11.29.2003

Hilarious.
The happy couple. I'm tired right now so there isn't much ado about the picture, I just wanted to put it up because I finally got my home computer's internet connection working again. This pic was taken in October at a diner in Carlsbad - we didn't even know about the Coke poster in the background until it was developed.

11.26.2003

uber

Okay so I have now notified the proper authorities and I can post this here: I am now officially engaged to the most amazing woman ever to walk the earth.

On November 14th I called Janelle around 6 in the morning as I usually do. She was in Santa Ana at a conference for Campus Crusade and I told her something was supposed to be delivered to her room. When she opened her hotel room door to check for the delivery she found me with a dozen roses and an engagement ring. I asked her to marry me and she said yes. So yeah, I'm engaged now. Just thought I'd throw that out to share with y'all. I meant to post it up here earlier but wanted to make sure that I told everybody I was supposed to first. AFAIK that's been done. So yeah I'm lucky, luckier than you. Or maybe I should say blessed, because lucky doesn't really give God the credit the way it should. So yeah, I'm blessed, big time.

11.03.2003

mike yac

Mike Yaconelli died a few days ago. You may not know who Mike was, but I certainly do. Mike was the founder of Youth Specialties and a totally amazing man of God. I suppose I can't really describe how much this guy inspired me; not as a youth minister but as a follower of Christ. Mike was so all about being real, being honest, and falling at the feet of Christ. He has had a big influence on me and the way I live my walk. Mike constantly reminded us to love God and love kids. Don't worry about numbers in your groups, cheer when smoking druggie kids come to your church, be honest about how messy your life is. Live a life radically devoted to Christ, walking with Him daily and resting in Him. Being real when you are far from God, and realizing that you are such a work in progress. I have never really been sad before at the death of a celebrity, or an author, or speaker, or someone I don't personally know. I met Mike once at a conference but he was such a real guy and honest heart that I felt like I knew him in some way. He inspired me so much and I am truly sad to see him go.

You owe it to yourself to read his books and listen to any of his tapes that you can find. This man was honestly visionary and such an inspiration. I will miss hearing him and I look forward to seeing him again on the other side of eternity. I sincerely hope that Jesus is patting him on the back, and I fully believe he is hearing "well done good and faithful servant."

One thing I loved about Mike was the fact that he challenged others to think differently but at the same time he was such a humble man. Truly a sinner saved by grace, and he never let himself forget that. From the above article:


Last year, Yaconelli wrote in his latest book, Messy Spirituality, "I just want to be remembered as a person who loved God, who served others more than he served himself, who was trying to grow in maturity and stability. I want to have more victories than defeats, yet here I am, almost 60, and I fail on a regular basis.

"If I were to die today, I would be nervous about what people would say at my funeral. I would be happy if they said things like 'He was a nice guy' or 'He was occasionally decent' or 'Mike wasn't as bad as a lot of people.' Unfortunately, eulogies are delivered by people who know the deceased. I know what the consensus would be. 'Mike was a mess.'"


I hope I'm as messy as him when I grow up.
the niners are so schizo

Halloween was a better time than I initially imagined. Had some random people over for a party at Laura's behest. Turned out well, I enjoyed playing the host and explaining how awesome Janelle is to interested people. The wallpaper in my room survived its first real exposure to the general public and I made it out with very little actual ridicule.

Saw bits and pieces of "The Big Hit," enough to realize I need to watch the movie all the way through. I love movies that don't take themselves seriously. There's a lot to be said for that kind of attitude, in life and in art. Not that I'm calling that movie art, mind you. I'm just saying. Pretentiousness is lame.

I'm still alive, just letting you know that. I swear at some point in the future I'll have interesting things to say to you all. This is a very interesting time of life. It's weird, I'm busy but I'm not entirely certain where all the time goes. I sure don't spend it typing in here.

Oh yeah, you should all read the Old Testament. It really has some good stories. And I swear, I feel like I'm learning so much about God's character through reading it. The way He deals with people and whatnot. Also, you may be familiar with the sentiment that God changes character in the Bible. That is, in the Old Testament He is a vengeful, lightning-chucking deity, while in the New Testament He is a docile hippy of a Creator. Those are both mischaracterizations, evidence of a sad misunderstanding regarding (1) who God is and (2) what the Bible says. God is totally stinkin' awesome, and loving, righteous, just, perfect, and holy. That is such a constant throughout the Bible. Anyway.