Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Wednesday, June 08, 2011
Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter
On a whim at Target before my last trip, I picked up a copy of a book intriguingly titled Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter. Headed out for a 5 day staff meeting, I was just looking for a fun read to serve as a distraction.Wow. Little did I know that I would be thisclose to the meeting becoming the distraction! What a great read. So creative and so interesting.
What happens if you take the life of Abraham Lincoln and liberally interject vampires into it? What could it look like to overlay the agenda of a tribe of vampires with the Civil War? What if the key decisions of Lincoln's presidency were driven by the practical reality that vampires needed to be extinguished from the young nation?!?
Interested? One small disclaimer: there are two or three scenes that are pretty bloody. If you're someone who isn't helped by vivid images of vampires and lots o' blood, skip those sections once you get there.
Otherwise, go buy it. Don't wait for the movie. Here. Enjoy.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Saturday, May 28, 2011
War
Turns out I'm on a little war/Afghanistan kick here between Fuller classes. War is by Sebastian Junger, who you might recognize as the author of The Perfect Storm. As with Junger's previous book, War is a vivid tale describing what happens to people in impossible circumstances., only this time the foil is the Taliban insurgency and a far away valley instead of the raging North Atlantic.Junger spent parts of 15 months embedded with Battle Company in the remote Korengal Valley in eastern Afghanistan in the middle of the last decade. His reporting resulted in this book, along with a documentary called Restrepo that Junger directed along with his co-worker, the late Tim Hetherington.
War took me all of 2 days to read. It's pretty gripping, but, let the reader beware, it's also pretty graphic. One thing that took some getting used to was how Junger bounced around in the narrative. This is not a linear book, but, then again, I suppose neither is war itself. In the end, War is part biography, part war story but then part philosophy. Here are a few of Junger's musings on the nature of war and its impact:
Pg. 75: "Wars are fought with very heavy machinery that works best on top of the biggest hill in the area and used against men who are lower down. That, in a nutshell, is military tactics, and it means that an enormous amount of war-fighting simply consists of carrying heavy loads uphill." I suppose it's true that, at it's core, war is really a violent and deadly game of King of the Mountain.
Pg. 120: "The choreography (of war) always requires that each man makes decisions based not on what's best for him, but on what's best for the group. If everyone does that, most of the group survives. If no one does, most of the group dies. That, in essence, is combat." There's a strong and consistent message in War, and it's that battle is the ultimate expression of brotherhood.
Pg. 140: "It sounds dishonorable only if you imagine that modern war is about honor; it's not. It's about winning, which means killing the enemy on the most unequal terms possible. Anything less simply results in the loss of more of your own men." As War proves, romantic notions of fighting fair have not place in modern combat. If you have an opportunity to call in a flight of Apaches, do it.
Pg. 155: "As for a sense of purpose, combat is it--the only game in town. Almost none of the things that make life feel worth living back home are present at Restrepo, so the entire range of a young man's self-worth has to be found within the ragged choreography of a firefight. The men talk about it and dream about it and rehearse for it and analyze it afterward but never plumb its depths enough to lose interest. It's the ultimate test, and some of the men worry they'll never again be satisfied with a 'normal life'--whatever that is--after the amount of combat they've been in. They worry that they may have been ruined for anything else." How grievous. And as Junger follows up with some of the men he was embedded alongside, how valid a concern.
Pg. 211: "Heroism is hard to study in soldiers because they invariably claim that they acted like any good soldier would have. Among other things, heroism is a negation of the self--you're prepared to lose your own life for the sake of others--so in that sense, talking about how brave you were may be psychologically contradictory." Imagine a world in which jumping on a grenade to save a buddy is glaringly normal (where you're afraid not to), and you have a picture for what the world was like for these fighters during their tour in the valley. Incredible.
At the end of the day, it's so easy for me to sit here in Clovis, read the papers about what's happening Afghanistan and have absolutely no sense of the impact that this war is making and will make for decades to come in the lives of the soldiers who are fighting it. Hats off to them, and hats off to Junger for telling the tale.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
What do you do the day after your rapture prediction comes up empty?!?
Not sure, but it's no surprise that Harold Camping hasn't been heard from since the prediction went bust. What a mess. Of all the stuff that was written, blogged and tweeted, I think I liked these pictures the best.
To be sure, Camping's failed prediction revealed a lot, particularly about how people view Christianity and its message of the end times in particular. But here's the thing...as I reflect back on the last couple of days, the prediction also revealed some things about me. It was like a mirror that reflected back to me my own posture toward the rapture.
And what I saw in the mirror surprised me. Last week I studied 2 Timothy with my leadership team and in that text there is a passage where Paul talks about his hope of heaven. 2 Timothy 4:8 reads: "Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing." Paul eagerly yearned for heaven; he couldn't wait to be freed from his suffering and welcomed into the throne room of his Lord.
Me? Not so much, it turns out. In the moments over the last couple of days when I really thought about it, I found myself almost sad at the prospect of leaving this life for the next. There's a lot of great stuff I'd be leaving behind: the family I love, the job I love, the life I love, etc. What's up with that?
I've got to do some work with this, but here are two questions that I'm chewing on:
What is incomplete or what needs to change about my view of heaven, such that I look forward to it with the same hope that Paul does?
Paul has a lot to say about the reality of suffering and persecution in the life of a Christian leader. If I am not desperate for heaven (as Paul is), what does that say about the lack of suffering in my life? Ought I be living differently if I am not suffering?!? (yes, I know, it's a scary question to be asking...)
To be sure, Camping's failed prediction revealed a lot, particularly about how people view Christianity and its message of the end times in particular. But here's the thing...as I reflect back on the last couple of days, the prediction also revealed some things about me. It was like a mirror that reflected back to me my own posture toward the rapture.
And what I saw in the mirror surprised me. Last week I studied 2 Timothy with my leadership team and in that text there is a passage where Paul talks about his hope of heaven. 2 Timothy 4:8 reads: "Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing." Paul eagerly yearned for heaven; he couldn't wait to be freed from his suffering and welcomed into the throne room of his Lord.
Me? Not so much, it turns out. In the moments over the last couple of days when I really thought about it, I found myself almost sad at the prospect of leaving this life for the next. There's a lot of great stuff I'd be leaving behind: the family I love, the job I love, the life I love, etc. What's up with that?
I've got to do some work with this, but here are two questions that I'm chewing on:
What is incomplete or what needs to change about my view of heaven, such that I look forward to it with the same hope that Paul does?
Paul has a lot to say about the reality of suffering and persecution in the life of a Christian leader. If I am not desperate for heaven (as Paul is), what does that say about the lack of suffering in my life? Ought I be living differently if I am not suffering?!? (yes, I know, it's a scary question to be asking...)
Friday, May 20, 2011
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Reflections on a car-less week
So we're done. Yesterday morning, we loaded the kids up in the car for the first time in a week. Let it be known that there was a wispy spider web in the passenger seat and the driver's side sliding door stuck when I opened it. Thankfully, the Nintendos still worked and I hadn't forgotten the rules of the road.
We did some reflecting over dinner yesterday, and I'll use some of what the kids said and toss in my own observations about the experience, in addition to what I've already articulated as we went along:
1. We were certainly more tired with all the walking. First thing Josh said last night: "I couldn't wait to get back and sit on the couch at the end of the day!" I counted up the miles that we each walked in place of driving, and here's the tale of the tape: Josh did 10.5, Lucy did 7.5 , Grace managed 6.75, Lily ambled for 3.5, Amy did 13.5 (almost all pushing the stroller or pulling the wagon) and I ended with 27 walking and another 19 on the bike. I will say that for Amy and I one benefit was that, for the most part, the kids went down quick and easy at night. Of course it also meant that last week it took us 4 days to watch The King's Speech!
2. We had some great chats. I think my favorite was walking back with Lucy one day talking about love. She started the conversation quoting some Beiber song (I kid you not), and we were eventually talking about 1 John 4:19. So much better than loading into the car and then all doing our separate things while we drive around. I'm resolving to walk more on the way too and from school.
3. It made us grateful for what we have. Many (most?) people around the world have no choice but to walk everywhere. We have options. It's helpful now and then to be reminded that you actually have it really good.
4. Did we save money? Not sure. We're mixed on this. On one hand, we certainly saved on gas and I think we saved money not having the "we need an outing, so let's go to Target" option. But, on the other hand, Amy's amazing at the coupon thing (it's a spiritual gift for her) and we largely went without it last week. I mean, we shopped at our nearest store and we did so just once. On any given morning, Amy can make a couple of extra stops and come back with a ton of stuff at nearly no cost. So, it's a mix on the financial front.
5. Clovis is not particularly bike friendly. Oh how I missed SLO when I was riding around. Drivers here have seemingly little sense of what to do with someone riding by them, and there is a lack of dedicated bike lanes around town. I did enjoy riding, and taking the kids along in the bike trailer was terrific; I just need to do a better job figuring out where the bike lanes are.
6. Once again, experiential learning is key. I mean, Amy and I can and do teach about the importance of caring for the earth, about the importance of exercise and about how we want to be a family who communicates. And we'll keep doing these things. But how much more powerful to help the kids experience these things in action?!? The old Cal Poly motto of "learn by doing" comes to mind because that's what we did, we helped the kids learn through their actions. It's a good lesson for us to learn in our parenting for sure.
One more picture to share. This of the kids on the return to the van. Thanks everyone for cheering us on this week!
We did some reflecting over dinner yesterday, and I'll use some of what the kids said and toss in my own observations about the experience, in addition to what I've already articulated as we went along:
1. We were certainly more tired with all the walking. First thing Josh said last night: "I couldn't wait to get back and sit on the couch at the end of the day!" I counted up the miles that we each walked in place of driving, and here's the tale of the tape: Josh did 10.5, Lucy did 7.5 , Grace managed 6.75, Lily ambled for 3.5, Amy did 13.5 (almost all pushing the stroller or pulling the wagon) and I ended with 27 walking and another 19 on the bike. I will say that for Amy and I one benefit was that, for the most part, the kids went down quick and easy at night. Of course it also meant that last week it took us 4 days to watch The King's Speech!
2. We had some great chats. I think my favorite was walking back with Lucy one day talking about love. She started the conversation quoting some Beiber song (I kid you not), and we were eventually talking about 1 John 4:19. So much better than loading into the car and then all doing our separate things while we drive around. I'm resolving to walk more on the way too and from school.
3. It made us grateful for what we have. Many (most?) people around the world have no choice but to walk everywhere. We have options. It's helpful now and then to be reminded that you actually have it really good.
4. Did we save money? Not sure. We're mixed on this. On one hand, we certainly saved on gas and I think we saved money not having the "we need an outing, so let's go to Target" option. But, on the other hand, Amy's amazing at the coupon thing (it's a spiritual gift for her) and we largely went without it last week. I mean, we shopped at our nearest store and we did so just once. On any given morning, Amy can make a couple of extra stops and come back with a ton of stuff at nearly no cost. So, it's a mix on the financial front.
5. Clovis is not particularly bike friendly. Oh how I missed SLO when I was riding around. Drivers here have seemingly little sense of what to do with someone riding by them, and there is a lack of dedicated bike lanes around town. I did enjoy riding, and taking the kids along in the bike trailer was terrific; I just need to do a better job figuring out where the bike lanes are.
6. Once again, experiential learning is key. I mean, Amy and I can and do teach about the importance of caring for the earth, about the importance of exercise and about how we want to be a family who communicates. And we'll keep doing these things. But how much more powerful to help the kids experience these things in action?!? The old Cal Poly motto of "learn by doing" comes to mind because that's what we did, we helped the kids learn through their actions. It's a good lesson for us to learn in our parenting for sure.
One more picture to share. This of the kids on the return to the van. Thanks everyone for cheering us on this week!
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Where Men Win Glory
The other day I knocked out the last of my 5 books for my Fuller class and so I celebrated by picking up the latest by Jon Krakauer. Krakauer is one of my favorites, you might know his most famous work, Into Thin Air. Where Men Win Glory is the story of Pat Tillman, NFL star turned Army Ranger, who died by friendly fire in Afghanistan in 2004.As usual in a Krakauer book, the writing is good, the reporting comprehensive. Krakauer weaves the story of Tillman's life together with the story of the birth and growth of al Qaeda, with a brief history of U.S. foreign policy in that part of the world tossed in for fun. A couple of things stand out after devouring these 350ish pages in like 2 days.
First, the shifty, ever-changing nature of U.S. relationships in that part of the world. What a headache! Often when I hear politicians talk about U.S. policy in places like Iraq, Afghanistan or Pakistan, it sounds so straightforward. Then again, that's the job of a politician, I suppose, because in truth it's anything but. One day, we are encouraging, training and funding Osama bin Laden during the Soviet occupation. The next day, we're spending trillions to hunt him down. It's maddening. If you are someone who needs easy answers and black/white types of situations, stay out of that region of the globe!
Next, the fog of war is real. Krakauer's recitations of various battles are comprehensive, and they paint a picture of a confusing, complex reality. Communications collapse, plans go out the window seconds into the engagement, even the best trained soldiers panic, commanders in an office are disconnected from the reality in the field, etc. It's a mess, and it's a wonder that there are not more friendly fire incidents then there tragically are.
Finally, the power (and necessity) of the truth. Really, in Where Men Win Glory, it's the Bush administration that comes out the bad guys. Tillman is clearly and tragically killed by friendly fire, everyone knows this, but because the government wants good PR, the truth is suppressed. People fabricate stories, lie to families, lose documents, don't follow procedures, etc. It's totally tragic. I mean, war is bad enough, it shouldn't be compounded by lies or half-truths (because, really, don't they always come out?). Even with the recent bin Laden raid, let's wait until the story is clear, then tell it fully. Seems to me that the families, the public, the world are owed nothing less.
Friday, May 13, 2011
Day 5: on kids who don't complain
So something hit me on the one mile walk over to Slices tonight for dinner...it was the sound of silence. As in, there was no complaining. Here we were, our family of six trooping all over creation for the 6th successive day, it was hot, it would take us 20 some-odd minutes to feed the kids...and there was no whining. None. It staggered me.
What was our secret, you ask? Simple. We managed the, well, whine out of their expectations. One of the things we did really well this week was to clearly and strongly articulate that we would in fact be quite car-less this week. And then we backed up our words and the van sat out in front the house, day after day. Having the expectations calibrated was huge, and, as a result no (or maybe little) complaining. It was beautiful.
The lesson for Amy and I in this I think is that our kids are blessed when we sit them down and explain what's happening, remind them of this in the days that follow, and then follow through with actions that reinforce our words. Sounds simple, right? If only!
This the final day of the week began at about 6:45 with Lucy and I shuttling over to the donut shop for Amy's birthday donuts. It ended with the trip over to Sierra Vista mall. Here are some pics from the day:
What was our secret, you ask? Simple. We managed the, well, whine out of their expectations. One of the things we did really well this week was to clearly and strongly articulate that we would in fact be quite car-less this week. And then we backed up our words and the van sat out in front the house, day after day. Having the expectations calibrated was huge, and, as a result no (or maybe little) complaining. It was beautiful.
The lesson for Amy and I in this I think is that our kids are blessed when we sit them down and explain what's happening, remind them of this in the days that follow, and then follow through with actions that reinforce our words. Sounds simple, right? If only!
This the final day of the week began at about 6:45 with Lucy and I shuttling over to the donut shop for Amy's birthday donuts. It ended with the trip over to Sierra Vista mall. Here are some pics from the day:
Day 4: on being dependent
In a culture that celebrates independence, it was a refreshing experience yesterday to realize the joy of being dependent. Couple of examples:
Today (the 13th) is Amy's birthday and our friend Marie Callender promised us a pie. Trouble is, Marie doesn't live close to us. I could have biked it and carried home the pie in the bike trailer, but that seemed a bit precarious...so it was Layla to the rescue! Our friend Layla, on her way to our lunch meeting, went out of her way to go to Marie's, buy the pie and then drive it over. Thanks Lay!
Next, yesterday Amy got a ride from our friend Kim (thanks Kim!) to school for the afternoon pick-up. And when Gracie invited herself along, she got to go as well.
Finally, it wasn't just us on the receiving end. Twice yesterday we walked classmates home with us because their parents were busy. The funny thing was needing to tell the parents when they called, "well, we'll be walking home. Is that going to be OK for you?!?"
Being dependent on other people doesn't sit well with us. To be honest, my first reaction is to offer to reimburse the other person for their troubles as quickly as possible. But what if that's not the right impulse to nurture? What if the right response is simply to say "thank you?!?"
Couple of pics from the day. One of the trailer as pack mule and another of my favorite walking buddy:
Today (the 13th) is Amy's birthday and our friend Marie Callender promised us a pie. Trouble is, Marie doesn't live close to us. I could have biked it and carried home the pie in the bike trailer, but that seemed a bit precarious...so it was Layla to the rescue! Our friend Layla, on her way to our lunch meeting, went out of her way to go to Marie's, buy the pie and then drive it over. Thanks Lay!
Next, yesterday Amy got a ride from our friend Kim (thanks Kim!) to school for the afternoon pick-up. And when Gracie invited herself along, she got to go as well.
Finally, it wasn't just us on the receiving end. Twice yesterday we walked classmates home with us because their parents were busy. The funny thing was needing to tell the parents when they called, "well, we'll be walking home. Is that going to be OK for you?!?"
Being dependent on other people doesn't sit well with us. To be honest, my first reaction is to offer to reimburse the other person for their troubles as quickly as possible. But what if that's not the right impulse to nurture? What if the right response is simply to say "thank you?!?"
Couple of pics from the day. One of the trailer as pack mule and another of my favorite walking buddy:
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Pupusa time!
One time, when we were in San Salvador (every blog post should start like that...), Amy and I met the Salvadoran pupusa. Sweet Lord, those things were amazing. Then, the other day, I saw a recipe for pupusas on Kelly's blog (thanks Kel!)...and away we went. So, so good!
Day 3: on riding around Clovis
For me anyway, the theme of today was the bike. Here's how it all went down:
7:45--out the door to walk the kids to school pushing my mountain bike
8:00--drop off the kids, get geared up and ride over to Fresno State (4ish miles)
8:30--hang out with buddy of mine
9:45--ride over to Michaels to pick up some Modge Podge, Walgreens for a composition book, school to drop off said composition book, then home (4ish miles)
10:30--hook up trailer to bike
10:45--walk over to pick up Gracie
11:15--home for a little while, did some yardwork, ate lunch, collapsed on the floor...
2:15--wake up Lily (grumpy), load Grace and Lily into the trailer, head to school
2:45--drop off Lily (no longer grumpy) and Grace, load up Lucy to head to gymnastics (2ish miles)
3:00--watch Lucy do her thing.
4:00--tour de france it home to get ready for dinner!
No wonder I'm ready for bed...
Here are some pics:
7:45--out the door to walk the kids to school pushing my mountain bike
8:00--drop off the kids, get geared up and ride over to Fresno State (4ish miles)
8:30--hang out with buddy of mine
9:45--ride over to Michaels to pick up some Modge Podge, Walgreens for a composition book, school to drop off said composition book, then home (4ish miles)
10:30--hook up trailer to bike
10:45--walk over to pick up Gracie
11:15--home for a little while, did some yardwork, ate lunch, collapsed on the floor...
2:15--wake up Lily (grumpy), load Grace and Lily into the trailer, head to school
2:45--drop off Lily (no longer grumpy) and Grace, load up Lucy to head to gymnastics (2ish miles)
3:00--watch Lucy do her thing.
4:00--tour de france it home to get ready for dinner!
No wonder I'm ready for bed...
Here are some pics:
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Day 2: on walking and the increased importance of logistics
So we've got some tired people here after day 2. Put Josh and Lucy down for 2.25, Grace for 1.5 and Lily for a full mile on her stubby little legs. Here are a couple of things we learned/realized today:
1. Life slows down when you're walking everywhere. No duh, right? But, really, this was at once dissonant (we're used to being--or at least trying to be--efficient) and totally liberating. For instance, I picked up Josh and Lucy at school and we started to walk home. Amy called for an update and I basically just said, "we'll get there when we get there." And it dawned on me, when you are walking, you have little control of when you get there. Leave late, arrive late. You can't really accelerate to make up time, especially with kids in tow. But it was nice. No pressure. We'll get there when we get there. So I'm processing all of this and wondering why walking everywhere--being inefficient--felt so out of whack, when it hit me: what if the way we live day to day is the style that's out of whack and THIS is how it's meant to be?!?
2. You gotta think ahead when you're walking everywhere. Forget something at Food 4 Less? You ain't walking back. Tomorrow I'm going to try my hand at making Kelly's pupusas, and so I had a list. You'd better believe I checked it multiple times. Then, the question was what was the most direct route back from the store? After all, there are perishables involved. Finally, I had to figure out how I was going to get all the stuff back. A backpack was too small, so, yep, that would be me pushing our stroller full of milk and whatnot back through our 'hood.
Couple of pics from the day:
1. Life slows down when you're walking everywhere. No duh, right? But, really, this was at once dissonant (we're used to being--or at least trying to be--efficient) and totally liberating. For instance, I picked up Josh and Lucy at school and we started to walk home. Amy called for an update and I basically just said, "we'll get there when we get there." And it dawned on me, when you are walking, you have little control of when you get there. Leave late, arrive late. You can't really accelerate to make up time, especially with kids in tow. But it was nice. No pressure. We'll get there when we get there. So I'm processing all of this and wondering why walking everywhere--being inefficient--felt so out of whack, when it hit me: what if the way we live day to day is the style that's out of whack and THIS is how it's meant to be?!?
2. You gotta think ahead when you're walking everywhere. Forget something at Food 4 Less? You ain't walking back. Tomorrow I'm going to try my hand at making Kelly's pupusas, and so I had a list. You'd better believe I checked it multiple times. Then, the question was what was the most direct route back from the store? After all, there are perishables involved. Finally, I had to figure out how I was going to get all the stuff back. A backpack was too small, so, yep, that would be me pushing our stroller full of milk and whatnot back through our 'hood.
Couple of pics from the day:
Monday, May 09, 2011
Day 1: on van-hugs, bus rides and a certain rain squall
First full day of the adventure and it did not disappoint. Put us down for the following high (low?) lights:
1. Excited kids out the door this morning hugging the van to say goodbye.
2. Listening to Josh and Lucy chatting the whole way to school this morning. That's one of the goals. Mission accomplished!
3. Today's mileage: Josh and Lucy about 2.5 miles, Grace about a mile and a quarter and Lily did three quarters or so (and a bunch more in the wagon).
4. We took the #50 Clovis Stageline bus to the library! Turns out the bus is pricey ($1.25 one way?). It was beautiful and sunny when we left...
5. ...and then it was pouring, windy, thunder and lightning when we came back.
All in all, a great start!
1. Excited kids out the door this morning hugging the van to say goodbye.
2. Listening to Josh and Lucy chatting the whole way to school this morning. That's one of the goals. Mission accomplished!
3. Today's mileage: Josh and Lucy about 2.5 miles, Grace about a mile and a quarter and Lily did three quarters or so (and a bunch more in the wagon).
4. We took the #50 Clovis Stageline bus to the library! Turns out the bus is pricey ($1.25 one way?). It was beautiful and sunny when we left...
5. ...and then it was pouring, windy, thunder and lightning when we came back.
All in all, a great start!
Sunday, May 08, 2011
Get the walking shoes ready!
OK, it's on. Over the last couple of months, Amy and I have had this evolving conviction that as a family we should try a week without our car. Evolution completed, and we'll be doing it this week. Tonight we drove the car up to Qdoba for the standard Dixon family Sunday night outing. Now, we're done until Saturday afternoon. Hope the car forgives us...
I tried to give the kids three reasons why we're doing this. Here you go:
I tried to give the kids three reasons why we're doing this. Here you go:
Thursday, May 05, 2011
Monday, May 02, 2011
Friday, April 29, 2011
The thing about facebook...
So I was off facebook for Lent. Actually, I was off for the two weeks before Lent and then throughout the season. And...I really liked it. Really liked it. So much so that I've been reluctant to get back on. Aside from it being a good experience to connect with God instead of clicking on the facebook shortcut, I think the Lenten season of facebook freedom revealed for me some ways in which facebook is not all that great for me, especially in large doses.
For one thing, there's the timesuck factor. I go on facebook to see if anyone has commented on my status and the next thing you know I've been on for 30 minutes. I have enough troubles managing my time well; having the inevitable facebook timecreep on top of that doesn't help!
Next, I think facebook pushes my issues of comparison. I mean, in my life I've had issues from time to time comparing myself to others. Facebook provides a context for me to do so each and every time I log on. So and so is getting a raise. So and so got their Masters. Blah, blah, blah. I live my life these days mostly free from the temptation to compare myself to others; for me facebook is a half step back toward bondage.
Lastly, it can get at my self-esteem junk. You know, the stuff where I seek the approval of others to make me feel whole and important. So if no one (or few people, or the "wrong" people) comment on my oh-so-witty post, well that's a downer. Somehow it can become a referendum on my worth. Again, I am nowhere near as prone to this stuff as I used to be, but facebook doesn't help.
Now that Lent is passed and it's cool to be back on facebook, I'm totally ambivalent about it. It's not realistic to not be on facebook. After all, it's a primary way to connect to lots of folks. But, that said, I think I'm going to limit myself to checking facebook once a day, sometime early in the day. We'll see how that goes.
For one thing, there's the timesuck factor. I go on facebook to see if anyone has commented on my status and the next thing you know I've been on for 30 minutes. I have enough troubles managing my time well; having the inevitable facebook timecreep on top of that doesn't help!
Next, I think facebook pushes my issues of comparison. I mean, in my life I've had issues from time to time comparing myself to others. Facebook provides a context for me to do so each and every time I log on. So and so is getting a raise. So and so got their Masters. Blah, blah, blah. I live my life these days mostly free from the temptation to compare myself to others; for me facebook is a half step back toward bondage.
Lastly, it can get at my self-esteem junk. You know, the stuff where I seek the approval of others to make me feel whole and important. So if no one (or few people, or the "wrong" people) comment on my oh-so-witty post, well that's a downer. Somehow it can become a referendum on my worth. Again, I am nowhere near as prone to this stuff as I used to be, but facebook doesn't help.
Now that Lent is passed and it's cool to be back on facebook, I'm totally ambivalent about it. It's not realistic to not be on facebook. After all, it's a primary way to connect to lots of folks. But, that said, I think I'm going to limit myself to checking facebook once a day, sometime early in the day. We'll see how that goes.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Monday, April 18, 2011
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Saturday, April 09, 2011
Thursday, April 07, 2011
Religious Autobiography
Did I mention that I'm a student again?!? It's currently week 2 of my first class in pursuit of a Master's in Global Leadership through Fuller Theological Seminary. It's a web-based degree program with people in full-time ministry in mind. This first class is designed to help us discern our learning plan for the rest of our time in the program. One of the first assignments out of the gate was to briefly write up our religious autobiography. Here you go:
God’s grace and gift to me is that I grew up in a home where Jesus was loved and proclaimed. In fact, I come from a long line of “Jesus-loving Dixons.” My Uncle is a Fuller grad and pastor in Colorado. When I joined our church, my father and grandfather were on the session to welcome me. My dad finished his vocational career with 14 years as the business administrator of our home church. Truly, growing up, to be a Dixon was to be a Christian.
When I got to college, then, I was in for a rough awakening. Not everyone shared my worldview, and for a season I wondered if faith in Christ would be something that would make the transition with me from my childhood into my adulthood. Thankfully, Jesus met me, in the middle of a prayer meeting in a dorm room during my freshman year of college. What followed was a progressive discovery of a faith in Christ that was personal. Jesus was my savior and Lord, not just the leader of my family back at home. Immediately, I discovered the authentic joy that came with Christian community, intentional discipleship and sacrificial ministry.
Graduating from college, I was faced with a difficult decision, to follow Jesus into a Masters program in history, or to follow Jesus by coming on staff. I spent a year applying for both, trusting that God would eliminate one of the two options. In the end, I was accepted into both and had to choose. The tipping point for me was Jesus’ call to serve out of the second half of the book of Mark. I laid my life down and came on staff with InterVarsity.
From there, what started as a three year ministry “phase” at some point developed into a career. These days I’m in a supervisory role and headed toward 15 years on staff later this Fall. I love Jesus more now than ever, and my thirst to follow him and his call in our lives is more palpable than ever. In this current season of life and ministry, we are finding great joy in the community of Clovis Hills Community Church. In particular, we love the values for women in leadership, evangelism and a robust ministry to our kids. It is a joy to be continually growing, even after now 20 years of pursuing Jesus as the center of my life.
God’s grace and gift to me is that I grew up in a home where Jesus was loved and proclaimed. In fact, I come from a long line of “Jesus-loving Dixons.” My Uncle is a Fuller grad and pastor in Colorado. When I joined our church, my father and grandfather were on the session to welcome me. My dad finished his vocational career with 14 years as the business administrator of our home church. Truly, growing up, to be a Dixon was to be a Christian.
When I got to college, then, I was in for a rough awakening. Not everyone shared my worldview, and for a season I wondered if faith in Christ would be something that would make the transition with me from my childhood into my adulthood. Thankfully, Jesus met me, in the middle of a prayer meeting in a dorm room during my freshman year of college. What followed was a progressive discovery of a faith in Christ that was personal. Jesus was my savior and Lord, not just the leader of my family back at home. Immediately, I discovered the authentic joy that came with Christian community, intentional discipleship and sacrificial ministry.
Graduating from college, I was faced with a difficult decision, to follow Jesus into a Masters program in history, or to follow Jesus by coming on staff. I spent a year applying for both, trusting that God would eliminate one of the two options. In the end, I was accepted into both and had to choose. The tipping point for me was Jesus’ call to serve out of the second half of the book of Mark. I laid my life down and came on staff with InterVarsity.
From there, what started as a three year ministry “phase” at some point developed into a career. These days I’m in a supervisory role and headed toward 15 years on staff later this Fall. I love Jesus more now than ever, and my thirst to follow him and his call in our lives is more palpable than ever. In this current season of life and ministry, we are finding great joy in the community of Clovis Hills Community Church. In particular, we love the values for women in leadership, evangelism and a robust ministry to our kids. It is a joy to be continually growing, even after now 20 years of pursuing Jesus as the center of my life.
Saturday, April 02, 2011
How to remodel a bathroom
Here's all you do:
1. After five years of deliberating every year at tax return time, finally decide to commit to the project.
2. Have spent years cultivating deep friendships with people who are handy, fun and willing to serve you (thanks Bob, Cleary, Jeremy, Jay and BG!).
3. Wait til it's community clean-up day in your neighborhood so that someone else hauls away your debris.
4. Go to Lowe's and buy the fixtures you'll later install. If you can get them to chip in $450 in deals, please do.
5. Empty everything out of the room. Ask yourself why you have so many hair clippers anyway.
6. Remove all of the wall stuff: towel racks, shelves, mirror, light fixture, etc.
7. Detach the plumbing on toilet and sink.
8. Hold your breath, remove the toilet and stuff something in the nasty hole.
9. Take out the vanity.
10. Hack out the floor. In our case, that meant 6 layers: peel and stick tiles, linoleum, 1/4 inch plywood, 2 more layers of linoleum and then 1/2 inch or 3/4 inch particle board. Pick out nails and sweep wood subfloor clean.
11. Take a sledgehammer to the privacy wall that separates the toilet from the shower. Enjoy that.
12. Realize that the shower tiles are attached to the wall by cement and wire. Let it dawn on you that removing the shower is going to entail taking out the sheetrock. More wall repair than you wanted. Have at it.
13. Finish the demo with an empty 7x8 foot room with some plumbing fixtures and some missing walls. Take a deep breath.
14. Go to Lowe's for the second of what will end up to be probably 15 times over the next 3 days.
15. Start the install with the shower. Bring in the new shower pan and realize, to your horror, that the drain will need to be moved some 6 inches. Rip out a section of the subfloor. Then, look more closely and realize that those 6 inches will place the drain square in the middle of a massive 4x6 that runs the length of the house. Mutter minor curse words and then spend the next 5 hours doing a workaround. As a part of that process, send your friend Adam under your house for 2.5 hours. When finished with the beam, reroute the ABS pipes for the new shower.
16. After he's done there, send Adam up into the attic to install some kickers to strengthen the ceiling where the privacy wall used to be. Send him home coughing, sweaty and probably itchy.
17. After patching the hole in the subfloor, install hardiebacker, this sweet concrete board, onto the subfloor.
18. End the first night of the install at like 12:30. Go to bed tired.
19. Wake up, hit Lowe's again, then install the shower pan, followed by the walls.
20. Start patching the sheetrock around the shower and in the ceiling. Then tape and mud. Use the 20 minute drying joint compound in hopes of making up time.
21. End the second day with tiling the floor. Start that process after 11pm. Finish at 2:30. Realize that we haven't been up that late since college. Sleep for about 4 hours.
22. Start the next day with some sanding! Sand the patched areas. In the process, coat everything in your bedroom with dust.
23. After sanding, wash the walls.
24. Then paint some drywall primer. Kilz 2 in case your are curious.
25. As you are doing this, install the shower walls and door.
26. Start painting. Put a coat of Valspar's cucumber peel on the wall and crisp linen on the ceiling. Realize that you're going to need two coats of each. More muttered curses.
27. Round two of painting. Sit back satisfied. This thing is coming together.
28. Pizza and Dodgers beating the Giants for dinner. Praise Him.
29. End the third day with some grouting. Stay up til 1am this time. Think about how you didn't used to get this sore.
30. Start the next morning with still another trip to Lowe's. Realize (with a blend of sadness and sheer joy) that this will be your last trip for this project.
31. Clean off the grout with a hardy sponge.
32. Put in the baseboards. Remark about how baseboards really make a room look good. Then start the fun stuff.
33. Install toilet. Get more giddy than you probably should about the toilet lids that self-lower.
34. Install vanity. Of course there were issues. For the 97th time, thank the Lord that Bob Green knows what he's doing.
35. Install toilet paper holder, lighting, mirror, transition piece and a few other things that right now are a blur.
36. Sit back, look around and realize that, with a ton of help, you just renovated your freakin' bathroom.
37. Gather up the ream's worth of Lowe's receipts and save the accounting for another day.
38. Do some clean-up. Lovingly pack away your new Sawzall. Throw a bunch of stuff in the wash.
39. Celebrate when Grace uses the toilet for the first time.
40. Give it an hour, then hit the road for Sacramento.
1. After five years of deliberating every year at tax return time, finally decide to commit to the project.
2. Have spent years cultivating deep friendships with people who are handy, fun and willing to serve you (thanks Bob, Cleary, Jeremy, Jay and BG!).
3. Wait til it's community clean-up day in your neighborhood so that someone else hauls away your debris.
4. Go to Lowe's and buy the fixtures you'll later install. If you can get them to chip in $450 in deals, please do.
5. Empty everything out of the room. Ask yourself why you have so many hair clippers anyway.
6. Remove all of the wall stuff: towel racks, shelves, mirror, light fixture, etc.
7. Detach the plumbing on toilet and sink.
8. Hold your breath, remove the toilet and stuff something in the nasty hole.
9. Take out the vanity.
10. Hack out the floor. In our case, that meant 6 layers: peel and stick tiles, linoleum, 1/4 inch plywood, 2 more layers of linoleum and then 1/2 inch or 3/4 inch particle board. Pick out nails and sweep wood subfloor clean.
11. Take a sledgehammer to the privacy wall that separates the toilet from the shower. Enjoy that.
12. Realize that the shower tiles are attached to the wall by cement and wire. Let it dawn on you that removing the shower is going to entail taking out the sheetrock. More wall repair than you wanted. Have at it.
13. Finish the demo with an empty 7x8 foot room with some plumbing fixtures and some missing walls. Take a deep breath.
14. Go to Lowe's for the second of what will end up to be probably 15 times over the next 3 days.
15. Start the install with the shower. Bring in the new shower pan and realize, to your horror, that the drain will need to be moved some 6 inches. Rip out a section of the subfloor. Then, look more closely and realize that those 6 inches will place the drain square in the middle of a massive 4x6 that runs the length of the house. Mutter minor curse words and then spend the next 5 hours doing a workaround. As a part of that process, send your friend Adam under your house for 2.5 hours. When finished with the beam, reroute the ABS pipes for the new shower.
16. After he's done there, send Adam up into the attic to install some kickers to strengthen the ceiling where the privacy wall used to be. Send him home coughing, sweaty and probably itchy.
17. After patching the hole in the subfloor, install hardiebacker, this sweet concrete board, onto the subfloor.
18. End the first night of the install at like 12:30. Go to bed tired.
19. Wake up, hit Lowe's again, then install the shower pan, followed by the walls.
20. Start patching the sheetrock around the shower and in the ceiling. Then tape and mud. Use the 20 minute drying joint compound in hopes of making up time.
21. End the second day with tiling the floor. Start that process after 11pm. Finish at 2:30. Realize that we haven't been up that late since college. Sleep for about 4 hours.
22. Start the next day with some sanding! Sand the patched areas. In the process, coat everything in your bedroom with dust.
23. After sanding, wash the walls.
24. Then paint some drywall primer. Kilz 2 in case your are curious.
25. As you are doing this, install the shower walls and door.
26. Start painting. Put a coat of Valspar's cucumber peel on the wall and crisp linen on the ceiling. Realize that you're going to need two coats of each. More muttered curses.
27. Round two of painting. Sit back satisfied. This thing is coming together.
28. Pizza and Dodgers beating the Giants for dinner. Praise Him.
29. End the third day with some grouting. Stay up til 1am this time. Think about how you didn't used to get this sore.
30. Start the next morning with still another trip to Lowe's. Realize (with a blend of sadness and sheer joy) that this will be your last trip for this project.
31. Clean off the grout with a hardy sponge.
32. Put in the baseboards. Remark about how baseboards really make a room look good. Then start the fun stuff.
33. Install toilet. Get more giddy than you probably should about the toilet lids that self-lower.
34. Install vanity. Of course there were issues. For the 97th time, thank the Lord that Bob Green knows what he's doing.
35. Install toilet paper holder, lighting, mirror, transition piece and a few other things that right now are a blur.
36. Sit back, look around and realize that, with a ton of help, you just renovated your freakin' bathroom.
37. Gather up the ream's worth of Lowe's receipts and save the accounting for another day.
38. Do some clean-up. Lovingly pack away your new Sawzall. Throw a bunch of stuff in the wash.
39. Celebrate when Grace uses the toilet for the first time.
40. Give it an hour, then hit the road for Sacramento.
Friday, April 01, 2011
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