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You're Not Always Right; or Humility Rules!
February 13, 2008 | Filed under: Society
I used to think obnoxious but true statements were a great way to tell people about my faith. I'd buy T-shirts plastered with them, bumper stickers proclaiming them, even music centered around them. I was very proud of my boldness.
But I didn't realize how completely ineffective it was. I didn't realize that instead of opening a door of conversation, I was kicking in the door and slapping the owner in the face--and expecting them to be grateful.
It's kind of embarrassing when I think back on it. I've since realized (and am continually reminded) that is no way to change minds.
Continue reading "You're Not Always Right; or Humility Rules!"Let the Junk Go
February 12, 2008 | Filed under: God, Church & Stuff
A fellow friend and blogger described Lent (or summarized the Ash Wednesday sermon) better than I did:
"Our priest said [Lent is] a time to strip away all the unnecessary things we can. ... [these spiritual exercises are about] taking away our excess so we can focus on deep things less distractedly."
I've been trying to strip away all the extra junk. I'm not very good at simplicity, but I'm trying. Our upcoming rummage sale is a good opportunity (for myself as well as for you!). I've been going through the house and trying to decide if I really need each and every item. Since we moved last spring you'd think we would have done this already--and we did. We took multiple carloads of stuff to Goodwill (put our house on the market in January, so a rummage sale wasn't practical). But it's amazing how much junk is still sitting around (junk we moved with!) that we don't need.
Continue reading "Let the Junk Go"Gotham Tax Service & Martial Arts
February 9, 2008 | Filed under: Business & Marketing
This week I got a letter in the mail from Gotham Tax Service/Martial Arts. I immediately opened it. I already have a tax guy, but a ninja tax guy? That's worth looking into.
Turns out it's a husband/wife team--the husband does the taxes and the wife does the martial arts--and they were just sharing an envelope and splitting the mailing costs. The envelope had a separate flier for Gotham Tax Service and Gotham Martial Arts. There was also a letter from "Gotham Family Businesses" that pitched each as a separate entity.
And that, my friends, is an opportunity lost. There are plenty of places to get your taxes done and plenty of places to learn martial arts. But very few, if any, that combine both. A CPA with a blackbelt? It'd be unique, it'd be interesting, it'd be fun (and when are taxes ever fun?)--and it'd get people talking.
Sometimes you have to go for something crazy and risky. A little risky might save on postage, but there's also little risk of a big payoff.
The End of CCM Magazine
February 8, 2008 | Filed under: Music
I heard a rumor on the Internets a while back that CCM Magazine, the Christian music magazine with self image issues, was no longer going to be published. And if it's on the Internet it must be true.
But it turns out this rumor is true. The April 2008 issue--the 30th anniversary of CCM--will be its last issue.
What I think is most telling about its demise is that it's going away with hardly a whimper. I had to really search to find any info about it. The fact is people aren't interested in the Christian music label anymore. There are too many exceptions and it's too hard to walk that fine line between edgy enough for the young people and safe enough for the gate keepers. And plenty of good magazines cover the ground on either side of that divide.
Continue reading "The End of CCM Magazine"You're Living in a Small Way
February 7, 2008 | Filed under: God, Church & Stuff
A portion of the reading from last night's Ash Wednesday service stuck in my head. It smacked me a bit and rattled around in my head. I came back to it this morning and it had more to say.
But before I get to that, an aside. I don't often like to quote the Bible or put these kind of devotional thoughts here. I don't like to do that so publicly because no matter what I say it feels like I'm trying to be some holy-roller. And it should be clear I'm not. The fact that I do this infrequently speaks more to how infrequently I do it privately.
I also recognize not everyone reading this agrees with the words. Quoting the Bible can be a turnoff. I understand that (and have felt that way when blogs I read do it). Sometimes it's just uncomfortable. And sometimes that's exactly the point.
But I'm doing it because sometimes we need something uncomfortable. Sometimes the words of the Bible get so old and stale that we need to hear them with fresh ears. And whenever that happens to me I get excited and feel a desperate urge to share it. So here's to being uncomfortable and excited (after the jump, so can stay comfy if you like).
Continue reading "You're Living in a Small Way"Lent as a Kick in the Teeth
February 6, 2008 | Filed under: God, Church & Stuff
Yesterday I made a side comment about how we tend to retain the fun part of holidays (i.e., the splurge of Fat Tuesday) and let slide the sacrificial part (i.e., the 40 days of prayer and fasting called Lent). So it made me realize I should think a bit more deeply about Lent and what it means.
Tonight's Ash Wednesday service was a good reminder. The mark of the cross is made on our forehead with literal ash (side note: the ash usually comes from the palms used at last year's Palm Sunday service) to remind us that "you are dust, and to dust you shall return."
The 40 days of Lent is kind of like a reality check. It's a season when the church slows down, strips things away, and realizes that we are mere mortals. It's a time of self-examination, repentance, prayer, fasting and self-denial. The fact that it all seems very at odds with our busy world makes it all the more necessary.
Continue reading "Lent as a Kick in the Teeth"Bring on the Junk: Rummage for Adoption
February 6, 2008 | Filed under: Adoption
In the bank-draining quest to pay for our adoption we've decided to have a giant rummage sale this spring. We're planning to have lots of junk and not price any of it--instead we'll ask for donations toward our adoption and hopefully turn those 10 cent sales into larger donations.
So we're looking for junk. If you've got stuff you don't need, we'll take it off your hands. Of course you need to be within a reasonable distance of the Twin Cities (but even if you're not, you can still help--some long-distance friends have already offered to sell their junk and donate the proceeds).
Imagine that--you can clean out your closet and support our adoption.
Crazy Caucus
February 5, 2008 | Filed under: Politics
After the pancake supper at church tonight (those Episcopalians aren't very good at potlucks, but they do pancakes right) we went to vote in the Minnesota Caucus. Traffic was backed up about a mile, cops were directing traffic and we had to park in a cul de sac and walk.
Once we got inside it was crazy. We had to find the room for our specific precinct, but I think half the county was there so there were a few dozen rooms. We finally found which room we needed to be in and set off down a random hall to find it. We eventually found a packed room in the midst of caucusing.
The volunteer at the door asked me to sign in (name, address, phone number, e-mail, signature--no ID required) then handed me a scrap of paper to vote in the presidential preference poll. He pointed to a chalk board with a list of a dozen names and told me to write down my candidate and stick it in the envelope. He pointed to an crammed #10 envelope sitting on a desk.
"That's it?" I asked.
"That's as official as we get," he said with a shrug.
Let's Have a Voting Party
February 5, 2008 | Filed under: Politics
Today is Super Duper Fat Tuesday, so if you live in one of the 20+ states holding primaries or caucuses today, you should go vote. If not, well, it's still Fat Tuesday. So find a pancake supper or some paczkis and live it up. (Like many of our holidays, we've completely lost the meaning of Fat Tuesday and its connection with Lent--i.e., using up all the remaining sweets/eggs/fruit in the house in preparation for fasting during Lent. Instead we just retain the fun part and forget about the sacrifice part. Of course, this is all from a former Baptist who knows nothing about this sort of thing.)
Where was I? Oh yeah, politics.
Continue reading "Let's Have a Voting Party"Bloggers to Uganda
February 4, 2008 | Filed under: Behold, the Internet
Compassion International is taking a bunch of bloggers to Uganda from Feb. 10-18 to experience what it is Compassion does. A couple of the bloggers are folks I read (occasionally), including Anne Jackson and Shaun Groves. Should make for some interesting reading (and watching).
Seems like Africa keeps coming up lately, from rebels invading Chad to violence in Kenya to continuing trouble in Darfur. But there's also missionary friends traveling to Sudan and another missionary friend heading to Botswana, this group heading to Uganda--and of course our (eventual) adoption from Ethiopia. The differences between here and there are kind of staggering, but I'm grateful for anything that can help bridge the divide and bring us closer.
