Cats

OK, I know I haven't posted a picture of Socks yet, but now I am a mom to two cats. Bandit moved in last night. For some reason Jim and I decided that bandit should move in this week.

While they have spent lots of time together while I was traveling in December and January, Socks and Bandit are acting like they don't know each other. However, they are sharing the bed currently but each end of the bed has a cat. The funny part is that they look just alike - more alike than my sister and I. I will post a picture, or at least ask Jim too.

Another cat, I would never have thought I would have another one. But, hey there is someone else to change the litter I am fine!

You can safely assume that you've created God in your own image when it turns out that God hates all the same people you do.
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Anne Lamott

To a nation bent on violence, anyone who claims to be speaking for God's kingdom and who advocates non-violent means as the way to it is making a very deep and dangerous political statement.
- N.T. Wright

wendys

The very first Wendy's is closing on March 2nd. Why is this important to someone who doesn't eat at Wendy's very much? I have been to this Wendys and have fond memories of it and other Wendy's in the Central Ohio area!

link: http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2007-02-24-original-wendys_x.htm?csp=34

news

Jim proposed this morning. I said yes.

quote

Nonviolence confronts systematic injustice with active love, but refuses to retaliate with further violence under any circumstances. In order to halt the vicious cycles of violence, it requires a willing acceptance of suffering and death rath than inflicting suffering or death on anyone else.
- John Dear
excerpt from "Living Peace: A Spirituality of Contemplation and Action."

book review

I just finished this book. I would highly recommend it. It made me think of how important faith is and how important it is to hear people's own faith stories even when they are not like my own. These three women started out writing a children's book and ended up with a spiritual experience of their own. I will admit that it is more a woman's book....but I think men would probably learn about faith from it too. 4 bookmarks out of 5 for this book!

heard in 949 W. 19th St

"I can't wait to change this bachelor pad into a home."

Jim to his girlfriend Krista at her house!

cable

Jim and I were talking about the "need" for cable. I obviously don't think that is a need. He wants it, and is quite clear about wanting it. So he was trying to make a case...well, Krista just think about the Food Network...its true I love the food network, but not a good arguement for him to make since he knows that when I watch the PBS food shows i get inspired and cook stuff which he likes....silly!

I asked Jim to post a picture or two from my karaoke party - this is NOT the one I would have picked...but hey I guess this shows that he appreciates me even when I look silly - really silly!

My 30th Birthday

back to my childhood

When I was growing up, I have major memories based around a Commodore 64. I played a lot of it and so did the family. So when I opened my Valentine's Day gift to find a joystick filled with the games that were on that Commodore - Jumpman, Mission Impossible, even Summer and Winter Games! I was so excited. Jim also got me kissing bears which I wasn't impressed by but I was by the joystick! Maybe I am the geek afterall!

Valentine's Day

(Please forgive the post below – if you aren’t in a lovey dovey mode, this might not be for you. My boyfriend is a bonafide geek – his life (other than me) is centered around the internet so this in some senses is my open letter to him on Valentine’s Day)

In late December, Jim joked with me about my blog becoming all about him. It scared me – I wanted to date someone but not have it take over my blog. I looked this morning, and have only mentioned him twice since in somewhat passing thought.

So, now it is Valentine’s Day….so I thought this might be the time to bring him up. I realize that Valentine’s Day is a holiday that isn’t really real. I mean, it is a holiday that is held up by all the things I don’t like – materialism, consumerism, and making relationships about what “I get out of it”.

To be honest, in this stage of our relationship, Jim and I don’t need a day to especially appreciate each other or even say “I love you” – hey we are newly in love – we have turned into crazy people – well, I should speak for myself – I have turned into a crazy person. Hopefully, we never will rely on one day a year to show that we love each other.

That being said, it seems appropriate to say something in honor of my love, Jim.

Once upon a time, a little over a year ago, I met this guy named Jim. He liked movies, loved computers and was interested in me. He offered to take me out one afternoon. I accepted. I thought he was nice, but so not my type not to mention that I didn’t want to commit to anyone. So as in the fairy tales, I became the mean stepsisters and started to try to scare him with anything and everything I could think of to get him to go away. I was horrible! So horrible that I couldn’t even tell people that I was going on a date – I mean, I was embarrassing. Eventually, he did give up. I was excited.

Several months later, he contacted me while he was having his first migrane….knowing that I might know what to do. I did, and I came over to his house to bring him some remedies because I felt so sorry for him. I mentioned that I liked being friends because I knew how to do that. We started hanging out, watching lots of movies, getting to know each other – he realizing that I wasn’t as crazed as I lead on previously, and I realized that he was actually more than a video gamer. You know, in fairy tales you get information that hasn’t happened….so I will let you in on something….Jim once “joked” that all I needed to do was say the word and we could date again. But commitment phobe Krista really thought it was indeed a joke.
So in the fall, after Krista had a failed bad blind date and Jim gave up on a girl he thought be interested in and they realized that they might be indeed need to give each other a chance since we were seeing each other so much anyway. So, we did. And we are. And we will.

Because Jesus' teachings are so challenging and radical, it is much more comfortable to focus on a quiet, private, personal relationship with him than it is to follow his teachings that call for a public prophetic witness.

- Alvin Alexi Currier

Comfort Zone breaking

(I wrote this yesterday morning.)

Last week the rodeo – this week the Cheer and Dance Nationals. Boy – my comfort zone is being ruined! I am sitting in the next room over from the National Youth Workers Convention at the Cheer and Dance Nationals. All these little girls – real little like 5 – cheer to songs that I shouldn’t be listening to as a 30 year old.

I told Heidi, my coworker who is here with me at the other event in the building, that these are the people I made fun of when I was a kid. So it might be good for me to sit through a bit of it. It seems a little silly – seriously it smells so much like hairspray in this conventional hall someone could actually get high! I realize that everyone has their thing growing up – show choir stuff isn’t that different from this, even the Christian show choir I was a part of…..wait, now there are 3 year olds cheering to ABC by the Jackson 5 – never mind, this is way different!

At a seminar called A HEART OF THE LEADER this afternoon, we were asked what we want the youth that we work with to say when we die. Three phrases....I choose:
She loved us.
She was passionate.
She saw outside of herself.

Great seminar!

For the love of tweens

I was sitting in a huge room across a great hall from the RCA dome in the Indiana Convention Center this evening (less than a week after the Colts won the Super Bowl) listening to a speaker talking to a room full of youth workers and youth pastors when I remembered these 8 year old boys in Hebron. In this room full of flat screen TVs, projectors, high res graphics to impress and reach the Gen X generation of youth workers in the US, I would rather have been back with those boys.

While on the delegation, we often were approached by children who asked for money because we were obviously “rich tourists”. Many times it was a game rather than a real need….and I felt it was a bothersome reminder that I was an outsider. Once we were walking through the market and saw some boys gathered up ahead. One delegate vocalized what I was thinking, “Oh, man, 8 year old boys….” We were still giggling when we got to the boys. They did ask us for money, and as we passed they started chanting: ONE SHEKEL, ONE SHEKEL, ONE SHEKEL. I loved it. Proving that children are creative and create fun out of almost anything – including making a chant to ask for money.

Tonight, amidst the wealth of a youth ministry conference, I prayed for the simple pleasures of kid’s creativity that is free flowing not conformed to TVs, video games, or even a Sunday School lesson. I pray for those boys and all those strengthening them and providing them space to be creative and grow into adults who haven’t lost their creativity or Spirit!

How much longer am I going to think about my hair more often than about things in the world that matter?

- Anne Lamott

Please PLAN on coming

Many of you know that I talk about Brenda Matthew's quite a bit....for her care, her passion, and her pure talent. Please come out and support her in her debut of her one woman show.....

You can kill the revolutionary but you can't kill the revolution

February 16
7:30
Liberty Worship Center
The Cornerstone United Methodist Church
171 North Cuyler
Oak Park

There is a donation of $10. (If you need help with that, please let me know.....)

Brenda is an amazing human being and truly lives out God's love - lets support her in her passion and calling!

Many of you know my struggle and also joy of becoming Mennonite when still it is an ethnic idenity that I don't have. This is an interesting article on "the end of ethnic Mennonite life".

http://www.pandorapressus.com/dsm/current/kingsview.htm

Rodeo

I once went to a quasi-rodeo with my sister to watch one of her friends ride bulls. I remember being out of place there. But last night takes the cake!

For being a country girl for at least 18 years, I feel so out of it at a rodeo. Some events I can understand, but most I think are nuts. Its like extreme farming or something. Let's see how fast I can tie up a calf? let's see how can I get a horse to buck, then sit on him, and see if I can stay on? What the heck?

Half way through I calmly stated, This is out of my comfort zone! While for people that I see through DOOR are stunned at McDonald's on each block, not seeing only white people, or sleeping in a church - seeing a calf tied up is quite uncomfortable to me - funny, isn't it?

San Antonio

Hi Yall from Texas!

I love San Antonio. The Riverwalk, the fun, and all the city stuff is always exciting here. It is such a pleasure to get to travel here as much as I do. Our meetings are going well too.

Tonight, we are heading to the Rodeo that is in town, and seeing a concert of Big and Rich.

Well, off to do my seminar which includes showing clips from Life of Brian!

What we call church is often a conspiracy of cordiality. Pastors learn to pacify rather than preach to their Ananiases and Sapphiras. We say we do it out of "love." Usually, we do it as a means of keeping everyone as distant from everyone else as possible. You don’t get into my life and I will not get into yours.

- Stanley Hauerwas