Partner with God

We live between the trees, in a world drenched in God. And some people seriously ask, 'Where is God?' Maybe a better question would be, 'Where isn't God?' I mean, his fingerprints are all over our world. Or maybe it's his world and they're our fingerprints. The City of Richmond where we BREATHE has a program called, 'Partners for Beautification'. I can't think of a better description of what our task, our approach to the environment should be.

Followers of Jesus are people who are committed to partnering with God to make this world, the world that we live in, the kind of place that God originally intended it to be. It is this conviction that has lead us as a spiritual community to 'adopt' a section of the western dyke trail between Francis Road and Blundell Road to... make beautiful.

It is our firm belief that our expression of worship is deep and rich when we sing, pray, discuss, eat, ...and pick up garbage or enhance the beauty of God's creation.
Celebrate with us, you'll find refreshment for your soul, food for your body and spirit, friends for the journey. Living again in these abundant skies!

The Movie Jaws On Different TV Channels

• Lifetime: The shark only attacks women.

• Spike: Shark only attacks topless women who have just gone for a swim in the ocean to clean off after mud wrestling.

• CNN: Billions For Iraq, Why No Money For Shark Defense?

• Fox News Channel: Bill O'Reilly complains that the shark won't come on the No Spin Zone.

• ABC Family: The Olsen Twins make friends with the shark, and it becomes a Protector of the Dolphins.

• Disney Channel: Shark eats Bambi's mother.

• Weather Channel: Shark makes a lunge at Meteorologist Stephanie Abrams, who is on shore covering a hurricane. The shark misses, and is promptly harpooned by Meteorologist Jim Cantore.

• CBS: Special 48 Hours report on how George W Bush skipped out on shark duty in the National Guard.

• PBS: Special Frontline Report: "Sharks vs The Creationists"

• Sci-Fi: George Takei sets his phaser on "Sushi" on the latest Star Trek series spin-off

• Court TV: Forensic evidence shows that it wasn't a shark at all, but a love triangle gone bad.

• History Channel: Hitler's Plan to invade the American East Coast with a race of super sharks.

• ESPN: "Top Ten Greatest Shark Attacks"

• ABC: Brings back the Wide World of Sports for the Barney Cipriani Memorial Cliff Diving & Shark Escape Championship. Live from Acupulco.

• TLC: Re-decorate your shark-fishing boat for under $1000.

• Animal Planet: That Steve Irwin guy keeps irritating the shark until it swims out to sea.

• Bravo: Four gay friends on their annual sponge-collecting outing encounter the shark and kill it. The grateful townsfolk of Amity reconsider their homophobia.

• MTV: Ashlee Simpson gives you her thoughts about the movie, such as they are.

What happens in Vegas, stays.

The truth is, a moral compass can only point you in the right direction, it can't make you go there. Our culture preaches that you shouldn't be ashamed of anything you do anymore. And unfortunately this city is built on the principle that there's no such thing as guilt. "Do whatever you want, we won't tell." So without a conscience, there's nothing to stop you from killing someone. And evidently you don't even have to feel bad about it.

CSI, episode #145

When people or when a generation live merely for finite ends, life becomes a whirlpool, meaninglessness, and either a despairing arrogance or a despairing anguish. There must be weight-- just as the clock or the clock’s works need a heavy weight in order to run properly, and the ship needs ballast.Christ furnishes this weight, this regulating weight, by making it every individual’s life-meaning.

Christ puts eternity at stake.

Into the middle of all these finite goals Christ introduces weight, and this weight is intended to regulate life on earth, both its good days and its bad days. And because the weight has vanished-- the clock cannot run, the ship steers wildly --
human life is a whirlpool.

Kierkegaard

Would 'ya like to buy a Jesus?

We recently watched The Big Kahuna in a few of the Bible classes I teach. I was struck again with this quote by Phil (Danny Devito)...

“It doesn’t matter whether you’re selling Jesus or Buddha or civil rights or ‘How to Make Money in Real Estate With No Money Down.’ That doesn’t make you a human being; it makes you a marketing rep. If you want to talk to somebody honestly, as a human being, ask him about his kids. Find out what his dreams are - just to find out, for no other reason. Because as soon as you lay your hands on a conversation to steer it, it’s not a conversation anymore; it’s a pitch. And you’re not a human being; you’re a marketing rep.”

Please stop trying to market Jesus! He doesn't need it!!

Prove to me that you are redeemed, then we won't need to argue if there is a redeemer.

(i know there is more to say, there's more i'd like to say about all this, but i must get back to typing... more later)

I will finish this, even if it kills me!

It's GO TIME 2

Well last Sunday was the Portland Marathon, and this coming Sunday is the Victoria Marathon... nothing like running two in a row!!


After that, I am incognito while I write a good chunk of my dissertation but...

I'll be back!!