Six days in June

Tonight, I write to you to say this:
If you think all hope is lost and that our neighborhoods are too far gone..if you think people just don't care or have no decency left, I implore you to go take a walk along East 21st Street in Erie, Pennsylvania.

I'm not sure if I've ever been so moved by anything as I was today as I helped out with the Extreme Makeover side project that Grace is so privileged to be a part of. As I walked up and down that street over and over again, and I met the people who call that neighborhood home, I saw God's awesome hand all over that place. The smiles of the people who are just so thankful that somebody cares about them. The tears of joy that they are not forgotten after all. The sense of wonder and awe that these people have that somebody wants to do this for them.

Yes, Clara Ward and her home may be the focus here, but away from the cameras and out of the public eye, an incredible story is unfolding before our very eyes. A story I pray - O dear God - I PRAY, will have many chapters and that Erie, Pennsylvania will be a city transformed forever.

And it all will have started because of six days in June 2009.

Climate Change tax bill up for vote THIS FRIDAY

From icecap.us:

Waxman Markey Cap-and Tax bill comes up for a vote Friday. LAST CHANCE to put an end to this potential disaster in the making, one that will cost you dearly with millions of lost jobs, increased costs (a hidden tax) FOR EVERYONE averaging between $1600 and $4200 per year for the average American family according to the CBO, the Heritage, MIT and other studies. The cost of all energy and goods and services will rise to try and cover some of the costs for the bailouts and other trillion dollar programs the government wants to burden us with. Call your congressman’s office and tell them to vote no or they will have to go on the next election day. Our economy is too weak to absorb another shock.

This bill is the most flagrant attempted con-job and propaganda campaign in US history. If it helps Congress enact cap-and-tax legislation, it will give activists, courts and bureaucrats control over virtually every aspect of our lives. It will enable them to confiscate hard-earned dollars, convert them to payoffs for activists and companies that get on the climate-crisis bandwagon, consign uncooperative companies and scientists to the ash heap of history, and conceal the exorbitant costs of restrictive energy policies - on families, industries, jobs and transportation - until long after the bill becomes law.

For those of us in Northwest PA, please go here and let Kathy Dahlkemper know that you do not support the bill and that you would like her to vote no. As always, please be polite and civil.

There is no climate crisis. In fact, it is becoming more and more likely that the earth is entering a period of cooler weather. The alarmists, however, are getting more desperate as "proof" of climate change is becoming harder and harder to conjure up. I encourage you to follow icecap.us for articles that actually shed the TRUTH on the climate change propaganda that is being thrown in our faces each day.

i'm a coward

<sup>Colossians 1:21-23

21</sup>Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. ²²But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— ²³if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven...

This morning's sermon was one of the most convicting sermons in a long time.

Here's what I got out of it:
I'm tired of playing games. I'm tired of going through the motions. I'm tired of the nothingness of life. There is something more than this. There's GOT to be.

I'm spiritually retarded. And I. Am. Sick. Of. Being. This. Way.

Ask me in one month what I have done with the brokenness of the moment I am experiencing right now, and I'll probably say "nothing".

Because that's the kind of person I am. I'm too much of a freaking coward and too dang lazy to change. Why should I think this time will be different?

2 must-see videos

Some of you may have seen these two videos already, but I was introduced to them last week and I had to share them with those of you who have not yet seen them. They are absolutely hilarious:

Charlie Bit My Finger


David After the Dentist

Going Deeper

My desire to grow and cultivate a deeper and more intimate relationship with Christ is not something that I take lightly. Something of this magnitude does not happen overnight; nor is it easy. During my reading today, I came across a list of ten core values for spiritual formation.

Spiritual transformation...
...is essential, not optional, for Christ-followers.
...is a process, not an event.
...is God's work, but requires my participation.
...involves those practices, experiences, and relationships that help me live intimately with Christ and walk as if He were in my place.
...is not a compartmentalized pursuit. God is not interested in my spiritual life; he's interested in my life - all of it.
...can happen in every moment. It is not restricted to certain times or practices.
...is not individualistic, but takes place in community and finds expression in serving others.
...is not impeded by a person's background, temperament, life situation, or season of life. It is available right now to all who desire it.
...and the means of pursuing it, will vary from one individual to another. Fully devoted followers are handcrafted, not mass-produced.
...is ultimately gauged by an increased capacity to love God and people. Superficial or external checklists cannot measure it.

No, Mr.President

About a week after the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade this past January, Pastor John Piper addressed newly inaugurated President Obama on abortion. These are incredible words.

I pray that, somehow, they reach the ears (and heart) of our President.

h/t 22 Words

Mother's Day

After church today, Danielle and I went to the cemetery to visit my mom. It has been 18 years since I was able to spend Mother's Day with her.

It's scary because as time goes on, memories of my mom get a little fuzzier and a little more distant. Don't get me wrong, there are still vivid memories that I will forever hold dear to my heart, but the everyday things do escape me sometimes. And even though the days are much easier now than they were in the months and years immediately following the death of mom, there are still times when the loss and emptiness I feel are so overwhelming that I have to literally stop and ask myself if it really happened. I remember my school nurse from middle school who sat down with me one day shortly after I had returned back to school after the craziness of the funeral. She sat down with me in her office and told me that there would be times when I would think about mom and memories of her and the feeling of sadness would be so overwhelming that my breath would leave me like it does when a cold wave hits you when you're standing in the ocean or lake. 17 years after the death of mom, I still have those "waves" hit me, especially on days like today when memories and a gravestone are all you have to celebrate what is supposed to be a joyous day to celebrate the blessing of your mom.

Although my heart is understandably sad on this day, I do not look past the blessings of those who have filled the mother role in my life. I couldn't have a more wonderful mother-in-law. Barb is an incredible mother to my wife, and an incredible grandmother to her grandchildren. I'm not exaggerating when I say that love oozes from her. She is an incredible example to mothers everywhere, and an inspiration to both Danielle and I. I love you Barb, and I am so very thankful for you.

I am also thankful for my stepmom MaryJo. Although we are separated by many miles, the happiness she has brought to my dad's life in the time he has left (which is hopefully 1000 more years) is something that I thank God for on a daily basis. She makes him incredibly happy and they are now living the life that they both deserve. I wish we were closer, of course, but my dad is living his dream and that in an of itself is more than I could ever ask for. He deserves it and I am thankful that he has MaryJo in his life...and also in mine.

If you are blessed enough to still have your mom with you on this day, I hope that you took time today to love on her like there is no tomorrow. For me, there once was a day when there was no tomorrow...and I would give anything to have just one more day with the precious, beautiful, loving, and incredibly courageous woman that I was lucky enough to call Mom.