How busy have things been around here of late, you ask? Well, today I was browsing my news RSS folder (for the first time in a while) and caught a few articles titles referencing the big WWDC keynote today at 10am PST… and I thought, “TODAY???”
That’s right, folks. There are big doin’s today in the world of Apple, and I was totally unaware of it!
I’ll try to do better next time… 🙂
I was noticing something quite strange last night…
At the boys baseball games last night, we met some friends of our friends last night, and that got me to thinking. They are friends with several of our good friends (we regularly hear their names in conversation), and so we were talking with them about how we all knew each other. Some kinda fun/random circumstances brought everyone together. Very cool. I’m certain that God was wisely directing all of that. (Or at least, none of it surprised him) 🙂
When we started thinking about it, I noticed that most (maybe all?) of the people we spend time with (not just “know”) are not people we met through any “institutional church” structure. That actually really shocked me.
One of the things that I do occasionally wonder about with us not attending weekend services anywhere is just how that keeps us “off the radar”. Even though I find public gatherings quite lacking for any real connecting with people… it is at least a place to see them, and be seen. And I have always also had this (apparently false) notion that most of the people we hang out with we met through “going to church” together.
I guess I was wrong.
Does that mean that we just hang out with the bottom feeding scum who “claim” to follow Jesus but won’t give up a couple measly hours on a Sunday morning to be with other believers? Perhaps. 🙂 But, I don’t think so. A lot of the people we spend time with – speaking of believers – are part of weekend services and more in that setting. Now, definitely several of our friends are in the same place we are with all of that, but I would definitely say not the majority.
Could it possibly mean that such structures do not build the best, most lasting relationships? Could it just be that we did a poor job of doing that? Maybe both? Maybe something else? I really don’t have the answer.
I know that our friends who just moved to Maryland definitely have some great, close, deep friendships with people whom they met via their “church”. And certainly that can happen. I found it completely fascinating that it is not true for us. Most of the Christians we spend time with we met through various other settings and endeavors. So crazy!
There’s really no point to this, other than to share that interesting observation, and to just throw that question out there to you. Could this show that good friendships with other believers not only can happen outside of the institutional church structure, but perhaps even be better? (Better doesn’t really fit here as relationships are not really quantifiable, as that qualifier would suggest. I just mean, deeper, more lasting, going beyond conversations simply when you’re in the same place.)
If you have any thoughts, please do post your comments.
For some reason I am often reminded that God made me unique. I’m a bit differenter than your average Joe. I mean, first off, my name’s not even Joe. So, I’m different already.
But, as I’m sure I’ve mentioned here before, a friend of mine used to call me the “Curve Wrecker” because I was never what I was “supposed” to be.
And, another proof that I am different is that I’m totally OK with that. 🙂
Tonight as I was driving I noticed three boys playing together, hanging out, and I noticed that they all had the same hair. The longish, curly, sort of unkempt hair that all of their other friends have too. It’s an epidemic!
But that made me think, why are we so afraid to be unique? What is this compulsion to be like everyone else? I really have never understood it. I just am who I am. Maybe that’s different from you, or maybe it’s different from all of you… but it’s just who I am. Why would I try to change that just so I wouldn’t be different?
Talking with Jen about this later we remembered that young kids can be brutal when someone is different. Usually a difference from the group is made fun of right away – and often. Uniqueness is not tolerated. And yeah, that does make sense why you wouldn’t want to be different. Who likes to be made fun of?
But I guess that’s where love comes in. Where you’re loved for who you are. Loved by parents, by God, by siblings, grandparents, even friends. It starts with our adoptive Father, who loves us completely, and shows us what love is… but it’s modeled by other people who genuinely love us. Maybe I had that more (from my parents and family) when I was growing up? I definitely know it now, and God continues to show me more and more just how much he really loves me … and you 🙂
So if you’re feeling weird tonight, or too different from everyone else… consider that a good thing. There’s no one else who is like you. You are one of a kind, and you’re that way because God made you that way. I’m pretty sure I can say that. But I am sure that I can say he loves you completely that way. And that’s the most important thing… and what makes it OK to be unique.
So enjoy your uniqueness just like I have learned to, you weirdo! 🙂
More to come, but there’s more to do… so, more here later.
Riding home from the long weekend in Buffalo, Jen & I were talking in the front seat about anything and everything. (It is a 90 minute ride.) At some point we got talking about technology, and specifically the iPhone (I think wished we could look something up on the internet) and I said, “Maybe we can get one when (I forget what the first part was) … and when there’s ubiquitous wi-fi.”
There was only a brief pause, and then I added, “Do you like it when I use big words like that?”
She replied, “Well, it makes me feel like I’m back in English class…”
Today I was looking out the window at my kids playing with their cousins, and it was very clear where my treasure is.
I can’t explain it other than an overwhelming sense of love for my kiddos. As I looked at them, I just really loved them, and I knew that there was nothing more important, or that I loved more. I think it may have extended to my nieces as well, but there was a definitely defining in my heart of my “treasure”.
The boys and I recently read the story Jesus told us that says where our treasure is, that’s where our heart will be also. The cool part is that Alex has repeated the story and that line at least a couple times since then. He got it. He understands. His interpretation is to consider the eternal things his “treasure.”
Including all the people he loves and who love him.
Looking out the window today, I got a fun reminder that my treasure (and my heart) is in a good place. 🙂
This weekend has been a “work” weekend for me. No, not more hours in the office (although, I have been working on a project for a client in the background the whole time as well). I was invited to help my sister and her husband finish their basement. My Dad made plans to come up for Memorial Day weekend and get it done, and I was invited to join them.
Well, let’s just say that craftsmanship and working with tools and building stuff – that’s not my number one gift. 🙂
But it is my Dad’s. Or at least right up near the top. He is doing a great job, and it’s fun to see him put stuff together from what to me is just a pile of boards.
It’s not just that I just don’t even know where to begin with all this stuff. Certainly after so many years of working on home improvement projects with my Dad, I basically know how to do stuff. (Well, when I am told exactly what to do…) 🙂 But, maybe partially because of that, I really just don’t enjoy it. I do it to help out, or because it needs to be done… but it’s not fun for me.
Well, after two days of working hard on several different projects, we were getting nearer to the end. My dad and my brother-in-law were working on a project and I decided to see if I could start another one. They had to box in the stairs (they were open) and so, it seemed that just meant cutting boards and putting them in. I confirmed that, and so got to it – with a little help from my son, Ian!
I forget if this was my choice, or recommended, but on this project, I attached these boards to the existing stairs just using a hammer and nails. Yes, manually pounding them in. And do you know what? After doing a few of them, I thought, “I’m actually enjoying this!” And I was. I didn’t really understand why, but I loved pounding the nails in and seeing the project come together.
And then I noticed how consistent that was with the way I do lots of things.
When I build my websites, I actually write the code for each page. (Usually at the consternation of my fellow web developers.) When I cook, I like to make everything I can “from scratch”. There are tools you can use to automate processes on your computer, and other technologies – I don’t trust any of them. To me it just seems like every situation is slightly different, and can’t be automated.
It seems that I like to be closer to the process. I prefer to not automate. I guess maybe I don’t like power tools, either? 🙂
Well, time to get back to work this morning. I’ll see if I can find some jobs that let me do more manually. 🙂
I learned today that earlier this week, singer/songwriter Steven Curtis Chapman‘s 5-year-old adopted daughter was killed in an accident in the family’s driveway.
Somehow, God has made us similar. I am a fan of his music – and something inexplicably deeper than that. There are similarities in my songwriting to his. Also a “big fan” of their family, and the way they are not only adopting, but helping lots of families do the same. We have not adopted – yet – but apparently share a similar love for big families.
And as a dad of little girls… how sad this family must be right now. How sad. We know that we only grieve temporarily when we know Jesus (to know him is eternal life…) but still… how they must hurt.
They set up a page with a little family video they made just a few weeks before she was killed. As well as a place to leave comments. Here’s the link:
Jen sent me this link today, saying that I could win us a free ice cream party. Sounded good to me! Thought I’d pass it along here, as well. Tell Edy’s why you think your neighborhood should host one of 1500 ice cream parties they’ll be throwing. 🙂
(Pretty sure ice cream runs through my veins… Forgot to mention that in the post below… been sharing lots of ice cream with lots of friends. OR, just eating it myself) 🙂
I must say this poor blog has been quite neglected for the past couple weeks. It seems that my writing certainly goes in cycles. Sometimes I have lots to say and just can’t help myself, so this blog is full of things to read. Sometimes I am so full of things to do that even though I do have things to say, I am not able to sit down and write them out. Other times, it’s simply time for intake rather than output. I’d say we’re definitely in a cycle involving a little of both of the last two.
So, instead of writing lots of detailed blogs (which I could certainly do, but must tend to other things) I will try and cover a lot of the stuff I’d like to chronicle here in bullet-point fashion.
And, we’ve rediscovered our fondness for the 80s TV show, The Knight Rider. Our friends, the Vs, enjoy it as well (we loaned them our iPod to watch Season One in its entirety) and Season Two is now coming to our mailbox via Netflix. 🙂 Pretty corny at times, but also pretty fun. Ah, the good ol’ days…
There have been lots of other fun events the past several days/weeks. Really can’t share them all here. As I said, it’s been a time of doing and intake more than a time of output 🙂 Suffice it to say, all of these social events have reminded me again that I am (or have become) a people person. I am not sure why I am doing an office-related job, then… 🙂 But am still super thankful for the provision we see from God in that.
More to come on the stuff I have been thinking through from the Brennan Manning tapes, as well as some good conversations with the church (friends who are fellow followers of Jesus), and just the stuff God has been placing on my heart and mind. So fun to share every bit of life with someone who loves me so much. Hope you know that, and you’re experiencing that, too.
