More Than Practical

rss this

2007-01-25T17:35:00.000-08:00

may 2 2006

that was the last of it, but there is more. for those of you who check blogs daily or for those who keep the rss even if there is no activity here is the new deal.

www.bryancosby.blogspot.com

talk to you soon.

her name is rio

2006-05-02T10:34:00.000-07:00

and she dances on the sand. welcome to spring and that means new life and for the cosbys it means a new dog. laura and i were trying hard for a name. my desire was a spanish name, maybe a long the lines of a saint, then one day i looked at rio and decided if she was an ethnicity she would probably be brazilian leading to rio di janeiro, shortened to rio. so the spanish still remains and duran duran is in our head constantly. will hopefully post a better photo later. she is a german shepard mix, we think the mix may be husky with a broad shoulders, a thick coat and curled tail.

2006-02-10T08:18:00.000-08:00

What if death only forever fixes us as the kind of person we are at death?
-Dallas Willard

Can't Get Enough

2005-12-04T15:04:00.000-08:00

i know by now some may say. who cares Cosby we dont like live music on the internet as much as you. and that could be fine, but i will say, your loss. i cnat believe that NPR does it. they have recently put on their website more music, including a little Death Cab, Son Volt, My Morning jacket, and Iron and Wine w/ Calexico. the SOn Volt and Iron and WIne are completely downloadable as well. over 4 hours of stellar music for free. no strings just download it and listen. i love it. Son Volt is great. Jay Farrar helped in giving birth to the "alt country bands" then took some time off and is back in raw form. anyway suit yourself and love your music.

LIVE FREE GOOD MUSIC FROM NPR

no one knows when

2005-11-28T22:37:00.000-08:00

first sunday of advent. did it go by or did you even know? i didnt until they started lighting the candle. listened to a great sermon on hope and Mark 13. probably one of the passages of scripture that hypes pepole up more than any other. but no one knows, not even the son of man. and i know i am not the only one out there who has said this, "maybe those crazy peple who are looking for earthquakes and wars and disaster are on to something...nahhh that is nonsense...but maybe?!?!?!?" come on now i know someone else has thought that Grandpa Chuck in Costa Mesa may not be all that nuts...anyone....anyone...maybe???

i have been home for Thanksgiving, thanks to the help of my in-laws for flying us home. headed back tomorrow for a couple weeks then back to spokane for Christmas. hopefully will blog something of substance sometime in the near future. i live the cycle of, "oh that would be great to blog about" then to no avail.

was able to hang out with my sister for sometime grab a beer and watch some football together. she was at the seahawks game yesterday and yes pina she has a Moleskine (http://www.moleskine.it/eng/default.htm). pronounced according to her Mol-sk-eye-n

viva

Of Course They DId

2005-10-27T07:20:00.000-07:00

Leave it to the Spanish to figure out what type of wine was consumed by King Tut. The article is in spanish so enjoy the read if you can. Also the King Tut exhibit is in southern California right now. Has anyone been? The link to the article is right here.

MMW

2005-10-18T15:09:00.000-07:00

KCRW does it again man. Medeski Martin & Wood. jamming hard. just watch the bassist at about 10 minutes in, he is going for it. music right now seems to be sustaining a lot in me. more so than normal.

tracy chapman

2005-10-15T18:25:00.000-07:00

i just finished listening to the show from the previous post and it is out of control. she is smooth and the recording is phenomenal. grab a cup of joe, some sunshine on your face and enjoy. she is way more than "fast car".

back at it

2005-10-15T17:53:00.000-07:00

fugees on tour
tracy chapman on KCRW

To Michael,

2005-09-30T17:47:00.000-07:00

thanks for your comments. i am not great at rereading old posts for new comments and dont notify myself when there are comments posted form past posts. also i am not great at and timid of assuming too much from a post or comment on the blog. i am sorry that you felt so slighted by my post on the vita-mix and retreat, this was not my goal to do this. as was mentioned earlier the post was posted 2 days before the reality of what was happening with the levees and other chaos in the gulf coast area actually went down. there are hurricanes constantly in the gulf coast is what i hear talking to people who are form there, so many hurricanes that they have a season with a start and end to it. i feel as if you jumped to a huge assumption of me and my requests for prayer. the last three years of my life have been hard. i am newly married and am trying hard to figure out what it means to holistically live in the kingdom of God. trying to listen to Jesus' voice amongst all the other voices that would contend for my ears. i have succeeded and failed at this at different times. this was one of the first times that my wife and I had set apart uninterrupted time to go and listen together. this doesn't happen often enough as there is an unhealth in the western Christian world of going and going until explosion, burn out or somehting crashes down. there are some healthy people out there, but for the most part i would say there are a lot of people who have pressed on and lost sight of Christ. therefore a retreat was something that I was looking forward to. there was a "storm" in me that was unsettling and reaking destruction. there was a dryness that was not of Christ. there was separation from his word and spirit. there was sin that was unconfessed. i needed to deal with this in a retreat setting. i didn't feel called to pack up and go to New Orleans. this doesnt trivialize their tragedy at all. i feel called to listen and be a brother and friend to those who he brings my way. i would hope that that we as followers of CHrist who desire to live in the kingdom would begin to live daily lives that are in surrender to prayer, worship and service. if people who dwell in His kingdom, begin to do this then the catastrophic will not be as epic and the normal injustices of the day to day that we witness and are a part of will begin to subside. in good or in bad we look for the empires. we desire to be a part of the largest relief effort in the history of the world and will neglect our neighbor whose pain is so great that they are at the point of taking their life. we will respond without love to people who randomnly visit a blog in search of hope. i was hurt by your comment as was my wife. somehting that we were looking forward to for some time and needed was rendered pointless in your eyes. michael you have hit the nail on the head and have witnessed something gross. a group of people who love the same God and will tear eachother down with more concern for their template than they will for anything else. hurt is deep. hurt is present in each and then pride rears its head and gives legs to the sin we try so hard to fight. sorry michael. i now know you more. you are no longer a random passerby from so cal named michael. you are a person who has experienced great pain and loss who is looking for hope. you are a person who has been hurt by people who love Jesus. you are a person who i will pray for. my email is brycosby@hotmail.com if you have any further thoughts. thanks for your words ben p. we are all the "refuse of the world" scum of the earth. maybe we will begin to live that way, and be regarded as such.

When he was gone, Jesus said, "Now is the Son of Man glorified and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once."My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come."A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

and i choose three times or more to live before the roosters crow

pretty disgusting. very little humility and love have been displayed or written about in this little blogsphere. sorry for having played the game. i think at times we all sit behind the large green cloak and love to be wizard. we are right no matter what we post, comment, blog or email. the only one who sees us write it is us. redeem it Lord. give me a passion for some india ink and linen paper.

yah buddy

2005-09-27T11:34:00.000-07:00

“My peers don’t think anything about my hair,” he continued. “You lose yourself in your community. Your lexicon changes with your society.”

David Crowder

CommonCats

2005-09-16T15:36:00.000-07:00

they share food and housing

clarify and who are you

2005-09-05T21:15:00.000-07:00

i never thought i would have to ask whom someone is on the blog, but Michael, who are you? you posted a comment on my blog about the vitamix and retreat. just wondering who you are and why you would leave a comment laidened with sarcasim in light of two serious thigs, the gulf coast and people taking personal retreat. please let me know, email at brycosby@hotmail.com

and to let anyone else who thought it may have been michael delpnte, it wasnt and received a sweet email from him. and if you are impersonating michael delponte, stop. thanks. nothing like good old blog dialogue.

jamba in my house

2005-08-29T23:46:00.000-07:00

allright. with the last post i hope no one sensed that my wife was mad, she truly was baffled at the impulse buy of the vita-mix. to some it looked impulsive, but to me it was methodical. 3 years ago in costco, i was introduced to the vita-mix via a man with a madona microphone and a booth. thus started the lust. i then began to research the vita-mix and soon learned that the thing is pretty incredible. now you can go buy a new one for 500 or you can get one on ebay for 80. i am just gonna get some facts out there now:

-the vitamix super 3600 is the vitamix that they designed in the 70s and 80s. the design and components are still used today in modern machines
-all parts are still available via the company, thus showing that the same design is used
-the vm really does everything and finally i will ahve a juicer and blender that will kick butt at the rate of 530 mph, i think, that could be false but at least 200mph that is the speed of the revolutions on the blade
-makes hot soup in the blender
-all steel
-yes large, but it has handles
-hamilton beach will last about 8 blends and dont think of making horchata in the thing

more to come in a bit, now i must go to bed as laura and i are going camping tomorrow. i am pretty excited this is the first time we have been into the back country together just the two of us. should be nice. please pray as we retreat that he would meet us, we would meet eachother anew, and that there would be rest and vision casting for what is to come. we will be hitting lady lake, lillian lake, and chitintin (sp) lake. a little lake tour if you will. thanks for your prayers.

and yes all are invited to the first blending party, you name it i'll blend it, and did i mention the thing has a steel blender container that has a spout at the base..... now what you all have been waiting for:

Vita-Mix Super 3600
(scroll over the 70's and 80's bar to see her)

joy kerr you have no responsibility in this. it has been a long dream of mine, you ahve have jsut helped the dream manifest...

peace

My Husband

2005-08-28T20:37:00.000-07:00

My wonderful husband, Bryan Cosby, has been talking about something called a "vita-mix" for over a year now. Today he decided that he needed one stat so he bought one on ebay (for a chunk of change). This is all fine with me, except for the part that he mentioned after purchasing- IT'S FROM 1969! We now own some really old, loud, extremely large (and tall) appliance from the 60's- this is a decade before I was born! And he is sooo excited. I'm so baffled right now. Does anyone else see how strange this is??? Am I alone here??? Please explain this to me. Is this a guy-girl thing?
From Bryan's adoring (and confused) wife

maybe gross but..

2005-08-24T16:22:00.000-07:00

last beard hair was 5" long

still the year of the beard and o so close to shaving. resolve

Under the watchful eye of the pope

2005-08-23T08:11:00.000-07:00

Naughty nun! Sister scolded for dance at papal event

yah pope benedict shaking things up. ok so he may not even know what happened.

1 cor 3

2005-08-22T12:07:00.000-07:00

Do not deceive yourselves. If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a "fool" so that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God's sight. As it is written: "He catches the wise in their craftiness" and again, "The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile." So then, no more boasting about men! All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God.

true, like a smack in the head.

spell check

2005-08-16T17:45:00.000-07:00

Blog

does not register in blogger's spell check. ironic.

Well well well

2005-08-16T17:31:00.000-07:00

back from a rather long break, thus it continues. the last post was posted by two of my closest friends. they staight up hijacked my login stuff for the blog and then went ahead and posted a photo and whamo my indentity has been taken. i would like to say it is due to a feeling of violation that i feel like i havent written in sometime, but that is not it at all. it is a little 10 week season of camp called summer. the staff left on sunday and a new guest group arrived on monday. no rest for the weary. usually an intense flood of emotions rushes in during the last few days of camp. i am the final voie as to when someone can leave or not, yielding the power of their final paycheck. thus beginins the emotions that come with such power. i am also in the tension of saying goodbye, being a hard ass to make sure that soap scum is off the shower wall, getting mad at people who leave their roommates with all the work. you really can learn a lot about people in how the carry out these final tasks of closing the chapter and the integrity with which they will choose to leave their rooms and help with the final camp tear down. there are some who will ask until the last thing is done, some will bail before others, some are completely ignorant and will learn, some are aware and look for a way out. anyway maybe i am a little testy but the words that i keep hearing are resolve and integrity. these words cannot be reomoved from our sirituality. i feel good though and will report more on the summer later. it was a great time as i feel like the Lord continues to entrust me with more in this place. lives are delicate and those he gives us may he smile as we are good stewards. i pray i learn more how to do this for my wife most importantly. if you all could, as i had my identity stolen with this blog, no big deal, i had a friend who earlier this fall had his mail stolen and someone hacked into their bank account and closed out a 600 dollar cellular bill. i think they are doing allright and the bank helped out, but man i wonder what that feels like....

FIRST TRY: It's Never Been This Easy...

2005-06-06T21:38:00.000-07:00

Love you bro.

HERE'S TO YOU COSBY
Originally uploaded by bryancosby.

Wharf Rat

2005-06-02T19:46:00.000-07:00

do you know any? wish i always lived to hear their story:

Wharf Rat

Old man down
Way down, down by the docks of the city
Blind and dirty
Asked me for a dime, a dime for a cup of coffee
I got no dime, but I got some time to hear his story

words by Robert Hunter
music Jerry Garcia

if you pray, please pray for us as we embark on another season up at camp. staff shows up on saturday, final details to wrap up, logistics that will be covered by grace and all will be done. He is pretty faithful that way. look for the wharf rats hear some stories please listen to them and love them.

no rain

2005-05-17T01:35:00.000-07:00

i have been in a funk lately. withdrawn a little from people and battling over my withrdrawl being a healthy introspection or a selfish avoidance. but i think that there has been some good things stirring and some residue lifting, and it doesnt hurt that i have the greatest wife in the world. needless to say things are moving again in my heart and soul. hopefully i will get to post more soon. i write this from pasadena. my wife gave me a few days away in the city which i love with some dear bros, crotty and jordo. i look forward to a day in LA tomorrow and some good down time. the drive down was nice. a pearl jam live album from mexico city(7/18/2003), that as the story goes was actually in eddie vedders posession at one time and trickled down to my cd collection. pearljam got me to the grapevine, man getting to bakersfiel takes forever it seems and then over the hill and you are in pasadena. when i say my wife gave me, it was a gift for my birthday, which is on friday, thats not a selfless plug, but my wife gives the greatest gifts. if you ask her how, she says it is becasue she freaks out about giving them and then she prays a lot and jesus speaks the perfect gift and she gives it. he is so good like that. hopefully will hit the american apparell warehouse tomorrow and amoeba records and some good food. i look forward to no rain soon, this winter has been endless with precipitation, and capp did downlowad that blind melon song the other day. i think the loss of shannon hoon to heroin was bigger than i realized at the time. i think they are a decent band that grows on you.

Hitler Follow Up

2005-05-05T14:48:00.000-07:00

this is a good post to follow the last. in the fall of 2000 i was traveling through europe with some good friends and we decided to continue east from Prague into Poland. i was mesmorized by eastern europe and blown away by krakow. it was perfect setting, gray clouds, babushkas running around, pretzels vendors, a small little sandwich shop tucked away in an alley. the owner of the shop was playing jazz on a record player and served great wine. while in krakow we couldnt pass up the chance to go to Auschwitz. i dont know what to write about the place nor do i want to think too hard about it now, but this article made me smile. allthough sometimes the opposite of Auschwitz is Zionism in some peoples eyes, i cant imagine what it is like to be a part of a race, religion, belief system, that would be eradicated for that reason and no other reason. here it is.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4515537.stm

Hitler

2005-05-02T18:55:00.000-07:00

Asked for his abiding memory of Hitler 60 years on? He pauses at first, then says simply:

"He was a terrible creation. Yes, a being, but a being full of evil and cruelty... he was a monster."

this was pulled from an article about Bernd Freytag von Loringhoven, 91, who is one of the last living eyewitnesses to Hitler's final days. lots of people refer to Hitler and then immediately say, yah but he was a genius. maybe he was but this spekas of someone who hung with the man who knew him.

Mark 10

2005-04-29T08:58:00.000-07:00

a quote i read in reflection on Mark 10:45

the good news is that the radical call to Christian discipleship is NOT a call to serve Jesus, but to be served by Jesus as we serve others, and to be ransomed by him from death.

what do you think.

black smoke

2005-04-18T20:46:00.000-07:00

day one

no pope yet. i was struck two days ago about the fact that i have barely prayed for this event. man this is huge. we pray for leaders of the groups we are involved with, we pray for church leaders to be appointed in the Presbyterian church there is prayer for the committee that will pray for the group that will appoint the nominees that will be involved in selecting the committee that will then choose the people who will look at resumes, applications and choose a pastor. man, dont be beyond praying for the next leader of the catholic church and be involved in the Holy Catholic church. read some stuff out there about what is shaking. look for the white smoke.

on a lighter note. the cardinals in the conclave choosing the pope are sequestered there until the pope is chosen. i thought to myself i wonder what they eat where they sleep. i mean you have a little over than 100 of the most influential people in the catholic church, what do you feed them, what if it is months, where will they do laundry, do they think red tomorrow yah i think i will wear red how about you, yah red for me too!! love it.

U2

2005-04-14T23:16:00.000-07:00

the title of the post doesnt need anything else. they really do speak for themelves. here is the setlist for those that are interested and a little review:

11.04.2005
San Jose, 2nd Show

Love and Peace
Vertigo
Elevation
Cry / Electric Co.
An Cat Dubh / Into the Heart
City of Blinding Lights
Beautiful Day
Miracle Drug
Sometimes you can’t make it on your own
New Year’s Day
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Bullet The Blue Sky
Running to Standstill

Pride in the name of love
Where the Streets Have No Name
One

The Fly
Mysterious Ways
Original of the Species

All Because of You
Yahweh
“40”

the show absolutely blew my mind. as Capp put so well on his blog,
"It was in intricate experience that I am still picturing in my mind when everything else slows down". I feel the same way. The night started with a redezvous with our frinds Mark and Julie from Walnut Creek. dinner at a nice little restaraunt in downtown San Jose. and what U2 concert would be complete without some Irish fare aswell and across the street there was an Irish Pub. we ventured across and found out that on sunday nights they had love Celtic jams. so there was a circle of about 10 people playing the fiddle, whitles, flutes, pipes, drums and a hammer dulcimer. it was great and a perfect intro to the night. and the Guiness was properly served at room temp. i couldn't have scripted a better begining. the show blew me away. it was as if i had lept out of an airplane and the adrenaline was pumping and caused things to be a blur, but then in the song An Cat Dubh / Into the Heart it was as if the parachute opened and then i was able to take the whole thing in, ecen clearing more in Miracle Drugs. the Kings of Leon were not that good, very loud and very hipsters, but what a daunting task to open for U2. i still dont think i can sum it up. i dont know what to write down as to record so many great things about the evening. i guess here goes some bullet highlights:
-the stage was crisp in set up and design. not a lot of clutter or amps or anythinglike that. they each had their won monitor, bono had a teleprompter, the edge had his set up, and that was it. the colors were the Vertigo bullseye with the outer ring extending out into the crowd creating two areas for the general admission ticket holders to be.
-the show opened with Love and Peace, they walked out with large hand held spotligths shining all over the arena and then there was a deep tom drum at the apex of the little walkway stage that was banged on by Larry and then when he sat in to his own kit, Bono remained out on the walkway and banged away. beautiful driving opening song. always a mystery and anticipated moment for any good show.
-bono shared the story of his interaction with the pope and the exchange of fly shades for a crucifix. you could tell he valued the crucifix greatly
-bono wearing a headband that had a cross, the star of daniel and and islamc crescent all across it while shouting "coexist" he pulled it in front of his eyes and made his way onstage without sight.
-the plug for the One campaign, which is coupled with the make Poverty History campaign, was introed with a call to all people breaking out their cell phones. immediately all lights were turned off and a sea of blue cell faces were seen. it was pretty impressive. and the whole concept of the cell phone being a powerful tool to raise a voice to what is important. as well a call to what if, a group of people as large as an arena got untied for one thing.
-their refernce to their love of the bay area and all that it holds in creativity and support of them
-a welcome and shout out to San Jose, "the home of the IPod"
-a great dance number with a female from the crowd who i think caught Bono off guard with her moves during Mysterious ways, which lead to a little spontaneous gathering in front of the drum set to launch into Original of the Species.
-THE EDGE rocks who else can play rhythm and lead at the same time, or the organ and guitar at t same time, come on the bro did the unimaginable

i could write so much more, i think this quote from a reveiw on filter magazine's sight sums up Bono's political and social and spiritual union and performance

"For those of you who don't like your politics in your rock and your chocolate in your peanut butter, don't worry, it’s not as heavy-handed as it sounds. He doesn't claim to have all the answers but never stops questioning the world around him. If that is bad thing, then I'm a bad man. Too often, Bono is the big target, often labeled as preachy. Preachy is when there is no action to follow up the talk, and with this lone man that just isn't true. You have to give him credit and unfortunately there is no one behind him paying attention and learning any tricks. Chris Martin has a message but he will have to do better than literally writing it on his hand. Subtlety is an art."

this is so true. U2 closed the show with an acoustic "Yahweh" right into "40" with the band exiting one at a time, first Adam, then Bono (who strung his rosary from the pope on the mic stand dangling. then placed the spotlight on the floor with the loght shining directly on the Christ, then the Edge left, and finally the drums stopped and the crowd was left singing "I will sing, sing a new song" and then the drums came back hard and then that was it.

the band caused the whole place to think hard about what they stand for and they did it in such a sublte way. and i know that change will come from it. it was worshipful and beautiful. wish all could have seen it. thanks for reading the scattered review. there are more review on their website. hopefully i will see them again.

The Musical Ascent of Herman Being

2005-04-09T23:39:00.000-07:00

i read the book the Musical Ascent of Herman Being in an intro to Classical Music class i took in college. the basics of the book are, to listen to the symphony or opera you are going to go to many times before you attend and then you will understand it better. when you know the piccolo will hit that high note you should be ready, if not you will miss it. that is what i am doing right now. for the past few days i have been pumping non stop U2. i created a U2 tour playlist gathering songs from the set lists that are posted on their website. it has been pure bliss. and now we will drive to San Jose and i will fulfill a lifelong dream of seeing U2 in concert. i am pretty stoked. i am even more stoked being a sunday night. the HP center in san jose for a night will be turned into a place of worship that wont be lead by a "Christian" band or worship artist, but it will be lead by a group of musicians who get it and live their life accordingly. by musicians who worship in their art. not a bad way to spend sunday night. thanks to my classical music class i will be ready for the high piccolo notes as well as all the notes that will never be recorded on an album.

one hit wonder contest

2005-04-06T16:37:00.000-07:00

here is the summary of the contest if you didn't want to read the whole post below. as well please post your recommendations on this post. thanks.

but most recently people have been throwing away there bottles or not bothering to look under the cap. Pepsi and Apple have teamed up and until April 11 they will give away free downloads off of ITunes. people are throwing these things away. all you have to do is enter in the code under the cap and get your song. this brings forth the dilema i am in. as we get these songs, we give them away to people up here and myself. i have these free songs burning a hole in my pocket. it is a lot harder to pick one song than you think, so that opens up with my idea here. i would love for you to send me recommendations of the best one hit wonders that you know. or a song off of an obscure album that blows your mind and i hope that these recommendations will aid in me choosing a few songs. if i do choose your recommendation, i will email you the code for a free down load. that simple. please get your recommendations in asap so i can get you the download and choose one myself. please post your recommendations in the post above this one. also this will reveal a little about all of us. i will let you know which songs i chose after april 11th.

lost and found and itunes

2005-04-06T16:24:00.000-07:00

nothing theological or deep here. part of my job at camp is maintaining the lost and found (LF). as we sort through the LF there are usually some cool things. we wait the allotted 90 days for someone to claim the items and then either give them to staff members who like them or take them down to the Manna house a charity that gives the clothes away for free. some of the best finds have been a GameBoy advance, that now resides in the Accommo Office, a Helly Hansen rain suit, some cool shirts, and a ton of Nalgenes. so many that i have made a set of Nalgene cups that are 16, 22 and 32 oz in size. along with LF people throw away money all the time at camp. how you ask??? well they throw their bottles in the garbage can when they could be recycling them right next to the can. it blows my mind, but that is another topic. anyway so we collect the bottles and take them down to Heartland the developmentally disabled recycling center and make a little money off of them. good for a pizza here and there for the Accommo team (we are the ones digging in trash) or to help build better recycling facilities. but most recently people have been throwing away there bottles or not bothering to look under the cap. Pepsi and Apple have teamed up and until April 11 they will give away free downloads off of ITunes. people are throwing these things away. all you have to do is enter in the code under the cap and get your song. this brings forth the dilemma i am in. as we get these songs, we give them away to people up here and myself. i have these free songs burning a hole in my pocket. it is a lot harder to pick one song than you think, so that opens up with my idea here. i would love for you to send me recommendations of the best one hit wonders that you know. or a song off of an obscure album that blows your mind and i hope that these recommendations will aid in me choosing a few songs. if i do choose your recommendation, i will email you the code for a free down load. that simple. please get your recommendations in asap so i cna get you the download and choose one myself. please post your recommendations in the post above this one. also this will reveal a little about all of us. i will let you know which songs i chose after april 11th.

going bonhoeffer

2005-04-06T16:13:00.000-07:00

i was listening to a john piper sermon and he said at one point refering to speaking to a specific group. "i just had to go bonhoeffer on em"! i just fininshed reading Vision and the Vow in which the author Pete Grieg i get the feeling has gone Boenhoeffer on some people and himself a time or two in his life. and then today i saw a quote from Steve Hart, "love community and you will kill it, love your brother and you will build it.". that quote is from Bonhoffer. i think this is what i was getting at the other day with the post on the hope of the future. you could sub the word church for community and you will get the same result. the focus cannot be on local church. the focus must be on living as and building disciples. maybe it is semantics in the word but i think until that word "church" contains a propper definition, it may still be tainted in my head.

the hope of the future is...

2005-04-05T00:14:00.000-07:00

i heard that bill hybels, the pastor of the mega church willow creek, has a battle cry that the hope of the future is the local church. i disagree. the hope of the future is the gospel lived out in the janitor at the elementary school. the gospel lived out in a wealthy banker, the gospel lived out in a local pastor, the gospel lived out in the donny the grocery store clerk. the hope of the future will be seen in the unseen. do you believe that if you are faithful with the few people that He has put in your life, that will you will change the face of the world. that is what He has most recently asked me? lord teach me to desire not an empire?

swingshift

2005-03-23T17:05:00.000-08:00

for those of you who know who swingshift is this will make you smile. i am outside of he coffee shop using the very outlet that supplies the power to the keyboard/synthesiser that swingshift uses each saturday night during the summer as they play their covertunes that only they can do so well. swingshift is a duo of gentlemen who come to the local Pizza Factory, which has franchised all the way into China from good ol little Oakhurst, to play their music, or other's music. i dont know that i have ever heard an origingal swingshift piece. they are beyond words.

the headline that caught my eye

2005-03-18T18:57:00.000-08:00

man this is huge...bigger than i think i will ever know. i cant even begin to think about what it is like to be oppressed. some of us have no idea and then to one day be free to do stuff like this....

Woman leads US muslims to prayer

belated appreciate woman salute

2005-03-14T23:22:00.000-08:00



Man Smart, Women Smarter
by King Radio

Let us put man and woman together
And see which one is smarter
Some say man, but I say no
The woman got the man like a puppet show

It ain't me, it's the people that say
The men are leadin' the women astray
But I say that the women today
Are smarter than man in every way
Well that's right, the women are smarter
That's right, the women are smarter

Little boy sat down and cried
An old man passin' asking him why, he said
I can't do what the big boys do
Old man sat down and he cried too

Ain't me, it's the people that say
The men are leadin' the women astray
But I say, that the women today
Are smarter than man in every way

That's right, the women are smarter
That's right, the women are smarter

That's right, the women are smarter
That's right, the women are smarter

Well that's right, the women are smarter
Smarter than man in every way

Wilco: for a limited time only

2005-03-10T15:52:00.000-08:00

check this out if you dig on Wilco. there is a live show from NPR's All Songs Considered. all 2 hours and 24 minuted of a show in DC. lovin it as I type this.

here is the link.

Wilco live in DC

THEY WILL ONLY BE STREAMING THIS UNTIL THE 24TH OF MARCH!!!

one of many joys of spring

2005-03-08T08:17:00.000-08:00

this afternoon tucker and i were headed down the hill to play some handball. truly one of the greater games that has ever been invented and played. it is palyed on a raquetball court, yet you use your hands and a smaller and harder ball. if you're curiosity has been peaked, here is the link to the the USHA (United States Handball Association). the sport is also played in the park on a one wall or three wall outdoor court. a big following with the hispanic and basque population in the US as well as a growinng following in Ireland. probably one of the more fraternal sports i have ever been a part of as well. anyway all that to say, that the courts were reserved and so couldn't play. completely bummed we headed over to the sporting goods store and picked up a basketball and went and played some street ball. man i had forgotten the joy of being outside on the black top sweating and playing some good old basketball. i think around this time of year, basketball gets elevated in my head. this weekend they will select the 64 teams that will take place in the NCAA basketball tournament. this in my opinion could be the greates sporting event of the year. no professionals, no lame celebrity stars, just some college aged kids going all out to win and make it to the next round. the games that are played are exciting and generally go down to the wire with and unsung hero pulling of the extraordinary. in the end some of the players will go pro, and the rest will hold onto the joy of "march madness". i will be pulling for Gonzaga in the tourney a team that 7 years ago played the roll of Cinderalla and knocked off a couple of top seeded teams begining their rise as a true NCAA basketball team. they won their dividion tournamnet last night led by a sophomore from Spokane named Adam Morrison. the bro plays with diabeties checking his blood sugar at everytime out and going nuts on the court. a throw back to Larry Burd some have said...
not only was street ball good, but it was about 70 degrees today. love it, if only i could find an outdoor handball court nearby as well. anyone know of any in Fresno....

life of columns

2005-03-05T17:02:00.000-08:00

i got broed of the oscars real quickly well actually i didn't get bored it was that on sunday night we received news that another friend of laura's had died. he was late twenties and had joned the airforce a few years ago and died in the states doing a routine stunt flight . he attended the same church that laura and i went to in spokane, new community. he loved jesus and had been married for i think about 5 years. he left a wife, a toddler girl and a 8 day old baby girl. his name is andy and his wife is holly. his wife met jesus through their relationship and loves him deeply. please pray for the brunos. that is their last name.

it is amazing how quickly things change. i guess that a blog is like life, or atleast it documents life. but life happens so quickly and we go from one state of emotion to the next. it happens bam bam bam. from one event to the next. it is funny and hard to see them documented in the blog medium sometime. it really makes some things so trivial. i mean imagine if you laid out your day, week, month or year into columns and then categorized them all next to each other. i am pretty sure we would lbe struck with what we thought was important versus what was. as well what we got worked up over versus what was worth getting worked up over. make sense.

obligatory oscar poll

2005-02-26T23:08:00.000-08:00

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)

2005-02-26T22:53:00.000-08:00

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

2005-02-25T03:27:00.000-08:00

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

2005-02-24T22:57:00.000-08:00

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

2005-02-18T15:49:00.000-08:00

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

2005-02-12T21:56:00.000-08:00

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

2005-02-04T19:57:00.000-08:00

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

2005-02-02T20:21:00.000-08:00

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

tahoe

2005-01-14T15:02:00.000-08:00

i am on my way frantically out the door to tahoe. i know rough. i am going to speak at our churches high school retreat. if you pray, please pray for us. and if i forgot to tel lmy wife i love her due to franticness. laura i love you. thanks you all will let you know how it goes.

soooo long

2005-01-13T18:34:00.000-08:00

hope some of you read the last post. it was long but i guess that is what happens when you wait a month to write. and know i am in the process of change jsut as much as anyone else. and eating smaller portions.

New U.S. Dietary Guidelines: Eat Less, Exercise More

2005-01-13T17:45:00.000-08:00

well it has been some time. i still am learning the whole thing of the blog. it is a new way to communicate and requires a certain rhythm as well as time in front of the computer, neither of which i have had much of. so hopefully i will be a little more rhythmic.
anyway the title will all make sense so stick with it.
during break i read two posts on the definition of America. the first was by a friend of mine whom i have never met face to face named Jonah, who is missionally living his life in Sevilla, Spain. he and his wife live in community serving their neighbors and praying for Christ's reign in Spain. they serve with 24-7 a missional prayer ministry/community and with YWAM, anyway thats the low down on Jonah. check his blog out if you want to see the life of some folk living, praying and loving on people who don't know Jesus and building disciples, keep it up baileys, anyway and the second reading was from a link off of Jonah's blog to a bro named Kenny who is part of a US missinoary family in Spain and a college student. Anyway the two articles probed me to begin to think og the definition of America. My first thoug ht was there are the Americas. There is North, Central and South. It could be semantical but the USA is not America. Sorry but there is such a difference amongst the Americas. I think the English language is the only one that uses America for the USA. anyway, the whole concept got me thinking about the US as a people and it is true there is sucjh a large number of cultures and people that contribute to the country that there isn't on easy definition and I think that is true amongst many countries. it was good to see and read both those posts about America. i think there is a collective dislike towards the USA and rightly so at times, but there is a global perpetuation of the ills of the USA as well. this leads to the thought that have been running around my head as of late. i am a US citizen, but am I a"typical US citizen" whatever that is? I don't think so or atleast I am trying not to be but to be a resident of a kingdom. i voted for Kerry. Kerry nor Bush nor their cabinets will bring about the change we need in this country. We need to start living out the change we as lovers of Christ desire., why look for that in the government? anyway back to America. it is a gracious gift of God that i live in a place that has a plethora of food and clothes and opportunity for a job, allthough a minimum wage job will not work in our country anymore, but still you get the point. i live in the enamored country that breeds immediate and big things, as i wanted to flip off the Hummer i passed on my way to the coffeee shop. but like i said earlier this is a globally encouraged lifestyle. there are third world people who desire Nikes shoes eventhough their cousin busted his butt at the age of 9 for those shoes or his mom, or whoever. but that thread runs deep in the world. WARNING NOT TRIVIALIZING THE TSUNAMI AT ALL WITH THE FOLLOWING COMMENT. we are a western world and maybe more than that who enjoys empires and big things. we desire to build empires. we want to have large businesses and millions of dollars. we dont want to live in daily discipline as farmers if we could avoid it. the world responed to the death of 200,000 people. even there we were competitive. jermaine oneal gave 1,000 dollars to the relief for every point he scored in one game. 55 grs (grand) total. the tragedy of 9/11 was great but small on a global sense, but once again got played up because it happened to the USA. we will review the 2005 year and think about the Tsunami as a tragedy, which it was, but will we remember the millions who have been killed and displaced systematically in Sudan, go to amnesty international or International Justice Mission if you want a simple overview (which was going on during 9/11) will we remember the average number of people killed daily in the middle east. probably not because it wasn't "exciting and spectacular" it was systematic. just like the millions of Jews killed in Germany, this "didn't" happen and it wasn't seen as tragic until after the fact. We are an anesthitized world, not just America. we are intrigued by the empires and huge things. even in tragedy we look at it the same. we dont notice the simple and the systematic faithful living and tragedy that goes on in this world. because by definition we look for the big. we will look out for our own and then give to "huge" tragedy. a life is a life. we should be looking daily for the tragedies and injustices of the world to give to. i had a professor once ask if the Apostle Paul would celebrate any national holidays? good question. anyway all this to say the American Dream has become a worldly nightmare and i dont wnat to live in it. the Tsunami did awaken in me a desire to live as the norm of the world. what right do i have to eat twice as much food as the rest of the world does. what right do i have to buy clothes. what right do i have to live in a house with a wood stove and a roof that, well my roof leaks but thats different. i dont, Jesus is gracious that is why? in all things He is gracious and just. if you followed until the end hopefully there is clarityin what was said. we need to be people defined by his kingdom and that alone. look to him alone to change and if you pray, pray for it. eat less excercise more. live faithfully doing the simple daily things that he calls us to. dont just wait for the empire that will launch you into the next thing. arrive at the temple and look for the Christchild. till the soil and pick some weeds. clean a toilet or many. make your bread. rasie a child. spend the day in prayer. be faithful and the kingdom empires will be built and the others will fall.

ps

2004-12-22T11:40:00.000-08:00

that link at the bottom is to a version of o come emmanuel that the david crowder band did. i cant get the whole link thing working on my father in laws computer for some reason. copy and paste it and enjoy it

note to self

2004-12-22T11:34:00.000-08:00

learning to blog and feeling what what to post and what is just a thought to meditate on are interesting.
thoughts for later
the interwoven threads of family, Church, body of Christ and people we are daily with.
how do all of those go together or not and what does Jesus say about them
merry christmas to all if not a chance to write about it later.
blessings
o come o come emmanuel
this song seems to put me in a spirit to receive Jesus:

http://www.can-you-hear-us.com/o-come.html

love to all

napoleon d

2004-12-14T16:50:00.000-08:00

"yah two for napoleon dynamite please."
-that will be 5 dollars
"great thanks"

i love the Garland Theatre in Spokane

with or with you

2004-12-12T15:38:00.000-08:00

man what was a road trip like before the ipod. i forget. top music on the trip
-Martin Sexton
-Waterdeep- Live a the New Earth
-Pearl Jam- Release that song blows my mind
-Postal Service- a must for a long trip
-Neild Diamond- Shiloh
-Cat Stevens- or the artist formally known as
-Annes Retro Ride- a mix my sisinlaw put together
-Garden State- Sound Track
-Son Volt
-The JAyhawks
-Bill Malonee and the Vigilantes of Love
they helped the trip
giddy up off to Vintage Faith Community, a church a dear bro of mine has planted in Brown's Addition, love it

Over the river and through the woods....

2004-12-12T14:57:00.000-08:00

well its official. i just vacuumed out the car and took the travel pod of the car and will soon get it washed. with those things done the smell of the road trip and remnants of the road will be off the car. then i will feel finally in spokane for vacation. we had a great road trip with laura and ann my sister in law and of course milo. our first stop was in the great city of turlock. there is some mystery to this city. evrytime i am there the city grows on me a little. but the real draw to the city is nelly our adopted oma. i will expound on her over the break sometime. needless to say we walked into her house and the china was out and she served us a four course meal, with real German dessert and then gave us each our own couch and blanket for a nap. the woman oozes hospitality and has created a sacred space in her house. we then proceeded on to walnut creek and met up with stover and his sister annie. ate at a great new vietnamese restaurant downtown and then had one of the most spiritual and greatest experiences in a long time. we went to a friend of mark and jer's Sam's. he is an older gentleman from their church and a recent widower. the man loves Jesus. refuses to call himself a christian but instead a follower of Christ, is one of the most networked men i have ever met, and loves jazz. we sat in his gorgeous home from about 10:30 until 12:30 listening to a friend of his Jamie Davis, Count Basie, Pete Marinverni, Diana Krall, etc. we listened and laughed and listened to stories and drank good wine. it was a very rich time and a great substitute for the Opera. Sam talked about PMS. Power Money and Sex, the epidemic that is destroying families around the country. most of all it was just great to hear this man who prays for people, hangs out with sinners and lives Jesus to them. i left wanting to be more like Jesus because of Sam, more on him later. the next morning we raced to Vancouver, Washington and were welcomed by s bunch of my friends from higshschool. this was an amazing evening as well. it was nice for Laura and Ann to finally meet some friends of mine from high school. we had a real unique group of friends form high school. there was all walks of life and all types of personalities and we have remained closer than most people from there high school days heard stories of rolfing, babies, jobs, families, old friends and basically just laughed real hard and ate great food. my friends pat and bethany put us up for the night, joe baker bought me black butte porter, which doesn't get sold in okahurst anymore. a great night. thanks so much to pat and bethany who fed us steak and great squash and made us beds. the next day to spokane via olympia. said hi to my sister and saw her restaurant, the waterstreet grill. ate breakfast and then off to Spokane. i had forgotten how great my sister was and it was awesome to be with her and hear her passions see her gifts and watch her flourish. i learned more of her life and we had good conversation. i love her dearly and pray His rich life for her. we arrived in spokane and went directly to the walkers for Lynn, my sister in law's (i have three of them) birthday. it was awesome to see the whole walker family and to be with them and my nieces. we are now home and this entry is long enough. a rich time i think is the best word for it all. rich in taste, laughter, smells, sounds, that is the life he gives. i have a friend in spain who shares prayer requests with the following preface, "if you pray", i will use it too, please pray for laura, she is ill and i am getting over something. as well that our time here would be just as rich nd we would rest and be renewed. thanks for reading.

perpetual motion

2004-12-07T11:48:00.000-08:00

i feel like the bro who paints the golden gate bridge. we have gotten a foot of snow over the past 12 hours and we shovel and then look behnid us to see what we just shoveled covered again....again...again.... the catch 22 and job security of the snow.

the simple things

2004-12-06T11:43:00.000-08:00

sometimes we forget the simple joys of our life. i just was reminded of a couple. i walked over to the "abarnmnet" from the office and in the kitchen was blaring Freebird by Skynard and i drank my coffee in a paper cup. not evnironmental but everyonce in awhile. so simple. a papercup and Allen Collins on guitar. snow is moving in and a good word from Jesus.

ahhhhhhhhhhhhh

2004-12-03T22:06:00.000-08:00

i am pretty bummed right now. next thursday we are off from calvin crest to head north for the holidays. my sister in law ann flies in on monday and then we are all road tripping on thursday. a stop in turlock to visit nelly our wonderful adopted "oma", then a stop in San Fran and Walnut Creek, to visit Stover. and this is where the ahhhhh comes in. laura has wanted to go to an opera forever so we are planning to go to an opera in the city at the War Memorial Opera House. tix were available for the past few days, and then a friend of ours mel was going to come and so we were waiting to talk to her to find out if she wanted to come for sure and now... there are no more tix available through the internet. so maybe tomorrow via the box office direct, but i imagine these will be butt expensive. if anyone has some ideas or hook ups in the city of san fran please let me know. the opera is eugene onegin, from a pushkin poem, done by tchaikovsky. that is all i know. i know the russians from that era wrote good stuff. i sounded so cultured right there.

run marty...the Libyans

2004-12-02T17:28:00.000-08:00

wow. what a welcome to the blog world. i am pretty stoked to be embarking on this thing. i was a little overwhelmed by the fact that within a few hours people had found me. i did feel like doc and marty...if you know what i mean, if you dont well then thats another conversation. but i am super excited to be learning this new way of communication. and that is exactly what the blog is. a new way to communicate for me. so i hope that this can be a place of procrastination for some of you (can i call you Dr. yet Micah? ) it will be filled with some typos Brad, you may stumble upon it a la Ferris Beuller style, James, or you may not read it ever again. but man there will be communal stuff that takes place and that is what life is about. community. love to you all. and thanks for the encouragement...and i just changed the spelling of Libyan due to the great little spell checker on the toolbar.

unto us (or me) a blog is born

2004-12-01T21:14:00.000-08:00

that isn't sacrelig...it is true. finally i am on the bandwagon, the train, in the know, whatever it needs to be. but it is true, i now have a blog. i told my wife and she said "Great". so enjoy be patient as will i. thanks to piña who helped me learn to tweek and tune and who will continue to help me tweek and tune.