Seth's Reflections

Blah...my computer is not a MAC

2009-08-20T16:21:00.000-07:00

Making Disciples...thanks Mom and Dad

2009-02-11T10:11:00.000-08:00

I sent this email to my family today after reading an article by a guy that has a different passion than I do. Anyway, I thought I would share it through blogger, as well.

So, you may or may not know this about me, but I am not all about the big and the cool. To the contrary, I am really for the element of making disciples through relationships, not explosions. So, when I see something like this from Ron Luce who is the driving force behind Acquire the Fire (which by the way, the actors in SAVED went to in order to make sure they could adequately give proper humor to youth ministry when they made a brilliant satire of youth ministry), I kinda laugh. However, this time, it really stuck out to me...since we are all about a family email going around.

Here is the reality...crazy, we all love Jesus. We may disagree, and some of you may not fully realize that you were elected (that is fine, you are in, and when we get to heaven, you will realize that you had no part in your salvation), but the reality is that we all love Jesus. The thing is, that our mom and dad don't get to write the book. They just did it (right, wrong, good, bad) they made disciples of Jesus Christ...Not Don Thomason, not Rod Price, or Don Leigh...but mom and dad. Sure, as we all can attest, Grandpa had a part. But, in the biblical mandate, it ultimately comes down to mom and dad. Faithful followers of Jesus Christ. Thanks, mom for passing on the heritage, and for dad for breaking the generational sins to help us be faithful followers of Jesus Christ. Don't worry about writing the book...just pass on your stories of loving Jesus and loving us to those who don't get it, or need help. This seems to be the master plan of parenting.

ARTICLE REFERENCED:

Friends, Something exciting happened to my family a few weeks ago. We got a call from the editors over at Charisma Magazine. They wanted to run a feature story on my family because of the parenting book we just published called ReCreate! My wife, Katie, and I wrote ReCreate to share stories of how we made it a priority to raise Godly children and build a Christ-centered culture in the home (Charity, my middle daughter, even helped write the teen version!). It turns out that the editors at Charisma were just amazed to see all three kids in one family absolutely in love with God and pursuing them with their lives. A lot of families in ministry really struggle when it comes to their children, and they wanted to find out how we did it. I don’t think we did anything special. It’s all in the book, but we always prayed for our kids and with our kids. And I really think the kids are doing so well because of Katie—she’s just amazing. But really what it came down to was a decision to put our kids first. After God and our marriage, our kids have been our top priority, even before ministry. That’s been the guiding principle for us as parents, and we’ve had to fight very hard to keep that focus. It wasn’t always easy, but it was worth it! Please pray for this article! We really hope that this story in Charisma and the book itself is an encouragement and blessing to all of the families that read it. The article will be in the March issue. Until then, you can watch some videos we recorded for each chapter in the book and order a copy online if you’re interested. Consumed by the Call,Ron P.S. I've been sending out email updates on a variety of topics every week or so.

If you're not getting them, you can sign up at www.teenmania.com. Ron Luce
Founder and President

New House, Great Pic

2009-01-17T12:31:00.000-08:00

CRAZY, here is the picture of our boys by our "SOLD" sign, now here is a little info that I did not know. When you see these signs, it doesn't really mean sold...but under contract. The funny part of the story is that Krista, the boys and I went to Gig Harbor for Christmas, and then, on the way home decided to drive by the house. As we drove past the house, we saw the "SOLD" element of the sign on the bottom. We were freaking out that one of two things happened 1. someone else bought it or 2. it was actually under contract, and we were the ones who were going to be buying it. CRAZY! Couldn't believe that out of those two options, option 2 was the reality. So exciting. I just want to move today.

Closing day: Feb. 10th
New Address: 1606 Amon Street, Richland, WA 99352

Believing for another week

2009-01-06T19:39:00.000-08:00

The Eagles are still around for one more game, and I think that they can actually beat the Giants. McNabb gets beat down all the time, but the guy threw to 8 receivers. Come on, man, he has no number one receiver, and he is still surviving.

I was on the Eagles website, and the theme is "Believe in Green." I am believing! I am believing. Come on Eagles. Wearing the jersey to work tomorrow. Believe in green!

Believe with me.

I never knew...

2008-12-10T19:22:00.000-08:00

I never knew how long a game of Chutes and Ladders could be. Seriously. So, I was a good dad, this week. Krista had a class that she had to go to...yeah. So, I got to be at home with the kids. Instead of doing the let's-watch-TV gig, I thought that I would actually spend time with Cal and play a board game. We started with Candy Land...classic. I won...he cried. So we played another game, Chutes and Ladders. Do you know how long that game can last. You can land on Chutes time, and time, and time again. It can be a pretty long game. I had no idea. Tonight, we just played Candy Land. The kid has a bed time, you know.

Administrative Assistants

2008-12-05T12:56:00.001-08:00

Okay, so, I have been working at Bethel for about 90 days...It is great, and Krista and I love going to church there as well...a plus. One of the great things about working at Bethel is the administrative support that Michelle Hopp gives to the ministry (that includes me). BUT a side bonus is that there are connection points that Krista and I get with her family. Instead of describing it, I thought that I would imbed a video that was their family Chirstmas card. Funny stuff. Enjoy:

The Resurgence

2008-11-25T20:40:00.000-08:00

It has been a whole month since I have posted. Goodness, get on it, Seth. And this time, I don't even have much to say. Regardless, I came across something that is really moving me to think and ponder. It is a ministry out of Mars Hill in Seattle called The RESURGENCE. I am thankful for this ministry, as it has been a positive impact on me, and very valuable in helping me communicate the gospel. Here is their mission statement: The Resurgence is a movement that resources multiple generations to live for Jesus so that they can effectively reach their cities with the Gospel by staying culturally accessible and Biblically faithful. The questions that this poses for me are what does it mean to be culturally accessible verses being relevant? and Is the ministry that I have been called to lead Biblically faithful? Good things to chew on.

Shepherding...

2008-10-29T07:57:00.000-07:00

A mentor, pastor, shepherd friend of mine, Ron, has given me something that has haunted me. I love ministry, I love being a part of what God is doing in the lives of people, I want to be "successful" at this calling...but what is success. So, once upon a time, Ron gave me a beginning of what it means to be a shepherd, and it will not leave me alone, as I think about ministry. I am not in it for the numbers, but for the shepherding. I want to see students shepherded, not just cattle-prodded. So, then, what is a shepherd? Here are two elements that Ron gave me:

1. Know the state of their soul (Ezekiel 34)
2. Miss them when they are gone. (Luke 15)

Am I passionately looking to know the state of the souls of the students God has given me to shepherd? Am I clammering to get more and more adults to be a part of knowing the state of our students' souls? Do I miss them when they are gone...do I ache for them? Am I a shepherd...or a program director. God, make me a shepherd!

And, thank you, Ron, Dan, Dave for being my shepherd. I am thankful for you.

Welcome to the Blogging world, Krista

2008-10-24T09:13:00.000-07:00

My wife is in...check it out. Blogging, I mean.

Pandora (no, not box)

2008-10-24T08:59:00.000-07:00

I love my iPhone. There are so many things that are just great. I will attest to the fact that it is not perfect, and this side of heaven, I will not have the perfect iPhone/PDA (who cares about jewels in the crown, there must be something in the Bible about pefect PDAs). One thing that I LOVE about my iPhone is this "application" called Pandora. It is unbelieveable...so here is how it works. You go into the application, pick an artist that you like, it will build a radio station around that artist of that artist and other artists that sound like it...(i.e. pick Dave Matthews, it will play Dave Matthews, Cold Play, Counting Crows...). You can go onto their website and add bands that you would like to hear on that "station" (i.e. I added Chris Tomlin, Jack Johnson...), and it will play songs that connect with any artist that you have noted...all for FREE. You don't even have to have the songs on your iPhone, just connect to the internet (come on 3G). It is INCREDIBLE! Amazing!

I bought it on eBay...

2008-10-22T18:59:00.000-07:00

So, I am a fan of eBay, again. I just sold...well, as I write this, I am waiting to, sell my iPod touch. It was nice, but it is no iPhone. I have enjoyed craigslist, but I didn't even get a bite on my iPod through that, so I listed it on eBay. It cost money, but it is kinda fun to watch the price battle over you. Now I know how the girls in high school felt when guys would fight over them. You could jump in and bid. It would be fun. I know this is a lame post, but gosh, it has ben awhile, and I thought I would post on something other than LOST (see my facebook).

Thinking about getting...LOST!

2008-09-23T19:22:00.000-07:00

I am thinking about getting LOST...meaning I am considering getting caught up in this show. We netflixed season 1. I am going to start watching that tonight as Krista is out of on the town. Should be fun. Pray for me...the last thing I need is anonther addiction.

Tri City Americans...HOME OPENER!

2008-09-18T20:47:00.000-07:00

So, I am pretty excited...I am going to the Home Opener of the Tri-City Americans on Saturday night. It cannot come soon enough. It will be incredible. I cannot wait. It will be life changing...nothing like a little minor league hockey to get me into the Tri-City culture!

Worship as Life...our new series

2008-09-18T20:29:00.000-07:00

We are starting a new series in the High School Ministry. I am pretty excited to be able to start dreaming and thinking about the upcoming series. I was challenged by a friend of mine to think about students that desire to be participators, and not just recipients of my words. I am constantly haunted by the thought of how to make sure that the idea that is given to me "sticks" rather than just being spoken.

As for the series, I am excited to see our students grow in the way of living life as worshipers, rather than choosing to worship from time to time. I am excited to see students thinking about worshiping in spirit AND in truth, thinking about social justice as worship, living communially as worshipers, and worshiping through music. I am excited to see how it goes for us...and praying that God will move in and through me as I work hard to make our students participants (not just experiencing gimmicks, but participating in the sharing of truth). I am excited by working hard to reveal God's truth.

Skunk!

2008-09-08T19:57:00.000-07:00

So, here we are, a week into our life in the Tri-Cities, and we got skunked...litterally. We are loving our house, my job, our church...but we have a skunk in our back yard or something. We have had a little aroma of sorts for the last few days...goodness. Regardless, know that we are really enjoying our life here in the Tri-Cities, except for the skunk.

Let me give you a little more of an update:
It has been BEAUTIFUL and sunny here. Holding right at 80 during the day, and cooling off to 60 at night.

We found out that we have some family that live in the area. We met them the other night for the first time. You never know what to expect with extended family, but they were GREAT. We sat outside and told stories for about 3 ours. What a great time.

I am loving my job. Yesterday I was introduced to the students. They were so welcoming and loving. I am so excited and fired up to connect with them.

This weekend we have my first weekend retreat with them. I am so excited. I get to be the speaker, and hang out. I have very little responsibilities but to connect with students and share my heart. Pray for me there. So excited.

So, besides the skunk, things are going well here in the Tri-Cities.

Thanks for your prayers and support.

Blessings on Both Sides

2008-09-01T19:52:00.000-07:00

Alright, so, here we are in the Tri-Cities of Washington. It was pretty humbling, the whole process of loading a truck and unloading. We had a huge group of people who helped us out and loaded up the truck. On Saturday Morning, in less that 2 hours, we had our entire house loaded in a truck. Amazing. We got here on Saturday night after 7 hours of driving (I had to put my car on the back of a trailer, and the trailer required 45mph...killer). Anyway, we got here to late to unpack that night, slept a little bit, woke up, went to breakfast and then had a huge crew of high school students, staff, and others from Bethel to help unload our truck in an rediculously short amount of time. It was increadible. My wife has been doing some increadible unpacking. I cannot believe that our new house is all coming together.

It is a great house. We are starting to enjoy it. Our kids are liking it and enjoying it. We are thankful for all those who have helped us make our new house a home...already. CRAZY how our world changed in a quick weekend.

Our new address is
716 Taylor Street
Richland, WA
99354

Thanks, again, everyone.

My Last Sunday at Westwood

2008-08-24T08:00:00.001-07:00

So, today is my last Sunday here at Westwood, and it will be a tough one...but a good one. I love the community here, and we have been blessed these last 3 weeks. Thank you, Westwood. But I thought I would share the prayer that I will pray over these students today:

"Sweet, sweet Heavenly father, you have stirred in the Hanson family in such a way that we are moving away. But we pray that you will be glorified in this transition. We beg you, God that they will know you, the one and only true God through Jesus whom gave all authority to, and whom you sent. I pray that Christ was authentically and properly revealed in these last 4 years, and I ask that you may you be glorified in the reality of a revealed and glorious Christ.

I desperately worked hard to reveal You and Your son to this community who you gave me for this season…and I have been overwhelmed by their keeping of Your word. I pray, God, that everything that I gave them that is from you will be kept in their hearts, and all that was not from you will burn away. I gave them Your word that you had given me, and revealed Your Son, that you revealed to me. I pray that they will grow in their knowledge and understanding of Him. Please keep Your Son real and alive in their lives, and this community. As I am no longer in Olympia, they are, and I beg you that you continue to keep this community unified through the life, work, death and resurrection of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Keep them as one as the trinity is one. God, I pray that they will find ultimate joy and fulfillment in nothing but a growing relationship with You through Your Son. God I pray that as they grow in the love and passion of Your Word, and they are hated, that you will not remove them from the world, but that you will keep them from the evil one who prowls like a lion to seek and destroy. Protect them as they go into their schools, teams, clubs, plays, friendships, workplaces…protect from the evil one as they pursue, invest in and reveal the true and living Jesus. Don’t shelter them, but empower them, love them, and protect them. Continue to remind them that their residency is not of Thurston County, but of heaven…and there we will celebrate and worship You in absolute perfection together. Thank you for this reality. I cannot wait for that reunion.

God, I pray that these students will allow your ceaseless work of sanctification. That it will not be hindered by pride or the deceitfulness of sin, and that Christ in them will be the revealed hope of glory. Thank you for them, dear Father.

I do pray, God, that you will bring people to yourself through this community. So I pray not only for these that I know, but for those who have not come to know you yet. God move through this community and reveal your passionate and true love to those they encounter because of their passion for the Word. God, I pray for a deep and real community here, that is not just social, but built on the truth of Your Word. I pray that the community that is revealed through the trinity of perfect love and unity will be revealed here in the student ministries. Keep them together; let them fight through difficulties and disagreements. May Your saving and transforming work be revealed in them as they are being sanctified. May this community be so attractive and so beautiful that people will be drawn to you because the work of the Spirit is alive and well here.

God I pray that the revelation of Your name that I revealed to them will be powerful, and that you will keep them. I pray for unity, passion, and love. I pray for a community that is always desiring to bring others in. I pray for a community that clamors to know more of you, and to deepen their theology of a God who loved His Son and these students before the foundations of the world.

God, please instill in them a passion to worship you in Spirit and in truth, to love You, love others and to reveal the love of Christ through authentic, passionate, inviting community.

Thank you for letting me be a part of their lives. May your presence keep them in the midst of this life change. I love them, Father. More than they will know. Take care of them. Make me pray for them in all my remembrances of them.

Amen."

Still Hoping 08

2008-08-09T10:23:00.000-07:00

I just got back from an incredible week with several of my High School students who decided to give a week of their summer to serve Christ, be the body of Christ, and to reveal the truths of the living Christ. In January 08, a huge flood hit the Lewis County area and devastated house after house. I honestly still struggle with the "why" component of the problem of pain, but I know that God's story and sovereignty are much greater than this feeble mind can handle. But, I saw God reveal his kindness and never-ending love and passion for his greatest creation, PEOPLE, through this weekend. It was tremendous to see 19 students work endlessly to show a response to Paul's call to be life-style worshipers (Romans 12:1), and because of their desire to worship God, they were able to reveal God to those we served. God was glorified through this unbelievable weekend of life together. I am so thankful for every aspect. Thank you to the students. Thank you to Don Zink (one of the coolest old guys I have ever met...one of the students wants to take him to homecoming), to Cristina for her support, Becky for her creativity and landscaping, to Dave block and his knowledge, to Anna and Paul, to all the students...it was one of the best trips I have ever been a part of, and I am floored by God's greatness as revealed by this unbelievable community. Thank you Jesus for how you moved.

seth

Pikes Peak's tug

2008-07-26T17:23:00.000-07:00

Good Golly, I just realized that it has been over a month since I last blogged (excluding the one that I did earlier today). Anyway, I thought that I would make a statement on a mountain that has had a great place in my life. As I was back in Colorado again for the first time in 2 years, I constantly felt a quick tug on my heart every time I saw Pikes Peak. It is a beautiful mountain. With the reality that I was born at the foot of it, and constantly looked at it, it took a great roll in my life as there were days that it stood clear and brilliant, and days that I could not see it as it was hidden behind clouds. Pikes Peak has always had a symbolic place in my relationship with God as He is a God who is always there, and I can always know that, but there will be days when I will not be able to "see" Him. However, I can rest assured that He is there, and when the storm passes, or I change my line of sight, I will again see Him in unbelievable brilliance and majesty. This has been a powerful story in my life...I look to the mountains, where does my hope come from? It comes from you, the maker of heaven and earth...of Pikes Peak.

A Great Trip

2008-07-26T16:43:00.000-07:00

My family and I just returned from a great 10 day trip to our home state of Colorado. It was full of family and adventure. I am so thankful for this trip.

The first thing that we accomplished on this trip is getting Krista's sister Kyra married to Vincient Ruscio, in Boulder, CO. It was so fun to be a part of it. Everyone in the family played a part. Krista as maid of honor, Calvin ring bear, and I officiated for my first wedding. That was so great.

During our time in Boulder, we were able to slip down into Denver and connect with our friends Dan and Julie. That was a great time together. Something we so looked forward to, and went all to quickly.

The next 5 days, we were in Colorado Springs hanging out with my family. On the way down to the Springs, we were able to connect with Chris and Cameron. They are incredible friends in our lives. We just pick up where we left off. It was so good.

This time with my family in Colorado Springs was crazy because it was the first time I saw all of my brothers with kids of their own. It was CRAZY madness. Kids everywhere...but o, so fun. It was nice to have everyone together, but I will wait till next year to do it again. I cannot wait, but I can all at the same time. Overall, a great trip to Colorado.

Then we went to

Happy Birthday Blaise

2008-06-23T20:30:00.000-07:00

So Blaise turned 1 this past week. We celebrated it on Saturday with a small group of friends. What a great day for us. We had so much fun, but Blaise really got messy, which is what the first birthday is all about. What a great day. I love being a dad. Happy Birthday, little buddy.

The Gospel from A-Z

2008-06-18T21:10:00.000-07:00

Again, I really do value the voice of Tim Keller in the evangelical community. He is such a brilliant man. I am so thankful for my friend Dan emailing me this quote so long ago that his senior pastor quoted on a Sunday morning...I will let this quote do the work on your heart without any more insight from me:

"The gospel is not just a way to be saved from the penalty of sin, but it is the fundamental dynamic for living the whole Christian life--individually and corporately, privately and publicly. In other words, the gospel is not just for non-Christians, but also for Christians. This means the gospel is not just the A-B-C's but the A to Z of the Christian life. It is not accurate to think 'the gospel' is what saves non-Christians, and then, what matures Christians is trying hard to live according to Biblical principles. It is more accurate to say that we are saved by believing the gospel,and then we are transformed in every part of our mind, heart, and life by believing the gospel more and more deeply as our life goes on.

"Unless we believe the gospel, we will be driven in all we do--whether obeying or disobeying--by pride ("self-love") or fear ("of damnation"). Mere moral effort without the gospel may restrain the heart but cannot truly change the heart. Mere moral effort merely "jury-rigs" the evil of the heart to produce moral behavior, out of self-interest. (For example) it would be possible to use fear and pride as ways to motivate a person to be honest, but since fear and pride are also the roots of lying, it is only a matter of time before such a thin tissue collapses. Luther was right. If you are obeying the law without deep joy in your acceptance in Christ, you are not loving God with all your heart. You are not obeying God for God. You are being moral so that you can put God in your debt, so he owes you a comfortable life. You are being moral so that you can feel secure in your uprightness. You are being moral in the service of self-salvation, out of the fear and pride that arise without an identity built on Christ in the gospel.

"At the root, then, of all Christian failures to live right -- i.e. not giving money generously, not telling the truth, not caring for the poor, not handling worry and anxiety – at root is the sin under all sins, the sin of unbelief, of not rejoicing deeply in God's grace in Christ, not living out of our new identity in Christ.

The Shack

2008-06-18T21:05:00.000-07:00

I just finished The Shack by William P Young. It was not the best written book, but it was a great refreshing perspective on the Trinity. I valued where he took me, and how he let me stop and suspend my seminarian perspective of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and just enjoy a dinner with the Ultimate Reality. I am thankful for this book because it accomplishes dinner with the greatest community (the Trinity), without eliminating beautiful theology. Well done, Young. I enjoyed it.

Practicing Passion

2008-06-18T20:58:00.000-07:00

So, I am working through a new book called Practicing Passion by Kenda Creasy Dean thanks to the tip from a friend of mine (Thanks Dan). It is a great challenge to me as I prayerfully consider how ministry is done. The basic angle of this book is that students are dying for something worth dying for, and that it is the goal of disciplemakers to give to students a passion (in deep contrast with simple excitement) of the greatest thing ever...a relationship with the ultimate reality...Jesus Christ. I am already challenged with the question, "Am I giving my students a passion for this Jesus, or am I simply creating a setting for excitement...which will, in the end, wane?" I am thankful for this book.

Price is Right

2008-06-18T20:20:00.000-07:00

Okay, so it has been awhile since I last blogged. I got a ton to blog about, but the first thing is that I am loving watching Price is Right again. I grew up watching this show. I loved "being sick" so that I could watch good old Bob Barker. I confess this sin of my passion for this show. Love it, even if it is with Drew Carry...but hey, the guy is bringing MLS soccer to Seattle. He can't be all that bad.

Transformaction

2008-06-03T20:07:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of the High School Ministry outside of our new/old BEACH location. It was great for us to be there and to step into a new place. I thought that I had discovered it, only to learn that it was a going back to it. This is the first place that Westwood took students to for the annual BEACH trip. This year my buddy Brad came and shared with us about our heart does matter, to seek first what Christ has for us, to let love win, and to move our lives into transformactoin. I am hoping to see us as a community truly grow as students who are transformactioning. I love that word that Brad gave us. I hope that our students are indeed captured by God's love and it is changing them and moving them to care about others.

Great Pics of Calvin

2008-05-10T08:14:00.000-07:00

Hello...here are some great pics of Calvin. He is growing up so fast, and it has been so much fun to play with him. I cannot wait to come home and play soccer in the back yard with him.

And to know that there is a super man around when I am at work is really freeing, and comforting.

Where God is Leading Me

2008-05-01T09:19:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine, Dan, shared with me this quote from his blog. God is really put me to a place where He wants me to venture out...and risk. I calculate and plan. This was a great challenge to me. I am thankful for it. Dwell on this quote:
"If we want to have all our bases covered before we act, nothing exciting will happen. But if we dare to take a few crazy risks, because God asks us to do so, many doors, which we didn’t even know existed, will be open to us." - Henri Nouwen

What Krista is getting me for my birthday

2008-05-01T09:12:00.000-07:00

For my birthday, instead of getting me something that I don't need, Krista decided to buy me a shirt for herself that I would appreciate. I love my wife. So thoughtful. More people should where a shirt like this.

Ranch House BBQ

2008-04-28T21:45:00.000-07:00

So, there is this BBQ joint that just moved in from the boondocks into town. We have heard stories about it since we moved here, but we never got to it. Since it moved to downtown Olympia, we thought we would check it out. Krista and I shared a BBQ plate with chicken, brisket, ribs, garlic fries...It is CRAZY good. Krista and I had an amazing dinner. It was so much fun.

Amazing Story...take note

2008-04-28T08:44:00.000-07:00

I came accross a article in my blogging that is worth reading. Check it out. More powerful than simple forgiveness...action to transformation in the life of a mugger. Read it for yourself. The "victim" seemed to act so naturally, and I pray had a powerful impact on this kids life. Read the article.

24 Night

2008-04-25T20:18:00.000-07:00

We had a great night of ministry the other night with a theme built around the show "24." It was increadible. I am so thankful for what God did. One thing we did to set the mood of the evening was to show the intensity of the night, and the importance of the evening by showing this video. Watch it. It is hillarious.

An Adventure at the AT&T Store

2008-04-15T10:05:00.000-07:00

I got, in the mail, the coveted-you-have-put-up-with-your-phone-long-enough-so-come-upgrade letter in the mail. I ordered the phone and got it yesterday. As we all know, getting a new phone is fun, except for transfering the numbers over. So, I took Calvin to the local store to see if they had a magic wand that the could swing over the phones and transfer the numbers. As we waited patiently to see if they could figure out the trick, I showed Calvin how to use the iPhone that was on display. I played with one, and he played with too. Shockingly, they have a security system so that they phones don't get stollen. Calvin figured out how it worked and wonderfully set it off. They pluged the phone back in, and reset the alarm. I told Calvin to be more careful, and he was, but not enough. 5 minutes later the alarm went off again. Calvin proclaimed that the noise hurt his ears. I smiled as the employees looked unhappy. He was disappointed that he could not play with them anymore. Pretty funny.

A Quote from Reason for God

2008-04-13T20:16:00.000-07:00

As you may know, I am reading through Reason for God by Tim Keller (left). I came across this beautiful quote in this book. I will allow it to speak for itself:
Pharisaic religion doesn't just damage the inner soul, it also creates social strife. Pharisees need to shore up their sense of righteousness, so they despise and attack all who don't share their doctrinal believes and religious practices. Racism and cultural imperialism result. Churches that are filled with self-righteous, exclusive, insecure, angry moralistic people are extremely unattractive. Their public pronouncements are often highly judgemental, while internally such churches experience many bitter conflicts, splits, and divisions. When one of their leaders has a moral lapse, the churches either rationalize it and denounce the leader's critics, or else they scapegoat him. Millions of people raised in or near these kinds of churches reject Christianity at an early age or in college largely because of their experience. For the rest of their lives, then, they are inoculated against Christianity. If you are a person who has been disillusioned by such churches, anytime anyone recommends Christianity to you, you assume they are calling you to adopt "religion." Pharisees and their unattractive lives leave many people confused about the real nature of Christianity.
WOW!

Reason for God

2008-04-04T20:52:00.000-07:00

I picked up a new read, and it is refreshing. It is an apologetic from one of the great minds in our culture today, Tim Keller. I am so thankful for his ministry in general and for this book in specific. Tim Keller has done a great job in making his book approachable to people inside and outside of the faith, and not angry and discouraging to either of these two groups. I am thankful for that.
As I have been reading this book I had a question about something that I did not quite get. A friend of mine shared with me about how one time he wrote an author with a question, and the author wrote him back. So, I decided to ask Tim Keller a question and see what happened. Keller is one of the greatest minds of our day, is influencing some other great leaders in the church culture with his heart, passion and mind, and is really really busy. I never thought that I would get a response. But he did respond. He responded with compassion and grace. I am thankful for this man even if he did not respond. But the fact that he did respond the way he did helps me to respect him that much more.
My question was in response to his dealing with the problem of pain. He communicates that even though difficult things that happen are indeed painful, God resolves them. Often he resolves them quickly (in His time frame), but sometimes we will not see resolution until heaven. My issue comes in the concept that hurts my heart, what about those people in our lives that die without knowing Christ. How is that great pain resolved? It was great to have this interaction.

SHARK! How Cool Is That

2008-03-31T20:36:00.000-07:00

Okay, so seriously, Krista's dad gave the Hanson family a year pass to the zoo in Tacoma (thanks Steve). It is a really cool gift. Krista and I took advantage of this cold, but sunny Monday to go to the zoo. We saw the basics (monkeys, elephants, snakes...), and for the most part they were pretty cool...and then Krista, who has gone to the zoo a handful of times previous said, "let's check out that area. Cal and I have never been there." So, we go in, and it is the warm water area. First they have a cool "snorkeling" section. That was pretty cool, and then they have this unbelievable SHARK tank. It is INCREDIBLE. There are probably close to 100 sharks in this tank. They vary from very small to HUGE. It was so sweet. I am so fired up to go back. Glad we have a pass. We finished our time at the zoo in this pretty cool seahorse exhibit. That was pretty interesting, but not as cool as the SHARK TANK. So cool.

Ministry Assistant's Fiancee's debut

2008-03-29T14:27:00.000-07:00

My Ministry Assistant, Danielle, is engaged to a great guy who works at Fox News in Portland as a producer. He just launched a brand new 4:00pm news program, and they are trying to get it some press, so they did a little story on it in the morning show. As they interacted with different people about the "hows and whats" they stopped by his desk and asked him some questions. His name is Ryan...he is the producer. Pretty cool. Check it out: `http://www.kptv.com/video/15567294/index.html.

Into the Wild

2008-03-09T22:03:00.000-07:00

I just finished watching Into the Wild. It was a pretty good movie with some tremendously thought provoking moments. It is a movie about a guy who runs away to a remote location in Alaska, with the hope of leaving his possessions and family struggles, and finding happiness. One of the most profound moments is when he is nearing death, simply writes in one of his beloved books: "happiness is only real when it is shared." It just makes me come back to the thought that we are meant to spend life together and enjoy the reality of Christ through one another. Being lonely is a painful way to live a life, and I think that this quote powerfully captures this truth.

There must be more...

2008-03-09T21:25:00.000-07:00

An organization called PewResearch just published a major study on the amazing changingness of religion in the United States. There is a great amount of information in this study to discuss the shifts of religion in our country. Here was an interesting concept that was presented by the finding:
People moving into the unaffiliated category outnumber those moving out of the unaffiliated group by more than a three-to-one margin. At the same time, however, a substantial number of people (nearly 4% of the overall adult population) say that as children they were unaffiliated with any particular religion but have since come to identify with a religious group. This means that more than half of people who were unaffiliated with any particular religion as a child now say that they are associated with a religious group. In short, the Landscape Survey shows that the unaffiliated population has grown despite having one of the lowest retention rates of all "religious" groups.
It is interesting to think about how things are shifting, but that there is the inate desire to fill something that is a hole that only God can fill. We struggle with the people inside ofthe religion, but there is always a desire for something more. There must be something more...may the Church forever reflect that which is more...May God use His church to capture the hearts of those who "don't identify with a religious group."

Response to Resurgence

2008-03-01T14:09:00.000-08:00

The resurgence conferenced that I to this last week with several of the pastors from Westwood really encouraged me. So often, it seems, that you go to a conference like this and walk away with 101 things to add to your ministry to make it like the hosting community. But this time around, I truly felt that there was very little encouragmeent to add anything, but more encouragement to actually make the things I do within my ministry to be more concerned with the primacy of Christ, and the sufficencny of His word. Every other thing that I heard came back to those two things. It fired me up to be more focused with what we do. It is great to boil down an entire two days of much information to those two things. I am thankful for how God spoke to me through this conference.

SNOW Retreat 2008

2008-02-24T19:20:00.000-08:00

I had the opportunity over this last President's Day Weekend to invest in the lives of a great group of high school students. I was so thankful to be a part of the weekend and to watch these students wrestle with the truth of God's Grace as revealed to us through His word. It was great to see students realize that we are in need of God's grace and that it will transform the way we live, and the way in which we live in community. It had a tremendous impact on our ministry, and it is my prayer that God's grace will continue to transform the lives of these students.

2008 Resurgence Conference

2008-02-24T19:16:00.000-08:00

It has been a long time since I have been to a conference, and when a church up the street (I-5) offered a conference with people like John Piper, I took the opportunity to be a part of this conference. I am looking forward to relaxing, refreshing, rejuvenating, and resurging? Anyway, I am looking forward to the opportunity to be a part of this conference.

The Mighty Nikon D40...SWEET Pics

2008-02-04T19:35:00.000-08:00

I am loving my new camera...the Nikon D40. Here is a pic I took of Blaise this week.

Blog Accountability: People Cared About the Superbowl

2008-02-04T09:28:00.000-08:00

I guess a part of being a blogger is acknowledging when I was wrong. Here you go, blogging world. I was wrong in a recent blog about no one caring. In article dated 2.4.08 on ESPN.com, confirmation on this past super bowl, which I wondered if anyone would care about, or if the Giants would really even have a chance, was the most watched Superbowl in history, and the second most watched telecast in the history of Television. Good for you, NFL, Fox, Giants, $2.7 million a commercial...I was wrong. Everyone else was right. What a GREAT game.

SONICS WIN!

2008-02-02T19:08:00.000-08:00

So, Howard Shultz, the creator and author of Starbucks glory, sold the Sonics last year, and in Major League fashion, the new owner is trying to make them the worst possible team so that when he moves them to Oklahoma City, no one will care. He is doing a great job of this, and the Sonics lost 14 straight games, BUT, Calvin and I had the opportunity to go to a game for free, and they WON. It was a GREAT game. It was so exciting, and Cal was dialed in the entire game. He really enjoyed every aspect of the game. After the game, it was incredible, because we had the opportunity to go down to the court and shoot and Calvin got to shot a free throw. Here is the picture of him shooting. He LOVED it. What a GREAT night with my son.

NHL Allstar Sadness

2008-01-27T15:11:00.000-08:00

The sad reality for me has set in. The NorthWest does not care about the NHL. All around the country the NHL All Star game is being played on national television, or national-northwest. The All Star Game is only on if you have cable and have paid extra for NHL Center Ice. This makes me sad. I just want to cry. The NHL proudly lives on in my heart. One day, we will again have a team in the NorthWest...like back in the day with the Seattle Metropolitans and their beautiful Stanley Cup championship.

A Thought From Lastweek

2008-01-23T22:34:00.000-08:00

One of my i2i small group leaders shared with me some thoughts on our small group time by email. God is moving in and through our small groups, and it is such a joy to be able to clearly communicate or share how God is moving as she beautifully shares:

Anyway, I think last night went really well. We had good conversation about the Bullhorn guy and Loving God and People. There was a lot of scripture brought up regarding how we should love and other things. I love that, of course.

The Word of God is transforming lives.

Thanks be to God.

The Amazing Race

2008-01-20T19:29:00.001-08:00

Krista and I got into this show this year. 5 Years ago when we were in Denver we used to watch this show. When we moved to Olympia, WA, we came to quick realization that they showed the Amazing Race @ 10:00pm...finishing it at 11:00pm...that is REALLY late for a TV show. So, we stopped watching. This year, CBS put it on early on Sunday evening, so we are back in. And tonight is the final episode. HOW exciting. We cannot wait to watch it.

Super Bowl XL...who cares

2008-01-20T19:21:00.000-08:00

I just got finished watching the NFC Championship game. Giants won. Congradulations, NY. I am wondering if anyone will really watch the game...do Giants really have a chance? Don't get me wrong, I desperately want New England to lose. But, I don't know if New York is the team, or if anyone is going to really care. Interesting.

Revisiting Relational Youth Ministry part 1

2008-01-20T19:05:00.000-08:00

Right now I am reading through a book called Revisiting Relational Youth Ministry. It was suggested to me by a friend of mine in Colorado. He is a friend and a mentor who really taught me to love students and do ministry through a relational style of ministry. This basically means that you are investing in the lives of students where they live, and winning the right to speak biblical truth into their lives. But this book really challenges the thought process of the why behind this what. Traditionally, it seems that we invest in the lives of people (namely students) in order to be people of influence. We are "loving" people for what we can gain, or move people toward. The author, Andrew Root, states that: "relationships have been used for cultural leverage (getting adolescents to believe or obey) rather than as teh concrete location of God's action in the world." We tend to use relationships not to be Christ and to fully experience Christ, but to manipulate people. We tend not to "dwell among them" as Christ did, but to manipulate them...the end has justified the means. Andrew Root challenges us to rethink that. I am being challenged and am loving it. I am working to love my students and to dwell among them.

Funniest Post on Ebay

2008-01-14T21:20:00.000-08:00

So, there was this acution on ebay serveral months ago that I needed to blog on. It didn't make that much sense to me 8 months ago because our second kid had not shown up yet, but now that he is here, I can understand how a person can accidently spend $200 on an item she did not intend to buy. It is a priceless story about how exactly your kids could slip into your shopping cart something not on your grocery list. I never thought it could happen, but read this story.

A Painful Excuse

2008-01-14T20:44:00.000-08:00

So I was on the New York Times website today, reading articles on High School Life. And one came up on high school students sleeping habits and how it impacts performance. The author goes so far as to communicate that the reason that the school system is failing is because of the leadership's unwillingness to change the schedule and let students sleep in longer because their bodies don't really shut down until 11:00pm. I truly believe that students are responisible to train and challenge themselves to live within the demands of their system. If students constantly know that they need to be up at a certain hour, then I am sure they can train their bodies. Come on NY Times, be a little smarter, challenge students to be better schedulers. Check it out for yourself (ny times article).

My Son's New Bible...

2008-01-11T09:27:00.000-08:00

Krista and I were talking the other day about how it is time to get Calvin a bible with more than 15 stories in it. We decided that we would go on a search for a Bible that was more than just a trit story with a simple and childish application. After much research we came accross this "Bible" The Jesus Storybook Bible. The basic principle is that God's amazing soverignty and plan of salvation has been intertwined through the whole of history. But it doesn't jump to that element, but gives a sense of mystery.

This Bible has been so refreshing because it not only allueds to the beautiful storyr of Christ, but it also doesn't hessitate to communicate difficult elements of theology. The other night, Calvin and I were able to start the discussion of sin. This morning, at the breakfast table, I asked Calvin if he is a sinner...he said "no." I guess there is more work to do, but we have a great avenue to start this unbelieveable journey of learning about how God works within his world, and the beauty of his theology. I have few times of greater joy with my son than beginning the process of working through the Word of God with him. What a joy to be a father and to share with my son the story of Christ as revealed through scripture.

Playing Catch...

2008-01-07T18:51:00.000-08:00

So, as most 2 year olds, my son did not come with an off switch. Today was a perfect example. Today, we went up to Lacey's Cabella's, for Calvin's first visit. This is a pretty big deal because it has all kinds of dead...i mean stuffed animals on display. Over 100, I am sure. There is an elephant, a polar bear, a sea lion, a lion, a...whatever you can think of that has been killed. Like a zoo that never moves. Then, Calvin came home with me and had a recharging period, meaning a nap. He woke up, and the games began again, but as winter is hard for everyone, we were stuck inside, playing football, building with lincoln logs...and playing catch. Tonight was the first time that we played catch with baseball gloves...that is so fun, cute...But, at one point, I had to inform him that we were done, and my son almost cried. The only thing that could pull us through was a little Curious George. Nice save George.

Get off my back...Luebcke

2008-01-06T21:08:00.000-08:00

2008 is here. No grand promises this time, but it is about time that I do blog again. As my friend always says....dude, just delete it. So, I am just going to post again instead of delete it. This will hopefully be the year of the pictures. So hopefully I will be posting some great pics of the kids. You see, I finally talked Krista into letting me buy an Digital SLR camera. It is on it's way here. And I hope to be able to really take advantage of it soon. I cannot wait to start capturing moments immediately instead of push down button and wait 30 seconds before teh picture finally takes. So 2008...the year of the picture...and the blog?

Fantasy...family?

2007-09-06T21:38:00.000-07:00

What is going on? I got my wife an auto-draw, and a auto-league. I cannot believe it. My wife is playing fantasy football, and doing a great job right now. She has one player who got 21 points this thursday as the NFL kicked off. I cannot believe it. How amazing is that. How exciting is that. I am excited. Her team name...Calvin's Blaise.

Fantasy Football

2007-09-03T21:26:00.000-07:00

Last year was my first year of Fantasy Football. I was hesitant going into it, but now it is something that I am excited about. It was great. I really enjoyed getting into the excitement of the whole season, and the whole league. If my favorite team is out of the playoff hunt, I can still get excited about the rest of the season. Fantasy football has been a great thing to be a part of. I am looking forward to the draft tomorrow.

The Jesus Way

2007-09-03T21:14:00.000-07:00

I am reading through a great book, and as is with any Eugene Peterson book for me, it is a book that takes time to read. But this book has been great has been great to read. I am so thankful for this read. It is so counter cultural, in that it is always challenging not growth, but following Jesus. I am so thankful for Peterson’s thoughts on not allowing the ends to justify the means. He is a great author, and this book has been a great challenge for me. I am thankful for this book.

Vacation...sort of

2007-08-31T22:13:00.000-07:00

I took some time to work at a local college, and at this college they hand out free NY Times. In it was an article about how IBM has changed its vacation policy to one of "who cares when you vacation, just get your job done." The arguement is that when you don't have standard vacation time, then no one takes it, and if you take it you are parinoid that if you take vacation, someone else might get the promotion you were hoping to get, or you get bumped from a major project. It is interesting how this seems to becoming more and more the norm, and it is being proclaimed by one of the great giants of industry. They are edging out, and I am excited to see how it turnes out and how it affects the profit and non-profit industries. I love the concept.

Craigslist and My Paseo

2007-08-21T21:24:00.000-07:00

Okay, so, I sold my "chick car" yesterday. I sold it through a free website called "Craigslist." It is crazy. It is like ebay, only completely free. They take no money, and they allow you to put 4 pictures of your item. They are great. I heard that they are great, but I never really experienced the greatness that is Craigslist. So, here is the deal. I wanted a certain amount, and being smart, I posted the car on craigslist @ 12:40 for a little over what I was hoping to get. At 2:40, I got an offer for exactly what I was hoping to walk away with. GO CRAIGSLIST!

Tadmor...beneath the surface

2007-08-20T21:54:00.000-07:00

I had one of the greatest weeks of ministry this past week. It was great to be at Tadmor with a great group of Jr. Highers. I am so thankful for them, for the camp, and for the week. God moved in and through the students and the leaders. God showed up through fun, through learning, through music, through the speaker, through each other, through the leaders...God really moved and brought us as a community closer together, and I am praying that we will have a tremendous, fertile setting for the Word of God to move through the ministry this year because of this camp. May God be glorified.

Getting Water

2007-08-03T21:26:00.000-07:00

So, I never thought that in my camping experience, one of the best things to do would be to go on a walk to get some water with my son. We were on the opposite side of the campground from the water, but we were in need of some water. So, I decided to take Calvin refill 3 Nalgenes of water. I carried 2 and Calvin carried 1. It took us about 5 minutes to walk to the watering hole in order to refill our Nalgenes. Nalgenes are light when they are empty, but get pretty heavy when they are full...especially for a 2 year old. In turn, the walk back took about 20-25 minutes, and was an adventure the whole way because Calvin refused to let me help him carry his Nalgene, but would have to put it down every few steps. I tried to show him a variety of ways to carry the Nalgene making it more efficient, but no way really worked. So, here we were, taking two steps, resting, taking two steps and resting. Then, we finally got to a downhill portion of the walk, and Calvin got smart. He put the round Nalgene down on its side, and started to roll it. It was the most efficient way of transporting the nalgene that I had seen, so I began to do the same thing in hopes of encouraging the use of gravity. Every time we pushed the bottles, Calvin LAUGHED uncontrollably. It was histerical, and even though the entire camping experience was wonderful, and we have great pics of us in front of Rainier, and of Rainier, this is probably my favorite memory of the trip.

iPhone Bust

2007-07-29T20:49:00.000-07:00

So, it seems as though the iPhone is a bust...I have been tracking it using a very sophisticated tracking system called EBAY which shows people trying to sell the iPhone at under the actual cost of the item. It seems that people picked up some thinking that it would go for an amazing price like the xbox 360 or the PS III. No dice for the gold-miners. Try the next tech mine.
On a sad iPhone note, I was at an amusement park in California, and I saw a guy with one, so I talked with him about it, and he showed me all the cool things that he could do with it. After we were done talking, he put his earbuds back in his ears, and lived a solitary life. The sad thing was the fact that he actually had 3 friends desiring to spend time with him. Put the phone away, man, and hang out with actual people who are actually there.
I will say this, however, it is absolutely beautiful. I would love to have one, when they get all the bugs worked out.
Maybe this is just my way of saying that I can't afford one, and I wouldn't want one if I did.

Camping...finally

2007-07-29T20:43:00.000-07:00

So, Krista, Calvin, Blaise and I are going camping tomorrow. We are going to head into Rainier National Park and find a place to hike tomorrow, and camp tomorrow night. Crazy. We have no plans as to where, just flying by the seat of our pants...not like us, but like us to camp. We have lost that side of us since having kids, and there is no better time than the present to start teaching our kids the value and love of being outdoors. I am so looking forward to getting out and having an adventure with my wife. I love working with her and trying to figure things out. This will be a good thing to try and figure out. I look forward to seeing how our 5 week old baby will do in the great outdoors. Who knows, we could be in a hotel room by midnight. Look forward to it.

5 Years...WOW

2007-07-28T17:00:00.000-07:00

Krista and I celebrated our 5th anniversary yesterday. How excting is that. We had a great dinner supplied by Krista's parents including questions. So, we sat and ate and talked about our last 5 years. It is amazing that 5 years ago, we were more consumed with our dog than even the thought of kids. Oh, my how things have changed. I am so excited to be married to such a wonderful supportive wife. Thanks be to God for these past five years.

Welcome Blaise Karl 6.20.07

2007-07-28T16:54:00.000-07:00

Alright, here we go again. Another attempt at the blogging scene. I could not go on blogging without mentioning the birth of my new son, Blaise Karl Hanson. He is SO cute. Here is a picture of Calvin holding Blaise, and me holding Calvin. Cute, pick.

iPhone...I want one!

2007-02-04T21:46:00.000-08:00

I want a one of these. How sweet will it be. I hope that I get one some day soon...but it isn't even coming out til June. I hope I can afford one then.

Cat & Dog Theology

2007-02-02T16:44:00.000-08:00

I am reading a new book called _Cat and Dog Theology_. It is pretty interesting, and really addresses some really issues in our understanding and view of God and humanity. I am really enjoying the book as it challenges me to focus my life, work and ministry not on what is in it for me, but on what is in it for the glory of God. The Basic premise is that most of us treat God as a cat treats its owner. Cats act as though they need nothing and that if they do end up needing something, you will know, and you better react to their needs. The owner exists for the glory of the cat. The other side, is that dogs live their life to glorify their owner. They run to the door when you come home, they come when you call (usually), you can teach them to sit, stay, stand, roll over... They make the owner look good.

We need to be like dogs and focus on God's glory, and not on our own.

Movie Madness

2007-01-03T21:10:00.000-08:00

Okay, so for Christmas my wife gave me 3 movies in the theater while she was away with Calvin in Colorado. I cannot tell you the last time that I saw 3 movies in less than 5 days. I cannot tell you the last time I have seen 3 movies in a theater in less than a year. So, I went and saw the Pursuit of Happyness (good movie, but I cry out for the body of Christ to be a community that everyone is a part of so that we know where to turn when we are down and out), Night at the Museum (funny, but not Stillers funniest), and Blood Diamond (good movie, makes me think about what I can do today to impact the world with the glory of God and be an agent of His love and peace). So, I loved going to the movies. Thanks Kris for such a great gift.

What a GAME...

2007-01-02T10:59:00.000-08:00

Okay, I am on a role with the whole blogging thing. But I just have to share this. The Denver Broncos are out, but the Boise State Broncos have never had more fame. What an unbelieveable game to watch...and not just becasue they beat the OU Sooners. Honestly, this was one of the greatest games I have ever watched, from beginning to end, the excitement was there. The hook-and-ladder to tie, and the Statue of Liberty to win...what an amazing game. How great it was to see it (thanks to DVR...but that is a different blog entry).

Genesis

2007-01-02T10:20:00.000-08:00

A new beginning...of sorts.

So, it is now the second day of 2007, and I am trying to get back into this whole blogging thing. I thought that I would share new starts all around.

One of my goals is to read through the Old Testament this year. I struggle with the concept of reading through the Word in a year or even a portion (i.e. the Old Testament). If it is so powerful and so life changing, then that means that there is much in every verse, chapter, book. By saying that I am goin got read through something in a short amount of time, means that I have to really focus on getting through it, and not getting out of it. So, I am praying that God will reveal things to me as I work hard to "get through" the Old Testament.

In light of this, I am starting at the beginning...Genesis. Good stuff. Great to see God's story and His faithfulnes from the beginning.

As I struggle with who I am in Christ, and that I can do nothing outside of Him, God did reveal to me something great as I work hard to "get through." This is it. As pharaoh asks Joseph to interpret a dream, and we just saw Joseph do this a chapter before, I am moved that Joseph says "I cannont do [interpret the dream], but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires." (Genesis 41:16). By this statement I am challenged! How great is that. I must come before God with honest humility that it must be God who accomplishes His will through me and my gifts. Thanks be to God for this revelation and challenge for me today.

She Did It!

2006-05-23T08:37:00.000-07:00

What did you do on Sunday? Well, I skipped work, and I supported my wife as she ran 26.2 miles. She ran the Capital City Marathon. I am so proud of her. I am so thankful that she was able to fight through the pain and pull it off. If you see her, or talk with her, let her know that she did such a great job.

The Gospel of Judas

2006-05-09T20:17:00.000-07:00

There is so much information in our world, and so much that works hard to challenge the Christian faith. Then, there are people like Craig Blomberg of Denver Seminary that I am thankful are able to interact with our world and communicate what is true in an educated and amazing way. Recently, Craig Blomberg wrote an article concerning the Gospel of Judas that amazingly surfaced at the time of the DiVinci Code hype. In his article Craig Blomberg interacts with all of the research about and the information given in the Gospel of Judas. He is an amazing communicator. And I am thankful for him. One thing that he said that I thought is worth blogging is this:
What is really sad are the Christians who tell others not to read books like the Gospel of Judas at all (or to see movies like The Da Vinci Code). What a wonderful opportunity for believers to become informed and share intelligently with their non-Christian friends whose interest has been sparked in Christian origins in ways that pure scholarship alone seldom accomplishes. Censorship merely reinforces the stereotypes that we truly do have something to hide, makes Christians look ignorant at best and repressive at worst, and actually makes it harder for certain personality-types to come to the Lord at all.
We cannot be afraid of anything, and we need to help people see the truth. Let's interact with our world since through Christ, we do have the only truth, and that truth cannot be shaken. But let us be careful, and let us be informed. Read this article, and you will be informed.

Swinging and Food

2006-05-09T19:29:00.000-07:00

So, tonight it was my turn to turn on the grill and cook dinner. Krista preped it, I just had to watch it. Not a bad plan. I look like a great husband because I help Krista cook, and plus, I get to hang out with my kid outside (man that kid loves to be outside).

So, Calvin ate around 4:30. He has a good appitite and eats just about anything we put in front of him. Pretty easy going kid. So, we about 5:30, I put him in the swing outside so that I could keep tabs on him and give him some "daddy-time." So, for about 40 minutes, I am swinging him like crazy. He is loving it. Dinner is done grilling, so I give Calvin one more good push and sit down to eat with my wife. Calvin is fine...until...the swing stops. He looks at us and gives us a weird look that we had never seen before. And then, like a fountain, my poor son starts spilling his cookies everywhere. Poor kid.

So the moral of this story...don't swing a kid so hard after he has just eaten. DUH!

Technology at its Finest

2006-05-09T19:18:00.000-07:00

Living far away from my parents, I am amazed at the technology that exists so that we can still "see" them and they can still "see" our son. We use MSN messenger to communicate with my parents with a live video feed for FREE. I cannot believe it. I always knew that this(video conferencing) would someday come to pass, but I always thought that it would cost a fortune. It is cheaper than calling them.

As I write this, I am also listening to the Avalanche hopefully come back and win in Game 3 of their playoff series with the Mighty Ducks on a Denver radio station streamed to my computer. Amazing. I can listen to the game, I can video confernce, I can blog... I never thought that this would happen on a basic home computer. I thought that this would be reserved for the rich.

I just need to figure out how I can get my parents to babysit from Colorado. Now that would be a feat of technology.

Colorado Avalanche

2006-05-02T08:56:00.000-07:00

So, living in the great North West makes it hard to maintain my hockey enthusiasm. But, this past week certainly helped that out with the Avs, ranked #7 in the playoff knocking off the Dallas Stars who were ranked #2. This is exciting for two reasons. It is great to see the Avs do well, since they are my favorite team, but it is also great to see Dallas not do well. The stars never should have left Minnesota, hockey was not intended for Texas. Anyway, I am very excited about this years playoffs and the fact that I can actually watch it on TV in the comfort of my own home.

If you are not a hockey fan, give it a try. You can watch it on NBC on the weekends. I love it. I think it is a great game.

Relationships are POWERFUL!

2006-04-21T10:56:00.000-07:00

So, I read this article, well to be honest, my wife read an article and then told me I needed to read it. I love my wife. She is an increadible power reader. She reads all the magazine's that come to our house, and then tells me the articles I should read. So, this past week we got this magazine called "Radiant." It is the female spin-off from Relevant Magazine, another great magazine. Anyway, this article (left, double click for readable size) discussed the importance of relationships in sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and how it is through the love of people that we are actually able to show the truth of the Gospel. The author does not spend a great deal of time creating an argument from scripture as much as she does create an argument from personal examples, and I think that these examples are powerful and we need to take them seriously.

So, the thing is what am I doing to really share the love of Christ by EXAMPLE? And my wife and I were deeply challenged by this. Krista and I just moved to our neighborhood two weeks ago, but long enough that we should know our neighbors by now. On Tuesday, our next day off, we are going to make cookies and go to our neighbors' houses and share get to know them. I hope that this is an opportunity to develop a relationship and an opportunity for people to see that we care. These people are not our "projects" but people that Jesus loves and so should we.

Anyway, read the article, and let me know what you think.

CPA (Constant Partial Attention)

2006-04-18T08:12:00.000-07:00

So, I am sitting here on this beautiful morning, reading an article (double click on article to your right to see a readable size), checking the NHL standings, checking the weather, and watching my kid play. So, as I read this article, I realize that I am a culprit of constant Partial Attention which means that I am constantly giving attention to my son and whatever is on my laptop all at the same time. Granted, Calvin is having a great time playing with his trucks by himself, but he still needs me to hang out...to be his dad

I was spending time with one of my students yesterday and we talked, got on the internet and watched a SNL skit and I answered a phone call that I had been waiting for. I need to get better at making sure that I am giving people like him my Constant FULL Attention. We had a GREAT conversation, but we need to step out of our technological world for just a bit.

We live in a world of cell phones, computers, television...and most importantly people. What are key things that we can do in order to make people our focus? Relationships with people is probably one of God's most wonderful gifts, and if we don't focus on them, then we will be making ourselves islands who only need chat rooms, and not a focused time at the coffee shop with a true friend. What do we need to do to hold our constant "options" at bay and focus on those we need to invest in or we need to have invest in us?

As for me, I am going to play with my son and terrorize my dog.

Happy Birthday Little Buddy

2006-04-14T09:20:00.000-07:00

WOW, my son is a year old tomorrow, April 15th, 2006. How amazing has this year been. He is so much fun, and we love him so much. Thank God for this great year.

I have learned so much through my son this year. I have been able to see in a different way how great God's love for us is, and how amazing a responsibility it is to be a father. I have also learned, again, how selfish I am with my time and my agendas. My life is changed. I can't wait to get home, and I think twice before leaving. How great it is to be a father. How cute is my son. Please celebrate his birthday with us.

Advertising the XBOX

2006-04-13T18:34:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine had a great opportunity to hear the director of marketing for the XBOX discuss what the countless dollars and hours of research turned up concerning students ages 12-19.Here is what he heard:

When Microsoft decided to sell a game console, they decided to spend a large portion of money on studying the 12-19 year old culture. This, they believed, would drive their advertising and in turn, make the product successful. In their millions of dollars of research, they found 3 key elements of those ages 12-19:

1. They are Skeptical. They don't take anything at face value, and they desire authenticity.

2. They are Connected. This age group has the most options of anyone, anywhere in any time period to be connected from Myspace, to cell phones, to email... they can be overly connected, but not at an intimate level.

3. They are Individual. They want to make things their own. They want to own things by being able to impact it, change it, add to it.

Are We Too Wired

2006-04-07T20:41:00.000-07:00

As I sit here and type, I am amazed that I am on the computer, connected to the internet wirelessly, in my TV room blogging. As I write this, I am thinking about the way that computers, iPod's, cell phones...have impacted on our world. We are the most connected disconnected culture that has ever existed. Time magazine had a lead article on this...and the challenge is for kids (Gen M...edia) AND adults. We have fully fooled ourselves into thinking that we can "multi-task" and give PEOPLE our full attention. Most psycologists and sociologists believe that "mulit-tasking" is a myth. We are making choices and prioritizing, not multi-tasking. We need to make our relationships with people THE priority, not our iPod, not our cel or our Palm. We must make people the priority and not part of our prioritizing.

Newest Logo

2006-04-07T20:33:00.000-07:00

So, I am never really satisfied with things. I can work hard with an advertisement for the ministry, or my message for Sunday Morning, but I am never happy with the final product. I can always do better. The logo for the High School Ministry is no different. I desire excellence, and so the High school logo has come to it's third revision. I won't bore you with the previous two, but you can see the newest (and hopefully the last).

Out of 52

2006-03-18T13:11:00.000-08:00

I am not a gambling man. Got nothin to gamble. But love MARCH MADDNESS. So, I joined this group of guys...actually, Krista and I did. She picked some of the teams before she fell asleep. Pretty funny, but we are ranked in the top 5. How cool is that. Amazing. I don't have much faith in Gonzaga, but I didn't have much faith in our bracket from the beginning, that is why I am posting this screen shot now.

We Won't Know for 20 Years

2006-03-06T18:15:00.000-08:00

So, I read this book...decent book. I wouldn't suggest spending a whole lot of time reading it, but it is okay. There were some one-liner things that stuck out, one of which I want to mention. So this book is about a guy who follows a high school football team around for a season. Before the season starts, a mom asks the coach if he thought if it would be a good season this year or not. The coach's response "we won't know for 20 years." Now, that is good stuff. He wasn't concerned about the short-term (i.e. winning a state championship), but about creating MEN for the long haul. The team did well, but that didn't matter, he produced men of integrity, and men who "made other men." The goal is not winning, the goal is making men. I appreciated this perspective on thinking about success over the course of many, many years instead of the here and now.

good to GREAT!

2006-03-06T18:03:00.000-08:00

There are good books, and there are great books. This book is a GREAT book, and I highly encourage everyone to read it. I think that it is applicable to every walk of life. It is well written, it has very appropriate stories, it can encourage what needs to be encouraged, and discourage what needs to change in whatever you are doing. In the life of those who are in ministry, you always have to remember that this was not written for the church, so the Holy Spirit component is certainly left out. Read it for yourself. Enjoy it. I did.

As Harmless as a Rabbit

2006-03-04T08:06:00.000-08:00

Being new to this whole blog thing, I thought that I would start off pretty easy. Not too deep, not to serious, let everyone see that I am human. So here goes.

There is this picture to the left. It looks pretty harmless...yah, kinda like the rabbit in Quest for the Holy Grail. So, ya, this is harmless if you are not almost 30 and really out of shape. This is a bike trainer. You put your back wheel in the contraption, get on your bike and "spin." Sounds easy, but I can't even go 15 minutes without dying.

So, what you see here is my attempt to get back in shape. Man, am I out of shape. My wife is training for a marathon, and I can't go 15 minutes on this contraption (new form of an iron maiden).