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

Scone City Beauty

I'm enjoying a freshly baked whole grain cranberry scone. It is wonderful...made right here by the baker's hands at Earthly Kneads. Paired with a cup of aroma filled French Roast made this a winning combination. Along with it's organic breads (I purchased a loaf of Tuscan right out of the oven to enjoy at home) Earthly Kneads offers a host of local goods: handmade pottery, art, sculpture, honey, jams, and fair trade coffee. This shop is full of life giving aromas, flavors, creativity, and beauty.

As I sit here finishing the last few bits of my scone I can't help but gaze out the three large windows that front this shop and make a mural out of downtown Muskegon. The downtown is littered with empty buildings, empty lots, and empty streets. Set against the backdrop of a thick grey sky the city projects little of the kind of vibrancy that emerges from a thriving city. Yet this is a perfect location...a perfect place to communicate that beauty can be found anywhere...that life isn't something that just happens, but is created, cultivated, and in bread-maker's lingo: "kneaded".

The Creator of Life calls us to be the kind of people that move in tandem with him, cultivating hope in places that, on the surface, appear to be lifeless. From the desolate places of a person's soul to the empty streets of a struggling city, we are asked to invest ourselves in the world with with the kind of wonder and possibility that fills the dreams of God.

Condemned Kitchens

We recently made a decision to get rid of cable TV at our house; which means we don't get any TV, which means we don't get to watch anymore TV shows, which means I don't get to watch Gordon Ramsay on Kitchen Nightmares. Not to worry, we haven't gotten rid of our internet, so I just stream the show on my computer.

You may be thinking, "That's a lot of trouble to go through to watch some irate chef tell other people what he thinks of their restaurants". Yes, chef Ramsay can be quite blunt, rude, and vulgar, but these restaurant owners are in need a wake up call. Their establishments are in dire need of help; many are outdated, have a poor menu, and unsanitary kitchens. These restaurants and their owners are at the end of their rope; usually in debt up to their ears causing added friction in their personal lives. When it all adds up these restaurants have a less than favorable reputation in their community. That's where Gordon comes in...

Chef Ramsay is a last ditch effort to turn these sinking ships around. On this show chef Ramsay assess the restaurant, the staff, and everything in between and then gets to work. By the end of each episode restaurants have been re-decorated, staff's attitudes have been re-adjusted (largely due to chef Ramsay's vast vocabulary of vulgarity), the food has come alive with rich flavor, and owners have been given a second chance. On this show condemned kitchens are resurrected.

I guess that's why I stream this show on my computer...it reminds me that no matter how bad something has gotten, regardless of how things have fallen apart, and in spite of our own incompetence, resurrection is still possible.

Surprised By Hope

I just began reading theologian N.T. Wright's latest book: "Surprised By Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church". In it he has a great illustration of what one's life looks like in response to the Kingdom of God.

A rich old member gives to a college a wonderful, glorious painting that simply won't fit any of the spaces available in the college and that is so magnificent that eventually the college decides to pull itself down and rebuild itself around this great and unexpected gift, discovering as it does so that all the best things about the college are thereby enhanced within the new structure and all the problems of which people had been aware are thereby dealt with. And the key thing about that illustration, inadequate though it is, is that there must be some point at which the painting is received by the existing college, some epistemological point of overlap to enable the college officers to make their momentous decision. The donor doesn't just come along, blow up the college unasked, present the painting, and then say, "Now figure out what to do."

This illustration serves as a reminder that following Jesus calls us to completely re-orient our way to the Kingdom of God. We don't ask God's "gift" to fit our current structure, but rather are compelled to let go of the old that something new may be built. In light of this illustration I have a lot of deconstruction to do.

Luke: A Golden Axe Warrior

Tonight we had a late dinner, so when we finished the kids only had a half hour to play before bed. Lilly chose to color (she loves her princess coloring book) and Caleb chose to draw cartoons (he is a striving to be a professional cartoonist). But Luke...he wanted to play Golden Axe II.

For those of you who don't know, Golden Axe II is one of the sweetest Sega games ever. Released in 1991 Golden Axe II has kick'n side-scrolling graphics, dragons, skeleton warriors, and special moves, all rendered in 16-bit glory. In the game there are 3 characters to choose from: the girl (she has sweet magic skills, but isn't too strong), the dwarf guy (he is wicked strong, but not too deep with his magic,) and the Conan-type guy (his portfolio of strength and magic is well balanced).

My older brother and I used to play this game for hours in the arcade. Recently we downloaded it for our Wii...it was an instant hit with my boys.

So tonight Luke and I played Golden Axe II. We had a blast destroying beasts, rescuing the villagers, and celebrating together when we beat the game (sure it was on "easy", but we conquered it all the same). It was some of the most fun I've had playing a video game in a while.

Yet the best part of tonight was not reliving an old video game from my past; the best part was my son saying to me: "Dad, will you play with me"? An invitation from my 7 year-old...not even Golden Axe can conquer that.