Summer

We officially kicked off our summer this week by surprising the boys with a trip to Disney World. Early on Sunday morning, we woke them up, gave them gift bags with Disney goodies, and told them we were on our way.

Isaiah said, "Right now?!?"

It was a great few days. The boys loved every minute of it and Nana and Poppa were there, too. We are so thankful we were able to go there with them.

When we got back, Corrie had 14 more papers to grade and I had a retreat with my student leaders. Those two days were tiring, but now we're done. The summer is upon us! The boys wil
l finish in the next week and a half, and then we'll all be done!

Our summer will be busy, but it will be good. I'm mostly looking forward to some of the work that is in front of me. Aside from leading a summer Bible study, I will also be doing a lot of reading and writing. My ordination paperwork is due the first week of January, but my goal is to be 80-90% done before school starts in August.

But I think today we will go strawberry picking. Just because.

The Morning Drive

A few mornings a week I drive Isaiah to his preschool. Sometimes we never speak, but sometimes we have some pretty in depth conversations. This morning was one such conversation (as best as I can remember):

Isaiah makes spitting noises.

Me: What are you doing, Isaiah?

Isaiah: I'm just pretending to spit fire like a dragon.

Me: What color is the fire you're spitting?

Isaiah: Ummm, it's purple and yellow and green and blue.

Me: Wow!

Isaiah: Yeah. It's lots of colors because he's a striped dragon. He has lots of colors.

Me: Can I roast marshmallows in your fire?

Isaiah: NOOOO!

Me: Why not?

Isaiah: 'Cause that's dangerous. You can get hurt!

Me: Oh.

Lesson Learned Today: Don't roast marshmallows in multi-colored dragon fire, you can get hurt.

Road Trip Essentials

Sorry I've not posted in a while. Right now, it's Friday after Thanksgiving and I'm at my parents' house in VA. I've been road tripping the holidays since I was in college, and though I do get tired of the driving sometimes, I think I've come close to perfecting the art of the road trip. There are certain things I always do when preparing for a road trip (which I probably get from my dad).

First, it's always a good idea to start a road trip with a clean vehicle. I didn't wash the van, but we did clean EVERYTHING out and vacuum it really well. We also vacuumed the car while we were at it.

Second, you have to be sure to pack all the right things. Aside from clothes, toiletries, etc., we have to be sure pack food, snacks, and different forms of entertainment for the boys. We like to limit the amount of TV the boys watch everyday, but when it comes to road trips, we're a little more lenient. After all, it's nice to be able to drive at lease 3 hours at a time before stopping.

Here's a picture of Isaiah, seemingly in a trance from watching a couple of hours worth of Winnie the Pooh.

Third, when driving with small children the food may get eaten, the videos may get old, and the trip is not over yet so other forms of entertainment must be discovered in order to survive the last leg of trip. The other day, Ezra decided to nap 20 minutes before our scheduled stop, so we kept on driving. Corrie was driving, so I moved to the back of the van to prepare our lunch, but also to help keep Isaiah occupied. This is where I recommend having an iPhone. Isaiah and I watched some videos of our recent trip to the zoo, looked at pictures of silly things we had done at home, and also took a couple of silly pictures ourselves.

Finally, no road trip is complete without a flat tire. This happens to be my first flat tire in all the miles I've driven over the years, and thankfully, the tire went flat in the driveway overnight after we arrived.

And there we have my quick guide to road trip essentials. Happy Thanksgiving!

At 30...

I'm the father of two beautiful, fun-loving boys.

I'm the husband to an amazing woman.

I read more books than I ever have.

I can still run three miles in under 30 minutes.

I still haven't shaved my goatee.

I'm a bigger Braves fan than ever (it helps living in the heart of Braves Country).

I'm in my fifth year of full-time campus ministry and loving it.

I have a few gray hairs...a couple of which are in my goatee.

I'm asleep most nights before 11pm.

I eat more salad than french fries on a weekly basis.

I drink coffee every day, even when the low temperature is 76.

I read something by Henri Nouwen at least once a year.

I'm learning more now than I ever have.

I'm thankful for the first 30 years of my life.

On Friendship

A few years ago I read a book called The Search to Belong by Joseph Myers. The book talks about the universal longing of all people to belong somewhere, but more than that Myers contrasts the myths of belonging with the reality of belonging. For example, one myth of belonging is that we should have a lot of people in our lives that are our "close friends." Have you ever noticed how many people you say are your close friends? Is it really true? Myers believes that there are different levels of belonging from social to intimate; social being the largest level of belonging (nationality/citizenship) and intimate being the smallest (spouse/closest friend). And in between are other levels of belonging that exist in church, schools, work circles, friends, good friends, etc.

You may not find this that interesting, but I write it because these days I am thinking a lot about friendship. We live in a new city and now have new circles of people we interact with everyday. I meet pastors, youth pastors, faculty, staff and students all the time, but are any them my new friends? Maybe. Only time will really tell. In the mean time, it's hard to live in a new place trying to find the people you can call your friends.

That's why it was such a blessing to have our close friend (and I don't use that term lightly) Matthew visit us this week from Mississippi. We've known Matthew for about 8 years; he played music at our wedding, held our boys when they were just babies, cleaned our dishes after small group countless times, and been a sounding board, movie buddy, fellow LOST follower, idea filter, ministry partner and great friend. But one true mark of a good friend is this:

A good friend not only loves spending time with you, but he also loves spending time with your kids.

From Drop Box

Matthew stayed with us for 4 days, and in that time he read books, sang songs, made up songs (about dinosaurs), fed, was woken up by, and babysat our boys. All in a spirit that showed he really loved them, not just tolerated them. I am glad to say that Corrie and I have a couple of friends that love Isaiah and Ezra in this special way, and we are glad that these friends continue to keep in touch even when we are apart. Because if what Myers writes is true, there only a few people we will ever know who are friends like that.

28 Days Later

Four weeks. That's how long Corrie and I went without eating any meat.


I meant to blog more during that time, but with the semester getting started up last week, life got crazier by the day. But now we are on the other side of our Vegetarian Experiment, and I have some thoughts about these last four weeks.



The first 10 days were pretty hard. I caught myself several times beginning to fix myself a sandwich and realizing my choices were peanut butter or...peanut butter. I also craved chicken or burgers a lot during those first 10 days, especially when I could smell them.


Sometime around mid-month I found myself not craving anything anymore, and automatically looking at the vegetarian options in grocery stores and restaurants (which are often times very limited). My habits were changing, and with my tastes. Though I can't say that I tried a lot of new veggies in the last month, I can say that I am willing to order them and eat them a lot more than I was before.


And that is one of the primary reasons I did this: to change my habits. Habits are tricky things. They are a part of who we are, but they can also hold us back from being better than who we are. I am fortunate enough to have a metabolism that can handle grease, meat, and sugar pretty well, but just because I don't gain weight from fatty foods doesn't mean I should not eat healthy. What's really at stake is not so much my current health, but my long-term health. I would love to be as healthy at 40 as I am 30, but I won't be if I don't adjust some habits between now and then.


If you're wondering how we celebrated our four-week meat fast - we got take out from Five Guys Burger and Fries!

The Vegetarian Experiment

Remember this post?

While I'm not as far along on that list as I'd like to be, starting today Corrie and I are going to try to be vegetarians for one whole month. We have checked out some cookbooks from the library, we have bookmarked promising recipes, and we've been talking about doing this all year. So now is the time!

Maybe you are applauding our efforts to venture in to the vegetarian world. If you are, then thanks (and we'd like some recipe suggestions.)

Or maybe you have this t-shirt and you're wondering why anyone would ever not eat meat. If you are wondering why, then this post is for you.

It's no secret around my family that I've always been a picky eater. Even though I eat a lot more vegetables now than I ever have, I still have a tendency to sift through a casserole and politely set aside those items I'd rather not eat. My picky-ness is really not a big issue (Corrie might disagree), but I am growing older and need to be more mindful of what I'm eating. Not only that, but I have two boys who are watching me eat every day, and their habits will be tied directly to mine. I want to set a healthy example for them, and that means adding variety to my diet.

The other main motivation behind our vegetarian experiment is just to see if we can do it. We all like challenges of one kind or another. Some like to build things, some like to play golf, some like video games - we do these things for the challenge of bettering ourselves at them. The same is true for us. We hope we will better our lives by eating only vegetarian this month - better them by what we eat and better them by identifying with those who choose this lifestyle. Vegetarians are often ridiculed (especially in the South), when in fact, they should be celebrated for embracing a way of life that runs counter-cultural to the fast-food eating America we live in.

I'm hoping to blog throughout the month so as to chronicle the experience. If you're brave, you can join us. If not for a whole month, then maybe for a day or a weekend. OR, you can just read along and live vicariously through us. That's fine, too.

Take the Tour

Sorry for the lack of posts since the move. We're slowly finding our new rhythm here, and I hope to share a few more pics and stories soon. In the meantime, take a tour of our house.

Party Time

Isaiah went to a friend's brithday party today. It was an intergalactic affair with planet birthday cakes, an astronaut's suit, and a rocket ship pinata.

Check out his mad pinata hacking stills. And yes, that's me encouraging him in the background.

Sunday Afternoon

Right now I'm laying in bed listening to the Braves game.

Corrie is napping beside me.

Ezra is napping in his bed.

Isaiah is having quiet time, which I hope turns in to a nap. (But I'm not holding my breath.)

Ahhhh, Sundays.

Macon House

Here are a few pics of the house we're moving in to in Macon. The board and students are currently painting it for us, and there will be new carpet as well. Here is the house from the street.

Below, room on the front of the house as you walk in the front door.

Room directly behind the above room with kitchen in the distance.

Same room, different view. The door in the distance on the left goes down to the basement level.

Closer look at the kitchen with the utility room directly behind. The kitchen is directly behind the carport.

Bedroom in the upper level (probably Ezra's).

Bedroom again, on the front corner of the house (probably Isaiah's).

Same room, different view.

Master bedroom, back corner of the house.

Master bedroom again with master bath on the left.

And there you have it. Sorry, it was dark in the basement and I don't have pictures of that. But if you come see us, that's where you'll be sleeping!

JESUS07

This is one of the funniest things I've seen in a long time. I'm a big fan of vanity plates, especially deciphering the messages they are supposed to be communicating. But I am completely stumped by this one.


Here are a few possibilities:

• The driver is hispanic, and their name is Jesus (pronounced HEH-soos). They graduated high school in 2007.
• The driver is hispanic and owns six (06) other cars. The other cars have plates that read, "Jesus 01", "Jesus 02", etc.
• Someone named Jesus ran for office sometime in 2007; the driver was a faithful supporter.
• The driver is a devout Christian who was caught up in the early stages of the 2008 presidential election, but wanted to make a social and theological statement about their beliefs. VOTE Jesus 07!
• The driver is a devout Christian who likes to study the end times (eschatology). A thorough interpretation of Revelation and an observant look at the world revealed to this person that Jesus was coming back in 2007. (In which case, I assume they were pretty disappointed New Year's Day 2008.)
• Upon further examination, the driver now realizes he/she was off by 1000 years (Revelation is so tricky), and therefore kept the plate because now Jesus is returning in 3007.

What do you think?

There, and back again

Last week we took a road trip to Georgia and back. We wanted to visit Macon one more time before moving there, and we wanted to go to the wedding of our dear friend Shelby, which was in Atlanta.


Road trips are not as easy as they used to be. I used to drive home from college in only one stop and that was to get gas and food. Now, we're lucky to make it 3 hours without stopping. But if nothing else, there are always stories to tell at the end of the day.


So over the next few days, I'm going to share some stories from the road. Adventures, conversations, and other tidbits that happened on our way there, and back again.

Change

A theme of our lives right now is change. We change diapers, we change little boys' clothes, the boys change/grow everyday. Our lives are revolving doors of change. Just when you get used to one thing, it is replaced by another.


And yet, amongst all this other change, there are even bigger changes ahead. Last week, I accepted the position of Campus Pastor at the Wesley Foundation of Macon in Macon, Georgia. This is not a change we saw coming. I mean, I did apply for the position and interview for the position, but if you had asked us in January if we thought we might move this summer, we would have said no.


So, why move? Why now? The boys are not the only ones changing these days. Corrie and I are changing, too. We're growing as people, as parents, as a couple, and in our faith just by living life. One major thing that has changed in our hearts since Ezra was born is a desire to be closer to our families. We are keenly aware of how far away our boys' grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins live - and that has changed us. The desire that grew in our hearts became a prayer, and that prayer became a way for us to be open for God's next movement for our family.


We are truly happy in Oxford. Each new day with this decision makes us aware of how much we will miss this place. Our friends have become our family, and we are beginning to grieve the loss of community we will experience when we leave. This is also an exciting time for the Wesley at Ole Miss. My time as campus minister here has been characterized by building and foundation laying for a ministry that needed to figure out who it was. That has happened, and good things are stirring. I feel like Moses looking over the promised land - seeing it from a distance, but not experiencing it in person (Deuteronomy 34:1-4).


But we are also very excited about what's ahead. We believe the new position will enable me to minister and grow in ways that complement and challenge who I am; we believe there will be good space for Corrie to write her dissertation; and we believe Macon will be a great environment to raise the boys (especially since we'll be closer to the Braves!).

Ezra

con·tent·ment 

[kuh n-tent-muh nt]

-noun

1. the state of being contented; satisfaction; ease of mind.

Retreating

Our Wesley had a joint retreat this weekend with the Wesley from the University of Arkansas. My friend, Omar, is the Director there, and last fall we decided that a joint retreat would be a good idea for each our ministries. We had 32 students altogether, and it was everything we wanted it to be for them.

Our speaker was our friend JD Walt, Dean of the Chapel at Asbury Seminary, and alum of the Arkansas Wesley. He challenged our students to live Jesus' story, a story of down, versus the story of the world, the story of up. (See the Asbury Reader site for more on that.) I could tell the students were getting a lot out of each session, and I am very thankful for events like this that  complement and propel our everyday ministry.

But the retreat was also good for me personally. I needed time with like-minded pastors to remind me that I am not alone. Campus ministry is pretty lonely; no one understands what you do, there is sometimes minimal support from the surrounding community, and the fruit of ministry is not always immediately seen. I am also realizing that I think and minister in a different way from a lot of other pastors, which makes my job even more lonely. Omar and JD were such an encouragement to me this weekend - affirming me, praying for me, and just listening to me. 

(The picture to the right is just before parting ways today. I call it "Los Tres Padres.")

Ash Wednesday Reflection

The season of Lent is marked by the discipline of self-denial. Just this morning on the radio I heard two broadcasters discussing what one of them should give up – coffee, sweets, or meat? Some give up things in an effort to be healthier, some give up things for the challenge of it, some give up things because everyone else seems to be doing it. At its core, however, the season of Lent is a journey back to God.

When we read the words of the prophet Joel, it is easy to focus on the fasting, weeping, and mourning the Lord asks of his people. These are practices associated with repentance, attitudes that are expected of us during this time. But these practices are empty if they do not turn us back to God. The Lord's first words are, “Even now, return to me...rend your hearts, not your garments and return to the Lord, your God.” This is an invitation from the Lord God to return, to once again be recipients of his loving kindness.

The self-denial of Lent is meant to open up space in our lives and in our hearts for God to speak, work, and move. By emptying our lives of things that we regularly enjoy, we are saying no to the world, and yes to God; we are accepting the invitation to return. Unfortunately, many will wonder about the rules of Lent, concerning themselves more with perfecting the rite, than perfecting the relationship. Those same broadcasters from this morning discussed whether or not Fruit Loops were considered sweets since they are technically a breakfast cereal.

It is similar rule keepers that Christ addresses when he teaches on giving alms, praying, and fasting. The hypocrites, as he calls them, have become slaves to themselves, so guilt ridden about doing all the right things that they do them all wrong. I believe their position can be summarized by this quote from Henri Nouwen:

“There is an awareness of sin that does not lead to God but to self-preoccupation. Our temptation is to be so impressed by our sins and failings and so overwhelmed by our lack of generosity that we get stuck in a paralyzing guilt. It is the guilt that leads to introspection instead of directing our eyes to God. It is the guilt that has become an idol and therefore a form of pride. Lent is the time to break down this idol and to direct our attention to our loving Lord.”

In this season of Lent, I do encourage you to deny yourself one of life's pleasures. Coffee, sweets, facebook, or music – whatever it is that would help create space for God in your life. But let us not become preoccupied with selflessness during this time of denial, but on the loving God who invites us to return to him.

Why I love LOST, part 2

LOST is driven by a larger story, a story that has a definite end.

The second reason I love LOST is because there is a larger story at work. The individual stories of the characters drive the day-to-day action of the show, but the larger story is what keeps us longing for more.

In Seasons 2 and 3, it was hard to tell where exactly LOST might be going. We all knew The Island was mysterious, we all knew there was more to learn, but when Locke, Desmond, Jack, and Eko kept pushing that button, I really felt like a mouse in a maze never being able to find my way out.

The finale to Season 3 changed all that when we moved from having flashbacks to having flashforwards. Finally, after 3 long seasons, we were glimpsing the future and a small taste of where the show might be going. The flashforwards continued to inform us about individual characters, but more than that, they made us even more aware of the larger story - the mystery of The Island and of Jacob.

The other part of this is that we have the end in sight. After Season 3, the producers of LOST announced that they the show would end after six seasons. At first, I think I was disappointed, but then I realized how genius it was. By setting some boundaries, the producers and writers were able to write with the end in mind, which I think has made the show so much better ever since. (In fact, I would now say that every show should set limits because almost every show drones on and on until finally it gets cancelled and it ends in mediocrity.)

And so, here we are. Ready to start the final season and hoping that many of our questions will be answered. I say many because if there's one thing I've learned watching LOST, it is to treasure mystery and not expect every question to have an answer. After all, it is the mystery that has helped the show last six seasons, and it is mystery that will help it endure even when it is all done.

Many of my thoughts were inspired by The Gospel According to LOST, by Chris Seay. A worthy read for any fan of the show.

Why I love LOST, part 1

Tomorrow night marks the beginning of the end for LOST fans. The final season will kickoff with a 2-hour premiere, and we will be watching. When LOST first started, we were still avid Alias fans (still are really), so we decided not to watch LOST. But then we moved to Oxford and some of our new friends insisted we check it out. Now, here we are, almost 4 years later, and anxiously awaiting the start of the final season.


LOST is possibly one of the most intelligent, well-written and yet frustrating shows I've ever watched. Intelligent because of the philosophical, biblical, and historical undercurrents that make up the show's complex story line. Well-written because it has so many pieces that all seem to fit together...I think. Frustrating because you never really know what's going (which is what we hope the final season will reveal).


But for all that, and the fact that Oceanic 815 crashed on my birthday, September 22 (it's true, look it up); there are two main reasons why I love LOST.

LOST is a show built on the stories of people.


This could be said about any show, but LOST is unique in that almost every episode of the show through Season 3 follows a character's life before the crash. Through these flashbacks we learn who these castaways are, what they've done, and how they came to be on the plane that eventually crashes on The Island.


If not for these flashbacks, we would have no real connection to the characters. Our opinions and emotions toward each character shifts as we learn more about who they were before they came to The Island. We see them as real human beings with real human problems and real human brokenness. We see The Island gives these castaways a second chance, a way to redefine their lives. If not for the flashbacks, the only thing we would have to shape the characters are their present actions, and who really wants to be judged solely based on what people see in the here and now.


Think about it. When you are with a new group of people, what do you spend most of your time doing? You tell stories about yourself, usually things that happened in the past, and you hope that people will receive who you are not based solely on your present actions, but on your history as well.

LOST Example: Kate. Kate is the girl next door (or grass hut) on The Island. She is the middle of a love triangle, she is strong yet vulnerable, pretty yet rugged, sweet yet sassy. If the show were only about what happens in the present, we would think Kate to be the perfect heroine, and the dream girl of every guy. However, we learn as early as episode 2 in Season 1 that Kate is a fugitive in the custody of a U.S. Marshal. It takes time for the rest of the picture to fill in, but we learn that Kate is far from the girl next door. Kate murdered her abusive father, robbed a bank, married a guy under a false name, etc. etc. The thing that characterizes Kate most is her ability to always run away. Instead of dealing with life head on, she runs.


Island Kate starts off in a similar fashion. She desperately wants off The Island so she can avoid what faces her back in Iowa (murder charges). She also remains fickle as to her allegiance, running which ever way seems to meet her needs. BUT, by the end of Season 5, Kate is done running away. In fact, Kate has the opportunity to leave The Island behind and forget it all while sitting in a submarine heading toward America. Instead, she convinces Sawyer and Juliet to join her in running back to try to save the others!


And this is what makes LOST so great! Kate is a prime example of the personal transformation that happens on this show, and the power of one person's story to pull us in to the bigger story. Kate is only one example of many, because LOST is about how all the different characters, with all their different backgrounds come together for something big and momentous (which we don't really understand yet). BUT, the show is driven not just by what happens on The Island, but the stories of those involved.


Reason number two comes tomorrow...

Back in the Saddle

Wow. What a month.


Yesterday I walked back in to my office for the first time since Dec. 11. Usually I dread going back to the office after a long break, but yesterday it was quite refreshing to sit at my desk, go through the mail, check voicemail, and then get to the business at hand. (Which included calls concerning a fallen tree on the property, a leaky gas line on the property, and a burst pipe in the rental house.)


I never intended to be out of the office for a whole month, but our holiday season was quite crazy. I traveled to Houston for a conference and returned to an overtired wife and mother-in-law due to another double-ear infection in Ezra. The next week Corrie's dad joined us, Ezra still wasn't sleeping at night, and on Dec. 23, he had tubes put in. The day after Christmas, Corrie's parents left. On Dec. 27, I preached at our church, and the bronchitis Corrie had been battling got so bad she could hardly move for two days. And Isaiah had rotovirus, which meant a lot of....well, you don't need to know that. Needless to say, I was at home during this time taking care of the boys and Corrie.


Finally, on New Year's Eve, Corrie was well enough for us to travel north so we could spend time with her family and my family. We were gone 10 days, had 2 more Christmases, 3 birthday parties, 2 dinosaur birthday cakes, and maybe 1 good night's sleep.


Now we're home and trying to find the routine again. We love our families and we're thankful for their hospitality. We're also thankful to be part of a university community so that we can take the time to visit them during the holidays. BUT, it sure is nice to be home. Hopefully, everyone will stay healthy for a while, and Corrie can find the rhythm of work she needs to finish her comps.


And in case you were wondering, we're not planning any more trips right now. If you'd like to see us, you're welcome to come on down!