Crossroads

"And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of
the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good
work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all
power according to his glorious might so that you may have great
endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father,
who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in
the kingdom of light." Colossians 1:10-11 (our theme verse)

Britney Spear's movie has long been forgotten by most, but our
fellowship (which began and was named near the release of this movie)
continues to grow strong in this 3rd year of ministry. Three years
ago, a small handful of us responded to the Lord's prompting (and
our pastor's calling =) to begin this fellowship for young adults at
our church. As with most young adult ministries we've experienced a
great deal of change and transition. We've seen one come to know Christ
in our fellowship, numerous seeds planted through friendship and
evangelistic events, some who've drifted away and forgotten Christ,
some who've gotten married, some who've moved because of job changes,
several who've lost their jobs and are searching, some who've
graduated,  many who've laughed with us, some who've cried with us
and several who are following the Lord in full time ministry. Our
formats (and occasional lack of format) and structures have gone
through similar transitions.

Kids have limited mobility because of the lack of transportation and
rules imposed by parents. Older adults own houses, have semi-permanent
jobs, and family obligations that keep them relatively stable (much
needed in any church). But young adults .... ... little obligation,
abundant resources, and transition prone. There are many crossroads in
life, but the ones at the young adult age (20's and 30's) seem to bear
great weight in shifting the course of one's life. The choice of a
life-work, a life-mate and a life-purpose often gain substance and
thicken during this crucial age. As we get older, we grow increasingly
fixed in our ways; so let godliness be the pattern of our heart and our
lives, and let us fix our eyes on Jesus.

I have been richly blessed by many in Crossroads and especially
thank God for those in leadership who I've grown to know (get fat with)
and care for during our weekly gatherings. This year, I won't be
part of the core leadership team; but am thankful that this work has
been entrusted into the hands of two Godly ladies (annette and dora ... who spend their time serving instead of writing xangas  )
alongside with a team of others helping in various areas. I'm quite
excited about the coming year and look forward to our very practical
study through the book of Romans.

Thanks bro for
getting me this CD many years ago when I was having trouble sleeping in
Minnesota. There is indeed comfort and peace in the truths of scripture. Truths you can sleep by.

Cuddled to Sleep

A Tribute to Kermit the Frog

In preparation for a Thanksgiving hotpot party, my brother and I
were talking about questions to help folks get to know each other
better (we never got to this though). My brother asks me this question,
"If you could climb into "cartoon land," which cartoon character would
you most like to be? Why?" Since I was concentrating on something else,
I was a bit stumped. All I could come up with was Kermit the Frog.
I know, I know, Kermit is not a cartoon character, but that's all I
could come up with on the spot.

As a kid, I quickly learned that each of the characters had their
own unique (and often quicky) personality. As an adult, I realize how
this fictional nonsense actually has some bearing on reality.
I know some Fozzie Bears, some Cookie Monsters, some Animals, some
Bunsens and Beakers, some Gonzos, some Miss Piggys, some Scooters, and
even some Kermits. I wonder if we could find many of our friends among
the Muppets.  

Kermie is the eternal romantic, an idealist, and a dreamer. He has a
gentle spirit, a kind heart, and a generous nature. He can be a bold
leader when it is required, but would often prefer quiet, peaceful
reflection ... or maybe a song. My legs are not nearly as skinny, my
body not nearly so round or so green ... I don't play the banjo or know
a girl named Miss Piggy, but I've always felt some kinship to this
strange little green guy.

Help me out on a little survey: which Muppet do you identify with the most? And why?

muppets site with character info and famous songs

The Gift of Work

As I've been contemplating (ok, slightly dreading) my first workday of the year, I spent tonight reading this article by Dr. Scorgie entitled "The Gift of Vocation: A Christian perspective on Work". I'll share with y'all a few sniplets that caught my attention:

"Surveys show that the vast majority of North Americans are dissatisfied with their jobs. American society today generally views work as a necessary evil at best, and concludes that the less of it the better. Part of the American dream is to plan shrewdly enough to say good-bye to employment hassles as early as possible, retire with a comfortable income, and then begin to enjoy life as it was intended: care-free, responsibility-free and work-free. Hello, RVs and par-threes. With cultural ideals like these, is it any wonder that the fabled work ethic is in decline?

Unfortunately Christians tend to buy rather uncritically into these prevailing attitudes. Like most everyone else we raise our voices in the nationwide chorus of bleary-eyed groans on Monday mornings, and join in the impatient Friday afternoon countdowns to freedom."

"William Willimon, the dean of the chapel at Duke University, in his book on the topic of Clergy and Laity Burnout, observes with great insight that seldom is burnout the direct result of overwork. Hard and demanding work can often be remarkably energizing. Instead, argues Willimon, burnout is almost always the result of a loss of a sense of meaning in our labors.

We find sustained energy when we are engaged in something that we believe matters. Henry Scougall, a godly Scotsman of the last century, pointed out that every human being craves a cause worth exchanging one's life for. ... The key to fulfilment and happiness is not indolent inactivity, but to set as our goal to participate in God's ongoing purposes of creativity, earth-care, truth-telling and grace-giving through the responsible use of our gifts in the service of others."

This coming thursday will be my first work day of the year. I'm wrapping up my current project soon so  ... I'm currently in the process of cleaning the dust off my resume and trying to figure out what to do next.

Tonight, I've been trying to follow news about this. It's a bit
frustrating that our news has more coverage of San diego "storms" and
local flooding (though serious) than this recent natural disaster
claiming at least 60,000 lives so far (estimates are that these numbers
may double from disease).  This is the largest quake in about
four decades.

I've ignored news of other tsunamis in the past, but this one caught
my attention because I now knew people who live (or lived) in places
like Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Myanmar ... all affected by
the tsunami.

[12/30 -- One of my England teammates shared an insight into this event as an act of God]

[12/31 -- Some good suggestions from a canadian friend on organizations to support if you want to do something. Gospel for Asia (K.P. Yohannan serves as president of this group) and World Relief Canada (Canadian International Development Agency  (CIDA) is matching donations (4:1) made to World Relief Canada). I can't believe that the death toll has already doubled to over 120,000 since I put out my initial post.]

[1/5 -- Our fellowship is planning to spend time praying about this tonight. An article by a teen we met in Birmingham, UK.]

Winter Solstice

Today (ok, technically yesterday) is winter solstice. It is
often called the darkest day of the year and typically signifies the
beginning of winter. Winter solstice is defined as the moment when the
sun's apparent path is farthest south from the equator. In the Northern
Hemisphere, this translates into "the shortest day of the year" or what
some with a more macabre outlook may call "the darkest day of the
year".

Indeed it was a dark day today. Right after lunch, we had a massive
power outage at work that shut our entire plant down. I tried to
continue working by the dim glow of emergency lights, but the
oppressive heat in our building soon became unbearable (no AC). I had
to go home and accept this loss work day as an act of God or possibly
the fumblings of man.

When I got home, I recounted the story of the power outage at work
and then gleefully shared these trivial tidbits of data about winter
solstice with my roommate (eddie). When I mentioned the term "darkest
day", he responded, "it also means that each day will be getting
brighter and brighter  ... we'll keep having more hours
of sunlight." As I went for a walk after dinner tonight, I was thinking
about my roommate's comment. Isn't it strange that the darkest day, the
day that signifies the start of winter, would also represent
an inflection point where our days begin growing longer and longer.
Could it be that our darkened day might also be an inflection
point in the workings of God in our life?

(a note for non-math folks: An inflection point
is typically defined as the point at which a curve changes from convex
to concave or vice versa. A curve has the maximum slope at it's
inflection points)

The Hummer and the Hybrid

I've resisted posting too much about the Prius, but this article comparing the Hummer H2 and the Toyota Prius just had to be shared. Humor me for a moment.

The article begins with ...
"Toyota Prius vs. Hummer H2 - The most politically correct car goes against the most politically incorrect one."

This should inspire other geeky types considering this car ...
"National Public Radio’s Tommy and Ray Magliozzi, also known as Click and Clack of Car Talk, have the following observation on the new Prius: “Make no mistake—this car is a chick magnet car—for certain types of chicks. Notably, the types who can't stand being called chicks!"

Hey ... and if Cameron can own one and Leo can own three, it's gotta be hip!!

Two movies this weekend ...

I saw two movies this weekend that made me just stop and think. In
different ways, they were both entertaining and sobering. 

     ||:::THE INCREDIBLES:::||
I'm
no expert on animation, but this screenplay was cleverly crafted.
Poignant truths are sometimes best conveyed in the delightful
language of kids. Is this a fantastic cartoon story about the
adventures of superheros? Or is this story also about us? If we
were created extraordinary, why must we be so concerned about being
"normal"? In this wearying pursuit to be "normal", have
we slowly extinguished the life that once sprung from the free
expression of our uniqueness?

     ||:::SUPER SIZE ME:::||
After
watching this movie, one of my friends (a huge In & Out fan) made a
solemn vow never to eat fast food again .... ever!! Tonight, we grabbed
dinner at McDonald's and then watched this movie at a friend's home
(large screen and stereo sound =) -- fully aware that this may be the
last McDonald's meal we ever wanted to eat. It is an
interesting commentary about obesity in America and the influence of
fast foods. It also chronicles the life (and physiological
metamorphosis) of a man who decided to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner
at McDonald's every day for one month. I suddenly feel this urge
to cook up a good meal.

When I met Will, I knew I had met a kindred
spirit. I realized today that he started writing on his xanga and
wanted to share his posts with y'all.

Make every shot count - One of Yonex's marketing slogans and a little badminton tip for y'all.
"How do you feel?"(computer)
"I do not understand the question" (Mr. Spock) - Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

Praise the Lord for this faithful man of God ... and his ever so amazing wife!!

Joshua 1:8-9