My friend Doug has been asking me for months to post some pictures of our compost bin, I think because someone is interested in making a similar one. So, without further delay, here you go.



We got the instructions for this bin from Rodale's Guide to Composting. You can easily pick it up at the library. (By the way, I don't want to give anyone any misconceptions here...I had someone build this for me...I'm quite mechanically disabled.)

Total cost for the bin was $85, including the steel drum. We've been at it for probably four months, and probably have 10-12 pounds of ready compost. We'll let it continue to cook for the winter and should have over 30 pounds when spring rolls around.

I am by no means an expert, but I'll be happy to give tips to anyone who is interested in getting started with this.

For about as long as I can remember, I've wanted to begin hunting. I'm not exactly sure why this is the case, but I've had this undeniable desire to go hunting for years and years. I've learned, though, that hunting is often something you do if your family does it, and my family doesn't. My dad and grandfather used to take me fishing all the time growing up, and it was a blast...that was our thing. I had many happy moments out there on the boat. (Speaking of my Dad, he's been the director of the barbershop chorus in Ashland, KY, for about 17 years, and he finally decided to step down. You can read about him here.)

Well, anyway, now I have a great buddy here at BCN, Jason, who is a longtime hunter, and he'd been offering to take me. So a couple months ago I got a license, and we've been hunting three times now. We've already had many great times and some adventurous moments, but hadn't had any luck with getting anything...until yesterday.

Here is my personal project for the missional ecclesiology class at George Fox Evangelical Seminary.

Part 1:


Part 2:

...in the spirit of Christmas.

Some of you may have known that Kari and I were expecting our second child in June. We found out Friday that we've lost that little baby. It was a sad day.

We appreciate your prayers...

Peace.

The move over to wordpress was nice while it lasted. The features were too hard for me to navigate. I must be stupid.

Anyway, I changed up the look here a little. I hope blogspot doesn't hold a grudge.

There are 27 million slaves in the world today. 27,000,000. More than at any other time in history. You can go here to do something to help.

And check out this sobering info from my friend Brandon's blog.

Braden turned 2 a few weeks ago, and it's high time you all got a look at him.

Mommy and Braden headed toward the pond at Delco Park


Daddy and Braden on the way to the Dragons' game


Braden trying out his first tricycle


Birthday lunch!


Birthday Cake!


A popsicle with JoJo


Making homemade birdfeeders with Mommy and JoJo


Riding the school bus with Papa (our favorite photo!)

...were walking down the street. One looked toward the heavens and said, "Sometimes I just want to ask God why He allows poverty, famine, and injustice when He could easily do something about it. Know what I mean?"

"Sure," his friend replied. "It's just that I'm afraid He would ask me the same thing."

Yesterday was Jackie Robinson Day, celebrating 60 years from the day Branch Rickey and the Brooklyn Dodgers made Jack Roosevelt Robinson the first African American baseball player in Major League Baseball. Click on the picture above to visit Jackie Robinson's website. Can someone tell me how to post a link to a song on here so I can let you all hear the two or three great baseball songs that have been written to celebrate this hero?

On a much more somber note, what a terrible tragedy today at Virginia Tech. Please join us in praying for the entire situation.

Man, it has been a while. Two months? Really? Hard to imagine.

A few things to catch up on:

1. I was able to be part of something really cool on Thursday night here at BCN. Our church joined with Church of the Messiah to celebrate the Passover with a Seder meal. (Two of my other friends, David and John Ballenger, have had their own Seder experiences this week. Read about them here and here, respectively.) I was incredibly moved by the experience. Kari and I found it so meaningful that we purchased one of the Seder plates. The tradition is rich and meaningful.

2. That led up to yesterday's service, which we celebrated in EPIC with six planned baptisms and one spontaneous one. The church family truly celebrated the risen Christ together.

3. Braden is doing great, growing quickly, talking like crazy...He's an amazing little gift. Kari and I grow to love him more and more each day.

4. I've been accepted into the Masters of Ministry Leadership program at George Fox Evangelical Seminary, where I'll have the privilege of studying under Len Sweet, Joe Myers, Brian McLaren, and others. I am very excited to begin this journey this fall. This experience will include two trips per year to Portland, Oregon. The only time I've been to Portland is when I flew in there for my friend Obadiah's wedding.

5. Baseball is back, and I'm really happy about it.

Hope all is well for everyone out there in the blogosphere. Peace...

"If people don't need each other, they will spend little time together telling stories to each other, and if they don't know one another's stories, how can they know whether or not to trust one another?" -Wendell Berry

"When community is wounded and a culture of individualism takes over, people stop looking out for each other. When this happens, as it has in America, the needs of the poor, the homeless, and the broken go unmet. In the absence of self-sacrificial love for one's neighbor, the government is forced to step in and help. To run these programs, they must tax the people. As it turns out, these government-funded programs are often initiated with good motives but typically produce poor results. Even worse, the person who could be an effective servant and who could be part of the solution for a hurting person is encouraged by these programs to have a mindset that says, 'I pay taxes for the government to take care of this!'--he or she has contracted the disease John Locke calls 'social loafing.' Rigor mortis sets in to our muscles of human justice and kindness; sadly, this kind of sedentary apathy is difficult to reverse in a culture of consumerism." -Randy Frazee

...intergenerational worship/church?