A Rogue Letdown

Before I say anything I will say that I was very excited to visit the Rogue Brewery. In the past few years I have thought what they have done has been very unique. Not always very drinkable beer, but unique nonetheless. This visit to the brewery yesterday was more than disappointing. We learned some things that definitely tainted our experience.

First, the brewery is owned by the former president of Nike. I had no idea that this was owned by a group of corporate folk (this is fine but combined with what is next it's not fine).


Second, all workers at the brewery gets paid minimum wage. This was something the tour guide bragged about. She said that the president spends money on nothing. They pay their employees nothing, they buy no equipment as you will see, and will absolutely spend no money on anything. I'm not sure if this was supposed to impress us, but all it did was pissed me off. The workers we saw appeared to be immigrants from Mexico who were getting paid absolutely nothing and I assume also have no brewery experience. How is this supposed to impress us? I would much rather have a brewery like New Belgium paying their employees well and giving them great benefits (such as an all expense paid trip to Belgium after ten years as well as hiring those with valuable experience to brew my beer.

Third, along with the second problem the tour guide whom also said they spend no money on marketing, employees, or equipment, my question becomes, where in the world does all the money go??? I think the answer is obvious. To the owner who has chosen to treat her employees like garbage and not improve the facilities at all. Other than that I cannot figure out where all of this revenue goes. Anyone have any idea what they could spend their money on if it doesn't go to the owner and no money is spent on employees, marketing, or facilities???




Fourth, the facilities as you can sort of see in the picture looks like trash. It's dirty, there is sticky wort covering the filthy floors, the fermenters which were gotten from old dairy farms in which they got by trading spent grain look like garbage as well. That is not to say that it doesn't work or that the inside isn't in good condition. I'm just saying, maybe they should just buy a few good ones but again, then the president wouldn't be raking in the cash. This made me appreciate Widmer Brewery which pays well and their equipment and facilities are pristine. They keep it incredibly clean, the equipment is state of the art, and they put a ton of money back into the facilities to make the best beer they possibly can.


Fifth, there are honestly about two Rogue beers that I enjoy that I think are actually drinkable. Most of the beers are marketed to college students who just want a high alcohol beer that they can drink and get drunk quick (such as Old Crusty). Or they want a novelty beer that they can take home and show their friends like Chipotle Beer, or Yellow Snow. These are fun and interesting, but they are far from superior tasting or enjoyable to drink. The process they use makes most of their beer taste very similar. This process consists of taking the hops and putting them back on top of the beer after they have been used (i'm not sure exactly what this process is, but the point is, this is the part of the process which gives Rogue it's distinctive flavor which I do not enjoy.

Overall, this was an extremely disappointing experience. I don't think in good conscience I can buy Rogue beer knowing that it is run by a stingy corporate businessman who pays minimum wage and puts nothing back into the brewery. It's such a sham. The whole vision of Rogue is to be this independent, unique brewery but that seems far from the reality as presented by the tour guide.

All of this basically comes straight from the tour yesterday and the information was spoken as if it should impress us, but it basically made me realize what a sham it really is. I am trying to take the info given with a grain of salt because honestly, all I know is what one tour guide said. Maybe that's false information. I hope so!

I'm bummed. It really made me appreciate Widmer Bros. and New Belgium! I think John Maier is a creative and talented brew master and it's unfortunate how the brewery is run and I think that is a big detriment to the brewers and the consumers alike.

Anyway, here are the beers we tasted yesterday:
Old Crusty (extremely strong and malty-couldn't even get through a taster glass of it)
10,000 Brew (strong floral flavor, couldn't drink an entire pint of this)
Brutal Bitter (this is decent, like a mild IPA)
Hazelnut Brown Nectar (this is my favorite Rogue beer, very sweet, drinks like a dessert)
Shakespeare Stout (complex flavor, very strong chocolate/malt richness, I'd rather have a Guiness)
Chipotle Ale (tasted like a regular ale, couldn't taste any spice)
Dead Guy Ale (ah, nothing sticks out on this one)

Wine Country

Some pics from our excursion so far today. We drove through some wine country today and got to try lots of Pinot Noir. It will be beautiful to see all the grapes growing this summer and fall.

Now we're just at the hotel in Newport waiting to go to Rogue!

Spring Break!

That's right. 27 years old and I am still taking a Spring Break! I live by the rule that everyone should get a spring break, every year, for life. Anyway, this year we are simply spending a few nights over at the coast in Newport. Going to visit Rogue Brewery tomorrow and take a tour, visit a few wineries on our way and go to the aquarium on Sunday. Otherwise we'll just be chilling and taking it easy.

Three beers I will try tomorrow:
1. Brew 10,000
2. Honey Cream Ale
3. Mocha Porter

Heck, I might even try a Chocolate Stout Float if things get crazy!

Sounds like a fun weekend. We kicked off things tonight with a Rieling tasting at the local wine store. They had five tastes of German Rieslings from 98, 94, 93, 90, 88 and a bonus pour from 71! That's right 1971. 9 Years before I was born. I have never had a wine that old so it was pretty cool. Before tonight I have always enjoyed red wines (mainly Syrah's and Pinot Noir's) but these were fantastic!

For those keeping score at home, yes I am breaking Lent because we have had these plans for this weekend before and I think Jesus understands. Plus, I'm not Catholic, what the heck am I doing? I will have more thoughts on the benefits (or lack-thereof) of participating in Lent soon!

I can't wait to get away! Tiring week of trying to get ahead in school so I don't have to do school work next week during our official spring break and working a few long days at the Goff's trying to get three rooms in their interior painted by April 1st! As I was painting a set of stairs (and almost done) I see their cat Kevin come flying around the corner and straight up the freshly painted steps. Crap. Now I've got to fix that on Tuesday and Kevin has grey paws for about 6 months.

I wish i wouldn't have found this...

If you are a reader, then you MUST check this out. How did I not know about this before?

From my Seminary:

"If you attended the recent Married Student Dinner, you were given an evaluation form for that event. You may recall that all couples who turned in the evaluation would be entered into a drawing for a free hotel stay at the Holiday Inn at the airport."

Latest Reads

Listening to the Beliefs of the Emerging Church
I just realized that I haven't posted anything about books lately so I figured I would just throw a quick update on some stuff I've read lately.

This was an interesting read, some chapters better than others. I thought Mark Driscoll's chapter was probably the poorest and had the least actual thought involved. It was like he just copied and pasted an extended doctrinal statement from the back of a church bulletin instead of putting some thought into it so that was a bummer. I couldn't quite figure out how John Burke fit into the whole thing and after reading his chapter wasn't sure exactly what he said although he did have some helpful responses to other chapters that I appreciated. I connected most with Dan Kimball's chapter over the others. Doug Pagitt's chapter scared me in places. He almost seems reckless at times with the way he disregards orthodox christian belief from other centuries. In some ways this can be good, but is not always helpful. Karen Ward's chapter was very creative and inspiring for what a community can look like. I don't really want to give a detailed critique of this book and besides you will find a much better one HERE. Overall, the book was extremely easy to read through, the responses were always intriguing but I guess it didn't quite live up to my expectations so I was a little disappointed. As Chris said in his article that I linked it seemed like Driscoll put on a referees shirt and blew the whistle when he perceived a theological foul plus he "cited" 700 bible verses in the book which is a little ridiculous. I think Karen Ward was right when she said that you can be a "biblicist" without using the bible correctly and it seems this may have been the case in this regard. Anyway, I will cut myself off here because anything else I have to say is kind of irrelevant. I am more excited to read "An Emerging Manifesto of Hope." I think it will be much better than this. I would give this book a B.

The Scarlet Letter - Nathaniel Hawthorne
This is another classic no one ever made me read. While it became very dry in places due to the language that Hawthorne uses I can see why this book made such a huge impact. Not only a social commentary on the Puritans but a HUGE statement of sin in general. Really hits the nature of sin and the shame that comes along with it well. So many themes throughout this book it is hard to even catch them all. Some great irony and religious commentary from this time period. If you haven't read it, I highly recommend it!





Your God is Too Small - J.B. Phillips

This is an older book which was clearly written in a time different from ours, however the first part of the book is timeless. I'm seeing much more value in reading older books than all of the new stuff that just hits the shelves. Phillips deals with the misconceptions we have of God and how our misconceptions drive our actions and our lives. Some of the perceptions are God as a resident policeman or confusing God with your conscience, God as a parental hangover or confusing God with your image of your parents, God as meek and mild or confusing Jesus with sentimentality, and God as a box or confusing God with a denominational leader. There were some great timeless observations that Phillips makes and draws from culture that are worth reading. The second half of the book is basically a general gospel presentation that seems a little outdated although I see how important it is to not only tear down unhealthy images of God but build a healthy view of God from Scripture.

Four Views of Hell

This is kind of a hobby theology book. Honestly the exact nature of hell is not all that important, we know it's a serious subject and a bad place and I'm not sure it matters if it is literal, metaphorical, etc. Most of this is speculation on where scripture is silent. It was an interesting read. Walvord defended a literal hell, Crockett a metaphorical hell, Hayes a purgatorial hell, and Pinnock (always one to be in the minority) a conditional hell or annhiliation. I found Crockett's most compelling but then again, this is rather unimportant as far as theology goes, more just an interesting read rather than having to do with life. I know some would disagree with that however.


Reaching Out - Henri Nouwen

I feel that I should read at least one Nouwen book a year to keep my soul fresh and this was a great one as always. I highly recommend this book. If you haven't read any Nouwen I would suggest "In the Name of Jesus" to start out with. It kind of gives you a picture of where he is coming from and it's a fantastic book.






The Pleasures of God - John Piper

There were places in this book where I felt a definite awe for God and I couldn't help but marvel at the grandeur of God. But much of the rest of the book all I got was that John Piper is a hard core Calvinist. I'm not a big fan of John Piper, especially since I'm not a Calvinist nor am I Reformed in my theology, nor do I even really subscribe to a theological system. You can see how this book would cause problems with that! Anyway, I was hoping it would be more about God and less about a theological system and God picking individuals for salvation but that was a majority of it.

Random Notes

Kelli is at a writer's workshop today at Western Seminary so here I sit.

Last night we went to Linda and Sam's to learn how to cook Salmon three different ways. I was extremely tired and did not talk to hardly anyone. I felt kind of bad for that but i just didn't have the energy to interact.

As I sit here I am only hours away from brewing beer with Travis.

Tonight we are going to see 300 with Jason and Kimberly.

Next Friday we get to move into our new apartment above the garage. We're really moving up. From the basement to the garage! The garage is pretty sweet though. It's got a fireplace, a huge front window from which to enjoy spring, and it's a perfect place to have people over (which we will be doing when our beer is ready to drink and lent is over).

Crap, i'm just bored, sorry for wasting your time.

Wal-Mart rejects 'racy' worship CD

Oh man, Lark News has done it again! Another hilarious article!

ANAHEIM — The latest Vineyard Music worship CD, "Intimacy, vol. 2," has raced to the top of the Christian sales charts, but Wal-Mart is refusing to stock the album without slapping on a parental warning sticker. The ground-breaking — some say risqué — album includes edgy worship songs such as "My Lover, My God," "Touch Me All Over," "Naked Before You," "I'll Do Anything You Want," "Deeper" and "You Make Me Hot with Desire."
"We've had concerns about previous Vineyard CD's, but this time they went overboard in their suggestive imagery depicting the church's love affair with Christ," said a Wal-Mart spokesman. "It would be irresponsible to sell this to 13-year-old kids."
A Vineyard Music Group (VMG) spokesman defended the album.
"We felt this was the next logical step in furthering people's intimacy with the Lord, as the title implies," said Sam Haverley, director of VMG public relations. "People aren't content with yesterday's level of closeness. They want something more. We feel this album gives them that."
Wal-Mart represents a third of all CD sales, which has forced VMG to try to negotiate a deal. VMG proposed adding a heart-shaped warning sticker rather than the black-and-white label more often seen on raunchy rap albums, but Wal-Mart refused. VMG is considering issuing a censored version of the album.
"If Christians want to make R- or X-rated music, that's up to them," said a Wal-Mart spokesman, "but we don't have to carry it." •

One of the most uncomfortable and horrific things I have ever seen. I have never felt worse for anyone in my life!

And of course a great story about this tragedy here on ESPN.

What Are People For?

Wendell Berry is an inspiring thinker and has a profound gift for connecting the spiritual with the everyday world we live in. What Are People For? is a book of essays that begin with a few poems and then the first part of the book (which I skipped most of) deals with authors that he respects and enjoys. I didn't know any of the authors so I proceeded to Pt. 2. This section has some wonderfully thought-provoking essays on "Why I Will Not Buy a Computer", "Feminism, the Body, and the Machine", "The Pleasures of Eating", and the most convicting for me, "God and the Country."

I really connected with God and the Country since I grew up in a farming community of about 2500 people. I felt bad for the country church, and I felt ever more horrible for what I did to the country church. Let me give you a quote from Berry first:

"The second manifestation I want to speak of is the practice, again common in the churches of my experience, of using the rural ministry as a training ground for young ministers and as a means of subsidizing their education. No church official, apparently, sees any logical, much less any spiritual, problem in sending young people to minister to country churches before they have, according to their institutional superiors, become eligible to be ministers. These student ministers invariably leave the rural congregations that have sponsored or endured their educations as soon as possible once they have their diplomas in hand. The denominational hierarchies, then, evidently regard country places in exactly the same way as “the economy” does: as sources of economic power to be exploited for theadvantage of “better” places. The country people will be used to educate ministers for the benefit of city people (in wealthier churches) who, obviously, are thought more deserving of educated ministers. This, I am well aware, is mainly the fault of the church organizations; is is not a charge that can be made to stick to any young minister in particular: not all ministers should be country ministers, just as not all people should be country people. And yet is is a fact that in the more than fifty years that I have known my own rural community, many student ministers have been “called” to serve in its churches, but not one has ever been “called to stay. The message that country people get from their churches, then, is the same message they get from “the economy”: that, as country people, they do not matter much and do not deserve much consideration. And this inexcapably imposes an economin caluation on spiritual things. According to the modern church, as one of my Christian friends said to me, “The soul of the plowboy ain’t owrth as much as the soul of the delivery boy.” Pg. 96, 97

The last few years of college a few friends and I did what was termed "pulpit supply" meaning that we preached at little country churches around Illinois where they could not afford to have full time ministers any longer mainly because their attendance had declined to a point of almost closing. Some of these churches had 50 people, some had 4 (not kidding). While I gained valuable experience in these country churches and have some great stories, I do not feel that I valued these people as worthwile humans beings who had spiritual needs and were just as important as anyone else in the world. I regret the ease at which I took the task of preaching simply because, "it was a small country church". This might not have come out in tangible ways and I don't think anyone in these congregations would ever have said that about me, but I still felt it and saw it in the way I prepared, the disregard and non-chalance for which I treated it. Why wouldn't I prepare the same preaching for 10 that I would 1,000? Aren't people still people no matter how many of them there are?

I write all this out of conviction but I also say this to wonder if there is a better way. I've got to say that the people I met in these small churches were some of the most loving, supportive people on earth. They would and smile through 10 bad Dustin sermons and tell me it was the greatest sermon they had ever heard. Those moments were indispensable to me as a preacher and have helped form me as the preacher I am today. I wish I would have given them more.

Life After God

On a friend's recommendation I read Life After God by Douglas Coupland. I had heard of his other books Shampoo Planet and Generation X but had not read anything by him. The first half of the book I didn't care for all that much. They seemed like completely disconnected and absurd stories with no real interpretation so I was a little frustrated but then it hit me. This is life after God! Disconnected and absurd stories with no meaning or ability for interpretation! Makes sense.

Anyway, the second half of the book I enjoyed much more as events did begin to get interpreted to some extent and some profound thoughts started to come out. Besides that, he is just a good writer. Let me give you an example:

"My drive continued and worries about vanishing feelings remained like a background radiation. But I guess the nice thing about driving a car is that the physical act of driving itself occupies a good chunk of brain cells that otherwise would be giving you trouble overloading your thinking. new scenery continually erases what came before; memory is lost, shuffled, relabeled and forgotten. Gum is chewed; buttons are pushed; windows are lowered and opened. A fast moving car is the only place where you're legally llowed to not deal with your problems. It's enforced meditation and this is good."

If for nothing else, this book is worth reading simply for the very insightful chapter on Christian radio (pg. 182ff). It's not a rant about it, it's a complete lack of understanding of what these people are talking about and I can't say I don't understand. There is no foundation from which to understand even the language that these people are speaking when you grow up in a life....well, you know. But even more than that, the language the people on the Christian radio are using is becoming a language unto itself in a way no one can truly understand but only pretend to. I'd like to give you an example but i'd rather you read the book and understand what i'm talking about yourself.

BEERFEST

Just signed up to volunteer for 4 hours at the Spring Beer and Wine Fest at the Convention Center on April 6th, and 7th. Those 4 hours get you in both days for free for the beer, food, and classes! Woohoo! If you're not doing anything you should think about it!

Josh Ritter - Aladdin Theatre

Saturday night we saw Josh Ritter perform. The Aladdin Theatre I must say is a fantastic venue. Not only does it have GA seats but the theatre itself has this old school feel to it that was perfect for a Josh Ritter/Laura Gibson acoustic show. The stage had an old table and lamp on it and gave it the feel like it was an old time radio show and that's exactly what it felt like. We only caught the last few songs of Laura Gibson but now wish we would have seen more.

Josh Ritter came out full of energy and with a huge smile on his face. You can see the joy that performing his music gives him. He kept saying throughout the night, "this is so much fun" and it was clear from his performance that he meant it. The first few songs he sang I was absolutely captivated by how crystal clear his voice is live when he's singing his slower songs. The mix of how amazing the acoustics are in this place and just his natural voice was mesmerizing. Not only is he is a great songwriter but he's a funny and as Kelli called him several times, quirky guy. He's certainly not pretending when he gets on stage! But it wasn't one of those annoying, "man i wish this guy would shut up and play." The crowd was listening and laughing at every word he said.

It's clear that Josh is just a country boy who grew up in small town Idaho (and from the last I heard still lives there in his down time) that loves playing his music about wolves and girls. Somehow Josh has kept the phoniness and cynicism of the music industry from seeping through. That alone is an achievement. He does not have that pretentious, messiah, i'm so angry to be up here crap that so many musicians have. He had a smile on his face almost all night and loved every minute of it. At the same time you can see how the showmanship of Elvis and Johnny Cash has really influenced him and his music.

Three of the best moments of the show were as follows:
1. When he turned out all the stage and house lights and sang Idaho in complete darkness.
2. His eight minute performance of Thin Blue Flame which included alternate lyrics throughout.
3. At the end of the show he put down his guitar, grabbed his glass of wine, stepped out from behind the microphone and sang a closing tune in the free air. I'm not sure what's more impressive. The acoustics of the Aladdin Theatre or Josh Ritter for being able to fill the entire place with his voice.

One way or another, I've seen so many concerts in the last five years but this one ranks in my top five easily.

Moving on up...

1. Yesterday was my last day at Hollywood Video. I worked the day shift so it was a very easy last day. As much as I hated most of the crap that went on there are far as sales quotas and such, I did like the people I worked with quite a bit. Plus I feel like I know everyone in the neighborhood now. I recognize so many people on the street and yesterday a guy bumped into me at Starbucks and said, "Hey, video store guy!" and we got to talk for a while. It was a great place to work as far as getting connected with those in the neighborhood. I recognize families and dogs and all sorts of stuff. So as much as the job sometimes sucked, I do not regret working there for a season. I will miss seeing the people regularly that I got to know.

2. We get to move into a new apartment above ground on March 15 or 16th! This is extremely exciting news for us. We've been living in a basement studio apartment which has been completely fine for us but it will be nice to move to a new apartment where there is a huge window and sunlight can come in. It also has a little fireplace in the corner. The most exciting part of this is finally being able to have people over again! It will be a great place to host a life group this spring or summer! Plus, in Tampa we hosted wine/beer tasting parties where people could connect and get to know each other. We miss those a lot! And what better place to continue the tradition than Portland? After Lent of course.

3. I heard a fantastic quote that I had never heard before yesterday that apparently everyone has heard before. It was when a woman said to Winston Churchill, "you are drunk." He replied, "And you are ugly, but I will be sober in the morning." Hahaha. That's awesome.

4. Participated in an Ash Wednesday service last night to kick off the Lent season. It was a time of reading scripture together, praying, being silent and going through some prayer stations. There is something powerful about hearing another human say, "from dust you came, and from dust you will return." Really puts things in perspective. I appreciate the people in our faith community and what they bring more and more everytime we're together. It's truly a fantastic group of Christ-followers.

For these four reasons, today I am very thankful.

For fans of tracts...

If you're a Harry Potter fan, you've got to read this Chick Tract!

Funny stuff! The most illuminating thing out of this tract is how uninformed it is. A classic form of ignorance that has been plaguing fundamentalism from the beginning.

A few observations:
-I honestly think the uncle looks more creepy than the witches.
-I love the scene where the two witches are in the room together and as they pronounce that witches rule there is a picture of Harry Potter in the background. Hilarious!
-The wording of "I'm bringing Uncle Bob home" was a little strange.
-Apparently Holly is going to hell.
-"Do we have the stereotypical witch? Let's see. Ouiji boards? Check. Tarot Cards? Check. Crystal Balls? Check Pentagrams? Check. Yup, we're all set Mr. Chick."
-My favorite, "the King James Bible is the only version that Satan hasn't messed with."

Who are these people that write these things???

Resolutions

These are from a man named Clyde Kilby who I have never heard of but got from John Piper's book The Pleasures of God.

Read these slowly and thoughtfully, they're fantastic.

1. At least once every day I shall look steadily up at the sky and remember that I, a consciousness with a conscience, am on a planet traveling in space with wonderfully mysterious things above and about me.

2. Instead of the accustomed idea of a mindless and endless evolutionary change to which we can neither add nor subtract, I shall suppose the universe guided by an Intelligence which, as Aristotle said of Greek drama, requires a beginning, a middle, and an end. I think this will save me from the cynicism expressed by Bertrand Russell before his death, when he said: “there is darkness without, and when I die there will be darkness within. There is no splendour, no vastness anywhere, only triviality for a moment, and then nothing.”

3. I shall not fall into the falsehood that this day, or any day, is merely another ambiguous and plodding twenty-four hours, but rather a unique event, filled, if I so wish, with worthy potentialities. I shall not be food enough to suppose that trouble and pain are wholly evil parentheses in my existence but, just as likely, ladders to be climbed toward moral and spiritual manhood.

4. I shall not turn my life into a thin straight line which prefers abstractions to reality. I shall know what I am doing when I abstract, which of course I shall often have to do.

5. I shall sometimes look back at the freshness of vision I had in childhood and try, at least for a little while, to be, in the words of Lewis Carroll, the ‘child of the pure unclouded brow, and dreaming eyes of wonder.”

6. I shall not demean my own uniqueness by envy of others. I shall stop boring into myself to discover what psychological or social categories I might belong to. Mostly I shall simply forget about myself and do my work.

7. I shall open my eyes and ears. Once every day I shall simply stare at a tree, a flower, a cloud, or a person. I shall not then be concerned at all to ask what they are, b but simply be glad that they are. I shall joyfully allow them the mystery of what Lewis call their “divine, magical, terrifying, and ecstatic” existence.

8. I shall follow Darwin’s advice, and turn frequently to imaginative things such as good listerature and good music, preferably, as Lewis suggests, an old book and timeless music.

9. I shall not allow the devlish onrush of this century to usurp all my energies but will instead, as Chalres Williams suggested, “fulfill the moment as the moment.” I shall try to live well just now because the only time that exists is now.

10. If for nothing more than the sake of a change of view, I shall assume my ancestry to be from the heavens rather than from the caves.

11. Even if I turn out to be wrong, I shal bet my life on the assumption that this world is not idiotic, neither run by an absentee landlord, but that today, this very day, some stroke is being added to the cosmic canvas that in due course I shall understand with joy as a stroke made by the Architect who calls himself Alpha and Omega.

The Pastures of Heaven

I finished John Steinbeck's The Pastures of Heaven today and once again am blown away with Steinbeck's skill. Descriptions are his craft and he is the master. You cannot help but be moved and feel the exact emotion he wants you to feel. This sounds strange but his writing makes you able to hear, see, smell, feel, and taste exactly what he is trying to wrap up in words.

Pastures is a book of interrelated stories focusing on the defining moment's of certain individuals lives and how relatively small incidents colored their existence. I highly recommend it to those especially already taken with Steinbeck's style and wit.

Oh What A Day!!!

The flowers that I ordered for Kelli to be delievered yesterday never came.

Today I found out that after doing about 10 hours of research for a paper on Inclusivism and whether General Revelation can be salvific that the paper has been cancelled.

After Kelli dropped me off as school at 9am I realized that she had both sets of house keys and she is not going to be home until around 8pm.

I got coffee in the afternoon at my seminary and went to the fridge to get some cream and they were out.

All of these things are appalling.

The only thing I can say about my day that went well is that Stephen bought me a beer and some tots after class today. Thanks man!

Saturday Kelli arranged a tour of the Widmer Bros. brewery here in Portland for my birthday. The tour was fantastic. If you have not been, I highly recommend it! The tour guide Robert was extremely knowledgable and runs several beer events in the NW as well has been brewing beer for over 20 years so he can definitely answer your questions. Before you start the tour you see a video of how Widmer started and then get to sample four of their beers. Nationwide Widmer is most famous for their Hefeweizen but their Drop Top Amber is also a great beer. You can actually taste and smell the honey in this beer. Also I'm a big fan of their Snow Plow Milk Stout. In any case if you have a Saturday free, it's worth the trip. Plus you get a free Widmer Pint glass on your way out.

The last two posts now have been about beer. I think this means I should give up beer for lent! What do you think?

Thanks Doug

Last week my friend Doug from Ft. Collins, CO sent me a package for my birthday. Inside was a New Belgium beer glass which I was very excited about since I do not have a Belgium beer glass! And alongside was a six pack of New Belgium's Abbey as well as a Fat Tire bottle opener.

So anyway, thanks man. That was an awesome gift and a very nice surprise! And the beer is great too!

The Sports Guy

Must read Bill Simmons running diary of the Grammy's. There is some really funny stuff in here. You should check it out. A few highlights:

9:58 -- Sports Gal's take on Rascal Flatts: "I don't get it. I don't get it at all. I hate everything about them. I hate their name. I hate their music. I hate the lead singer's voice. I hate his hair. I hate his leather jacket. I hate everything. What are they? I wouldn't even hire them for a wedding if I only had $15,000 to spend on everything." She's not a fan.

10:19 -- Hey, did you ever think you'd see the day when Christina Aguilera was much prettier, sexier AND cleaner-looking than Britney Spears? Me neither. Britney won the battle, Christina won the war. Who woulda thunk?

10:59 -- As Quentin Tarantino and Tony Bennett announce the nominees for "Record of the Year," we see a shot of a smiling Paris Hilton in the crowd. Good God, can that girl do anything to end her own career? Sex tapes, racial slurs, drugs, hateful personality, no discernable talent at all ... and she's still chugging along. Are we sure she's not Satan? Let's chop her head off and see if it grows back.

11:00 -- The Dixie Chicks win again for "Record of the Year." I feel like the Grammy voters are speaking out against the Iraqi conflict at this point. We'll know for sure if Cindy Sheehan wins for "Best Rock Album."

11:25 -- Our final awards tonight: Don Henley and Scarlett Johannson come out to present Scarlett's breasts, as well as the "Album of the Year" ... and the Dixie Chicks end up going 5-for-5. Now pray for me while I spend the rest of the night trying to get that "I'm not ready to make nice ... I'm not ready to back down" song out of my head. This is ouuuuuuuuuuur country.

I love this quote

“Biblical orthodoxy without compassion is surely the ugliest thing in the world."

Can anyone guess who said it?

One Year Closer to 30

I never actually thought I would be thirty. Of course, i'm not yet but I'm only three years away!!! I especially never thought I would be this old and be going to school and working at a video store.

God certainly does work in bizarro ways.

I also never thought I would be living in Portland, OR. Or married to Kelli Lashbrook. Or enjoy drinking coffee. Or be able to read 70 books in one year. Or have been able to travel so much. Or have been published in a book (although a mediocre one) but still! Or be living in a basement. Or have done stand-up comedy. Or have such great friends from all over the country.

Since a birthday must involve some reflection, as I look back I cannot believe all that has happened in the last few years and all that God has done. There are only two words that come to mind as I think of all of this: blessed and thankful.

I might just cry.

Nash is inactive tonight against Portland. I cannot believe it. I bought these tickets and now i'm not going to get to see him play. Unbelievable.

A Grand and Glorious Day It Will Be

Wedding #4

I was asked today to perform my cousin Ben's wedding this fall. My uncle Mike is going to fly Kelli and I back to Illinois in September. I did his brother Brad's wedding a few years ago and it was a great experience. It was outdoors on the dock of a lake, a really beautiful day for it as you can see.










It's really an honor to get to marry another cousin (out of context this statement is really funny!) Actually now that I look back at it, all three weddings that I have done have all been special. I have also picked up a few lessons from each that i will not forget.

I love weddings because you get to see people's personalities really come out and shape the whole experience. The weddings I have been a part of have really showcased who the people are that are being married with everything from the music, the venue, the ceremony, etc. One of the best examples of those has been Brad and Noelle Otts wedding. The music, the place (which was an awesome wine cellar), the Rice Krispy Castle groom cake. Everything was THEM!









Anyway, on to the lessons I have learned:

1. Always do or have someone do pre-marital counseling! I do not want to go into much detail here but this is something that I will vow to make sure is done for any wedding that I say yes to.

2. Don't be afraid of humor!!! Many of us have this idea that a wedding is supposed to be a Stoic, straight faced affair. But it's supposed to be a celebration! Laughing, cheering, celebrating should be part of the wedding ceremony. Not only are people pleasantly surprised when something is funny in a wedding , (depending on the people of course) it gives the bride and groom a chance to breathe and lighten up a little so they can actually enjoy the ceremony. It's a real stress breaker. I know that I appreciated it immensely in my wedding and others have done the same. There is a danger of course. There is appropriate funny in a wedding and innappropriate funny in a wedding but you learn which is which in due time!

3. Hopefully the people you marry will be people that you know intimately but sometimes they are not. Sometimes you are doing it as a favor for someone you know or for family you may not know well or just people in your community that you have not spent a ton of time with. Get to know the people as well as you possibly can. Spend time with them, hear their story, find out how they met, find out what they like, everything you can to ensure you truly know them before going into a wedding ceremony. How can you highlight a couple and their commitment if you don't really know who they are?

4. Remember, this is a wedding which is a celebration of two people committing their lives together before God. This is not a chance for you to showcase your expositional skills on a difficult text of Scripture. Sure, you should give a biblical framework of what marriage is. But this is no time to "make a point" or to have an agenda. What I mean by that is that many ministers drool thinking, "this is my chance to speak in front of a large group of people who may or may not go to church. This is my chance to evangelize" It may be true that it is a great chance for people to hear of God's love for them but do not abuse that privelege. This is about the couple that stands before you first and foremost.

5. Don't drink too many white wine spritzers or you could end up like this guy!













Anyway, those are just a few things I have learned that I felt like spouting off. Hopefully that is helpful to someone out there. But again, since I have only done three wedding, I think i probably have about 1000 more things to learn.

Anyone else have any lessons they would like to share?

A Visit From Elvyss

No, not that Elvis. My Salvadorian friend Elvyss from NYC. Haven't seen him since I got married in Florida over a year and a half ago. It was funny last night at the Brass to remember how I actually met Elvyss. When I was a pastor at Mosaic we were handing out Krispy Kreme donuts to people on the street on their way to work. Elvyss grabbed a donut and one of our Mosaic cards and out of guilt that he had taken a donut from us felt obligated to come to a Sunday service just once. Not exactly what we were going for as far as motivation but he was there nonetheless. After which he was a part of my small group for a long time, and then part of the theology pub I started in the East Village which met for about a year I believe. We talked about all kinds of things but one of the best things we did I believe was to go through Mark Driscoll's book "The Radical Reformission." I think that prompted the best discussions.

In any case, Elvyss and his girl Kristen are thinking of moving here next July to have some more space and pay less rent. I hope I sold you on the city Elvyss and I hope you enjoyed the Evergreen Community as well. We could use some diversity! Especially of the Latino flair!

Plus, last night at the Brass I had never yet seen anyone threaten to stab Bob. That was a Brass first! Nice work Elvyss, you made history.

Other than that, the other favorite moment was at the Wunderland nickel arcade where we played Buck Hunter Pro and had a battle to the death in Ski Ball. Nice having you around man.

It's a Steve Nash Birthday

My birthday is on February 7th upon which I will turn 27. I really wanted to go to the Trailblazers/Suns game to see Steve Nash play. We decided it was probably too much money to have decent seats so we kind of forgot about it until last week. A rep from the Trailblazers came in our store and was selling cheap packages to games. The deal was 40 dollars for two 50 dollar seats and then four coupons for buy one/get one free tickets! Couldn't pass that up. So for 40 dollars we have two tickets to the Suns game on the 6th!!! We're actually going to trade up to the 70 dollar seats and just pay the difference because if we're going to go, we want to do it right. I can't wait! I'm like a little kid. I love Steve Nash! I've never been more excited to see a small white guy pass the ball. My luck would be, he wouldn't play that night due to illness or something and then i would just be stuck watching the crappy Trailblazers.

Bears Inspire A City Still Reeling From Great Chicago Fire Of 1871

Oh man, this Onion Article is wrong but it is SO funny.

Keep in mind non-sports fans, they played the New Orleans Saints last week who was "America's Team" this year.

Bright Eyes EP

I never thought I would say this, but I really liked the samples from his upcoming album.

Click HERE for two of the songs.

I normally find Conor Oberst irritating and think that his voice is horrendous most of the time. Anyone remember, "When the President Talks to God" on Jay Leno??? Wow! After that I almost vowed to never listen to him again. No, not because of the message of the song, because of the unbelievable hideousness of his singing voice. It made Ashlee Simpson sound good!

But, apparently he has either gotten better, or the studio has gotten better. Either way, I might actually get this EP when it comes out in March!

All Caught Up

After a good month and a half I'm all caught up with Harry Potter. I CANNOT WAIT until book #7. I'm so glad that Kelli talked me into reading these books because the movies are mediocre compared to all that happens in the book. I wasn't thrilled with book 6, although I was surprised at the ending of Half-Blood Prince as I'm sure many were. All of the obstacles that have been set in Harry's way for one final book seems enormous!

How will he ever find the next four Horcruxes and destroy them, get even with Snape and Malfoy, and kill Voldemort all in one book??? That seems like a large task to say the least.

I'm not sure why I feel the need to rank everything but I do. So here were my favorite books in the Harry Potter series in order:

Order of the Phoenix - Book 5
Prizoner of Azkaban - Book 3
Chamber of Secrets - Book 2
Goblet of Fire - Book 4
Half-Blood Prince - Books 6
Sorcerer's Stone - Book 1

What are your favorites???

With that said, I think all of these books were phenomenal and extremely entertaining. It's going to be hard to go back to the classics after reading something so fun. I may even have to read Lord of the Rings now just for another taste of fantasy. I have only read the Hobbit and Kelli once again has been begging me to read LOTR (I have heard nerds abbreviate it to this). Plus it will give me a chance to continue reading with a British dialect in my mind. It's so much more gripping!

Feel the burn!

Today I worked out with a personal trainer and I've got to tell you, lifting weights is a LOT tougher when you do it the right way. I am used to just throwing as much weight as I can and going at it but as I learned today, the weight really has little to do with it unless you are a body builder. When you use proper form it is brutally hard. I had about 30 pounds on the bench machine today and with proper form and movement my chest was burning like a phoenix (mythical bird from Harry Potter). I only did four different exercises but with this dude showing me the ropes, it made the workout about 100 times more effective. I'm only doing 5 sessions with this guy just hoping to learn some more technique so I can do things better in the gym. I'm also secretely training so I can beat up the next guy who tries to steal videos at the store.

I weighed in today and it seems since we have moved to Portland I have lost about 12 pounds. I'm down to 206 with 20% body fat which was fairly encouraging. The "fit" range is between 13-17% body fat so I'm not all that far away. The "athlete range" is between 8-12% and I'm not quite ready for that challenge right now! I haven't been in that shape since High School. I just want to be considered fit! My goal is to be about 190 with 13 percent body fat. He said if I follow this plan I could do that in two to three months so I'm going to give it a shot. Working out today felt great. I'm going to go back tomorrow and work out with this dude again.

I've got to say that I highly recommend a personal trainer, even if it's just for 5-10 sessions to develop a plan. I think it will make all the difference in the world. Going on my own and just doing what I want has never done anything for me (and wouldn't considering how many things I was doing wrong that I didn't even know about). It turns out that your high school football coach has no idea what training is. I wish I wouldn't have listened to those guys.

I tell you all of this because I'm excited and really have a desire to be back in mid-college shape and not have this beer belly and also so you (my friends) can ask me about it once in a while and keep me in check.

On Holiness and Humor

J.Carl Laney wrote a short article titled "On Holiness and Humor" for our school newsletter this week. In it he says this:

"Does God have a sense of humor? Does He enjoy a good joke? The answer to that question depends upon what you mean by "a sense of humor." If you are asking whether God likes jokes or should be the object of a joke, I would have to say "no". God is too holy and awesome to be trivialized as a cosmic Joker or the subject for joking. i believe that jokes about God are disrespectful and in poor taste."

If when Prof. Laney is referring to God he is saying God does not like playing jokes on people I would agree with his thesis. I do not think that God plays a joke on people so He can laugh at them. This would not be holy. If he is saying that God cannot or does not find our attempts at humor funny I would have to disagree. It seems that he has assumed that all jokes are intrinsically "unholy" or "disrespectful". Not all humor is sinful, innappropriate or unholy however. Humor is not the enemy of holiness.

Laney goes on to give examples of God surprising his people in humorous ways but in no way
"laughing at" what He has done or finding humor in it. Laney states that the reason a joke is funny is "because of the unexpected ending or surprise twist." This is true, but incomplete. As a former amateur (I stress the word) stand-up comic in New York City I take exception with this. While this is a large basis of contemporary humor, this is not the sole reason a joke is funny. A joke can also be funny based on our relationship with the one receiving the joke and the context in which a statement is made. Some things that I may say as a joke to my wife is funny because she knows me and the same joke would fall flat to someone I have a different relationship with. The relationship between the individuals involved in the joke have substantial basis on it's "funniness"

Along with that, context is everything. It can literally make a joke funny or not funny. I can say a statement in class and no one will laugh, but I can say the same thing on a stage and people will think it is hilarious. Context has everything to do with humor, not just surprise twists or unexpected endings.

A joke can also be funny because it is an observation that people have never thought to put into words. The joke is funny because of its' ordinariness (think Seinfeld) here. There were no real surprises in his stand-up, just simple observation noted on the "nothingness" of life. No surprise twists were necessary.

Laney ends with the statement, "while God seems to have a sense of humor in that He enjoys surprising us with something unanticipated, He Himself cannot be humored. This is because God is never surprised. he knows the end right from the beginning. He knows the "punch line" before the story is even told."

I agree that God might not be humored out of surprise, but again, as you can see above, that is not the only thing that makes something funny. But regardless, I would disagree with this statement for this reason. Saying that knowing the ending or the punchline as God I'm sure in his sovereignty does will not necessarily ruin the joke.There are several jokes that I already know the punchline to by heart that I find myself laughing at everytime I hear them. It is why we listen to comedy cd's over and over again. It is why I saw the same comics over and over again in New York City. I knew the lines, but it was funny everytime. Sure, some of them might get old, but just because you know the punchline does not necessarily mean that it is not funny. To say that God cannot be humored is speculation (just as I speculate that God can be humored) but I think it is also a conclusion based on poor logic.

Laughter is a large makeup of human beings. We were created (Imago Dei) with the ability to laugh and to tell stories. Humor is a basic part of our makeup as humans. I find it hard to believe in light of this that God cannot Himself be humored and in fact I hope and pray that (regardless of Him knowing the punchline) I have made God laugh myself a few times. I would suggest we get our humor directly from God. With that in mind I cannot believe in a stoic God with an eternal straight face.

Breaking News

Today I went to drop off a movie at the video store that was due back today and was told by the manager that I tied for employee of the week! Now that's a drastic turnaround from last week being warned that I may be fired to being employee of the week!

The funny part of this story is that I tied with the girl who answers the phone, "Welcome to Hollywood Video."

The "Experts"

Here's to you "experts"! Chicago is IN!!!!!! Go Bears!

Innovative?

Here is Outreach's first annual "Innovative" Church List.

Can you spot more than three innovative churches on this list??? I am utterly confused. I think this list is more about who spent the most money for Outreach to market their crap. Is this a list of truly innovative churches or are they not just the large "seeker-sensitive", self help, here are five steps that can help you be a good friend kind of crap that draws a big crowd?

Side Note: I think it's funny that Ed Young Jr. is on the panel of judges and his church is also number 4. What a shocker!

Drew has a good post entitled "When lists get stupid." that I think is fairly relevant here.

This is also a funny post on the subject.

I love you clementine

You may not know this but you are my favorite fruit clementine. When I observe your cuteness on the table in a box with several of your brothers all piled on top of each other, in my head I kind of go "ahhhh" the same way I would when looking at a baby bunny rabbit. You're so small and round and orange. But that doesn't fool me. I know what awaits inside is a delicious, sweet, sugary, juicy center with no seeds to annoy me and make the process of eating you tedious. You are ridiculously easy to peel. Just have to stick a finger in one of your ends and tear you apart. I can eat about 6 or 7 of you in one sitting although that tends to come with some consequences but well worth it in my book. I can buy a whole box of you for a few dollars and you will last me for a few weeks. But it isn't just the bargain that I love, I love ever part of you. I'm sorry I have overlooked you for your older brother the orange in the past but I won't forget you from now on, i promise. I will be faithful to your citrusy love and look nowhere else when craving a sweet late night snack. I love you clementine.

Blades of Glory

Have you guys seen this???

Will Ferrell and Jon Heder in the same movie? Wow!

Thanks for the link John V.

Darned School Books

I'm having a extremely difficult time reading John Piper for a class at school right now. It seems (and this could be a poor judgment statement) that he is more interested in trademarking an idea and contributing something original (which in actuality is mostly borrowed from C.S. Lewis) then having a good theology. I've read two chapters of this book "When I Don't Desire God" and how many times do you think he has already made the statement, "God is most glorified when we are most satisfied in him" or talked about Christian Hedonism???? Yes, that is correct, about 10! This may sound harsh and I may just be in a crummy mood but there has been more than one occasion in these first two chapters when I have just thought to my self "this guy is full of *#($"

The only book worse than this one so far is "The Journey from Texts to Translations." I'm not sure I've ever read a drier book in my life.

God have mercy on my soul (and my attitude today)!!!

Video Shakedown

Last night Craig and I broke up a robbery ring.

Ok, in all actuality we stopped one guy who was trying to steal some DVD's.

As I was on my way up front a customer informed me that a man that was headed for the door had stuffed a bunch of DVD's in his coat and pants. He stepped through the alarm system and of course it went off. I immediately stopped him and said, "sir, you've got to step back through the machine." He pulled a DVD out of his pocket and set it down saying, "sorry, I guess I forgot I put it there" and kept walking. As he walked out the door I stepped in front of him and said in the most intimidating voice I can muster, "give me the rest of the DVD's NOW." He said, "I don't have any more." Then I said, with Craig right behind me for backup, "this is your last chance, give me the dvd's right now." He pulled about three or four more out of his pocket and handed them to me and mumbled as he walked off, "I was just trying to get some dvd's man" as if I would understand his plight and give them back. So I said, "then why don't you rent them like everyone else does moron." A personal insult never hurts in the face of crime.

In any case we walked back in the store and Craig exclaimed in a proud voice, "score one for the good guys!"

Sadly, this was an exciting endeavor because we NEVER stop anyone from stealing. Unfortunately there is nothing we can really do, nor can we use any force so most people just walk right out the door and keep on a walking.

But for one night, Craig and I were heroes at the video store.

Phew!

I have no idea how the Bears managed to pull it off today. I had my doubts once the Seahawks won the toss in overtime. The Bears defense really shut down a lot of Seahawks 3rd and shorts which was about the only thing they did well. Grossman had a huge pass in the clutch. I thought that pass that Berrian dropped that would have been a touchdown might have lost them the game but I am extremely thankful they were able to pull it out.

I think the Bears can beat the Saints and I honestly think they will win by a decent margin next week. Why? I don't know, I just have a gut feeling. The same gut feeling that I had when I predicted that the Bears would make it to the Super Bowl after the first two weeks of the season and some of you scoffed at me! If they do make it to the Super Bowl I will make sure I report my original post from the beginning of the season. If not however, I will probably forget that post existed.

In any case, GO BEARS!!!

SNOW DAY!

Class was cancelled today. For what? I have no idea. It's beautiful outside. Not an inch of snow on the ground, sunny, crisp. Everything you could love about a winter's day. Apparently there must have been some snow in the burbs somewhere because it is non-existent here. Hearing the news of class being cancelled sparked a bit of childish joy in my heart. There's nothing like a snow day. I think I will watch some more old Bond movies today. That's well worth my time. We watched Dr. No last night, the very first 007 movie. The storyline is a bit weak but it's a classic! So many things that Austin Powers spoofed that I never got. We also watched Pierce Brosnan's first one, "Goldeneye." Made me want to play the N64 game so bad! That may be the best video game of all time. I'm serious with that statement. How many hours did we spend playing that game during college? I would hate to know.

Outrageous is right.

Is Ed Young Jr. turning into Joel Osteen???

It sounds like it from this tagline:

LIFE DOESN'T HAVE TO BE JUST GOOD. IT CAN BE GREAT.

What's the deal with Texas???

Why I'm Nervous About Seminary This Semester...

1. One of my theology professors seems to be all riled up about anything that hints of theology that comes from any members of the emerging church. My theory behind his current passion is that Millard Erickson just did a class at Western and I believe got the professors all riled up to "stand firm in the truth" and that there are simply some things that should not be questioned (like whether God knows the future or not) as one example.

2. The old man who sits in my Advanced Hermeneutics class. Much like one of the gentlemen last semester he asks asinine questions that have little or nothing to do with the class but have everything to do with his need for self-validation.

3. Coffee is not having the same effect on me this semester. I drank a few cups during class yesterday but for some reason it did not make the class more interesting or help me think better. Am I aquiring a tolerance??? That would be trouble!

4. A student in one of the classes made an arrogant crack on Mclaren and snickered like he was SO much of a smarter theologian than Mclaren. I like Mclaren quite a bit as he has helped me think more than any other current author. I feel to admit that would lead to me being burned at the stake right now.

For all of these reasons, I'm not sure how Seminary is going to be this semester. I think two of the three classes I have to be very important and I'm excited to put in the time but I'm not sure there is going to be a very balanced perspective, nor balanced discussion leaving me frustrated. I hope I'm surprised.

Why I'm Nervous About Seminary This Semester...

1. One of my theology professors seems to be all riled up about anything that hints of theology that comes from any members of the emerging church. My theory behind his current passion is that Millard Erickson just did a class at Western and I believe got the professors all riled up to "stand firm in the truth" and that there are simply some things that should not be questioned (like whether God knows the future or not) as one example.

2. The old man who sits in my Advanced Hermeneutics class. Much like one of the gentlemen last semester he asks asinine questions that have little or nothing to do with the class but have everything to do with his need for self-validation.

3. Coffee is not having the same effect on me this semester. I drank a few cups during class yesterday but for some reason it did not make the class more interesting or help me think better. Am I aquiring a tolerance??? That would be trouble!

4. A student in one of the classes made an arrogant crack on Mclaren and snickered like he was SO much of a smarter theologian than Mclaren. I like Mclaren quite a bit as he has helped me think more than any other current author. I feel to admit that would lead to me being burned at the stake right now.

For all of these reasons, I'm not sure how Seminary is going to be this semester. I think two of the three classes I have to be very important and I'm excited to put in the time but I'm not sure there is going to be a very balanced perspective, nor balanced discussion leaving me frustrated. I hope I'm surprised.

Casino Royale

We saw Casino Royale last night and I loved it. Great Bond movie and I'm sure 007 fans will not be disappointed with this one. The thing I love about these movies is that everything is so ridiculously in excess: the cars, the women, the money, the resorts, everything.

The only irritating thing in this flick was the product placement. I almost puked when I saw Bond drive up in a Ford and it was obvious by the camera angles that they wanted to make sure EVERYONE knew it. The rest of the movie he was back to driving awesome cars but I would hate to know what Ford paid for that shot. If you watch the movie you will see all kinds of products fly by and in the context of the film they are completely out of place. That kind of ticked me off.

The rest of the movie was great, it makes you walk out of the theatre feeling like a man, wishing you were carrying a gun, and wanting to play some high stakes poker! And that is exactly what a Bond film should do.

Knowledge Vs. Wisdom

I've been contrasting knowledge vs. wisdom the last few days and strangely there has been an episode in the life our own community that has made me ponder it more. There is certainly a huge neglect of people converting their knowledge to wisdom. I'm not even sure how that transformation takes place practically or if a human can control how wise he or she becomes because it seems to come through time and experience. But the real dilemma are people who are knowledgable enough to be dangerous. People who have many ideas but lack the discernment or wisdom to know who and when to speak those ideas. Knowledge without wisdom is rarely a good thing.

I remember a time when I was at Pace University in Lower Manhattan listening to a speaker from Princeton University speak to a few campus groups. In the group that I spent time with there was a student who thought he knew EVERYTHING. And to be honest, he was a very intelligent kid. But his whole goal in life was to make sure people knew how smart he was. So instantly when the student stepped into the room about halfway through the lecture, when it was time for question and answer time, he went into a frenzy just trying to find a question or a disagreement that would stump the young man from Princeton (which I'm happy to say he couldn't do) and make himself look as smart as possible. Not only was this extremely disgusting to watch but afterwords there was another kid from the campus group who actually was encouraging this student as to how smart he was. He was clearly knowledgable but he was the furthest thing from wise.

In this reflection on wisdom I have been wondering myself if I am getting wiser. I am certainly getting more knowledgable in all my reading and studies but I do not want that to be a substitute for wisdom and knowing practically how to live and commune with other people. Knowledge can be wisdom's worst enemy at times and when it outweighs wisdom it can be ugly and painful.

Personal Update

Got my grades for Seminary this past week. Not too shabby. Two A's, One B+ and a Pass. I'll take that any day. Can't believe school starts again next Monday. Crap. This semester I've got 9 hours. Theology 1, Advanced Hermeneutics, Learning to Love God and Others, and a Premarital Counseling Course which will certify me to do the Prepare and Enrich thingy. I really don't know anything about it but I figure that since I've already married three people and have had other people do the premarital counseling, it's probably time to learn myself. Plus the professor that teaches it is a lot of fun and my wife gets to come learn it with me for free.

I've been an old man the last three days and I love it. When I say that I mean I've gotten up a little earlier so I can sit and drink coffee, look at the news, read the One Year Bible, and blog. It's been great. I think i'm ready to retire.

Kelli and I get a night together finally and we're going to watch Idiocracy, the comedy with Luke Wilson that comes out for rental on Tuesday. Hope it's good!

I'm on the brink of quiting my job at the video store. They are hopeless. I've been working there for 4 months, they're still not taking federal income tax out, they have been taking money out of my check for insurance that I may not even be eligible for and there's no way to talk to anyone at the corporation about their mistake. I'm giving them one week and if it is not resolved I will not be returning. I've got a few things on the backburner that I hope will work out.

Right now Kelli and I are both reading Flannery O'Connors' The Violent Bear It Away and it is excellent. She's a fantastic writer. I feel like I can visualize the setting, the people, and hear how they would say every word. Takes a great writer to create something like this. Plus, it's a jacked up story about a religious fanatic who kidnaps a boy so he can baptize him and raise him as a prophet. The kind of fanatacism reminds me of the "God Hates Fags" people from Kansas. Just as crazy.

When Life Was Easy

"The sons of God saw the beautiful women and took any they wanted as their wives." Gen. 6:2
This translation almost brings a tear to my eye. Oh, life would have been so much simpler then!

Even more funny (and kind of sad) is this next verse.
"Then the Lord said, 'My Spirit will not put up with humans for such a long time, for they are only mortal flesh. In the future, their normal lifespan will be no more than 120 years." Gen. 6:3

God put a cap on our existence because he couldn't put up with us for long. I think we can all understand that. Good call God.

Potter Madness is Almost Complete

I finished the fifth Harry Potter book. These things certainly do get long. 870 pages for this one! Once again, I started the book a little disappointed because of how dark it was but the last 200 pages were fantastic as always. She really turns it on at the end. I'm thankful that the sixth book is only 600 pages. These books are difficult to carry around with you.

I'm really excited to see how this thing ends. Obviously, after hearing the prophecy it can only end one of two ways so it seems apparent what is going to happen but the exciting part is the how.

If you have not read the Harry Potter series I more than recommend it. I require it to continue our friendship! If you cannot tell me who the house elf was that betrayed Sirius, or what a hippogriff is, or even who the Minister of Magic is, then we can no longer be friends until you acquire such information. I can see why Kelli wanted me to read these so bad. We can finally talk again. Our marriage is saved!

One more book to go, and 6 days left before school start again. Mission almost accomplished.

the 1 dollar explosion

Tonight this guy lost it on me. It was honestly pretty funny. He had 7.58 in late fees on his account, was renting one movie and had a 10 dollar bill in his hand. I asked how much he would like to pay on his late fees and he said, "nothing." I then told him about our policy that you have to put at least 1 dollar down to rent each time until your late fees are paid off. He said that he was not going to pay anything. Therefore I told him that I could not rent to him. He started walking towards the door, got all hostile and said, "I don't care, i'll just go to another store. I don't need to rent here." I replied, "fine, you should do that." He then said, "man, you're a bleep bleep bleep." And I kind of laughed and said, "Okay, you should find another store because you cannot rent here anymore, nor are you allowed in the store from this point on." That really made him angry! He called me about everything under the sun and I didn't really say a whole lot else but started helping the next customer in line while he continued to berate me. After his tirade, I gave him a "see ya later" and he finally left.

Can you believe that??? All over 1 lousy dollar! That's the first time I have had anyone just completely go off on me like that. I've had people angry, but not screaming so the entire store can hear it! Gave me a good laugh for the night. I'm just thankful he wasn't waiting outside for me to leave after we closed!

here we go again...

Pat Robertson predicts mass killing in US this year.

Speaking of nutballs, check this guy out!

Hassles

After talking to my insurance company on the phone this morning it once again made me realize that so much of life is filled with these little hassles that at the time seem of extreme importance but in a month from now I will not remember at all.

Why do we give so much prominence and attention to the hassles in our lives and seem so eager to forget all the blessings that surround us?

I am as guilty as anyone of this of course. I think much like being iron-deficient I have been hope-deficient. Hope that life will not always be this way. Not that there will be less hassles, but that my own soul will be in a state where I am able to take joy in the blessings and not let the little things bother me or ruin my day.

That is one of the things I respect so much about some of my heroes. That despite anything going on, regardless of the difficulties or hassles, in these men and women's lives love trumps all. There is a spirit of grace and love in everything. I wonder if it is out of their knowledge that the little bumps in the road are indeed little, or that their inner world is at such peace that these things are almost not even blips on the radar screen.

Random Thoughts

We saw The Good Shepherd today which I can summarize with these two words: LONG and BORING! I have nothing else to say about. This was more dry than the acting in Miami Vice. Wish we would have seen Blood Diamond or Casino Royale.

I'm almost done with the fifth book of Harry Potter and things certainly have taken a drastically dark turn. It's not the fun, carefree, everything is going to be okay Harry Potter of the first few books. With age comes responsibility. I think the denial of that is why I am not enjoying this book as well. I will be excited to see how all of this ends however.

Last night's television on New Years Eve was interesting. Fox of course took the route of taking all the class out of the event which I expected. But then again, Dick Clark could barely speak because of his stroke a few years ago. I know this guy has been doing it for a long time but I wonder when it will be time to call it a day. Christina Aguilara's performance was interesting. My favorite of her lyrics were as follows:

"He's a one stop jive, makes my panties drop"
"He's a one stop jive, makes my cherry pop"
"He's a one stop jive with a real big *uh*"

Pure class! That's all I can say. But then again, her competition (Brittney) passed out in Las Vegas and had to be carried out of the club. Tough year for celebrities!