Intentional Walk: July 2006

Monday, July 31, 2006

Biopsy

Yeah, "biopsy" is one of those scary words, isn't it?

Yesterday, I got to hear Brady preach for the first time in a while. He did his usual excellent job and I was reminded of how many of Brady's sermons have stuck with me for various reasons. I can recall little of what I preach from week to week, but certain of Brady's lessons have made an impression. Yesterday was no exception.

He told a story about a friend of his who had been asked to say a prayer for someone who was undergoing surgery. The friend prayed, "God please be with the Dodgers who are looking after her. Guide the Dodgers hands as they..." And so on. I mean, I've heard of Dodgers fans, but that might be asking a bit much.

It reminded me of a former Shepherd at College who was leading a prayer for a woman in his class who was having a biopsy done. He prayed a bit and then said, "And God, we pray for our sister who is having an autopsy done this week." He prayed more after that. Never caught what he'd said. Many of us did, however, as our shaking shoulders under bowed heads revealed.

Anyway, I had this ugly thing scraped off of my back today and they are going to do a biopsy. My doctor says it's nothing. The dermatologist says it's nothing. Since it's the first thing I've ever had removed they're just examining it to be sure. So I'm honestly not the least bit concerned. It's just the first time I've ever had a biopsy of my very own and I thought I'd tell the world. Or, y'know, all you guys.

There is a lot going on in our lives this week. Whether that means my blogging will be more frequent or less remains to be seen.

Wednesday, July 26, 2006

Remember

Josh Stump's excellent blog reminded me of something that happened recently. Something worth writing down. Something worth remembering.

A couple of days ago, my boy said, "Daddy, watch me!" about 15 times in a row.

This happens with such frequency that I have taken to calling out, "I'm watching!" without taking my eyes off the TV. Usually the event he wants me to watch is something like forming a playdough worm or making the ol' artificial fart under the arm. Thanks, boy. I'll pass.

The other night, he wouldn't let it go. So I actually watched. And then he did a perfect somersault. I mean a perfect somersault. Even the Romanian judge would have given him a 10.

He came up and flashed me the widest grin. He knew how good it was. I was speechless and I had something in my eye. I finally shouted how great that was and how proud I was of him. Then he did about 83 more in rapid succession.

This morning I heard him calling for Lisa to come watch what he could do. I had already forgotten the somersaults and had never mentioned them to her. I'm such a crummy dad sometimes. My wonderful wife has been afflicted by a virus for days. She has felt really lousy, even going to the doctor yesterday, something we don't do in this family unless body parts are coming loose. She was very busy but soon made time to go see what the boy was yelling about. It was quiet for about two seconds and then I heard her squeal. Only then did I remember the amazing gymnastic acheivement.

He has been somersaulting ever since. I'm amazed that both breakfast and lunch stayed down. And I hope I've learned how important it is to burn some things in my mind.

So, Josh, I'm sorry for totally cribbing your blog idea. But thanks for reminding me about what's important. It makes me want to turn some somersaults of my own.

Don't laugh. I can. Cartwheels too.

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

The Heat Is On

I just checked weather.com and found that it is 109 degrees outside right now. But then, it's only 2:15 pm. It'll get hotter.

This will be the fourth straight day of temperatures over 110. The two days previous to that streak, the high was 109. People are sick. People are dying.

The phone rang as I was finishing that last paragraph. It was a recorded message from PG&E, the second in as many days. They are urging people to conserve energy, to keep thermostats at 84. Fresno and Clovis are experiencing blackouts in huge numbers. Our power went out for a couple of hours Saturday night...fortunately both sermon and PowerPoint were done. Lisa's dad stayed here two nights ago as his condo was unbearably hot. My friend, Kevin, had power for a total of 11 hours this weekend, bringing the temperature in his house up to 90 degrees.

The forecast is for it cool off to a breezy 102 by the weekend. Sounds wonderful.

I caught myself feeling bad the other day because the hot weather had limited my golf outings to three for the summer. Then the gardeners pulled up across the street and started working.

Today I am going to sit under an A/C vent with a good book and count my blessings.

Monday, July 24, 2006

And Where Do We Go From Here?

July 23rd has come and gone. The elders...and others...have made their long-awaited announcements. So what's next?

Let me precede everything by saying that there is a pervasive understanding at the College Church that everything is in God's hands. His timing is perfect and we are a patient group.

Yesterday, my friend Tim told us that he and his family would be moving back to Virginia. Tim has been our youth minister for eight years. He has also been one of our principal speakers in that time, as we have been without a pulpit minister for about the same duration. Obviously, his loss will be felt greatly. In addition to the hard work he does with the kids and the quality of his speaking, Tim is just a really good guy. He has become a good friend during our time on the Worship Committee together and all of the times we have co-preached a series. I'll miss him a lot.

Our elders have spent many months in prayer and planning for the next direction of our church family. They told us yesterday that they are beginning a search for a "senior minister." Ideally, they want someone who will be a preacher, an adminstrator, a Worship Committee member, an involvement person, and a general "go-to" guy for the church body. At this time, I would like to emphasize the word "ideally." It may be a lot to ask from one person. On the other hand, God has somebody in mind for us.

The elders also announced their top priority of finding somebody (somebodies?) to lead our preschool - 12th grade childrens ministry. They are also keeping an emphasis on rejuvenating our buildings and grounds, maintaining and strengthening our commitment to evangelism and outreach, and reinvigorating our adult education.

Easy. Nothin' to it.

And where does yours truly fit in? Please refer back to paragraph 2.

Tim will be leaving us in mid-September. The timeline for finding a senior minister stretches into 2008. So it looks as though I may be expected to do a lot more preaching before I ultimately end up doing a lot less. To be honest, I'm struggling with this a bit. But when I keep in mind that I am merely God's servant and that it is an extreme honor to do His will, then it becomes quite easy to simply say, "Here I am, Lord. Send me."

I trust the leadership of our elders. I trust the God they allow to lead them. I am as intimidated as ever by the responsibility of preaching. Yet I enjoy it more every time. On the other hand, that whole "adult education" thing is very intriguing....

All this to say: Thank you for your prayers. Don't stop.

Tuesday, July 18, 2006

Which Star Trek Character Am I???

Uh, I'm not sure how I feel about this.

Your results:
You are Beverly Crusher

Beverly Crusher		55%
Deanna Troi		55%
Data		51%
Jean-Luc Picard		50%
Geordi LaForge		50%
Will Riker		40%
James T. Kirk (Captain)		40%
Worf		35%
Chekov		35%
Uhura		30%
Mr. Scott		30%
An Expendable Character (Redshirt)		30%
Spock		29%
Leonard McCoy (Bones)		25%
Mr. Sulu		15%

A good physician and a caring parent.
You are devoted to your children
and to your occupation.

Click here to take the "Which Star Trek character are you?" quiz...

Monday, July 17, 2006

Crash Up Cars

Every time James and I spend a weekend together, just the two of us, a single game seems to dominate every waking moment. Last time it was "Star Wars." This weekend, we recycled a game from my youth, a game I used to call "Crash Up Cars."

I am admitting right up front that, at 41, this game still holds as much pleasure for me as ever. If that isn't insight into my character, nothing is. The rules follow.

Connect as many "Hot Wheels" (tm) pieces of straight track as your hallway will allow. When I was a kid, my favorite feature of our house was its super-long hallway. Our house now has a much shorter one, but it is perfectly serviceable for the game if you extend it across the front room and dining area.
Mount one side of the track as high as the smallest person playing the game can reach.
Find, through trial-and-error, the slowest, ugliest, junkiest car in your collection. As a child, this car was "jeepie," an ugly green husk of metal mounted on wheels that faintly resembled an army jeep. It was made by "Matchbox", the Hydrox to "Hot Wheels'" Oreo. James found a cruddy barely-car that one of his friends had left lodged in his toy alligator one night. Perfect.
Drop the junky car down the track. Laugh when it pathetically stops less than halfway across.
Next, choose a really fast car with a sloped hood.
Drop it down the track and squeal with glee as it barrels under the junky car, flipping it up in the air.
Continue thusly, alternating as much as possible until a free-for-all consumes all players causing them to randomly drop three or four cars at a time down the track in a wild bacchanalia of crunching, flying metal.
Laugh maniacally.
Gather up the remains.
Throw away loose pieces and start again.

Crash Up Cars rocks. Plus, you can often take a full nap between rounds and never be missed. Sometimes the "remains" that must be picked up in Step 9 include a happily slumbering child.

I must mention quickly how nice it was to worship two pews behind B___y and S_______e on Sunday. I have always respected Brady (oh, let's just come on out and expose him), but have only begun to consider him my friend through the last year or so of blogginess. It should be noted that he got the biggest laugh of the Sunday when he referred to his new nephew Ezekiel as E-Z-Kill. Cracked me up. I look forward to his lessons in the weeks to come, partly because Brady is a great speaker, a deep thinker, and an obvious lover of our Lord, but mostly because when he speaks, I don't have to.

Please continue in prayer for our elders. This week they will be finalizing certain decisions before announcing them on Sunday and I think that Satan is putting up some roadblocks there. Let's ask God for His continued protection and wisdom so that College can move ahead in the work for His kingdom. Thank you all so much for lifting us up.

Thursday, July 13, 2006

Two a Week

It seems as though my blogging is bogging. It's not that I don't sit down at the computer as often during the summer as during the school year. It's not even that I don't have as many thoughts swirling around in my brain this time of year. Right now, the problem is that most of those thoughts aren't ready for public broadcast yet. Changes are a'comin' and I'm way excited about them.

I read something by Barclay the other day and it put into words my thoughts about authority.

"The trouble about the Bible is that no sooner have we quoted one text on one side than it is so often possible to quote another text on the other side. We could find authority in the Bible for destroying our enemies and for forgiving our enemies, depending on which part of it we use. We could find authority for arguing that there is no life after death and for arguing that life after death is the very center of Christian belief, depending on whether we choose to quote the Old or the New Testament.

"No man alive accepts every word of the Bible as authoritative. He is bound to select, and he uses some other principle to guide his selection.

"There is no such thing as a final authority which can be externally imposed on any man. It is God's method that man is compelled to use his own mind, his own heart and his own judgment. And for the Christian there is only one authority, and that authority is Jesus Christ interpreted by the Holy Spirit."

I know a few people who truly believe that their beliefs are based solely on scripture and not through any interpretation of their own. How they can believe this is beyond me. We all bring our own traditions, experiences, and biases to our understanding of the Word. The very act of reading it is interpretation. It is filtered through our own unique lens. Yet, many would say, "This is right because the Bible says so." No it doesn't. You say so, based on what you think it says!

And yet we can all be in accord over those things that truly matter. The Spirit is, indeed, one. When we all look to the Father and focus on the Son, the Spirit guides us into all truth. And knowing what is really important becomes child's play. Today, I am thankful for the ultimate authority.

Monday, July 10, 2006

Well, I Feel Better.

I'm back from an awesome weekend of watching God work wonders. Here are some of the things He taught me:

He loves me, like, a LOT.
When He urges you to talk to someone, you should not waste time doing it.
In my communication with Him, I talk waaaaaaaaaay too much. If I actually shut up for any length of time, He has things to say to me
He loves you. Like, a LOT.
He has given me some awesome gifts that I belittle through false modesty. It's okay to acknowledge them. It makes them easier to use.
He has an incredible sense of humor. His timing is impeccable too.
He delights in His servants and He takes great joy in putting them together.
He loves every person He has created. A LOT.

If you're thinking that I must have had an incredible weekend. You're right. Our God is beyond description.

I went to the doctor today about a few things. I have a spot on my back that I never see but Lisa has to look at all the time. It's changed a little so we figured I should have it checked. I get headaches fairly often and for different reasons. My allergies lead to a lot of sinus headaches and I get the occasional migraine. I had a doozy this morning and when I wake up with one, it makes for a long day.

The diagnoses went sort of like this:

"Yup, that's a spot all right. It looks like an age spot. I'm not worried. But we'll have it removed and biopsied just in case. You'll get more.

"Yeah, it's a bad allergy season. Here's a prescription for Zyrtec.

"You might be stretching the muscles in the back of your neck. Get a new pillow. Stand up straighter.

"We need to recheck your thyroid. While we're at it, we'll check your <lots of doctor words and acronyms that I didn't understand>. You need a physical too so we'll do it all at the same time."

So, at the end of the month I'll fast for 14 hours. Then I'll go get something carved out of my back. From there, I'll go to the lab so they can draw some blood. Two days after that, I'll return for my "You're over 40 so bend over" exam. It's nice...y'know...something to look forward to.

I have to admit, somewhere in the back of my mind, I was hoping the diagnoses would go something more like this:

"Headaches? Poor guy. Here are some pills. They'll make them go away immediately and will also make you more muscular and get rid of your grey hair.

"Yeah, it's a bad allergy season. Here's a prescription for Zyrtec.

"I'm sure the headaches are just a result of your incredibly powerful brain. Those pills will also increase your bodies ability to handle your enormous intellect.

"You're thyroid has healed itself. We don't have to do that "Over 40 exam" anymore. We have these pills now. Thanks for coming in. You're very good looking."

Alas. Only one out of four.

Wednesday, July 05, 2006

The Future

To the joy of all, the Haiku Contest has come to an end. Final tally: Wendy-2, Steve-2, and one tie. We have decided to bow in samurai-like fashion to each other and move on. Still...I never turn my back on a samurai.

I have been wrong before, but I have this feeling that this may be a significant month in the history of the College Church. We are moving ahead with some ideas to put people in a place of worship well before the assembly time begins on Sunday morning. The Shepherds and their respective groups continue to do an amazing job of keeping people in touch with their God during the rest of the week. And on the 23rd, the elders ("e-word" alert!) will present some thoughts on the direction of the church that we have all been working towards and praying over for a very long time. I have no doubts of God's love for and guidance of the College Church. But it's always scary and exciting when people are challenged to stretch and grow and (brrrrrrrrrr) change. I am asking for all of you to pray along with us for the next few weeks as tough decisions are made. Please pray that we can put pride and egos and worry and stubbornness all aside and put our faith and trust completely in our Creator. Pray in particular for our elders and ministers in the days ahead.

Some time after the 23rd, I'm sure that both Sandra and I will post plenty about the results of those prayers and decisions. And I'm sure that we will continue to solicit prayers from you.

"God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful." (I Cor. 1:9)

Monday, July 03, 2006

Haiku the Fifth

I humbly and deeply apologize in advance for what you are about to read. If you wish to retain any respect for me whatsoever, PLEASE skip this post and come back on Wednesday.

I'm serious.

Stop reading.

I can no longer be held responsible for the offense you are almost sure to take for what comes next. The Haiku Contest must be decided and I have been provided with the unfortunate final topic of Mexican Food. I have had a week to try to come up with an alternate route, but nothing has come to me. In the final analysis, all of my insight into the world of below-the-border cuisine is scatological in nature. Thus:

Topic Five: Mexican Food

Steve's entry:

Burritos taste good.
But they make me have to poo.
Get outta the waaaaaayy!!!

Wendy's entry:

Haiku tastes best when
liberally smothered in
enchilada sauce.

I'm so embarrassed right now. I can only hope that I have stolen Wendy's thunder, er, so to speak. But knowing what a prim and proper person she is, I'm certain that she'll provide us with a far more dignified entry, thus winning the contest with class and style. Vote at will. As tomorrow is Independence Day ("Yeah. Independence from haikus!" Greg shouted), I won't tally votes until Wednesday evening.

In other news, I have just come from "Superman Returns" and have to jot down a few thoughts while they are still there for the jotting.

Thought One: If you loved "Superman" you will love "Superman Returns." The movie is, in many ways, an homage to the Donner/Reeve movie and those of us who grew up with that one can't help but appreciate this one. For that matter, those of us weaned on the old TV show have to love that both Lois AND Jimmy from that series made an appearance.

Thought Two: Brandon Routh is perfect. Kevin Spacey equally so. Kate Bosworth was in it too.

Thought Three: Favorite moments, off the top of my head. Opening titles. New Jimmy and old Jimmy behind the bar together. A certain pentagon-shaped island, with S-shaped vegetation. The baseball stadium scene with the cheering crowd. A forehead kiss. Every dopey grin Clark tossed over at Lois. "Swell." "Get out." And a few absolutely iconic images taken straight from the covers of classic Superman comics. Take a look at Action Comics #1 (and while you're at it, buy me a copy, huh?) and then enjoy the scene where Supes stops the Mustang. Bryan Singer is such a fanboy.

Thought Four: Yeah, I remember being upset that Superman slept with Lois in "Superman II" and I'm not crazy about how the world's morality has crept into this saga. I decided to just try and get over it. Maybe it's a good conversation-starter though. At what point did we start tearing up over these things and stop being morally outraged?

Thought Five: Is the story messianic in nature? Of course. Wouldn't we all like our Savior to be a bit more like Superman? Strong. Good looking. Contemporary. Watching over us while we live our lives as we please. But Jesus didn't descend with a big red "J" on his chest. He came with tough teachings and an even tougher example. The comparisons are many but the bottom line is this: Our Savior is very real and we DO need him.

Thought Six: This is the best movie score I've heard since "Lord of the Rings". It's Williams-based, but composed by John Ottman, who also edited the movie. And it's even better in the actual film than on the CD.

Thought Seven: Pay attention. The little touches are everywhere. For instance, there's a nice little picture of Glenn Ford on the piano in the Kent house. And why wouldn't there be?

Thought Eight: The "Spider-Man 3" trailer had some great scenes with Venom, The Sandman, and the (Hob?)Goblin. See? Now you all know what I was reading when I was a kid. Ah, who am I kidding? I was still reading this stuff as an adult. But we're all paying to see it now, aren't we?

Okay, okay. That's enough. Why are you still reading this anyway? I told you to stop a long, long time ago. It's good to be home and back in blogland, although a week at the beach is nothing to sneeze at, especially when you are hearing reports of 105 degrees and raining back home. Go see the movie already.

And, Wendy? Win with grace. Please?

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