Sunday, September 25, 2005

Weird to think...

I'm from Ohio.
I was baptized in a swimming pool surrounded by fifth-graders. I was in college.
I've been with the same girl since I was 15. (That's 20 years.)
We're raising five kids!
I've lived in Montana.
I live in Iceland.
I've seen smoke rising from Basra, Iraq.
I've been sailing on the Black Sea.
I've flown at 100' above the floor of the Grand Canyon.
I'm the father of a teenager.
Two teens as of Jan '06.
I'm a landlord.
I was in an "undisclosed location" on 9-11.
I'm an uncle.
Las Vegas seems normal to me. I call it home.
I have saved people's lives.
I've seen a wolf in the wild.
I've eaten whale meat.
I've been to Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey, France, Germany, England, Denmark, and the Czech Republic - In the last six months!
Peace for me is chopping wood.
Peace for me is also collecting boulders with Gregg.
I miss a pick-up truck. (*sniff**)
I'm not musical but wish I was.
I feel physically older than I am.
I feel emotionally much younger.
My daily driver is 40 years old.
I baptized my oldest two kids.
My cousin calls me, "Daddy".
I landed a helicopter on a glacier.
Once, I started a forest fire.
Many years later, I put one out.
I like plaid wool shirts.

All of these things seem surreal to me.

Sunday, September 18, 2005

My Church?

Whenever people ask my where I went to church in Las Vegas, I start telling the whole story. I watch them as I talk and think they look like I must when I ask some one how they are and they start talking about their entire life. It kind of makes me feel bad for them but I keep talking anyway. Hey, they asked.

On the other hand, when I talk about my friends in Las Vegas and all the great things they're doing, I tend to say they're from my church. Never mind that they attend Canyon Ridge, or The Crossing, or wherever, I believe that if they are my friends and they follow the same Christ I do, then they are from my church. Lately, I find myself correcting my...self. I don't call it My church any more but I say, "Look at what The church in Las Vegas is doing."

I read something by Watchman Nee a few years ago about the New Testament example of the church being the local congregation. That is, there was no recognized body above or below the church at Corinth, or Boston, or where ever. As I look back at our time in Nevada, I see the church not as all of our little groups that meet all over town, but as The Church at Las Vegas. I like that.

Page 2.

I just got back from a whirlwind tour of Bulgaria and Romania. It was a big pain in the butt. But, I enjoyed seeing the different places and people. Bulgaria is awesome. Great food, beautiful scenery and nice people. To all you business folks out there, if you haven't invested in Eastern Europe, it's almost too late. Once these little countries get on the Euro, things won't be cheap anymore. If you ever find cheap air fare to Sophia, Prague, Budapest, or Bucharest, take it.