May 28, 2006... my wife gave birth to Jackson David Powers. He was 7lbs. 8 oz, 19 1/2 inches long and beautiful as a little baby can be. Dont' get me wrong, he was still wrinkly and goopy and all of that but still... no matter what happens, this little man will carry on my name. It's unbelievable. I'll let my wife tell the story and show the pictures here. Suffice it to say... like the Crowder song says... "I need words..." It's an unbelievable thing. Not only that, but literally as Natalie and I are in the delivery room wating for the little guy to make an appearance, I get word that my sister in law's (brother's wife) water broke. Her doctor told her to wait until we (Nat and I) were done and then to come on in. Carson Reed Powers (cousin to Jackson David Powers) was born across town 14 hours later. That's something pretty amazing.
Now, since that beautiful moment I think I've slept for a total of 7 hours. Not to mention that my wife was in labor for 37 hours. You heard it right... 37 hours with contractions no longer that 15 minutes apart... many time 2 and 3. She's my new hero. So... suffice it to say with the sleep deprivation and this amazingly wonderful giddy new man that lives in my house, I'm bound to have a thing or two to say... but not now. Not enough time. It's feeding time. God bless you all. I pray that for you, today is a treasure such as you've never found before. Thank you God!
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Friday, May 26, 2006
Recapturing the Useful -or- I thought the Lotus was a car
I can cover my day 2 surprise experience in a few words... I forgot about it most of the day. It broke my heart to get in my car at the end of the day and go... Holy crap, I forgot about the surprise. There was more to it than that, but I want to talk about something else. That's the beauty of it being my blog. I'm the boss of it, and I can do what I want.
Matt Singleton made mention of yesterday's comment about me being a buddhist, and he commented on how much of the practice and even philosophy of eastern mystics can be useful for Christians. When I first started following God, for the 3 to 4 years prior to that I had been a practicing buddhist. It all started with a book (The Tao of Pooh) and led to a much deeper and fuller practice of Taoism, Buddhism, Zen, and a whole smattering of them all (eastern folks generally seem much less interested in categorizing which practice you fall into. They all inform and relate to one another anyway). So for several years I would sit and meditate. They call it "practice," but the word is different from the way we might expect it to be. For the buddhist, practice is just being or sitting. I don't know that they'd be so interested in "practice makes perfect." They would even say that if you're thinking about progressing, or getting there, you're missing the point all together. The point isn't to get there. The point is always to be here. As soon as you truly learn to be here, then you will have gotten there. It can all sound very confusing, but the reality of it is that a GREAT DEAL of my experience of faith with Christ finds parallels in eastern practices and faiths. Read the Tao te Ching and tell me which parts of it don't sound like they could be teachings of Christ (disclaimer for those who need one... the reason I eventually got away from buddhism etc is because I felt and experienced that the primary premise is faulty. Their goal is to strip away all desires so that what's inherently good in me can come out. My frustration came because as long and as much as I tried, there weren't many things that were truly good or noble. Call it depravity or whatever, I just found myself ACTING better or more calm and centered, but the same old things were raging in me. See Romans 7 for a better explanation). So the allure for me to eastern philosophy was how RIGHT most of it sounded. Ultimately however, I found that buddhism and it's most noble family of traditions fell short. For me it didn't go far enough.
So, when I started following Christ, all of a sudden I've got a problem... what do I do with the last 3 years of my life? What about all those moments that were real? What about all the things that I had read and practiced and experienced that were true and real? There were times when I would sit and meditate that lifted me. There were times that I got it. Did I now have to dismiss all of those things and call them all bad and start all over? I couldn't do that. The same way that I left the Church in the first place... because I didn't see enough of the stuff they were talking about, I couldn't with integrity dismiss the things that seemed real.
That's where one of the teachings of Rob Bell hit me square in the face. He said, "All truth is God's truth, no matter where you find it." It was like a light went on in my head. Of course there are large and freeing portions of truth in buddhism. Truth is truth, no matter where it may hide. When I wrestled with that and came to terms with it, I was so relieved to find that I didn't have to hide or cover up my past experiences. On the contrary, they became something beautiful and formative and rich that God used to woo me back to Himself. I regularly say (and several people in my church family aren't quite sure what to make of it) that my years as a buddhist have made me a much better Christian.
To take the practice of meditation by itself... it's something that the scripture all but pleads with us to do... and every time I even say the word in Christian contexts, it demands explanation. People want me to assure them that we're not becoming buddhist or new age. But my time as a buddhist gave me practice with just sitting and paying attention to what I'm thinking. Buddhist meditation taught me that just because a thought pops into my head doesn't mean it has to come out of my mouth... if I "watch" a thought long enough, don't label it or call it my own, just watch it... eventually it will pass away and another one will come. You want to see the fruit of the spirit called self-control? Sit down for one hour (self-control in and of itself) and every time a thought passes into your head, refuse to label or even identify it. Just watch it. Don't act on it or even claim it as your own. Then watch how your ideas about ideas change over time. You're free from being a slave to the things in your head! It's amazing.
So, that's the long way of saying that if we ignore the things from other parts of the world, or the things that other traditions can teach us, we're missing it. Truth isn't a commodity. Truth is a person, and He's the one that I want to follow, no matter where He goes. I'm grateful for my years as a buddhist. I learned a lot, I grew a lot, and I still try to employ much of what I discovered along that path. I'm also grateful for the chance to remember that today. That's a good surprise. Thanks God. Thanks Matt.
Matt Singleton made mention of yesterday's comment about me being a buddhist, and he commented on how much of the practice and even philosophy of eastern mystics can be useful for Christians. When I first started following God, for the 3 to 4 years prior to that I had been a practicing buddhist. It all started with a book (The Tao of Pooh) and led to a much deeper and fuller practice of Taoism, Buddhism, Zen, and a whole smattering of them all (eastern folks generally seem much less interested in categorizing which practice you fall into. They all inform and relate to one another anyway). So for several years I would sit and meditate. They call it "practice," but the word is different from the way we might expect it to be. For the buddhist, practice is just being or sitting. I don't know that they'd be so interested in "practice makes perfect." They would even say that if you're thinking about progressing, or getting there, you're missing the point all together. The point isn't to get there. The point is always to be here. As soon as you truly learn to be here, then you will have gotten there. It can all sound very confusing, but the reality of it is that a GREAT DEAL of my experience of faith with Christ finds parallels in eastern practices and faiths. Read the Tao te Ching and tell me which parts of it don't sound like they could be teachings of Christ (disclaimer for those who need one... the reason I eventually got away from buddhism etc is because I felt and experienced that the primary premise is faulty. Their goal is to strip away all desires so that what's inherently good in me can come out. My frustration came because as long and as much as I tried, there weren't many things that were truly good or noble. Call it depravity or whatever, I just found myself ACTING better or more calm and centered, but the same old things were raging in me. See Romans 7 for a better explanation). So the allure for me to eastern philosophy was how RIGHT most of it sounded. Ultimately however, I found that buddhism and it's most noble family of traditions fell short. For me it didn't go far enough.
So, when I started following Christ, all of a sudden I've got a problem... what do I do with the last 3 years of my life? What about all those moments that were real? What about all the things that I had read and practiced and experienced that were true and real? There were times when I would sit and meditate that lifted me. There were times that I got it. Did I now have to dismiss all of those things and call them all bad and start all over? I couldn't do that. The same way that I left the Church in the first place... because I didn't see enough of the stuff they were talking about, I couldn't with integrity dismiss the things that seemed real.
That's where one of the teachings of Rob Bell hit me square in the face. He said, "All truth is God's truth, no matter where you find it." It was like a light went on in my head. Of course there are large and freeing portions of truth in buddhism. Truth is truth, no matter where it may hide. When I wrestled with that and came to terms with it, I was so relieved to find that I didn't have to hide or cover up my past experiences. On the contrary, they became something beautiful and formative and rich that God used to woo me back to Himself. I regularly say (and several people in my church family aren't quite sure what to make of it) that my years as a buddhist have made me a much better Christian.
To take the practice of meditation by itself... it's something that the scripture all but pleads with us to do... and every time I even say the word in Christian contexts, it demands explanation. People want me to assure them that we're not becoming buddhist or new age. But my time as a buddhist gave me practice with just sitting and paying attention to what I'm thinking. Buddhist meditation taught me that just because a thought pops into my head doesn't mean it has to come out of my mouth... if I "watch" a thought long enough, don't label it or call it my own, just watch it... eventually it will pass away and another one will come. You want to see the fruit of the spirit called self-control? Sit down for one hour (self-control in and of itself) and every time a thought passes into your head, refuse to label or even identify it. Just watch it. Don't act on it or even claim it as your own. Then watch how your ideas about ideas change over time. You're free from being a slave to the things in your head! It's amazing.
So, that's the long way of saying that if we ignore the things from other parts of the world, or the things that other traditions can teach us, we're missing it. Truth isn't a commodity. Truth is a person, and He's the one that I want to follow, no matter where He goes. I'm grateful for my years as a buddhist. I learned a lot, I grew a lot, and I still try to employ much of what I discovered along that path. I'm also grateful for the chance to remember that today. That's a good surprise. Thanks God. Thanks Matt.
Thursday, May 25, 2006
Day 1: The surprise is INSIDE you
It seems that there will be parallel surprises as I go through this... the surprise experiment as it's lived out in my life, but also the surprise that comes from realizations reading the book as I walk through this experiment. I'm reading the story for the day I'm living, which is one day ahead of the story I'm blogging... clear as mud.
My story yesterday is surprising in its "unsurprising-ness," so to speak. As I lay my little head down to sleep last night, I realized how capable I am of paying attention and taking note of my thoughts, feelings, attitudes, and moods in the moment as they arise. Around lunch time, we got word that one of the guys who plays guitar on our worship team may have lung cancer. This guy is an amazing ball of energy and life. He used to be part of the touring band with Hank Jr. and a whole slew of other guys who you'd be really impressed to hear. Needless to say he lived a hard, fast, life, and within the last two years let God find him. This guy (Greg) is a true example of the power of Christ in a life. The guy has walked away from nearly every vice you can imagine a hard-livin professional musician can have (not just the drinking and drugging, but all the attendant emotional/psychological baggage as well). He just recently got married and started his new life over again with a passionate faith. Then... BOOOM. The big C-word.
Immediately I heard the infamous question that doesnt' have an answer "Why?" I heard him ask the same question. How can it be that only now, in light of the amazing changes in his life, he gets this prognosis? It's a tough question, and it's one that I don't have an answer for. It reminded me of a Phillip Yancey book (Disappointment with God) where Yancey asks, "The question becomes not, 'is God good,' but 'what good is He?'" That's a powerful question to ask. In terms of this experiment though, I was surprised to notice how quickly I noticed the question rising. It took me back to my old Buddhist days when the whole idea was to "notice the thoughts that come into your head, don't claim them, judge them, grab them, or hold them, just notice them."
The shocking/disturbing thing about that realization is that if I can see them welling up and see them rising in me... then I have the ability to curb them and not act on the ones that I don't like. That doesn't make me feel very good, because there were a few emotions yesterday that I don't like the way they came out. If I can see them rising, and I choose not to curb them... that's a surprising thing with surprising implications.
Surprisingly enough (pun probably intended) I woke this morning with a good feeling about a lot of what showed up yesterday. Ordinarily I wouldn't have felt so good about such a lack of self-control and evidence of such inner-yuck, but I really have a feeling that seeing that stuff may be the greatest surprise of all. It's a powerful thing to come to terms with your own depravity. Fortunately I know that at the point of my greatest depravity, I find Christ's grace most sweet.
I was going to write about what I got from the book, but it would take too much space and probably would be anti-climactic. Suffice it to say for now that God surprises will show up in surprising places. I did like what Esau said (to paraphrase), "in the cosmic game of hide-and-seek, what if it's not God whose hiding, but us?"
So we begin from here. Surprise me, God.
My story yesterday is surprising in its "unsurprising-ness," so to speak. As I lay my little head down to sleep last night, I realized how capable I am of paying attention and taking note of my thoughts, feelings, attitudes, and moods in the moment as they arise. Around lunch time, we got word that one of the guys who plays guitar on our worship team may have lung cancer. This guy is an amazing ball of energy and life. He used to be part of the touring band with Hank Jr. and a whole slew of other guys who you'd be really impressed to hear. Needless to say he lived a hard, fast, life, and within the last two years let God find him. This guy (Greg) is a true example of the power of Christ in a life. The guy has walked away from nearly every vice you can imagine a hard-livin professional musician can have (not just the drinking and drugging, but all the attendant emotional/psychological baggage as well). He just recently got married and started his new life over again with a passionate faith. Then... BOOOM. The big C-word.
Immediately I heard the infamous question that doesnt' have an answer "Why?" I heard him ask the same question. How can it be that only now, in light of the amazing changes in his life, he gets this prognosis? It's a tough question, and it's one that I don't have an answer for. It reminded me of a Phillip Yancey book (Disappointment with God) where Yancey asks, "The question becomes not, 'is God good,' but 'what good is He?'" That's a powerful question to ask. In terms of this experiment though, I was surprised to notice how quickly I noticed the question rising. It took me back to my old Buddhist days when the whole idea was to "notice the thoughts that come into your head, don't claim them, judge them, grab them, or hold them, just notice them."
The shocking/disturbing thing about that realization is that if I can see them welling up and see them rising in me... then I have the ability to curb them and not act on the ones that I don't like. That doesn't make me feel very good, because there were a few emotions yesterday that I don't like the way they came out. If I can see them rising, and I choose not to curb them... that's a surprising thing with surprising implications.
Surprisingly enough (pun probably intended) I woke this morning with a good feeling about a lot of what showed up yesterday. Ordinarily I wouldn't have felt so good about such a lack of self-control and evidence of such inner-yuck, but I really have a feeling that seeing that stuff may be the greatest surprise of all. It's a powerful thing to come to terms with your own depravity. Fortunately I know that at the point of my greatest depravity, I find Christ's grace most sweet.
I was going to write about what I got from the book, but it would take too much space and probably would be anti-climactic. Suffice it to say for now that God surprises will show up in surprising places. I did like what Esau said (to paraphrase), "in the cosmic game of hide-and-seek, what if it's not God whose hiding, but us?"
So we begin from here. Surprise me, God.
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Surprise me. Day 0
My lovely wife... she's sweeter than I have any right to be involved with. She told me last week that she got me a present. I'm horribly impatient, so I kept badgering her about what it was, but she's a vault. So yesterday I show up at work and there's a padded envelope in my inbox. Inside are 2 books. Dave Crowder's Praise Habit, and Terry Esau's Surprise Me. That's one of the differences between she and me. She's thoughtful, and realizes not only that the quickest way to my heart is through a book, but she knows that Amazon.com has the keys to my heart on file in my wishlist.
So today I started Surprise Me. I'm going to do the experiment. It couldn't come at a better time for me. Academically I'm convinced of the truth, but evidence of the gi-normous chasm between my brain and my heart, the reality of my life right now indicates that God is less interested in surprise, and more interested in mindless rote and endless fatigue. This book and this experiment seem like a good way to challenge that assumption.
So I begin. Today is day 1... entry zero. Tomorrow, entry 1, will chronicle today's events. I like it that way, it gives me time to reflect and hopefully take it all in. Like Esau (the author, not Jacob's brother), I come in with a bit of a timid heart. As it is right now, the unproven promises of God are easy enough to put out there. I've never PROVEN them false, so surely they must be true. What if at the end of 30 days I have no new insights, no new stories to tell, and absolutely nothing God-wise to speak of? Well, the encouragement then is that I will have atleast proven that God doesn't want to be involved in my life, and I can get on with the business of life in light of that truth.
But I'm at the point where I have to do something. I am not the kind of guy who can go through the motions very well. I only have 2 speeds -- 100 miles/minute to the left, or 100 miles/minute to the right. I don't have stop and I don't have slow. Not that there aren't times of slowing down and meditating, but the point is that I am a horrible company man. I don't just listen to music, I put my education and my future in jeopardy so I can follow Phish around the country for a year... you get the idea.
So I'm at that point in my faith where I feel like I've truly swung on a lot of the ropes that "lead to God" and I don't want to be on a rope anymore. I want God. I don't put any of the blame on Him. I'm a realist enough to know that I haven't tried God and found Him wanting, I haven't nearly tried enough.
So that's where this experiment comes in. Not that it's my attempt to find where God is. On the contrary, I'm just wanting to open my eyes to see what He tells me is true (see Romans 1:20). I just had a conversation with a guy whose been on a really tough road lately. A lot... the vast majority even... of it is of his own doing. Bad situations brought on by a succession of bad choices, but I look at him now, and people have reached out and helped. He doesn't really see it, but it's there none the less. I don't see God that way too many times. I feel like God's looking for a chance to squash me... rather than seeing how God continually reaches out to people, even when they don't pretend to make so much as a nod in His direction.
So here goes. Surprise me, God.
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
-- Robert Frost
So today I started Surprise Me. I'm going to do the experiment. It couldn't come at a better time for me. Academically I'm convinced of the truth, but evidence of the gi-normous chasm between my brain and my heart, the reality of my life right now indicates that God is less interested in surprise, and more interested in mindless rote and endless fatigue. This book and this experiment seem like a good way to challenge that assumption.
So I begin. Today is day 1... entry zero. Tomorrow, entry 1, will chronicle today's events. I like it that way, it gives me time to reflect and hopefully take it all in. Like Esau (the author, not Jacob's brother), I come in with a bit of a timid heart. As it is right now, the unproven promises of God are easy enough to put out there. I've never PROVEN them false, so surely they must be true. What if at the end of 30 days I have no new insights, no new stories to tell, and absolutely nothing God-wise to speak of? Well, the encouragement then is that I will have atleast proven that God doesn't want to be involved in my life, and I can get on with the business of life in light of that truth.
But I'm at the point where I have to do something. I am not the kind of guy who can go through the motions very well. I only have 2 speeds -- 100 miles/minute to the left, or 100 miles/minute to the right. I don't have stop and I don't have slow. Not that there aren't times of slowing down and meditating, but the point is that I am a horrible company man. I don't just listen to music, I put my education and my future in jeopardy so I can follow Phish around the country for a year... you get the idea.
So I'm at that point in my faith where I feel like I've truly swung on a lot of the ropes that "lead to God" and I don't want to be on a rope anymore. I want God. I don't put any of the blame on Him. I'm a realist enough to know that I haven't tried God and found Him wanting, I haven't nearly tried enough.
So that's where this experiment comes in. Not that it's my attempt to find where God is. On the contrary, I'm just wanting to open my eyes to see what He tells me is true (see Romans 1:20). I just had a conversation with a guy whose been on a really tough road lately. A lot... the vast majority even... of it is of his own doing. Bad situations brought on by a succession of bad choices, but I look at him now, and people have reached out and helped. He doesn't really see it, but it's there none the less. I don't see God that way too many times. I feel like God's looking for a chance to squash me... rather than seeing how God continually reaches out to people, even when they don't pretend to make so much as a nod in His direction.
So here goes. Surprise me, God.
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
-- Robert Frost
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Hurry up and wait
So I guess there's really something to that whole "due date" thing that the doctor tells you. I guess the whole "full term gestational period" crap that you read about has some bearing in reality. Well let me just tell you... nobody asked me!!
Just kidding... sort of. Nat and I are both ready for the little guy to make an appearance. All you real parents at home are chuckling, thinking, "sure ya are." What I mean is that I'm ready for my wife not to be pregnant any more. It sucks for her. She hurts, everything she eats causes issues... it's just not a good thing. But the due date is Saturday, and the doctor felt pretty confident that this week would be the week.
But it's got me thinking about the whole process. I used to wonder why we can't just have a 6 week gestational period... like cats, or giraffes or something. But nearing the end of our prescribed 40 weeks has once again revealed that God knows more than I do and I should trust Him when He sets up the universe. Here's the beauty of the process as I've come to understand it...
Just kidding... sort of. Nat and I are both ready for the little guy to make an appearance. All you real parents at home are chuckling, thinking, "sure ya are." What I mean is that I'm ready for my wife not to be pregnant any more. It sucks for her. She hurts, everything she eats causes issues... it's just not a good thing. But the due date is Saturday, and the doctor felt pretty confident that this week would be the week.
But it's got me thinking about the whole process. I used to wonder why we can't just have a 6 week gestational period... like cats, or giraffes or something. But nearing the end of our prescribed 40 weeks has once again revealed that God knows more than I do and I should trust Him when He sets up the universe. Here's the beauty of the process as I've come to understand it...
- From day of discovery to end of morning sickness - this period, lasting anywhere from 3 weeks to 3 full months, hits home the reality that life will never ever again be the same. It's almost like shock treatment for the parents to be. It works on the mother because she asks, "Why is my body revolting?" That which she's trusted and slaved over is now presenting itself as her arch enemy. For the guy, it works because there's not a damn thing we can do about it. It is what it is. By the end of the 3 months (which ended as quickly as it started) we both knew that we were on a collision course with forever, and we were going to be changed people in the process.
- From end of morning sickness to about 20 weeks (roughly 6 or 7 weeks) - this is the period where you realize that life has changed, and you're still not completly certain that the morning sickness is gone for good. It's like this tentative waiting stage. But she's starting to feel better, therefore the man feels better because order has been restored to the home. By this time for the guy, it's not really a baby yet, it's just a little bean on the sonogram that tore up your life for 3 months. This phase is so important because it forces me to come to terms with the fact that I'm really beginning to love something that I can't see and that has to this point brought no tangible gain to my life. It's the beginning of the self-less dynamic of father hood.
- Week 20 Sonogram - It's a boy. I could my baby's junk, and from this moment forward, I began the process of understanding that it's not just a baby... it's my son.
- Week 20 through week 38 - This period of decreasing blissfulness begins with unadulterated joy and high hopes and ends roughly where morning sickness left off. Along the way are the milestones of feeling the baby move, watching the belly grow, watching momma grow into and then out of maternity clothes, setting up the nursery, registering, having showers. For me, there was a dawning awareness that my wife was an intimate part in the most amzing thing in the history of the universe. Inside the body of my wife, God was knitting. Every day that realization took on new and different shapes. There's still no conception of the realities and responsibilities of fatherhood, it's just the wonder of seeing a baby being made.
- Week 38 through delivery - This final stage is so important primarily because it gets the mother to the place where she says, "I don't care how bad labor hurts... I want this freaking thing out of me!!" My response has been of course to nurture my wife lovingly and lavishly, but also I start to connect with the reality that this little man is going to live in my house and need me to help him become a man. But with the lack of sleep and poor momma ready to pop... whatever it takes to make momma happy... let's get it on.
So here I am. Ready for that little man to come. I have no idea what I'm going to do when he gets here, but I know that every morning I wake up without a kid... I'm bummed. And so is mom. Even the process of trying to write down the process is baffling. There truly are no words to convey what it's been. The excitement, pain, and fear all at the same time. That's the process of being a Father for me. I wonder how similar God's experience was in the beginning?
Thursday, May 11, 2006
Stream of unconsciousness
It's been too long since I've posted...
It's an amazing day in San Antonio. After yesterday's 96 degrees and 96% humidity, today's 85 with 14% humidity is just perfect.
The college gathering rolls on... we're actually taking a few weeks off in hope that Natalie will throw the pup (I don't think that's the official medical word for it, but it gets the point across. I love you baby). We'll reconvene again on June 7. We're going to have it at a place called "The Daily Grind" coffee bar. It's a good place to meet, it's got a mellow feel and there are beverages and goodies to munch on, good overstuffed couches, tables, and space to spread out and talk if needs be. I'm excited, mostly because it's an ambience that we don't have to put a lot of time and energy into right now. Also having it away from the church will hopefully give us some opportunities to hang out with some folks who are outside of the church.
It looks like we're going to call ourselves "Underground." The idea is that I don't want to be known for our media campaigns and advertising schemes. I don't want to be the next hot thing that all the Church kids in San Antonio come to be a part of. I want to be a place that comes together to learn and challenge each other to be different and make a difference.
On another note... I'm having a freaking baby. Well, not so much me as Natalie, but the end result will be that in very few days a little baby man is coming to live at my house for 18+ years. Boy, talk about drama. Raising a man who loves God and serves humanity is a tall order for a guy who mostly remembers to put on clean shorts and comb his hair and usually doesn't remember to shave. It's all a part of the divine sense of humor.
Started reading The DaVinci Code. Holy Crap. I can't put it down. Seriously, Dan Brown is the man. I think everyone should read it. Christians especially. Put down Joel Osteen, pick up the DaVinci Code, and together take a big, long, well deserves sigh. There. That's all better isn't it? It probably won't go down as one of the classic's. I mean it's not Pride & Prejudice, but it certainly moves quick and keeps you coming back for more.
As I wind down, I'm nodding acknowledgement to the yin-yang in my life. There are seasons of great mental activity where I can think and reason and be sharp. Then there are seasons like this, where it's all quiet in my head... and that's a good thing.
Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him." The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD. Lamentations 3:22-26
It's an amazing day in San Antonio. After yesterday's 96 degrees and 96% humidity, today's 85 with 14% humidity is just perfect.
The college gathering rolls on... we're actually taking a few weeks off in hope that Natalie will throw the pup (I don't think that's the official medical word for it, but it gets the point across. I love you baby). We'll reconvene again on June 7. We're going to have it at a place called "The Daily Grind" coffee bar. It's a good place to meet, it's got a mellow feel and there are beverages and goodies to munch on, good overstuffed couches, tables, and space to spread out and talk if needs be. I'm excited, mostly because it's an ambience that we don't have to put a lot of time and energy into right now. Also having it away from the church will hopefully give us some opportunities to hang out with some folks who are outside of the church.
It looks like we're going to call ourselves "Underground." The idea is that I don't want to be known for our media campaigns and advertising schemes. I don't want to be the next hot thing that all the Church kids in San Antonio come to be a part of. I want to be a place that comes together to learn and challenge each other to be different and make a difference.
On another note... I'm having a freaking baby. Well, not so much me as Natalie, but the end result will be that in very few days a little baby man is coming to live at my house for 18+ years. Boy, talk about drama. Raising a man who loves God and serves humanity is a tall order for a guy who mostly remembers to put on clean shorts and comb his hair and usually doesn't remember to shave. It's all a part of the divine sense of humor.
Started reading The DaVinci Code. Holy Crap. I can't put it down. Seriously, Dan Brown is the man. I think everyone should read it. Christians especially. Put down Joel Osteen, pick up the DaVinci Code, and together take a big, long, well deserves sigh. There. That's all better isn't it? It probably won't go down as one of the classic's. I mean it's not Pride & Prejudice, but it certainly moves quick and keeps you coming back for more.
As I wind down, I'm nodding acknowledgement to the yin-yang in my life. There are seasons of great mental activity where I can think and reason and be sharp. Then there are seasons like this, where it's all quiet in my head... and that's a good thing.
Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him." The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD. Lamentations 3:22-26
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About Me
- Jason Powers
- As the self-proclaimed and happy-to-meet-you Small Group zealot at River City Community Church, my hope is that this page will make you laugh, learn, grow, smile, and most of all cherish the role you’ve been given to play in the Family. I believe Small Group leadership is the most strategic role in the local Church.
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