hopefully life will get somewhat simpler, as well.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espnradio/podcast/archive?id=2864045

the frankthepodcasters are fairly wonderful people (though i have only met four of them).

plus its funny.

check it out on itunes, through the website, or become a facebook fan.

The remarkable part of this book is not that the parents let their 14 year old daughter convince them to do this, but that they entered into this two year process of meeting together and talking about what their family response to hunger and poverty should be. Sure, to sell their house is an astounding, counter-cultural act of sacrifice in the name of philanthropy. But how they did this – not just what they did – is why every American family should read this book.

Go to a bookstore, find The Power of Half, grab a latte and read the first chapter. Also, bring enough money to purchase the book once you’re hooked.

Special thanks to NPR for featuring the father/daughter (Kevin and Hannah Salwen).

Check out The Power of Half at their website or Facebook fan page.

i’m reading again. sure, harry potter, but also a few non-fictions. i’m looking forward - planning summer trips for ncpc, a vacation for myself in the spring (nyc for the niece or ecuador for the jensens?), and a brief getaway next week to forest home to read, think, pray and hike.

we’re beginning work projects inside the dome: got rid of four couches and now are repainting the stage and coming up with ideas for the padded walls. we’d like to make them look less like old pillow-cases.

still unpacking and settling in the apartment. need to pick up a few pieces of furniture. and decide on where to put my clothes.

becoming myself again also means more introspection. more thinking about who i want to be. who i am becoming. what kind of youth group should we have? what kind of car should i drive? how can i better spend my mornings? how can i free up more space in my life to do what i am passionate about?

i hope this sticks. i like being me way more than just being busy.

i looked at my calendar which goes back to may, read twitter posts since march, perused sent messages from gmail, reviewed my reading list (kept this for the second straight year), glanced at facebook posts and office wall calendar, reviewed my ‘to do sometime list’ for recent accomplishments (’09 was sparse in this category), and spoke with a few friends.

the process and product have been incredibly cathartic. 2009 was full. and significant. i didn’t know that. i hope to do this annually. it took about five hours. but i am more thankful to God, family and friends for this past year than i ever would have been.

most dates are estimated. favorite quotes and books read are thrown in near where i found or finished them. very little is left out.

i can’t wait to do this next year.

january: received new vacuum from mom and dad; read master, mission, mate because a guy at sdcc told me to; preached at presbyterian church in orange county and felt gifts affirmed; larrivee guitar repaired at factory in oxnard; obama inaugurated as first african american president; created ‘how not to give a mission trip report’ for sdcc missions conference; went desert camping at anza borrego with the grays, clarks and kirklands, and didn’t feel like a seventh wheel;

february: finished the brothers karamazov; hours cut at sdcc to 30/wk, found 2nd job as accountant at crossway fire protection in north park; read obama’s first memoir dreams of my father; wrote four excellent skits for homecoming and realized that i really love writing skits;

march: purchased my first iphone; created twitter account; played froccer for first time - kind of loved it; kyle finds job at ncpc on internet, lobbies for me to leave school; informed i would be laid off at end of school year, dashing kyle’s dreams; prayed that i could be a youth pastor for a presbyterian chuch in san diego, san francisco or austin, tx; used the new vacuum for the first time; began putting my resume together again; easter in castro valley with old friends; nathan finds minh ky in city heights for delicious noodle

april: senate camping trip to emma wood in ventura; attended laker game with dad; interviewed for youth pastor positions at presbyterian churches in san diego and austin; read child of god in one sitting while bored at craig’s in austin; saw dengue fever with craig; first 20 minute interview with ncpc lasts three hours with steve scoville; jay cutler traded to bears; mva video about an entire hall of girls at sdcc being in love with me; lost my bible; preached about righteousness coming only from Jesus in chapel

may: co-wrote/produced second annual year end show for sdcc chapel; hosted second annual senate retreat in ventura; visited getty villa in malibu for first time; got san diego presbyterian youth pastor job; week long trip to cancun; read radical reformission, twilight, the life of pi and crazy love on vacation; robbed at gunpoint, held against my will for an hour, tied up and left in cancun apartment; only actual casualty was stolen iphone; purchased 2nd iphone; got second job at peet’s coffee in la jolla; disappointed with shamwow while washing about 100 cars for first act as youth pastor at ncpc;

june: started both new jobs on june 1; learned to swing dance a bit; performed wedding for nathan and sarah; finished the river why; first annual jr high big bear trip; swim & studies began for youth group; began teaching on attributes of God for third time; kalsbeek twins spend a weekend in san diego splitting time between my apartment in north park and a crossfit gym in ramona; played froccer for last time;

july: moved to encinitas apartment with internet and 3/4 a kitchen; ‘we are not called to be successful but to be faithful,’ mother theresa; met with matt kirkland about a new city gates website for ncpc; hume lake high school summer camp; woke up to five frogs jumping on me; speeding ticket on the way to camp; saw pinback at del mar fairgrounds; ron artest signs with lakers

august: groomsman for nathan and livvy; surfed for first time in 10 years, then three more times that month; taught niece emily to surf at silverstrand in oxnard; sold xbox 360 in atypical adult move; first annual 007 james bond nite for ncpc

september: attended second college football game (go usc!); preached ‘labor of love’ in big church for first time at ncpc; read the prodigal God by tim keller; began preaching through james for the third time; began gospel centered life study with staff at ncpc, best study i’ve ever been a part of

october: ‘most necessary is it that we know (the gospel) well, teach it to others, and beat into their heads continually’ martin luther; preached sdcc’s bible conference ‘God doesn’t need you but i do’; flew through a million miles in a thousand years and was struck by its significance; fresh conference with francis chan and david crowder; preached in big church for first ncpc family service ‘we are family’; ‘we can do not great things, only small things with great love. it is not how much you do but how much love you put into doing it,’ mother teresa; read gates of fire, based on same story as 300 but with less gratuitous nipple showing; started making soup once a week

november: turned 33; started playing bass every other week at harbor uptown after five month hiatus; preached at ncpc ‘the love of God’; ncpcfamily.org goes live; mcrib returns to mcdonalds…oh the humanity; watched invisible children with group; joined vision team at church, meetings begin; promoted to shift leader at peet’s; second annual san diego pie night; reread the road, again in only four days, in preparation for its theatrical release; moved from weekly soup to chili

december: finally finished the irresistible revolution after reading most of it this summer; didn’t catch the road before it stopped being shown in theaters; ‘the church is a whore, but she is my mother’, st augustine; attended first ballet of my life; isaac improv boys ryan and tim celebrate their third annual san diego sleepover in my third different apartment; attended adisa’s ‘a black nativity’; attended second ballet; won staff party christmas sweater contest; realized i am a second musician, not a primary leader; acted as pastor to my parents for first time during 90 miunte conversation about mom’s just diagnosed breast cancer; read the outer dark, one of three christmas mccarthy novels from kim; back to soup; realized i have lived in five different decades

and i also LOVED a million miles in a thousand years. everyone should read it. loved it!!!

Master, Mission, Mate Graves 1/13/9 Christian Living
The Brothers Karamazov Dostoyevsky 2/1/9 Fiction
Dreams of My Father Obama 2/28/9 Memoir
Child of God McCarthy 4/26/9 Fiction
Radical Reformission Driscoll 5/8/9 Missiology
Twilight Meyer 5/17/09 Fiction
The Life of Pi Martel 5/20/09 Fiction
Crazy Love Chan 5/23/09 Christian Living
The River Why Duncan 6/12/09 Fiction
The Prodigal God Keller 9/27/09 Theology
A Million Miles in a 1000 Years Miller 10/06/09 Theology
Gates of FirePressfield 10/26/09 Historical Fiction
The Road McCarthy 11/29/09 Fiction
Irresistible Revolution Claiborne 12/3/09 Christian Living
The Outer Dark McCarthy 12/27/09 Fiction

reminds me of derek webb.  i love it.  the church is incredibly flawed.  because it is filled with people.  who are broken.

but that is God’s design.  to use us.  as we are.  tainted.  yet Christ-reliant.  Christ-centered.  Christ-aiming.  Christward-bound.

the church is a whore but she is my mother.

and i love her.

Donald Miller wrote, “I am a tree in the midst of a forest and it is arrogant of me to think differently. The story of the forest is a much better than the story of the tree.”

You are a part of a movement that began before time – a movement of a people redeemed by a God who chose His people at an unthinkable price – this God was a most magnificent God – a HUGE, beautiful, glorious, wonderful God – a God who better than all the best things we can imagine.

This God, whose story fills the pages of this book and every ounce of wonder and love human heart has ever felt – this God has chosen the foolish things of this world – you and me – to lead the wise things of this world – everyone who thinks they’ve got it figured out.

For every time that any man, woman or child has taken a breath and attempted to self-medicate and escape the loss and loneliness of this world – that moment was an opportunity for a beggar like you to listen and to love them – to model brokenness and dependence upon God (which is demonstrated through interdependence upon each other).

When you first saw God in His throne room – whether or not you saw the angels – you then looked at yourself and cried “help me!” – and God sent His Son with the burning coal of the empty tomb – and he touched His perfect life to yours, took your sin and filth and stench, and replaced it with His own perfect righteousness – you can never do anything to pay Him back You cannot earn or lose His love. For God’s opinion of you is based solely upon the finished work of Christ on the cross.

Now with this stature that you have attained through simply responding to the offer of redemption with an inaudible – faintly whispered, awestruck “yes please” - now you are in the throne room…

Hebrews 4:15-16 “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

You are in the throne room right now, listening to a conversation of the trinity discussing their forest – their movement that Jesus began with 12 ugly, awful men. Hey you wanna jump in?

You are a tree in the midst of a forest and it is arrogant of you to think differently. The story of the forest is a much better than the story of the tree.

Join the forest. Get in the midst of the movement.

There are millions of Americans who sit in church for hours every week who are dying and going to hell. And you have everything you need to change them inside of you – namely Jesus, and a willingness to share life – your imperfect life – with them.

I need you.
We need you.
Kids need you.
Families need you.

You are significant because Christ has made you significant.

⁶ On this mountain the LORD Almighty will prepare
a feast of rich food for all peoples,
a banquet of aged wine—
the best of meats and the finest of wines.

⁷ On this mountain he will destroy
the shroud that enfolds all peoples,
the sheet that covers all nations;

⁸ he will swallow up death forever.
The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears
from all faces;
he will remove the disgrace of his people
from all the earth.
The LORD has spoken.