controlled falling

For Immediate Release. Milan, Michigan. Elle Veronica Wilson took her first independently ambulatory steps today, in what can only be described as "walking." Followed, of course, by much hooting, hollering, clapping and various other activites described by witnesses as "carrying on." On the part of her parents and older brother, that is.

Ms. Wilson declined all interviews afterwards, but seems to be taking all the fuss in stride. Not that she's not very proud of herself, of course.

words well spoken

my dad just called me to alert me to a replay of the prayer breakfast on CNN this evening. Bono (lead singer for the band U2) spoke at it this morning. preached, really. God walked in the room, it seems to me. very moving. maybe it was just me. i sure hope not, though. read, or watch (note: the video doesn't seem to load in mozilla firefox...works fine with internet explorer, though.)

just a taste, in case you're hesitant to click the link (or maybe just too short on time)...

Love was on the move.

Mercy was on the move.

God was on the move...

...God is in the slums, in the cardboard boxes where the poor play house… God is in the silence of a mother who has infected her child with a virus that will end both their lives… God is in the cries heard under the rubble of war… God is in the debris of wasted opportunity and lives, and God is with us if we are with them. “If you remove the yolk from your midst, the pointing of the finger and speaking wickedness, and if you give yourself to the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then your light will rise in darkness and your gloom with become like midday and the Lord will continually guide you and satisfy your desire in scorched places”

words well written

reading Gilead, these most recent moments between Christmas and now, has been like eating fine Belgian milk chocolate. writing to be held between two fingers, carefully broken off and savored, swallowed, the taste and texture lingering on tongue and tooth. a melting, flowing, expanding, gentle kind of pleasure. tempted to gorge on it, inhale it, except that i know it and i would be diminished somehow, if i did.

a Whitman's sampler from my reading this afternoon, perhaps to whet your appetite (the book is written in the voice of aging/dying man (a retiring small town pastor) who has a younger wife, and an especially young son, to whom this epistle/memoir of sorts is written; a letter to be read when he has passed, when his son is a grown man):

"You and Tobias are hopping around in the sprinkler. The sprinkler is a magnificent invention because it exposes raindrops to sunshine. That does occur in nature, but it is rare...Well, but you two are dancing around in your iridescent little downpour, whooping and stomping as sane people ought to do when they encounter a thing so miraculous as water."
............................................................................

"Each morning I'm like Adam waking up in Eden, amazed at the cleverness of my hands and at the briliance pouring into my mind through my eyes--old hands, old eyes, old mind, a very diminished Adam altogether, and still it is just remarkable. What of me will I still have? Well, this old body has been a pretty good companion. Like Balaam's ass, it's seen the angel I haven't seen yet, and it's lying down in the path."
...........................................................................

"If you remember me at all, you may find me explained a little by what I am telling you...As you read this, I hope you will understand that when I speak of the long night that preceeded these days of my hapiness, I do not remember grief and loneliness so much as I do peace and comfort--grief, but never without comfort; loneliness, but never without peace. Almost never. "
...........................................................................

"I have said at least once a week my whole adult life that there is an absolute disjunction between our Father's love and our deserving. Still, when I see this same disjunction between human parents and children, it always irritates me a little. (I know you will be and I hope you are an excellent man, and I will love you absolutely if you are not.)"

finger lickin' good, to use an entirely unworthy expression.

first and second (updated...)

first basketball game of the season for our church league team later this morning. we finished third in the "warm up" fall season (no playoffs in the fall season, so i think of it as a warm up for the "real" season that is the winter/spring season). still have lingering injuries to my left knee and right ankle, but nothing severe enough to keep me off the court (i hope!). in my more rational moments, i'm thinking maybe "lingering" is just par for the course for any aches and pains at this stage of my athletics life...but i keep hope alive that with enough conditioning and time without further injuries, i'll be playing like a 22 year old again any day now. our team is hoping that we'll play better this season too, now that we've had some time to gel with the new players that joined last season.

*update* nice effort today - we won by 15 or 20, in a pretty physical contest. sure is a fun group of guys to play with, and lots of support from our families. not that any of our "fans" actually watch the game, but they sure seem to have a good time together.

second saturday outreach this afternoon. we'd been thinking about shoveling snow for driveways in need, but the snowfall looks pretty spotty, so it'll probably be bathrooms getting the love today.

*update* tacobell, kfc, citgo, arby's, and mickey d's were our targets today, and all graciously allowed us to tackle their toilets. Rich, Connor, Arnie, and David (all restroom rookies, i think) did the Master proud, serving with good humor and enthusiasm. funny, the employees at the places with the grungiest bathrooms (don't worry, we won't name names) had the biggest smiles on their faces when we were done. reminded me of Jesus' famous mission statement: "it's not the righteous who need a doctor, but the sick..."

saturday

had some free time to help out at the compassion ministry today. busy morning this week, between 120 and 150 guest families. lots of workers, though too. bunch of cub scouts came out to help. very cool watching them pull the wagons and help give out food. got to pray for a number of people, pack groceries, chat. always experience Jesus' pleasure in that context, subtle but unmistakable. maybe it's just all the love in the place.

also went with Jon and Paula to a hospital to pray for a man in a battle with cancer. was hoping for dramatic instant healing. nothing obvious that way, alas. but we were definitely meant to be there; i was overcome with what i can only describe as compassion a couple of times while we were praying. the sort of thing where i was crying, but not out of sadness or pain, but more like out of love mixed with a little anger. can't wait for Jesus' kingdom to come in fullness and do away with death and suffering altogether. in the meantime, it was inspiring to see this man and his wife facing it with such grace and faithfulness.

watched the Pistons whip the Bobcats tonight. the've been thoroughly enjoyable to watch this year. and they sure seem to be having a lot of fun too. hoping i'll get to catch some of the game on Christmas day against San Antonio, in the midst of all the festivities.

recovering

'tis the season for nasty colds, by all indications. maybe half the people i've spoken with this week seem to be suffering from one variation or another. been about a week and a half since i've had a good night's sleep, due to a bad cough. Elle's had a high fever the last couple of days too, although she seems to be doing much better today.

i'm listening to an interview with Jack Groppel, a fitness expert who has some really interesting things to say to ministry leaders about the role of energy in ministry. for example, instead of managing time, Jack suggests that we manage energy. time management only takes you from being absent to being present, whereas we give life to whatever we give our energy to, and growth always follows energy investment (which may require time, but that's a secondary consideration). really looking forward to hearing what he has to say further on in the interview. i expect he's got some insightful thoughts about how to recover, recapture, and renew emotional, mental, spiritual, and physical energy.

catching up

after a certain amount of time goes by without a post, i start to think, "wow, i've got so much to write about, that i need more time to write it than i have available right now." and then the next time i have to write a quick post, there's even more to write about and so the snowball grows. perhaps the only solution is to pretend i've been posting all along, and just move on. so without further ado, all the things i would have been blogging about had i been a little less neurotic:

moving in. much help, from family and church. Joe painting our whole house. gratis, an extension of blessing from Abba. spectacular results, living like royalty now. Roxie and everyone who knows her and/or is related to her landscaping our yard, pouring a patio, planting stuff. at cost or less. all the shrubs, trees, etc. paid for by people from the church. waiting til spring for grass. all around, this whole new home experience has been soaked in soul-blowing generosity. makes Ronni and i get teary eyed when we think of it all.

trick or treating. meeting neighbors. eating Colin's candy. prayer waliking the neighborhood. serving in small ways.

installing a water line for the fridge, lights, and a cat door. only lost my salvation a couple of times, temporarily.

small group joys and growth. whole string of prayers being answered recently in the group. very cool.

flying with Mike and Arnie to Jackson in a 172 Cessna. taxied, took off from Jackson, navigated and flew at night, under snow clouds to A2, landed, taxied to hanger. with much encouragment and guidance from Mike and Arnie. serious beauty in the sky. serious rush. serious relief.

first second saturday outreach project that happened without me...and was a rousing success. cleaning gutters for elderly homeowners.

Amy and Ben watching the kids so Ronni and i could have a real date. Red Lobster and Pride & Prejudice. best chick flick i've seen, maybe ever.

Elle falling down the basement stairs. unharmed. Thanksgiving. Elle turning one. most delightful daughter. ever.

new sermon series re: advent begun this week. prayer early wednesday mornings at the church. first one today. Holy Spirit present in power. got all blubbery at the end; excited for Jesus to return, inspired to work hard so that he will find faith in this corner of the earth when he shows up.