Too Big To Fail

This is a phrase that I've heard a number of times this week and has really made me wonder about the attitude not only of our financial institutions but our country as a whole. Whether it's Bear Stearns, Countrywide, Washington Mutual, AIG, Lehman Brothers or some other giant financial institution there is no doubt you have heard about the crazy economic times we find ourselves in. Most of this is a result of questionable management of some of these very corporations and has to make you wonder "Why?". Are greed and arrogance really the driving forces that have pushed our economy to this point? Greed that drives people to get as much as they can by whatever means possible coupled with an arrogance that thinks we are too rich, big, smart to fail will only ever equal disaster at the worst and disappointment at the least.

I've been asking myself this week if this economic mess we find ourselves in is really proving to be a barometer for our overall attitude as a country. Is it possible that this is just one area in which this attitude of "Too Big" has caught up with us and other areas such as: our relationships with other countries, our military presence, educational standards, our response to natural disasters, or our cultural influence around the world (just to mention a few) are next in line? If nothing else, watching some of these different institutions fail has solidified my belief that there is a better way, not only a better way for millionaire CEOs to manage giant corporations or a government to run a nation but also for little old me to live my everyday, boring life.

Hide-N-Seek

There are things we would rather not be found. Things we hide away inside our thoughts and our hearts that we hope no one would ever be seeking, and if they do, we'll do just about anything we can to keep these things hidden. Does the phrase "skeletons in the closet" sound familiar? I wonder how many of us walk around so afraid that we are going to be "outed" that we end up being a different person entirely, sometimes unfamiliar to even ourselves.

I've been thinking about this today because one of the things I like to read in my devotional time is Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, and today's was talking about the things that can sneak-up in our lives and we attempt to hide them away. Chambers writes, "Maintain a continual watchfulness so that nothing of which you would be ashamed arises in your life." Wow. Ouch. Certainly not an easy thing to do.

It can be pretty easy to hide things from other people, even people that are close to you but then I'm reminded that regardless of who I'm able to hide things from I just can't seem to hide them well enough from Christ. When I stop for a second and think about it, I guess I don't really need to hide anything from God partly because I can't and partly because He doesn't care. It's not that He doesn't care but unlike people who may treat or think of us differently if they found what it was we were hiding, He will only treat us with grace and love. It's pretty incredible to think that though I try to hide this and that from Him, He continues to seek me. A game of hide-n-seek where I don't mind being found.

Righteous Kill

I just saw Righteous Kill starring Al Pacino and Robert De Niro. Maybe I was unfair to the movie going into it because my expectations were pretty high as I really like both of these actors, which could have led to some of my disappointment as I walked out of the theater. Besides the fact that a movie cost $10 (which is another rambling for another day) I came out of the movie thinking it was so-so. It certainly wasn't amazing but it wasn't awful either. I think what really bummed me out was that Pacino and De Niro are great actors, and both did a nice job but it just felt like the story wasn't deep or developed or intense enough to really let them work their magic.

This movie is rated 'R' for a reason and so I would certainly not recommend anyone under 18 seeing it or anyone that is offended by very strong language or violence. Ya know what's funny, as I just wrote that last sentence I thought to myself, "Shouldn't we all be offended by strong language and violence?" I guess I kind of just nailed myself to the wall on this one too huh?!? Well anyways, overall I would give it a B/B- and tell you to save your $10 and rent it when it comes out on dvd (and this is coming from somebody who typically loves Pacino and/or De Niro movies).

Made From Scratch

One of the promises of Christianity that I really like is the ability to start over with a clean slate. Of course this doesn't mean that the consequences of decisions or choices we've made disappear but it does mean that we don't have to be defined by them any longer. It really comes down to the idea of identity. When I enter into a relationship with Christ I no longer have to be defined by the stupid things I have done or said, the hurts I've caused or failed attempts at being "good".

No doubt there are times in our lives when we wish we could just start over. Sometimes it's as though we get caught in this cycle of doubt, depression and despair (sometimes out of our own creation and sometimes the result of others) and we begin to find our identities in these things rather than who we really are. I love that Jesus desires to burst into our lives and give us a fresh start that is only possible in and through Him. How many of us need to hear that promise that the old has gone and something new has come or is coming? Think of all this promise could mean for you in your life; your relationships, your attitude, how you deal with struggles, your physical and spiritual health...sometimes 'scratch' isn't a bad place to start.

6 Years and Counting

Today is mine and my wife's wedding anniversary. The big number six. For our anniversary we (mostly Tai but I was cool with it) decided to take a roadtrip to IKEA in Cincinnati. Now, if you have never been to an IKEA store before it's kind of like an airport, museum, tourist attraction, mini-United Nations, and a more modern design of Target all rolled into one. I have to admit that I really didn't know what to expect other than it was supposedly one of the greatest places on earth according to my wife of 6yrs and as soon as I walked in the door, I was blown away. It's HUGE and there seriously TONS of people. It was crazy!

After spending 2hrs there and only getting lost once we were able to find the checkouts and leave with a couple of things we're both pretty excited about. By this time it was about 6pm and we were pretty hungry. We wanted to do something somewhat special for the occasion so I suggested Skyline Chili but that was quickly vetoed, not to worry as we quickly decided to wait until we got back to Indy to hit up Naked Tchopstix in Broadripple for quite possibly the best sushi we have ever had. Though I was pretty hungry when we left IKEA, it was well worth the almost 2hr drive.

Well, I think I'm going to call it a great day and see if I can get some sleep while my wife works on putting a dresser together....

A Great Day for a Parade

When was the last time you marched in a parade? For me, it was this morning. I am the JV coach of a girls volleyball team for a high school in the area, an area which happened to be having their annual "Fall Fest" this weekend. Apparently, part of the festivities is having a parade through the middle of town and some how, some way the high school volleyball program got "invited" to be in the parade today. Fortunately for everyone involved it ended up being a beautiful day.

Believe it or not, this is not the first parade I have ever been in. See, when you grow up in Holland, MI you experience this thing every year called "Tulip Time" which lasts just about an entire week and has 3 separate parades on 3 different days. So needless to say there are plenty of opportunities to march in a parade one way or another. I wish I had a pic or two of me all decked out in my Dutch costume but I can't seem to find one, if I do I'll be sure to let you know. I was able to take a couple pics with my iPhone from the parade today...

*the names have been blurred to protect the innocent

A Decision for the Ages

Research suggests that something like 80% of Christians make a decision to follow Christ before the age of 18 and after that, the percentage drops significantly of people that decide to follow Christ. I was talking with a couple guys a day or so ago and one of them mentioned how they knew a guy that had decided to be a dentist when he was 18 and now in his 40's, has come to the conclusion that dentistry is not for him.

This led us to start talking about what the implications might be for someone who chooses to become a Christian at an early age, say sometime before they turn 18. Does the immaturity of the individual at the time of "conversion" make a difference in the significance of the decision? Or does the idea that choosing to follow Christ is more a relationship that grows and matures with the individual mean that it doesn't matter how young someone might be when they decide to follow Christ?

I think there is a difference between choosing a career-path at a young age and choosing to have a relationship with someone at a young age, especially if that relationship is with Jesus. It seems like a career "is-what-it-is" whereas a relationship is always able to change, grow, and adapt as the individuals involved change, grow and adapt to life around them but maybe I'm biased since I started my walk with Christ when I was 11.

None of Your Business??

With the Democratic National Convention behind us and the Republican National Convention underway it has been an interesting week or so in American politics. Obama gave a nice speech, lots of stuff he's said already and McCain picked a running mate that not many people could have guessed, Sarah Palin, the governor of Alaska.

Now, I'm not going to spend any time talking about whether or not she's qualified or has the experience or what reasons McCain might have used to giver her the nod as his VP selection (but you are certainly welcome to and I look forward to hearing your thoughts) but I will take this opportunity to say something about the recent "scandal" involving her pregnant daughter.

I think Obama said it best when he said that "family is off-limits in presidential politics, especially children." It seems unfair to judge the competency of a candidate because one of his or her kids makes an unfortunate decision as a 17yr old. Sure you could try to make an argument about "what kind of parent" he or she might be if his or her daughter gets pregnant but that argument seems to fall to the wayside when we all realize that we have all made stupid choices at one point or another and weren't able to blame our parents for it anymore. I'm impressed that the candidates have no desire to even discuss this issue, showing a level of privacy and respect that seems somewhat uncommon in our more recent political campaigns and yet the media insists on pushing this so called "scandal".

What I've found interesting today is hearing how both sides, Republican and Democratic supporters respectively, are using this issue to make the point that she clearly is or isn't the appropriate choice as the potential VP. You say to-ma-to, I say to-ma-to...

The Wheels of Justification Go Round and Round

It's amazing to me how often we find ourselves giving in to temptations that we would have never imagined ourselves giving in to. I'm sure we all know someone that after doing this or saying that has found themselves in a situation they would have never thought possible. Maybe it's just me but I find it scary how easy it is to justify just about anything to myself. I wouldn't say that I am a masterful debater by any means but when it comes to convincing myself of why I should or shouldn't do something, I can make a strong case.

I'm finding that how I deal with temptation and the justification process that starts to take place in my puny little brain go hand-in-hand. I start telling myself things like: "I need this", "I like this", "I will gain something from this", "I've earned this", "I am the only one that will be impacted by this," and so on and so on.

I am guessing we all face different temptations on a daily basis, I know I do and ya know, sometimes I win and sometimes the temptation wins. The difference between who or what wins I've realized has to do with my focus. Obviously as someone who is trying to be like Jesus, my focus must first be on Christ and then on everyone else and when I find that I am out of focus, I become much more susceptible to giving in to temptation, even temptations that seem like they would never be a temptation for me. It's a slippery-slope when our focus becomes all about "me", its then that we find ourselves looking up from the bottom of the ditch wondering how we got there.

On A Crowded Street

Isn’t it great to walk in somewhere, regardless of the size of the room or the number of people, and feel like you belong there? For some reason I've been thinking about this lately and it made me think of a story that describes a radical act of hospitality by Jesus (Mark 5:24-34). I read this story and am blown away by Jesus’ willingness to be hospitable in an almost impossible situation. There were two things that really struck me about how Jesus was able to create an intimate setting for hospitality on an overcrowded street...

The first is that Jesus noticed the individuals around Him, regardless of how busy or how large the crowd got. What a great remedy for the “large church” syndrome of feeling disconnected or feeling as though you're lost in the crowd. Even while He was on His way to somewhere else, He was present with the people around Him.

The second is that Jesus sought people out. Not only did Jesus take the time to notice people but He went a step further and sought them out to make them feel welcome. Even, or maybe better said especially, in a large crowd Jesus looks for a way to practice radical hospitality by connecting with others on an individual level.

Jesus recognized that it wasn’t simply about being hospitable but rather about touching someone’s life. Radical hospitality touches individuals’ lives in way that makes them feel not only welcome but like one of the family. Imagine the impact this kind of radical hospitality could have on the life of your church family, the individuals you notice and seek out around you, not to mention yourself. Now, I’m not suggesting that if you and I practice this kind of radical hospitality like Jesus did some sort of healing will take place…or maybe I am?

A Different Kind of Judgment

A lot of people struggle with judging others, deciding whether or not it is the right thing to do or if it depends on the situation and circumstances. It seems that a lot of Christians are confused by this whole passing judgment thing and often times are too quick to do so. I think there are definitely times when we have a responsibility to other brothers and sisters in Christ to make them aware of things in their life that may be in conflict with the way Christ calls us to live.

The more I've been thinking about this the more I've started wondering if maybe we're missing the things we should be passing judgment on. I don't think it is anyone's place to judge the state or eternal destination of someone's soul but maybe instead we should be "judging" when someone is hurting or lonely and instead of responding by passing judgment, responding with and because of, the love of Christ. I wonder how much hurt could be avoided in people's lives if we "judged" with an attitude of service and love as opposed to an attitude of arrogance.

Weekend In Review

I hope it's not too late in the week to do a "Weekend In Review" but that should give you an idea of how crazy the last couple days have been for me. Not that anyone really cares about what my weekend consisted of but I'll share some thoughts anyways...

Friday - I had a wedding rehearsal that Tai came with me to because the couple invited us both to the dinner afterwards. It went pretty smoothly and dinner was quite enjoyable. Both the bride and groom's families were extremely nice and welcoming, so that was cool.

Saturday - Volleyball practice in the morning. Came home and got cleaned up to do the wedding in the afternoon. The wedding went well, at least I thought so but maybe I'm a little biased. I learned something about myself from doing this wedding...I might be a freak. I say this because I was a sweaty mess up there. What is utterly confusing to me is that I really, truly, honestly was not nervous and yet it must have seemed to anyone that might have seen the sweat beads rolling down my face that I was scared to death. So after I got down drying myself off, I headed home to pick-up Tai for an outreach event our church had with the IU Cru band leading worship. The band sounded great though I'm not sure people were expecting a worship concert. From there we headed downtown to hear one of our friends play as well as one of my wife's favorite bands, Faun Fables. If you have ever heard their music, it is fairly theatrical to say the least. They really were pretty good at telling some interesting stories.

Sunday - I get excited when I get a chance to meet new people at church, not in a stalker sort of way, just in a it's-cool-to-meet-new-people way. We had an outreach lunch after our late service and had it catered by the Kolache Factory. It was ok, not great, not awful. My softball team made it to the championship game of our janky league with only 4 teams in it but hey, a trophy is a trophy and really more importantly, a tshirt is a tshirt. There's no better feeling than wearing a tshirt that you actually "earned" as opposed to picking it out at the Goodwill because you thought it looked sweet. After the big win I promptly headed home to get cleaned-up because my boy Rob, through his sweet hook-up was able to hook me up again with VIP tickets to see Chris Cornell at VWMC. I have to admit that I was pretty excited to see Cornell perform especially with the fact that I didn't have to listen to any other crappy bands, in and out. It was that easy. Unfortunately, Cornell didn't really sound that great and I kind of thought his new stuff was so-so. His band however "outshined" him.

I really enjoy live music so overall I would say a pretty good weekend...and tomorrow is Wednesday.

Did You Hear Something?

I'm not sure we're very good at listening. I know I struggle with it at times as there are so many things going on around me that I fail to really listen because I get distracted by this or that. And then I know there are other times when, because of one thing or another, I don't really want to listen because I might not like what I hear or because it doesn't quite fit into what I'm thinking or want to believe.

We like to hear things that make us feel good or prove our point or show that we were in the right and someone else was clearly in the wrong. I think there are times when we get so upset or have been so badly hurt that we only hear what we want to, regardless of what is actually being said. If only we would stop and really listen to what is being said or not said. I find it almost humorous at how badly our ability to listen becomes when we have already determined what we want to hear because of pain or anger. When I stop and think about it, I wonder how many things I have missed that have been said to me (if I'm honest, probably things I needed to hear) because I had decided I would only hear what I wanted to. I guess James really knows what he's talking about when he says that we should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to get angry. Who would have thought that really listening to what someone says might actually make a difference?

Game On

Like many of you I have been watching the Beijing Olympics and am finding myself completely engrossed in every single event. It could be women's handball, beach volleyball, men's gymnastics or watching Michael Phelps...it doesn't matter in the least, I love watching them all. I haven't watched this much TV in a really long time, maybe about 4yrs or so.

From the opening ceremony, which by the way was incredible, to each and every event so far in the first 3 days of the games the thing that has stood out to me the most is how beautiful the different people of the world are. I was blown away watching the Parade of Nations during the opening ceremonies at how incredibly beautiful each person from each country was. It was a perfect reminder of God's beautiful creativity.

Needless to say I'm pumped there's still 13 days of games to go...

UPDATE: A Close Call

Having had a chance to talk with one of the guys last night that was in the accident a few days ago, I wanted to pass along a quick update to say that they are all back home now and doing well. Here are a couple pics from the whole ordeal...

Michael, the one shown in the pic, was thrown from the car and did not suffer a single broken bone. I'm not sure I would call it a miracle but to be honest, I'm not sure I wouldn't...especially after seeing these pics.

A Close Call

I had just walked out of a coffee shop a few blocks away from my office when I got a call that 5 of the guys that were in my youth group and are now in my college group had just been in a car accident on their way out to Colorado for a camping trip. The details at the time were sketchy but it was not sounding good. Immediately one of the parents had put a call out for prayers for these 5 guys as family and friends waited to hear what had happened and how each of them was doing.

I remember thinking about what a tragedy it would be to lose 5 such great guys, young guys that all had promising futures ahead of them. There was another thought I remember that quickly followed that God was not done with any of these guys yet, all of this was followed by a sense of peace that is hard to understand or explain. I obviously had no idea how this would play out and yet I knew that one way or another God was doing His thing.

I am relieved to say that at this point all 5 of them survived their car rolling at least once and possibly twice causing 1 of the guys to be thrown from the car. Aside from bumps and bruises and one concussion none of them suffered any broken bones. If I stop and think about that too long, it blows my mind. The guy that was thrown from the car is, last I heard, in stable condition with bruised lungs, one of them partially collapsed, and plenty of scrapes, bumps, and bruises. He is staying in the ICU to monitor his lungs as well as make sure there was no major internal organ damage. I can't help but think that somehow God was directly involved in this outcome.

Please know that I am not naive enough to think that if you pray, things will always work out like you want or think they should. I believe with all my heart that God wants good things for His creation but I must also admit that my definition or idea of "good" is so limited in its scope or understanding. I must trust that God who is the very form of "good" has a better grasp of what good actually looks like for His creation than you or I ever will. I know we lose loved ones and it hurts, I don't understand why or claim to but I do believe that there is a Savior who's love, mercy and compassion are greater than all of the hurt, doubt and confusion the world may ever know.

Radiohead @VWMC

I have to start by giving 'props' to my boy Rob for using his hook-up to hook me up with a free VIP ticket to see Radiohead at the Verizon Wireless Music Center last night. VWMC is an open-air venue which worked out great because last night was a perfect night to see a show under the stars.

I was not expecting to go to this show, let alone get hooked-up with being on the VIP list. I have to admit, it felt pretty sweet to roll up to the venue and be able to say that our names were on "the list". I kind of felt like a big deal. By the time we got there, the concert was well underway and Radiohead had already played 2 songs and so we pulled right in to the VIP parking lot, got out and walked right in to the show. We were able to find a place to stand about 15 "rows" up on the lawn in the center section with a great view of the stage.


I mean I'm a Radiohead fan, not a huge fan but I like some of their stuff and I heard they put on an incredible show and fortunately for Rob and I, they did not disappoint. We were both surprised to see how many people were at the show and not to mention the wide variety of people. Everything from Euros, hippies, yuppies and everything in between, including Rob and I. I am not sure I have seen or smelled so many interesting things that could be smoked but needless to say it looked like everyone was having a good time. Remember though, smoking is bad for you.

Radiohead's setlist was impressive and as unpredictable as the band itself. Their light show combined with the pulsing of their music made for a very sweet effect. I am embarrassed to say that I only recognized about 3 songs but despite that, I was impressed by the show. If you are any sort of fan of Radiohead, then I highly recommend getting to one of their shows because you will definitely not regret it. I know I didn't regret enjoying a great show, hanging out with my friend Rob and all of the other tens of thousands of Radiohead fans that made a trip to the cornfields of Indiana to witness quite a performance.

Where Did The Summer Go??

Today, as you are probably well aware it is the 1st day of August. We're already in August, that's crazy! I'm having a hard time remembering where the summer went...between 4 weeks of classes, work and a couple projects around the house it seems like summer just started and yet here we are in August.

Though it flew by, I feel like it has been a fairly productive summer and there's still a couple weeks left. I think the thing I'm most excited about getting done this summer was being able to knock out 6 on-campus graduate credit hours in 2 weeks. It was intense but it was definitely worth it.

I have no doubt that many of you have had an exciting and productive summer and I'd love to hear about it, if you're willing to share, even if it's anonymous...

Poor In Spirit

"Blessed are the poor in spirit..."
I have read this beatitude so many times and yet I’m not sure I’ve ever really understood what it means to be “poor in spirit.” Having read Oswald Chambers’ thoughts on this has given me a new perspective on this passage…Christ’s kingdom is about poverty, not possession. It's as if I'm standing at the gate of the city as a beggar and Christ comes there to meet me, stretches out His hand and invites me to join Him in the inheritance of the Kingdom. Christ doesn't want me to be without yet I must realize that I am a poor being, unable to live up to the standards of Christ and in that poverty allow Christ to begin His work in and through me.

The Dark Knight

I saw the new Batman movie today and am going to share some of my honest thoughts and opinions. If you have seen the movie, I would be curious to hear your thoughts and if you haven't, you may not want to read much further as I share some things from the movie and would certainly not want to wreck it for you.

I have read reviews and heard plenty of hype about this movie and also the performance of Heath Ledger as the "Joker" and so unfortunately for me, I went in with fairly high expectations. I am not going to try and write this as a "formal" movie review but instead just share some thoughts in more of a list form...

1. The first thing I noticed before I even got to the theater was that the movie was 2hrs and 40mins long. That is a long movie.

2. There are waayyyy toooo many plot lines going on in this movie. You've got Batman vs. Joker; Batman vs. himself; the love triangle between Rachel, Bruce Wayne and Harvey Dent; the moral dilemma Batman faces with whether or not to use cell phones to spy on people for their safety; the story of Harvey Dent as he becomes "Two Face". I believe this is most of them or at least the ones I could somewhat keep track of.

3. Not enough Batman. For a movie that is 160mins long you don't see much of the hero. It is unfortunate that we were not given the opportunity to see Christian Bale play the arguably best Batman character in more dynamic scenes, or just more scenes period. I think he looks the part, acts the part and even sounds the part but I know that more from Batman Begins than its sequel.

4. I know that Heath Ledger has passed away since the release of this movie and of course I am sad to hear of someone's passing but I don't think his performance is Oscar-worthy. Personally, I did not find him to be particularly scary and thought that Jack Nicholson played a much better, more convincing Joker. Maybe there is something major I am missing about this flick but I could almost swear that this movie was centered around the Joker and had little to do with anyone else. I can see why critics have talked about Heath Ledger's performance so highly because his performance is the one we spend the most time with.

5. The "new" Rachel Dawes played by Maggie Gyllenhaal is TONS better than the previous one in Batman Begins.

I left the movie not really sure what just happened or what the movie was about. There were so many things going on in the movie that it simply became too much to try carry through for almost 3hrs. Overall I would give it a 'B' and would say wait to rent it unless you can catch it at an IMAX theater, that would certainly add to the entertainment factor if for no other reason than those theaters are cool.