Corteo

My mom, sister and I saw Corteo last night - a Cirque du Soleil performance. If you have never seen one in person - please go. Save up all year and take the family. It's worth it and about 2.5 hours of entertainment delight!

This story is of a clown who is "living" through his funeral and all of the quirky things that happen during the course of a funeral. The best part was when Valentina floated over the audience with the help of 5 huge balloons! It was really amazing.

Home sweet apartment-or sister's spare bedroom.

I've had this sneaking thought in the back of my mind for sometime and did not want to speak it because I didn't want it to be reality - but today it's entered my reality. I've been thinking that the reason I have not cleaned up my clutter within my home is due to the fact that I continued to believe that my re-fi options were limited and I would simply have to move anyway - so what did it matter? I did not care.

Now today, sadly...that's my reality. I was denied a re-fi today-mostly because 2 years ago I assumed I "heard" the Lord asking me to take a chance and take a pay cut and join Rainier Christian Schools. This has been an amazing time for me there. They have started to see that Christian education is available to the undignified and the disenfranchised - I've seen kids from addicted families come, from single mom's working at Wal-Mart, Foster kids going through the system. I know that I've made an impact on how we see these kids and their families and so I think I made the right decision.

Until today. What was I thinking? Taking a $14K pay cut is a serious issue and certainly made itself known to me today. I don't have any more debt than I did while at the UW - but my income went down so severely that it makes a huge difference.

All of this to say - I know a nice condo for sale in Renton...cheap! It will be an interesting few months and I am sad. Decisions will be made and choices of further employment or changing or something!

I will continue to de-clutter - maybe now for different reasons! I left work today to try and talk to my dad - I need the "buck up" speech in a big way. Stay tuned.

Go and sell everything

So I've tried to explain the change I've seen in the kid sister since we went to the conference last weekend and I'm not doing very well. So, the other day she said that she was selling some "priceless" possessions she had on eBay so she could further help those in need - like buy goats, chickens, kiva loan, etc.

Now, to her, these are possessions that will probably be painful for her to give up. BUT, she's the only one in my circle that has even pondered the idea. So, last night, sitting around the table with some friends, we were talking a lot about what we could sell - and together we decided to find something that to us is a priceless possession and sell it on eBay and either pool our money to fund education or goats for someone or to give individually. What a novel concept.

The idea is to consume less - and where we have over-consumed, to de-clutter, sell and give. It seems so damn simple when I sit here and type it - yet so hard when I go and actually try to do it.

I was up at 4:00 AM this morning asking myself what I have to sell. One suggestion was some shoes - but not really thinking anyone wanted to buy my worn shoes - but who knows? Maybe they would. Then I thought of my football jerseys. I love them and they are in pristine condition - so maybe someone would buy them.

The kid sister is putting ACTION behind words. Words are worthless without action - and I'm not talking the pithy "works" to justify our grace - don't get me wrong. I'm talking about doing the stuff Jesus said to do - rich young ruler or not!

What would you sell?

Oh be careful

Ok...so I'm addicted to www.naznet.com. It's a discussion board thingee where people in the COTN can come together and spout off, discuss theology, exchange recipes, or pontificate on who they know in the COTN (Church of the Nazarene). As usual, I have people I really like and people who I never want to meet in a dark alley or at General Assembly.

Another great thing about the Internet..you know instantly if you like someone and have never even met them!

Today I was reading another blog in the blogesphere...and sadly she quoted a song that I used to sing as a child. A song that luckily (and through major theological study) I have outgrown. It's sad to me that people still think that God is looking down on them...waiting for them to f*#k up - waiting...to nail them. Friends, folks, dear people, let me just say that I do not believe in a God like that! We are all broken people in need of mercy, grace and a Savior. He is not keeping a list and checking it twice.

I know you'll remember the song...sing it with me...

"Oh be careful little eyes what you see...oh be careful little eyes what you see...for the Father up above is looking down in love...oh be careful little eyes what you see."

Crap I say...pure crap.

Any other childhood songs that spark fear and loathing?

The weekend and the rest of my life..in review.

I wanted to blog about this weekend's conference with Brian McLaren and all the great things he said and how he changed my thought process or paradigm. However...what I really want to blog about is the transformation I was able to witness in the kid sister.

She really gets it. Jesus has placed her here with me and a burden on her heart, for such a time as this...we are ready to take a chance and ready to enter into whatever...WHATEVER he has for us. Back to the days of the GLORY BUS!! I'm grateful that I was able to spend this weekend with her and with the BFF. It was eye-opening and exciting and I look forward to things to come. We will do something. We will do something. You can not sit idly by after a weekend like this.

As with any good and positive experience, it was kind of disappointing that there were not a lot of people of color there. Either they have already figured out how to be missional or there's not a great marketing plan for them. However, there were a wide range of ages and denominations represented, of which I was surprised.

Here are a few things I learned or will do:
1. We live in an unsustainable society - the United States uses more resources than anyone else by 30%.
2. We must change our story.
3. Jesus is concerned more with poverty, the planet and peace than he is with our doctrine or whether or not we drink/swear/dance (insert whatever you want here)
4. I will never use another grocery plastic bag again. Never is a strong word. But I will try!
5. I will sponsor an endangered species. Gorillas, tigers or salamanders..I will show somehow that I care about the environment.
6. You can't take the Old T. literally if you're not willing to take Matthew 5, 6 & 7 literally.
7. All issues are ultimately inter-related.
8. I will re-arrange my life to befriend a poor person (Does befriending myself count?)
9. I will vote responsibly in this election.
10. I will buy "green" toilet paper.
11. I will seek and try my very hardest to have grace for those that don't get it. You can attract more flies with honey than vinegar...I will try try try. Hard! UGH.
12. I will change my neighborhood for Christ. Somehow, someway, together...I promise.

Sorry, it's against Policy

This post is somewhat difficult for me as I am not sure which "side" I come down on - if that's even the right phraseology.

My church has several congregations that meet within the 25,000 square feet of space. These people have become friends and family and I'm so grateful to know them and share space with them. One of the congregations is Christian Missionary Alliance Vietnamese congregation. Yesterday they had a missionary speak to all of us in a great combined service.

This missionary ministers in Cambodia - to Vietnamese people immigrating to Cambodia. Now, if you had the chance to immigrate...would Cambodia be your first choice? Anyway - there's reasons, he said, that the Vietnamese come to Cambodia, although they are poorer than the Cambodians and have virtually no "rights" or freedoms as they are too poor to own property. This particular missionary started a ministry to the Vietnamese and started churches and a school.

Like any good missionary he told stories. These stories were both sad and great testimony to the Lord's good work. One such story was about a young girl who had attended this missionary school. She was about 13 and her father was ill and back in Vietnam. In order to pay for his care, the family needed to raise $400 US dollars. The mother of this young girl was faced with selling her daughter into prostitution to pay for their father's medical care. The mother visited the school in order to ask for the $400.00 and was turned away.

The school has a "policy" against loaning money to its students or their families. So...the mother sold her daughter into prostitution for $400.00. Several years later, the girl, now more of a woman - met the missionary and his family again. She was truly changed. She was no longer an innocent young girl.

I wanted to run, screaming from the building. I was furious that a stupid $400 stood in the way of this young girl's promise and potential. I understand...truly I do..the need to have "rules" and "policies" and blah blah blah. But for GOD'S SAKE...there was nothing you could do for her? Have you ever heard of Microlending? Nobody you could call? I wanted to shake this servant of God and ask him if this policy was working for him.

I want to understand the reason that a Godly organization would have said to this young girl's family "our policy overrides our ability to help you." I wonder how that conversation went. I guess I don't "get" ministry all that well. Maybe I shouldn't get involved in stuff I don't understand...but I can tell you-I would have begged, stolen and borrowed the money to help Ivy. I am sad I didn't get the chance and hope, in Jesus name, they change their policy.

Screw that...I know EXACTLY what side I come down on.

Question of the Day

There will be more about Paris later (like one week ago today I was at Disneyland Paris!) but this question has been weighing on my mind, heart, soul today. It could be the cold medicine I'm taking - not feeling too well.

Have you ever heard the Holy Spirit tell you to do something and you ignored him - perhaps thinking you mistook his prompts for indigestion, crazy talk, or your mother whispering in your ear?

Just wondering.

Today was a hard, hard day at work - not for me, but for my boss. I will blog about it soon. I call it Meltdown 2008.