all ministers! This is a tough one. "When our daily self-worth and the measure of our effectiveness come primarily from the reaction of those with whom we work, then we are finished as Christian leaders." He actually quotes this from R. Rodin Scott. This is so true and so difficult to live by. One thing i have noticed in the last five years is that many people get convicted of something or influenced by someone in their life and out of this experience sparks a passion. That is all good! But many of those people think their passion should be yours and the churches passion and if the church fails to act on their passion, then they are failing to be Christian! Everyone has an opinion on what the church should be doing. But very few people are willing to actually take the next step and do it.

Hull gives a needed reminder that the job of the church is and always will be the Great Commission. We are to make disciples. That is the mission of the church! Jesus explicitly told us what we are to be doing! His mission far surpasses the rabbit trails that people can lead you on! More could be said on this, maybe later.

There is a marked difference between Christians and Disciples. Jesus called us to make disciples, religion calls us to make Christians. There are probably more Christians in our churches today than Disciples and that is apparent from the lack of any considerable behavioral difference between those who call themselves "Christians" and those who don't. For more depressing facts on that see pretty much any George Barna book!

I highly recommend Choose the Life to discover some ways of refocusing our attention on the Great Commission and making disciples that will live in the way of Jesus.

Oh, and if you are unclear of what Bill Hull might mean when he says disciple he defines it like this (which I like):

Believe what Jesus believed (transformed mind)

Live as Jesus lived (transformed character)

Love as Jesus loved (transformed relationships)

Minister as Jesus ministered (transformed service)

Lead as Jesus led (transformed influence)

Mosquito Bites, Cold Ones, and Hot Dogs

This weekend we went camping with about 50 others from the Evergreen Community at Milo McIver State Park and had a great time. Kelli and I are not necessarily what you would call "campers" but it was a blast nonetheless. Today we got home and I felt like someone had beaten me mercilessly but that might be because Devin made me jog with him yesterday and most of it was uphill. I'm not sure whether to thank you or curse you Devin. We played some Settlers of Catan, bathed in a freezing river, played some Bocce, drank some of NW's finest, and ended with our worship gathering around a campfire. I'm glad we went this year!

Wednesday morning we live for Illinois where Ben and Angela have asked me to officiate their marriage on Saturday at Augustana College. I'm really excited to get to spend time with my family whom I see too infrequently and get to marry a couple that I feel really confident will last a lifetime.

But my Hebrew studies call and I still don't know the alphabet! Yikes this is hard!

Another Gem from the Onion!

In The Know: Are America's Rich Falling Behind The Super-Rich?

Denied!

I'm at Western Seminary right now and a friend of mine invited me to join a church group on Facebook so i clicked on the link to go to Facebook and this came up at the school! Pretty hardcore!

I've never felt like more of a criminal in my life!

My favorite line is "Immediate action will take place." I'm waiting for people to come crashing through the windows and throw me to the ground. So far however, no immediate action has taken place! I'll keep you posted!

T Minus 30 (min)

Until my first Hebrew class! Yikes!

Triple Falls

As Kelli has already blogged, we hiked up to Triple Falls today which you can see HERE. It was a beautiful hike with a moderate grade although there were a few stretches that were pretty painful. We got there early, around 8:45am before anyone else was there. It was awesome being the only ones on the trails for a while. Even more cool was sitting on top of Triple Falls eating lunch without another soul in sight. Very peaceful.

The picture here is of the (middle) Oneonta Falls which you walk by under a large rock overhang. We also walked down the Oneonta Gorge a little while which was quite impressive. I'd like to explore that a little more. By this point we were pretty wiped out. 3 hikes done, 57 to go!

Oregonians

It might be that we finally got are Oregon license plates this past Friday (our Florida ones expired in April which probably isn't good). Or because we're going camping next weekend with Evergreen, but were feeling more and more like Oregonians as of late.

Anyway, today Kelli and I went for a hike (more a walk than a hike) out at Hoyt Arboretum and saw some Giant Sequoias which are amazingly soft and spongy if you haven't felt them. Growing up in Illinois we had never come into contact with the Sequoias and Redwoods that Oregon has to offer so it's all new to us!

After our hike we bought the book 60 Hikes in 60 Miles and really want to start spending our day off hiking more and seeing all the beautiful scenery in Oregon. Monday morning we're going to go to Triple Falls out on the Columbia River Gorge. Seemed like an easy starter hike and we are looking to slowly build up to the more strenuous hikes up by Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Hood. Obviously the weather isn't going to cooperate with us much longer but I think it would be fun to take a snowy hike a few times this winter too where possible.

Any other Oregonians have any hiking suggestions?

Fantasy Football

Fantasy Football Team #1 Starters:
Marc Bulger (StL - QB)
Plaxico Burress (NYG - WR)
Terry Glenn (Dal - WR)
Mark Clayton (Bal - WR)
Rudi Johnson (Cin - RB)
Willis McGahee (Bal - RB)
Randy McMichael (StL - TE)
Jamal Lewis (Cle - RB)
Ladell Betts (Was - RB)
Jacksonville (DEF)
Josh Scobee (K)

Not great, but I've had worse. Plus, at least it's better than Devin's team!

Fantasy Football Team #2 Starters:
Drew Brees (NO - QB)
T.J. Houshmandzadeh (Cin - WR)
Laveranues Coles (NYJ - WR)
Muhsin Muhammad (Chi - WR)
Joseph Addai (Ind - RB)
Thomas Jones (NYJ - RB)
Alge Crumpler (Atl - TE)
Ladell Betts (Was - RB)
Isaac Bruce (StL - WR)
Robbie Gould (K)
Denver (DEF)

Should be a fun year!