This weekend Erin and I went to church with Hieu at Crosspoint. Crosspoint is a ministry of West U Baptist Church & they serve fair trade coffee.....
On Monday Erin had a retreat with her fellow 1st year med students. Erin and another gal were canoeing during the retreat, and Erin spotted an alligator some 30ft from them.... so she kept her cool and they paddled the other way to safety.... Praise the Lord for that mercy.... Erin gets freaked out talking about it - so I'm glad that God granted her that season of calm.
Erin got back from the retreat on Tuesday and she's had orientation on campus every day this week. She starts school on Monday and I'm so excited for her! Please be praying for us - I'm sure we'll both need extraordinary patience and understanding as we start this journey.
Lately I've been listening to messages from the pastor of FBC Durham. My old accountability partner Line attends that church... and it so happens that they're preaching through Romans in the morning (just finished Ro 9) and Hebrews in the evenings - which is a great combo! www.fbcdurham.com
Anyway - not a whole lot to say right now - I miss my family....
Thursday, July 28, 2005
Friday, July 22, 2005
THE FRANCHI$E
It is a wonderful thing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Today is perhaps the best day of the year - today should be a national holiday - July 22-2005, the day our little prodigal returned.....
The man who I will refer to as "The Franchi$e" from this day forth - Greg Ostertag is back with the Jazz! I smell a championship. I am elated.... I can't even describe how elated I am....
I have one other comment for this blog -
Christopher Gino Dean(.net) sent me some CDs the other day and I was blessed (I'm talking the annointing of Elijah spirit here) by this man's music http://www.paisleyyankolovich.com/
I can only receive that musical blessing in small doses.... but they are life-changing doses....
Thanks Chris, but more importantly thanks to "The Franchi$e".... I need a T-shirt...
Feeling Tagalicious....
-jake
Today is perhaps the best day of the year - today should be a national holiday - July 22-2005, the day our little prodigal returned.....
The man who I will refer to as "The Franchi$e" from this day forth - Greg Ostertag is back with the Jazz! I smell a championship. I am elated.... I can't even describe how elated I am....
I have one other comment for this blog -
Christopher Gino Dean(.net) sent me some CDs the other day and I was blessed (I'm talking the annointing of Elijah spirit here) by this man's music http://www.paisleyyankolovich.com/
I can only receive that musical blessing in small doses.... but they are life-changing doses....
Thanks Chris, but more importantly thanks to "The Franchi$e".... I need a T-shirt...
Feeling Tagalicious....
-jake
Monday, July 18, 2005
What've we got in this thing.... a cuisinart?
This just in: On Aug. 27th, Derek Webb will be playing a show in Alvin, TX - and the speaker for the evening will be the youth minister for that bastion of doctrinal purity - Lakewood Church (Incidentally - if you're not living your best life now, there's a book available just for you....). I can't wait for this show - I'm actually really encouraged, I hope a lot of people show up... I hope that God rescues Osteen and revolutionizes the lives of all the people who are in the grasp of that ministry, and I hope that the truth is proclaimed loudly through Derek's music and teaching at this event.
I read Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince this weekend - and I need to give it a month and then I'll read it again...Erin needs to read it this week so we can discuss it.... I can't wait. I'm thinking of starting on The Chronicle of Narnia... but for now I've the Normal Christian Life and set of Italian Language CD's to keep me company on my train rides to and from work.
Erin has orientation for med school all next week and she starts on Aug. 1st... I'm really proud of my wife.
Last night Erin and I were reading at our dinner table, and were visited by a large, unwelcome guest...... a speedy little bugger if you will. That's right kiddos our first roach. I tried to spray it, but that wasn't working out, so I pounced on it with some paper towel, and it kept on kicking..... so I applied somer serious pressure and twisting - and the struggle was over. Roaches are gross....
On a more somber note: I got an e-mail from my dad that my cousin Dan - who'd just returned from a tour of duty in Afghanistan was paralyzed in a pool accident. Here's the link to the news story: http://www.katu.com/stories/78049.html
A lot of prayers to be said for Dan and his family....
And please be praying for Erin as she is at last able to start on her journey toward becoming a doctor.
In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps. Prov. 16:9
Amen, Lord Jesus
I read Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince this weekend - and I need to give it a month and then I'll read it again...Erin needs to read it this week so we can discuss it.... I can't wait. I'm thinking of starting on The Chronicle of Narnia... but for now I've the Normal Christian Life and set of Italian Language CD's to keep me company on my train rides to and from work.
Erin has orientation for med school all next week and she starts on Aug. 1st... I'm really proud of my wife.
Last night Erin and I were reading at our dinner table, and were visited by a large, unwelcome guest...... a speedy little bugger if you will. That's right kiddos our first roach. I tried to spray it, but that wasn't working out, so I pounced on it with some paper towel, and it kept on kicking..... so I applied somer serious pressure and twisting - and the struggle was over. Roaches are gross....
On a more somber note: I got an e-mail from my dad that my cousin Dan - who'd just returned from a tour of duty in Afghanistan was paralyzed in a pool accident. Here's the link to the news story: http://www.katu.com/stories/78049.html
A lot of prayers to be said for Dan and his family....
And please be praying for Erin as she is at last able to start on her journey toward becoming a doctor.
In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps. Prov. 16:9
Amen, Lord Jesus
Wednesday, July 06, 2005
My castle is this Houston Metro Bus.....
Erin and I met Eric James' dad on Sunday at Christ the King! He is awesome - we had a good mini talk and I need to e-mail him back so Erin and I can head over and meet Eric's family... they actually live pretty close to us....
Erin and I have really dug the music so far at Christ the King - this Sunday we sang: Amazing Grace, Let us Love and Sing and Wonder, Be Thou My Vision, and Jesus I come to Thee.
On an unrelated note I wanted to give a shout out to John Harty: http://thebearded.blogspot.com/ welcome to the blogosphere....
and also to my sister Amy - thanks for stepping out into the new frontier of blog to comment!
Work has been awesome for me.... I really am liking my job so far, and I get to listen to www.sermonaudio.com pretty much all day... I've been listening to a lot of O. Palmer Robertson lately and I really dig his voice..... I also listened to some more Keller and Piper for good measure. I'm almost finished with Life Together and I wanted to start blogging about how I've been effected by it...
So this is from the end of the book, but it really hit me hard:
From Ch.4: Ministry in the section: The Ministry of Listening
"The first service that one owes to others in the fellowship consists in listening to them. Just as love to God begins with listening to His Word, so the beginning of love for the brethren is learning to listen to them... Christians, especially ministers, so often think they must always contribute something when they are in the company of others, that this is the one service they have to render. They forget that listening can be a greater service than speaking... But he who can no longer listen to his brother will soon be no longer listening to God either; he will be doing nothing but prattle in the presence of God too. This is the beginning of the death of the spiritual life, and in the end there is nothing left but spiritual chatter and clerical condescension arrayed in pious words... and it is certain that here too our attitude toward our brother only reflects our relationship to God."
As I sit on a train crowded full of a small portion of the couple million residents of Houston these words really hit home with me. As Erin and I were moving here, I told her that one thing I really wanted to work on was pride.... to fight the urge to be 'right' in conversations as though to exert some perceived authority over another.... I'm learning more and more that I am a poor listener to the disservice of the community that God entrusted me with over the past three years, and I hope that I'm growing in grace to be quiet in the presence of the Lord and listen to His Word, to be attentive to the Spirit, and to really long for the heart and burden of my brothers and sisters...... perhaps a quiet mouth in my case will bring about a quiet soul.
All for now.
-jake
Erin and I have really dug the music so far at Christ the King - this Sunday we sang: Amazing Grace, Let us Love and Sing and Wonder, Be Thou My Vision, and Jesus I come to Thee.
On an unrelated note I wanted to give a shout out to John Harty: http://thebearded.blogspot.com/ welcome to the blogosphere....
and also to my sister Amy - thanks for stepping out into the new frontier of blog to comment!
Work has been awesome for me.... I really am liking my job so far, and I get to listen to www.sermonaudio.com pretty much all day... I've been listening to a lot of O. Palmer Robertson lately and I really dig his voice..... I also listened to some more Keller and Piper for good measure. I'm almost finished with Life Together and I wanted to start blogging about how I've been effected by it...
So this is from the end of the book, but it really hit me hard:
From Ch.4: Ministry in the section: The Ministry of Listening
"The first service that one owes to others in the fellowship consists in listening to them. Just as love to God begins with listening to His Word, so the beginning of love for the brethren is learning to listen to them... Christians, especially ministers, so often think they must always contribute something when they are in the company of others, that this is the one service they have to render. They forget that listening can be a greater service than speaking... But he who can no longer listen to his brother will soon be no longer listening to God either; he will be doing nothing but prattle in the presence of God too. This is the beginning of the death of the spiritual life, and in the end there is nothing left but spiritual chatter and clerical condescension arrayed in pious words... and it is certain that here too our attitude toward our brother only reflects our relationship to God."
As I sit on a train crowded full of a small portion of the couple million residents of Houston these words really hit home with me. As Erin and I were moving here, I told her that one thing I really wanted to work on was pride.... to fight the urge to be 'right' in conversations as though to exert some perceived authority over another.... I'm learning more and more that I am a poor listener to the disservice of the community that God entrusted me with over the past three years, and I hope that I'm growing in grace to be quiet in the presence of the Lord and listen to His Word, to be attentive to the Spirit, and to really long for the heart and burden of my brothers and sisters...... perhaps a quiet mouth in my case will bring about a quiet soul.
All for now.
-jake
Thursday, June 30, 2005
Mini Post
I meant to write a long post about Bonhoeffer (I'm really being impacted by the Bonhoeffer and Keller double dosage...) and Tim Keller.... I've been listening over and over again to Keller's message "Should I Not Love that Great City" (www.redeemer.com) and that combined with Bonhoeffer is really getting my social action groove worked up.
Anyway, Erin is one metric bummer today.... she had a really bad headache and stayed in bed all day... so that sucks.... but on the plus side we did go to bed before 10 last night, so I got 8 hrs of sleep!!!!!
Quick weekend review: Erin and I saw Batman Begins and I thought it was Marvy! I really liked it (maybe because I've seen all the other Batmans...) we went to Ecclesia for service on Sunday night and that was pretty good. This Sunday we're going to check out Sovereign Grace Houston... Reformed Soteriology and Charismatic Worship.... what a combo... I'm going to learn the five solas in tongues! Actually I'm not sure what to expect...
Jon got back from Thailand yesterday and my parents get home from the UK on Saturday so that's exciting!
OK... well I suppose that's all I have time for... I need to get back to taking care of Erin.
Anyway, Erin is one metric bummer today.... she had a really bad headache and stayed in bed all day... so that sucks.... but on the plus side we did go to bed before 10 last night, so I got 8 hrs of sleep!!!!!
Quick weekend review: Erin and I saw Batman Begins and I thought it was Marvy! I really liked it (maybe because I've seen all the other Batmans...) we went to Ecclesia for service on Sunday night and that was pretty good. This Sunday we're going to check out Sovereign Grace Houston... Reformed Soteriology and Charismatic Worship.... what a combo... I'm going to learn the five solas in tongues! Actually I'm not sure what to expect...
Jon got back from Thailand yesterday and my parents get home from the UK on Saturday so that's exciting!
OK... well I suppose that's all I have time for... I need to get back to taking care of Erin.
Thursday, June 23, 2005
Back from SLC again.....
Haven't been able to hop on the computer and write for awhile....
I need to start off by rebuking Clint who had the audacity to insinuate that I was/am becoming something of a redneck....granted, I can't ignore the signs.... but when the rest of the world is singing "Deep in the Heart of Texas" during the 7th Inning stretch... guess who is neither singing nor clapping....
Speaking of babeball I caught the Rockies v Astros game yesterday for a company team building exercise... Clemens pitched and the Astros won again.....
So I'm really enjoying my job (other than working in cubicle suburbia..... which is a really strange dynamic), I 've been into learning new software and trying to remember UNIX commands.... and I've been surrounded by people who make my own obsession with rocks seem less nerdy.
Erin was in SLC all last week for her sister's wedding. Jenny and Richie tied the knot on Sat and dashed off to Mexico (honeymoon spot of such famed couples as Jake & Erin, and Corey D and Jenni Llaves)... I have too say I was pretty bummed not to have much hanging out time... I got to see Joel for all of 10 min... I did get to roll to Layton w/ E-Pac, and that was sweet!
Have I mentioned that I went to the downtown YMCA and tried to ball with some of the old guys.... I got worked, and someone stole my "I hate beanie babies" shirt which was made for me during my time of indentured servitude to McDonald's corp. weak. Fortunately I've yet to unleash my reverse lay-up on anyone, and I'm confident that it will revolutionize the way basketball is played in TX... so confident in fact that, I might just write a limerick about it:
There once were some guys who liked to ball
Until they saw Jake Umbriaco walk down the hall,
Pasty white skin
and a double chin
My reverse lay-ups subdued them all.
A couple of updates for loyal blog readers:
1) Battlecat is a dream that must be postponed until med school schedules can be quantified - weak, but fear not, Battelcat will ride one day (I just mixed a lot of metaphors..... but it's my blog so whatever)
2) I realize that I've yet to post pictures of the new home etc, but I have downloaded them to the computer, and we've all got to start somewhere....
So Erin and I are going to check out a new church this weekend...... suggestions from blogdom?
I've been re-reading "Life Together" on the train to work everyday, and I'll have to throw up some quotes for discussion soon....
Joel called me today and said that there was a tornado in Duchesne which can only mean one thing..... the world is coming to an end.
I'm taking in the jeep tomorrow it's been very tempermental....
peace.
I need to start off by rebuking Clint who had the audacity to insinuate that I was/am becoming something of a redneck....granted, I can't ignore the signs.... but when the rest of the world is singing "Deep in the Heart of Texas" during the 7th Inning stretch... guess who is neither singing nor clapping....
Speaking of babeball I caught the Rockies v Astros game yesterday for a company team building exercise... Clemens pitched and the Astros won again.....
So I'm really enjoying my job (other than working in cubicle suburbia..... which is a really strange dynamic), I 've been into learning new software and trying to remember UNIX commands.... and I've been surrounded by people who make my own obsession with rocks seem less nerdy.
Erin was in SLC all last week for her sister's wedding. Jenny and Richie tied the knot on Sat and dashed off to Mexico (honeymoon spot of such famed couples as Jake & Erin, and Corey D and Jenni Llaves)... I have too say I was pretty bummed not to have much hanging out time... I got to see Joel for all of 10 min... I did get to roll to Layton w/ E-Pac, and that was sweet!
Have I mentioned that I went to the downtown YMCA and tried to ball with some of the old guys.... I got worked, and someone stole my "I hate beanie babies" shirt which was made for me during my time of indentured servitude to McDonald's corp. weak. Fortunately I've yet to unleash my reverse lay-up on anyone, and I'm confident that it will revolutionize the way basketball is played in TX... so confident in fact that, I might just write a limerick about it:
There once were some guys who liked to ball
Until they saw Jake Umbriaco walk down the hall,
Pasty white skin
and a double chin
My reverse lay-ups subdued them all.
A couple of updates for loyal blog readers:
1) Battlecat is a dream that must be postponed until med school schedules can be quantified - weak, but fear not, Battelcat will ride one day (I just mixed a lot of metaphors..... but it's my blog so whatever)
2) I realize that I've yet to post pictures of the new home etc, but I have downloaded them to the computer, and we've all got to start somewhere....
So Erin and I are going to check out a new church this weekend...... suggestions from blogdom?
I've been re-reading "Life Together" on the train to work everyday, and I'll have to throw up some quotes for discussion soon....
Joel called me today and said that there was a tornado in Duchesne which can only mean one thing..... the world is coming to an end.
I'm taking in the jeep tomorrow it's been very tempermental....
peace.
Saturday, June 11, 2005
Happy Birthday to Me
Yesterday was my 24th birthday....
Being 24 years old gives you a lot of perspective that 23 year olds just don't have..... not really... but you do have more presents!
Anyway - I had to work yesterday so I could get this coming Friday off for Jenny's wedding. This worked out well, because they happened to have extra tickets for a suite to tonights Astros game... so Erin and I get to sit in a suite, eat really good food, and watch Roger Clemens pitch!!!!!
I'm not much of a baseball fan (ever since the A's traded Jose Canseco...) but who wouldn't be excited to see Clemens throw.
After I got home from work, Erin and I sat on the Love Sac and opened presents.... then we went to eat at Hickory Hollow Restaurant with Hieu. Hieu, of course, out ate me... this goes w/o saying..... but so you know what was on the menu, I enjoyed their Zagat rated chicken fried steak, sliced beef, and BBQ chicken (white meat), with a side of grilled zucchini and fries.... mmmmm.....
After we ate we sampled some of the live bluegrass being performed then adjourned for cake and ice-cream at our house! All in all, a good day - I got to talk to lots of people, and I ate lots of food.
This Sunday, Erin and I are going to attend Grace Reformed Baptist Church (www.grbcfamily.org) w/ Paul McCarley's friends Justin and Rebecca.... and we'll hang out with them until Erin has to go to the airport. Erin's headed back to SLC for Jenny's wedding. Paul is coming to Houston for business, so I'm looking forward to hanging out with him!
Also of note: Today, my parents - who recently located my blog (hooray mom for stepping out into technology!!!) are headed to the UK to tour around and visit Aunt Dorothy!!!! Hello Aunt Dorothy! So Mom and Dad, if you read this, just remember you're flying into Manchester, and my favorite club is Manchester United, so if you happen upon a Van Nistelrooy jersey or a hat or jacket or warm-ups or anything really... just think of your middle child here in Houston....
P.S. Happy B-Day to Jedd Austin (cousin -in-law for me... I suppose... not sure how that works), nonetheless, Jedd's a Cubs fan and a super dad so happy b-day Jedd, and happy pre-b-day to J-Rad (who's real b-day is Wed.)
Being 24 years old gives you a lot of perspective that 23 year olds just don't have..... not really... but you do have more presents!
Anyway - I had to work yesterday so I could get this coming Friday off for Jenny's wedding. This worked out well, because they happened to have extra tickets for a suite to tonights Astros game... so Erin and I get to sit in a suite, eat really good food, and watch Roger Clemens pitch!!!!!
I'm not much of a baseball fan (ever since the A's traded Jose Canseco...) but who wouldn't be excited to see Clemens throw.
After I got home from work, Erin and I sat on the Love Sac and opened presents.... then we went to eat at Hickory Hollow Restaurant with Hieu. Hieu, of course, out ate me... this goes w/o saying..... but so you know what was on the menu, I enjoyed their Zagat rated chicken fried steak, sliced beef, and BBQ chicken (white meat), with a side of grilled zucchini and fries.... mmmmm.....
After we ate we sampled some of the live bluegrass being performed then adjourned for cake and ice-cream at our house! All in all, a good day - I got to talk to lots of people, and I ate lots of food.
This Sunday, Erin and I are going to attend Grace Reformed Baptist Church (www.grbcfamily.org) w/ Paul McCarley's friends Justin and Rebecca.... and we'll hang out with them until Erin has to go to the airport. Erin's headed back to SLC for Jenny's wedding. Paul is coming to Houston for business, so I'm looking forward to hanging out with him!
Also of note: Today, my parents - who recently located my blog (hooray mom for stepping out into technology!!!) are headed to the UK to tour around and visit Aunt Dorothy!!!! Hello Aunt Dorothy! So Mom and Dad, if you read this, just remember you're flying into Manchester, and my favorite club is Manchester United, so if you happen upon a Van Nistelrooy jersey or a hat or jacket or warm-ups or anything really... just think of your middle child here in Houston....
P.S. Happy B-Day to Jedd Austin (cousin -in-law for me... I suppose... not sure how that works), nonetheless, Jedd's a Cubs fan and a super dad so happy b-day Jedd, and happy pre-b-day to J-Rad (who's real b-day is Wed.)
Monday, June 06, 2005
Thank You Sandra McCracken
OK.... here's the weekend update (minus the pictures... when Erin and I get through Season 2 of Gilmore Girls... then I might have time on a weeknight for posting pictures, but until then....)
On Saturday I got a haircut... Erin and I walked through the largest Bed, Bath & Beyond we've ever been in (Thanks Amie, Jared, & Salt Co for the gift card!) we ate some Mexican food and saw Monster-In-Law.... the theatre was pretty ghetto.... but it reminded me a lot of the ghetto theatre I used to frequent when I was living in WA so it gets 3 nostalgia points... Erin and I were both mildly disappointed with the flick, but who can have high expectations for J Lo?
On Sunday we went to Christ the King Pres... and saw a picture of Eric James' dad in the bulletin, the session is considering him as an elder... we looked for him and asked several people to point him out after service, but we missed him.....
The Rev. Leo Schuster used anthropomorphism in the context of his message, much to my delight. They played that actual in your hymnbook arrangement of "And can it be that I should gain" which sort of freaked me out when I was trying to sing along... so I just want to express my gratitude to Indellible Grace for 'updating' the music a wee bit.....
After church Erin and I went to a garden shop like a block from the church and bought some flowers and peppers for her to plant... and today she got a tomato plant so I guess we're all set! We bummed around the Galleria a little bit, but Erin was in heels, and her feet were on the verge of perishing so we went home.
All in all, a relaxing weekend!
On Saturday I got a haircut... Erin and I walked through the largest Bed, Bath & Beyond we've ever been in (Thanks Amie, Jared, & Salt Co for the gift card!) we ate some Mexican food and saw Monster-In-Law.... the theatre was pretty ghetto.... but it reminded me a lot of the ghetto theatre I used to frequent when I was living in WA so it gets 3 nostalgia points... Erin and I were both mildly disappointed with the flick, but who can have high expectations for J Lo?
On Sunday we went to Christ the King Pres... and saw a picture of Eric James' dad in the bulletin, the session is considering him as an elder... we looked for him and asked several people to point him out after service, but we missed him.....
The Rev. Leo Schuster used anthropomorphism in the context of his message, much to my delight. They played that actual in your hymnbook arrangement of "And can it be that I should gain" which sort of freaked me out when I was trying to sing along... so I just want to express my gratitude to Indellible Grace for 'updating' the music a wee bit.....
After church Erin and I went to a garden shop like a block from the church and bought some flowers and peppers for her to plant... and today she got a tomato plant so I guess we're all set! We bummed around the Galleria a little bit, but Erin was in heels, and her feet were on the verge of perishing so we went home.
All in all, a relaxing weekend!
Saturday, June 04, 2005
Deep in the Heart of Texas
At last!!!!!!!!!!
We have internet access at our new place!!!!!! (Pictures to come in the next couple of days).
So here's the update:
We arrived in Houston on Wed of last week, and stayed through Saturday evening with our friends Justin & Lauren Stone - we had a great time with them and we ate a lot of really good food! On Saturday we spent our first night at our new house (we slept on ThermaRests) - and our dads arrived on Sunday with all our stuff. Stone (Justin) and Hieu helped us move in.... which was great 'cause there are three floors in our place.
I started work on Wed, and everything has gone well so far. Erin and I joined the YMCA....(I'm the Indian, she's the Construction Worker) and in theory we're getting Dish Network installed today. Our water is still yellow.... but at least the city has been really good about coming out to flush it etc.
Anyway.... more details to come.... hopefully we'll be able to e-mail people back as we've had no access for a couple of weeks.
love,
jake and erin
We have internet access at our new place!!!!!! (Pictures to come in the next couple of days).
So here's the update:
We arrived in Houston on Wed of last week, and stayed through Saturday evening with our friends Justin & Lauren Stone - we had a great time with them and we ate a lot of really good food! On Saturday we spent our first night at our new house (we slept on ThermaRests) - and our dads arrived on Sunday with all our stuff. Stone (Justin) and Hieu helped us move in.... which was great 'cause there are three floors in our place.
I started work on Wed, and everything has gone well so far. Erin and I joined the YMCA....(I'm the Indian, she's the Construction Worker) and in theory we're getting Dish Network installed today. Our water is still yellow.... but at least the city has been really good about coming out to flush it etc.
Anyway.... more details to come.... hopefully we'll be able to e-mail people back as we've had no access for a couple of weeks.
love,
jake and erin
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
Update:
Haven't posted in a while:
I meant to shut off dial-up access at our place for the day we were leaving town, but when I called to cancel I didn't think about it, so it just got cancelled that day. Erin is getting a massage right now, so I'm over at the Salt Co House checking e-mail and getting my blog on.
This weekend (Sat.) was Erin and I's going away party at the Salt Co House. Amanda Lindholm was in town to cheer on her LA Galaxy so she stopped by our place and helped me crumple newspapers, then she came to the party.
Thanks to all who came on Saturday to say goodbye.... Jon-Pow, Chris Snow, Lazlo the Destroyer, and Clint performed a skit in which Clint narrated, Jon-Pow portrayed me, Chris portrayed Erin, and Danny was a whole bunch of people ranging from Erin's dad to Rachael Patrick..... the skit was a lot of fun, and then Christopherginodean.net put on a sweet DVD he made...
Clint presented us with a broncos doormat which rules, Lazlo presented me with a sword, and the explanation was very moving, Christopherginodean.net gave us the DVD and of course a ginodean.net t-shirt which I will wear all over the place in Houston - Jared, Amie and the Salt Co gave us a Bed, Bath, and Beyond gift card for our new house which was awesome..... I'm sure Erin already knows what "we're" getting with it, and Duy and Robyn (Fenn) gave us cards......so that was really nice!
Afterwards we went over to the RSL v LA Galaxy game in which the Galaxy tried their hardest not to score in the first half, and RSL came back from 1-0 to win 2-1! We had a really good time at the game (Chizzad, T-Rev, Robyn, Tiffanizzle, the .nets, Amie & Jared, and lil Jon Pow and Erin and I sat together) afterwards Mr. and Mrs. .net, the Jenkins and Erin and I went to the macaroni grill, and that was tasty.
Anyway - this week we're getting our pack on..... went to the Bayou last night and hung out with: J-Rad, the .nets, Chris Snow, Chris Faust, Justin, Tiffanizzle and her friend Rose, and then I left the table to spend time with my old roomie Gep.
Much Love to all.......
-jake
P.S. I did receive a special treat for our going away party - a CD from Jonathan Hays complete with a song - that really meant a lot to me.
Thanks everyone for the going away party.
I meant to shut off dial-up access at our place for the day we were leaving town, but when I called to cancel I didn't think about it, so it just got cancelled that day. Erin is getting a massage right now, so I'm over at the Salt Co House checking e-mail and getting my blog on.
This weekend (Sat.) was Erin and I's going away party at the Salt Co House. Amanda Lindholm was in town to cheer on her LA Galaxy so she stopped by our place and helped me crumple newspapers, then she came to the party.
Thanks to all who came on Saturday to say goodbye.... Jon-Pow, Chris Snow, Lazlo the Destroyer, and Clint performed a skit in which Clint narrated, Jon-Pow portrayed me, Chris portrayed Erin, and Danny was a whole bunch of people ranging from Erin's dad to Rachael Patrick..... the skit was a lot of fun, and then Christopherginodean.net put on a sweet DVD he made...
Clint presented us with a broncos doormat which rules, Lazlo presented me with a sword, and the explanation was very moving, Christopherginodean.net gave us the DVD and of course a ginodean.net t-shirt which I will wear all over the place in Houston - Jared, Amie and the Salt Co gave us a Bed, Bath, and Beyond gift card for our new house which was awesome..... I'm sure Erin already knows what "we're" getting with it, and Duy and Robyn (Fenn) gave us cards......so that was really nice!
Afterwards we went over to the RSL v LA Galaxy game in which the Galaxy tried their hardest not to score in the first half, and RSL came back from 1-0 to win 2-1! We had a really good time at the game (Chizzad, T-Rev, Robyn, Tiffanizzle, the .nets, Amie & Jared, and lil Jon Pow and Erin and I sat together) afterwards Mr. and Mrs. .net, the Jenkins and Erin and I went to the macaroni grill, and that was tasty.
Anyway - this week we're getting our pack on..... went to the Bayou last night and hung out with: J-Rad, the .nets, Chris Snow, Chris Faust, Justin, Tiffanizzle and her friend Rose, and then I left the table to spend time with my old roomie Gep.
Much Love to all.......
-jake
P.S. I did receive a special treat for our going away party - a CD from Jonathan Hays complete with a song - that really meant a lot to me.
Thanks everyone for the going away party.
Wednesday, May 11, 2005
Los Hermanos
For Joel -
Who complained that I don't post about him, and for Jon-Pow who doesn't even bother to comment on my blog.
Since we were but wee lads, my brothers and I have all had our own fairly unique characteristics.
I was the clever, handsome guy that all women dreamed of dating......(others might have referred to me as a nerd w/ slight athletic capabilities in soccer), I 've always enjoyed sarcasm to a fault, and I'm something of a misanthrope.
Jon-Pow has been singing since he developed lungs..... he's always been into acting, and always had a strange attraction to cattle.....
Joel has always been into music (he took break dancing lessons when he was little), he's been in choir etc, and now he DJ's.
So my brothers have different things that they're into - and these characteristics definitely dominate their personalities....... but they have hidden qualities that you might not pick out from my brief description of them.....
For instance: Jon-Pow, while being an extreme extrovert in most instances in his life he actually has a shy, self-doubting side to him which crops up when he's faced with various obstacles.... and his passion for all things dramatic is graciously subdued in the face of real need..... Let me give an example, I briefly dated someone who I'm confident will never read this blog.... she was an actress - and as a result displayed no range of emotion, and as a side-effect I could never tell what she was feeling...... Jon wears his heart on his sleeve.... you know when he's disappointed, you know when he's hurt, and you know when he's happy. But when people really need someone to be there for him, like his friend Andrea, he'll step up to bat and forsake the things he's going through to help others. I think he's a talented actor, but I'm very glad that he's a real person.
Joel is the epitome of care-free.....not that he isn't something of a worry-wort, but if he wasn't so lax in his persona the stress of life might drive him insane. I'm reminded of a poem I quote often (Ulysses - Lord Alfred Tennyson) "I shall live life to the lees, all times I have enjoyed greatly and have suffered greatly both with those who love me and alone." Joel's a guy who rides out the storms with people. He's very laid back, he'll talk to anybody about anything, and he's one of the most unassuming people I know.... he has friends all over the social spectrum.... let's put it this way, he wouldn't fare well in a caste system society. Joel has the remarkably unique gift of being able to genuinely care about people in a self-sacrificial way (which causes him lots of grief because people abuse that attribute constantly). Joel really cares about his friends.... he's fiercely loyal.
Then there's me......I'm not sure how the three of us came to be the people who we are..... Jon was always into acting, Joel was into all things music, and I was into rocks. Nonetheless, I'm grateful to have unique brothers who challenge me in different ways.... they have different life experiences which sharpen me and make me a more rounded individual and I love them both.
And now.... a limerick:
There once were three Umbriaco boys,
Sitting in their rooms playing with their toys,
Joel with some glow sticks,
Jake with his rock picks,
And Jon-Pow just making some noise.
Who complained that I don't post about him, and for Jon-Pow who doesn't even bother to comment on my blog.
Since we were but wee lads, my brothers and I have all had our own fairly unique characteristics.
I was the clever, handsome guy that all women dreamed of dating......(others might have referred to me as a nerd w/ slight athletic capabilities in soccer), I 've always enjoyed sarcasm to a fault, and I'm something of a misanthrope.
Jon-Pow has been singing since he developed lungs..... he's always been into acting, and always had a strange attraction to cattle.....
Joel has always been into music (he took break dancing lessons when he was little), he's been in choir etc, and now he DJ's.
So my brothers have different things that they're into - and these characteristics definitely dominate their personalities....... but they have hidden qualities that you might not pick out from my brief description of them.....
For instance: Jon-Pow, while being an extreme extrovert in most instances in his life he actually has a shy, self-doubting side to him which crops up when he's faced with various obstacles.... and his passion for all things dramatic is graciously subdued in the face of real need..... Let me give an example, I briefly dated someone who I'm confident will never read this blog.... she was an actress - and as a result displayed no range of emotion, and as a side-effect I could never tell what she was feeling...... Jon wears his heart on his sleeve.... you know when he's disappointed, you know when he's hurt, and you know when he's happy. But when people really need someone to be there for him, like his friend Andrea, he'll step up to bat and forsake the things he's going through to help others. I think he's a talented actor, but I'm very glad that he's a real person.
Joel is the epitome of care-free.....not that he isn't something of a worry-wort, but if he wasn't so lax in his persona the stress of life might drive him insane. I'm reminded of a poem I quote often (Ulysses - Lord Alfred Tennyson) "I shall live life to the lees, all times I have enjoyed greatly and have suffered greatly both with those who love me and alone." Joel's a guy who rides out the storms with people. He's very laid back, he'll talk to anybody about anything, and he's one of the most unassuming people I know.... he has friends all over the social spectrum.... let's put it this way, he wouldn't fare well in a caste system society. Joel has the remarkably unique gift of being able to genuinely care about people in a self-sacrificial way (which causes him lots of grief because people abuse that attribute constantly). Joel really cares about his friends.... he's fiercely loyal.
Then there's me......I'm not sure how the three of us came to be the people who we are..... Jon was always into acting, Joel was into all things music, and I was into rocks. Nonetheless, I'm grateful to have unique brothers who challenge me in different ways.... they have different life experiences which sharpen me and make me a more rounded individual and I love them both.
And now.... a limerick:
There once were three Umbriaco boys,
Sitting in their rooms playing with their toys,
Joel with some glow sticks,
Jake with his rock picks,
And Jon-Pow just making some noise.
Tuesday, May 10, 2005
I totally rule
NEW Minesweeper Expert Level High Score - 97 sec. I totally rule.
I hereby declare myself world Minesweeper champion.
I hereby declare myself world Minesweeper champion.
Monday, May 09, 2005
I Rule (Updated)
New Minesweeper High: 101 on Expert.....
Weekend Update: Our realtor called and said there's no way we can close until May 27th.... this has thrown a wrench into our plans for a variety of reasons which include cancellation fees on non-refundable plane tickets, the propsect of having to move our stuff into storage for a week, and the fact that we now have to miss Ethan's wedding.
I feel like a moron about missing Ethan's wedding.... we were so unsure about whether or not we could afford to go, and then we found amazing plane fares, and then we received "confirmation" from the builder that we could close on the 20th... so I had Ethan and Arwynn scouting out friends we could crash with while we were there.... and now I have to call and tell him I can't be an Usher in the wedding...... this is probably more grievous to me than the other financial screwjobs that may result from this..... but I guess that's the way new builds go.
I also feel lame because Jim Rudnicki (if you don't know the Rudnicki's we probably don't hang out much.....but we classify them as relatives) was going to drive down with my dad, and had gone through great lenghts to get time off of work, and now we can't even go that weekend.
Erin shot me some Mt 6 when I was freaking out about the possibility of this scenario occurring a couple of weeks ago, and I've been reading over the Sermon on the Mount ever since, and I think we handled the shaft pretty well upon receiving it.
So, it looks like we're here for another week, which is probably best for Erin and I's sanity as we're quite far behind on the whole packing thing.....
Clint was out of town this weekend, so I was supposed to give the message at Summit - and I was really blessed by the turn out. There were 6 of us this Sunday (due in large part to the fact that it was Mother's Day, Finals just ended, and Salt Co went on a trip to Moab) and we had some roundtable discussion on the Sermon on the Mount.... I was really moved by the working of the Lord in that situation.... one of my struggles in unbelief is the notion that numbers necessarily imply the Lord's favor - and that the message is somehow wasted when few people show up... so I was glad and ready to be rebuked by Christ' message in Mt Ch 5-7.
This is my last week at work.
grace and peace,
jake
Weekend Update: Our realtor called and said there's no way we can close until May 27th.... this has thrown a wrench into our plans for a variety of reasons which include cancellation fees on non-refundable plane tickets, the propsect of having to move our stuff into storage for a week, and the fact that we now have to miss Ethan's wedding.
I feel like a moron about missing Ethan's wedding.... we were so unsure about whether or not we could afford to go, and then we found amazing plane fares, and then we received "confirmation" from the builder that we could close on the 20th... so I had Ethan and Arwynn scouting out friends we could crash with while we were there.... and now I have to call and tell him I can't be an Usher in the wedding...... this is probably more grievous to me than the other financial screwjobs that may result from this..... but I guess that's the way new builds go.
I also feel lame because Jim Rudnicki (if you don't know the Rudnicki's we probably don't hang out much.....but we classify them as relatives) was going to drive down with my dad, and had gone through great lenghts to get time off of work, and now we can't even go that weekend.
Erin shot me some Mt 6 when I was freaking out about the possibility of this scenario occurring a couple of weeks ago, and I've been reading over the Sermon on the Mount ever since, and I think we handled the shaft pretty well upon receiving it.
So, it looks like we're here for another week, which is probably best for Erin and I's sanity as we're quite far behind on the whole packing thing.....
Clint was out of town this weekend, so I was supposed to give the message at Summit - and I was really blessed by the turn out. There were 6 of us this Sunday (due in large part to the fact that it was Mother's Day, Finals just ended, and Salt Co went on a trip to Moab) and we had some roundtable discussion on the Sermon on the Mount.... I was really moved by the working of the Lord in that situation.... one of my struggles in unbelief is the notion that numbers necessarily imply the Lord's favor - and that the message is somehow wasted when few people show up... so I was glad and ready to be rebuked by Christ' message in Mt Ch 5-7.
This is my last week at work.
grace and peace,
jake
Thursday, May 05, 2005
First Real Post in a while
The crazy month of May –
I had lunch with Josh Rosenthal today….. (www.joshrosenthalmusic.com) I’ll miss talking to Josh…. he’s a good guy to chat theology with. I really like people that you can talk about the Lord with…. Anyway Josh is proposing tonight so let’s hope Becky says yes!
Today I had my big work presentation…. I felt bad, because the thrust of the presentation was to convince the drilling community to utilize the state’s logging services, and I think they were all pretty amped about the possibilities, but I’m leaving in a week….. I like to know that things are settled with a job and someone’s there to step in before I leave…. But this won’t be the case, and that’s too bad. They’ve really treated me well at the State.
Anyway, that was big load off….the last real pressing thing I have to do (other than the whole pack and clean our place thing….) before moving to Houston. Tomorrow, my boy Sticky is graduating from USU w/ his MS in Economics, and then I’m back in SLC for Jenny’s graduation (Finance)…. A bunch of people are graduating…. Il cane (Corey Duncan) graduates today…. Brandy Patrick is graduating….. a bunch of people….so that’s really what will be filling my weekends…. Graduation parties. Erin and I are hosting the mother’s day festivities at our place which should be good provided the mothers don’t have a joint emotional breakdown!!!!!
So here’s the timeline for the Umbriaco move:
Monday May 16th: Pack up the Penske Truck and clean the house
Monday night or Tuesday: Head out to Houston
Wednesday: Inspect our new place with the builder
Thursday May 19th: Dad and Jim Rudnicki head out with the Penske Truck towing Erin’s car
Friday May 20th: Close on our home!!!! Buy a fridge or a llama… still a toss-up
Saturday May 21st: Truck arrives…. Unload etc.
Sunday May 22nd: Dad and Jim fly back to SLC
Thursday or Friday: Erin and I may fly to Ethan’s wedding in MN (we found super cheap flights… we can both fly roundtrip to MN for the cost of one ticket to SLC…..)
Sunday May 29th: Arrive back in H-Town
June 1 – I start my new job!
Should be a crazy month……
Erin and I ordered some new books, and I’m very excited for the birthday present I graciously purchased for myself:
A New Systematic Theology of the Christan Faith by Dr. Robert Reymond!
Tonight, Erin and I are going to Corey’s graduation party…. I haven’t seen Corey much since he got married…. I see him every Wed. at Men’s Group, but we generally don’t have time to sit around and talk… and that’s sad… but that’s the way it goes with newlyweds…. I’ll miss Corey a lot as well…. He’s one person who I really respect and look up to.
Well…. That’s it for today.
I had lunch with Josh Rosenthal today….. (www.joshrosenthalmusic.com) I’ll miss talking to Josh…. he’s a good guy to chat theology with. I really like people that you can talk about the Lord with…. Anyway Josh is proposing tonight so let’s hope Becky says yes!
Today I had my big work presentation…. I felt bad, because the thrust of the presentation was to convince the drilling community to utilize the state’s logging services, and I think they were all pretty amped about the possibilities, but I’m leaving in a week….. I like to know that things are settled with a job and someone’s there to step in before I leave…. But this won’t be the case, and that’s too bad. They’ve really treated me well at the State.
Anyway, that was big load off….the last real pressing thing I have to do (other than the whole pack and clean our place thing….) before moving to Houston. Tomorrow, my boy Sticky is graduating from USU w/ his MS in Economics, and then I’m back in SLC for Jenny’s graduation (Finance)…. A bunch of people are graduating…. Il cane (Corey Duncan) graduates today…. Brandy Patrick is graduating….. a bunch of people….so that’s really what will be filling my weekends…. Graduation parties. Erin and I are hosting the mother’s day festivities at our place which should be good provided the mothers don’t have a joint emotional breakdown!!!!!
So here’s the timeline for the Umbriaco move:
Monday May 16th: Pack up the Penske Truck and clean the house
Monday night or Tuesday: Head out to Houston
Wednesday: Inspect our new place with the builder
Thursday May 19th: Dad and Jim Rudnicki head out with the Penske Truck towing Erin’s car
Friday May 20th: Close on our home!!!! Buy a fridge or a llama… still a toss-up
Saturday May 21st: Truck arrives…. Unload etc.
Sunday May 22nd: Dad and Jim fly back to SLC
Thursday or Friday: Erin and I may fly to Ethan’s wedding in MN (we found super cheap flights… we can both fly roundtrip to MN for the cost of one ticket to SLC…..)
Sunday May 29th: Arrive back in H-Town
June 1 – I start my new job!
Should be a crazy month……
Erin and I ordered some new books, and I’m very excited for the birthday present I graciously purchased for myself:
A New Systematic Theology of the Christan Faith by Dr. Robert Reymond!
Tonight, Erin and I are going to Corey’s graduation party…. I haven’t seen Corey much since he got married…. I see him every Wed. at Men’s Group, but we generally don’t have time to sit around and talk… and that’s sad… but that’s the way it goes with newlyweds…. I’ll miss Corey a lot as well…. He’s one person who I really respect and look up to.
Well…. That’s it for today.
Repost from jonathan hays' blog.......
In the unlikely event that I have some readers who don't visit firstfloorflat.com, I've decided to repost Jonathan Hays' blog....... we had a really good long e-convo the other day and this entry really sums it up nicely...... I've been suffering from some serious emotional blockage lately... and if I could get over that, I'd think I'd be expressing something similar, so here it is..... inerrant in it's original format.
I just read the farewell letter that Bill Boniface wrote to his congregation where he was until that time Senior Warden. It is very sad and on the long side (14 pages)…I don’t agree with everything said, but it is still very sad. It will be linked at the end of this post.
As I read the letter, my heart again broke for my little Episcopal church in Alaska. This is a small church that has contended for the faith for decades, has many good Christians and a solid Priest, but is sitting in the path which the “Liberal”-Fundamentalist bulldozers are coming down. There is no way that it can survive within ECUSA…it will be gobbled up and sold off so that the National Church can live off of its capital. However, there is good news is that they are affiliated with the Network (which is the only recognized Anglican body in the US by 15 of the 30-something Provinces of the Anglican Communion). If and when the Episcopal Church (USA) does cut the cord with Canterbury, those Network parishes shall most likely become the new Anglican presence in the USA.
What we are seeing play out in ECUSA, and will probably see play out in the UMC and PCUSA in the next decade is the gnashing teeth of a “liberal fundamentalism”. A group of activists, intellectuals, and so forth who are quietly preying on these already-dying bodies. It is interesting, for example, that in these groups that pride themselves on diversity and openness Jesus Christ, Paul of Tarsus, John Chrystostom, Augustine, John Calvin, John Wesley and many others could not be ordained because of their positions on women’s ordination. There is something wrong with that picture. If the mainline church has decided to accept women’s ordination in the past 50 years (in direct contradiction to 1900 years of church tradition and I would argue, Scripture itself)…don’t you think that the affirming and inclusive thing to do would be to continue to allow men whose consciences are bound on this issue into the clergy? Yes, I think that would be the most inclusive thing to do. But take the Church of Scotland for an example…what two things must a man or woman believe in and adhere to if they are to be ordained?
The Trinity? WrongThe Diety of Christ? Wrong again!Ummm…maybe just belief in God? Nope! Sorry!
No, the two things that you must adhere to and accept to be ordained in the CoS are: Infant Baptism and the Ordination of Women.
Frightening, isn’t it?
What is going on in these mainline churches reminds me of a portion in Joel 3 where YHWH is talking about what has been done to his people Israel…2b …And I will enter into judgment with them there, on behalf of my people and my heritage Israel, because they have scattered them among the nations and have divided up my land, 3 and have cast lots for my people, and have traded a boy for a prostitute, and have sold a girl for wine and have drunk it.
This selling of children is a perfect picture to what is happening in the church.
But what do we do? Well, for most of my readers who are more conservative Protestants…what do we do? We laugh, we split churches quickly over non-essentials, we deride. It’s like that song by Derek Webb…
T-Shirts- From “I See Things Upside Down”they’ll know us by the t-shirts that we wearthey’ll know us by the way we point and stareat anyone whose sin looks worse than ourswho cannot hide the scars of this curse that we all bare
they’ll know us by our picket lines and signsthey’ll know us by the pride we hide behindlike anyone on earth is living rightand isn’t that why Jesus diednot to make us think we’re right
choruswhen love, love, loveis what we should be known forlove, love, loveit’s the how and it’s the whywe live and breathe and we die
they’ll know us by reasons we divideand how we can’t seem to unifybecause we’ve gotta sing songs a certain styleor we’ll walk right down that aisleand just leave ‘em all behind
they’ll know us by the billboards that we makejust turning God’s words to cheap clichéssays “what part of murder don’t you understand?”but we hate our fellow manand point a finger at his grave
What we like to do, I argue, is just as sick as ignoring God’s Word…we pretend that it is our own. We study it so that we can “be right”, and then our theology becomes our righteousness. At least it does for me. I sit on high stones and cast down judgements on all those quasi-Christians below who do not have it as put-together as I do in the theology zone. I like to make fun of people who are “more liberal” or “more conservative” than I am behind their backs, because it makes me feel good about myself. And that is what my answer to number 5 of my list of questions would be. “I feel inherently superior to someone… when I am more right than them.” And I hate that.
Now before I get grenades lobbed at me, what I am not saying is that there is not a Truth to be defended. What I am saying is that it is not our Truth, and we should not make knowing about that Truth our righteousness and use it as our stick to smack down others and to pat ourselves on the back with. The Truth of Jesus’s redeeming work is one that should bring us to love more and to understand that Sanctification is a process. And it is not a process that is helped by other people (going through the same process) acting as if they are in better shape than others.
The fact is we’re broken, even in the super-Godly PCA. I mean, how many people voiced objections on that Racism letter of a few years ago? Come on! We need to be reaching out to each other in our “pure” denominations (there is no such thing in this already-not yet, so stop daydreaming about it) and reaching out to other brothers and sisters in whatever denomination they may be with the good news of Christ. And if you haven’t heard it today…let me preach it to you right now.
We’re all broken. We’re all loved.
Christ’s death and resurrection, and the benefits of forgiveness, transformation, and eternal life are offered to you right now. If you’ve tasted from them before, drink deeply of his grace again. Quit relying on your own theology, your job, your family, your good deeds, your whatever to save you. And for those of you who are like me, who like to beat yourselves up…as if that could make you holy(!)…realise that it is much easier to be a penitent sinner trying to create his own righteousness through his penance than it is to be a free saint in Jesus’ righteousness. I’m not here to save you, just to point to Jesus and say…believe and cast your burdens on him. And it is not actually easy to do that…because most of us struggle with believing that God is actually as good as he says he is, that he is trustworthy, that he exists! But if we surrender ourselves to Christ’s hands and his love…through His Spirit and His Word, He promises to change us.
I can’t stand that, because I want to be in control. Plus, I have some reservations on how trustworthy God is. Lord, help our unbelief!
You see, these “fights” are not going to be won by Picket lines, petitions, law suits, church courts, or whatever (although the last has its place)…they shall be won by the Spirit if they are to be won. We have an “evangelical” church with little evangel, but only a rulebook…and we have a “liberal” church with little evangel, but only a rulebook. The rulebooks are just different. The fact is, both sides need the evangel…the pure unadulterated Gospel, preached in their churches. When we are hearing every week that we are worse off than we could ever imagine, but more loved than we could ever hope…our attitudes change…and we are changed. We become more open to others who are different than us…who have different sins, and we are encouraged to encourage each other…both as paupers. We start seeing each other on the same path as people picking up different stones to put in our pockets to weigh us down. You’ll start to see me as one who collects rocks with the words “Being Right” and “Sensuality” written on them…and I’ll start seeing you as someone who picks up “Unity At Any Cost” and “Being Liked” rocks. And the Gospel, which tells us that we are both sinners…encourages us to be open about what rocks we like to pick up to weigh us down. And it encourages us to ease each others burden by talking each other out of our stones with the words of Christ.
I’ve gotten off the main point, but as I was sitting and writing this…this is where it went, and that is what you always get with me…less structure, more fun!
I just read the farewell letter that Bill Boniface wrote to his congregation where he was until that time Senior Warden. It is very sad and on the long side (14 pages)…I don’t agree with everything said, but it is still very sad. It will be linked at the end of this post.
As I read the letter, my heart again broke for my little Episcopal church in Alaska. This is a small church that has contended for the faith for decades, has many good Christians and a solid Priest, but is sitting in the path which the “Liberal”-Fundamentalist bulldozers are coming down. There is no way that it can survive within ECUSA…it will be gobbled up and sold off so that the National Church can live off of its capital. However, there is good news is that they are affiliated with the Network (which is the only recognized Anglican body in the US by 15 of the 30-something Provinces of the Anglican Communion). If and when the Episcopal Church (USA) does cut the cord with Canterbury, those Network parishes shall most likely become the new Anglican presence in the USA.
What we are seeing play out in ECUSA, and will probably see play out in the UMC and PCUSA in the next decade is the gnashing teeth of a “liberal fundamentalism”. A group of activists, intellectuals, and so forth who are quietly preying on these already-dying bodies. It is interesting, for example, that in these groups that pride themselves on diversity and openness Jesus Christ, Paul of Tarsus, John Chrystostom, Augustine, John Calvin, John Wesley and many others could not be ordained because of their positions on women’s ordination. There is something wrong with that picture. If the mainline church has decided to accept women’s ordination in the past 50 years (in direct contradiction to 1900 years of church tradition and I would argue, Scripture itself)…don’t you think that the affirming and inclusive thing to do would be to continue to allow men whose consciences are bound on this issue into the clergy? Yes, I think that would be the most inclusive thing to do. But take the Church of Scotland for an example…what two things must a man or woman believe in and adhere to if they are to be ordained?
The Trinity? WrongThe Diety of Christ? Wrong again!Ummm…maybe just belief in God? Nope! Sorry!
No, the two things that you must adhere to and accept to be ordained in the CoS are: Infant Baptism and the Ordination of Women.
Frightening, isn’t it?
What is going on in these mainline churches reminds me of a portion in Joel 3 where YHWH is talking about what has been done to his people Israel…2b …And I will enter into judgment with them there, on behalf of my people and my heritage Israel, because they have scattered them among the nations and have divided up my land, 3 and have cast lots for my people, and have traded a boy for a prostitute, and have sold a girl for wine and have drunk it.
This selling of children is a perfect picture to what is happening in the church.
But what do we do? Well, for most of my readers who are more conservative Protestants…what do we do? We laugh, we split churches quickly over non-essentials, we deride. It’s like that song by Derek Webb…
T-Shirts- From “I See Things Upside Down”they’ll know us by the t-shirts that we wearthey’ll know us by the way we point and stareat anyone whose sin looks worse than ourswho cannot hide the scars of this curse that we all bare
they’ll know us by our picket lines and signsthey’ll know us by the pride we hide behindlike anyone on earth is living rightand isn’t that why Jesus diednot to make us think we’re right
choruswhen love, love, loveis what we should be known forlove, love, loveit’s the how and it’s the whywe live and breathe and we die
they’ll know us by reasons we divideand how we can’t seem to unifybecause we’ve gotta sing songs a certain styleor we’ll walk right down that aisleand just leave ‘em all behind
they’ll know us by the billboards that we makejust turning God’s words to cheap clichéssays “what part of murder don’t you understand?”but we hate our fellow manand point a finger at his grave
What we like to do, I argue, is just as sick as ignoring God’s Word…we pretend that it is our own. We study it so that we can “be right”, and then our theology becomes our righteousness. At least it does for me. I sit on high stones and cast down judgements on all those quasi-Christians below who do not have it as put-together as I do in the theology zone. I like to make fun of people who are “more liberal” or “more conservative” than I am behind their backs, because it makes me feel good about myself. And that is what my answer to number 5 of my list of questions would be. “I feel inherently superior to someone… when I am more right than them.” And I hate that.
Now before I get grenades lobbed at me, what I am not saying is that there is not a Truth to be defended. What I am saying is that it is not our Truth, and we should not make knowing about that Truth our righteousness and use it as our stick to smack down others and to pat ourselves on the back with. The Truth of Jesus’s redeeming work is one that should bring us to love more and to understand that Sanctification is a process. And it is not a process that is helped by other people (going through the same process) acting as if they are in better shape than others.
The fact is we’re broken, even in the super-Godly PCA. I mean, how many people voiced objections on that Racism letter of a few years ago? Come on! We need to be reaching out to each other in our “pure” denominations (there is no such thing in this already-not yet, so stop daydreaming about it) and reaching out to other brothers and sisters in whatever denomination they may be with the good news of Christ. And if you haven’t heard it today…let me preach it to you right now.
We’re all broken. We’re all loved.
Christ’s death and resurrection, and the benefits of forgiveness, transformation, and eternal life are offered to you right now. If you’ve tasted from them before, drink deeply of his grace again. Quit relying on your own theology, your job, your family, your good deeds, your whatever to save you. And for those of you who are like me, who like to beat yourselves up…as if that could make you holy(!)…realise that it is much easier to be a penitent sinner trying to create his own righteousness through his penance than it is to be a free saint in Jesus’ righteousness. I’m not here to save you, just to point to Jesus and say…believe and cast your burdens on him. And it is not actually easy to do that…because most of us struggle with believing that God is actually as good as he says he is, that he is trustworthy, that he exists! But if we surrender ourselves to Christ’s hands and his love…through His Spirit and His Word, He promises to change us.
I can’t stand that, because I want to be in control. Plus, I have some reservations on how trustworthy God is. Lord, help our unbelief!
You see, these “fights” are not going to be won by Picket lines, petitions, law suits, church courts, or whatever (although the last has its place)…they shall be won by the Spirit if they are to be won. We have an “evangelical” church with little evangel, but only a rulebook…and we have a “liberal” church with little evangel, but only a rulebook. The rulebooks are just different. The fact is, both sides need the evangel…the pure unadulterated Gospel, preached in their churches. When we are hearing every week that we are worse off than we could ever imagine, but more loved than we could ever hope…our attitudes change…and we are changed. We become more open to others who are different than us…who have different sins, and we are encouraged to encourage each other…both as paupers. We start seeing each other on the same path as people picking up different stones to put in our pockets to weigh us down. You’ll start to see me as one who collects rocks with the words “Being Right” and “Sensuality” written on them…and I’ll start seeing you as someone who picks up “Unity At Any Cost” and “Being Liked” rocks. And the Gospel, which tells us that we are both sinners…encourages us to be open about what rocks we like to pick up to weigh us down. And it encourages us to ease each others burden by talking each other out of our stones with the words of Christ.
I’ve gotten off the main point, but as I was sitting and writing this…this is where it went, and that is what you always get with me…less structure, more fun!
Wednesday, May 04, 2005
One more thing.....
Liverpool beat Chelsea in the Semi-Finals of the Champions League.... so what if their Premiership campaign is awful.... this was a glorious triumph, and I'm confident that somewhere John Elliot is drinking copious amounts of Chamay in celebration.....
cheers....
cheers....
Clint has a blog
FYI:
The Right Reverend Most Clint Roberts has a blog which can be found following the link at:
clint.saltcompany.org, or by going directly to www.ccroberts.blogspot.com
be blessed.....
The Right Reverend Most Clint Roberts has a blog which can be found following the link at:
clint.saltcompany.org, or by going directly to www.ccroberts.blogspot.com
be blessed.....
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