A bonus was that I was driving all the way through Oregon into Washington with a 1 year old, a five year old, and a 89 year old grandma. My grandma sat in the front seat...and bless my grandma's heart, but she called out what seemed like every sign and the number of remaining miles until we pulled into the house of our destination...every sign for 1000 miles.

Pretty sure I never want to live in Oregon, beautiful state, awful drivers. Which, when I am honest with myself is more about me being unable to handle Oregon, than all of them being slow pokes. They seem to be happy slow pokes...I just can't take another minute of them on I-5.

And then it happens, 10 minutes after the ceremony, right about the time the open bar starts at the reception, the people who were so blessed to have my presence have now sat me at the table for weird Uncles, the painfully introverted boyfriend of the photographer and the awkward kids whose parents don't want them at their table creating weirdness.

And the stares at the reception are the worst, stares that only a pastor understands, the stares that say, "Why is he here?" or "What's that creepy guy doing here?"

Which is usually my cue to have the marriage license signed and hit the door, so the Pastor doesn't ruin the reception with his presence casting guilt on the reckless fun about to take place.

I hate weddings, I hate being the honored creepy guy. I hate those stares.

Quick life update for the 3 people that follow this blog...I am just kidding I know there are 12 of you...

#1    Working on refinancing the house...interest rates are looking good.
#2    Preaching through 1st Corinthians at The Well...holy cow...this is going to take awhile...and Paul doesn't get less pissed at them as the letter unfolds...got to figure out how to smile on stage while telling people that are infants in Christ and wearing adult diapers. (Ch. 3 Verse 1)
#3    Not playing very much basketball...and the YMCA has been awful recently...and Gonzales has been actually trying when we play at Simpson...so I can't win a game against him, especially when Lepinski can't hit either
#4    Still waking up in a little kid's bed...and getting less than 6 hours of sleep a night
#5    10 years of marriage coming up in May...
#6    Kole is growing up fast...he told me he doesn't want to wear little kid clothes anymore...he wants to be cool...I am mildly worried as a father, so we have had some heart to heart's on what matters in life.
#7    Close to hiring a Jr. High Youth Pastor...then my life will be complete
#8    The Civic is closing in on 170,000 miles...the duct tape is still holding the glove compartment shut.
#9    Had over $1000 dollars of unfortunate, out of the blue expenses this month...but God provides...I will have to wait on buying my 3rd guitar or another flat panel TV (kidding about the crappy material stuff that breaks and brings no sense of worth or value)
#10    Micah is going to walk before he crawls...and then life is going to be fun

Bonus point...I am super tired and should already be in bed, but I am hoping Obama will give me money for being a good blogger...

#9    I have begun convincing my friends to buy Honda Odyssey Mini Vans...you should buy one too...

#8    I am super stoked with 6 hours of uninterrupted sleep...spoiled really

#7    My blockbuster queue is filled with Disney movies...and Romantic Comedies

#6    I am overweight...nuff said...  

#5    I have clothes in my closet that I wore 5 years ago...that's depressing

#4    My big vacation has me sleeping in a bunk bed at my nephew's house in Missouri...

#3    Date nights consist of shopping at Walmart...

#2    I answer no less than 250 questions a day...poorly most of the time...the questions range from do Birds have ears?... to how do you build a race car?...and my favorite...how many more bites do I have to eat?

#1    And the #1 sign I am a dad in my 30s...I consistently and ignorantly utter..."I don't know, go ask your mother."

My brother-in-law the infamous Jeff Humbert posted his first blog recently...some of us have been considering financially backing a book deal for Jeff to write his memoirs. You see Jeff has a gift, an innate ability to sabotage himself at the worst possible moment.

Take for example the girl he thought was Mexican, at just the right moment he was able to tell her how attracted he was to Hispanic women...unfortunately she wasn't even close to being Hispanic as she quickly informed him of that small detail...I'll let him blog the whole story for all of you at a later date. Or the time he naively decided to blow a hole in his roommates wall with a shotgun...or the time he tried to hammer a bullet in order to make it fire...all these stories have fantastic, tragic, laugh your face off endings and so many more just like them...

Just check out his 1st post, you won't be disappointed with his honest sarcastic tragically funny way of writing about his life.

The main reason I hate it is that it is just so frick'n embarrassing...Could there be a show that more Americans watch with such mussy star-crossed pointless hopefulness? But Todd...Maybe this time...a guy who is dating/sleeping with multiple women will make at least one woman the luckiest woman alive. I mean, all of America is hoping that Jason will make Melissa or Molly (Holly) that lucky gal...one of them will get their prince charming.

All of America, half of which are divorced or will be in the near to distant future...know for a fact that real grown world doesn't work like this...but lets just embarrass ourselves...let's let a few young people find true love and happiness and have all their hopes and dreams realized in a few short weeks...because I know Melissa or Molly/Holly will take care of Jason for the rest of his life...

Perhaps someone is exploiting our naive fall in love quick notion so they can make money...nah...

It's just embarrassing...I am embarrassed...no wonder relationships in America suck...we still think Jason and Molly/Holly have a chance...and we lie to ourselves...

What an amazing country we live in and so many people are lonely and unhappy...thanks for making the bachelor and reminding us how lame relationships are in America...thanks ABC, can't wait until next season when we see true love blossom again...I'll plan on TiVo-ing it so my kids can take notes on how to have a real relationship like Jason.

"I spent too much time caring about stuff that really doesn't matter. It's funny, I spent so much time worrying about things like taking care of my house, and making sure things were preserved and in good order. It all doesn't seem to matter now. I don't have most of the things I use to care so much about. Looking back now, I can clearly see what matters most is your relationship with God, and of course my family, and good friends."

Way to go grandma...I was blessed to hear your pearls of wisdom. Perhaps Christ's words are most appropriate, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:19-21 NASB)

Funny thing is...my grandma is the most non-material person I know. She is frugal and doesn't care about name brands, or status items. Rather, she went without in many cases. I still remember helping her go through her stuff before she moved to Redding to live with us. I was amazed at the number of everyday items she had that were wedding presents from the 1940's! I never heard her complain once.

So if my grandma says she spent too much time caring about stuff that doesn't matter, the rest of us are in trouble.

http://maxgrace.wordpress.com/2009/01/08/pardon-me-for-intruding/

Redding Sunset

Kole,Micah as Santas...

Micah growing up fast  

Grandma Reading Uncle Jeff a story...

Deborah and Micah at Kole's Thanksgiving Party at school...

                                Kole at his school's Christmas production...

and Micah & Kole hanging out  

But years later, I see a positive by-product of hanging out with people older than myself...Simply...I really enjoy  "old" people's stories, wisdom, humor, and perspectives.

I got a chance the other day to hang out with some old people...Bill Giovannetti, Erich Roehl, Roger Simmons, and Ken Jones...these guys are decades older than me...but I love them.

We all went to Rivers for lunch...now two of the guys are authors...one of the guys is a former IBM executive...the last guy is an ex-air force dude...all of them are wise...a couple of them are wicked smart (I'll let them decide which two)...all have a lot of life experience...so the scene is set, 4 old guys with solid, "man experience" resumes, and myself, just a youngster, ready to order food from the nicest restaurant in town.

The waitress begins taking our orders...I see the item I want on the menu; when my turn comes to order I say, "I'll have the Portabella Burger. Can I get that medium rare?"

To my surprise and chagrin, time stands still as all eyes lock-in on me. Bill, the author, says to me, "You know, there isn't any meat on that, the burger is a big mushroom." I didn't know that...furthermore...I hate mushrooms...in my mind I was ordering a burger, I didn't know what portabella meant, but I knew Carl's Jr. had a burger with the word portabella in it, and I figured I was good to go...nope...instead I was red faced, being laughed at and laughing at myself...hey, can't take myself too seriously, when you are an idiot, be the idiot...won't make that mistake again...thanks to the wisdom of my four old friends...

I figure it this way...if it wasn't for their wisdom...I would have ended up with a $45 medium rare mushroom in a bun.

I am so glad the political season is over...now we can get back to watching Heroes at it's normal time and begin to give college basketball it's proper place...not to mention NFL football...I do have a few political tidbits rolling around in my head that I would like to lay to rest...

Prop. 8 passes mostly because of strong support from African American and Latino voters who came out in droves to vote for Obama...Interesting...voting for an ultra liberal president, but protecting ultra conservative values...only a relativistic society can pull that off

California's prop. 2 showed how much we love our animals...hands down, supporters of prop. 2 had the most graphic, heart-wrenching TV ads...those animals in those ads seemed like life really sucked for them...now that prop. 2 passed, their lives will be much improved before they are slaughtered...Because of those ads, I am never going to eat eggs or meat again...except for when I am hungry...but besides that...never.

Next...56 million people didn't want Obama as their president, while 63 million people did. Not sure how much of a landslide victory that is...some people are thrilled, some are pissed...All I know is that I'm pissed if I live in Hawaii...the President was announced and gave his speech before they even finished voting...that's funny...but then again...they get to live in Hawaii...they'll get over it.

Age was more of a deciding factor than ethnicity in this presidential election...getting older stinks...at least in America...in Africa is it an honor...in America your elderly wisdom makes you out of touch...McCain is so out of touch it seems, that he can't even remember how many houses he owns. How can you forget the number of homes you have...worse...while being interviewed? Do you not realize how you came across to the younger generation, African Americans, and Latinos...let alone everyone else in the world? Perhaps it was a senior moment.

#1 Reason people voted the way they did...money...really...Americans care about money...remember money buys Americans the title of 23rd Happiest Place to Live in the World each year...If second place is like kissing your sister...what is 23rd place...I know...23rd is like kissing one of those prop. 2 animals...

Finally, I have learned that the Presidential Election is a lot like a Junior High Class Presidential Election...whoever promised that soda would flow through the drinking fountains...pizza would be everyday, not just Fridays in the cafeteria...and there would be no more HOMEWORK...that Jr. Higher, and he alone got my vote every time...and dang it, that stink'n Jr. Higher never delivered...we had crappy water in the fountains...disgusting sloppy joes in the cafeteria on Mondays...and teachers still gave HOMEWORK that I wouldn't do...so here you go Obama, the Senate is yours, the House is yours...I want soda in the fountains and affordable health care and pizza everyday and less taxes and no homework and peace...I'd just settle for soda in the fountains, but at least one spout has to be Diet...I'm in my 30's now and can't handle the Mountain Dew like I could in 7th grade...

I am surprised no one has written a book yet with this title...My Dad Google...It has occurred to me that Google is my dad. If I am in need of any sort of help, I ask my dad Google for the answer to my problem.

The American Dad is being replaced by Google, heck, I refer Kole to Google to answer questions about Volcanoes, Africa, Dinosaurs, Tornadoes, and why baseball players charge the mound after getting hit by the pitch. Ok...my mom YouTube showed Kole about bench clearing baseball brawls...the look on his face...Priceless.

I see myself using Google to fill in the gaps my dad missed in my upbringing...how to fix things, etc...Kole and Micah's generation might not need parents at all...the Internet will raise them.

Couldn't do it...perhaps the love of sugary coffee...or Los Gordos EL Jefe tacos...blame it on a slowing metabolism...or lack of discipline...too little exercise...or just wanting my kids and wife not to cringe in terror when my beard hits their faces...I am out...done...finished...I lost 5 lbs and I am cherishing that as a moral victory...I could have kept going, but let me share the real reason I am clean shaven...

Simply, the beard was rapidly becoming a side-show and off-the-cuff comment attractor from friends and strangers alike...who felt it necessary to chat a while about my facial hair...in other words, it was becoming weird and a point of interest everywhere I went...the YMCA, the coffee shops, the restaurants, church, my neighborhood...I felt I had to explain to everyone, every time the reason for the beard...and The Dan Lance Challenge wasn't a good enough answer for my hillbilly-mountain man look...a few side notes as I close...shaving the beard was kind-of fun...me with a mustache creeps me out...and sorry Dan, you are on your own...

"Todd you need a new car." or "There aren't many Honda's like yours around anymore." or better..."You car looks pink." or better yet..."Why do you have a car bra on your pink car?" Yeah, my car isn't new...but its paid for...and just like Sam Cassell's basketball career, it doesn't plan on stopping anytime soon.

Funny...when people say Honda's go for 300,000 miles, you should buy one...no one really considers what that means...no one really wants to drive a car for that long...I am beginning to think the slick-used-car-man pulled a fast one over on me. I can hear him now, "Hey, one thing you'll want to think about, this 1995 Honda Civic will go for at least 300,000 miles without a problem." What he should have said, "Yeah this 1995 Honda Civic will go forever, but it will be 2025 by the time the car is even going to think about wearing out, your friends are going to make fun of your duct-taped pink car years and years before that." Perhaps I should have bought American, I could have had 12 of them-there-cars during that same time period.

Sure, my car is almost 14 years old...and yeah...I have duct-taped the glove compartment shut...I will also concede the cup holders, also duct-taped, have seen better productive/useful days...but that's pretty much the major problems...I am only at 165,000 miles currently...fast-forward 14 years from now...it will be almost 2023...and on the pace I am going, which is about 10,000 miles a year, I will be proving firsthand, that Honda's go 300,000 miles just like the stupid sales man said.

Kole calls the car Lightening, after Lightening McQueen in the movie Cars...to him it's a race car...we'll see, if I am doing my math right, old Lightening is still going to be around when he needs a car to drive to high school...Sweet...I will be able to get another Honda Civic, which will last me the rest of my life.

Sure...a better man wouldn't have given Kole's Pre-K class such large candy bars at 9:30am...but I was told the banker who went before me on Career Day gave out money and pencils...money and pencils? Who can afford that in this economy?...and the dad who sells plastic arms and legs...he lived up to the hype.

Desperate times called for desperate measures. So instead of talking about the privledge I have of being a pastor...I took them on a tour of the building...we stopped and played every instrument in our new worship pastor's office, which was a big hit in itself...and topped off the tour by giving them candy bars and certain diabetes. The end result...I was the man...though it was actually Dinah Vaughn who brought me the candy...and it was Shannon Pirie's idea to give them candy...nonetheless...one little boy said, and I quote, "Kole's daddy, can you come back to our class?" To which Mrs. Hall turned and said to me, "Well I guess that tells you how you did. You get an A+" Sweet...I am in with the Pre-K-ers...I might stop by more often, who knows, I might audit mammal week.

I don't know if it's Dave's tickled pink head tilt or Jon's cake eating grin...what every it is...this is a ridiculously funny picture taken earlier today by David Nishizaki...right before they road off to lunch on the bike.  Click on the picture to see the intricacies of the photo.

Priceless Picture.Which...when studied closer, reminded me of another motorcycle/scooter scene from the greatest movie of all time. Check it out below...Is Dave...Harry?...and Jon...Lloyd?...or vice-versa?

Spent the last 5 days in Sacramento, eating myself from one end of that city to the other, and I was also at the National Youth Workers Conference. But wait Todd, you work with Young Adults...why did you go to a Youth Conference...and the Beard Challenge?

Simply...those youth are going to be young adults before I know it and I better know it... and the NYWC is the best at gauging the youth culture and where it is headed. And no Beard Challenge update...I'm also not speaking with the scale and consequently ignoring it.

I don't want this to be too long (though it might) so here are a few odd quick tidbits; let's call it the  Top 5 that first come to mind.

#1 Shane Claiborne spent the good part of an hour and a half trying to convince me the death penalty was wrong...and the Iraq war was wrong...cool...I love seminars that focus on politics...I mean nothing unifies us Christians more than a good talk on politics...really, what  unites us Americans better than politics? The thought occurred to me during his talk, "if a Iraq veteran would have been in here (that seminar), Shane would no longer be with us."

He didn't offend me...I have heard him speak before...I knew what I was getting into with him...he does does noteworthy works of compassion around the world...I went to the seminar to learn more about his perspective and his Social Justice work. When it comes to a young person being passionate about Social Justice...Shane is second to none.

#2 Tony Campolo gave me everything I expect and more. My favorite quote from him was, "I don't know how you can be a Christian and drive a BMW." What do you do with that? So, if I follow Tony's logic, this Sunday, anyone with a Lexus, Mercedes, BMW, Cadillac, Audi, or any other luxury car should be asked that question before exiting their vehicle. We now have a easy standard to test maturity in Christ. Tony was a wonderful communicator, thought provoking, interesting and fun...but the BMW comment was too much. By the way, I drive a 1995 Honda Civic, 41 mpg on the freeway...but I will trade you for your 2009 Beamer if you want.

Really, Tony could have said anything, "I don't know how you can be a Christian, and ..." Own a 200,000 dollar house? Buy a $100 pair of jeans? Buy a $1000 computer? An Ipod? An Iphone?

His point was that Christians waste money on status symbols...which is true, for sure...but he left out that God is the one who judges the heart. We can have a wealthy Christian who is righteous in owning a BMW, and another Christian who is unrighteous in owning a BMW. God sees the heart...BMW or no BMW, God knows the sinful motivation of our hearts. Let's leave the judging of people's hearts to God.

#3 Mike Pilavchi was the best. He always is. He is super funny, humble, and a great communicator of God's Word.

#4 Phyllis Tickle was the surprise of the conference. She is an elderly woman who had all 2500 of us glued to her every word. My favorite quote from her, "I love a good murder every now and then." Referring to her High Church hierarchy, and her hope for some of the power players to die off.

#5 Worthy of the top 5 tidbits, but not apart of the conference per say. Nonetheless, Top 5 conference moment was Kelley and Holly doing the Youth Workers speed dating...I don't know if they landed a mate, but ask them about it.

The deep stuff of the conference will take some time to let out...we all were overwhelmed by the constant information...we spent 8 to 10 hours each day engaged in sessions, seminars, conversations, and more conversations; all of our experiences there will take a while to unpack. Starting in 10 hours at our Department Staff meeting.

Kole's Pre-K teacher, Mrs. Hall, reminded me today that my wife signed me up for Career Day next week in Kole's class. Thank you...and come on.

I was told I would be following a banker, and then a parent who sells medical equipment, in which he may bring in some plastic arms and legs as props. Mrs. Hall led me to believe the plastic arms and legs are going to be a big hit.

What props do I have to dazzle 4 year-olds that can compete with plastic arms and legs?

Nothing is coming to mind. Pretty sure I want to go after the banker, unless he is handing out free money.

Suggestions are welcomed as to how I can not make my son's Pre-K class completely turned off to being a Pastor; thereby preserving the fact that I am still number one in my sons eyes.

Not sure why I am doing this, perhaps caught in the moment, but the Dan Lance Beard Challenge  has proved more than a worthy foe. I have lost 5 of the necessary 15 pounds to shave the stinker off, but am ready to call it quits. I can handle the gray hairs, I can handle the itching, but its the fact that my wife and two kids grimace anytime my beard stabs their face, its as though I am inflicting body harm to them. I feel the outcast. Nonetheless, I will press on, why? Because Beards are MACHO? Yes, a given, but primarily the added motivation to make the  10 extra lbs go bye-bye.

Let me preface this blog by saying, our economy is in big time trouble, but the idea that 700 Billion for a bail out is an outlandish amount of money is funny. 700 Billion is the least of our worries. Now, let's begin our blog.

Let's blame it all on Freddie Mac or Fannie Mae, or Bush or the Devil for our economic woes. It's someone's fault that we are about to waste 700 Billion dollars on bad loan debt. But this got me to thinking, how much is 700 Billion dollars to us as Americans collectively?

Well, in a typical year, 100 Billion is spent at our Fast Food restaurants, 150 Billion is spent on alcohol in the U.S., 100 Billion is spent on electronics, 22 Billion is spent on cosmetics, 600 Billion is spent on new and used cars, and just for fun, a low estimate, 10 Billion is spent on PORN. These numbers are just the beginning, I could keep going. Billions of dollars are spent each year in the U.S. just on stuff; Not by Freddie Mac or Frannie Mae, who do suck, but by you and I (and the world) .

Our Gross National Product, GNP, is over 13 Trillion (yes the number 13 with 12 zeros behind it) a year. Unfortunately, Americans, spend more than they make. So we borrow more money to spend it on bigger houses we don't need, and cars we are bored of in 9 months.

As far as I see life, and I have seen this in Africa and Haiti, all one needs to survive is God's Word, food, shelter, and weather appropriate clothing. The animals that live around us testify to the final 3 on that list. As Americans we live in the most prosperous nation on earth, with blessing upon blessing, unfortunately, we can't wait for the next blessing, so we borrow to get it earlier, and borrow to get it bigger, faster and shinier.

I hope this economy gets straighten out, so Bush can give me another stimulus package so I can buy a third flat panel TV for my house. It completes me.

I say all this tongue in cheek. I know the economy is hurting people, my wife's family is in the construction business and are being struck super hard by this down turn. I don't desire to see us as the American people struggle financially. I want to see our nation blessed so we can be a blessing to others. I just wanted to point out, as a nation collectively, not as individuals, but as a nation, we could consider 700 Billion chump change.

Some of you know one of my best friends in the world is Sam Boone , we have been solid friends since we were 13 and in Junior High together. Sam's mom Mary, who is an awesome women of God, once mentioned to Sam she was checking out a new Christian diet plan which had the tag line, The Devil Wants You FAT!

Gosh, if she wasn't right. I have taken the Dan Lance Beard Challenge in hopes of losing 15 lbs. I will not shave my beard until I drop that extra weight, but dang it, if the devil and his miscreants don't want me tubby. Those pounds just aren't dropping off like I had hoped.

Though only day 6 of the scratch my face-off mountain man look, I am succumbing to the idea I may be that guy who has food in his beard and doesn't know it, but on the bright side, I have strange visible gray hairs in my beard, thank goodness for that novelty. If you see the devil punch him in the face from me for the extra lbs, and feel free to vandalize Lance's Eco friendly Toyota Echo for the Beard idea.

"If we really believed we were eternal beings, would we fear death as much as we do?" Dan Morrow, who is one of our elders at Neighborhood Church,  asked me that question over lunch recently, and since then, eternity itself, has been on my mind daily. Dan is going to preach at The Well coming up October 12th on this subject and is going to challenge us to consider taking an eternal perspective as we Pursue Christ-likeness. Like the Johnny Cash video below communicates, we are here one minute, and gone the next. As followers of Christ, we must wrestle with the reality of eternity, both for ourselves and for our neighbors.

There may not be an American musician who has transcended generations over the years like Johnny Cash. Though a strong Christian, he never denied that he was a strong sinner, living out his up and down walk of faith very publicly. One moment serving with Billy Graham at crusades, and the next he was back to a life of addiction. I love this video, done at the end of his life. He takes a Nine Inch Nails song and turns it on it's head. We love Johnny Cash for his music, but more so for his honesty. Like the Apostle Paul, Cash felt comfortable being called the chief of all sinners, and yet he knew, as he sang about often at his concerts, he could cling to "The Old Rugged Cross"

So I'll cherish the old rugged cross,
Till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
And exchange it some day for a crown.

Check out his Hurt video below:

If I asked you to be just like Vince Carter, that you would jump just like him, fly like him, and of course dunk exactly like him...could you? First check out his Top Ten Dunks video, then continue reading.

Did you watch the video? So I want you to be just like him. Not kind of like him. Just like him. Good luck. I can't wait to see the one handed-reverse-360 dunk you will pull off, in an NBA game, on TV, in front of thousands of viewers.

The only way you could be like Vince is if his athletic genius and gift was supernaturally infused into you.

Now, forget telling you to be like Vince Carter, consider God's agenda that we be like Jesus Christ. It seems an absurd request from our Creator. It would be unfathomably easier for us to dunk like Vince Carter, than be exactly like Christ. Don't you think?

Consider this closer, consider Christ, He is the God of the Universe in the person of Jesus, lived a perfect life, with perfect love, always doing His Father's will, and never, ever, not even once, did he sin, not even in his mind or heart. No sin, even when being crucified on a cross for our sin. (All I need is to go to Walmart and the temptation to sin is easy pickings.). I digress. It is that perfect life of Christ that God desires us to be like in thought, word, and deed. Now let's be reasonably, even on our best moral day, it ain't going to happen.

The only way you or I can truly be like Christ is if Christ's Spirit was supernaturally placed inside of us, giving us the power to be truly like Him. Brilliantly, not to mention sacrificially, this is what God has done for us. If anyone has put their trust in the atoning work Jesus Christ did on the cross, they, as Galatians 2:20 states, can say:

"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me."

Blogger extraordinaire  Dan Lance has motivated me to follow in his footsteps. Dan has recently declared he will not shave his facial hair again until he sheds some unwanted pounds. Brilliant. I too, will not shave until I drop 15 lbs.

Deborah is super stoked about this...the sarcasm is thick...just like my beard. She hates facial hair, but is allowing this endeavor for the sake of not having to buy me more "big boy" clothes. This is really a money saving, "slash", life saving intervention.

I have gotten a few people who think beard's are gross, to them I say, clogged arteries are gross, beards are MACHO.

Some, perhaps many, may not know I was smitten, nay, privileged to be the non-band-member-roommate of the band Ember (formerly Ediger 309) years ago. My favorite, again, nay, most memorable roommate was Josh Hagquist by far.

Josh, thoroughly talented as a guitar player, bass player, half-court shot specialist, and magazine collector, spent most days playing Madden Football with me. You would find him at all times in his underwear, controller in hand, and a 64oz Big Gulp within arms reach. We would only take a break for a little "porch" ministry and then back to the video games. Where Josh would get mildly pissed-off when the "computer (PlayStation) picked me to win" over and over again.

Now, years later, I find my fine feathered friend writing the smartest, funniest, and most clever blogs; probably still in his underwear, and I'm betting a Big Gulp in tow. Check out his blog, it's worth it. Josh Hagquist

Micah, soon to be 4 months old, is the chill kid. He only cries if he is hungry or super, super, super tired. Once fed, we lay him down and he is out. This seems to be opposite world for Deborah and I. Kole didn't sleep through the night once for 8 months straight, and cried, before, during and after crying. Sleep deprived??? I don't even remember my life back then. I was walking around in a fog.

Enter Micah, the exact opposite of Kole as a baby (Kole is the greatest kid in the world; all the sleepless nights with him...priceless..pure bonding time). Deborah is back to wanting a big family. Thanks Micah, my chill kid, we needed you to be mellow. If God allows more children in the future for us, we would like to put in for chill kids.

Everyday I ask Kole how his day at school was. Recently he answered by telling me that he learned about mammals. He said, "They have hair, they have babies, don't lays eggs and aren't cold blooded." Then to my demise, he asked me if I knew that. Honestly, I couldn't tell you what a mammal was. I said, "Bud, daddy didn't know any of that." To which my wife looked at me with a dumbfounded stare, non-verbally informing me she wanted the last 12 years of her life back. Now realizing I had without a doubt just proved she had married down, and she was stuck with an idiot, I defensively said, "Public school sucked."

So, I have told a few people my story of "Being dumber than a pre-K-er", and everyone else in the world, who also went to public school, already knew the definition of a mammal. Am I the only one on the planet who didn't know the definition of a mammal? What was I doing in school during mammal week?

That answer is pretty simple, I was dominating in Kickball, foursquare, Russian dodge ball and basketball during mammal week. The main reason I went to school was not to learn, but to hone my athletic abilities on the playground. I would just about cry on days we didn't have P.E. or outside recess due to rain. And don't even get me started about the days we decided to stay inside to do arts and crafts or talk about mammals, or math or whatever and not PLAY KICKBALL.

I did my time in the classroom, so I could live life to the fullest on the playground. The playground was my sanctuary. If the classroom clock was within 25 minutes of recess or P.E. I went into lock-down mode and began mentally envisioning my playground glory.

This now all seems to be have been short-sighted if I am already getting stumped by Kole in Pre-K; I am pretty sure I am screwed. Sweet. Should have pulled it together educationally early on, now I am really paying for my misplaced focus. Let this be a lesson to all you kids...kickball is just for a moment, but mammals, they are everywhere.

Kole could barely contain himself tonight. He is so excited to go to the beach tomorrow. This makes me excited and delighted as his daddy, to see how much joy he gets from going on our traditional "cold" beach family vacation together. He knows we are only going for 3 days, two nights, so he wants to leave at 6am sharp. He told me tonight that when we wake-up tomorrow morning, "we don't need to brush our teeth, just get in the car" and go to the beach.

Deborah and I, when we get sleep, love being Kole and Micah's daddy and mommy.

Deborah asked me a question today when I got home from church (she was unable to go today). She said, "Was it weird not seeing Peter and Lauren in church today?" And I said, "Yeah" in my tough guy answer veneer.

But between me, and the 4 of you that read this blog it was weird not seeing two people that have been a staple of Refuge and The Well. I thought of them a couple of times today, hoping that they were going to walk through the doors, but that never happened. I have known Lauren since she was 13, and Peter has become a good friend. I truly missed them today.

I know Kole is upset too. He asked me today to do all the things Peter would do with him before the church service started. But, I was unable to wheel him around on the chair-dollies like Peter.

The good news is Redding is on the I-5 life-line between Portland and everywhere south of here, so they will be by from time to time. Which is better than nothing, and I do expect one Sunday at The Well to see the both of them walk through the doors, even if it is only for a short visit.

Perhaps I should do what most do, when they do, what they do in the blog world. I should give an update on life, with it's oddities and so forth. I feel a little weird about this, but Peter Black told me I needed to use the website more, so what the heck.

Kole update: My four year old son, Kole, informed me today that his favorite part of school was, "Everything, I love it all." So I have ceased using a "timeout" as a discipline method and have reverted to saying, "Kole if you can't obey you can't go to school." He seems to straighten up and listen a lot better all of a sudden. I don't know how much mileage I will get out of this one, and I am sure it is going to back fire on me soon, but my kid loves school; as of day 4.

Micah update: He is 17 pounds...chubby would be a kind word to describe him. Did I mention he isn't even 12 weeks old yet. He is smiling like crazy, waving his arms and legs wildly. Tonight we stuck a small american flag in his hand while he was waving his arms and I chanted "U-S-A, U-S-A!" repeatedly. It was the most patriotic moment of the Olympics.

Deborah update: Candice has been a good walking friend and Deborah has been able to get out of the house recently. I call it her time in "adult world", I think she just calls it freedom.

Grandma update: Her room is still blue, carpet is white, and Kole seeks her out every morning to pray with her. Having my grandma, who's great grandparents date back to the early 1800's is a trip to say the least. She has a ton of wisdom and understanding of God, life, church, and family. As hard as it is having an 88 year old grandparent/Kole and Micah's great-grandmother live with us, we are getting a fuller picture of how to live life well.

Todd update: Besides getting to preach every week at The Well which I love doing, life has been a little rough recently, but by God's grace, I am hanging in there. I have felt burdened and down about some situations recently and almost like clock-work people have appeared with unsolicited encouragement. It has come in a variety of ways, from phone calls to emails, to letters in the mail, and people just stopping by the office to encouarge me. I have felt uplifted the past two weeks, when I have felt the lowest. The scripture that has continuely run through my head each time this happens is Isaiah 59:19b "When the enemy comes in like a flood, The Spirit of the LORD will lift up a standard against him."
I have seen the Lord lift up a standard recently to push back the enemy each time I have become downcast, he has used people encouraging me to lift my head.

At times I feel as though stupidity has become the norm of society. So help me, if I hear this phrase anymore I am going to go crazy.

"Everyone is entitled to share their opinion."
   
No. No. No. Not if your opinion is moronic, perhaps evil, and stupid. Sorry. At some point, one must realize their opinion doesn't have to be shared and may not matter. Don't get me wrong. You as a person matter more than words can say. But you as a person needing to be validated by expressing your thoughts on ever matter; acting as though your opinion carries the weight of an expert, is getting old and tiring.

But our culture isn't backing me up on this. Shoot. Our culture teaches us that everyone's opinion matters. Everyone's opinion is right. We must make room for everyone's ideas. And so these ideas creep into the church. And people's "stupid" opinions about God are listened to, people nod their heads, and the church is "stupider" for it.

The latest thing that is killing me is people's opinion on this 3 topics: salvation, heaven and hell. Anyone with a computer and a blog can anoint themselves to be the foremost experts at revealing the church's misunderstanding that Jesus isn't the only way, heaven is for everyone (not just Christians), and hell isn't real. Never mind 2000 years of Christianity believing the opposite, well articulated church doctrine, countless Bible scholars, theologians, martyrs, church councils, a reformation, and THE BIBLE  itself which contradict all 3 of those lame opinions.

Our culture teaches us we all need to be sensitive to your opinion, because "Your opinion is valid. I won't tell you that you are wrong, that would be wrong." And everyone is nodding their heads, saying, that makes sense.

Sorry, only one person's opinion truly matters and that is God's opinion.

Didn't Job want to give his opinion to God? What did God say? "Well Job, before we talk, could you remind me about how the foundations of the earth were formed. Remind me. What were the math equations I used" (Job 38 paraphrased). God wanted to know Job's qualifications for having a conversation that would put Job's opinion on the same playing field with God's.

God wanted Job to think about his moronic opinion in light of God's amazing opinion. Job got it, and by Job 40:4, after two chapters of God flattening Job with His flawless wisdom, Job humbly replies, "Behold, I am insignificant; what can I reply to You? I lay my hand on my mouth."

Some friendly advice for the day, and your life for that matter. Find a Godly mentor, who knows God, has worn out the pages of their Bible, and walks in the Spirit (showing the fruit of the spirit). Once you find that person put your hand over your mouth and listen to what their opinion is about God, church, and life is all about.

Centering our lives on Christ is crucial to experiencing the abundant life Jesus promises. Unfortunately, if unchecked our perspective on life begins to decentralize Christ, and instead puts self or something else in the center.  AW Tozer gave a list of seven questions we should ask ourselves to help determine what or who is most central in our lives. These questions are meant to be mediated on, and answered with deep honest contemplation.

1. What we want most.
2. What we think about most.
3. How we use our money.
4. What we do with our free time.
5. The company we enjoy.
6. Whom and what we admire.
7. What we laugh at.

In a word, "lame-o". The LA Times put out an article recently on the spirituality of Californians. Within the article, a staggering stat jumped out at me, "Seventy percent believe that "many religions can lead to eternal life"; 57% of Evangelicals feel that way, as do 79% of Catholics."

WHAT!!!

57% of Evangelicals believe that "many religions can lead to eternal life", you have to be kidding me. Come on...really?  If that is true, almost 6 out of 10 CHRISTIANS believe that faith in Jesus Christ is NOT the only way to eternal life.

The trouble I find in my heart and mind is that I believe that stat isn't far off.

Try and follow me here. We have a generation of young Christians raised in a culture that values extreme tolerance which produces the fruit of non-confrontation that in actuality make them feel devalued and exactly the same as everyone else. I think Dash had it best in the Incredible's cartoon movie when he said, "If everyone is special, then no one is." (It's as though our culture is pushing us Christians to say that Jesus isn't any more special than anyone else. But I digress)

I remember the first time I got a trophy for being on a sports team. The whole team got trophies, no one got a special trophy, we were all given the same ugly little trophy with a kid kicking a soccer ball and we were all told we were special. So I threw my trophy away, I wasn't an idiot. I knew what kids on the team were gifted in soccer and which kids were athletic nightmares. We weren't all the same, we were different and some stunk, and some were really good. Some kids deserved trophies and most didn't.

My parents told me that giving every kid a trophy was for their own self-esteem. If any kid didn't get a trophy they might feel bad about themselves. Great point, I mean what makes a kid feel great about themselves anymore than lying to them and telling them they are a great soccer player when they know, and we teammates have told them they stink.

I am not saying that telling my uncoordinated friends on my soccer team that they stink was good, it was hurtful, but giving them a trophy and telling them they were just as good as the kid who scored every goal for us that season (Hector) wasn't any better. Kids aren't that dumb, they knew that weren't as special as Hector at soccer. Hector deserved his own MVP trophy, but he got the same as everyone else.

So let's give every religion the same trophy, they are all the same. No one religion is more special than any other one.

Which is along the same line of thinking that states, "No one should decide for you what is right or wrong. You need to decide for yourself. Truth is what you say it is." I will blog about that statement at a later date. My initial response is again, "lame-o". Sorry I digressed again. That above quote is really saying that everyone is right, which people really don't believe, so since they don't really believe that everyone is right, they end up thinking, "If everyone is right, then no one is right."

And therein lies the rejection of faith in Jesus as the only way to attain eternal life.

Christian, don't be lame. You really don't believe that. Christianity and Jesus Christ are crystal clear that faith in Christ is the only way to heaven (John 14:6, John 3:16) and of course Acts 4:12 which I will post here for you, "And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved."(NASB)

So why are so many evangelicals (that is Christians) taking the easy road and abandoning Jesus' own words and rock solid biblical doctrine of Salvation in Christ Alone. Simple, CONVENIENCE (a post-modern form of PRIDE.)

Convenience of making God look better in our culture than he appears in the Bible. Convenience of everyone liking how open minded you are. Convenience of living your life the way you want with the full approval of our lost friends.

Consider this, if Jesus really was the only way to heaven and if his commands were really the only thing we should be worried about obeying, then dang it; we would have to change and live holier lives and that just isn't convenient.

Take this perspective today…

Whatever or whoever you encounter today, today’s events and people have passed before God’s eyes, and God allowed it for both obvious and mysterious reasons. Thankfully, either way, Christ within you is ready to pour out the fruit of the Spirit (read Galatians 5:22-23) in each event, and to each person; so that His presence might be evident.

So let Christ’s presence be evident to all, let people experience Christ's “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, [and] self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23) as it spills out of you today; choose by faith to let Christ within you come out, and not the other guy (you know, your inner mess guy, with all its issues and lameness that spews crap out on others).

For Christ spilling out of you is God’s supernatural plan for your life today. And when it happens, you can by faith say, NOT I BUT CHRIST.

 Be watchful today; I’m praying for our eyes to open to what God is doing in us and through us today…

 Here’s one for you, ask Christ to shine through you to the very next person you see…as soon as you get done reading this! See what the Holy Spirit within you spurs you to do or say.

Being a young adult pastor is a great job. I love helping young adults figure out God, faith, and church. I encounter many questions on a daily basis in regards to their spiritual formation. One of my favorite questions of late goes something like this, "The Bible says don't get drunk, but where is the line between having a few drinks and getting drunk?"

This line of questioning also fits nicely with, "How far can I go sexually?" The age old problem with God telling us to wait until marriage to have sex, and us wanting to push the limits right up to the brink of intercourse.

Most people who ask these questions, whether they realize it or not, are asking from a legalistic perspective. Perhaps unknowingly, they are asking for a list of rules, wanting a religion with God that is made up of laws. They are wanting a line drawn in the sand not to cross, or a boundary or fence put up for them to see where to go and not go.

The problem is simple, God doesn't put up fences or draw lines in the sand. Instead He builds watering holes.

Our lead pastor at Neighborhood Church of Redding, Bill Giovannetti illustrates this point. His illustration goes something like this...In Australia, cattle ranches are literally thousands of acres in size, and are impossible to fence. The cattle can roam anywhere they want, including outside the boundaries of their owners land. How do the ranchers keep the cattle within bounds? Simple, they put watering holes in the middle of their lands. The cattle know that the source of water is life to them and never wander too far away from the watering hole. The watering hole keeps the cattle within bounds, safe, and accounted for.

God's watering hole is Jesus Christ. The question is not how far can I wander before I sin, but how close can I stay to Jesus. So how does one keep from getting drunk? Here is a sobriety test for you: The moment you can't see Jesus while drinking, is the moment you probably went too far. When I say see Jesus, I merely mean the moment that you can no longer feel that your testimony is worthy of Christ. Christ drank, his disciples drank, and drinking is not sinful, but Christ never lost sight of His Father's will. He always had His mission in mind.

The next time you go to drink keep the mission of Christ in mind.

The following verse is the perfect scripture for what I have been writing about.

Galatians 5:16 says "But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh."

How does one stay in bounds? Walk by the Spirit. The fruit of the flesh is getting drunk (Galatians 5:21). You can put that in the bank, 100% of the time it is true. If you are drunk, you are in the flesh, no if, ands, or buts. The fruit of the Spirit is "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law." (Galatians 5:22-23) That fruit is the fruit of the watering hole, better put, that fruit is the fruit of keeping Jesus in view at all times.

Perhaps a word for us today is STEADFAST. My good friend Aaron Wardle commented to me recently about the number of believers who are "driven and tossed by the wind" of doubt (James 1:6) This doubt seems to lead to disappointment in life and empowerment of a self-centered lifestyle.

The issue of being STEADFAST is really a issue with trusting God and His Word. As Bill Giovannetti has said, "The greatest struggle of the Christian life is the struggle to keep on believing." In other words, being STEADFAST.

I was considering a related question this week, why are Christian missionaries considered superstars? Perhaps it is their STEADFAST faith in whom they have believed. They take on humble living conditions, and serve people who are in desperate need. Why? Because they believe in Jesus!

I think there are two secrets to being STEADFAST. Both are found in Philippians 2:3-4.

Secret #1 Humility- Philippians 3:3 says "Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves;" (NASB).

Secret #2- Serve others interest- Philippians 3:4 says "do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others." (NASB)

Humility keeps us remembering we are not God, and keeps us from acting like the sovereign dictator of our existence. Serving others captures God's heart for mankind, and keeps us from being prideful and self-centered.

Read the rest of Philippians 2, Paul gives us an example of someone who demonstrates this type of humility and service to others...that is, Jesus Christ who humbled himself, and served the interests of all mankind. Jesus did all this with a STEADFAST faith and love.

When we doubt God's call on our lives to humbly serve him, we begin to cause our lives only to serve ourselves, which, if we are honest with ourselves, leads to frustration and dissatisfaction in life. Discover the secret to a deeply satisfying spiritual life...humbly submit to the Lord Jesus Christ, and let His Holy Spirit empower you to get you eyes off your own needs and onto the spiritual, physical and emotional needs of others.

I end this post with these questions...What are you STEADFAST in? Self-centeredness? Christ likeness? What is God calling you to be STEADFAST in?