Susan Meckel for noticing my interest in magazines like “Critique” and “World” and subsequently introducing me to “re:generation quarterly” (whose byline is “community transforming culture). I’m fascinated by the articles I’ve read so far this afternoon. Here’s some food for thought (vol. 6, number 1, p. 13) by freelance writer Cheryl Sabas who while still single moved from her comfortable neighborhood to the Mission District, a ghetto where her church was located:

“..Certain subversive truths had been revealed to me by my relishing of the Mission District as sensual, intellectual, and spiritual feast: that the Mission wasn’t as bad as we were afraid it was, and our presence there wasn’t as sacrificial as we thought it was; that ministry is best understood not as a subject/object relationship, where one person serves a somehow needy other, but a mutual, reciprocal relationship (no matter who’s saved yet and who isn’t); that if you don’t want to meet people, you can’t claim you love them, either spiritually or otherwise — and if you don’t enjoy them, they don’t want your love anyway; that just as Jesus was both fully divine and fully human, so love that represents him accurately must be both divine and human.”

Lunching on the front porch. Raking, weeding, hauling leaves. Cleaning the car out. Petting adorable neighbor puppy. Adding freckles to my square-jawed face (that’s for you, B).

What did you do today?

Praise God for a president and national leaders who sought to rid Iraq of their evil dictator. Read this Journal Star article for responses to the war by Iraqis in Lincoln.

Didn’t even get to watch ‘American Idol’ this week, but just read about who got kicked off… RICKEY? What the heck??? Is this show rigged? If you know even the teeniest thing about vocal music, then you know that little chicky Carmen or bad girl Kim C. should’ve been kicked off in advance of Rickey. I think people just didn’t like him because of personality issues. Sure, sure — you could make an argument on how the show is meant to find an American “idol” blah, blah, blah. But Rickey? Ridiculous.

My vote for who has got to go? Josh. Face it, he’s stuck in country and can only twang his way through a very limited number of songs. God bless the Marines, but, buddy, it’s high time for you to get the boot.

“Except for ending slavery, fascism, nazism and communism, war has never solved anything.”

I have no clue who originally said this. If you know, leave a comment.

Okay, so it might be April 16, 2004, before this movie makes it to Lincoln. But I’ll wait patiently, I guess. If you haven’t seen “Waiting for Guffman,” now is your chance.

You know that dream that every little kid has… the one where you wish your best friend lived next door so you could play all the time? Well, the dream’s coming through for this 25 yr old kid. Charity, Joie and Renee are moving in next door!!! : ) How fun is that??!

The Matrix – a movie I can watch again and again without being bored. It’s coming close to tying for first place in my list of all-time favorite flicks. Relive the experience in sound bytes.

Today is what a good Sunday is all about… a great worship service in the morning and long afternoon of peace and quiet, including a two hour loss of consciousness (usually referred to as “nap”) and the periodic gentle drumming of rain on the back windows.

While I’m on the topic of Sundays, here are a few reasons why Zion Church is home to me:
– warm, friendly people that I love as dearly as I love my own family
– music, including choruses that lift the roof off the house in praise to the Lord and traditional hymns that contain precisely worded sentiments of worship through the ages
– a thoughtful order of worship on a weekly basis: call to worship, confession and praise, giving, instruction and celebration of the Lord’s supper
– sound doctrine of the PCA
– godly leadership; most importantly, the leadership of Pastor Kerns (aka Stu to those of us who know and love him)

Just as my poor-man’s cable was turned off (explanation below), I discovered televisionwithoutpity.com. Not the best timing, huh? Another fun site recently discovered… flickfilosopher.com. Her bias meter is worth a few extra laughs.

We used to have cable, albeit the least expensive cable plan possible. Give me the major networks, CNN, and my all-time, personal favorite – TLC – and I’m happy. Last December all my television viewing pleasure came crashing down… Time Warner Cable ripped The income-producing Learning Channel from my world. Goodbye, Trading Spaces. Goodbye, The Baby Story. I will miss you! In protest I cancelled our cable. Unfortunately, the gal who cancelled it seemed terribly unconcerned with my protest. Yesterday the cable company finally made it out to our neighborhood to do the ugly deed (3 months late). S-i-g-h. I spent the later portion of my evening amidst a strange noise – Silence.