Walking with Jesus

. Each year we attend the Fur Ball, a dinner to raise funds for Rescue the Animals. People dress up according to a theme, bring their dogs (also dressed up), eat BBQ (I'd rather it were something else), and treat their pooch pals at the Gourmet Doggie Buffet. Olivia has a post about it on her blog. It's fun to see the people and their pets. However, I forgot them all for a moment. I had a moment of tunnel vision when I looked at Olivia once that night, and I wanted to share it with you. She was sitting in her chair, when the whole world faded (in my mind) and this is what I saw..... Ahoy! It's Olivia the Pirate!! Mistress of the Seas! Scourge of the Deep! Terror of the Briney Blue! Beware, lest she cut out yer gizzard!! , 

So, today we went to church, and that's why I'm writing this blog. We're members of a large congregation, and we want people to feel welcome. We don't care who they are, where they are from, or what brought them. We don't care what they did last night, or whether or not they even remember. HOWEVER, I {at least} DO CARE about what they wear. Now, don't hear me wrong. Keep reading. I don't care if they have holey jeans, torn shirts, and dirty shoes, or a suit and tie. I don't care if the colors clash, if they forgot their socks, or if they they wear biker slicks. It doesn't bother me if they wear primary colors, pastels, or all black. If they want to dress for golf, fishing, or hunting, that's fine. If they're dressed for work, that's great! And, I don't think Jesus cares if they have a popular logo or a clever saying emblazoned across their chest. However, I DO CARE if their clothes interfere with worship. Perhaps Jesus would f

This movie was not fun to watch, but it was very insightful. I recommend it if you have a strong stomach, but even then there are some scenes you may not be able to get out of your mind. For that reason, I don't think it's a movie for everyone. As a husband and now father who wants to protect and provide for my family, I want to know about how the food industry has conspired to undermine these basic desires. I'm glad I watched it, but I don't want Olivia to see it. It's raw and informative. It will upset you. It may inspire you to start a garden ! Hopefully, it will change the way you shop and the way you eat, and that, in turn, may eventually change the system. I pray that it does. Jesus may have declared all food clean ( Mark 7:19 ), but that doesn't make it all good for you. Neither does it excuse the commercial, political, and ethical abuses in our current food system.

I just finished this book on audio, and I found it really encouraging. It provides not only a practical encouragement for adoption, but a theological basis for adoption as a ministry of Christian families and an example of the Gospel of Christ. I recommend this book for any Christian, whether they personally feel called to adoption or just know someone who is adopted or called to adopt. Romans 8:14-16: "For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children." (NIV)

. Yesterday I got a text message from someone I didn't want to hear from. A man I used to work with invited me out to Starbucks to talk. Now, this man caused a lot of grief in my life, especially at the end of my time working with him. He continually treated others as inferior and often belittled them in front of other employees. He even treated other managers and some of our customers in this way. On his best days he was rude, on his worst days... well... Finally, as a manager, I confronted him about his behavior and the confrontation cost me my job. It was not a good day. So, I've been working through that over the past two months. Some days have been like trying to take a deep breath when someone just punched you in the gut. Others have been like facing your friends after getting turned down by the girl (or guy, ladies) you spent two years working up the courage to ask out. I've felt like I did my Junior year in high school when the soccer coach promised us interested

. This time of year people focus on Valantine's Day. I'm not that interested in the history of this holiday (really, Holy-Day?), but I am up for a good excuse to spend some time with Olivia, show her how special she is, and convince her that I love her so much that I'll even go along with the crowd this one day of the year. Truthfully, if those other guys knew how amazing my bride is, they'd kick down the door and steal her away while I was out running an errand. {Don't worry, Sweet Girl, I'd save you!} I thank God for Olivia, and I really am so very blessed by her. This year, we're going easy on activities, with our pregnancy, but I still hope Monday will be special. If we decide to watch a movie, I've already decided what I'm going to recommend. It's One Night with the King , and it's one of our favorites. It's the story of Esther, and how God had a plan for her life which was greater than she could ever have imagined. [Sort of like

.  The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald Have you ever wondered what you favorite author has on his bookshelf? Have you ever thought about what he or she might be reading in their spare time? Have you ever considered whether their reading appitite was similar to your, and whether you would like what they like at all? One of my favorite authors (if not the favorite) of the 20th century is C.S. Lewis (Jack to his friends). I love reading his work: Mere Christianity , Til We Have Faces , The Great Divorce , and of course, The Chronicles of Narnia . In fact, I did my thesis on The Chronicles , examining how each book proports a specifically image of Jesus and then showing how that image was shadowed in each of the other books. It was in doing research for that paper that I first considered the issue of what Lewis (or 'Jack' to take a little liberality) liked to read. One of Jack's favorite authors was George MacDonald , who wrote various stories including one

. . There are so many good things about this movie, which I believe contains Kirk Cameron's best performance as a actor. I definitely recommend it for any Christian adult, but especially if you are married. It's funny, dramatic, evangelistic, and sweet. The actors did a good job, but it's the character behind the movie that originally drew our attention. I'd recently seen Mr. Cameron working with The Way of the Master , an evangelistic ministry used by the witnessing ministry of our home church. It provides a simple approach to sharing the gospel "cold turkey". So, I knew he was not just some sort of casual Christian. However, when I heard that he would only do the kissing scene (there is one) if his real life bride, actress Chelsea Noble, filled in for Erin Bethea, who plays Catherine Holt, wife of Mr. Cameron's character Caleb. She did, but you won't notice. That was the selling point. You have to respect someone who takes his faith that seriousl

. I like stories. I like to tell stories, read stories, watch stories, and hear stories. In this regard, I'm like most people, I suppose. Story is one of the first and deepest ways we identify ourselves. If you want to know about motivation, character, or personality, what you're really looking for is not just information: i.e. Greed, Good, and Friendly. What you're really looking for is context, the ability to evaluate someone or something in light of the people and things they are associated with. You want more information. You want to know the whole story. Our self-understanding and basis for comparative relationship begin the same way. Even the Bible began in this way, as a collection of stories about God's interactions with humanity. Story is at the core of what it means to be human. Today, most of our stories come to us through media (books, TV, and movies) rather than around a campfire or sitting with our elders hearing about the good (or bad) old days. I have n