Chuck

For a few weeks now I have been captivated by this show. A friend of mine had the first season, so I borrowed it and gave Chuck a shot. Boy am I glad that I did. I love this show. I am now caught up and watching it on a weekly basis.

The storyline is about a guy/Chuck who works at a buy more (best buy pretty much) and his friend happens to be a government agent who sends chuck a visual email. Chuck reacts to the email, and well he becomes a secret agent working for the government. The showers offers comedy, action, drama, romance, and a whole lot more. What else could you ask for in a show? For me? Nothing.

Brite Revolution

Brite Revolution

I love new music. I love down to earth artists. I also love artists that try and make this world a better place to live in while living a missional life. Click the link above and be amazed. These artists have formed together to create something really special. Each month they EACH put out two new or old songs on the site, then you get to snag them. There are like twenty artists so far. You spend about 5 bucks a month for the product. In the end you get about two new albums total a month, insider info, cool blogs and videos, and I haven't even mentioned the coolest part yet...

Ten percent of each month goes straight to causes like...



* Compassion International
* Blood:Water Mission
* Invisible Children
* Save Darfur
* Best Friends Animal Society
* Dalit Freedom Network
* Mocha Club
* Project: AK-47
* International Justice Mission
* Make A Wish of Middle Tennessee

Heres the kicker...you get to choose where the ten percent goes. I chose the Dalit Freedom Network. What will YOU choose?

Josh Ritter-Thin Blue Frame

While I was driving to the father son retreat, (sorry for going back in time here in the blogsosphere)I was listening to the ipod on shuffle and this song came on. I have like Josh Ritter for a little over two years now, never seen him live, but I really like his music. The lyrics to the song that blew me away for a whopping 9 and half minutes are below. On top of that, it was recorded live. Still trying to figure it all out, but right now I am loving this tune.

Lyrics to Thin Blue Flame :
I became a thin blue flame Polished on a mountain range And over hills and fields I flew Wrapped up in a royal blue I flew over Royal City last night A bullfighter on the horns of a new moon¹s light Caesar¹s ghost I saw the war-time tides The prince of Denmark¹s father still and quiet And the whole world was looking to get drowned Trees were a fist shaking themselves at the clouds I looked over curtains and it was then that I knew Only a full house gonna make it through

I became a thin blue wire That held the world above the fire And so it was I saw behind Heaven¹s just a thin blue line If God¹s up there he¹s in a cold dark room The heavenly host are just the cold dark moons He bent down and made the world in seven days And ever since he¹s been a¹walking away Mixing with nitrogen in lonely holes Where neither seraphim or raindrops go I see an old man wandering the halls alone Only a full house gonna make a home

I became a thin blue stream The smoke between asleep and dreams And in that clear blue undertow I saw Royal City far below Borders soft with refugees Streets a¹swimming with amputees It¹s a Bible or a bullet they put over your heart It¹s getting harder and harder to tell them apart Days are nights and the nights are long Beating hearts blossom into walking bombs And those still looking in the clear blue sky for a sign Get missiles from so high they might as well be divine Now the wolves are howling at our door Singing bout vengeance like it¹s the joy of the Lord Bringing justice to the enemies not the other way round They¹re guilty when killed and they¹re killed where they¹re found If what¹s loosed on earth will be loosed up on high It¹s a Hell of a Heaven we must go to when we die Where even Laurel begs Hardy for vengeance please The fat man is crying on his hands and his knees Back in the peacetime he caught roses on the stage Now he twists indecision takes bourbon for rage Lead pellets peppering aluminum Halcyon, laudanum and Opium Sings kiss thee hardy this poisoned cup His winding sheet is busy winding up In darkness he looks for the light that has died But you need faith for the same reasons that it¹s so hard to find And this whole thing is headed for a terrible wreck And like good tragedy that¹s what we expect

At night I make plans for a city laid down Like the hips of a girl on the spring covered ground Spirals and capitals like the twist of a script Streets named for heroes that could almost exist The fruit trees of Eden and the gardens that seem To float like the smoke from a lithium dream Cedar trees growing in the cool of the squares The young women walking in the portals of prayer And the future glass buildings and the past an address And the weddings in pollen and the wine bottomless And all wrongs forgotten and all vengeance made right The suffering verbs put to sleep in the night The future descending like a bright chandelier And the world just beginning and the guests in good cheer In Royal City I fell into a trance Oh it¹s hell to believe there ain¹t a hell of a chance

I woke beneath a clear blue sky The sun a shout the breeze a sigh My old hometown and the streets I knew Were wrapped up in a royal blue I heard my friends laughing out across the fields The girls in the gloaming and the birds on the wheel The raw smell of horses and the warm smell of hay Cicadas electric in the heat of the day A run of Three Sisters and the flush of the land And the lake was a diamond in the valley¹s hand The straight of the highway and the scattered out hearts They were coming together they pulling apart And angels everywhere were in my midst In the ones that I loved in the ones that I kissed I wondered what it was I¹d been looking for up above Heaven is so big there ain¹t no need to look up So I stopped looking for royal cities in the air Only a full house gonna have a prayer

Father Son retreat

a. Rod vs. Pole
During the weekend of father son retreat I had very little luck fishing with a pole and lure. I think I caught a totally of like six fish for the entire weekend. The truth is I really wasn’t having that much fun fishing. I had more fun watching the guys around me catch some of their first fish ever. The reason for this I have come to realize is I am truly a fly fishing snob. What does that mean exactly? Not sure yet, I really don’t know a whole lot about the sport; I do know that I have tried it and love it!
What it boils down to are a couple of things for me that make all the difference in the world when fishing. The first is the chase is completely different when fly fishing from simple lure fishing. You truly have to get into the scenery and know your opponent (the fish and his surroundings) in the fly game. Whereas in pole fishing you really just sit on the edge of the bank, let the lure sink a few meters and then at the pace you have deemed worthy to catch fish, reel in. Fly fishing is totally different. You are so much more involved in the tempting of the prey. You literally have to become the fish and think like the fish, your every movement has to be well thought out and precise. You camouflage yourself from the fish and deceive him with the fly. You have to be fully involved in fly fishing. I love the fact that you are always moving.
The best part about fly fishing is the most important part about it as well, it is the reason that I keep coming back to it. You have to become one with the body of water and land that you are fishing. In pole fishing this is not necessary at all. Becoming one with your surroundings is not some voodoo tree hugging mantra, it is however becoming one with the nature that God created for us to enjoy and possible experience Him in and begin to worship Him. Yes, that is right, fly fishing for me is a worship experience. The part where you have to get into the water, step off the shore, put a little bit more of yourself into it than pole fishing, that is the part about fly fishing that is most attractive and why I have become the fly fishing snob.
For me this actually looks a little bit like our faith sometimes. Yes, I am going here. You see for a lot of people in the Faith these days, they just sit on the shore casting there lures out into the deep expanse of the body of water and hope to snag themselves the big one. How often in our faith do we do this? Try and do as little as possible and let the world come to us? Instead shouldn’t it be more like fly fishing? Where you have to dive into the fishes world and think like a fish to actually catch one? Do not get me wrong here, I am not one to catch people or try to deceive them, on the contrary I actually try to get to know them in their element and then accept them and love on them. Maybe the analogy is a little weak, but for me it isn’t so weak at all, even in my own faith, I can’t be casting out nifty lures hoping to snag a little bit of God on the end of one of those hooks, I have to get me feet wet, get a little dirty get into the experience of it all and begin to know the God who created me to worship Him. Fly fishing is hard work, but the work is so much more gratifying in the end.

b. Frisbee golf
Also while at Tadmore I got to put in about 45 holes of Frisbee golf. Honestly I wish I had gotten to play more often than I did. I shot some of my best putts and drives this year. I missed some close putts and had some horrible drives as well. I was just happy to average in the under par category for most of the weekend. I really do love this sport, and the experience of it. If you are a nature dude, or walker, or jogger, or cheap golfer…this is a sport for you!

c. Missionally mathematical
During the weekend I got to catch up with a fairly new friend. I get to go to Tadmore about three to four times a year for retreats and what not, he works up at Tadmore. We usually hook up for a round or two of Frisbee golf. The goal is not usually a competitive round, but a conversation on life, God, and anything in between.

I really have come to look forward to these times. This guy has been an encourager and somewhat short term mentor in my life. This time he had just gotten back from a retreat/conference and he was sharing a few of the things that he learned from that conference. One of the things that came up was living missionally and what that truly looks like.

A few weeks before this conversation with my frolfing buddy, my wife and I joined a close group of friends who are trying to figure out just that. What it means to live missionally in our world today. The group I must say is something I truly look forward to on a weekly basis. The best part about it is that we have no true expectations right now; we are just figuring each other out and trying to possibly define the missional lifestyle. (I am sure there will be more posts on this group later on)
Back to the Tadmore conversation…

So my buddy and I continue our game and conversation. We share some of our concerns with the Church as it is today. One of the things that we bring up is the lack of mentoring and the lack of mathematical addition to the church. I have struggled with this for years. I have for almost nine years now mentored middle school students in small groups and one on one, also dabbled in some high school ministry as well. This is not my point though. My point is that it seems that We as the Church (all of them) are very concerned with numbers and quickly getting those numbers and right now decisions. The truth is I find myself more attracted to spending time with a handful of people, training them, discipling them, figuring out there gifts, etc. and then continuing to influence and be a part of their lives. But what happens because of this? Multiplication begins. Not a quick wave of shiny happy people, but the ones you mentored are beginning to mentor others on a deeper and more living the life of Christ level. Maybe the blog isn’t the best place for this. We can talk more in person if you want to really know about this. I will end with this: my heart is that people would not just come to church or a group or a club, my heart is that people would be loved on, influence, mentored, used, and then become a part of the wave of people chasing after Christ.