Carlin

OK, first Tim Russert and now George Carlin!
Two of my favorites have finished their course.
I always thought Carlin was the best.
I remember being a young man and laughing out loud when he did his thing.
My God, this life is brief, beautiful, and full of absolutely amazing people.
One of the things these two dudes had in common was their passion for life and for their craft. And they were both the best at what they did. Period.
So, I went out to the library yesterday and got one of his books titled something like When Will Jesus Pass The Pork Chops?
Pass one to George now will you Lord?

Rock On RockOm

Hey Amados,

Check out my friend Trevor's new site www.RockOm.net

This is a new good path for the kingdom song.

Psalm For Today

Beloved!
Whatzup?
God is good.
All the time.
All the time.
God is good.
I hope you're well.
I pray for your wholeness and shalom.
Peace Peace Peace!
My mom fell into the bathtub last night. There were family and neighbors present to respond. But oh Lord help us to get those two beloved ones in the nursing home! Save us Jesus and save the families and situations of those for whom we are concerned.
The good news is that God desires to be the king of our hearts, minds, lives and world!
May it be so.

To Life!

So, let's see.
I'm getting about a half day off, but I am needing and enjoying it!
Watching the Cubs and Sox and eating junk food.
Got Shalom Community tonight, and Schnepps are coming for that as well as
the art show in FW where Kev will hang his photos.

I'm thinking that the love of life and fully living life is a very good thing.
Life is short and precious and calls for our full participation.
I heard someone described the other day as "a force of nature." Nice.
We've seen some pretty strong forces of nature lately that have devastated quite a few lives. But nonetheless, there is a lot of power in those storms, and folks know for sure that the wind has blown and the water has flowed. We know for sure we have witnessed a powerful force.
If we fully embrace life perhaps slowly yet surely we too can become more and more a force of nature. Folks will know for sure they have witnessed love, light, a serving heart, joy, peace, compassion for the broken, and love for God and all of God's creation.

I know things can get real stressful. We wonder whether we can get it all done, carry on, and continue to make a difference. But if right in the middle of it all we can remember that life is such an amazing gift which is to be fully appreciated and embraced with all we are, then I believe we will be able to move on with what needs to be done and do that with a sense of joy and perspective.

LeChaim!

Here's To The Man

Went to Chicago this weekend to celebrate my birthday and life itself
with the family. Nice!
Joy and I got around town for the first on the elevated.
Watching the Lakers and Celtics tonight!

I miss Tim Russert. He was a hero to me.
Smart as a whip.
Came from the working class.
Thorough and tough yet fair and kind.
A devout Catholic.
Family man.
The #1 political voice!
A group of us pastors were traveling and were at the airport in New York. I recognized Russert and went over to tell him that I really appreciated his work. He asked me about my mullet, and I told him that it was business in the front and party in the back.
God bless his wife Maureen, his son Luke, and dad Russ today with your peace and power.

God Grant Us

BEEN very busy lately, and I'm so tired tonight. But as my papa would say, so is the coal miner at the end of the day.

MY dog Jamie is 14 on Friday and I turn 54 on Saturday. How I love life and the life of knowing God.

CAN we help create some groovy neighborhood churches that bring light to the neighborhood?

IS God really greater than all the misery and senseless loss of life that happens in war, disease, storms, and famine? Yes! But!

I stand before God with naked trust.

I'M having a blast taking pictures with my cell phone, and it is so good for my soul. I think I'll put them in a book.

JOY is studying Speech Pathology like a warrior, and we all have calls on our lives. May God grant us what we need. May God grant us what we need.

I Know The Secret

He's done it to me again!

Brian McLaren has totally changed the way I see the world and read Scripture. Since hearing him speak and reading Everything Must Change, my whole perspective has changed.

I'm more aware of the environment than I ever have. I'm sitting in Taco Bell thinking of all the waste that's generated with the wraps, cups, lids, straws, etc. from fast food. I think, what if every fast food restaurant had recycling stations instead of trash receptacles?

I'm reading about the high price of gas, and reading comments from people who think we should go drill for more oil no matter what the cost to the environment, because we Americans have a "right" to cheap gas. One commenter even said that high gas prices would lead to the extinction of the human race. But high gas prices are reducing consumption (according to this week's Business Week magazine), and therefore, reducing waste, which could be the REAL cause of human extinction. And Americans are finding ways to reduce consumption of other goods to pay for their gas, and turning in their gas guzzling SUVs and buying fuel-efficient vehicles. I can't believe I'm saying this, but if reducing consumption and waste means I have to pay a higher price for gas, then I'm willing to shell out the money. I even wrote a letter to the local paper saying essentially that.

We were reading Isaiah 5 in Sunday Bible study class. The class was discussing the "woes" verses. The question was, what were the sins of the people? Some responses were drunkeness, taking bribes, etc. I look at those verses and saw something else. I saw sins of over-consumption, hoarding wealth, inequality, and injustice. I spoke up and pointed this out to the class.

It's like I've heard a secret, the secret message of Jesus, and too few have heard it. I'm trying to share it. I hope someone is listening.

My dad yelled at me today,
and I yelled right back...even more harshly.
We ended up ok though sharing a meal and getting groceries.
But the moment represents the barely contained struggle.
Anger and pain are part of love,
and the reign of God can happen none the less...I guess.
No, I know.