Cheering: the origins of this thought I can't claim as my own but the illustration of it yesterday was too much to overlook. My wife and I went to a Nationals game, which I was totally stoked about and was just excited to be there no matter the outcome. The game went by with only 1 run scored and into the ninth inning. Throughout the game it kept hitting me how neat is was that 30k people would chant the same thing or all yell "GUUUUUUUZZZman" when he came up to bat.

so back to the 9th inning...Nat's are up 1-0 Braves have the bases loaded and no outs. Crowd begins to cheer, batter strikes out, crowd continues cheers every pitch brings a roar, batter strikes out, two outs bases loaded and if we get the next out the game is over we win. Batter hits the next pitch to the short stop who fields the ball cleanly but throw the ball into the dirt at first base, two runner score.

the crowd never grew silent or turned on their team they still cheered and in fact cheered louder. People are created to cheer, something about it was exhilirating, it was amazing to cheer with so many other people. Isn't that what worship is like? People are created to cheer, people are created to worship.

It was great, now I can't wait to worship with 30k people.

Guess what America?: So no more than 8 hours after the new pope is chosen American Catholics start gripin' about him and what he's going to stand for. He's too conservative, I'm afraid he's not going to connect with the younger catholics, blah, blah, blah.

Guess what? the other 94% of Catholics apparently don't care about what you think (or the Cardinals at least)! I think it's funny us living in a democratic society where "every american has a voice" that this time...America really didn't have a voice. Don't take this for anti-american rhetoric, I'm grateful I live in america and have freedom I just think we're too used to not recognizing authority and according to catholics now they must listen to this authority!

Lots of Mickey's. 

McLaren: I'm reading A Generous Orthodoxy by Brian McLaren. I tried to read the book about 2 months ago but I guess the time was just not right. So I joined a reading group so I'd have some accountability in reading the book. I'm glad I've gotten into it and at about half way through I am really enjoying the read. Nothing he states is terribly theologically thrilling or baffling but he articulates well the beliefs of...himself and I'm sure countless others.

The problem I am finding in some arenas of thought these days is the lack of being able to define just about anything. It is at time frustrating and if this is what the emergent church is going to be like it's not going to be very popular. Which is probably a good thing. I am fine with living without all the answers and living in community with those I may not always agree with but I feel something inside me tells me there must be something that can be defined.

Mickey gave me a whoopin! 

Some of my closest friends asked me a question yesterday, here is my response to it.

What an amazing question "what does a dad feel when he looks at his child"?

It's not a hard question to answer just one that is hard to describe. I sincerely hope that all of you get to experience it in your life. When Nathan was born all covered in amniotic fluid and smelling pretty funky, he was all bloody, red from crying, his hands and feet were grey and I looked at him...and I cried. Despite all of those things, unattractive things he was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen in the world. For a split second I had a rush of panic; the baby I knew only from seeing him in Heather's belly was here and I was supposed to know him, but I didn't.

We moved to the nursery with Nathan and I was there. I would put my hand on his chest and I knew he remembered my voice and he knew that my hand was one of love. As the days went on I realized that this baby I was supposed to know I really did know because he was my son, the strongest bond on the planet; Parent to Child.

Now when I hold Nathan I experience such a myriad of emotions. Sometimes I just look at him and wonder how someone as messed up like me could have made something so wonderful. I look at him with love that is as unconditional as any love I can fathom...on this planet anyway. I wonder when he'll take his first step, say his first word, go to school, kiss a girl, get married and start a family all of his own. Sometimes I'm afraid because of the big ugly world we live in. I have to teach him to be in the world but not teach him to run from it. I have to teach him to do what is right. I have to teach him about Christ and a relationship with him. I have to teach him to love others and serve others.

It's the most wonderful experience in the world!

What's that in the second row?

Revival: My church hosted a "revival" weekend this weekend and it will be wrapping up this morning. As I sat in the service last night and I looked around one thing continued to strike me and I know it has struck my friends in the ministry as well. My Generation is missing. A whole big ole' group from the age of 18-35 just is not there. The evangelist seemed to be a very nice genuine man. But as he spoke I thought to myself "My generation will not tolerate this" We will not tolerate looking back and saying "we just have to get back to the good ole days" and I think there are two reason for that 1) we don't remember the 'good ole days' and 2) were not convinced they actually existed but are rather a figment of their imagination.

It's no surprise or shocking discovery that my generation is not in church and I don't mean to sound to negative but I'm not sure we're ever going to see them "in church". I think we will see them be the church in house churches, home groups, studies at Panera and Starbucks. I think we will see us rally around a cause of Jesus not the church, because we have lost faith in the institution we call church but have found faith in Jesus.

So I'm left with the question: How does on encourage this organic growth? How does one pastor these people? Does one pastor? Do they need a pastor? Will they reject the pastor as they have the institution of the church?

I hope not, because in the end...I'm one of them!

GNOMZ: Someone showed me a cool website where you can make your own comics. I thought that would be fun so I gave it a whirl. This one is my favorite "Does this make me look fat?"

Teenagers: it becomes increasingly frightening to me how much teenagers are asked to handle. They are asked to deal with smoking, drugs, drinking, sex, relationships, career choices, getting good grades, keeping families together...the list goes on and on. I guess my point is that with my most recent studies I have discovered or been reminded how immature the teenage brain is and how much they still need to develop. In essence they are not mentally prepared to deal with this sort of pressue instead they find out about their parent's divorce, are treated like pawns to gain power over the other spouse, verbally abused. Parent's are destroying their teenagers lives, teens don't need any help doing that. They need help, just not that kind.

great book 

number one, because it started it all 

number two 

number three in top five books of all time 

National Pro-Life T-Shirt Day: I normally don't do this sort of thing but for some reason it seems important to me. Probably because my newborn son is a little over a month old.

Numbers: Countless people in the world can call me stranger, a 150 call me Pastor, a 100 call me friend, 25 call me good friend, 4 call me grandson, 2 call me son-in-law, 2 call me son, 2 call me brother, 2 call me uncle, 1 calls me best friend, 1 calls me dad (he can't talk yet but I'm told he will), and 1 calls me husband. That thought changed me outlook on life today!