The Date is now officially 1/12/2007

It's 2am, and definitely January 12th - and I realize that I'm now, for all intensive purposes, 31 years old - though one could argue that since I was born in the wee hours of the morning (I think around 4am) that I'm technically not 31 yet, I think I might as well accept my age and enter into this year of 2007, as they say, one year older, one year wiser.

This has been a week of firsts for sure - I have officially decided to log back on to AIM after a LONG hiatus.  Why?  I don't know - perhaps it's time to get refreshed with all those in cyber world and make myself available again.  And, yes, i've made a new Xanga entry, after the last post which was way too long ago in August.

I've done a check, and yes, at 31 I still have 2 arms, 2 legs, 2 hands, 2 eyes, 2 ears, 1 head, 1 mouth, 1 nose, 8 fingers and 2 thumbs.  All seem to be ... the SAME.

I sometimes wonder if God made me this hyper, younger looking, immature person because he knew I would be in youth ministry, or if working youth ministry has just made me immature.  Probably a mix of both - nonetheless good and well, quite frankly I don't mind looking a bit younger, it gives me hope when I become really old, fossil age and hopefully look like i'm in my 30s.  LOL.

Well, enough of the aimless ramble and on to some sleep - tomorrow's a big day and rest awaits.  So until next time America ...

Back from Agape Tijuana Missions Trip

Well, I've been back from Mexico for about 4 days now ... and I feel ... aweful ... it's funny, but my system was fine in Mexico, but the moment I'm back on clean American soil, it seems like my stomach and digestive system wants to collapse ... oh well, i'm told this supposed to happen.

Aside from my personal gastro intentinal problems, the mission trip was totally Amazing.  I really don't have words to describe it, other than I was privileged to be a part of an incredible team that pretty much had our knees glued to the ground in prayer and just saw God do amazing things through us.

In Mexico we left the TJ base each morning with at "Go get 'em" attitude - expecting to see God at work doing wonderful things in our midst.  And we did.  It makes me think, perhaps we should start everyday, whether in Mexico or here in CA with that kind of attitude - God, what will you do today?  God, who will you ask me to share the Gospel with?  God, who will I hug as a gesture of love?  Perhaps if I lived me life everyday, like i did in Mexico, I would see awesome things happen on a daily basis.  It's so easy to get distracted with the business of life, my ipod, work, and the list can go on that I can forget about God and forget about living life in light of a greater purpose outside of myself.  Mexico showed me what's that like... again.  What it means to live as God intended for us to live.

One of my youth kids summed it up wonderfully when she says, "Love has so much potential."  That's so true.  God's love - it's out there, it's near and very present, and for those of us who have experienced that love - we should be driven to share it.  We should tap into that potential to make a difference in God's kingdom.

There could be so much more I could write, but then again, God speaks for Himself.  What I do know is that we have returned as a team of 15 that are forever changed - so much so that we just can't live life like we used to.  It just wouldn't be right - especially after witnessing all that God did in our lives, in us, and through us, in Mexico.

Ok, This is my first entry in like ... 4 months

WOW -- for some reason I thought I'd log-on to my xanga tonight and noticed that the last post I had was from MARCH!  Woah ... that's crazy.  I guess life has been going a million miles a minute these days that when it comes to posting on my xanga, well ... it's last priority ... there's a lot of other things that take precidence over xanga ... like ... um ... precious sleep.

Today we had a hands-on application time for our Friday lesson at Agape youth fellowship --- we had talked about participating in random acts of kindness - but not just doing random acts of kindness to make ourselves feel good (a.k.a. Oprah Winfrey Spirituality) but doing random acts of kindness knowing that we each do it in the name of Christ - for Him, and also to show Him to others who don't know Him.

I have to say I was pretty impressed by my youth kids today - they were bold, courageous, and kind as they set out on an hour to spend $8 of their own money to purchase lunch for homeless people and/or starving students in the Berkeley campus area.

All this gets me thinking - what exactly has kept us as Christians from doing this regularly?  It strikes me as weird that we have to plan "outreach events" at church when our hearts and minds should automatically be set to outreach mode at all times.  Have we become comfortable Christians who really strive to do no more than attend church on Sundays because if we don't we feel guilty that we aren't honoring God in our lives?  Even for me as a full time ministry person, I struggle with this and I ask myself, "Why don't you care more?  Why do you have to "schedule" random acts of kindness?

Perhaps we have bought into the lie that we can be obedient to God and completely "comfortable" with our lives at the same time.  I, personally, believe that Scripture teaches the contrary - that we should never become so comfortable that we dig ourselves into this trench where we become unaware of the world around us - and that (Lord forbid) we become immune to the needs of this world - that we'd rather see the world through our colored lenses than to really focus in and see the world as how Christ sees the world - as people who are like lost sheep searching for their Master.  How easy is it to fill our lives with the buzz of noise and distraction that we begin to draw life from these material and useless things and find ourselves still feeling hungry and starved because we have forgotten how to draw nourishment from the Giver of all Life.

I will never forget the statement that Louie Giglio, founder of Passion Ministries, said at last year's National Youth Worker's Convention - when talking about worship he said that we can be all into worship and love the experience and cry, and dance, and sing, and worship ... but "at the end of the day if NOTHING has changed about us, then did we really worship?  For if we really worship, we then are willing to let ourselves be consumed by God, not consumers of God."

God, make it my heart's cry to be consumed by you.  To let your consuming fire take over all of me - to bow at your feet in total submission - looking to you, my Eternal King.

Am I Really Addicted to Commercial Aircraft?

Well, I'm sitting here on a Sunday night, playing around on my laptop ... surfing the web and trying to be brainless after a very busy Sunday, and a very busy week.  And what am I surfing?  My favorite airplane sites, of course!

For some reason, ever since I was a child, I have had a utter and total fascination with commercial aircraft, in particular those made by U.S. plane maker, Boeing (AIRBUS SUCKS, down with the European conglomerate!).  Tonight, I am surfing and surfing info about Boeing's new plane, due out in 2008, the 787 Dreamliner.  It will be SO TOTALLY COOL and I can't wait for the day that I can actually fly in one of them.

Why this total fascination with commercial aircraft you ask?  I dunno.  There's just something about flight that amzaes me.  It's so, totally, cool.  And as much as I tout myself as a NON-SCIENCE person, when it comes to planes, I am such a nerd.  I love explaining how lift, drag, velocity, speed all contribute to an airplane's flight ... and how Bernouli's (sp?) Principle is so critical in flight being successful.

Ok, enough rambling ... yeah, I love airplanes.  Until next time, America ...

T minus 5 1/2 hours before I will never again have the digit "2" in front of my age.  Wow.  Crazy.  I AM old.  kind of freaky.

Today I went to meet Elaine at her office in the city so that we could talk worship ministry stuff over her lunch hour (this week is impossibly busy for both of us that this was the only time we could chat).  It was about a 20 minute walk from the Civic Center BART station to her office at Adobe Media.  As I was walking, I started to notice that I was feeling tired.  How sad ... it's true ... the energy notch does go down yet another notch.  Sad.

Well, from most I've talked to the 30's is a good time - so I guess I'm looking forward to it.  But it's interesting - this week has been a time of a lot of personal contemplation for me and wrestling with God.  In this high powered society we live in it's easy to start to wonder if I've done anything with my life that's worth while.  I have friends who are 30, they own homes, they make lots of money, they drive fancy cars, and they are doing "bigger and better things."  It's easy to get wrapped in this stupid lie --- this lie that the world tells me to believe.  And I just had to stop ... and come to terms with one very important thing ... that is this is NOT my life, but the life that GOD has given me to live.  It's not about my own accomplishments in this life, but understanding that I must be faithful in what little God has entrusted me to do.  And turning 30 just means that I continue striving to be faithful.  Sometimes that means just trusting and believing ...

Well, its time for me to go meet with a youth parent now ... and the hours are quickly passing before me ... and I'll be 30.  Tomorrow some cool friends will be taking me out.  That will be nice.

Until next time America ...