drivin time, please vote

The Honda Element has been voted by the people as one of the 10 ugliest cars on the road. For some reason, I love it. I must be a marketing person's best friend, or nightmare, but I am sold on a car the will make traveling through the mountains, and snow, camping, snowboarding, and mountain biking easier. It is dog freindly and easy to get into and out of the back seat. It reminds me of my jeep with none of the off-road utility and all of the convenience a guy with a church job needs.

So I have been lusting on and off for better than 3 years and have finally driven 2 in the last 3 weeks. My wife went tonight and drove one with me tonight and we love the feel, space and the way it drove. All I need to do is convince her the price is right and it will be happening in the next few months.

But, you can help me. I dont want to fall in love so much with this car that I dont make a good deicision. So if you know of a great car I can drive for the next 10 years, that makes it easy to get snowboards and bikes into and out of, is convenient for a dog, handles well in the winter weather, gets decent gas mileage, and is relieable, by all means let me know.

Or

If you are fine with me becoming an element owner, let me know which color I should pick. Below are a Blue with Black panels or Silver with Blue panels. Natalie likes the all blue. Gotta have blue, GO DUKE!







NOTE: the top blue and bottom blue are actually the same, the difference is the bottom would be all blue, and the top would have black plastic panels instead of painted ones

Aholand news

It is amazing to me how fast the last 9 days have gone. I have not taken the time to do many things I should, but still, the things that must be done have piled on the keep me pleny busy.

I am issuing an apology to myself and all Duke fans for being Jimmy McJinxey who caused the Devils to prematurely lose to LSU and ending our season completely. It was a sad weekend, but the George Mason Victory over ConnU was redemption in a small way.

Over the past several weeks, we have been dealing with conversations regarding contemporary and traditional worship. I struggle with this so much becuase contempory/emergent worship at UBC has been so important to me, yet I have come to love and appreciate a high church/liturgical style. These arguments are usually messy and often not really discussions about theological identity, but about personal preference. The problem is, in these discussions, opinions are often called wrong, when it can't really be wrong, it is an opinion. The Nilator has also pointed out to me that most of these discussions are not actually about worship, rather they tend to be political discussions. The politics of worship, rather than the practice of worship.
After all of this, I come to my local Christian radio. I sometimes listen a little, but lately, I have been listening a little more due to the aformentioned discussion. I have found that not only is the music not really my style, but theologically, the music is lacking. I have yet to hear someone talk about God in the way God talks about him/her self, in the context of 'I am.' We certainly hear about the sin God has delivered us from, yet I am still a sinner, and the great spiritual makeover that has happened, but what about what God is actually doing, like being I AM. I don't know, maybe that is too open ended for most people. Or maybe since it is not completely personal, the arent interested. I could be wrong.

Finally, I am currently reading How Soccer Explains the World. It is pretty good so far, and this whole soccer gang/hoodlum thing is interesting and makes Oakland Raider Nation look like a civic organization. I am also seriously considering a book club based on books that have been featured on The Daily Show. I am interested in American Vertigo, among others. If you are interested in joining, let me know. I think this might go somewhere.

Snowboarding is done for the season, now I am trying to decide if I want to be the pastor who wears JosABank but also rides a skateboard. If it could be ministry, it would be fun, but at 29 and 80 lbs over my former skating weight (when I was 12), I am not sure if this is the best move. Hurry up winter, come back to the southeast....


watching relevantTV in aholand...
aho

Time is slipping...

I can't believe a week has gone by already. The past week was good, this week has been busy and fast so far, and there is no end in site.
I am already up way past my bedtime. I have spent the evening trying to get some podcasts downloaded so I will have some listening material for my trip to Snowshoe on Thursday. I was hoping for about 4 hours of new talking, but I cant seem to get all the Relevant Podcasts to download that I want. I have 2 and that will be good, I just hope NPR can fill in the rest.
Tomorrow I have to prep for teaching Bible Study in the evening and I have to type my notes from last week to hand out. The book I am teaching is Making All things New by Henri Nouwen and it is an excellent read. I am on my 4th or 5th time through and it keeps getting better.
My trip to Snowshoe will mark my last Snowboarding day of the year, which is why I am making a trip to the 'big mountain.'
Suburban Jesus sent me a note to encourage me to link to a tragic story of a child who has cancer. Check out his site for info. I will decided how to proceed later, but cancer always stinks and prayers are in order.
Thats all for now. I am getting slammed in the tournament challenge below, but I am in second in the other group I am playing with. Duke is still in the game, at least for a few more days. 5 down 4 to go.
peace to you all
aho

Thing to do online this week

Hi, hope you all, or you few, are well this week. As for me I am well. Got up this morning, late, and worked out for the first day of a new routine. I didn't get all my lifting in done to time, but I still have the nice, burning muscle feeling. Cardio went well and was not too intense today.

Over the weekend I came across a few little projects for you to work on this week, you know, just for fun.

1. Tournament Challenge

Thats right folks, it is bracket filling out time again, and I want you to join me and a few people I used to work with online in a fun little espn.com bracket pool. The ESPN.com Tournament Challenge is home to a group called 'the jack g asso' (which is in honor of my former pastor who has a lovely group of friends and ministers who owe a lot to his life and ministry, it is not a poke at him). The password to join this private group is 'zebulon'. You need to create an id on espn and it takes 5-6 minutes, but filling out the bracket usually goes pretty smoothly. Join the group here.




2. More DCB Love
I was looking at a snowboard helmet company's site this weekend becuase I saw a sticker on the ski lift last week with an interesting quote. The company was R.E.D. and the quote was something like "fear is the enemy of progression." I kinda liked it and it went especially well with my teaching at church right now so I wanted to find a sticker. No such luck with the sticker or slogan, but, I did find something else cool. This pic is of Hannah Teeter. She won the Gold in the olympic half-pipe. Earlier I ran a story about Kelly Clark who rocked 'O Praise Him' while competing in the Olympics and going higher than any has goin yet. Now, I found that Teeter rocks DC*B as part of her ipod playlist that she beams through her helmet's speakers. Helmets with speakers are cool and so are peeps who rock DC*B through them. Check it our here, click Hannah at the bottom.


3. UBC LOVE

I told 'you three' about this last week and we are doing good, but need more help on MSN.com. The pic from UBC is still in 12th, but could get to 11th with a little bit of work and a push from the Baylor Campus. Come on people, read the post below and cilck away.

I hope you all have a great week. We'll be in touch.

peace
aho

ROCK THE VOTE!!!

It appears that one of our favorite places has made it in to the "Week in Pictures." Natalie just made me aware of this. She checks MSN's week in pictures each week and found UBC in the mix this week. Currently UBC has 98 votes in favor of it and only trails the German Castle by something like 10,000. I think we can catch up.

Here is your mission, whether you choose to accept it or not. Go to this page and vote. Or, if it doesnt work for you, go to MSN.com (no hyperlink, you shold be able to manage those few letters yourself), click NEWS on the left column, then the week in Pictures, March 2-9, and then picture number 14. The popup window that displays the pic will have a vote button, then you can fulfill your obligation.

I am excited to see this pic, it brings back memories of home for me. But, please forgive me if you find this to be a bit like a publicity stunt. The truth is UBC means a whole lot to me, and only after one has gone away and reflected upon it, can one fully understand the connection we in diaspora have. Also, I believe it can mean alot to many others, even if they never reach Waco for so much as a Sunday morning. Theological and Spiritual awareness of the gospel is something that we can help bring to folks through things like silly pics on msn. God is at work in ways beyond what we can ask or imagine and I hope God will be found at work on MSN this week.

Go, vote.
peace


ps. Duke won, one down eight to go.

i had NO idea

I had a great day snowboarding today. There we no lift lines at all and I actually never rode a lift with anyone. Three times there were people on chair immediately in front of me, but no one behind me then. I listened to music the whole day and the 'shuffle repeat' mode on my dell dj treated me pretty well.

BUT

Tonight I started thinking seriously about what it would be like to board in Colorado during the 06-07 winter. We have talked about it some and are looking forward to it being, probably, our next non-business trip.

So, since I have never been in CO in the winter, I thought I would check out the trail maps to see what I might be in for. Holy cow. I had no idea how enormous this thing was out there in the rockies. I am use to the rollercoaster type of snowboarding: hop off the lift (get in the coaster car), strap in the right boot to the binding (that painful bar comes down accross your lap), get ready to take off (same), 45 seconds of exhiliration, get back on the lift (run around and get back in line).

If I were to go to colorado to ski, I think I might have to bring a spare mp3 player to listen to when my batteries die because it took so long to get down and back up again. And, now I am a bit envyous of the west, but still thankful for the chance to 'slushboard' out here, 100 miles from home. Plus I hear the snow is so bad here that it actually makes you a better rider when you get to the good stuff.

2 last things:
Lets go out west next year. It would be great for a huge group of good people (like the readers of a great blog like this one) to get together to shred the mountain out west, Colorade would never be the same again.
Took some 'sweet jumps' today. It was alot of fun and I didnt break anything. I even tried to get some high jumps (3-4 feet in the air??) in and I landed pretty well. I almost landed a 180 and almost got a grap in on a different jump which I did land. I had a blast, and it would have been better to have had a friend. Wont you be my neighbor?

peace
aho

thoughts for this week

I didnt get to watch the Oscars last night but I am glad to hear that Crash won the award for best picture. It was the only Best Picture nominee I have seen but in a year with so many films that confront Homosexuality, I think the issue of racism might be better served through the victory.

I really liked Crash, but not because it was fun or inspirational, but becuase it was thought provoking and challenging to me personally. As much education as I have had in issues of race and racial reconciliation (which actually is not much, a handfull of lectures and a couple of semester-long classes, but is hundreds of times more than most people who didnt go to Duke Divinity School) it seems to me that this is an area that needs work that might be productive. The radical Christian right will never buy in to homosexual tolerance and the radical fringe left may never move an inch in a more moderate direction, but almost all of us can agree that we need to not be racist.

Crash is not for children or even youth age. College students might benefit from this film. Adults should take the time to watch it and think about it.

In other news

Well, it can't get any worse, I don't think, for us Duke fans. We finish the season with 2 losses in a row to Fla. State and UNC. Saturday's game was terrible and we still had a chance to pull out victory. Nobody for Duke played really well and it was frustrating to watch the team struggle like that. But, 5 days off will be good and now we are hoping for a 9 game win streak. This would mean an ACC championship and an NCAA championship. It probably won't happen, even the odds are not in favor of it, but you know how my brackets will be filled out.

Also, I predict that Gonzaga will be the #2 seed in the bracket that Duke is a #1 seed in, which will probably be the Atlanta region. I think the committee would like to see JJ play Adam Morrison. The snag in this plan is it would not be a favorable draw for a west coast team to have to play in the elite 8 in Atlanta and the Zags have had a great season. So, dont be suprised if the Zags are out west and the Devils are here in the east, but it will be some 'strategery' on the part of the NCAA selection committee if they go with the plan that I have put forth.

Finally
Looking forward to a good week at church this week. I have several evening meetings this week. Thursday I plan to snowboard once more. Hanging out at the Coffee shop on Wednesday afternoon and I might try to get to some Mount Airy Sports events. Friday I am beginning to plan to watch the DUKE game at Pandowdy's during the lunch hour, or Ted's chicken. I might try to find someone to watch the games with. Here are your invitations: Watch the game with me on Friday and/or come to the mountains with me on Thurs, or we could go Saturday, or Maybe even next monday or Thursday. It will be a slushy, snow melting event, but tons of fun before it is time to move the board to the back of the closet and the golf clubs to the front.

Grace and peace to all of you who read this, even though you dont comment.

peace
aho

what's going on today

Today I have a meeting in W/S for a peer learning group that is forming.

Yesterday, I failed just about every descipline I am aiming for with lent:
I TIVO'd the DUKE game and it kept me up late
Meatloaf was served at church last night, it is still with me, didnt sleep well, slept in, couldnt work out.
Basketball kept me from reading.
But, I didnt go expresso.

On a different note, I have added two blogs to the sidebar. Both are quite smart and clever. You should stop by there sometime if you like reading blogs. If you find yourself here, but dont like reading blogs, THANK YOU, you are free to comment or leave now.

peace

HERE COMES.......lent

Well, here we are, the Christian season of lent. We got all of our gluttony and indulgencing done during Mardis Gras - fat/shrove Tuesday - and now we enter the penetential season of lent. During this time we engage in discipline and fasting from the happy happy joy joy things of life in order to humbly and 'nakedly' go to the cross with Jesus. The season of fasting and desparation will gave way to the joy and bewliderment of resurrection on Easter Sunday and the infancy of the church climaxing on the Pentecost, 50 days after Easter.

So here we are, given the simple task of removing things from life the inhibit our ability to expereince God in order to be fully to expereince God breaking through life as we know it once again by resurrecting.

This season is also known as the season where people give up things that are close to them in order to sacrifice. In that spirit, I am introducing some discipline into life that will, in a way, be self serving, but will force some discipline on me that dose not come naturally. And, in the spirit of full disclosure, here is what I am doing and YOU can hold me to it:

no sex for lent....

















just kidding, that was just in a movie trailer a few years ago, never saw the film, but it looked interesting though a bit crude.

So, for real:
Bedtime is now 11pm: that is a big deal for a night owl like me, and 11pm on the east coast is 10pm in the central time zone.
Wake up time is now early enough to get the the gym and have prayers from my book, A Guide to Prayer for All God's People, of which I consider myself one, before work.
The only exception is when Duke basketball is on, or Natalie is up with me on the weekend, but the workout still must happen.
Reading a Book a week during lent. This will keep me from the tv a bit and will expand my mind. Most of the books will come from my library and the first on the list is Jimmy Carter's new book. Also on the list will certainly be American Vertigo, Re-imagining Prayer- which I have been carrying faithfully in my bag for months, and some fiction.
Finally, and this may be the hardest, No fancy blended expresso drinks. So, no Latte, Mocha, Cabellero Coffee from Common Grounds, Mochajava from Port City Java, Vanilla Latte from Cup a Joe, Winter White Latte from Moby's, or Creme Brule Latte from the Good Life Cafe. This is probably a bit self serving, but also a sacrifice. It will cut some calories from the diet and spending from the budget, but it will certianly cut lots of pleasure from the afternoon. No exceptions here and I am considering sacrificing cream and sugar from my coffee next year, but one step at a time.

Now, whatever your sacrifice, let me know and I will be in prayer for you as you journey towards the cross. I pray that God will richly bless you in this season of sacrifice and the you will expereince the joy of resurrection in 7 weeks after we expereince:

Ashes to ashes, and dust to dust, from dust you have come, to dust you will return, repent and beleive the Gospel.