not another blog, v2.0

She’s a little too good at busting out the poses when a camera’s around, IMO.

(BTW, I totally need to call my dad. I just realized I haven’t done that in forever. Dad, if you’re reading this, I’ll give you a call tomorrow!)

. . . and get the one pictured/linked here. Seriously fantastic stuff.

Unless, of course, you like your kids learning their Bible stories as simplistic, poorly-illustrated morality plays with absolutely no connection to the person and work of Jesus, that is.  Then, by all means, keep the one you have.

Zoë’s loving hers, and so are Mommy and Daddy.

(* Feeding to the dog or shredding for use as rodent bedding are acceptable substitutes for burning.)

(This particular entry has been started, stopped, deleted, restarted, and re-written a few times already. Not that the version that gets posted will end up being the best, necessarily.)

I’ve been thinking recently of how broken we can (or should) show ourselves to be before eachother — how much of a mess we can admit to being.

See, I had this tendency a few years back to be brutally honest about myself with others, whenever a wave of introspection hit.  Sins and struggles were confessed, and doubts about life and God were publicly hung like laundry set out to dry. I was broken and messy and wasn’t afraid of telling everyone and their mothers. The catharsis that naturally comes with dumping your baggage at the feet of others was gratifying, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t relish the “Rae, your honesty is so refreshing” accolades I occasionally received (particularly when they were from cute girls). There was even this weird, ironic arrogance that cropped up in me . . . as if I was somehow more “together” than others just because I gave voice to my issues. The 29-year-old me of right now would kind of like to punch the 20-year-old me of back then, actually.

[Don't be fooled — this kind of honesty only came in online forums (kind of like . . . what I'm doing right now). Actually seeing another's reaction to the crap you've just laid before them was a step I just wasn't too interesting in taking. Didn't seem safe enough.]

That tendency seems to have disappeared over the past few years, probably for a combination of good reasons (for instance, protecting the privacy of my family and myself) and bad reasons (for instance, thinking that real men don’t give voice to such things). I’d be perfectly satisfied with closing everyone off and putting up the “Perfect PCA Elder and his Perfect PCA Family” front if that pesky Apostle James hadn’t written that whole bit about Christians needing to confess their sins and struggles to one another . . . and since that happened to make into something we call “God’s Word”, it’s probably pretty important that I heed that advice.

So, how do we set our mess out before everyone without falling into despair? On the other side of that coin, how do we do it without becoming satisfied and comfortable with being “messy”? How do we create safety for others to be broken with us, and at the same time, have the courage to lovingly encourage them to get out of the junk that they’ve become so comfortable sitting in?

I don’t know yet. Any thoughts?

Yes, I need to update, and I’ve been intending to for weeks. Just haven’t gotten around to it.

While you wait, here’s a shot from the other night of Zoë with Derek Webb.
(He is short, but not that short. He’s kneeling here.)

Aww, yeah.

2.2Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo
4GB RAM (after I install the RAM I got from OWC)
160GB HDD

It’s a refurb, so I saved a good deal of cash, as well.  Should be here in a week or so.  The mini’s being converted to a web/file server, I think.

This video has been making the rounds in the blogosphere . . .

It’s a portion of a sermon that John Piper delivered at University Christian Fellowship in Birmingham . . . a college ministry that I used to be a part of. A few folks have been wondering here and there how to get the whole sermon, and since it’s no longer available at UCF’s website, I’ve uploaded it to this server.

Get it here. It’s good stuff.

(Yes, the quotes around both “prosperity” and “gospel” were intentional.)

. . . but I know, change is gon’ come.

(Gotta love Sam Cooke.)

I hope to get back to writing here soon. I’ve missed it, and I’ve missed you guys. Two rather significant items to mention quickly.

• My employer’s client decided not to renew my contract, and I couldn’t be happier about it. I was on the verge of putting in notice anyway. The way they went about it was a bit shady (ie: no “coaching” or any sign that they were displeased… just… “go”), but no big deal. That’s what comes with working at an at-will state.  It just goes to show me that I was indeed doing my job well.  As it was, the commute had me on the road way too much (~3 hours/day), I was getting very little time at home with my family (~4.5 hours/day), and the rest of my time was spent either working, sleeping, or driving.  Couple all of that with the abysmal pay, the non-existent benefits, the ever-mounting responsibilities, and the toxic work envionment, and it was just not a good situation.

  As it is now, I have time to look for an enjoyable (not just a tolerable) job and time to be with my girls.

  So, praise the Lord for (kind of) getting fired. Pray that I find something good quickly.

• This Sunday evening, I’ll be ordained and installed as one of five Ruling Elders of Grace Central Presbyterian Church. This will also make Grace Central a particular church in the Presbyterian Church in America. The real work is about to begin.

The New York Post counts Columbus, Ohio among its top five travel destinations of 2007. This, next to places like Budapest and Venice.

That’s right.

(HT: Joel)

The book doesn’t release until February, but the folks who pre-ordered got their link to the PDF today.  Look for a review some time in the next week.