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Redding local commercials have to be the most hilarious things you've ever seen. We just saw a car commercial that had a guy that painted his face green, wearing a fuzzy green body suit, and a kermit the frog taped to his head jumping around the cars yelling REBATE...REBATE...REBATE.
Hilarious!
So the Stirring community of bloggers is starting to take off. Go check out the blog roll on the side. It seems like I'm adding people every day. The Riverside crew is in full effect. Why is it that I'm having a hard time finding the motivation to blog? Could it be that I am sick again...that's right folks...I can count on one hand that amount of days I've been well in Redding. Honestly, I don't think that's it. I'm enjoying reading other blogs and sitting back like a proud papa of two really cool blogging communities. I think you should all become friends and then my joy would be complete. I just sounded like the apostle Paul.
Anyways...I'm hoping the fire will come back soon. Keep givin' love to the Rev...you know he always brings the rock!
I was at the C3 conference in Dallas and we were super busy. They had a ton of sessions and we spent a lot of time talking about where the Stirring is going. It was a great time. The speakers were really good...T.D. Jakes can throw down. I'm so mad that I didn't take a picture of our sleeping arrangements. Nate and I shared a double bed...it was amazing! He wrapped himself completely in a sheet to avoid any accidental touching. There's a lot of ways to grow close to your staff but I can't think of anything that will do it quicker than sharing a double bed!
So Nate, Patrick, Nate's dad (Dale) and myself are in Texas for a few days at the creative church conference. Felt like we were traveling all stinkin' day. Up at 5am...took off at 7am...2.5 hour layover in Denver with delays...delays on the plane on the way to Dallas...get a rental car...get to the hotel...don't even get out...check in and drive for an hour looking for the church...find it...go through the first session...come home...drop off Nate who's felt like he's gonna puke all day...grab some Burger King...nasty...blog...bed. I'll let you know how tomorrow goes.
Last night we had Sean and Rebecca and their two little ones (Skylar and Caleb) over for dinner. Sean is the executive chef at Tierra Oaks so Alyssa was having panic attacks about the meal but she knocked it out of the park. Chicken Marsala, rice pilaf, bread and this salad that was amazing. We had a great time. It's nice to start making memories with new people. When you first move to a place it's kind of like summer camp and there's this weird feeling like you'll be headed back home soon. But that feeling is starting to wear off little by little and nights like last night are making it a lot easier. Thanks Gafners!
The church is the single, multi ethnic family promised by the creator God to Abraham. It was brought into being through Israel's Messiah, Jesus; it was energized by god's Spirit; and it was called to bring the transformative news of god's rescuing justice to the whole creation. pg. 200
N.T. Wright (Simply Christian)
Nate and I snuck out last night for the late showing of There Will Be Blood. Daniel Day Lewis does some of the best acting I've ever seen. He's one of those guys that isn't in a ton of movies but every one he's in is epic. I've seen him in Gangs of New York, Last of the Mohican's, In the name of the father...great in every one. I could talk for a long time about this movie but it needs to be experienced. Any one else see it yet?
Bought this CD for Alyssa on Valentines Day...it rules. First song seriously blows my mind. The passion, dynamics and harmonies that come out of two people, an acoustic and a piano are ridiculous. Go see the movie, go buy the soundtrack, it doesn't disappoint.
We went to Tierra Oaks for dinner with 3 other couples and had a great time. Our friend Sean is the executive chief there and he makes amazing food.
I love my wife...she blows my mind. Our first date was on a Valentines day thing our church put together. I was 17 and she was 16. That gives us 14 years of being together. I'm 31 now and I love her more every year that I get to know her. It's amazing that you can know a person better than anyone else in the world and still learn things all the time. I'm a lucky man. I love you Alyssa!
Up at 4am for some reason...come down stairs and start reading the bible. We are talking about new heavens and new earth this week at the Stirring. There is so much to chew off...I can't read fast enough. 7am is prayer with Nate and the advisory team. 8-11am. Nate and I at our weekly Starbucks ritual of caffeine, bible, dreaming, N.T. Wright, questions, journal, talk about Life Groups and sermon. Back to the office...meet with the principal of Cypress elementary school at 3pm...we are raising money with our music, art and film festival to purchase school supplies and basic necessities to kids that live in poverty...the school is pumped. We are starting a long time relationship with this community and school. Painting, making films, designing their school shirts, moving some sheds, sanding some chairs. Lots of needs...can't wait to get started. Then we went to city hall. The mayor and city councilman was there. A teacher from the Stirring created a program with her students to prepare them for the work place...awesome stuff. They are talking about starting the program throughout the county. Came home, dinner with the fam, ichat with mom, movie, bed. What does tomorrow hold?
Yesterday was the first time in a month that my throat felt good. I was so pumped that this thing was ending. Today I woke up and the above pictured part of my throat is killing me. I've got to get this figured out...it's killing me.
Side note: When did my chest hair get so out of control? There is very little distinction between where my beard ends and my chest hair begins.
Side note 2: Yes...that is my Cush shirt that I have been rockin' since 2000. Steve and I have the same shirt and we still wear it. I rock mine almost every morning and when I work out. It's more pink than it is red now but I'm down with pink. At least the neck isn't stretched out. :)
Side note 3: If you don't owe Cush's first album your life is not complete...period!
I just posted on the Stirring blog about last night. If you play guitar you will feel my pain...if you don't you'll still realize what an idiot I am. How many times have you done this Adam and Mike?
Trav, Annette and the kiddos came up for a couple of days. Today we went to the snow to go sledding. We had a lot of fun...although both of our kids sound like they have the bubonic plague and Jonah's asthma flared up because of our dog. We found our way around all that and had some great time hanging out. It's always great to hang with the Osborne's and we miss them a ton.
This picture sums up every snow experience we've ever had with Zeke. When you tell him we're going to the snow he will talk about it non-stop for two weeks. When you actually get to the snow he will lay down and cry for 90% of the time. Seriously...the picture says it all. And no...that's not Zeke's powder blue puffy jacket. We forgot his so he's sporting one of Payton's extra jackets!
This last pic is our daughter dressed like the abominable snowman and rockin' the slopes for the first time.
I've been at the blog thing for about a year and four months now. I'm averaging about a post a day. There's a ridiculous crew in Riverside that blogs now and the Redding crew is just getting started. I'd love to hear who's been comin' around revrock since the beginning and who's new. It's been a fun ride. Posting has been a little more sporadic in Redding but I'm still trying to find my rhythm up here. My blog is kind of random if you haven't picked up on that yet. I post about family, kingdom, sports, music, books, politics, non sense and funny stuff. It's a way for me to decompress my day and stay connected with people. I love the fact that I still have a community in Riverside that I can keep up with through their blogs. Anyways...sound off if you're a Revrock regular. It's party time...500 posts baby!!!
Did anyone see this comin? I already loved watchin' the Suns. Now I don't have to watch Marion launch up those ugly 3's!
And let be just get it out there before I get some Laker fans on here talkin' about Pau Gasol. The Lakers are still horrible...now they just have a real tall, awkward guy in the middle!
I'm still voting for Jesus in '08 but I'm thinkin' it would be pretty cool if we didn't have a ding dong in the white house so I'm headin' out to vote. Alyssa and I didn't declare a party when we moved so we can vote in the Democratic primary and the final election. For some reason you have to be registered Republican to vote Republican...doesn't make a lot of since. I'm not giving away who I'm voting for but the name starts with a letter towards the beginning of the alphabet...followed by another word for stone....middle name is the last name of a deceased dictator from the middle east...last name rhymes with yo mama! (No one's figurin' that one out) I got love for other candidates...who you voting for? Is that illegal to share in cyber space? Leave it in code like I did and no one will ever know.
...was so much fun at the Stirring. I posted some thoughts here. I was leading worship at the 7 o'clock gathering and we ended with the song, "God of Justice" by Tim Hughes. It was the first time a lot of people had heard the song but they were really diggin' it. We kept the music going and I was singing and all of a sudden I look down and Nate hands his handheld mic to Jake. Nate gives me the keep playing look (you've gotta be a musician to know that look!) Jake starts bustin' into "The enemy has been defeated" by Hillsong. It was amazing. The song had the same chords...he realizes it...the message is perfect with what Nate has been talking about...so he starts leading everyone from the front row...it was awesome!
Then we have this older gentleman that has been coming to the Stirring that gets up to pray. He has been meeting with us about his heart for Ghana. He's from Ghana himself and his prayer was ridiculous. It was one of those times that no one plans for but turns out better than something we could of planned out for 30 years. Great night.
I've been trying to upload pics on my last three posts and it hasn't let me. Is it a blogger thing or am I doing something wrong?
In retrospect...given the choice now...I'm not sure what I would chose.
It sounded like a good idea. I needed a desk for work and we need a desk at the house.
IKEA is no longer 45 minutes away for us. 2.5 hours down and 2.5 hours back makes for quite a day with the kids and a sick wife. Getting the desks into the car is being written into history right behind the miracle of turning water into wine...it was out of control. There were boxes looming over both of our kids car seats in pretty precarious positions. It was raining...windy...freezing. For some reason we ended getting the kids in and out of the car 37 times. I was so stressed out when we left that I ran through McDonald's and ordered a hot fudge sundae and a large diet coke. I haven't had diet coke or aspartame for 4 or 5 months now. It was crazy...I used to live on diet coke and now it tastes like battery acid! The sundae was amazing though. And those little Swedish meatballs were a little bit of heaven.
We made it home...we have two desks...we have two headaches!
