1. The Wire Season 1: I'm so not from the projects, but this show is fascinating to me, and yet disturbing. 2. Fewer people in the house: Hey, don't get me wrong, my roommates are great, but I've been craving alone time recently and it's been nice since they've been out of town. 3. Anticipation of demolishing my porch: It's an eyesore and I need to let out my aggressions somehow. The crowbar and sledgehammer should suffice, but a chainsaw, Sawz-all, and jackhammer will probably come into play as well. 4. Our youth group started a summer Bible (NT) reading program: I have no idea if they will do it (I had briefly considered adding "junior high boys" to the list below but I thought that would be mean), but I'm excited that no one looked at me like I was crazy when I handed out new Bibles to everyone (NLT). In fact, one of my kids was thrilled because just the previous day she had asked God for help in being more disciplined in reading the Bible, and for a new one to boot! 5. Panera at Rosedale: Sherri and I arrived at 5 minutes till 8 and even though they closed at 8, the staff was super nice to us. The food was meh (I think I only like the tomato and mozarella salad, and the Asiago roast beef sandwich out of their entire menu, and maybe the strawberry salad) but the manager took time out to talk to us while we ate (although it was a little weird) and even gave us free end-of-the-day baguettes and a copy of the Pioneer Press. 6. Finding the Cedar Lake bike trail in Minneapolis: It's free, it's flat, and it's good for you. 7. The Middle of Everywhere by Mary Pipher: Great book about her personal interaction with refugees in Lincoln, NE by an excellent writer. Will mess with your heart though. I can only read a little at a time. 8. Lower utility bills: No more high heating costs! (Although I wonder how much of it is due to the fact that my roommates have been out of town.)
Recent Things I Hated:
1. Paying almost $70 to fill up my Jeep: Interestingly enough, I'm actually okay with gas prices being high as a whole, but hate it that I wasn't smart enough to prepare for it. 2. Working solely to make money: I always feel like such a mercenary even though I know I have very little to complain about. Yes, even as I Xanga while at work. 3. Professional sports: Too much money, too much hero-worshiping, gave up my tickets. Admittedly, easier to do since most of my hometown and adopted hometown teams stink pretty much. 4. Clutter: I feel like purging all the stuff that collects in my house and garage. And a document scanner would be nice. 5. Feeling caged: Okay, I admit it. There are parts of me that don't act my age, whatever that is. I don't like stability. I want everything new. 6. Cleaning out my fridge: I waste way too much food. Horrible. 7. My lawn: Why do I insist on maintaining this farce that I care about what is basically an non-native weed that my neighborhood has decided has to be manicured to an inch height? I so want to tear it all out and replace it with fake grass or prairie wildflowers that I only cut once a year. 8. Reading the continuing coverage about Myanmar, China, Darfur, and being here: I think it's self-explanatory. Maybe Iowa
I'm preparing to speak tomorrow, so I have to keep this short, but something's stinking in my craw (I know, you're surprised) so I'm blogging about it.
I'm been hearing promos on the local Christian radio station here talking about the wonderful thing they want Christians in the Twin Cities to do: pay for the person behind you in the drive-thru / fast-food line.
People were calling in to say how excited they were to try this out and then how the responses they received were so encouraging. You would have thought that the kingdom of heaven had come through the drive-thru.
(Now let's just forget the fact that whether it's a McDonald's, Starbucks, or Taco Bell, you're probably encouraging the taking over of American with obesity. Why not pay for someone else's groceries at the farmer's market instead?)
But how American Christian is this? We have this idea that acting out our faith can be done in bite-sized chunks and that somehow we please God with this. Sure, there are times when we are only a small cog in the grand scheme of another person's spiritual journey, but more often than not, we need to commit to a long-term type of relationship. There are no easy steps in this process.
We've seen this overseas as well. Americans travel to villages in China in the dark of night and stuff doors and car windshields with tracts, only to disappear before people can actually meet them. Are we so fascinated by this kind of guerilla Christianity that we think it does an ounce of good?
I wonder how many Christians in the Twin Cities are feeling smug about the complete stranger they "helped" at the drive-thru today while their neighbors are hurting for someone so show them what true hope and true love of Christ is? This makes me sicker than eating the fast food they are paying for.
Any water slide that involves a trap door and a loop has got to be awesome. It's in Germany and the video is in German but I bet the translation goes something like this: "I just wet my pants."
