I'm back?

I say I am back with a question mark because I never know how long my blogging will last. Lately I have had the desire to do more writing, so that is why I have been lured back to the blog world.

A lot has happened in the past 10 months or so since my last post. This fall I started a Masters in Higher Education Administration at OSU Tulsa. For a long time I had been considering going to seminary, but as of late had not been very excited about it. I felt it was too big a commitment of time and money to do when I was not completely sure that pastoral ministry is what I am being called to do. I am excited to pursue this degree. After serving in various leadership positions at JBU, I always thought it would be great to work full-time on a college campus. The other good thing about the Higher Ed. degree is that I could use it to get a job at a seminary and take classes then. I am excited to see what happens. The other big thing is that Megan and I purchased a house. It's a great house that we both like a lot.

Hopefully I will have some posts of substance over the next few days. Welcome back blog world.

Mr. Escalade Man

Today I was driving and got stopped at a red light where I was the first person in line. The road was the type of road that is two lanes when you stop at the light, but on the other side of the light merges into one lane. A Cadillac Escalade pulled up next to me at the light and at first I did not think much of it, but my thoughts of Mr. Escalade man quickly changed. When I looked over at him Mr. Escalade man mouthed the following words, "I am going to beat you."

I have had people pull up next to me rev their engine and then peel out on multiple occasions, but this was the first time I have ever seen a grown man do anything like this. Mr. Escalade man, I hope that wherever you are tonight that you feel really good about yourself because you did in fact beat me.

Blog Self-Conciousness

I must admit that I am a bit self-conscious about this whole blogging thing. I think I feel this way for several different reasons...

1. It is a bit odd that people can come read this and never let me know that they did. This leads to number two...
2. Often I have no way of knowing what people think about what I have to say. Do they like it? Hate it? Not get it? Think I'm a crazy idiot? Sometimes blogging feels like your having a conversation with your self that other people are allowed to hear, but are not required to give feedback.
3. The third thing that makes me uncomfortable is the seemingly finality of a post. Once I click the "publish post" button, my thoughts are available for anyone who wants to read them. This is especially nerve wracking when writing about things of a theological nature. What if something I say is way off and completely heretical? Or what if I am challenged on a point that I make, but do not have adequate knowledge to respond.

I definitely feel that at times blogging takes me out of my comfort zone. I am trying to come up with a nice and neat conclusion for this post, but I cannot seem to come up with one. So long for now anonymous readers.

3 Words

As Megan and I were driving back from STL on New Years Day I posed the question, "If you could choose 3 words that you would hope describe 2008 for you what would they be?" Here is what I came up with and why...

1. Blossom- By this I mean that I hope to figure out more this year about what I want to do long term. I know that I want to go to seminary, but what I will do with the degree is still unknown. I would also like to see this blog blossom over the year as well.

2. Charity- I use this word in two ways. The first is the idea of charity being Christian love. I would hope that I can say that I loved others well at the end of the year. By charity I also mean that I would like to become more generous both financially and with my time.

3. Deep- I want to develop deeper relationships with God, Megan, and others. I want my life to be deep rather than shallow.

Let's hope this is a blossoming, charity, deep filled year for me!

Holiday Update

I suppose I could blame my posting hiatus on the busyness of the holiday season (which is partially true), but I definitely have had the opportunity to blog. I think I will give an update on my Christmas break and then get into posts with more substance in future posts.

1. The first big part of the break was the time Megan and I spent puppy sitting. Megan and her siblings decided to get her mom a dog for Christmas and we took care of her (the puppy) for a few days. Highlight: When the dog crapped all over the floor while Megan and I opened each other's presents Christmas morning...not quite how I envisioned Christmas morning, but exciting nonetheless.

2. Gifts. I have a couple of thoughts on gifts I received this year. First, I have been wondering how much money is spent a year on Christmas presents that the recipient will not like or ever use. While I appreciate the thought that someone had to get us a Hershey Kiss shaped fondue pot, the money probably could have been spent more productively. On the other hand, I did receive several very sweet presents. My three favorite were season 3 of the Office, a new golf bag, and a video camera.

3. Megan and I took a trip to Chicago for a couple of days. It was really nice to get to take a short trip with her and experience something new. If you have never been, Chicago is crazy and big. Everywhere you look is very tall buildings. I have seen pictures, but being there in person leaves a whole new impression. Chicago is also known for being a city that is great for shopping. As we shopped, I thought about all the money people were spending and I drew two conclusions. One, everyone there must have a lot of extra money to spend. Or two, all these people have a lot of credit card debt. I think I saw about a million girls sporting Uggh boots, Coach purses, and NorthFace jackets. Those don't come cheap!

Anyways, break has been nice. I am trying to get back into work mode again. Once again I take on the challenge of teaching the future leaders of our world!

Out of the Dark

So I know it has been dark around here lately, but I have at least one good reason for the lack of postage over the last couple of weeks. As many of you know, we experienced significant power outages here in Tulsa last week because of an ice storm. Megan and I were luckier than most people. Our power was only out for 3 days, while there are some people I know who are now on day 9 of no power.

The three powerless days made me realize how dependent our society is on electricity. I brought my laptop to Panera one day last week and discovered there were about 50 or so other people that had the exact same idea. It is interesting to me how quickly people search for a place to "plug in" when the option is not available at home. I find myself always needing to be entertained. Rather than taking the advice of the Psalmist who wrote, "Be still and know that He is God", I seek to fill my schedule with things to do. All the electronic resources that we have at our disposal are great, but I think it is easy to become to dependent upon them. The lack of power made me realize how dependent I can really be.

I kind of see my days without power as a bit of a fast. It is a cool mystery to me that God would choose to speak to us when we deny ourselves of something we are used to. I know a lot of people want to hear from God, but find it difficult to hear his voice. I wonder if we would more consistently "fast" from some of our distractions in our lives that we would in fact hear from God more clearly.

There is my rambling for the night... Look for a future post on my thoughts after watching the movie "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry."

The Most Annoying Thing to Spend Money On

Over the course of the past month or so, Megan and I have had to spend a little over $1000 on auto repair. For some reason I hate spending money on fixing our cars. Megan tries to comfort me by saying that we should be thankful that we have the money to fix the cars, which is a good point but it still irks me. It is really annoying to spend money on something I do not choose to spend it on.

What do you hate spending money on?