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?

38"You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' 39But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. 43"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

For some strange reason, people in the world think justice was done tonight.

God, help us.

Last year, my sister posted the lyrics to her favorite Christmas song on her blog, which I thought was a great idea. My good friend Dave posted a small section of a relatively unknown verse of a Christmas song the other day, too, and it all reminds me how much I enjoy Christmas music. Whether it's Harry Connick Jr.'s first Christmas CD, with new tunes like "I Pray on Christmas" and "It Must've Been Ol' Santa Claus,"or his rendition of classics like "O Holy Night;" or MercyMe's The Christmas Sessions with the great song "Joseph's Lullaby" and the meaningful "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day;" or the classic soundtrack to the Peanuts Christmas special, with "Linus and Lucy," "Skating," "Christmastime is Here," and "O Christmas Tree;" or my Dad singing "Gesu Bambino" and "10,000 Joys" with my aunt, or any of the other songs that just bring a smile to my face, like "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch," "We Are the Reason," "Christmas Eve in my Hometown," "Breath of Heaven," and so many others.

If you don't know the story of "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day," I posted the story last Christmas. You can read about it here. It is remarkable, and brought a completely new level of meaning to the song for me.

Here are the lyrics to my favorite Christmas song of all time, "Hand of Sweet Release," recorded by the Gaither Vocal Band (shocker, I know). Even if you don't at all like Southern Gospel music, I recommend giving this one a try. It's available on iTunes.

Come thou long expected Jesus,
come illuminate the mysteries of life.
Come redeem us from the refuse,
bring an end to endless suffering and strife.
Be the star that shines so brightly
that it draws our weary eyes to the sky,
to Heaven's sky.
Dearest child of new beginnings,
be the start of something beautiful, I cry.

There's an end to all the waiting,
there's an answer to the "who?" and "where?" and "why?"
tonight.
All the years anticipating,
are surrendered to a tiny baby's cry.
There's a dawn to follow darkness,
there's a face to fill the title, "Prince of Peace."
What he promised, he delivered...
I am saved by the hand of sweet release.

In this war I've been a captive,
just a sinner seeking life and liberty.
But these hands that hold me tightly
are the hands that set my shackled spirit free.
Blessed Jesus, meek and lowly,
you have come into my life and made it new,
now I'm new.
Out of bondage into everlasting light,
I owe everything to you.

There's an end to all the waiting,
there's an answer to the "who?" and "where?" and "why?"
tonight.
All the years anticipating,
are surrendered to a tiny baby's cry.
There's a dawn to follow darkness,
there's a face to fill the title, "Prince of Peace."
What he promised, he delivered...
I am saved by the hand of sweet release.
What he promised, he delivered...
I am saved by the hand of sweet release.

I've had these two scenes from movies in my mind (for some reason), and I cannot for the life of me figure out what movies they come from.

1. Someone is threatening a man that they are going to kill his wife and children. The man kills his entire family himself, shocking the others and taking their leverage away. I seem to remember this taking place in an apartment with some orangish/red lighting.

2. A man walks into a security booth of some kind, which requires him to pass through a metal detector. The man places his cup of coffee on top of the metal detector, walks through without arousing suspicion, then reaches into the cup of coffee, from which he pulls out a weapon of some kind (I think it was a tiny gun).

Any help?

That is one of the first words that comes to mind when I think about my wife, Kari. She is so hospitable to others, so caring for Braden and me. There is no one like her. Over the course of our life together, my insecurity has slowly melted away as I rest in her warm embrace. She is my beloved, and I hers.

She makes me laugh. What a gift.

Happy 3rd Anniversary, Sweetheart. I love you.

...and that's why I'd love for you to visit this site and vote for the t-shirt my friend designed, the one that says "Everbody Loves Ramen."

Thanks.

Oh yeah, and this is what a bumper sticker that I saw today said: "I'm pretty sure when Jesus said to love your enemies he meant 'Don't kill them.'"