Just a thought…
I have mixed emotions today (hopefully it isn’t that bi-polar bear in me acting up again). I get excited, like my wife, for the West Wing type political banter. It is exciting to see Hope restored to the country, although I don’t think one man can do it. A lot of people didn’t think one man could change racism in the country, especially because an entire war and 400,000 plus men could not either. Yet, MLK did it. Hope and dignity needs to be restored to the Presidental Seal in a large way. Whoever gets in, I hope will uphold the office with the dignity and class of gentlemen like Roosevelt, Lincoln, and Washington. (are my expectations too high? only one of those men graduated college)
Then the other side of me comes up. As I watched the Today show, while getting dressed this morning, the song Society (eddie vedder, into the wild soundtrack) kept playing in my head. “Society, you crazy breed, hope you’re not lonely, without me.”
Politics is interesting to watch and get into. Like my wife said, it’s an intelligent reality tv show. It is interesting and sad to watch. The stakes are too high. Whoever wins will be crucified by the media or the public. And the world waits in fear and in high anticipation, for the new saviour of the United States of America to be crowned.
It makes me want to go outside and chop wood, play with me dog, and take a break from the year 2008.
But, it did not stop me from voting. So don’t veto the vote. Do your duty.
Sorry to the 3 of you who check this site regularly. I know the site has been down because of (ahem…someone tinkering with the site who doesn’t know what they are doing, a.k.a. me) Wordpress Upgrades. Everything is resolved, and I think I am learning my way around computers and interfaces enough to take an Linux based EEE PC for a spin. Oh and if I ever use the word interface again, I give anyone permission to punch me in the face.
Also, Katie and I are moving into a new place this week. We’re very grateful for the country cottage we were staying in, but alas Jack Frost is just around the corner so it’s time to get into a place that is a little warmer and also closer to the city. It sits on 5 acres, so i still feel like a man.
Come on up for a visit!
Oh, and I’ve got a sweet idea for a book if anyone is interested in jumping into with me. Seems like Heath, and Peter don’t want a part. Also, if youare good with graphics i’m going to need a cover. leave a comment. I think I am really going to move forward with this book. Thanks to LUKE for getting me a start.
-Tim
Can I just acknowlege that after 14 years, August and Everything after is still the best album to listen to when it comes time for Fall?
If you get a chance check it out again. I have bought and broke or lost two cd’s and two cassettes of the album. There is just something about it that is introspective, refreshing, calming, dark but colorful. A lot like the Autumn colors of the trees.
I’ve had a lot of thoughts lately, no surprise I’m sure, but I’m going to use this blog as an avenue for a few of them. So here we go.
Lately there are some hot topics with the Church. We’ll stay away from the usual Abortion, Homosexuality and Divorce issues for now while we hit up the old favorites of drinking and smoking. In order to talk about drinking and smoking I think it might just be crucial to listen to Dave Matthews sing in the background. So if you would like to listen in, click Here, then come back and finishing reading the rest of the blog with Dave’s melodic voice singing about Christ’s birth with the background.
I would also like to preface any discussion with the thought that the main point of this is love love love. I recently spent time at a gathering of Christian friends in which people who were socially drinking and smoking (not an issue or THE issue) talked non-stop for 3 hours ABOUT drinking and smoking. Again the acts of drinking and smoking are not the issue. The issue is Christian young adults seem to worship the freedom that they are now allowed to drink and smoke. Unfortunately, like most non-drinkers who can’t hold their liquor and get plastered the first time out, these newbies to the freedom in Christ cannot handle it responsibility, so they binge and spew all by way of intoxicated lips.
To borrow another quote from a movie clip, Dogma, Ben Affleck is overcome by God’s “infinite f***ing patience” with human beings.
People need love and patience. Even longtime friends acting the donkey. Dave continues by singing from Jesus’ point of view “Father up above, why in all this hatred did you fill me up with love, love, love?”
I wonder how many times Christ has looked down on you and me saying with infinite patience “even when they don’t worship me, I love them, and one day they will understand, one day they will worship.”
My frustration is legitimate. There is so much potential in that church and with that group of friends, but I see it squandered not because of the freedom they have, but because of their misplaced worship ON the freedom they have received. Do you see the difference? It’s the same with people who worship money, women, pets. How do you know people worship pets? When all they do is talk about their pets. Or all they do is talk about women, or money or Dave Matthews. We all need that patience and love.
We need to remember we are “drinkers and jokers, all soul searchers, searching for love love love.”
I was searching for a photographer around the Grand Traverse area and I found this one. And she’s hot.
Check her out.
This is a little something I wrote for www.Urbanministry.org I write for them every now and then.
Here is what I posted:
After the recent hurricanes, Gustav and Ike, it is good to ask the question; what are we doing? Pretty vague question, I know.
After having served in a small poverty stricken inner city in South Louisiana for 5 years, I know a little bit about hurricanes and what they can do to an already economically and spiritually devastated area. Hearing reports from the national news centers proclaiming Gustav wasn’t as bad a hurricane because it did not hit New Orleans. In that statement lies a huge problem for the people in poverty across the States. Unless you are apart of the masses you are no one. There is no caring for the individual anymore. Why? Because, it is an individuals’ responsibility to care for individuals. We are our brothers’ keeper.
Whole blocks of people are willing to rearrange their lives, their vacations, their families to go and help in huge disasters like 9/11 and Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. However, what about the local family whose house burned down? What about the kids whose parents were killed in an auto accident? Most of us rely on the government to intervene on the devastation in people’s lives whether it is one of the magnitude like we recently saw or one that impacts merely a few. We as the public and often as Christians are content with hoping for someone else to step in to do the work for us. We might chip in some money and a prayer, but what could we do? What could you do?
These are the questions we need to confront ourselves with. Instead we wait for poverty or homelessness to creep up and confront us. Why are we not searching them out?
So I’m the problem guy right? Here are the problems, but where are the solutions? This is where we can get creative and a little dangerous. Solutions can be as small as a conversation trying to restore dignity to a person’s life, or they can be as grand as inviting someone into your home to clean up and eat a good meal. Redemption is a great thing for our generation to talk about, but it is much more difficult for us to help see people follow the path of redemption. What are you doing?
Well well well!
Looks like Notre Dame is 2-0, still undefeated and just got done putting on a CLINIC against the Univ of Michigan. “Hail to the Victors” my behind.
Cheer, cheer for Old Notre Dame
Wake up the echoes cheering her name,
Send the volley cheer on high,
Shake down the thunder from the sky,
What though the odds be great or small
Old Notre Dame will win over all,
While her loyal sons are marching
Onward to Victory!
About 5 years ago I left IWU (or they left me) because I couldn’t afford to finish up school there. I had made a promise to myself that I would finish before I was 30 years old. That wasn’t an extremely difficult goal when I was 22 and knew that I would be back at IWU when I was 24. Well after 5 great years in Louisiana, I knew it was time to go back and git r dun.
Well apparently after you get married the cost of things becomes more apparent. When you are younger you think “yeah, give a loan, whatever I need to do to make it through college.” Man IWU is like $25,000/year now! Holy cow!
My wife and I are always looking for a deal. I got a sweet jeep recently for about $2200. We got a great chocolate lab for free, and are living in a great country home rent free. Knowing I wanted to finish at IWU because of the great prof’s and academic standards, we found a way and a deal. Online. Classes are 5-8 weeks and are only a few hundred dollars a piece. It would cost me roughly 30K to finish traditionally at IWU, $8,000 online.
If you are already enrolled, think about this. Getting your gen ed’s out of the way online, or even through CLEPing out of tests.
If you don’t have any college, or just some, I highly recommend doing something. IWU is a great institution and much cheaper then that no good Phoenix University scam.
