Proverbs - Summer 08

In the past few years I have chosen a book from Scripture that I will study and meditate on over the summer months and I have really enjoyed the longer and more intentional time of reading that this allows. Last summer I read the book of Genesis and read Tremper Longman's helpful intro appropriately named "How to Read Genesis" beforehand. I really enjoyed my reading of Genesis and can't think of a more profound story anywhere in the universe than what is recorded there.

This summer I have chosen to spend time on the Proverbs and found out that Tremper Longman has a book "How to Read Proverbs" as well which is sweet!

I've chosen Proverbs for a few reasons. First, as Longman says in the intro to his book, life is difficult. It truly takes wisdom to live in a way that is right, not just in the ethical sense, but in a way that continues on the road that God has for us, or what Jesus calls "abundant life". We face so many decisions and choices in our lives, many of which have lifelong consequences. Life is too short to live without wisdom.

A second reason sprung from a conversation I had with a professor this past semester. We were speaking of difficult people and how they tend to bring out the worst even in the best of people and how it is so easy to lose your patience and say things that are not helpful. I am the king of this, but not just with difficult people, sometimes with ANY people! If you need a specific example (there are a plethora), just ask Devin Vaughn about the time (not long ago) where I lost my mind while playing Settlers of Catan and accused him of cheating for not good reason. (We have since decided it best for our friendship to take a break from the game). I can look back at my life and point out several times when I spouted off my mouth and regretted it later (unfortunately so can others). There are times when I have a quick trigger and I would like to lengthen the fuse a couple of feet.

In any case my professor confesses to have the same problem and said one of the more helpful things he ever did was to meditate on the Proverbs and allow them to shape his thinking.

I found how Longman explained wisdom interesting: “Wisdom is the skill of living. It is a practical knowledge that helps one know how to act and how to speak in different situations. Wisdom entails the ability to avoid problems, and the skill to handle them when they present themselves. Wisdom also includes the ability to interpret other people’s speech and writing in order to react correctly to what they are saying to us.” Longman 14-15

I could use a little more of all of that!

ESB

This Saturday, the Bagby Brewery is brewing an ESB (Extra Special Bitter) which we will of course call a DSB (Devin's Screwtop Beer). Technically it's an English style but we're going to add a Northwest twist using a little less malt and a little more hops of the Amarillo and Cascade variety. We'll still be using the English Ale yeast however. Should be good. About ready to bottle the coffee cream stout early next week as well and then let it age until fall (not that we won't sneak a taste).

I'm at a Starbucks in Beaverton right now and there's this business guy in here that is talking as if the world wouldn't continue to exist without him. I always love guys who take themselves and what they do way too seriously. Devin suggests I make a phone call and loudly try to out-talk him. I wish I had a bluetooth ear piece, that would give me the trump card right now.

Does anyone else remember when Paste Magazine Samplers used to be good? What the heck? I don't even know what I'm listening to anymore. Out of the last three samplers I think I've actually thought three songs were enjoyable. What a disappointment.

The Road

So I found out today right before I went to school that they are filming scenes for the Cormac McCarthy novel, "The Road" inside Western Seminary chapel. Viggo Mortensen and Charlize Theron are both in the movie so I was hoping to catch a glimpse. They were doing a funeral scene in the chapel and after class they were tearing down inside, but were shooting another scene outside on campus. Kind of exciting. I'll keep you posted!

Hawthorne Gathering Launch

Yesterday was the big day! We started a second gathering at the Lucky Lab on Hawthorne. I didn't sleep much the night before. I woke up about every 30 minutes thinking it was time to go. I hope that changes! Overall, everything went great. Set-up/tear down was fantastic due to the awesome people we have there to help. The turnout was good, even had a few first time visitors! The discussion was fairly lively, I didn't allow for enough discussion most likely, but people shared some great stories when we did have discussion.

We talked through Acts 1:8 and Jesus telling his followers that they would be witnesses to Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. And then when Jesus ascended the disciples just stood there looking up at the sky. A few angels had to remind the disciples, "hey guys, Jesus just told you what to do, do it!" And I wonder how many times we just stand around looking up at the sky waiting for God to do something when he's already told us what we are to be working at. Then we talked about Acts 2:42-47 and about how it wasn't a complete picture of the church because they still had not fulfilled their "missionary potential" as sent-ones. It wasn't until persecution hit the church in 8:1 where the disciples were scatted to the very places Jesus told them to go in the first place. So we spoke to some implications of our first week of being "scattered" and what that means for us as a community.

In any case, the excitement was great, it was almost completely stress-free, it was fun, there was a lot of laughter before, during, and after. After seeing how this works out, I wouldn't want to do things any differently. Traditional church planting with the mass marketing and the big production, etc doesn't hold a candle to what happens when the focus is on relationships and growing naturally. Honestly, it's not only more healthy, but just a lot more fun.

Thanks a lot for all who have been praying for us. I'll have some pics later so you can see it for yourself.

Sleep, where did you go?

The last week and a half or so I've been having a hard time sleeping. Lots of tossing and turning. I'm not sure why. I don't feel stressed out about starting a new Evergreen location this weekend and feel like everything is in place (to the best of our knowledge) but I wonder the stress is just exhibiting itself in a different way. Another strange thing is that when I am sleeping I am dreaming about Evergreen stuff. Not anything exciting, just mundane details and normal conversations so some mornings I wake up and feel like i've been working all night which isn't a great way to start the day!

On another note, Kelli and I have been thinking of getting a kitten. We can't have a dog where we live so we thought having a cat may be fun. I've found some pretty cool ones on Craigslist but I'm having some catmittment issues. Seems like an added responsibility and that scares me right now! I can't imagine how much a child changes things, but it won't be too long before we find out. (No, Kelli is not pregnant).

Another winner

Historic �Blockbuster� Store Offers Glimpse Of How Movies Were Rented In The Past

Lompoc Love

Last night it is my opinion that we were the loudest table of the bunch sitting outside at the Lompoc. There was much laughter and it was a lot of fun. Bob had a life-long dream recently realized of meeting Rowdy Roddy Piper at the gym he goes to (and despite explicit warnings from James of favoring people because of their wealth or status, he is going to pray that Roddy comes to church, to which I believe Dan replied, "That's fine we'll (speaking of Hawthorne) get the Iron Sheik!), Dan told a funny story about a mover who tried to pick fights in the bar with the largest man around after 10 or so drinks, and Chris told his story of flipping over his handle-bars earlier in the day (i guess that wasn't really funny), but it was a good night of laughs.

In fact, near the end of the night, a young woman came over out of curiosity to see who we were. She said, "hey, i'm just curious, do you guys all work together or something? It's just rare that I see this many guys just hanging out (i think she was insinuating that it was odd there were no women with us). But then she said before we could answer, "But what place employs all men, I just can't figure this out." So Tom told her that we were a part of the same church community. She looked surprised, "and you hang out at the pub together? Where do you meet?" Tom told her that we met at the Lucky Lab Pub on Sunday mornings. "So, let me get this straight, you meet at a pub for church? And you hang out at a pub on Monday night and have some beer together?" Yup, that's right. She responded with a pleasant surprise and told us she was from Alabama and has never imagined church being like this. She asked where we met and told us she wanted to check it out. I love the fact that as "church men" or rather as the Horsebrass pub used to call us, "church boys" we can hang out at a pub, have the most fun and the most laughs out of anyone and confuse people like crazy because of it. Truly a lot of fun.

Huh?

I refuse to believe the weather people are going to be right on this one. I would put money on the fact that it will not be 93 on Friday. Anyone else?

Coffee Cream Success!

Boiling the specialty grains and roasted barley. This is the most grain I've ever used.












Kelli rolling the coffee. Kelli makes a fine Assistant to the Brewmaster.













Mmmmm, creamy!














The Fuggles hops.














Good looking stout. I think this will turn out well!

Original gravity reading: 1.060.

Uh, that's pretty high! Yikes!

Coffee Cream Stout

Today, Kelli and I will attempt to brew a Coffee Cream Stout (using Stumptown Coffee) and the specialty grains you see above. We're going to add some lactose powder before bottling (which is a month away) to offset the bitterness of the coffee and we're using very few Fuggles hops as well to retain the sweet, smooth flavor. We're going to let this one age until late fall or winter (if we can keep our hands off of it) so we have something delicious to drink on those cold winter nights.




So far we've brewed:
Nut brown ale (turned out okay, but it is getting worse! I would not use brown sugar next time)
Pale ale (best so far, brewed with Northern Brewer hops which rule! Close to an IPA)
Red ale (some bottle turned out amazing, other's tasted like flat dishwater, hmm)
IPA (soaked in oak chips and dry hopped. this one is bottle conditioning as we speak)

I think this Coffee Cream Stout is going to be the crowning achievement so far. I have high hopes! I'll let you know when we sample in about 6 weeks. This is one of the more adventurous things we have done yet so I hope it doesn't turn out terrible.

Next to brew:
ESB (We've got to get this one rolling Devin and Chris)
Maybe a wheat beer?
Something with Summit Hops if I can ever get my hands on some.

Offensive signals as well?

Once again, I'm reminded why I was so happy the New England Patriots lost the Super Bowl. I'm interested to see what new punishments will be handed down!

The Everybodyfields

Really enjoying The Everybodyfields new album "nothing is okay". This is a good album for those who want to like Drive-By Truckers but think they're a little too hick and a tad too cheesy. Or if you like The Avett Bros. you'll probably like this.

mmmm, love me some alt-country.

A Beer From God

I didn't know the story of Arthur Guinness but read a brief bit about him today in Michael Frost's book Exiles. Here is the excerpt. It's worth the read.

"In 1759, a determined man named Arthur Guinness, thirty-four years of age, rode through the gate of an old, dilapidated, ill-equipped brewery situated at St. James's Gate in Dublin. He had just signed a lease on the property for nine thousand years at 79$. At that time, beer was almost unknown in rural Ireland, where whiskey, gin, and poteen were the alcoholic beverages most readily available. Cheap to buy, high in alcohol content, and readily available, these drinks were responsible for widespread alcoholism and indolence.

Arthur Guinness was a builder. He was an entrepreneur who could dream up business plans and marketing strategies, who could make a worthless brewery into a booming industry. He was also a devout Christian with a deep social conscience. He was concerned about the plight of young Irish drunks who wandered aimlessly around the whiskey and gin houses found on nearly every street corner. Once, while walking the streets of Dublin, he cried out to God to do something about the general drunkenness of Irish society, and he felt overwhelmingly burdened to be a part of the answer to his own prayer. Like a true apprentice-child, he decided there and then to brew a drink that the Irish would enjoy and that would also be good for them.

Guinness decided to brew a beer relatively new to Ireland at that time. The beverage contained roasted barley that gave it a characteristically dark color. This brew, well known in England, was called "porter" because of its popularity with the porters and stevedores of Covent Garden and Billingsgate in London. But Guinness's recipe produced more than your average dark beer. With its rich creamy head, it's the beer we'll drink in heaven. Full-bodied, smooth, creamy, slightly bitter, it's a wonderfully delicious beverage. In fact, it's more like a meal, since it is so full of minerals and natural trace elements. Guinness was so heavy and full of iron that most drinkers couldn't drink more than a couple of pints. This, coupled with the fact that it has a considerably lower alcohol level than whiskey or gin, meant that fewer people were getting drunk.

So young Arthur Guinness made a beverage for the Irish that was good for them. Soon, his porter was overtaking the sales of Irish ales and English porters, and then became more popular than Irish whiskey. Today it is the national drink of Ireland." Pg. 190-191

An Adjective Shortage

Cosmo is apparently getting desperate to find new adjectives to get people's attention at the checkout stand.

Chicago

The start of a chilly 35 degree game.













A vision of God's favor shining down on the Cubs.













Nick's son Elijah













A delicious Chicago Hot Dog













My friend Jeff's ferret Chief.













A disturbing sign at the church my friend Josh got married.












The scariest urinal set-up in history. You cannot use this without leaning on the man next to you. A woman had to have designed this.











A diner where Nick Plassman swears that he is such a regular that one day the waitress just brought him his usual without asking his order. Total BS.











This has nothing to do with Chicago, just a random picture of Tom doing some light reading.

Benson Arrested

I'm still trying to figure out why we traded Thomas Jones. This makes me wonder that even more.

Now if Grossman could only get arrested and get put away for a few years. Then maybe we could get a new quarterback.