A fire started in an abandoned building near the Simple Way in Philadelphia (home of Shane Claiborne) and spread to two Simple Way homes as well as 12 other homes in the neighborhood. Needless to say, this sucks.
You can watch the video below.
More importantly you can make a donation to these wonderful people so that they, along with their neighbors can start to re-build (literally) their lives. I was at The Simple Way a couple months ago and can confirm that they are great people doing wonderful kingdom things.
Please consider making a donation.
(I thought it'd be better to have this on my blog screen for two months than a post about me...)
Friday, June 22, 2007
Sunday, June 17, 2007
what dreams may come
When I was 19 my dream was to be married by the time I was 22, kids by 25, job, house, car, fence and dog- that's it. What I have found is that my dream is really just a facade located somewhere outside of real life. I have found that I really have none of those things (except car...) and yet I'm okay with that. That said, there are things that I'm not really okay with.
I'm not okay with floating through my degree.
I'm not okay with pretending that I am awesome.
I'm not okay with current realities.
More than those things, I'm just not okay with whatever it is that God wants with me- incidentally I have no idea what that is. I think I need to figure that out.
On the particularly long drive back to Philadelphia I thought that I would shut down this blog for a while, perhaps until the end of August. I think I need to spend less time worrying about what people think of me, of what I write, and who they perceive me to be and more time figuring life out, what I want, what God wants and how to move towards that.
And so, that's what I'm going to do.
Two things I want to leave up here until then:
Henri Nouwen says this,
God is a God of the present and reveals to those who are willing to listen carefully to the moment in which they live the steps they are to take toward the future."
Bob Dylan says this,
I am hanging in the balance of a perfect, finished plan,
Like every sparrow falling, like every grain of sand.
...living in the tension.
I'm not okay with floating through my degree.
I'm not okay with pretending that I am awesome.
I'm not okay with current realities.
More than those things, I'm just not okay with whatever it is that God wants with me- incidentally I have no idea what that is. I think I need to figure that out.
On the particularly long drive back to Philadelphia I thought that I would shut down this blog for a while, perhaps until the end of August. I think I need to spend less time worrying about what people think of me, of what I write, and who they perceive me to be and more time figuring life out, what I want, what God wants and how to move towards that.
And so, that's what I'm going to do.
Two things I want to leave up here until then:
Henri Nouwen says this,
God is a God of the present and reveals to those who are willing to listen carefully to the moment in which they live the steps they are to take toward the future."
Bob Dylan says this,
I am hanging in the balance of a perfect, finished plan,
Like every sparrow falling, like every grain of sand.
...living in the tension.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
spelling bee champ
I secretly wanted to be a spelling bee champion as a child. I don't think I had a firm grasp of 'the latin' to go very far and I don't think I was awkward enough to be a spelling bee champ (although some may contend that issue).
Saturday, June 09, 2007
white trash
Sometime during 4th year Nathan, Darryl and I attended White Trash Night at what is known as 'the apartments across the street'- we did our best to dress for the occasion. Darryl's face is particularly enjoyable- so young, so innocent. I believe my hair was out of control then- no worries, I'm working on bringing (sexy) back.
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
a couple of things
I went to the bank today to change a $50 CDN bill into American and behold- they do not carry Canadian funds. In fact they said that to get it changed I could have the bank send it away to a company that does that sort of thing for a charge of $17 USD. Now, the dollar is doing pretty well these days but if I did that, I believe that my $50 CDN would end up being something like $23 American.
I think I'll keep it until I get back to my home and native land.
I've been reading a number of different books in the last month- some of them aren't finished but plenty of them are well on their way- they include Rob Bell's Sex-God, Yunus' Banker to the Poor and its sequel The Poor Always Pay Back, Anne Lamotts Grace (eventually), Lauren Winners Real Sex and for school I've been reading Emergency Relief Operations, ed. Cahill and Do No Harm: How Aid Can Support Peace- or War by Mary Anderson.
I have particularly enjoyed the last two...
Here is a taste:
We must learn to be quicker to detect and prepare for crises before they occur. The earlier we intervene, the more likely we are able to have a meaningful impact on the ground. Similarly, we must more consistently enter all crises situations with a clearly defined available exit strategy that guides all of our actions, even in the initial response, toward the ultimate stability and recovery of the affected country" - Emergency Relief Operations
- hello Iraq...
"Many people criticize international assistance, accurately citing examples of ways in which international aid has done harm rather than good. We note such examples, but we do not condemn aid for its failures. It is a moral and logical fallacy to conclude that because and can do harm, a decision not to give aid would do no harm. In reality, a decision to withhold aid from people in need would have unconscionable negative ramifications" - Do No Harm.
I think I'll keep it until I get back to my home and native land.
I've been reading a number of different books in the last month- some of them aren't finished but plenty of them are well on their way- they include Rob Bell's Sex-God, Yunus' Banker to the Poor and its sequel The Poor Always Pay Back, Anne Lamotts Grace (eventually), Lauren Winners Real Sex and for school I've been reading Emergency Relief Operations, ed. Cahill and Do No Harm: How Aid Can Support Peace- or War by Mary Anderson.
I have particularly enjoyed the last two...
Here is a taste:
We must learn to be quicker to detect and prepare for crises before they occur. The earlier we intervene, the more likely we are able to have a meaningful impact on the ground. Similarly, we must more consistently enter all crises situations with a clearly defined available exit strategy that guides all of our actions, even in the initial response, toward the ultimate stability and recovery of the affected country" - Emergency Relief Operations
- hello Iraq...
"Many people criticize international assistance, accurately citing examples of ways in which international aid has done harm rather than good. We note such examples, but we do not condemn aid for its failures. It is a moral and logical fallacy to conclude that because and can do harm, a decision not to give aid would do no harm. In reality, a decision to withhold aid from people in need would have unconscionable negative ramifications" - Do No Harm.
Monday, June 04, 2007
trampolines
When I first started this blog over two years ago there was a high 'Jesus count' in the posts. I would write about passages and sermons and all of these things and what I was learning. I don't really write about those things anymore and I'm not really sure why. It may be because I have less a grasp on the 'authority' of Scripture- that is to say, strict, traditional interpretations of some things have gone by the wasteside for now as I've sort of tried to figure this whole thing out.
In Velvet Elvis, Rob Bell talks about theology as a brick wall and how people are afraid that if you pull one brick out the whole wall will come tumbling down. He suggests theology as a trampoline- where the springs have some give to them and will expand and condense depending on how much you jump, but you don't need to be afraid that they'll break.
I think that was me for a while, jumping up and down on that trampoline and seeing how much I could get those springs to move. I think I still am that person, mostly because I would never want to rest my entire theology on one interpretation with the fear that if that one thing changes it will all be over.
However, the reason I'm not sure about the trampoline right now is probably because of situations and questions that have been coming up about almost everything you can think of- especially those controversial topics. It seems as though living in the gray just doesn't seem like an option. It seems as though these situations call for a right or a wrong, complicated as it may be. If it's wrong then what do you do? If if is in fact right, but the brick used to say that it was wrong- well, how do you get over yourself?...and start jumping...
I think I need to get out of school and read read read (ironic... don't you think?)
In other news I went with Joe Berg to watch Game 4 of the Stanley Cup finals tonight. We went to TGI Fridays in the hopes that they'd have the big game on. What do you think was playing when we arrived? If you guessed women's softball you would be correct. We ended up going to Chilis and asking them to change the channel (as it wasn't playing there either)- they humbly obliged.
In Velvet Elvis, Rob Bell talks about theology as a brick wall and how people are afraid that if you pull one brick out the whole wall will come tumbling down. He suggests theology as a trampoline- where the springs have some give to them and will expand and condense depending on how much you jump, but you don't need to be afraid that they'll break.
I think that was me for a while, jumping up and down on that trampoline and seeing how much I could get those springs to move. I think I still am that person, mostly because I would never want to rest my entire theology on one interpretation with the fear that if that one thing changes it will all be over.
However, the reason I'm not sure about the trampoline right now is probably because of situations and questions that have been coming up about almost everything you can think of- especially those controversial topics. It seems as though living in the gray just doesn't seem like an option. It seems as though these situations call for a right or a wrong, complicated as it may be. If it's wrong then what do you do? If if is in fact right, but the brick used to say that it was wrong- well, how do you get over yourself?...and start jumping...
I think I need to get out of school and read read read (ironic... don't you think?)
In other news I went with Joe Berg to watch Game 4 of the Stanley Cup finals tonight. We went to TGI Fridays in the hopes that they'd have the big game on. What do you think was playing when we arrived? If you guessed women's softball you would be correct. We ended up going to Chilis and asking them to change the channel (as it wasn't playing there either)- they humbly obliged.
Friday, June 01, 2007
the list
Who is craig of craigslist?
Whoever he is, his list works well.
3:01pm:
Matt to Chris: we should get an air conditioner- I heard that Home Depot has them for $100.
Chris to Matt: okay, well let's check online
Matt: deal..oh, they're actually $300... hmmm..
Chris: let's try craigslist
Matt: aha...used air conditioner, great condition, $50.
(Matt calls)
3:30pm Matt picks up air conditioner
1:30am Chris and Matt hook up air conditioner and go to bed.
thanks Craig, you're the man.
Whoever he is, his list works well.
3:01pm:
Matt to Chris: we should get an air conditioner- I heard that Home Depot has them for $100.
Chris to Matt: okay, well let's check online
Matt: deal..oh, they're actually $300... hmmm..
Chris: let's try craigslist
Matt: aha...used air conditioner, great condition, $50.
(Matt calls)
3:30pm Matt picks up air conditioner
1:30am Chris and Matt hook up air conditioner and go to bed.
thanks Craig, you're the man.
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