So where do we start? I think in New Mexico: A flash presentation of Weird Al’s Albuquerque. Set aside about 10 min for random stupidity.
Casino Royale
It is always nice to be driving home for thanksgiving and having your mom call and say the following words: “So sushi and the new James Bond movie … I’m buying” Yes please! So after getting my healthy dose of wasabi we go to see the new James Bond. A very different James Bond.
He is just mean … I dunno if it is a director’s choice or a progression in film making but normally James Bond movies are pretty ‘subtle’ in the progression of violence and blood. This is not. I will say that the movie is never over till the credits role (and they should have put in about 15 more minutes) The humor is not the normal dry, but has some very nice sarcastic comments and play on words.
The best scene is the first one after the credits, and I’m pretty sure they did it without wires and the scene is just a little insane.
Thanksgiving
I love this holiday. First off is the nice 2 days off of school, but the best thing about it is the food. My family normally has a group of about 15ish people over every year with homemade everything. First thing in the oven are the blueberry muffins, the true sign of the holidays around my parent’s house. Right around 2ish the house starts to smell good. This is important to me since I can smell good BBQ from about a block away including what is on the grill. Sometimes I can have a two-block radius if I am hungry, but that’s another topic of discussion. This is one of those days where it is required that you eat thirds and fourths, followed by desert.
The other love from home was turning on my parent’s fireplace. My parents have tile floor which gets really hot in the sun, and really cold at night. I must be becoming wimp (or getting a cold) because my body has been cold at home where the temp has been about 20 Degrees colder than ‘summer’ in LA. I might have to go put some sweat pants on. Something about a fireplace signals the holidays and the changing seasons where nature doesn’t react to the change of seasons. We also pulled down the 2 car loads of Christmas stuff for my mom to decorate our house.
Being Thankful:
I tried to be clever and do the whole A-Z thing, but I found out I’m not that clever. Aside from family I found some things that were things that have snuck up on me in the past year or so of Seminary.
Guitar
Something about sitting down on my couch when my brain is full of stuff and just playing music is so very comforting. Many times God will lead me to songs that echo where I am and draw me closer to him.
And Bass Guitar
Quote of the week goes to Becca: “You just look happier playing bass.”
I love playing bass but it is very hard to lead worship on a bass. Some of it is that I am able to cut loose a little more and articulate some things better on bass than on a guitar. It is kinda hard to put into words, but there is something about playing my bass that is fun, either that or it brings out my goofball persona.
Tightening the Screws
I am sarcastic from time to time … ok most of the time, but one of the things that has been amazing to watch is how God has been using Seminary to really turn the pressure up on me to return to a life seeking him. The combination of theology and personal conduct make for a very stressful life, but in the end I come to a better understanding of my actions and myself.
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Saturday, November 18, 2006
Mountain high to valley low
So I got back from Cursillo (outside of Huston Texas) almost a week ago, I’m still not sure what happened there or what I’m doing back in California. If (a very big if) Cursillo could be summed up I would do as such: Cursillo redefines love. Three words don’t do Cursillo justice so allow me to elaborate, expand, and unpack (my suitcase) for a moment.
In every form of love there is an understanding of the limits of love (with the exception of Christ’s) or at the very least a fear that love will not always be faithful. This is seen in the world around us as people are looking for some measure of love but find it in the worst places for the wrong reasons. Cursillo is three full days involving 24 hours each where Christ’s love is expressed, encountered, and cannot be avoided; and trying to resist only makes it worse. For perspective Cursillo is like filling shot glasses with a fire hose on full, and Cursillo doesn’t let you empty the glass at all. The result is that you have no choice but to give in and switch up to the swimming pool with the waterslide, and diving board and then have a cannonball contest in an attempt to empty the pool to keep up with the inflow. 72 hours of this, with surprises along the way effectively function as flash floods in filling up the pool.
You break, everyone does at some point. I broke, took less than 24 hrs too, and I’m very stubborn.
But enough about Seattle … Normally after something like a Cursillo weekend or camp weekend there is a time of decompressing that needs to happen. Decompression needs to happen at a slow rate or else bad things happen. Healthy Example: Your ears pop as you go up and down in elevation to rectify pressure. Unhealthy Example: Space shuttle loses compression. I could go in to details but Hollywood has done a few good examples, but that experience is the opposite of fun and is not recommended. I didn’t get this time, and got thrown right back into the middle of life. I can remember having a conversation about how do we as post-Cursillo people (who have the temporary thinking capability of mush) go back into the world when the world isn’t on the same page but more like in a different book in a different library. I’m still not sure I know, well I know the opportunities and some I intend to do. However, life was waiting for me on the trip home from Texas, with it’s own needs time involvement and challenges; All of them demanding.
So what did I do? Our transportation to the Huston airport (who was a staff member of Cursillo) gave me a simple wooden cross, on a simple leather band. I’m not much of a jewelry guy, nor do I like broadcasting that I am a Christian by use of bumper stickers, mostly because I don’t always represent my beliefs well; yet this cross stays around my neck. Since it is new I am very aware of it, and when I put on my school bag I can feel it, I can feel the edges and corners when I put pressure on it. It is very very tangible in reminding me of what I should represent, and what my actions should be. It has variable weight depending on my situation where it might just hang and then there are times when it weighs heavy and I can feel it against my body.
My life right now is in a slow motion upheaval. Everything is already up in the air it is just a matter of where things are going to fall, and if they are going to break, bounce up again, or come to rest. In these times I look for constants, like finding joy in worship, and sometimes constants present themselves in the form of a simple cross around a neck. Sometimes that variable weight is very comforting.
In every form of love there is an understanding of the limits of love (with the exception of Christ’s) or at the very least a fear that love will not always be faithful. This is seen in the world around us as people are looking for some measure of love but find it in the worst places for the wrong reasons. Cursillo is three full days involving 24 hours each where Christ’s love is expressed, encountered, and cannot be avoided; and trying to resist only makes it worse. For perspective Cursillo is like filling shot glasses with a fire hose on full, and Cursillo doesn’t let you empty the glass at all. The result is that you have no choice but to give in and switch up to the swimming pool with the waterslide, and diving board and then have a cannonball contest in an attempt to empty the pool to keep up with the inflow. 72 hours of this, with surprises along the way effectively function as flash floods in filling up the pool.
You break, everyone does at some point. I broke, took less than 24 hrs too, and I’m very stubborn.
But enough about Seattle … Normally after something like a Cursillo weekend or camp weekend there is a time of decompressing that needs to happen. Decompression needs to happen at a slow rate or else bad things happen. Healthy Example: Your ears pop as you go up and down in elevation to rectify pressure. Unhealthy Example: Space shuttle loses compression. I could go in to details but Hollywood has done a few good examples, but that experience is the opposite of fun and is not recommended. I didn’t get this time, and got thrown right back into the middle of life. I can remember having a conversation about how do we as post-Cursillo people (who have the temporary thinking capability of mush) go back into the world when the world isn’t on the same page but more like in a different book in a different library. I’m still not sure I know, well I know the opportunities and some I intend to do. However, life was waiting for me on the trip home from Texas, with it’s own needs time involvement and challenges; All of them demanding.
So what did I do? Our transportation to the Huston airport (who was a staff member of Cursillo) gave me a simple wooden cross, on a simple leather band. I’m not much of a jewelry guy, nor do I like broadcasting that I am a Christian by use of bumper stickers, mostly because I don’t always represent my beliefs well; yet this cross stays around my neck. Since it is new I am very aware of it, and when I put on my school bag I can feel it, I can feel the edges and corners when I put pressure on it. It is very very tangible in reminding me of what I should represent, and what my actions should be. It has variable weight depending on my situation where it might just hang and then there are times when it weighs heavy and I can feel it against my body.
My life right now is in a slow motion upheaval. Everything is already up in the air it is just a matter of where things are going to fall, and if they are going to break, bounce up again, or come to rest. In these times I look for constants, like finding joy in worship, and sometimes constants present themselves in the form of a simple cross around a neck. Sometimes that variable weight is very comforting.
Monday, November 06, 2006
As the world wakes up
It is still dark and my eyelids don’t want to open, but I’m stilling here at a cabin by lake arrowhead at 6am watching the world wake up. Darkness fights to keep its hold on the world as the edge of my world begins to glow. Slowly darkness is pulled away and shapes and objects are visible. Slowly God turns up the color in the world with the dead leaves that turn in this pine forest. It takes a bit longer but slow the green comes in, and even the white on the patio is dull. It is still dark and the horizon is still just shape and dark. The sky has turned grey as it begins to get some of it’s blue. The edge of the world is white with a tint of orange.
Slowly the world begins to warm. In undergrad I learned that breezes are caused by sudden temperature changes to the ground. So at sunrise and sunset the world warms or cools and a breeze will pass over the land trying to even out temperatures as the ground heats the air, or begins to become cooler than the air around it. Heat flows towards cool. This still life of progressive color begins to dance, birds cry outside for food.
The far ridgeline begins to take on some color as the greens near me begin to look like the life that they stand for.
The trees begin to get nervous in their dance as the guest of honor progresses slowly up the far ridge. The finale, when darkness is no more, when life begins to flow, when nothing is hidden, and everything is a peace. But it isn’t time yet; there is still some waiting to be done. So I wait …
The parade begins to move in full motion as the sun rises on the far ridge, judging from the light it looks like I am in the wrong place to see it crest and blind me. Soon the sounds of the rest of the house begin to move, and the world outside goes on with the parade that lasts until the sun sets.
Nov 4th near Arrowhead Lake
Slowly the world begins to warm. In undergrad I learned that breezes are caused by sudden temperature changes to the ground. So at sunrise and sunset the world warms or cools and a breeze will pass over the land trying to even out temperatures as the ground heats the air, or begins to become cooler than the air around it. Heat flows towards cool. This still life of progressive color begins to dance, birds cry outside for food.
The far ridgeline begins to take on some color as the greens near me begin to look like the life that they stand for.
The trees begin to get nervous in their dance as the guest of honor progresses slowly up the far ridge. The finale, when darkness is no more, when life begins to flow, when nothing is hidden, and everything is a peace. But it isn’t time yet; there is still some waiting to be done. So I wait …
The parade begins to move in full motion as the sun rises on the far ridge, judging from the light it looks like I am in the wrong place to see it crest and blind me. Soon the sounds of the rest of the house begin to move, and the world outside goes on with the parade that lasts until the sun sets.
Nov 4th near Arrowhead Lake
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