obligatory oscar poll

allright. i know there is not much time, but lets see who you think will win the big 4 oscars. if you happen to stumble acorss this after the oscars or even if you just want to, post who you think should have won. they may not even be nominated, a la eternal sunshine.

1. Movie
2. Director
3. Actor
4. Best foreign documentary
relax, just joking around
5. Actress

as well if you want to throw in the bonus question.
best three actors (that is a gender neutal term nowadays) of your time, meaning they have made a movie since you have been alive, although they may be dead now.

i'll post later

only in oakhurst (OIO)

i think there is so much that happens in this town that is worth noting. so thus begins the OIO. hopefully with some consistency and randomness there will be OIO posts. tonight they began. it has been sometime since i have enjoyed a saturday night. usually we are bound to the hill hosting the group that is present. i felt comfortable and called to leave tonight though. so steven and i headed down had pizza with the capps and then went to a united youth group worship time. it was at sierra pines. the team that led worship was a group of local seniors in high school. it was absolutely beautiful. musically they lead with talent and giftedness, but more than that they took us into his presence. there were a few different youth groups present and hopefully it will grow. this is the 4th time they ahve hosted this event. a word against apathy was spoken out and the call to 2 timothy 2 reproduction of the gospel as spoken on. entrust this to those that will entrust it to others. i enjoyed the time there greatly. jesus is calling this place to unity and we'll see where he leads it. the call to apathy was spoken to older people who were present and once again the daily living was called out. our daily living will develop disciples and worship will pour out of that.
now time for the first OIO. only in oakhurst could you go from a great time of worship and being with jesus to a coffee shop and sit in on a nice bluegrassjam. the "grind" or Yosemite Coffee Co. is being resurrected for those that care

Calling Me Out

long but...

it has been a long time since i couldn't sleep at night. but for some reason there was this rumbling in my stomach that couldn't settle down. it could have been the double americano pulled with long shots, otherwise known as a guiness, due to the body and head that the americano has, or it could have been the hobo pack we ate over at the burn pile outside our home. either way i am awake and so it is a good time to blog. the wrestling that i spoke of began with the lyrics to this song by don chaffer:

Against the Window Pane

by Don Chaffer

I believe the heart’s a theatre,
and that the actors on its stage
are playing dreams but they’re imposters
and that the devil pays their wage.

I believe the passion of that drama
that we’re certain is for real
is a diversion for our senses
while the director comes to steal.

CHORUS
And ever since I was a little kid, I didn’t want to run away,
But it scared me half to death to think that I might have to stay.
I’ve had a hundred scarecrow certainties.
I’ve built a wooden drawbridge for my brain.
But they all burn up
when I see Your face
against the window pane.

I believe that in the passionate,
there’s a part that is divine
I’ve seen the cosmos in a woman’s smile,
tasted eternity in wine.

But I don’t just believe in sentiment,
or miracles of everyday.
I believe that there are lepers healed.
I believe the dead are raised.

BRIDGE
Jesus was a lover. He had a fire in His eyes
that could burn away excuses, cremate your alibis.
He had a gaze that would expose to you all the subtle lies
that your soul permits your heart to tell concerning all that it denies.

a great album if you dont have it. but the part in bold is what began me thinking. do i really think that? do i really believe in more than the "miracles of everyday. that there are lepers healed that the dead are raised."? i began to pray.

i was randomly given a book in the fall from a friend called red moon rising. written about the 24-7 prayer movement that began in europe and is now international. last spring i made contact with a couple named the baileys, who are involved working with 24-7 prayer in spain, i've mentioned them before. as i read this book i realised there was a global thing that is taking place in the kingdom of god. i know some will get hung up on the connection of global and kingdom, but that is just it. jesus has chosen a people on this globe to make his name and glory known and to usher in his kingdom. we are a part of that. anyway this book began to stir in me another whole aspect of prayer and the transformation of the generation that is to come. i think this generation will be a kingdom generation. by this i mean that there will be a large number of younger people, yet it will involve and has already invovled people of the faith who will teach and lead and be a part of it just as much. thus a generation built in the reality of the kingdom. call me naive, but...

24/7
so i devoured that book and began praying what Jesus would have for us here up in the mountains in california with CommonFire the community we live in. i began to be enamoured by this movement and looked forward to seeing where it was headed, and jesus quickly spoke and said be obedient to me in the small and daily living and a movement/revolution of the kingdom will take place. so true. that is what 24/7 is centered around. people living obediently to jesus, praying for change and direction and living in full submission to him, not worrying about a lot but being consumed with his causes. no program no gimic just obedience to pray and act.

Sermon on the Mount
ever since i finsihed reading divine conspiracy some time ago, the sermon on the mount has held a whole new place in my life. it is the greatest teaching of jesus on what a kingdom life is. unpacked beautifully by willard. the kingdom began to make clearer sense. this winter there was a renewed interest and i began to read the sermon on the mount and it as consumed a lot of my scripture reading this winter.

What If
then the other day Tony, my freind, bro and boss asked the question on his blog, what if??? this question resonated with me. what if we really did live our life according to the scriptures? what if we took for real the transformation and power that is present in his spirit? what if there was a life that allowed Jesus to search the core of who we are and deal with our sin and pride and transform us into people who really lived and walked in obedience. what if we took Jesus' radical teachings of "but i say to you..." and lived in them?

Vision and Vow
i have made one covenant in my life. that is to my wife. i feel Jesus is leading me to another. i began on tuesday to read a book by Pete Grieg, the same author of Red Moon Rising and the founder of the 24/7 movement. the book is called the vision and the vow. the book is an explaination of a vision that he wrote on a prayer room wall and a call to discipleship. i am only 2 chapters into it, but in those chapters Jesus has begun to tie together the thoughts of the last year. jesus has begun to burn through me. the bridge of the song above is becoming real:

Jesus was a lover. He had a fire in His eyes
that could burn away excuses, cremate your alibis.
He had a gaze that would expose to you all the subtle lies
that your soul permits your heart to tell concerning all that it denies.

i am begining to allow him that access that i so quickly cloak behind. he is calling me out in a good way. he is gentle to deal with us. he knows just how to package his rebuke and his admonition. he desires us for his glory. he wants the kingdom to be where we are and in what we are doing. he is calling me to make a vow possibly about who i am and how i live. it isnt a vow to live as a christian it is a vow to live in the kingdom of god. it is a vow to allow all areas of my life to be beautifully infected with who he is.

Baraka
as i said before, Baraka solidified what is to be true that there is a world that is dying and we need to be about more than Christian things. take residence in the kingdom and change the world. the movie is very hard to explain

i mentioned 24/7 a few times, but please dont think it is another program or that it is the only way to do this. i have never been physically involved in a prayer room, but spiritually yes! or any activity that this movement has sponsored, but the people i met are ones with the same stirring in their hearts. they would not want to be put on a pedastool they are the same. the same as leo the bro i met at church form guadalajara. the same as freinds in spokane. the same as people who have served here at camp. the same as ones studying at seminary or grad school. jesus wants us to listen and obey him in the little things of our life. through this obedinece there will be radical change in this world. he wants us to live with the devotion of a bride. to be intimate as a bride. to allow him to be a groom. i fail at this in my life and with my wife, but there is a love and coventant that is there.

bring it jesus. let the etrnal be now. cause us to rise up.
let the lepers be healed, let the dead be raised

thanks for reading.

baraka

i think that God just revealed a little more to a good 6 month wrestling that i see is begining to come to some fruition. i will hopefully post more about it this weekend. it has been great and i see some light and am thnakful. the most recent piece of revelation came in the form of the movie Baraka, a film by Ron Fricke. a sufi word for Blessing as well as close to the hebrew word for blessing. see it if you havent, bump it up the netflix queue, rent it, give yourself some time to watch it and think about it, maybe with some freinds for some dialogue. makes you think and has some amazing footage, cinematography, sounds, and no words....

please pray

a freind and instructor who worked with laura at Summit Adventure, was found dead in the water off of the coast of Santa Cruz. many of his closest friends are pretty sure that he took his own life. please pray for them, jason's (his name is jason) family and the summit community. thanks

resurrected music

we cleaned our back room pretty thoroughly the other day. in our back room i came across my shoebox full of casettes. these are magnetic strips of tape encased in plastic casing that were inserted into a tape player usually in a car for me and then one enjoyed the recorded content of the tape, much like a compact disc, cd. needless to say i found two of my favorite tapes. one by silvio rodriguez dominguez and another was a mix tape my sister made for me. silvio rodriguez was a contemporary of the revolutionary Che. A Cuban folk musician who today is still very active in the socialist arena of Cuba. his songs ar eloaded with love, politics and passion and some sweet guitar. the other was a mix tape fromm my sister. it has on it some pearl; jam, indigo girls, chrissy hines and the pretenders, grateful dead, cat stevens, joni mitchell, and others. needless to say i am pretty stoked. i also was able to take an old scratched Jawbreaker CD that i put in the cd player once every 3 months to see if the status had changed, but no luck scratches everytime, so i took the cd and tried ripping it onto the computer and walla, no scratches it is now on the ipod and will eternally be enjoyed. jawbreaker was an east bay punk melodic driving punk band of thee early to mid 90's. amazing.

lose a friend maybe gain a brother/sister

my time in bako was not what i desired it to be. no crystal palace, no dewars, no 21st? or 24th or 28th st diner i dont remember the name or location of that diner, but man they had some of hte best chile verde i have ever tasted. my time entailed nothing more than driving there and then back. there was a student of mine from the past that i had counseled up at camp that called out of the blue and wanted to come volunteer up at camp for a few weeks. we are still short two people for our winter/ spring staff (if you pray please pray for those spots) and i thought it would be great and awesome for this person to live in some community for awhile. prayed, sounded good and went for it. we were in pasadena the day they arrived and then we arrived back to camp wednesday night after a day of work, immediately we were bombarded with people talking about this new employee and what had happened that day. i heard and asked and then talked with this person. basically the stories didn't line up and there was some stuff that definitely was unacceptable. then through a good two hour conversation and prayer time with this person, jesus revealed some stuff that i discerned to be not right and potentially unsafe for them or others. after a sleepless night and some wrestling with Jesus as well as counsel from people i trust and listening to those with discerning gifts, i decided to ask this person to leave. man it was hard but i think right. so on thursday and i drove them back to bako. hard stuff and i second guess, but i think i heard right. i received a call back from this person the other day, and was told that i was no longer viewed as a friend. it hurt to lose a friend, but hopefully i will gain a brother/sister. paul mentions this in his writings, but never thought i would have to live it, turning one over to their flesh that they may be saved. it was a silent car ride to bako and back.

still alive and tired

summary of time:
1/14/2005 went to tahoe and spoke to high schoolers, awesome time i had forgotten what it was like to be with a youth group and in relationship. loved the conversations in the mini van that i got to drive with some cool kids. we talked about usher, about a majority of hip hop songs that sing about "women, sex and money"unfortunately it is true. but most importantly talked about a scripture from colossians that has rocked me the past few weeks, "presenting each other perfect before christ" oh to do that and not argue about pointless stuff. help us jesus.
1/17/2005:
returned from tahoe
1/18:
drove to pasadena-beautiful time with bros and friends. this was an officail "busines meeting" with crotty and jordo so good. laura and i finally were able to spend our last ,wedding gift certificates as well. lets jsut say there are no pottery barns in oakhurst and they dont do business on-line can you believe it.
very cool thing about this trip-our sheets had ripped the week before so we were goint to spend our gift cert at maceys on some sheets. we had 140.32 to spend, sheets are 30 dollars but then we went around the corner to the clearence table. laura hates the daunting task of shopping and so we were praying for something and then on the corner there was a metalic caviar colored kitchen-aid mixer. it was a 6qt size. the largest residential model they have, 430$ not gonna happen normally but then there was another price tag, 375, then another price tag, 230, then a sign 40% off. i called the lady from the check stand over to verify the price. she said yes 40 percent off of 230, making it 130. un real. we took it to the counter jsut completely blown away. another woman in line asked how much and we said 130 she was floored. and immediately began talking about how long she had been waiting for a long time for one, some of you may say so did you give it to her?.....no.....we were praying for a kitchen-aid and jesus hooked us up with 75 percent off and a gift cert, booyah he doesnt give half assed stuff.
1/19 return from pasadena
1/20 drive to bakersfield
1/21drive back from bako
totalling 24 hors in a car for one week ahhhhhhh
since then crazy busy up at camp and deep cleaning the house. soo good to throw stuff away. where does it all come from
more later
but still alive and not under a snow bank

oh on 1/30 got tix to the U2 concert in san jose on sunday 4/9. looking forward to it. thanx capps