The Invitation

God invites us.

To be loved. To come home. To sit on his lap. To be embraced. To be his child. To be understood. To be forgiven. To be challenged. To a purpose. To a mission. To an adventure. To be his ambassador. To be his hands and feet. To be persecuted. To be safe. To understand. To know. To be overwhelmed with mystery and wonder. To be compelled. To be inspired. To rest. To be. To go. To love.

Flagstaff

Last weekend I visited my friends Chris and Angela in Flagstaff, AZ to celebrate their church plant’s five year anniversary. They have been through much hardship in those five years, including losing founding members, financial challenges, and much more. But they are still there, and are not going anywhere. They have not given up; they have stood up.

I was reminded of Psalm 18:25 that says God is faithful to those that are faithful. As I looked around the room last Sunday morning in a coffee shop hosted church service, I saw God’s faithfulness in this church. From the couple with new child that have served in leadership for five years to the young lady that just arrived from Los Angeles. God is telling a story in this community of His faithfulness and love for all people, and it was beautiful to get to see it first hand.

It rains a lot in Flagstaff, but what is unique is that it is almost always sunny, even during the rain. It served as an appropriate metaphor for this young church. Chris and Angela, may God continue to shine through the rain and prove Himself a faithful Refuge for the brokenhearted.

17

When I was 17 I went to Kings Island with my girlfriend of 5 weeks. 17 years later I returned with the same girlfriend and 3 of our kids.

Today was a tiny bit of work and a lot of fun. I credit that primarily to a solid marriage choice and pretty amazing kids. I give 87% of the kids being awesome to my wife, 10% to me, 3% to their teachers and 100% to God’s grace.

So for those still to choose their spouse, or beginning this epic journey of marriage, let me offer this humble yet weathered advice. Be friends, then lovers. In that order. Be on the same page with the spiritual projection and mission of your lives. Be willing to be shaped by your spouse, not just influence. Be full of grace. All the friggin time. And enjoy. Soak. Breathe. Talk. Assume the best and reject the worst. Hang on for dear life and never ever let go.

Beef and Guinness Stew

I have always loved St. Patrick’s Day. No not in for the green beer but for the story behind the man Saint Patrick was ironically not Irish. For more about this amazing man who loved the people of Ireland, check out this video:

So in honor of the holiday, I’m making Beef and Guinness Stew tonight for dinner. Please join me using the recipe below:

Beef and Guinness Stew Recipe

Rich and hearty, this is a great stew to make during cold winter months or anytime you want a hearty stew filled with beery goodness.

This recipe is designed to be made with the unique flavor of Guinness but that doesn’t mean that you can’t experiment with other stouts and porters! Serve it with the same beer you use to make it.

Ingredients:
2 – 3 pounds lean beef, cut into bite-sized chunks
2 Tbsp plus 1 Tbsp cooking oil
2 Tbsp flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 tsp ground black peper
3 medium onions, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 Tbsp tomato paste
24 oz. Guinness Extra Stout (not Draught Style)
2 cups coarsely chopped carrots
1 tsp thyme

Preparation:
Toss beef in a large bowl with 1 Tbsp of oil. Mix the flour, salt and black pepper and red pepper. Add to beef and toss until the meat is evenly coated.

Dissolve the tomato paste in a cup or so of the beer.

Heat 2 Tbsp oil in a large frying pan over med-high heat. Brown the beef on all sides. Add onions, garlic and the beer/tomato paste mixture. Reduce heat to simmer. Cover and let cook for 5 minutes.

Empty the frying pan into a casserole dish and return it to the heat.

Increase heat to medium and add enough beer to cover the bottom. Boil and stir to dissolve the caramelized meat juices in the pan.

Empty the pan into the casserole dish. Add the rest of the beer, the carrots and thyme. Stir and taste to see if you want to add more salt, pepper, etc.

Cover and simmer on the stove top or bake at 300 degrees F for 2 hours, more if you’d like.

Taste and adjust seasoning. Scatter chopped parsley and serve.

Serves 6 – 8.

Flying to India

I brought a “travel” journal with me. The last entry was made 3 years ago while in Kolkata just before my wife and I picked up our son from the orphanage. Then no more entries in the travel journal. A ten month old will do that…

Now he is 4, and my 8-year-old daughter sits next to me as we fly to India. Carolyn is excited, and we are joined by 5 others from our church: Micah, Jordan, Arielle, Carrie N. And Carrie T. We are headed to Bihar, India where Micah will run a 5 day photography program for the kids in the orphanage. I am “leading” this trip, which means logistics, finances and pastoral care. It is a solid team and I am not worried.

Before hopping on our first flight, Arielle pulled out some “get to know you cards” and we socially jumped right in. This is going to be fun.

Heading To India

It has been three years since I was last in India, and I am anxious to go back. This time Carolyn, my 8-year-old, will be joining me, along with 5 other people from our church. The entire team is excited, and scrambling to get last minute logistics taken care of before we fly out tomorrow. The trip is for about two weeks. We’ll spend 5 days in Bihar, India, and 2 days in Kathmandu. Then the team will fly home and Carolyn and I will meet my buddy James in Delhi for 3 days. In Bihar we will be doing a photography program with children in an orphanage. Carolyn is really excited about that part. It will be good to be back in India, and I’m excited to see what God will reveal in our time there. Please pray for us and our journey.

I’ll be blogging the trip here whenever I can get access to the internet…

$34 Birthday Wish

I turn 34 this month. Yes, older than Jesus. Well, sort of…um…nevermind…

My wife asked me what I wanted for my birthday, and I couldn’t think of anything. I truly don’t need anything that I don’t already have or couldn’t go out tomorrow and buy on my own. And honestly, part of me feels a bit sick lusting after yet another tech device or revolutionary electronic tool. I have what I need. And more. So much more. Boxes of more stuffed into my garage, closet, office.

You likely know where I’m going with this…  Yes, many people don’t have as much as I do. Many people don’t have what they need. Many people don’t have basic stuff like shoes and water and food. That’s crazy. That’s out of control. That’s something I can do something about. And so can you.

So my birthday wish this month is that you would donate $34 to ThereIsEnough to address someone’s basic human needs. Food, water, clothing, housing, health care, justice…you pick. $34 can buy a bowl of porridge or beans for 136 hungry people. It can provide 6 families with fresh water for a year. It can provide footwear for 34 previously barefoot people. It can provide building supplies for someone without shelter, basic medicines for those in need, and justice for the victim. Seriously. It can. Only $34. It can make a difference. I want my life to make a difference. I want my birthday to make a difference. I want you to make a difference. I want us to partner together today. Right now. That is my birthday wish. Please donate $34 to ThereIsEnough today.

Weekend in Boulder

4:04 pm, July 5, 2009

We’ve been in Colorado for about a week now, and have spent the weekend in Boulder. It has been great to have some family time with the Razavi’s, and we are staying at Michael and Laura Collins’ house. They are gracious and mellow hosts with a beautiful house on the side of a mountain above Boulder. The view from the back porch is amazing. I keep taking the same picture every day as if God were painting a new picture in the mountains and sky each time.

We will attend church at Origins tonight, which is actually the first time I will have attended Ramin’s church in the four years he has been out here. I’ve just always visited during the week it seems. I get to join in leading worship with the team tonight, which should prove a breath of fresh air to my soul. It will be a different context for me, doing lots of free form “Enter the Worship Circle” songs with Aaron Strumpel and others, including ex-Common Ground rock star Natalie Razavi.

Ramin and I have had some good conversation about church and various philosophies of ministry, including Institutional Church vs. Organic Church, House Church vs. Community, and more. I always feel encouraged and sharpened by our conversations, and am glad and excited to hear him talk of the health and mission of the church here. It is good to have kindred spirits.

God is Sparkle

“God is sparkle!” my 4 year old daughter announced. “Lord of the sparkles!”

These were the words to her impromptu worship song as we drove home this evening. It’s cute when kids sing from their heart to God, but as i heard these words, i was struck by their wondrous and mystic nature. Modernity has taught me that God wears a suit and tie and is to be respected. Baby-Boomer seeker-sensitive churches have taught me that Jesus is my buddy, my copilot, my wing-man. The Post-Modern Emergent movement has taught me that God is organic, mystical, magical, and mysterious. So i desire to distance myself from all these groups out of fear that they have gone to extremes. But what if God is in fact Holy, Friendly, and Mysterious? What if, when He hears “Lord of the sparkles,” He turns his head and says, “Yes?”

Adoption

so my wife and i are about a year into this whole international adoption process, and we got a letter in the mail a couple weeks ago saying that our dossier is finally complete and we are ready to be assigned a child. the letter goes on to point out that a child assignment typically takes 8-12 months, and then paperwork is processed through the courts in India, which takes 4-7 months, and then we can go pick up the child. great. another year of waiting.

then, later that DAY, we get a phone call from the adoption agency, and they have a boy to assign to us. they email us a picture and a 25 page medical document. he was born premature, and was under 4 pounds. he had a hernia, then hernia surgery at 2 months old. he’s had various medical issues and we’ve spent the last 2 weeks or so sifting through it all, asking doctors in the US questions, emailing and faxing doctors in India questions, and trying to figure out what to do. at this point, we have all the information we could possibly get, and yet there are still unknowns, as there will be in any international adoption.

my wife and i have both been very encourage by a story of trust in John 4, in the bible. it is about this government official who approaches Jesus and asks him to heal his son, who is close to death. Jesus tells him, “You may go. Your son will live.” Taking Jesus at his word, and likely having no other choice, the man journeys back home, and is met halfway there by people that work for him. they tell him that his son is better, and tell him what time of day the fever left him. the man realizes that it is the exact time that he spoke with Jesus.

i really feel that God has told us to go. i don’t know what is at the other side of this journey, but i trust God. Mostly. i have my moments of doubt, but for the most part i am confident that God’s desire for our family is at the other side of this journey, and i look forward to bringing our son home soon.

if you are a friend, or simply feel compelled, please pray for us, primarily that we will be able to raise the funds quickly enough to complete this process in 4-7 months. we had budgeted for another year, so we are filling out grants left and right. please pray that God will provide. thank you.