Wordpress!!!

I'm switching to wordpress! I hate to dis anything google, but wordpress is just way better than blogger.

So anyone who wants to keep reading, head on over to the new site.

My Wonderful Evening

My mom instant messages me at work and says that some of my aunts and cousins and a sister are getting together for dinner tonight at the Black Forest Inn. I was planning on swimming at the Y then doing a bunch of odd tasks, but decided to spend time with the fam instead.

Dinner was mediocre tasting and way over priced, but I really enjoyed the company. My cousins Lani and Tony were there. Tony and Lani are really young (kindergarten and preschool) and so they are also adorable. Tony plays this game where he calls me Luke to get a rise out of me (playing of course). Lani has the cutest smile ever. They are in the process of being adopted by my aunt Eve (who was there) and uncle Steve (who wasn't there).

So we all parted ways. My aunt Amy and I had to straighten my aunt Lisa and her son Luke out, they were hopelessly disoriented. I get home and do some of those odd tasks. Then I think "it's way too warm out to be inside today, lets go on a bike ride!"

So I grab my bike and head for the Greenway. I really wanted to see other folks who were hanging outside, so I headed to Phillips to see who I would see. I ran into Johnathon on his way back home, so we chatted for a minute. Apparently he has a very early morning on Wednesdays, so he was going to go to sleep soon. We parted ways and I continued to bike around Phillips. Sadly no one I knew was hanging outside, though I did catch a glimpse of the Tongs in their back yard.

So I headed back home and got out the guitar. I just played for a while on our porch, which overlooks the intersection of Lagoon and Irving. AKA it's pretty busy. I had a lot of fun playing, and Meredith, one of the other folks in our building, came out for a smoke. We got to chat about all sorts of stuff, she's pretty cool. I've been "looking" for houses and she has passed a few along to check out. She finally went inside to finish watching Milk with her boyfriend, which had apparently been on pause the whole time she was outside. Then I decided to do what I've wanted to do for a long time...

I met some neighbors! Erik (Eric?) and Kevin live across Irving from us. They are right around my age and both went to school at Winona. They are also brothers. We had a good time chatting about life and will probably do stuff together throughout the summer. I'm excited!

I walk back inside to find my roommate Taylor (who declined my invitation for bike riding) sweating profusely and writhing in the blistering heat. OK, not really, but he wanted to put the AC unit up. As he is in the basement I hear this yelling, followed by him running up the stairs. Apparently a bat had made it into the house and attacked him when he switched on the light! He grabbed a tennis racket and we both walked very slowly down the stairs. He wanted me to go first, so I took the racket and went in. No bat to be seen! We got the AC in with out further ado.

So there you have it, my wonderful evening!

Community - Taking It Offline

Here's a test: Spend one day surfing the Internet and spend another roaming your neighborhood. See how many good dinner table stories you have after each. There won't be a contest.

I can't remember how I got here, but that's where I found this.

Social Media: Twitter

I've been thinking a lot lately about social media. Questions like "What role should twitter play in my day to day life?" and "What is appropriate to blog about?" and "What information should I share on my Facebook profile?" just beg to be answered (if you're me). So I thought I'd give it a shot. Lets start with...

Twitter
Lets start small. Like 140 characters small. At first, I had no idea how to use Twitter.



But after a while, you start to understand that Twitter is so much more than a status update. It's a conversation. Or it's a place to ask questions. Or it's a place to keep current on a cool movie. I hear the search is really useful.

I like to use it for those thoughts that are too short to blog about. And as a giant chat room. You can follow me if you want.

Of course Twitter has it's drawbacks, but I'll save all the social media negatives for one post. That way you will only see the bad stuff once, and it'll seem less important. Kind of like how a kid would choose 10 pennies over 4 quarters. So I'm manipulating you, like I would a child.

Next I'll do blogging. Stay tuned!

The Foolishness of Idolatry

God has something to say in Isaiah 44:

6 Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel
and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts:
“I am the first and I am the last;
besides me there is no god.
7 Who is like me? Let him proclaim it. [1]
Let him declare and set it before me,
since I appointed an ancient people.
Let them declare what is to come, and what will happen.
8 Fear not, nor be afraid;
have I not told you from of old and declared it?
And you are my witnesses!
Is there a God besides me?
There is no Rock; I know not any.”

God is bringing it! Then read what He follows up with:

9 All who fashion idols are nothing, and the things they delight in do not profit. Their witnesses neither see nor know, that they may be put to shame. 10 Who fashions a god or casts an idol that is profitable for nothing? 11 Behold, all his companions shall be put to shame, and the craftsmen are only human. Let them all assemble, let them stand forth. They shall be terrified; they shall be put to shame together.

12 The ironsmith takes a cutting tool and works it over the coals. He fashions it with hammers and works it with his strong arm. He becomes hungry, and his strength fails; he drinks no water and is faint. 13 The carpenter stretches a line; he marks it out with a pencil. He shapes it with planes and marks it with a compass. He shapes it into the figure of a man, with the beauty of a man, to dwell in a house. 14 He cuts down cedars, or he chooses a cypress tree or an oak and lets it grow strong among the trees of the forest. He plants a cedar and the rain nourishes it. 15 Then it becomes fuel for a man. He takes a part of it and warms himself; he kindles a fire and bakes bread. Also he makes a god and worships it; he makes it an idol and falls down before it. 16 Half of it he burns in the fire. Over the half he eats meat; he roasts it and is satisfied. Also he warms himself and says, “Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire!” 17 And the rest of it he makes into a god, his idol, and falls down to it and worships it. He prays to it and says, “Deliver me, for you are my god!”

18 They know not, nor do they discern, for he has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, and their hearts, so that they cannot understand. 19 No one considers, nor is there knowledge or discernment to say, “Half of it I burned in the fire; I also baked bread on its coals; I roasted meat and have eaten. And shall I make the rest of it an abomination? Shall I fall down before a block of wood?” 20 He feeds on ashes; a deluded heart has led him astray, and he cannot deliver himself or say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?”

Come on piece of wood, say that you're like God. Tell me what is to come, what will happen. Oh wait, you can't.

The foolishness of idolatry shines through this story. A man makes a fire and a god out of a piece of wood, then worships it and expects the piece of wood to deliver him. He is such a fool! And yet, I find myself in this position too often. I make an idol of a phone, a man, even an image!

That last one really gets me. I can make a picture of the cross into my God. I miss the point! It's not the cross that's worthy of worship, nor even the salvation that was bought for believers on a cross. It's the one who paid the price. Jesus is the one we should worship.

Do you worship Jesus, or what He gives you? Do you worship Jesus, or a charismatic pastor? Do you worship Jesus, or what he has done for you?

Do you worship Jesus, or a block of wood?




I am convicted.

But there is one who is my advocate!

Update

I've been pretty busy lately. Ok maybe not too busy, but I haven't been setting aside time to slow down. So here's an update for anyone who's interested:

• I read the Twilight series in 4 days. At one point I read 120 pages in an hour. I didn't think that was possible. And talk about an unhealthy relationship!
  
• It was my birthday on Saturday. I got to spend it making some tasty treats with my sister and mom. Then we all ate Chinese food.
• Shane and Shane are my favorite group to see live. They are incredible artists, skilled musicians and sold out for Jesus. I haven't been able to get them out of my head since seeing them on Friday (and I don't want to).
  
• I'm going to hook up Shane Everett with some In Ear Monitors from my company.
• I need to get to bed earlier. Always.

I know I forgot some things, but that's fine. Just give me a call, I'd love to hear from you. I hope to write more, taking the time to put to paper (electronic bits?) what I've been thinking about. I have some new ideas and some old ideas that will (hopefully) be showing up here soon enough.

Thanks for reading!

Doxology

This has been in my head for a while, so I thought I'd put it in yours.

Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye Heavenly Host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.

Community - Fear Of Man

Fear of failure.
Fear of looking foolish.
Fear of looking less than perfect.

Fear of rejection.
Fear of others judging me.
Fear of not impressing others.

Fear of not looking extraordinary.

My fears are silly. It's all about my ego. When it comes to living in community, I need to get out of the way.

My Own Little Limerick

Jess is quickly becoming one of my favorite bloggers. Right now she's doing a fun little deal where you give her your name and she writes you a limerick. Here's the one she wrote for me:

There once was a fellow named Scott,
Who became a career astronaut.
He fought his first alien
by ousting its ganglion.
Scott’s legend in schools now is taught.

I have to say though, the one Jess did for Katie is absolutely phenomenal. And check out her about page.

What Are Your Blog Post Standards

I write a lot for this blog. Most of it (~70%) doesn't end up getting posted. Even this post almost got stalled in production.

Do you want me to post incomplete, rough, ill conceived posts that would otherwise never see the light of day? Do you post those kind of things? What are your standards?