First Sunday of Advent

Today begins the Advent season of anticipation and expectation of things to come. We have expectations that God will do something unexpected and wonderful in our midst. We anticipate this with hope and faith.

Come, Lord Jesus. Come.
Fill us with your Spirit.
Bring peace to our hearts and rest for our souls.
Amen.

Giving thanks

There is much to be thankful for in life. And on this day of feasting and celebration, a few big things rise to the top. Today, I am very thankful for:

• God - my Creator and Redeemer without whom I am nothing
  
• My family - without them I would be lost and empty
• My friends - they shape me, mold me, and make me better in ways I never imagine
  
• My health - my annual physical last week showed I was "completely normal" - despite what my kids say about me!

So those are the big ones, but there are some others that are little more "immediate" which deserve mention:

• Rain last night - a nice and rare November thunderstorm overnight was the first significant rain we've had in months
• Sunshine this morning - there are still drops of rain on the plants glistening in the sunlight

And last but certainly not least, I am very thankful for:

• Progress on my paper - after two full days, I'm about 75% finished! Hallelujah!
  

May your day be filled with joy, great food, and thanks to God who makes it all possible!

Tired and frustrated

The screen hasn't changed any from last Tuesday. My research paper is still "yet to come." And I'm tired. I got home late Thursday night (again) from working in LA (again). Had class on Friday night and Saturday morning. Went to the UofA football game Saturday night. Good game but Arizona lost it in the closing minutes. Bummer...


And then we had an important meeting after our church service this morning. With our continuing financial difficulties, our leadership team has proposed that we sell our campus. This was not a complete surprise, but it's real now. Several people asked good questions about what this will mean - and nobody really knows yet. In two weeks, we'll have the official vote on whether to move forward with selling. There is no buyer yet (not the best time to try to sell anything), but the location is pretty great. And you know what they say about real estate: location, location, location! So I don't expect we'll have much difficulty once we get serious about it.

Then what?

I don't really know. I've been a proponent for selling in the past. I hate the idea of those buildings (as with most other churches) sitting idle for most of the week. Seems like such a waste. But if this is just a move to continue to be an institutional church in a different location, then will it really be any different? Our two senior leaders talked this morning about the mentality of being a start-up. And there's validity in that. But I have to wonder if our core group is really a start-up core group. We were part of a church for a while that met in a movie theater. Setting up and tearing down every Sunday morning provided a good community-building opportunity. There was a lot of energy there. I haven't really felt that in our community in a long time. I guess time will tell...

So needless to say, I have some doubts. Certainly the sale will create a lot of startup capital. But what will be the plan to maximize that capital? Will we function differently as a startup in a school auditorium or a community center or a theater? How many more people will we lose as a result of this? How many will we gain? Is this truly the path God has set before us? So many questions...

Lots of memories there. My kids were baptized there. I taught my first Sunday there. My first ministry "job" was there. My wife worked there for 5 years. Even though philosophically I agree with selling a campus we can no longer afford to maintain, this will be yet another hard transition. My wife said this morning during the meeting, fighting back some tears, that we all need to remember that church is the people, not the buildings. I couldn't agree more, but it's still hard.

Ironic timing, too. The first Sunday of Advent is next Sunday. And again, we wait for God to do something remarkable in our midst.

The Dreaded Research Paper

Ok, so I've got this research paper to do for my Systematic Theology class.

Ugh.

I just cannot seem to get started.

My subject is Jurgen Moltmann's theology of the cross. I like Moltmann - I think. He strikes me as a practicing theologian, not just an academic sitting in a tower somewhere making bold theological statements.

But, man, I just cannot seem to get started.

I have an outline. I have articles. I have two of his books checked out from UofA's library.

And in the time it's taken me to get ready to write, my wife has finished like 4 papers! She's a stud. I'm a ... non-stud.

(heavy sigh)

Sorry, I just need to whine a little tonight.

Advent Conspiracy

Thanks to Brad Brisco at missionalchurchnetwork.com for letting us know about adventconspiracy.com.

Veteran's Day

Besides being a day to remember and reflect upon all of our nation's veterans, it's a personal thing for me. My dad is a vet (fortunately never really left a desk job), I know a lot of veterans and active military through my job, and my sister is an Army Lt. Col currently serving in San Antonio. She spent time "over there" a few years ago, setting up a hospital and caring for whoever came in the front door. I'm very proud of my sis and the service and sacrifices she's made for our country.

She came home and we'll be forever thankful for that. But I know there are plenty of other sisters and brothers, sons and daughters, wives and husbands who did not come home. And to them and their families, I pray for peace and comfort...

Arizona is going to a bowl!

See, I told you it could happen:

From the Arizona Star today:

A workmanlike win over a brutal Washington State team has assured the UA (6-3 overall, 4-2 Pac-10) of its first bowl game in a decade.

Per NCAA rules, teams must win at least half their games to qualify for the postseason. Arizona has done that and — thanks to UCLA's loss to Oregon State on Saturday — is guaranteed a spot in one of the conference's seven bowl games, even if the Cats don't win another contest this year.

Ok, but let's hope they win some more before the end of regular season...

Did you know I had a blog?

I must have forgotten because it's been over a month since I posted anything. Why? Good question. I'm not sure I have a great answer - or any answer at all. So instead of making something up, I'll just catch up some...

• School has been challenging - for all of us! Kim is barely keeping her head above water in her MSW program. You know, being a full-time graduate student has some appeal, until I watch her and see what she's going through. Wow. As I always say, she's super-mondo-buff-woman!

• For me, Systematic Theology 2 has been ... ummm ... well ... mostly dull and boring. We're covering a lot of history related to Christology, but good grief. Imagine what could have been done if all of the energy that has been spent on doctrinal debates and theological wrestling matches had been poured instead into loving God and loving our neighbors. Suffice it to say that I don't think I'll grow up to be a systematic theologian!

• Watching history being made last Tuesday night was pretty cool. Regardless of who voted for whom, the fact that our country elected Obama represents, I think, a huge step toward reconciliation in our country. And, from some of the stories coming out in the last day or two, this election and presidency has enormous potential for worldwide reconciliation. I pray that this is the beginning of something extraordinary...

• I'm still engaged in my spiritual practices of praying the hours (morning and evening, at least), not rushing, and walking/running. I've failed miserably, though, at maintaining any consistent study of Greek (the one practice I did not write about because it hasn't really been a practice at all!). Somehow, I need to figure out a way to make this happen...

• A great missional church resource was posted yesterday...wow there's a lot of stuff there.

• Arizona has a shot at a bowl game! No, really. It might happen. Just don't tell the team. They might choke...

Ok, back to homework. Thanks for reminding me that I had a blog...