February 2012
1 post
About Me
I’m always updating this statement on my Facebook, but I think this describes me best right now:
I’m a teacher by day, student by night and pastor by both. I’m a movie watcher, story writer and a tea connoisseur . I’m a thinker, a theologian and a musician. I’m a dreamer, believer, and a child at heart. Creativity is my passion, people are my mission, and Christ is...
October 2011
1 post
A Poem/Prayer For Fall
Oh Lord,
God of the harvest,
Let us find ourselves like trees,
enveloped in the mist of your love.
May our leaves be festive,
full of color and life,
even as they fall to the ground.
Help us,
to let go of the things we often hold tight to,
and allow them to be carried away,
by your gentle breeze.
Allow storms to test our strength and revive our roots.
Grow us tall,
that we might be...
August 2011
1 post
1 tag
A Mirror of the Past
As I was transferring blog posts over from Wordpress to Tumblr I took some time to read some of my old posts. Most of my blogging was done in 2007 and a little in 2008. It wasn’t that long ago, but it’s amazing how much I’ve changed between now and then. At the same time, it’s also interesting to see how much I haven’t changed.
I sometimes stop and wonder how exactly...
January 2010
1 post
1 tag
Lost Season 1
These are some of the moments that captivated us, made us laugh, cry, and believe in the extraordinary. When looking back on the show these are some of the moments that stand out in my mind as being the reason we’re all addicted to Lost.
Pilot: The opening scene… Jack running around
Pilot: Kate sowing up Jack’s wound
Pilot: Kate screaming from behind the bamboo… Hiding from the monster
...
December 2009
2 posts
1 tag
The Things We Continue
Make sure you read my post on The Things We Start before reading this one…
So why do we start things we don’t finish?
I had this conversation with a friend a few months ago. We boiled it down to this. People need outlets for creativity. Every time something new comes along we see it as an opportunity to be creative… and yes this applies to twitter. How many times have you thought, “I hope...
1 tag
The Things We Start
Why do we start things we don’t finish?
Over the past few years I’ve tried to write a book, host a podcast, run an online business, design an iPhone app, and who knows what else. They were all great things, and really fun, but I didn’t finish one of them! How come?
And that got me thinking… It’s not just me. We all do it. Even social networking goes through patterns of starting and stopping.
...
September 2008
1 post
1 tag
Government and Morality
Preface I’m just going to guess that every blog that I write between now and the election will be highly controversial, but I’m not trying to be divisive in anyway. I’m writing these political blogs because it is extremely important for us as Christians to be completely honest and transparent when it comes to our convictions and beliefs. Only through honesty can we engage in civil discussions on...
May 2008
2 posts
The Choice
Every day we have a choice. Every choice we make puts us on a path. Every path either leads to blessings or curses. Blessings lead to life, while curses lead to death. Death is the end, but life leads to more life. So in every moment of every day we have a choice to choose life or to choose death. And God is life. Life flows from God. To truly live is to have Christ at the center of our lives....
My Cry
As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:9
But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die. -Genesis 2:17 (NKJ)
Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die.” -Genesis 3:4 (NKJ)
She took some and ate it. She also gave some...
April 2008
3 posts
1 tag
Capturing Shadows
I’ve been reading a lot in the book of Hebrews lately and there are some amazing passages in which the author talks about the things of this world, and how they are merely a shadow of the things to come. Some of our most sacred, divine moments are merely a taste of Heaven. What a thought!
The book of Psalms says that Man is like a breath, and his days are like a fleeting shadow. Over and over...
1 tag
Secret Divine
There’s a secret I must tell…
The scripture reading in Lectio Divina the other day came from Matthew chapter six. Christ is speaking and he tells everyone how they should approach the disciplines of their faith. The main ideas I see here are that our time with God is supposed to be genuine and from the heart. We’re not supposed to be drawing attention to ourselves, but turning the attention to...
1 tag
As Long As It Is Called Today
I have a notebook…
In it I keep my thoughts, desires, revelations, invitations, prayers and emotions. My notebook gives me glimpses into my life and reminds me of the ways that God speaks to me. When I write down a thought it usually starts out simple but as I let it saturate in my mind it begins to grow and develop. Every now and then I take something from my notebook and share it here on my...
March 2008
3 posts
1 tag
That Most Amazing Reality
In the 4th Century Church a beautiful Greek liturgy emerged from the pen of St. James, and in 1864 it was translated to English. As we approach the Easter weekend I can’t think of any better words to meditate on than these:
Let all mortal flesh keep silence, And with fear and trembling stand; Ponder nothing earthly minded, For with blessing in His hand, Christ our God to earth descendeth, Our...
1 tag
You Have Made My Day
I was reminded tonight that often the things we love we don’t love because of what they are but because of what they mean. I was watching a show on television recently and one of the characters had a Chinese tattoo on his arm. Another character told him what it translated to in English. His response was, “That’s what it says, but it’s not what it means.” I asked someone who travels a lot where...
1 tag
(re)new
This is an article I wrote for the Spring Issue of Community magazine put out by Big Valley Grace Community Church:
It is evident throughout Scripture that God is in the business of restoration. Our God is a God who redeems the worthless, heals the broken and calls the unrighteous to join Him in His work. As workers in the Kingdom of God, it is easy to get into routines where we focus only on...
February 2008
1 post
1 tag
The Trinity and Man
The other day I was thinking about a few different things… First the complexity of the Trinity and second, the duality of man and our choice between good and evil. I began to wonder if maybe man had a certain “three-in-one-ness” also. This of course wouldn’t be anywhere near the complete triune nature of God, but I still wondered if there was any similarities or even a human equivalent. As I...
January 2008
4 posts
1 tag
“I keep various weaponry strategically placed around the office. I saved Jim’s...”
– Dwight Schrute
1 tag
We Must Go
I often think about what it means to be a hero. To be the person that everyone cheers for even when they don’t know your name.I’ve always had a fascination with heroes in books and movies and in real life.I don’t know what it is about them that they grip me so much.They’re often alone, hurt, and torn between two worlds. Living two lives, they take no credit for their work and pass people on the...
1 tag
Some Theology
Here’s some crazy ideas I’ve been thinking about over the last few days.
I. God is busy… According to the U.S. Census Bureau each minute roughly 105 people die and 253 people are born. Supposedly, from what I read online in statistics that were probably made up, one out of every three people who die are a Christian. Thats about 34 people every minute. So we could make a very rough guess that...
1 tag
Happy (re)New Year
It’s crazy to think that Jesus came to earth roughly 2008 years ago… Thats so many years. I wonder if he ever made a new years resolution. “This year I’m going to heal thirty people. Next year I’m going to save the world…” He probably never had to make a resolution, because he probably never felt the need to start new. I think that’s what drives us to do this anyway. We somehow feel that because...
November 2007
4 posts
1 tag
Very Few Things Make Me Mad
Let me put seven disclaimers on this post… 1. I’m not going to be politically correct. 2. I’m going to speak my mind… in detail. 3. I’m going to be slightly hypocritical because I’m not perfect. 4. I’m going to overstep boundaries. 5. I’m going to share thoughts which may not actually accomplish any good. 6. All of my points have flaws… I get it. 7. Get ready for a long… very long read.
So why...
1 tag
The Geometry of the Universe
I was talking with some friends today about the universe and I suggested a theory of mine that the universe is like a sphear rather than a flat plane or other shape. I did a little googleing and found out that this was not a new idea. There’s more support for a flat universe, but I still like the idea. This is what NASA has to say about it…
“The density of the universe also determines its...
Capturing Sunday Morning
I’m going to do my best to capture everything that has happened in the last hour and a half, but I don’t think I will be able to do it justice. I woke up this morning at 10:00 from a beautiful twelve hours of sleep… the first in a long time. I helped my dad with some google map stuff and then he and my brother left the house. A certain amount of excitement ran over me as I decided to go eat...
Ramblings, Refelctions, or Somewhere in Between
I apologize in advance for the length of this blog, but this has been a mind bottling week and I have a whole lot to say… So here it is…
I had three really amazing conversations that all delved me deep into thought. I love theology and I love philosophy, and when you throw in a little bit of coffee and friends it makes for a really good time. So much happened in these conversations, that I...
October 2007
4 posts
1 tag
Capturing Wind
Ever since I was a kid I’ve always had a fascination with the wind. Something about it is so mysterious and yet captivating. I love to stand outside in the winter and feel the wind rush across my face. There’s an excitement when it’s moving fast, and there’s peacefulness when it’s a gentle breeze. The soothing quality of the wind is a constant reminder of the soft whisper of God’s voice in the...
1 tag
“New York, New York. The city so nice, they named it twice. Manhattan is the...”
– Michael Scott
1 tag
The Air Between Us
In one of my favorite musicals, Singing in the Rain, there’s this funny part where Lina is telling the main character Don how much she loves him, and he replies with this great line… “There is nothing between us. There has never been anything between us. Just air.”
I don’t know why that popped in my head today, but once it got there my mind started to wander. I began to think about how many...
1 tag
“I enjoy having breakfast in bed. I like waking up to the smell of bacon. Sue me....”
– Michael Scott
September 2007
2 posts
1 tag
Why We Fall
The other day I was watching this show on TV about Charles Manson, and they were replaying clips from an interview with him from twenty years ago. There’s no doubt that the guy is crazy… enough drugs will do that, but it was still very interesting to hear what he had to say. I think that if he was brought up in a good environment and didn’t get messed up on drugs that he would have probably become...
1 tag
“Toby is in HR, which technically means he works for corporate, so he’s really...”
– Michael Scott
August 2007
5 posts
1 tag
“My proudest moment here wasn’t when I increased profits by 17%, or cut...”
– Michael Scott
1 tag
Mocha Moments
Someone once said, “Coffee is the best thing to douse the sunrise with.”What is it about this generation that we have such a strong coffee culture? Between Starbucks and all the other coffee shops our culture seems captivated by cappuccinos. Everywhere I look I see a coffee shop. Everywhere I go I’m drawn in by its entrancing aroma. Coffee: water poured over beans… Simple, and yet strange when you...
1 tag
“Society teaches us that, having feelings and crying is bad and wrong. Well,...”
– Michael Scott
1 tag
Embracing Accusation
This is just a really cool song by Shane & Shane…
Father of lies, coming to steal kill and destroy All my hopes of being good enough I hear him saying, “cursed are the ones who can’t abide” He’s right, halleluia, he’s right The devil is preaching the song of the redeemed That I am cursed and gone astray I cannot gain salvation Embracing accusation Could the father of lies be telling the...
“Like bits of glass with each shard uniquely shaped and stained, the redeemed are...”
– Glen Packiam
July 2007
2 posts
1 tag
“When you meet that someone special you’ll just know because a real relationship...”
– Michael Scott
Modern Day Pharisees in Action
I love reading blogs posts and articles that I don’t agree with from time to time, because it helps me to defend what I believe, and reinforce my views. One of the blogs that I read constantly likes to put down Christian leaders that he disagrees with. He’s not very big on building the body of Christ but rather tearing it down. He’s a lot like a modern pharisee in many ways. He just posted a...
June 2007
2 posts
1 tag
“I love inside jokes. I’d love to be a part of one someday.”
– Michael Scott
1 tag
Doors, Parables & a Penguin
What you’re about to read is a little about the process I underwent with Shawn and Gavin to write a parable. It started with Shawn’s idea to have a door up in front on Sunday night. The idea behind the door was that it makes you wonder what’s behind it. In the same way Jesus parables only show the surface and you have to contemplate the rest. So he decided to have a door and talk about parables...
May 2007
2 posts
A Question
So I’ve a hypothetical question for you. If you read this then I’d like for you to answer in a comment. If your answer is “I don’t know” that’s ok. If you’re not sure I’d still like to hear why you’re not sure, or what’s going through your head. I will post my opinion after a few days or so. So anyways, here it is…
Imagine that there’s a large crowd of a hundred people in front of you. All of...
1 tag
The Bad Guys
Which side are you on? Are you the hero or the villain? Or maybe both? I was looking around on Time Magazine’s website, and came across this post on the top 25 Villains of all time. After looking through it I realized that I didn’t agree with all of their choices (cause let’s face it… if Darth Vader doesn’t make the list, then it can’t be very creditable) but even from what I saw it got me...
April 2007
1 post
Vintage Faith
This weekend I went down to Santa Cruz to visit the church Vintage Faith. The pastor, Dan Kimball, is the author of several good books and an important figure in the world of Emergent Christianity.
I’ve been reading his book called Emerging Worship (which has a funny forward by David Crowder) and I’ve really enjoyed it. The church was really cool. It’s a small congregation of about 450 people,...
March 2007
6 posts
1 tag
Dreams
So here’s the coolest thing for me to share with you all. Last June my life started to take a totally new direction, and what I’m about to tell you has been slowly evolving and developing through circumstances and life in general. As I said before, I’m not really digging the whole music major thing right now, but it seems that God has brought a much bigger task to my plate. So here it is… I...
1 tag
Heaven, God, Busses & You
Every story has a beginning, a middle and an end. They often follow certain patterns and can be classified into various genres such as fiction, drama, biography etc.. But what makes a story good? What is it that makes one better than the rest? Rob Bell in his new book, Sex God makes a point that resonates with these questions. He mentions that the reason that Alfred Hitchcock’s movies are...
1 tag
Flying Pirates
When I was a child one of my favorite movies was Peter Pan. Even today there is something really cool about the whole story. I have fond memories of imagining what it would have been like to be a “part of that world“… (some of you will get that later) But anyways, there are several things that come to mind when I think of the story, but one of the major themes is about this inner struggle...
2 tags
Kingdom of Heroes
So one of the many shows I’m currently addicted to is NBC’s hit showHeroes. The show has a huge cast of people and many of them as you might suspect have extraordinary abilities. The premise of the show is that all these people are different in both their abilities and circumstances, and over the course of the show their paths begin to cross. It doesn’t take long for them to realize that something...
1 tag
Rest
A while back I was talking to a good friend of mine, and he asked if I had enjoyed being on vacation for a few months. The weird thing was that I hadn’t even thought of the last few months as a vacation. Not to say that I didn’t enjoy it (because I did) but I can’t believe how busy I was. I mean how did this happen? It seems like every year I find myself committed to too many things, and then...
1 tag
Sand
It’s always something… You ever noticed that? Whenever things get all nice and settled something happens. It may not be anything that someone did or said. Sometimes things just don’t feel right. In the book of Psalms, in chapter 25, the writer says, “Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. The troubles of my heart have multiplied; free me from my anguish. Look upon my...