listen

I think God has a funny sense of humor. I was looking at Talib Kweli's video for "Listen" In the midst of all the busyness coming up I think he wants me to slow down and listen to Him.

I'm going to be a Dad

Yvette is six weeks pregnant. This is an exciting and scary time. Pray for us. Our lives are about to change completely!

Microloans

A big trend in the developing world is microloan entrepeneurship. I just found out about a group called kiva which connects 2/3 world entrepeneurs with 1/3 world lenders. It sounds like a great program and could be great for the people in our churches in Ethiopia. Here is their website Kiva loans

Change the cup

"Luther did reform the content of the gospel but did not change the basic structure of the worship service. This Roman-Reformed-Catholic meeting pattern was baptized by the Baptists, anointed by Pentecostals, misused by Cults, renewed by Charismatic Christians, put into uniform by the Salvation Army, drycleaned by Quakers but never really radically changed"-Wolfgang Simson Houses that Change the World
For some years now I have been living with a growing disattisfaction with the modern church machine. It is not the content but the structure. It is not the water but the cup.

Expecting

Just went to the doctor and confirmed that Yvette is pregnant. This is such a scary time for me. I'm going to be a Dad. Responsible for another human life. My friend Lena told me "That's crazy" I think so but that's the way God does things

Ethiopia - Manalemosh Dibo (Awedamet)

Here is a great video that shows different aspects of Ethiopian culture. We were there this past summer and experienced much of this. I fell in love with Ethiopia after going with Campus Crusade for Christ. It was an amazing experience and I have returned six more times after that. A big shout out to Damtew and Tracie (they are missionaries there) as well as the Ethiopia summer project team 2000

Video games

I am amazed at the video game phenomena. Video games have now eclipsed movies in sales. This is a trend that I believe will increase as the years go by. What is it about our global culture that finds them so appealing? Where is God in the midst of gaming?

Quiet time

Let the quiet empower you
Restore the piece of your heart
That was ripped out of your chest
Slammed on the ground and spit on
The sad thing is you are the culprit

You have assasinated your own integrity and well being
In the name of being nice you have not been nice to yourself
Uncreative, dry, barren
Irritated as a rashy patch of skin
There is no escape
Except to create yourself again

Anew like the phoenix rising from the ashes
The ashes of your disappointment with people
The ashes of your disappointment with yourself
There's another fire to burn
Another mountain to climb and conquer
Another place to survey the greatness
That is beyond you

Crying out freedom to God
And the whole universe is watching you
More than anyone else they see you
They see the criminal in the mirror
Red handed with the murder weapon
Let their gaze move you to choose life
Choose life and death cannot hold you

He has conquered death for you
Even giving you keys
Now ask him for doors
They are all around you
Opening up as you open your eyes
To this virgin day

Tennis anyone?

Just started playing tennis again. For some reason this sport appeals to me. Maybe it is a manifestation of my anglophile longings. I'm no last king of Scotland but I like Mr Bean, The Black Adder, and Bond....James Bond

Fascination with anime and manga

I am discovering japanese culture through film and books. Right now I am hooked on manga. I cant stop reading the stuff even though most of the time I have to read from right to left!!!

Wired magazine has a graphic guide to how manga has conquered America!

Check it out Mangalicious

Worn out but inspired by sacrament and Schmelzer

I am really tired today and I still have to finish my sermon but at least I have a spark of inspiration. Yesterday I listened to a sermon by Dave Schmelzer of the Greater Boston Vineyard. It was on creativity. The highlight was how he compared the liturgical churches (catholic, anglican, orthodox) with the protestant churches (everybody else) in regard to art. A greater number of artists and a higher quality of art came from the liturgical churches. He says that is because liturgical churches focus on sacrament or visible signs of worship in contrast to protestant churches that focus on word or abstract thoughts. It was freeing to hear this because I have struggled as far as fitting into the church most of my life with my creative and artistic inclinations. It made me realize that my art can be worship without it having to directly relate to some christian thing. I can be a christian and an artist and not necessarily a christian artist. Thanks Dave!!! Here is a link to his sermon

Pepper mint filled pinatas

Life is kind of like a pinata. It looks cool on the outside. YOu have your image of what it's supposed to be. Usually it's based off of a cartoon or a superhero. There is a sort of fantasy driven plan you have in mind for how things are going to go....and then you get whacked around until finally somebody comes and totally cracks you open until you are unrecognizable. That somebody is God and his plan is to not leave you the same. The good part after the whole process is over just like the pinata you have blessings for everyone else to enjoy.

I don't know if this new book Peppermint filled Pinatas is about that but I heard it's good. The author is Eric Bryant who is a pastor at Mosaic church in Los Angeles.

Here is his blog

Check out this cool video on creativity from Eric's site

I am thinking about becoming a ninja

This past Sunday at our evening service a guy named Greg came in a ninja outfit. It wasn't just for the Halloween party afterwards. He is a real ninjitsu instructor. This stuff is for real not just in the movies. Here is a link to his youtube site

Pittsburgh and Amish country

Me and Yvette are off to go see her folks in New Castle, PA. It is very close to the Amish Countryside. I'm hoping to go take a peek at the Amish Paradise. That video was so funny. Weird Al you gotta love him.

Before we get there I'm also hoping to get a Primanti Brothers sandwich in Pittsburgh. This thing has french fries and cole slaw inside the sandwich. Not for the health conscious but hey while I'm there I gotta try it at least once. See if u can resist Primanti Bros

Things to do before I kick the bucket

Twenty Things I would like to do before I die:

1. Learn to read and write music

2. Get my poetry published

3. Write a novel and get it published

4. Write short stories and essays and get them published

5. Go to London

6. Go to China

7. Go to Prague, Czech Republic

8. Go to Morocco

9. Learn to play the keyboard

10. Smoke a pipe

11. Smoke a cigar

12. Plant a garden

13. View Yosemite National Park from the top of Half Dome

14. Go scuba diving

15. Go spear fishing

16. Learn archery

17. Create my own comic book

18. See the Grand Canyon

19. Record a spoken word/r&b/gospel/hiphop/folk album

20. Learn Amharic, Hebrew, and Arabic

meat eating struggle

I have been striving to give up meat but it's hard. I have cut down on my meat consumption but giving it up totally is still far away. I am doing it for environmental/spiritual reasons. The other day I read an article that talked about how meat consumption is bad for your health but also bad for the environment. Water, oil, and land are consumed with a vengeance while people go starving so we can have the filet mignon or that Whopper with cheese (Uh oh it's almost lunchtime) Here are some facts I discovered from Earthsave International:

80% of corn and oats grown in the US are fed to livestock (while people are starving)

An acre can produce 165 pounds of beef or 20,000 punds of potatoes (that's Big Mac's for me or food for those who really need it)

It takes 25 gallons of water to produce a pound of wheat. It takes 2500 gallons of water to produce a pound of meat. (Hmmmm...meat or wheat)

It takes 50 times more fossil fuels to produce a meat centered diet than a meat free diet.

So there's my motivation. Now I just have to break the habit. It's so hard in a meat eating society. Do I have enough courage and integrity to change?

Africa shoes

Check out the Africa shoes!!! They are dangerous(in a good way). I want to get some but they are a little expensive but at least the money goes to World Vision. Africa represent!!!

The Kingdom of God is not a job

The Kingdom of God is not a job. It doesn't have a great pension plan or 401k. Even with a BA, MA, and PHD Nobody is qualified. The pay is joy and that can never be measured. It goes on all the time so you can't clock in or clock out. The Kingdom of God is not a job. It never was and it never will be. Constantine confused it with a man made empire and some politicians think they can vote it in. But it has always existed somewhere between now and not yet. Between the pages of a book that men have argued about for years, and years, and years but can they live it. The Kingdom of God is not a job. It never was and it never will be.

Captain America is dead!!!

Say it ain't so. Say it ain't so. How the mighty have fallen! .Captain America is dead How did it happen? A hydrogen bomb explosion. A duel to the death with Wolverine. Baptism in fiery lava. Noooo. Captain America gets taken out by a sniper. What a way to go out! I hope it wasn't a gun from Walmart. That would really be a sad demise for the most patriotic superhero.

turtle power

I love my turtle. She's a red eared slider. She can't do any karate or throw ninja stars but here's the good part: I only have to feed her once every 1 or 2 days. Actually the truth of the matter is owning a pet turtle is exotic and it makes you very sexy :)

Cross cultural mess

I'm beginning to realize the toll that my work and new environment is taking on me. Being in this cross cultural environment is really taxing. I realized that it is not just me adapting to 20 or so different cultural grids but in actuality it is me just crossing over into one. Urban black culture to Suburban pop culture. It is me going from thinking Nas, Tupac, and Jay Z to My Chemical Romance and Fallout Boy. There is a whole different world out there and who would have thought it was only 20 minutes away. By the end of the week I am a crosscultural mess.

Lot's daughters and Jerry Springer

We just did a study of Genesis 19 for the group that meets at our house on Fridays. This is a very strange chapter filled with homosexual gang rape, fire and sulfur falling from heaven, and incest. I loved it!!!! The Bible is not just for pristine saints. It is not all clean cut and neatly trimmed. In actuality it is a mess because life is a mess.

I mean who would volunteer to make love to their father in order to preserve the family line!?!???!!? That's a Jerry Springer episode for real.

Seize the Day-Women in ministry

There is this ongoing debate about whether women should be in ministry. I have actually been paralyzed by this issue until I meditated on the Holy Spirit.

The Spirit moves irrespective of gender or culture. The Holy Spirit is the one who leads us into our gifts, our roles, our leadership and our authority. God said I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh. All means all. If the Spirit of God is moving in a woman then I want to always yield to the Spirit.

Seize the Day-Tiredness

Just coming off this conference called Seize the Day and it has left me wasted. Very very tired. One of the speakers David Ruis talked about how living in LA makes you tired. I have to agree. The traffic, the ratrace, the image chasing is all enough to suck the life out of you. He described it as the land of "shattered dreams" People up and leave in a second and no one is connected or rooted to anything. Lack of fulfilling relationships can also make you tired.

What do you think?

Seize the Day-Tiredness

Just coming off this conference called Seize the Day and it has left me wasted. Very very tired. One of the speakers David Ruis talked about how living in LA makes you tired. I have to agree. The traffic, the ratrace, the image chasing is all enough to suck the life out of you. He described it as the land of "shattered dreams" People up and leave in a second and no one is connected or rooted to anything. Lack of fulfilling relationships can also make you tired.

What do you think?

Being sick

Being sick is God's way of getting us to stop and slow down enough to examine life. We realize we are mortal and begin to weigh the time and energy we have spent. We consider whether or not it has been worth it. Whether or not we should chart a new course, step out into uncharted waters. After all we could get sick again or we could fade away and die.