Cru was Good

I've planned Cru meetings for years. I was on the student planning team at IU, put together meetings in Kosova, helped run weekly meetings at summer projects in Macedonia and in the States, and now here in DeKalb. There have been organized meetings, disorganized meetings, long meetings, short meetings, technically perfect meetings and technically disastrous meetings, pretty meetings and ugly meetings, well-attended meetings and sparsely attended meetings, funny meetings and serious meetings...

And yeah, there are certain things you can do to increase the odds of a good meeting...but it seems like a few times a semester God the Holy Spirit makes His appearance clearly evident. Sometimes it is by helping the speaker speak on a heart-to-heart level with the audience. Sometimes it is by creating an atmosphere where people go out of their way to love each other. At times (rarely, but it's beautiful when it happens), He sends a spirit of brokenness and humility and prayer. Tonight He just helped people to listen to a good message, and worship musically with a good band. He helped people to focus on Himself. And it was nice.

The problem with...

The problem with Republicans is that they manage to convince people that what started as a personal family vendetta is now a war against terror.

The problem with Democrats is that they sacrificed their credibility by dishonoring God when they removed him from daily life, and that even those who sincerely acknowledge their faith water it down out of fear.

The problem with Republicans is that they hijacked evangelical Christianity and turned parts of it into a blind voting cog, politically brainwashing many sincere followers of Jesus in the process.

The problem with Democrats is that they misprioritize things in ways that just don't make sense, like putting a person's right to choose above an unborn person's right to live.

The problem with Republicans is that they keep the rich rich and the poor poor, adhering to an unjust and ungodly philosophy of social Darwinism.

The problem with Democrats is that they portray the other side as ignorant and uneducated Orwellian half-wits.

The problem with starting things with "The problem with..." is that the list is endless. The reason is that the world is broken. Our ancestors broke it. We continue to break it. Our children will be born into a broken world. And we don't hold the blueprints. We need help to fix it. It starts inside each of us with a decision to admit our inability to fix anything. And it moves on from there, to finding the original Architect.

Household Chores and Fantasy Baseball: The Connection

Marina and I have a chore list. Everything is divided up so that we both know our responsibilities. At the beginning of this process, I signed up for dish duty. Of course, in our new place with a dishwasher, it's much easier but it's still a daily task and I thought it would be one she wouldn't want on her plate. We've been working it that way for a few months. Of course, every now and then she does them for me out of love. I have a great wife.

Anyway, Marina came up to me today and made a proposal -- she wants a trade. She would like me to take over grocery duty, and in return, she will do the dishes. In my mind, I had to weigh the pros and cons. It was a little like a fantasy baseball trade. It's kind of like trading Johan Santana for Jose Reyes. Apples and oranges. Dishes is daily, like those stolen bases you want from Reyes. Groceries is once or twice a week, but worth so much if it's a quality outing.

I'll do it, 'cause I love her...but I think I'm getting the better end of the deal, so I might throw in a Michael Cuddyer or a new favorite, Ryan "The-Riot". I wonder what household chores they would be?

A side note on global warming...

I sent an e-mail to a friend about global warming, and thought it was worth posting in a revised form here:

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Behind the Palms

As I try to put myself into a good mindset for Easter, I keep coming back to Palm Sunday. We heard a very good sermon Sunday explaining all the symbolism behind the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem for the Passover -- this event we now celebrate at Palm Sunday.

But the thing that is most meaningful for me in the story (at least this year) is how it can be a reminder to us that our plans may be "off", but the Lord will set it all right. Those who lined the road for Christ with their garments were expecting something different from him. Their plans for Jesus did not include a wooden cross less than 48 hours later. I stop to chew on that thought and experience "deep calling to deep in the roar of His waterfalls".

His plan did include a wooden cross less than 48 hours later.