unintentional hiatus

I just realized that it's been over two weeks since I put up a new post. For the two or so of you who read this blog regularly I apologize, I didn't intend to have that much of a gap between posts. I've been really swamped lately putting together several talks that I have to give as well as preparing for some exams I need to take to begin the process of ordination while I'm in New Zealand. Anyway, despite the hectic nature of life right now things are good overall. I'll try to be better about updating.

7

May 13th is Mother's Day this year (happy Mother's Day to all you mothers out there) but it also happens to be our 7th anniversary. We went out to dinner tonight and our waitress commented that we looked way to young to be celebrating seven years of marriage. I got a big kick out of this since people usually think Brooke is younger than she is but I don't generally have that happen to me.

Anyway, in honor (or honour) of seven years of marriage I thought I'd list seven of my favorite things about Brooke. I know it's kind of cheesy but what can I say, I'm still giddy with love and you do chessy things when you're in that state. Here they are in no particular order:

1. She's a HOTTIE!!! It may not be the most imprtant thing but it's true, my wife is a beautiful women. Sometimes when we're out in public I catch guys checkin her out and I just smile.

2. She laughs at how goofy I am. Those of you who know me know how much of a dork I can be. Brooke just laughs with and at me but never at my expense. She graciously accepts the fact that sometimes my ADD just takes over and she's willing to be stupid with me.

3. She's adventurous. Believe it or not I can be quite introverted and reserved at times. Brooke often thinks of adventures both big a small for us to undertake. If it weren't for her we would have never taken our vacation to England last year and I love that she talked me into it. It was one of the best experiences of my life.

4. I love her love for youth. Ever since I've known Brooke she has been committed to entering into loving relationships with young people. When it comes to youth ministry I don't know anyone who is more gifted, capable, and well rounded as her. I'm not just saying that because she is my wife. I have learned a ton from her about about how to effectively minister to young people.

5. She's forgiving. Brooke understands the fact that I'm a fallen human being and she forgives me when I screw up. She doesn't keep track of my mistakess in order to use them against me in the future. She practices loving mercy towards me when I fail to be the husband I should be.

6. She admits when she's wrong. This may seem like a little thing but in our cultural context it's often assumed that husbands are always to blame for anything bad that happens. If you don't believe me just watch pretty much any sitcom with a married couple and watch what happens. The men are always at fault and almost always portrayed as incompetent semi-functional idiots as well. Brooke has not bought into this lie and she apologizes when she screws up. Both of us being able to forgive and seek forgiveness has been key to the health of our marriage.

7. What you see is what you get. Those of you who know her will know exactly what I mean by that statement. If you want to know how Brooke feels about something all you have to do is ask. Brooke is an example and model to me of healthy authenticity and while that's not always comfortable it's always refreshing. Brooke is honest, genuine, sincere and straight forward and I love her for it.

There is much more about Brooke that I admire and respect but those will have to wait until another year I supose. Until then here are some more pictures of my lovely bride. Happy anniversary babe!!!!

ugly dog

So last night as Brooke and I were preparing to go to bed I was flipping through the channels on TV, you know because it makes so much sense to see what's on right before you go to bed. Anyway, when the remote landed us on Animal Planet we were riveted by what we saw on the screen. For the next hour or so we watched the Sonoma-Marin Fair's annual Ugliest Dog contest.

We went back and forth between laughing hysterically and going, "Awwww..." These dogs are so incredibly pitiful and ugly that they are cute. Here's a video of one of the previous years contests:

You can see more images of the ugliest dogs here. The only thing more sickening than the actual images of some of the dogs was the fact that according to this show it's apparently no longer PC to refer to people as dog owners. For example, the dog Archie was there with his "human companion" so and so. Has it really come to this?

lp returns

Okay so I began this week by putting up a post about how I don't update my blog more than once or twice a week and this is now my third post of the week. Oh well. I just found out that this video was available so I decided to put it up.

Linkin Park is one of those bands that people love to hate but I think they're pretty good. A lot of people tend to despise them because they're mainstream. I think that's ridiculous. It's a little dated but if you're interested I've written about why I think LP is worth paying attention here. Their new album comes out on May 15th and I'm very curious to see what it's like. This video is the first single off the album. It's nothing really new comparatively speaking but I'd say it's solid. The images in the video are pretty intense and typical fashion for LP videos your not quite sure if the video is leading to hope or despair until the final few seconds. Obviously due to my theological leanings I'm a big fan of the line from the chorus about letting mercy wash away what we've done.

Anyway, check it out and tell me what you think.

my thoughts make someone think

So apparently my ponderings here on the blog have provided food for thought for at least one person. Our friend Megan has a given me a thinking blogger award. Apparently the deal is that she received one and had to pick five blogs that make her think. Now I'm supposed to nominate five blogs that make me think to receive this award.

This is a bit hard for me since I generally don't read blogs in order to think. That's why I read books. Most of the blogs I read are more geared towards keeping me caught up with the goings on of friends. The other thing that makes it hard is that I don't generally get involved in this sort of thing (it seems to me to be the blog version of SPAM. No offense Megan.). To be a good sport though I suppose I will suggest five blogs worth reading. I think all of the blogs in my blog roll are worth reading though so if yours doesn't make it into this list of five please don't think that I don't think much of your thoughts. Anyway, in no particular order, here ya go:

1. Wanito's World Juanito is a friend of mine from Grand Rapids. His blog is mostly about everyday life and his wonderful family. However, Juanito does tend to bring up topics that provoke a good deal of thought on a pretty regular basis. I've probably left more comments on his blog than on any other.
2. the dassler effect Neil is a friend I've gotten to know a bit during our time in St. Louis. Neil is a good writer and an even better photographer. Many of the pictures he puts up on his blog are fantastic. While his words have provoked thought his photos stir up my mind and heart in a much deeper way.
3. junkmail for blankets This is the first blog I ever read and continues to be one I return to regularly. Jeremy is a Rembrandt of writing. His words not only provoke thought they make reading a pleasure.
4. Sean Michael Lucas Dr. Lucas is the VP for Academics and Assistant Professor of Church History at Covenant Seminary. While I never had a class with Sean I've learned much from him in the few conversations we've had. He often has interesting posts about the happenings within the church and reading his blog keeps me abreast of some developments I may have otherwise missed. He also posts book reviews quite often which I've found helpful. I think he reads more in the average week than I read in a year.
5. Umm.... I've got like a three or four-way tie for fifth place. The way I will resolve this dilemma is by not choosing a blog to put here. If you're reading this and think your blog deserves to be mentioned here, it probably does so consider yourself my number 5.

There you have it. If you are reading this and your blog was mentioned above claim your award by clicking on the icon above and then copying and pasting it to your blog. Then, if you want, pick five blogs that make you think. (If you don't follow through with the last thing I'll understand.)

blockage

Yesteday a friend of ours told me that I needed to update my blog more often. I'm quite flattered by this because it means that there's at least one person out there who'd like to read more of what I have to say. Honestly though I think updating once or twice a week is about my limit. My life simply isn't that exciting and I'm not able to generate profound, interesting, or creative posts as frequently as some do. (Some may say that I have yet to generate any profound, interesting, or creative posts!)

In addition to this I have been going through a major case of writer's block lately. For example I've been working on a project proposal for the ministry we are going to be doing in New Zealand and I just finished it today after wrestling with it for a month. Now you may think that a month doesn't sound so bad but this proposal is only 4 pages long with pictures!!! I have been writing, then deleting, then rewriting, then redeleting. Lately everything I write just sounds like crap to me. I have promised to write several articles and reviews for a friend of mine and he has been waiting patiently for several months and hasn't receieved one of them. I've got like three or four started but I'm not happy with any of them. It's a bit frustrating.

Anyway, if you are a reader of my blog (which you obviously are if you're reading this sentence) I thank you. If you think I should post more often, I apologize, because unless I get zapped with some lightning bolt of inspiration it ain't happenin'.