one year today

today marks one year of blogging for christe and i.

in celebration, 12 of my favorite posts:

• kickin' it old school
• loving life
• time to man up
• is it bad i think this is funny?
• new heights
• a star is born (link doesn't work for this one any more...boo kold)
• socialism for the rich?
• beniah's first bears game
• a lion chaser is born
• top 5 talks
• preacher man
• proud to be the wife of...

24

today my wife is 24 (sorry, not a post about the tv show). because it is a special day i thought i would take a minute to share a little about her and the things i appreciate...also because i never finished my mothers day post about her, oops.

christe made a request late last week pertaining to her birthday. "can we eat in on my birthday and give the money we would have spent on dinner to someone in need?" this request sums up the type of person my wife is, on her special day, the day in which everything is supposed to be about her, she wants to deflect the blessing on someone else selflessly.

my wife is someone who questions her ability to mother and then shows endless patience and love in raising our son. time after time i watch christe entertain beniah as he giggles uncontrollably. she is the type of mother i prayed for before i was married. someone who is smart, college-educated and passionate, but humbly serves coffee because that also is the best way to serve her family.

for those of you who don't know, christe is an introvert. unfortunately for you that means her energetic side comes out most often when we are alone, when she dances and bounces around the house when excited or hears a favorite song. when she jumps on me, wrapping me in arms and legs then slides down me like a firemens pole. this is the christe that give me energy.

my support when i am down, my helper and friend. someone who cares more for others than she cares about herself. thank you for all you are. happy birthday!

no perfect people allowed

creating a come as you are culture in church by john burke

are you a pastor, an elder, a small group leader? do you play or do you ever hope to play any part in any christian ministry? this book is for you.

no perfect people allowed breaks down the barriers that keep the current unchurched generation from church by creating the right culture that leads people to jesus.

i understood prior to this book that the no. 1 thing in america keeping people from christ was christians, but burke eloquently explains that it doesn't have to be that way, he offers practical suggestions to deconstruct barriers and supports those suggestions with compelling real life stories.

the section on "tolerance" stood out to me, specifically chapter 7 what about other religions? tolerance litmus test Q1 and chapter 8 how do you feel about gays? tolerance litmus test Q2

i couldn't possibly pull all the good experts from this book like last time, (this book is at least 3x's longer). what i will do it give you a taste from the first chapter and a taste from the last...then go get this book.

• "What do a Buddhist, a biker couple, a gay-rights activist, a transient, a high-tech engineer, a Muslim, a twenty-somthing single mom, a Jew, a couple living together, and an atheist all have in common? They are the future church in America!"
• With every new culture since, the church has wrestled with how to stay true to the message of Christ without putting cultural barriers up that make it difficult for people to turn back to God. And what we have experienced in our come-as-you-are culture is God's Spirit using the soil we've plowed and watered to cause amazing growth in people."