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