• Need to beat the heat?

  • Paul and the Internet

    Paul loves his macI’m a web geek, my wife is a (hot) web geek, and my kids are web geeks. If you don’t have young kids I don’t think you really understand what I mean by “our kids are web geeks.” So here is a visual for you. Paul, who turns 5 next week, navigates the web very well.

    Paul can launch Firefox, click the address bar, and type in the URL of his favorite websites. From there he can completely navigate these sites. This includes some relatively complex things like typing in user names and password and printing documents. Here’s the catch… Paul can’t read. He is 4 years old.

    Imagine all that Megan can do? She is 7 and has mastered browsing the internet, google, and can even launch various programs like Word. One of her favorite things is to write letters, play with the fonts, print them out, and hand them to her friends.

    Sidenote to educators. You need more computers. While my kids may be slightly above the norm you need to step up both the rollout of computer time and the quality of projects you have them do. In first grade Megan would come home and say “I hate computer time. I already did everything at home and was bored.” Yeah, better step it up there to keep her enthusiasm. I don’t care that everyone doesn’t have broadband internet and everyone doesn’t have a computer at home. Educate my kid or you’ll lose her attention. And upgrade the teachers. Got a teacher that doesn’t want to use the computer? Fire ’em. Seriously. My kids don’t need teachers who were good twenty years ago. They deserve a teacher who will educate them for the future. Fire ’em and hire someone who can teach. Do it today. Then you’ll see your precious scores go up. Deal?

    3 Websites ruling the roost this summer

    #1 Club Penguin

    #2 Webkinz

    #3 Cartoon Network

    How do the do this? Just like web browsers are smarter these days, wed design education is smarter as well. The operative word these days is “Interactive media design” or “IMD” for short. 

  • Life on the Raft


    We are at a place in life where it feels like we live on a raft. Our family is disjointed from normal life as we’ve made the decision to pull up anchor and trust that God will take care of us as we coast down the river to the next place.

    While our kids should be focusing on summer activities and starting to look forward to school starting in a month, they are instead intent on holding on to these final days in Romeo. Lingering with friends a little. Making sure their stuff is packed. Talking about our new adventure to come. 

    While Kristen and I are eager to start our new lives, there is a sadness sweeping over us as we recognize that life will never be the same. For better or worse, the next phase of life brings fresh opportunities. Yet, like the kids, we can’t focus solely on the future and forget about the past. Each box packed is full of memories. With each step towards San Diego a realization that we’re one step closer to leaving this anchorage behind. As we cast off the shore of the known for the unknown we trust we’ll find the next anchorage safely. Uncertainty causes caution while optimism brings about steadfastness.

    Yet there there is something even bigger going on. As we drift down this river of life we feel ourselves giving away control. Life on a raft is not something you can navigate fully. Together, we are learning new respect for Old Man River as His currents move us down the river. Our possessions aren’t our possessions anymore. Our home doesn’t feel like our home anymore. Our dreams for one place are being replaced by dreams for another. Peril lies down some branches of the river yet the road map to avoid mistakes is unclear. With enthusiasm we embrace the risk and adventure!

    While the wonder of a new adventure looms, we are aware that every adventure story experiences highlights, dramatic shifts, unexpected dangers, sorrow, silliness, and joy. Just like Huckleberry Finn and Jim experienced… the journey is as important as the destination. 

    While this is a personal raft our family is casting into the river… this life season opens our eyes to many others in the same river of trust. With newfound empathy we connect with fellow rafters. Together, those drifting down the river identify strongly with one another’s journey. We love to exchange stories. Some stories are filled with mourning. Ours is filled with blessing. All are filled with awe. As a group our unknowns are embraced while risk is carefully mitigated. It seems that we resolutely accept the reality that His currents will take us where He wants at His mercy and benevolence.

    While some quickly assume these movements are random or even the result of chaos, we know who commands the currents, the emotions, the raft, the raft captain, and even the winds. 

    And so here we are. Just prior to Bon Voyage we pause to reflect, celebrate, hope for safe landing, and embrace the story ahead. Sapere invenio.

  • Fun new fashion accessory

  • Vote for my Ocean of Wonder Picture


    Ocean Beach Surfer    I took this picture last week at Ocean Beach in San Diego and have entered it in a photo contest at Parade Magazine called “Oceans of Wonder.” 

    If you could take a second, please click on this link and vote for my picture.

    When the picture wins we get a trip to the Bahamas from TripAdvisor. If you’ve never checked out TripAdvisor, I highly suggest you do before you book your next trip. You can read/write reviews on thousands of local hotels, resorts, and other travel destinations. It’s a great way to get a heads up on where you are going.

  • Car for sale

    I was just thinking about this… I’ve never sold a car. The cars I drove before we got married I just gave away. And we’ve had this car since 1998… so this is a first for me. 

    But the car is officially listed on Craigslist. Check it out. 

    In the last couple of days we did a lot of little things to get the car ready to sell. We obviously cleaned it out and washed it. But I also got fresh tires, had the AC charged, got an oil change, and Kristen even shampooed the carpets. 

    It’s weird to have to sell and give away most of your stuff. But as my friend Gerrard is teaching at his church… simplicity really is a spiritual discipline. We’re learning let go of our stuff.

  • How Do I Matter?

    Every person who attends your church needs to know the answer to this question. Church leaders, how are you answering it?

    There are two thoughts that lead me to this question. The first comes from Christopher Brook’s blog. He contemplates our freedom of conversion in contrast to the cost associated with that conversion. In some cultures, it has become illegal to convert from one religion to another… and that obviously presents a problem for Christianity. Even in Westernized countries our culture questions the morality of religious conversion. And it led Chris to the question, “Why are conversions down in America?” Why is it hard to have someone new come into the faith and easy for them to walk away?

    The second comes from an observation I made in talking to a former student yesterday. We were talking about her choice to change churches. At Romeo she felt as if no one really cared about her… rather focused on what could she do. Or extended guilt because of one thing or another. She’d have a few weeks where she wouldn’t be at church for various reasons. Upon returning she felt like no one really cared about her story, just immediately asked her to serve. Talk about devaluing a persons journey. She doesn’t want to come to a church where her worth is answered in “she fills a slot in ___ ministry.” And I don’t blame her.

    This leads me to say this, I think it is every churches responsibility to help their people understand how they matter. 

    People are wondering… do I fit in here? Are these my people? Am I one of them? Or am I just another body to fill a slot, fund a ministry, and boost the Sunday morning attendance by one. Here’s what they need to know.

    1. Does my service matter?

    2. How does my money matter?

    3. Do my prayers matter?

    4. Does my journey of messiness fit in?

    5. Do my vocational talents/interests matter?

    6. Do I matter enough to be loved for who I am right now?

    7. Am I worth a phone call, email, facebook message, text message?

    8. Do you love me for who I am or what I can do for you?

    Next, I wonder how many church leaders will read this and think… “How arrogant that a person would want to know how ‘they’ matter to my church? Of course they matter. I just don’t have time to tell people they matter.” My reply to that is pretty simple. People matter. It’s the reason why we do church. People are the reason there is a church. People are the reason we did all this training. People are the reason we have programs to find people to work in. People are the reason we prepare messages. It really is all about the people. And people is made up of very expensive individuals. Each one cost Christ a lot. Each individual is more valuable than your building, budget, or Bible lesson.

    Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

    For discussion: How do you express people’s worth where you go to church? 

  • Saturday Tunes

    Time is quickly ticking away on our tenure here in Romeo. With roughly two weeks left, we’ve got our garage sale on tap for next weekend as well as loads of stuff to “pre-sell.” (Seriously, come over and make an offer on any of the furniture, yard tools, and other stuff we need to unload.) Later, I’ll be cleaning up the car more so I can list it on Craigslist. Yippee!

    Anyway, here are the next 10 tunes blasting my cranium. As always, this is totally random with no cheating, rating included.

    1. Night on Fire by VHS or Beta ****

    2. Don’t Go Away by Leeland ****

    3. Long Way Home by Sandra McCracken *****

    4. Dearest by Buddy Holly ****

    5. O, For a Thousand Tongues to Sing by David Crowder Band ****

    6. The Very Thought of You by Natalie Cole ****

    7. You Love Me by Kimya Dawson ****

    8. One Phantom by Tobymac ****

    9. With or Without You by U2 ****

    10. Not to Us/Here is Our King by Todd Fields ****

  • Stupid Game Show Answers

  • Favorite things: Front porches

    I know this is a weird thing to have as a favorite thing. But I really love having a front porch. Here in Romeo we have the deluxe! It’s about 10×30 and full enclosed. At our new place in San Diego we also have a nice front porch with a nice porch swing. 

    There is nothing quite as nice as enjoying the cool evening breeze on a porch. And I prefer a front porch over a back patio/deck any day. Call menew crib crazy but I rather enjoy the neighbors walking by and saying hello. In fact, as I was typing this post two families walked by and cheerfully said “hi.” And a large group of drunk high school students… but that was fun too. 

    There is actually something nicer. I enjoy sitting on the front porch, doing my little internet thing, and enjoying the company of my wife. If you don’t have a front porch I highly suggest getting one right away.