This past weekend, the Gate began weekly services. The group was small, but the technical aspects were good. Really no glitches, which was a first. And for that, we are thankful.
I am, however, more thankful for the fact that the bar is now cleaned on Sunday mornings instead of Monday mornings. Seriously, if you've never seen a bar bathroom after Saturday night and before the cleanup...well, just be glad you've been spared this.
Anyway... the theme of this semester is Hard Times and the New Humanity. It comes out of the obvious relevance of the hard times we are in, but it also points to the fact that the Christian faith has always grown and matured and often expanded when times are hard, or near insurmountable.
This week was the Great Commandment, and the key thing I noticed was that when asked for the greatest commandment, Jesus responds with not one, but two positive commandments. I hear commandment, and think, "Thou Shall NOT..." which is probably what the Pharisees thought, and so Jesus responds with (paraphrased), "Love God with all you have, and love others as yourself. Oh, and by the way, all the other commandments are nothing without these two." Essentially, if you get these two right, the others will begin to take shape in your life. Its not that the 'shall nots' are unimportant, its that they have no backbone without being motivated by love for God and others. If I don't kill you because its a rule,thats good. If I hold back from even being angry with you because my heart breaks for you, thats waaaaay better.
And Jesus is all about the better.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Monday, February 9, 2009
A day of work from home
Due to a nasty computer infection at work, I got to work from home today, and learned of the craziness that goes on while I am away.
*Leslie and Kenna like to wave at the garbage man as he picks up the trash. They also like to wear fancy princess dresses and wedding dresses. Today those two combined, and the garbage man apparently got a very good laugh out of it.
*In our neighborhood, there is a nice man that brings everyone's trash bin back off the street. Everyone apparently races to beat him to it. Its like a neighborhood game, but he is very good.
* When Kenna is in her Snow White dress, she picks it up to run, just like in the movies. Unlike the movies, she lifts it up above the belly button and occasionally blocks her sight. She also loves to wear heeled shoes that make noise as she runs.
*Kristin really does work all day. She's not just saying that.
*Around lunch time, Leslie decided she and Kenna were switching names. So we went along with it. Kenna informed us that, "I not Leslie, I Kenna." with a scowl. Leslie then changed the rules that they were both now Kenna. For the next ten years.
* As I was working on the computer, Leslie was playing behind me. I said 'Boo!' No response. "Did that scare you at all?" "Yes. I'm going to scream like a little girl in a minute, but quietly."
I love my family.
*Leslie and Kenna like to wave at the garbage man as he picks up the trash. They also like to wear fancy princess dresses and wedding dresses. Today those two combined, and the garbage man apparently got a very good laugh out of it.
*In our neighborhood, there is a nice man that brings everyone's trash bin back off the street. Everyone apparently races to beat him to it. Its like a neighborhood game, but he is very good.
* When Kenna is in her Snow White dress, she picks it up to run, just like in the movies. Unlike the movies, she lifts it up above the belly button and occasionally blocks her sight. She also loves to wear heeled shoes that make noise as she runs.
*Kristin really does work all day. She's not just saying that.
*Around lunch time, Leslie decided she and Kenna were switching names. So we went along with it. Kenna informed us that, "I not Leslie, I Kenna." with a scowl. Leslie then changed the rules that they were both now Kenna. For the next ten years.
* As I was working on the computer, Leslie was playing behind me. I said 'Boo!' No response. "Did that scare you at all?" "Yes. I'm going to scream like a little girl in a minute, but quietly."
I love my family.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Coming Together
Like many thousands (millions?) of households, we hosted a Super Bowl Party this past weekend. Ours was, of course, for the Gate.
Since it was for the church, we used the church's sound equipment and projector for the ultimate game experience. After a full day of cleaning, and another full afternoon of rearranging furniture, people started to come in. We ended up with a good crowd, and way too much food.
Since no one was vested in any one team, for the most part, no fights broke out. There were good natured threats of course. And one person was calling the score, but no one else wanted the prize of all the left over food.
The Denny's "Nannerpus" commercial was the big hit, and I have enjoyed watching facebook friends add pictures of this strange breakfast food. The commercial apparently failed its mission, because rather than turn folks off of the ridiculous food, several of us were wanting to consume the nannerpus.
In the midst of all this, something great happened. People talked. College students and young adults interacted with small kids, and everyone spent the evening catching up and getting to know each other better. It was great for building community, and it was great to be a part of.
We also learned a valuable parenting lesson. When your preschool daughter wants to take her shirt off, like the 2 year old boy (he had spilled alot on his shirt) the difusing of this potential bad habit is to inform the girl that the cool factor of a girl in a princess dress is equal to or greater than the cool factor of a shirtless boy.
On many levels.
Since it was for the church, we used the church's sound equipment and projector for the ultimate game experience. After a full day of cleaning, and another full afternoon of rearranging furniture, people started to come in. We ended up with a good crowd, and way too much food.
Since no one was vested in any one team, for the most part, no fights broke out. There were good natured threats of course. And one person was calling the score, but no one else wanted the prize of all the left over food.
The Denny's "Nannerpus" commercial was the big hit, and I have enjoyed watching facebook friends add pictures of this strange breakfast food. The commercial apparently failed its mission, because rather than turn folks off of the ridiculous food, several of us were wanting to consume the nannerpus.
In the midst of all this, something great happened. People talked. College students and young adults interacted with small kids, and everyone spent the evening catching up and getting to know each other better. It was great for building community, and it was great to be a part of.
We also learned a valuable parenting lesson. When your preschool daughter wants to take her shirt off, like the 2 year old boy (he had spilled alot on his shirt) the difusing of this potential bad habit is to inform the girl that the cool factor of a girl in a princess dress is equal to or greater than the cool factor of a shirtless boy.
On many levels.
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