4:45 Popeye

Yesterday I got to the gym at 4:45am...I was the only one there (go figure) which meant one thing: I had sole control over all of the televisions in the cardio area. I positioned myself on the treadmill so that I had a TV directly in front of me, and then one flanking my left side, the other flanking my right.

To my left: ESPN Sports Center.
I don't catch many live games, so Stewart Scott keeps me in the loop with the Top 10 plays of the day. Volume level: Off (who needs volume when watching hoops highlights?)

To my right: ESPN News.
This is so I can stay up to speed on all of the latest developments with A-Rod and the Cubbies spring training. Volume Level: CC (I've actually gotten quite good at running and reading).

Now to the Center Television: Boomerang.
For those of you unfamiliar with the Boomerang channel, it is to Cartoon Network what MTV2 is to MTV (minus lame shows like "Pimp My Ride" and "Date My Mom"). Boomerang offers classic Hanna Barbera Cartoons (the Flinstones, Jetsons, Scooby Doo, Josie and the Pussycats) as well as other favorites like "the Smurfs" and the "Pink Panther". Scheduled at 4:45 yesterday morning: "Popeye". If one ever needed motivation for working out (particularly before 5am) Popeye delivers. Volume Level: Loud enough to hear Popeye cream Bluto over whatever Green Day tune playing on my iPod.

What Have We Got Here?

The other night at a meeting we spent some time brainstorming all of the various talents, passions, and giftedness of people who have connected to the Renovate community. I began to write on the whiteboard as people shouted out words:

artists (musicians, vocalists, graphic designers, theater, film makers), teachers (french, spanish, mathematics, english, film, business), financial planners, ceo's, truck drivers, sales people, tattoo artists, bakers, electricians, seamstresses, show producers, massage therapists, doctors, hair dressers, organizers, directors, leaders....

the list went on to include the various life experiences of our people: single, married, divorced, kids, no kids, single parent, employed, unemployed, churched, un-churched, de-churched, politically left, politically right, those living with illness, and those with deep emotional pain.

The whiteboard was full.

When I stood back and looked at the list I saw something more...I saw people. People with passions and stories to share. People who upon coming together, pooling their talent, life experience, and collectively offering it to God could change this world.

The longer you look at Jesus, the more you will want to serve him in this world. That is, of course, if it's the real Jesus you're looking at. Plenty of people in the church and outside it have made up a 'Jesus' for themselves, and have found that this invented character makes few real demands on them. He makes them feel happy from time to time but doesn't challenge them, doesn't suggest they get up and do something about the plight of the world. Which is, of course, what the real Jesus had an uncomfortable habit of doing.

-N.T. Wright, Lichfield Cathedral, Trinity 1994