Community X mas

This x mas eve i went out to my mom's families x mas whcih was in Visalia California. I am not always really really excited to go but usually do b/c my mom likes me being there. It is a rather new family b/c my mom was adopted and her biological father contacted her about 6 years ago, so it can be just different usually. However i think that there is some great and exciting ideas/projects/things that they participate in that we normally don't.

For example, most of their x mas gifts tend to be gifts that are very creative and community centered in which my x-tian family doesn't do. (by the way they arn't practicing x-tians which is just different from the rest of my church going family) B/c there are so many people in the large family they can't afford to purchase extravangant fits so for this year they gave everyone "wha-dinger sticks" which are long wooden sticks that have a fat end on the tip in which you place a uncooked bisquit on and spread really thin and cook over a open fire which leaves you with a cup of cooked dough which can handle all sorts of dessert items such as pudding or whipped cream or fruit topping. So basically after dinner we all roasted our bisquits together and had dessert. and their desire would be for us to take these camping w/ us and use them as alternatives to s'mores or in addition to. I thought that it was a brilliant thing to share w/ us all and was unique b/c g pa did it when he use to ditch class when he went to school. They also made simple bird houses for all of the families to enjoy.

So i think that it was a great x mas eve and wherever you are there are things and lesson to learn.

I gave fair trade coffee to my family and framed pics of some of my south african travels as well as my europe adventures and i think that they really enjoyed it.
tomorrow i am off to find and buy myself a car so i hope that that goes better than last time and that it will all work out nicely.


If ever you come near i'll hold up high a mirror, Lord I could never show you anything as beautiful as you ---mewithoutYou

Seattle

So, chad, jeremy and i left for seattle on friday at approx. 4:30. we drove straight through the night and arrived in seattle at 7:25 am. we got pulled over once but no ticket so that was nice. It has been a great time thus far, Brian and his wife Corrin have treated us very hospitably. We saw David Bazan last night and he was solid as usual. We went to a lighthouse about 5 min from their apt today and are off to mars hill for a little bit of worship very shortly. I really enjoy Seattle and am having a blast w/ these new friends. Hope you are all doing well and that everything is swell. Good stuff is happening w/ the thrift store and have been super stoked about that ever since. Love to all::

PH X Mas

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X mas Party at the Pink House. Great Food, Great Friends.

Lakes Show. Great Friends, Great Music.

A Severe Mercy

""The best argument for Christianity is Christians: their joy, their certainty, their completeness. But the strongest argument against Christianity is also Christians-- when they are sombre and joyless, when they are self righteous and smug in complacent consecration, when they are narrow and repressive, then Christianity dies a thousand deaths. But, though it is just to condemn some Christians for these things, perhaps, after all, it is not just, though very easy, to condemn Christianity itself for them. Indeed, there are impressive indications that the positive quality of job is in Christianity and possibly nowhere else. If that were certain, it would be proof of a very high order.""

This is an excerpt from a book that i am reading right now entitled "a severe mercy" it is a great book so far. kind of a love story of two adventurous souls. they are (as some say) pagans and have moved to study at Oxford and are 'looking' into Christianity. He has been hit by CS Lewis's writings and is in search of finding truth in Jesus. i am maybe a 1/3 into the book and would recommend it, however it makes me want to fall in love b/c this couple seems to be very much in love and aware of it all the time. who doesn't desire that right??? well i a librarian today and it is INCREDIBLE. i am looking forward to Lakes this evening in Tower and for what a meeting w/ some thrift store people will go. God is Good. For some reason, i have the song 'if heaven is my throne and earth is my footstool' in my head. well that is what is on my mind today. Love to ALL

Piper

here is article that Piper wrote in 1980 about God being a one of wrath. just for all of those comments on that last one.

http://www.theresurgence.com/john_piper_1980-08-31_final_judgement

read it.

Also, i am looking for cars online and it is awful! Maybe i won't be one after all, dang...

So this morning i needed to be at fort miller mddle school and i couldn't find my scooter key. i was flipping out looking everywhere, by the time i gave up searching the apartment, it was 7:48. the school bell would ring in 7 min. so i was going to ride my bike there but its like 3.5 miles, so i thought i would ask one of my house mates if they could help me out. sure enough, megan decided she would drop me off at work. when i got there it was 5 min passed the bell, so i can't even imagine how late i would have been if i had rode my bike. I got some stares in the office (probably b/c what i was wearing is just my normal day to day clothes, v-neck, jeans, slip ons, army jacked) and i was super blessed by megan showing me some community and helping me out. so i think i will take the bus home b/c a lot of the students told me which one to take to go downtown. it should be fun. anyways, lesson, is to help those out in binds b/c it is very much appreciated. The rain is beautiful and so are You. ::All Praise Be To God::

a quick couple thoughts

first of all, i am on my lunch break at home and not wanting to go back to these dreadful 4th graders who have no control at all. it is unbelievable.

second of all, a 3rd grader's name was alondra and she told me the best story i have heard in probably forever. she wanted to tell me how she got her name, she said that her mom once heard a bird say it maybe two or three times, and she thought to herself....i think that i shall name my daughter that! how incredible of a story is that. and the story is just as beautiful as this girl. i see God in this girl.

Middle Ground???

So lately, i have been introduced to a lot of new and different and rather exciting theological discussions and ideas. It is very interesting to me because i have grown up with one train of thought my entire life and now things are moving and shaking around. the thought i was grown on was the conservative, evangelical church and now there is this whole new deal of i guess you could say "postmodern" (although that work already has too much baggage) but a different i guess more accepting view of faith and life. it is just far different than i am used to and i feel like it may be a while till i can have something figured out. although that may never happen i think that i should keep trying. i feeel as though sometimes i just accept and accept but have a hard time just saying NO to something that is unusual to me. i different contexts all differnet kinds of things may sound not so 'bad' anymore.
then i guess it all comes up on asking how much of this stuff is totally crucial and how much maybe more trivial than i think. i am not so sure i know where this is going and headed but i guess i just need to be honest w/ it all. keeping thinking, keep talking and keep loving is one (or three) thing that i know. Jesus calls us to follow him and love one another, so i will try to continue to do those things and as my boy joe dirt says "keep on trucking!"
so today i am working at Roosevelt High and get off at 11:15 then i am at an elementary that is quite far away. it is far down chestnut by church and i need tob e there by 12:00 so it should be exciting to see how this goes while riding my bike. I think i will post a picture of my beautiful bike soon, cause lately we have been spending a lot of time together. riding bikes is a lot more efficient than i thought. i went from Mclane High (shields and 168) to my house downtown in 30 min exactly!!! i thought that was pretty sweet. So right now i heard a student of mine telling his friend about having a 'kickback' as they are called. And i kinda just giggled to myself about that. For those of you who dont know what that is, it is a relaxed 'drinking' party where things don't get to out of control but usually happen when parents go out of town. i guess it might be to insure that things don't get broken or something. well, i thought i would share all of these random things with you b/c i KNOW you care about it all.
"lifes a garden, dig it!" --joe dirt

Bobby D

This looks pretty freaking sweet. it looks like an interesting dynamic for a movie on one person b/c some many people play him

http://www.apple.com/trailers/weinstein/imnotthere/trailer2/

John 9

Today i have been listening to Matt Pond PA's new album and it is great, i have also been compiling a list of interesting things that i am going to start researching. I would be awesome to really really research them. A few things are; shooting stars, the beatles, the kingdom of jesus, LA city riots, i think just things i should maybe know more about already but its never too late to start.
In my bible study, this morning we discussed John 9. It is the story of Jesus healing a blind man but spitting in mud and having him wash in a certain fountain to restore his sight. Brother Thomas discussed how the very beginning starts off and kind of how peculiar this is. The disciples ask Jesus whether he is blind b/c of his sin or his parents. As usual Jesus responds w/ an answer which isn't either one of those in the questions. He states that he is blind so that the work of God will be shown. The answer is much bigger than just a matter of fact statement. I suppose there are many ideas to discuss about just this section of the story. My mind resides on the fact that we just don't comprehend the right questions to ask. I think that more that we can put ourselves in the kingdom perspective of discovering 'how is God going to restore shalom to this situation' we may be closer to this. i love learning about perspectives like this and was proud of my brother Thomas for questioning this part of the chapter when my mind was totally on another part.Then at the end of the chapter Jesus comes down on the judgments of the pharisees
41Jesus said, "If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains. this is probably a bigger statement than i realize. what do u think?

New Stuff

So. my friends chad and scott came and hung out w/ me in Fresno this weekend. When they left, scott left me the new Tom Petty "running down the dream" dvd. it is a 4 hr long documentary w/ a live show and is jaw dropping. It was a follow up of tom petty's early beginnings to the now, which entailed quite a lot. His music is absolutely timeless as his early songs are just as terrific as his more recent and 90's music. i am also shocked as a lot of people in my house have NO IDEA who tom petty is and when i sing 'free fallin' they go.."ohhhhh yeah, that sounds familar" this is very shocking to me.

Another happening of the weekend was my wallet getting stolen out of my companion dave obwald's van. while frisbee golfing someone saw my wallet and busted the front window and took my wallet and luckily left my cell phone and keys. i guess its just a litte inconvenient and will all be sorted out soon just lost a little bit of cash and some sweet gift cards. but life goes on and i guess i shouldn't leave my wallet in view of an 'outsider' of the vehicle. much love and peace.

I came across this picture today and it just reminded me of great times in Cheltenham, England. It was a beautiful raining evening and i saw these 3 friends seperate from each other and i just really like this picture.

Pink House Meeting

Last evening the incredible Phil Skie came and spoke to the house. We are in our church module and started discussing what we thought of church and biblical references for it. There were ideas from the OT to the NT and only one from Acts. One of my favs was the 'body of christ' which applies to relationships w/ Christ in general.
When we started discusses the ACTS church i thought it was intersting how we always say 'THAT was the first chuch and thats what Sunday's should be like'. I think however that it was never really a day of the week rather their entire lifestyles. Thats just what following Christ was like and what we need to strive to desire and particpate in. I brought up that what is this thing on Sunday? Phil stated that he sometimes refers to it as a production. Not that its bad but the people putting it on gather to set it all up and thats it. I like to think that more of my church experiences come from relationships w/ those in the pink house, my friends (although i wish that we could do some serving more together) and those i reach. i think that would be my goal b/c it doesnt' happen as much as i believe it could and/or should.
I want to experience more love being experienced in my thought life, relationships and activites. Thanks for listening to my rambling and i expect some addtions to this soon.
I am also wizzing throught Brian Mclaren's book "a new kind of christian" and i have enjoyed it very much. A lot of thinking is occuring.
I also sold my car, and intend on riding my bike to most places as well as roll around on the scooter to those places that are a little further. I think that it may allow me to not do so many things and to maybe stay put more often than i have been. It should be a great time to rely on others who are willing as well as learn the ropes of the Fresno bus system. i think it should be easier than maybe expected b/c just about everyone that i know owns a car so there are many out there. I am also maybe considering buying a little bit nicer of a bike to get around town b/c my cruiser is very wobbely. let me know if anyone has any connections to a decent road bike. Love, Bryan

There is no perfect model of anything.

I had recently read this quote from Richard Foster in his book "The Freedom of Simplicity." Foster discusses how because we are finite human beings we tend to distort the truth and make mistakes regularly. Each movement that involves simplicity is different from the previous one although there are many similarities.
I think that what Foster has to say is true in all different aspects of our lives. A model of someones marriage for example may be different than someone else's but will work wonderfully for each couple. Of course GOd has different guidlines set up and a sort of structure but i think there is a lot of (for lack of a better word) customization to each individual. Same for communities and relationships, i believe. There is no perfect model of anything.
There is a lot that i am trying to learn and contemplate in living a simple life. I think that the same principle applies. WHat i have learned from Foster so far is that living a simple life has to be rooted in obedience and trust in God.
SOmething else that i learned which i thought was kinda neat was that quakers lived in simplicity by the fashions that they chose to wear. they rejected the fashions of the time and wore plain clothing of the working class. they also refused to take off their hats to the high and mighty classes b/c they were convinced that all people deserved equal honor. Pretty awesome stuff. WEll let me know what you think and God BLess.

What Do You Know About Halloween!?

Well a great time was had on October 31 of 2007. We went as the crew of AP, Jeremoney, Weebie and myself. We had a great time with my broseph Johnaton. Here were our costumes; Ap- a baby, Jeremonmey- AP, Weebie- Naked Chef, Yours Truely- 70's tennis pro. This is a taste for you weebie

New program new pictures

Hello all. i just got a new photo editing software....lightroom and look forward to having fun w/ it. i just edited a couple of south african friends who are originally from the Congo, if you have heard about my trip, you KNOW who they are. tell lme what u think

Weekend of Fellowship & Love

Well, this past weekend was one for the record books in bakersfield. After having a terrific night w/ jordan weibe (thejinglejanglemorning.blogspot.com) in san luis on thursday, i drove to bakersfield on friday. Friends from all over the country came out of the wood work for this weekend. He was set to propose to his girlfriend on friday night and wanted us all there to witness this love. His friends from portland as well as those in his hometown were there. he band (myspace.com/stepsonday) played at jerrys pizza and he composed a song and then popped the question. we then had an after party at his parents house and it was incredible. the pictures will prove this.



on saturday, i helped my dad w/ some drywall and then hung out w/ friends that night as well. it was just a great time for me and my friends from thursday night all the way to sunday evening. it is amazing when a single event can bring so many circles of friends together and love can be spread. There were new friends met and old ones revisted. Life is beautiful.

Some Current Thoughts (action, no sugar, and san luis)

So, through this experience in the Pink House i have had many dreams and visions that i would love to see happen. First of all, i do not know who is reading this or if it is just my friends that have blogs (ie; jordan, andrew, gene, that may be it) but i live in the pink house (http://www.fiful.org/). Because the house isn't really physically located in the nearby community i tend to discourage myself about being active in it. It just takes a lot more intentionality and i find myself thinking its too big too handle.
What i have learned through others in the house specifically my roomate Yasser is that i need to make it happen. Because i would prefer to start getting more involved w/ someone else (whcih is possible if i just ask) i need to start on it myself. Gaining passion for action will eventually stream out and hopefully encourage others. A perfect exmple of something like this would be wanting to live a more 'green' life. I can talk about it all i want and come down on people who arn't but i need to be practicing it and help inform others about it. By growing in what you are about then it will spread to others who are near and around you. And if not then i guess it will be something that you will learn on your own and will be a great experience. These are the thoughts currently through my mind. It kinda of ties into what was written on jordan's blog as well check it out (www.jinglejanglemorning.blogspot.com)

On a side note i had a very interesting occurence at the breakfast table. I opened up my cinnamon toast crunch for the first time today and began eating it. as i was eating i noticed that it wasn't as sweet as normal and it just didn't taste right. i thought i was crazy but then looked at the box and realized that it was reduced sugar and i totally didn't notice when i bought it. who the hell wants cinnamon toast crunch w/ less sugar???? not me!!!! but i ate it and it filled me up and there was ultimate satisfaction in my stomach. Then i made a pb and j sandwich for lunch and the pb seemed to have a differenct consistency. once again i looked at the container low and behold 25% less sugar!!!! can u believe that. However in this case i feel as though i have no reason to complain b/c it was one of my room mates peanut butter containers. soo....that has been my day and the absence of sugar in my life. i am excited for my lunch b/c i have some great fruit from the farmers market....i love you all. jordan and i are goign to San Luis Obispo to see Rocky Votolato play and i cant wait!!!! ol' pacific here we come!

St. Louis and the CCDA

I will soon load some pics from St. Louis and share some experiences from there. Here is a pic of a couple of my pink housemates just walking towards the bus stop. Jenny on the left and Megan on the right. They are beautiful girls and have some great experiences and lives to add to the whole of the house. The is also a pic of my roommates and i standing in front of a flippin polar bear. One of the days at the CCDA conference we decided to go to the zoo. which was completely FREE and i couldn't get over it. it wasn't just some rink a dink zoo but it was legit and it was very enjoyable for the whole house. we saw pretty much any animal that we could so desire and more!
The CCDA conference was pretty incredible. I will assume that most people don't know what CCDA stands for or what it is so here it is. It stands for Christian Community Development Association. It is basically a lot of people from all over the country who have committed to urban ministry. It was founded by a man by the name of John Perkins (look him up if you have a chance). He is almost 80 years old and was very much active in the Civil Rights Movement along with MLK Jr. (maybe not actually w/ him but at the same time as him in the South. He has many different theories and practices that make CCDA what it is. For example the three R's: Relocation, Reconcilation, and Redistribution. The Pink House went to a lot of different sessions of speakers. It was a very informative and beneficial time for the House just to get to know each other and get some excitement. We got to have b-fast w/ Shane Claiborne whcih was pretty exciting for me because of his transformation on my life and ministry. We learned about wonderful ministries that people have started which are building community in different and unique ways. Peace and Love

A Thought on my work.

So, currently i am sitting in my science class which i will be substituting. And the bell just rang. But anyways, i am thinking that this isn't a very challenging job most of the time. Usually the things that i chose to invest my time in arn't always this easy so it makes me wonder if this is something that i should be doing 40 hours a week. There is a lot of enjoyment that i get out of substituting but that tends to be with the younger kids in elementary school (and isn't as easy as doing middle school OR high school). Interacting with them and seeing how they respond to certain projects makes me laugh. Not to mention the beautiful pictures that i end up taking home!!! But i want to get into high school because this is less work...is this wrong? I am not sure, probably not. I think that i am not in substituting because i am going to change these kids lives, because there is no time for that (on the big scheme of things) but who knows what can be done in 1 hr.

Well i suppose that the answer to this may lie in my response to how i view each day of work and what i want to accomplish. As the ol' Saint Paul says in Col. "whatever you do, do to the glory of God" -amen

Yosemite

I went to Yosemite with a couple of friends on thursday. It was beautiful. I am going to try to figure out how to post pictures on here. It was my first time going there and it was absolutly beautiful. The colors were changing and it blew my mind! My friend and housemate Lucia took me, john, and daudi.

I had some beautiful things happen today

So today was a great day as far as substitute teaching goes. I started off the morning at Roosevelt High School which went over w/o any incidents to speak of. In the afternoon i went to an elementary school and had no idea what grade i would be thrown into. When i showed up i discovered that i would be w/ 2nd graders for a couple of hours. Then something beautiful happened...these three girls kept running in my room b/c my door was opened while i was waiting for the kids to finish recess. They did this 3 times and kept saying that they were mistaking my room for another one. I asked them if they wanted me to show them where their room was and they said sure. When i came outside one of the girls handed me a little daisy that she found in the grass and my heart melted. THen she offered me one of her bracelets but it wouldn't fit on my wrist so she said i could give it to my wife or kids....

It was such a beautiful gesture and it made my afternoon.

Lets see how this goes

Well i am creating this to enhance my creativity. I also tend to have a lot of free time while substitute teaching and think that it may be fun...