Closest thing to Game Day

The NFL draft is today. For football junkies like myself and others I know...this is the closest thing to NFL Opening Day or even pre-season crap games. My brother-in-law correctly guessed the first two picks and one of my favorite players, Ted Ginn Jr was picked up by Miami as a ninth overall pick.

Seattle traded their first round pick so they will have to wait until Round 2. The funny thing is that Brady Quinn is still up for grabs! Does a lot to the ego. However, in hearing him interviewed, he has a solid head on his shoulders and realizes that this is just part of the game. Good kid.

We've decided that Draft Day 2008 will be a party at the Hillhouses. Phil..we need you man!

I QUIT

Since I weigh more than the average human being I have always said there are two things that I WILL have: 1. cute hair 2. great shoes.

So far, I have always succeeded.

Unfortunately, I should have realized the beginning of the end. My hair stylist or whatever you call them now, left the place I've gone for the past three years and moved to Hair Masters. Now, despite the shock of this and the subsequent trauma I went through psyching myself up to go to Hair Masters, I went and she did my hair and it was great...same as always.

Today, I called Hair Masters to make an appointment with her. Here is a tidbit of the conversation:

Receptionist: Thanks for calling South Hill Hair Masters can I help you?
H: Yes, I would like to make an appointment for Sunday afternoon with Kerri. My hair is a rat pile and the color has slowly leaked into my brain and I am in need of help. And, can you throw in a brow wax?
R: Ahm...she doesn't work here anymore.
H: (in my head) What the f*#k? (outloud) I'm sorry, I'm not sure I heard you.
R: She no longer works here.
H: What am I supposed to do? Did she leave a phone number?
R: No. I can schedule you with another stylist...
H: (waking up after passing out)...No, that is ok. Thanks.

I then ordered another pair of shoes from Zappos and ate a cookie.

Rethinking our Passion

This weekend was amazing. Some of the hardest physical work I've done in awhile-but worth it! We had a record breaking Saturday at Mosaic with the Missional Learning Day with Brian McLaren. He was pretty good-and I really liked his concept of integrated mission - which goes along well with the idea that we do not bring people to Christ - we're not that good. Instead, we bring Christ to people - where they are at...get it? We INTEGRATE. I love it because I love the diversity of what it could mean.

Anyway...I talked to my friend Timmy about his concept of changing our passions and that sometimes God broadens our perception of what we are passionate about...always for our good although it maybe hard at the time. It's hard because it seems like you're "giving up" one passion in place of another - but I would posit that one passion may lead to another if we are willing to allow God to work. I can jump up and down and say "I WANT TO FEED THE POOR!" but what if, through the love of my church community and that neighborhood, I am doing that even if I don't recognize it at the time? I think it's not only possible, but probable. A change in perception is all it takes.

Timmy preached today and spoke from Jeremiah about allowing the Potter (God...) to mold us into what HE would have us be. Sometimes we're rough around the edges due to our resistence but in the end, the Potter creates something useful and beautiful and able to be used for whatever intended purpose.

Honestly, I am having a hard time with the whole thing - but that's just when the Potter reassures me that it will work out for his glory - and that we are on the right track.

Read...it's not that boring!

Being in a PhD program allows me to read really cool research studies about really interesting things. I have not shared a lot of these because 1. they are boring to most 2. I would like people to continue to read this blog and 3. you all probably do not care.

BUT, some of them are too cool to not share. Like the one I was reading about the falsehood that we Christ followers like to call "loving the sinner but hating the sin". This researcher developed the hypothesis that this is actually not possible. Lo and behold he was right! It is impossible for us to love the sinner and hate the sin. We simply hate both! So much easier.

The other study was regarding the concept of obedience - whether or not it is instinctive or learned. The study focused hypothesized that well-meaning, good, even Christian German men thought it was o.k. to build gas chambers and kill Jews in WW2. The researcher posits that it is due to obedience - NOT fear of non-obedience. So, why don't we obey Jesus? There is no fear of non-obedience there either. Weird I tell you!

Obviously there is more to it - I just highlighted the juicy parts.

Also working on a theory of the Personality of Compassion...we'll see where it goes. Thanks for listening and not abandoning the blog - it really is interesting!

Pray for the Hokies

As a huge lover of college football - Virginia Tech has always held a certain fascination for me and I love to watch the Hokies play and Frank Beamer coach.

I am saddened today and shocked and will say a prayer for all at V. Tech.

Reason #352 why I love Mosaic

Last night I was at Mosaic doing some homework and learning my way around the espresso machine. It was a fun evening and I was so incredibly impressed with my friends who worked with me last night.

They live in the neighborhood (I do not) and a couple came in with a little girl. This couple has lived in Wallingford for the last 7 years and probably would never have set foot in our church, but Mosaic...that's different. My friends talked to them, welcomed them, loved them, made their funky rice milk Chai drinks and engaged them as neighbors and community and I was so proud of them. The little girl is the same age as my friends' child and will go to the same school. It was fun to see them make this connection - the community connection. I think Jesus is proud of my friends.

I don't do this well yet - and I was kind of feeling bad because I don't have kids or live in Wallingford so it was easier for me to make fun of their soy milk mocha or whatever...but watching my friends engage made me realize that this is the reason Mosaic exists. It does not exist for us to bring people to Christ - it exists for us to bring Christ to people. I got to be there and see it happen.

I invite you all to come and to share a cup of coffee, listen to music and have a really amazing French Toast bagel.

Somehow, I think this is how church should be.

Red Letter Rants

I have wanted to start a secret blog of red letter rants. Just a place where I can go and rant about things and use the occasional "f" word if I want. There are some blogs that I read (of supposed Christian folks) that are so full of narcissistic s*#t that I can't help but scream out loud - or to a friend who happens to cross my path (Sorry CW). So, I thought it might help to have another blog to rant...but alas, I will hold in my rantings until I just can't take it anymore. I also can't stand bloggers that do not use spell check. It's so easy - PUSH the button!

One of my favorite blogs is "This Pile" and she had some great suggestions recently about purging what you no longer use. I started the purge process - realizing that I have 588 square feet of living space and a storage unit...it's a slow process. Plus, for whatever reason, I assign value to the stupidest things...as if my relationship with the person that gave me the stupid thing will suffer if I throw away their gift.

I think that's called VooDoo.

Pictures of China & Korea

Here are some of my pictures of my trip to China/Korea. Just an FYI...I am not Chinese, Korean or skinny if you needed help to identify me!

She was playing badmitton and I almost took her home with me!



This is a high school in Ha'ian, Jiangsu province. The kids are lining the halls to look at the Americans - some have never even been to Shanghai (about four hours away) let alone seen a blond/blue-eyed/fat American!:-)

This statement says it all about education in China.


School kids in China - all 5500 kids live in dorms at the school and are in class from 6:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. They are taking over the world on work ethic alone!

This is Linda (our Chinese translator) and myself on the riverboat cruise. She was so cute and tried her best to make a meaningful experience for the Americans!

He is Risen

Thank you for the cross.
Thank you for the nails.
Thank you for the blood.
Thank you for the spear.
Thank you for the thorns.
Thank you for the whip.
Thank you for your last breath on Friday...

And the first breath on that Sunday.

It's Friday...but Sunday's comin'!

It's Friday. Jesus is arrested in the garden where He was praying. But Sunday's coming.

It's Friday. The disciples are hiding and Peter's denying that he knows the Lord. But Sunday's coming.

It's Friday. Jesus is standing before the high priest of Israel, silent as a lamb before the slaughter. But Sunday's coming.

It's Friday. Jesus is beaten, mocked, and spit upon. But Sunday's coming.

It's Friday. Those Roman soldiers are flogging our Lord with a leather scourge that has bits of bones and glass and metal, tearing at his flesh. But Sunday's coming.

It's Friday. The Son of man stands firm as they press the crown of thorns down into his brow. But Sunday's coming.

It's Friday. See Him walking to Calvary, the blood dripping from His body. See the cross crashing down on His back as He stumbles beneath the load. It's Friday; but Sunday's a coming.

It's Friday. See those Roman soldiers driving the nails into the feet and hands of my Lord. Hear my Jesus cry, "Father, forgive them." It's Friday; but Sunday's coming.

It's Friday. Jesus is hanging on the cross, bloody and dying. But Sunday's coming.

It's Friday. The sky grows dark, the earth begins to tremble, and He who knew no sin became sin for us. Holy God who will not abide with sin pours out His wrath on that perfect sacrificial lamb who cries out, "My God, My God. Why hast thou forsaken me?" What a horrible cry. But Sunday's coming.

It's Friday. And at the moment of Jesus' death, the veil of the Temple that separates sinful man from Holy God was torn from the top to the bottom because Sunday's coming.

It's Friday. Jesus is hanging on the cross, heaven is weeping and hell is partying. But that's because it's Friday, and they don't know it, but Sunday's a coming.

And on that horrible day 2000 years ago, Jesus the Christ, the Lord of glory, the only begotten Son of God, the only perfect man died on the cross of Calvary. Satan thought that he had won the victory. Surely he had destroyed the Son of God. Finally he had disproved the prophecy God had uttered in the Garden and the one who was to crush his head had been destroyed. But that was Friday.

Get ready...Sunday's coming!

The Last Supper

One of the beauties of jet lag is getting to wake up at 4:09 am, watching tivo'd episodes of CSI from January and blogging. Normally I would go back to sleep but I have been thinking about Thursday - the night of the Last Supper.

In all four Gospels it is recorded that Jesus broke bread and said

"take it; this is my body....this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many..."

I wonder when exactly did Jesus make the decision that his love of his Father and of all humanity was more important to him than what awaited him the next 24 hours? Was it while he broke the bread and gave it to his most trusted disciples as they argued about who would be the greatest? Was it in Gethsemane? Was this the ultimate struggle during the night of prayer while the disciples fell asleep?

At what point in our lives do we decide that we love Jesus more than our ________ (fill in the blank...children, spouse, parents, job, money, drugs, sex, shopping,) and start to demonstrate (act out!) that love? Meaning...when will we decide that what he says, in the Gospels, is the most important thing in our lives and we will now do everything possible to manifest his Gospel. The decision for me is ongoing-a journey of sorts with many stops and re-starts along the way.

Maybe you have not decided that yet...and maybe that is fine. However, tonight as you remember the gift of the last supper and perhaps even partake of the eucharist, maybe this will be the night of decision for you as well.

So tired

It's amazing how you can sit on an airplane for 10 hours and feel this exhausted when you return. I want to sleep right now and it's only 4:58 pm. I am also not feeling well which adds to the tiredness.

Hopefully, going back to work will help! Getting into a routine should be good. I'm excited to head up to Mighty Mosaic on Friday to work. I am very excited!