A Good Day

I had a good day today. I got to sleep in and then get up, get ready and head to pick up my new glasses that I ordered so I can see again! Then I went and picked up Laura, and headed to the new Chipoltle in Mission Valley for lunch. That place is huge! Then we headed downtown to Urban Outfitters and picked up some new digs for us both. Ladies and Gentlemen... on my OWN ACCORD... I will be officially wearing color. I know its hard to believe, but the black t-shirt will not be my only means of fashion statement from now on.

Then off to the grandparents house and some amazing mexican food (spinach and mushroom, corn enchiladas). Then I got to watch the first two quarters of the Hornets / Spurs game. I came home, ran a few miles... spent twenty minutes catching my breath and now I am going to watch some Nacho Libre to go to bed. Overall... a good day.

Movin' On Up

So I found out that I have to be out of the studio I live in by the 10th of this month because the owners are moving back to san diego... Suck. I am glad to be heading out and finding a new funky studio / 1br, but it has been really tough so far, and especially on a limited schedule.

Keep your eyes out for a place in North/South Park, Golden Hill, Normal Heights, or Hillcrest. I know I am craigslisting it every day.

Movin' on up.

Sanctuary Tonight

As always, we had a great sanctuary together. I wanted to point out two things that really stuck out to me.

1. Emily shared this amazing analogy that I know that I am going to butcher as I try to put it down in written form. She said that she had always felt that her spiritual journey in other faith communities had been like a small, pre-potted seed that only had a small space to grow into, and that would only ever become one type of plant. When she found Missiongathering, she said that she had found her "meadow" in which she could grow into herself and where the soil was rich. Where she could "hide out" if need be, or shine in the light of the sun. I just think this is a beautiful and brilliant analogy.



2. We were talking about why people are so attracted to churches that constantly make people feel guilty. I think the core reason is that people (especially in Western culture) get accustomed to a God that is only found in guilt. That we feel closest to God in our sin because it reminds us that we are in need of grace. It can almost become a ritual like practice to be told how terrible we are and how disappointed God is in us. Although I agree that we all need grace, and that it is good to be reminded of that... I think that God meets us in much more than just our guilt and that God sent Jesus Christ to no longer make us live in the shadow of our guilt and judgement... but instead to embrace grace and walk daily in that grace.

The Knott's "Experience'

Well... Knotts was much more fun as a kid. I had a great day hanging out with Laura, and we had a lot of laughs and smiles, but Disney is so much cooler. I think that Knott's is really struggling to find their true "identity" as a theme park. As such, random things are kind of slammed together in strange and almost akward ways.

Highlight of the Park: In the arcade they have a game called "Turkey Hunter." Literally, you are given a large shotgun type controller (like duck hunt) and different scenes with Turkeys to shoot are flashed on the big screen... Although I am not a hunter... and although I have no interest in shooting Turkeys... everytime you got one, the game called you a "Turkey Slayer." That alone was worth my 50 cents. (oh the irony)

Lowlight of the Park: The really creepy anamatronic humans in each of the old rides... they dont blink and are really stiff (probably made of wood). I dont trust anything that doesn't blink.

Off To Knotts

It was Laura's birthday yesterday, so today we decided to head to a random place called Knott's Berry Farm. We both haven't been there in years, so we are looking forward to experiencing it anew... haha. It is strange how exciting a new adventure with her truly is. Have a great Monday.

imagine grace (political)

Here is some art I just posted on deviantart.com. How do you feel when you see this?

betterworldshopper.com

My friend Tracy introduced me to this site, and it has definately been illuminating to me. This site is dedicated to giving information on companies and goods that we often consume on a daily basis. Check it out for yourself at www.betterworldshopper.com. Here is a good screen shot:

A Good Coffee

So I had coffee with a friend of mine the other day at Cafe Carpe Diem. If you haven't yet visited Carpe Diem, you are missing out. Free Trade and Organic Coffee in a really chic looking place. Good prices, and great coffee. Its on the corner of University Ave and Herman Ave.

As my friend Lauren and I were talking, she reminded me just how lame I have been at keeping my blog up. I know I've made a lot of unfulfilled promises to get back on it, but at last, I am challenging myself to do it. Hold me accountable if you'd like with nagging emails and scathing text messages...

rad.

Food For Thought

To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it.
- GK Chesterton

Sanctuary Rocks

We had a great sanctuary tonight. Our discussion really shed some light on some things that i've been feeling and kind of working out in my head lately. I will get into those tomorrow, but the basic underlying tone of the discussion was on sexism. Within our culture, how it influences our cultural view of homosexuality, how it impacts our faith, and even how it impacts Missiongathering. I really loved the conversation and I am excited to see where it leads us....

for now though... sleep.

Im Back...

After a couple of crazy weeks where I felt like I had no time at all to sit down and get my thoughts out... I am back to the blogging world. Look out... two a days are on their way.

Magi in a Modern Nativity

Sanctuary was pretty chill tonight. We hung out at Emily's place and she provided AMAZING snacks. She had these little bite size desserts (that I could eat) that she called "Yum Yums." Haha. It is a family recipe of marshmellows, rice crispys, white chocolate and (I think) caramel. Really good. On top of that, she had eggnog for us all to enjoy. Good Christmas times...

After a really long week... and a challenging one at that, I was stoked to hang out with my sanctuary folks. We has a cool conversation about Joseph's role in Jesus' birth and growth. A man that truly embodied compassion and righteousness. I think it would be awesome to learn more about Hebrew cultural norms in that time.

We talked about the role of the Magi as well and I figured Id share it with all of you:

My thought was that the grassroots movement that became the announcement of the Messiah was done through a group of influential tribal leaders that were committed to telling the story of Jesus' birth. I think we often think about the Nativity as a huge "city-wide" event that everyone attended... but the reality of the story is that probably even the inn-keeper didn't know about Jesus' birth at the time. Probably years later, he had a realization that the young pregnant woman who came to his establishment in need of shelter actually carried the Messiah. Or maybe not. Who knows... but the point being that Jesus' birth was something that kind of happened under the radar.

But through the Magi... (the influential men and women of the time) the nation of Israel began to understand that the world was changing. Their words, to those around them, began to tell the story of Emmanuel. Their journey to find the Christ-child eventually led others to journey toward this same story.

Which leads me to this thought: maybe we are the Magi of our time. We have journeyed to the "stable" and experienced the reality of Emmanuel in our lives. And all of us have a level of influence within our circles of friends and family.

Maybe the message of Christmas... the true message of HOPE... is not something that is meant to broadcast across a large cross-section of people we dont know and probably never will... but instead, the message of HOPE is to be spread from our mouths... to those who we have relationship with... to those that we carry influence with.

I think we are the Magi in this modern Nativity.

Egyptian Tea Room

I am in the college area with my friends Hammerhead and Gayle, hanging out at this cool little coffee / hookah / tea shop. I had a bad day... and a frustrating night (lets just say it took me five different coffee shops to finally find one that was open... and cool. Im leaving soon... and going to bed. Im glad I got a chance to hang out with my friends tonight. They made me smile.

My Family

Me, Amy (10), Rachel (17), and my Mom.

Grandma's 80th

Me and my precious Grandmother Beverly.

Trailer Park Christmas

Hey All,

I would like to cordially invite you to our first annual "Trailer Park Christmas: Gingerbread Trailer" Party. We will be making our own trailer park "lot" and then at the end of the night putting them all together to form our very first Christmas Trailer Park.

Make sure you bring supplies for your personal "lot" of land as well as a bag of candy to share with everyone. We will provide the graham crackers, "lot of land," and the frosting. Anything else, is up to you.

Please feel free to get dressed for the occasion. I know I will be.

The Facts-
Who: You... and Me... and some others... invite whomever you would like to.

What: Gingerbread Trailer Park decorating party and then we are going to be packing backpacks for Border Angels.

When: Wednesday, December 12, 2007. 6pm till we are done.

Where: Pastor Rich's house. 3485 Copley Ave, SD, CA 92116.

Why: Because we can... and to help in a good cause (Border Angels).

see you wednesday.

Inspire Thought

I've started a new design series called "inspire thought." I needed new things to inspire thought while I stared aimlessly into my computer. So you can use these as simple desktops, or print them and take them to meetings or whatever... but enjoy. Give me your feedback, I'd love to hear it.

MIA

So I've been pretty much MIA for a while now. I apologize... but life has been extremely busy. I will get some updates up here... but for now, hang with me a while longer until things slow down. Until then, enjoy some of the new design pieces I've been doing for MG.

Surgery...

I spent the morning with my good friend Casey as he underwent surgery on his stomach. They are doing exploratory surgery to see exactly what is wrong with him. As I sat in the post-op brief, it struck me just how much we still dont understand about the human body. The bottom line, the doctors still have no clue exactly what is wrong with my bro. As weird as this sounds, it made me kind of smile... to think that there is still such mystery in our world.

Pray for Casey. Please pray honestly for him. I know that God is working in his life and in the midst of this tough uncertainty.

Sac-Town

"From Sac-Town, the bay area and back down... Cali is with it lay your mac down" to quote a little Tupoc. Im hanging out in Sacramento International getting ready for the last leg of my trip back to SD. Over dinner I had a chance to just kinda gaze out into the openness of the central valley and realized just how much I really miss it. I know it sounds archaic and a bit country / hillbilly... but there is something magical about the open land that surrounds this kinda twilight zone of California. I think i will have to head back here soon for an actual visit.

No Sean Penn... but plenty of "wide open spaces (thanks Dixie Chicks... no really... thanks)."

peace.