Wow is all I can say - can't believe how crazy my life has gotten and how negligent I've been of this blog. Thanks to all who either left me threatening comments or sent me emails to let my know you missed me. I have been lacking the capacity to blog here, but let me fill you in on some of the details of my life over the last two months.

• Found out Julie is pregnant with another boy - dang! - which means 4 kids might be in our future (I'm voting the "adoption" route to guarantee the girl). But mommy and baby Elijah (Eli) are doing good.
• Launched a 2nd small group that we host and lead - it has been an amazing experience.
• Work went from busy to ridiculous as GM continues to climb out of the hole they are in - naturally I'm in that same hole.
• Julie got hired onto a part time gig with our community as a campus director for pre-school ministries. It is totally up her alley and she rocks at it.
  
• Spent a lot of time with couples and individuals struggling through marriage, addiction and life - it has been really cool the people God has been crossing our paths with.
• Went to the Adele concert in Detroit - awesome time (I'll post more on it).
• Began fund raising to launch a recovery focused ministry in our church community in the Fall - shot a video that is going to be awesome!
• Had our first leaders gathering for said ministry and it was off the hook - can't wait to see where God takes us.
  
• Have been networking with local churches who have recovery focused ministries - some really cool relationships are starting to take shape.
  
• And though all that is keeping me preoccupied, we've created dedicated nights for family time, daddy time, lego time, etc - which is a full time job in it's self. I love my boys and my wife.

So - here's to blogging. Thanks to all my friends who rock and my life what it is.

Crystal Renaud is a nose-pierced, tattooed and at times pink-haired girl who loves God, the Church and helping the broken find restoration. She is on staff at Westside Family Church in Kansas City. She is also the author of the book, Dirty Girls: The New Porn Addicts (check it out!) and you can find her on her blog, PinkHairedGirl.net and on twitter @pinkharedgirl.

1. Tell us something God's been talking to you about lately.

In my LifeGroup, I am reading "The Search for Significance" by Robert McGee. I have a love/hate relationship with this book so far because of the questions it is forcing me to ask myself. But God's definitely showing me how much I rely on and value the opinion of others, rather than His own opinion of me. It is a hard lesson.

2. Please tell me you're not a Chiefs fan - are you?

Haha, I honestly say I am not a Chiefs fan. I mean, how could I be? I do find that I try and cheer them on if they are playing, but I don't have high expectations of their winning. But with a new coach coming on next season, anything's possible.

3. Regardless, catch us up to speed on this whole women-being-sexual-addicts-thing. These type of struggles are so synonymous with men in our culture and the Church.

Well, the women being sexual addicts thing is a big deal. A big deal that unfortunately not many are talking about. While seen primarily as a problem for men, statistics are showing that every 1 and 3 women have a porn addiction. And that's just the women willing to admit it. Many count women out for being sexual addicts because they aren't known for being visually stimulated. But what women have that puts them into a whole different field are their emotions and they will feed an emotional need with any means necessary.

I've posted a number of times about how life is going too fast for me. Faster than I've wanted it to go my boys are growing, my wife is pregnant with our third child and I'm approaching 30.

And while I'm enjoying my life and content with where I am and who I've become, it is simply just flying by.

Do you remember how weird it is to have your name/title change in the various stages of life. For me, it was so strange to get used to being called husband. That is a significant change - boyfriend I had grown used to, but husband was different and a weird change for a while. I remember thinking the same thing when I worked on staff at a church - people called me pastor - that was just as weird.

But the biggest change, the one that weighs most on me is being called daddy. I love it, but it is a lot of responsibility. I want to be the best daddy I can for my boys and over the past 4 years have grown used to being called that. But this weekend my name changed again - and this time I wasn't even ready for it and hadn't previously given any thought to it. My 4 year old Micah started calling me dad. Just dad. Seems like it's the same thing, but for me it totally wasn't - all of a sudden I could hear him saying, "Goodbye dad," as he left for college or his honeymoon or some other far-off event. All of a sudden he wasn't my little boy anymore who affectionately calls for daddy, he was my boy, my son and inviting me into his world by changing my name to 'dad.'

I can already see myself watching him graduate from high school and wondering how we got there so fast. It is a profound little lesson in life. You can't slow life down, you can't halt time, so you are forced to live in the moment or risk missing it all.

Meet Adele Sakler! Her and I set this interview up to intentionally force a conversation - not a debate - about Christianity and Homosexuality. Her and I's hope is to help those of us conservative minded Christians to at least hear from the 'other' side.

Adele currently resides in Richmond, Virginia and blogs as the Existential Punk and is the creator and site administrator of Queermergent and you can also find her on Twitter as well. She is currently going through long-term treatment for Chronic Lyme Disease, other tick-borne diseases, and heavy metal toxicity.

Adele has been a Christ-follower for 20 years and an “out” queer woman for two and-a-half years. Her involvement with the emerging church and Emergent Village has filled the better part of 10 years. You can listen to a recent interview with Adele on Irreligiosophy and read a recent article she published on The Ooze.

1. Tell us a little about yourself, your partner and what you're up to right now in life.

I have been a Christ-follower for the past 20 years and involved in the emerging church conversation for a better part of the last 10 years or so. I attended Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio, where I was born and raised, getting my BA in Communications/PR & Advertising. I attended Regent University to pursue an M.Div, but disliked the program due to its overly intellectual focus. I struggled with deep depression and attempted suicide at one point because I was told I would go to hell if I pursued being gay. I then entered the Communication School at Regent and received my MA in Film. In 1997 I moved to Los Angeles to work in the entertainment industry. In 2002 I moved to Richmond, VA to live with a friend for 5 months to save money before moving to N. Ireland for 2 years to work with YWAM (Youth With A Mission). I returned to Richmond in 2004 really ill and was diagnosed in March 2005 with Chronic Lyme Disease and other tick-borne diseases that I had since I was around 7 years old. In September 2006 I finally came to peace with myself in relation to my sexuality and at peace with G-D. I came out and have been the happiest, most joyful ever in my life.

I met my partner that following December and we just celebrated 2 years in December. This past October we were married in California before Prop 8 passed. My partner is a wonderful friend and care-giver. She teaches scuba diving, First Aid with the American Red Cross and aquatics classes at a local gym. We have a small travel business that she mostly runs.

I am currently going through long-term intensive treatment for my Lyme Disease, other tick-borne diseases and heavy metal toxicity. I am unable to work due to the nature of my illness as it affects my energy, joints, muscles and cognitive such as short-term memory loss, word-finding problems, brain fog, etc.

To keep sane I blog, Facebook and Twitter. I am hoping to write my memoir and have some upcoming possibilities of being involved with some other writing possibilities for books.

2. Summarize for us your journey in life up to this point.

I grew up Presbyterian as my mom was an elder in our church. My dad was a non-practicing Jew who only attended our church at Christmas and Easter. My Jewish grandparents paid for me to attend Catholic private schools starting in fifth grade. My father was emotionally and physically abusive and so I saw G-D as a mean old man sitting up in heaven waiting to punish me for every wrong move I made. During my junior year in high school mu father became deathly ill with an incurable cancer. From diagnosis to death, which occurred three weeks before my 17^th birthday, was five months. Nearly three months to the day after he died, his parents and grandmother, the Jewish side, were killed in a fire in their home caused by faulty wiring and a faulty alarm system wherein the house was struck by lighting. I complete lost my faith in G-D for over a year until a desire started coming back towards the second half of my senior year. My Catholic high school showed me great love and support and I believe this was the catalyst that drew me towards the Divine once again.

Twenty years ago this month I had a ‘born-again’ experience at a charismatic church where an American missionary to S. Africa was speaking. Hell was one of the topics being preached, so at the end of the evening I went forward for the altar call to ‘receive’ Jesus into my heart. I did this because I was afraid of going to hell. Thus, I was purchasing my ‘fire insurance’. I attended Pat Robertson’s graduate school in Virginia Beach, Regent University, to obtain an M.Div so I could be a youth pastor. I began to seriously look at my life-long struggle of same-sex attractions. The school and my therapist along with my charismatic church back home always communicated that being gay was a sin, a choice, and those who actively pursue it will go to hell. I was shell-shocked and confused. I attempted suicide and spent a month at two different times in a psychiatric hospital. I even did reparative therapy and attended ex-gay ministries to 'pray away the gay', which never worked.

In 1997 I moved to Los Angeles and began living a double life as a Christian and as a gay woman. I began to read Brian McLaren and found him writing things I had felt inside but was very afraid to express outwardly to anyone. In 2002 I went to Northern Ireland to do a DTS (Discipleship Training School) with YWAM. I met the great Peter Rollins and we developed a great friendship. His teachings and writings on postmodernism and Christianity radically shaped how I viewed my faith. I could no longer hang onto certainty with regards to interpreting scripture. There were more important things in kingdom living than where we go after we pass from this world to the next, like poverty, AIDS, the environment, etc. About 2.5 years ago I FINALLY came to terms with my sexuality. I found peace with myself and with God. Coming out was fairly painless with the exception of a few people who still think I am in sin and going to hell. I no longer hold this view and I am ok if people think that about me. I hate labels as they are so limiting, but are sometimes a necessary evil. After being a right wing Republican most of my voting life, I now consider myself an independent that leans more liberal than moderate.

3. My hope here Adele is that the one side, the more conservative Christian side, can hear from the other side, the more liberal. I think a lot of Christ followers have a hard time understanding how you can say you're a lesbian and actively living that lifestyle and at the same time say you are a follower of Jesus. Explain that.

I do not see being queer anymore a lifestyle than straight people see themselves living a lifestyle. I do not see being queer as a sin and the way I understand and interpret the scriptures used to speak against homosexuality is different. I lived many years thinking and believing the way conservatives view scripture and gay people. Yet, through my journey I have come to the conclusion that those scriptures are taken out of their cultural and historical contexts. I see the Bible as a story of G-D's relationship with people and not a 'how to' manual meant to be used for all time. I cannot help that I am a queer woman and I would have never chosen this way of life due to all the hatred towards us. I could ask all the people who call themselves Christ-followers how they can be Christians when they act so diametrically opposed to Christ with their unloving and hateful actions and attitudes to those they disagree with on whatever issue it mat be. Yet, there is a G-D who love us all unconditionally and extends grace and mercy to us all. I get it more wrong than I do right but I love G-D and Jesus and do my best to follow G-D and Jesus. Could I be wrong? Sure, but I am living my life as best as I can and at the end of the day, it is between me and my maker and nobody else. What gets me though, is how certain many conservatives think they are in their beliefs and interpretations of Scriptures. In my opnion, none of us has a monopoly on what G-D's full intent for our lives is as we only use 10% of our brain capacity. G-D is knowable yet is a mystery too.

4. Many Conservatives believe that you are not born gay, but rather that you are choosing to live a lifestyle that is both unnatural and immoral - what is your response to that kind of thinking?

Heterosexuals do not choose to be heterosexual anymore than gays choose to be gay. I do believe a genetic component is a part of it. Why would I choose to be gay when there is so much hate directed to my community? I look at my being queer as a gift and am happy even though it is a tough road to walk because of all the insensitivities expressed towards us queer people. I think they are uninformed and ought to get to know some gay folks for who they are rather than just pass on simple judgments.

5. My side of the fence, if you will, is constantly being asked to be more open minded, but that is a two way road. I believe you and I can believe fundamentally different things about God but still be in relationship with one another, still be friends. But what do we do to bridge the gap between my beliefs, which sees homosexuality as a sin and yours? How do we both find a middle ground?

I agree we can believe different things and still be friends. I have several conservative friends who have issues with this topic. I respect their beliefs but where the rubber hits the road is that they love me unconditionally and do not hurl insults at me. We agree to disagree. Not everyone has to come to my way of believing and interpreting scriptures. I just ask us all, conservative and liberal, to hold our beliefs loosely and to show respect and love. Just a word of note: Those in the LGBTQ community have often been deeply wounded by hurtful hateful and hypocritical conservatives so we are raw and reactive at times due to this. I think conservatives need to recognize this.

I also think we need to begin looking at the planks in our own eyes rather than looking at the specks in the eyes of others. We need to find common ground and have dialogue from those point of interest. To tell someone they are not a Christian because of X, Y or Z is very unhelpful and extremely arrogant. G-D is the only judge of that issue!

Circular arguments of repeating mantras on either side must stop and true listening must take place. That is where getting to know both sides - real human beings - is very important in my opinion. Tearing each other down gets us nowhere and I think brings Jesus to tears.

6. Another big point of contention, most recently emphasized in Prop 8, is the legalizing and redefining of marriage. Explain your stance on gay marriage and specifically why you think domestic partnership and marriage are not equal.

I am all for gay marriage. Conservatives say we are trying to redefine traditional marriage. Traditional marriage as we know it today was redefined from a long time ago. In Biblical times marriage was where a man owned the woman as property and there was not much love in those relationships. Gay marriage does not threaten marriage but rather strengthens it. We get yelled at by conservatives that we are living together out of wedlock but when we want to marry, we are told we are a threat. How illogical this argument is to me! My wife and I have the same ups and downs, struggles and enjoyments of any married couple. We pay taxes and should have all the same federal benefits as straight married couples. We were married in California in a civil ceremony. To me it is fear and ignorance to say we threaten marriage. Gay marriage has been around for many years in other countries and those countries have not broken down and fallen off the face of the earth. We live in a country where it is NOT a theocracy and where there is separation of church and state. We are all created equal under our nations Constitution and religious entities cannot impose their beliefs on society at large. Domestic partnerships are not offered in every state and where they are offered, differ on the rights afforded people. We must pay attorney's fees in order to get medical directives and power of attorneys and we still do not have the over 1100 Federal rights afforded Heterosexual married couples. States do not have to recognize marriage or domestic partnerships from other states under the federal DOMA (Defense Of Marriage Act).

Here is a very true but sad story for you to consider: A lesbian couple from Washington State, who have children, had all their ducks in a row with regards to power of attorney, medical directives, etc. They went on a Rosie O'Donnell family cruise leaving out of Florida. While on the cruise, the one had a stroke and was flown to a hospital in Florida. The partner had her paperwork faxed to the hospital but the hospital would not allow her or their children in to see their family member. The woman ended up dying. If there were federal protections for gays, we would not be having to hear about this very sad story.

A big thank you to Adele for taking the time to answer my questions and for the courage to do this. Please respect Adele, me and yourself and do not leave ignorant, empty or hateful comments. We all need to move from debating to conversing and modeling the Christ we follow - the same Christ who was only ever abrasive and spiteful to the know-it-all folk of His time. No anonymous comments will be accepted on this post - if you don't have anything nice to say, just keep it to yourself.

Don't ask why?

I thought these were either funny or an interesting satire on life - what about you?

I have never partook in the Lent season - mostly because it was not a part of the traditions of my religious upbringing and because I didn't really want to.

I didn't even know what a Fat Tuesday was until I moved to Michigan a few years ago and I've never had ash, smudged in the form of a cross on my forehead - but I have hunted for eggs, which has about as much relevance to Easter as Santa does to the birth of Christ [reminds me of Jim Gaffigan's take on religious holidays].

But this year I have decided to challenge myself to give up a bad habit for 40 days (in hope to rid it or at least get it under control). If you know me, you probably know I have an addiction to candy that is humorous and ridiculous. I honestly am addicted - I love sugar and eat it all the time, with 2 root canals in the past 12 months to prove it. But because I don't have to stop, I don't - my wife genuinely is scared I'll become diabetic because of it.

So, I am giving up candy for 40 days because I can, because I don't need it, because I'll be healthier for it and because I compulsively eat it all the time (no lie). So I don't know much about Fat Tuesday, Ash Wednesday and I don't get the Easter Bunny, hollow-chocolate-shaped things, plastic-candy-filled eggs and especially those gross marshmallow peeps, but I do want to be a disciplined person and pursue God's best for my life. Not that a lack of candy is that, but it is a means to that for me.

Thoughts on Lent? Are you giving anything up?

So I read this post by Eugene Cho yesterday, engaging the first speech given by the first African American Attorney General, Eric Holder. In his speech, Attorney General Holder said 3 things that really challenged me:

1st - Our country remains "voluntarily socially segregated."

2nd - “Though this nation has proudly thought of itself as an ethnic melting pot, in things racial we have always been and continue to be, in too many ways, essentially a nation of cowards,”

3rd - "On Saturdays and Sundays, America in the year 2009 does not, in some ways, differ significantly from the country that existed some 50 years ago. This is truly sad."

I hate that he is right. Had I still lived in CO and heard this, it would not have resonated with me. I would say that "there is still some segregation, but not to the extent Mr. Holder is accusing." I would probably even accuse him of playing the victim of the past and be frustrated by his pessimism of the present. But, I didn't think that or accuse him. It resonated with deep convictions in my soul.

I've lived in the Motor City metro area for 3 years now and have seen and heard things I thought to be archaic - things we all learned were ignorant and empty in our American History classes of our high school years. Areas where white people aren't wanted, areas where black people aren't welcome, subdivisions being 'infiltrated' by Indians who don't maintain the same standards of landscaping, the feeling that I should be afraid and suspicious of every black person I pass on my walk 3 blocks from my secure parking garage to my secure work building. I honestly hate the suspicion I feel when I gas up at the station across from my work, the one thought to be 'dangerous' - but then a white guy was car jacked at gun point by a black guy and all suspicions are validated - and then everyone was right. I have never seen an American city that looks so war torn, destroyed by the air raids of white flight and neighborhoods ghosted by ghetto indifference. I have never felt so far from living in America as I do in the Motor City, because it is not the America I want.

I want to believe in the dream and something that transcends all this racial history - a history I didn't help to write, but a future I long to be a part of. I never enslaved anyone, but I know my ancestors did. I've never hated someone for the color of their skin, but I know family members who do. Yet, perhaps I am a coward because I have not fashioned my life, or positioned my home or diversified my circle of friends to embody that which does resonate deeply within me. I work with mostly white corporate people, I live in a mostly white neighborhood and I have mostly white friends. Perhaps I am a coward. Too harsh? Maybe. I know I didn't move 60 miles outside of Detroit to get away from the African Americans that make up the majority of it's populations. We had family out there, found a great house (at a then great price - since lived to regret that) and it was far cheaper than where we were living. But, I could have moved to Detroit for those same reasons, not as close to family but far closer to work, far cheaper to live.

So now I feel like part of the problem - and I'm left challenged by Mr. Holder's speech and must work to be the change I want to see. I am not satisfied by the status quo in our culture and churches.

Related posts, "The King had a Dream," "The Down Side To Freedom of Speech [Part 1]," "A Church without a Box?"

Over the past few days I've been really challenged to rethink a few areas of my life - realizing how easy it is to be lulled to sleep in our consumerist society. I don't want to just live life as everyone else does, accepting that 'this is just the way it is.'

I recently read a quote by Zygmunt Bauman, a renowned sociologist of our time. He said,

A life so fragmented stimulates "lateral" rather than "vertical" orientations.

The full quote depicted the shortcomings of our modern lives. He described how there are fewer social structures to support "long-term thinking, planning and acting." And how when our lives are so compartmentalized, between work, family, friends, faith, hobbies, etc, etc, our progress in life is slowed and more lateral than forward.

I haven't been able to get that thought out of my head. I want my life to move forward, I want to progress in life in a direction that makes me better. I want to be able to think outside our cultural standards for life, ethics and success. I'm realizing that without intentionality my progress will be, at best, lateral in life.

I started reading a new book that I've really been enjoying called Transformational Architecture by Ron Martoia. So far it has been really good. Basically he is setting out to recapture the narrative of God's story and replace the abbreviated version we often live by.

But one of the analogies he uses is that of a gerbil wheel and how the American Dream is always spinning and at work as the background narrative in our lives. He builds a simple, but profound description of how we are always chasing it, but it is never fully reached and is never able to give what it promises. It is interesting to note that despite your religious background, gender, socioeconomic status - we are all affected by it. And like a gerbil on a wheel, we all stand the chance to look back on our life and realize we ran hard but got nowhere. Here's how Ron says it,

The universality of this dream is precisely what makes it so difficult to identify as a motivator of human life. The American Dream is quiet but powerful, an enormous daily motivator and yet hidden from our eyes because its presence is so obvious and accepted as the "way things are."

It took me back to this post, 'Inconvenienced by Convenience' and my struggle to align my life goals with something greater than the American Dream of having and consuming. I'm working hard to be more conscious of what I let define my success and who I seek approval from - but it is a hard thing to get out from under this American Dream. I want the narrative of my life to be written by the hand of God and His faithfulness, not patched together by being someone I'm not in a culture that is so often empty.

Thoughts?

Life has a certain complexity about it - does it not? A complexity built out of relationships, pains, victories, tension, beauty, aspirations and dreams. A complexity that is so beautiful - because even the pain and tension gives more than it takes. This has been a constant theme in my life over the past few years and a real growing experience in learning to appreciate the bumps and lows of life.

I'm thankful that I can trust my life in the hands of the Potter - and brings me to an old post back when I started this whole blog thing.
______________________

Over that past few weeks I've had the opportunity to connect with friends from college, some of my local homies and my mentors - here are three consistent things I've learned, discussed and seen.
First...
God uses some pretty unique threads, even crazy threads, to weave our life together with. Our lives aren't today what we thought they would be 5 years ago - and they won't be what we imagine them being in 5 more years. But it is God's faithfulness to us, his love that pulls it all together. If you're like me, sometimes from this limited human perspective the weaving looks kinda crappy - but it's these unique threads that when looking back on our life will mean the most. So we can rejoice with Paul in our weakness, celebrate the failures and enjoy the dry, boring season of life because it is God's story.
Second...
It's the struggles that define us. Without the struggle, whatever it is, life would only hold a limited significance. No matter where we are, with or without a job, with or without funds, with our without a purpose - it is our current struggle that calls us to be better and hold closer to God. Today’s struggle, whether small or impossible, only leads to tomorrows struggle, because to struggle is to live.
Third...
Being a friend is messy. A real friend, a true n' blue friend is there no matter what. If I expect to be a friend, I have to be ready for the messy reality of what a deep friendship entails. It means I have to be ready to see them for all that they are and love them. It means I have to be ready to challenge them with tough love, which is a hard thing to do. And I have to be ready to receive tough love, which is an even harder thing to do. It is too easy to write someone off, to give up on them - but a true friend is ready to get down in the mud, be authentic and live the struggle together.

This is the most important thing I could post about - because it is closest to who I really am. I love the discussions we have on here and having an avenue to unload my thoughts - not to mention all the friends I've made here - but none of those things have capture me as fully as the new section I opened on the third place called 'Recovery.'

Follow the link, or use the tab in the top nav and find out more about me than you probably wanted to know. You can watch 2 videos, about 11 minutes of your life, to know the broken side of me and why third places are so important to me - they've saved my life.

God has opened so many doors for Julie and through our story, it is amazing what just being honest and real with people can do. Even in just the past few weeks - God has brought about some amazing opportunities to partner with people on their journey in life and recovery.

Much love....

I recently saw a book titled, 'Between A Dream And A Job,' and that title has been haunting me for days now.

Why? Because that's exactly where I am - between a dream and a job. Stuck somewhere between responsibility and desires that are core passions of mine. In the end, I get paid to work a job - a great job actually. By any standard, I work with a great client (GM), work for a great company (TPI), I make good money and could have a great career here - but it's just not me.

It's just not me...I even tried. I tried to make it me - I've stuck with if for 3 years now, dedicated myself to learning as much as possible - even started an MBA in management, but it just isn't working. Have you ever done that? Tried to convince yourself that you can be this kind of person or that you can change that person or that you can 'fulfill' yourself by settling?

And it makes me feel stuck. I feel stuck because I need to be responsible, provide for my family and just be grateful that I even have a job right now. But I want more, I want to get paid to do what I love - it is an internal tension within me. It's hard to describe it, but it burns in my soul and at moments seems like grief..or pain...or sorrow.

But I'm learning great lessons through the process - lessons of patience, stewardship, servanthood, trust and contentment. Learning to wait on God's timing. Learning to be thankful for what I have and to do it with all that I am. Learning to find volunteer avenues and serve, though I don't get paid for what I love, I still love it all the same and need to do it. But doing it takes greater sacrifice - which points to the fact that it is truly a core piece of who I am.

I'm continuing to learn to just trust God, just trust. Simply trust. Not expect, not push, not contrive or take control my self, just wait on Him and then do as I feel directed. That has been a profound lesson. I love to read books and go to conferences and be a groupie for the current 'great thinkers' of my faith - but so many of my greatest lessons have come through just waiting to hear from God.

It's an internal struggle between wanting and waiting...and trusting.

I'm stuck between my dreams and my job.

The Strip Church is the new project from the #1 Christian porn site - XXXChurch.com.

They are planting themselves right in the heart of Sin City and reaching out to the consumers, producers and stars of the adult entertainment industry. If you've never paid a visit to XXXChurch or the Strip Church site, it is well worth your time. They are doing amazing things in a very 'in-your-face' kinda way.

You can read a cool synopsis of what their plan is here and you can join the call for 7,000 adventures to partner with them and donate just $7.77. I did it to help them continue reaching out to a very hurting and lost part of our culture - you can too here!

So over the weekend Kaiden found these little cowboy boots that someone gave us a few years ago. I would not normally allow my children to wear cowboy boots, except for Halloween or something - no offense to the cowboys of the world, I just don't want my kids growing up thinking that sort of thing is acceptable.

But seriously he looks really cute in them and refuses to take them off - even napping with them on Saturday. So, naturally between the cowboy hat from the dress up box, the little guitar Micah got 2 Christmas' ago and the creepy guy from Time Square - it made for a good picture.

Some blog friends tagged me - here's how it works...

1. Navigate to where you keep your pictures, select the 6th folder, and the 6th picture in that folder.
2. Then post it on your blog with an explanation of the story behind the picture

So it is reminiscent of this post (here), but this is a picture of my grandfather's burial site. He was buried in a military cemetery in Colorado Springs, Colorado - and this month marks 5 years since he passed away. He was a great man, loving grandpa, Looney Toon's fan and gave me a profound appreciation for candy. I miss my Poppy and this 'tag' makes me thankful I had him for so long in my life.

I hope I can be remembered in the same way...

Open mindedness is spoken of a lot in our culture. I have many friends who speak of their ability to be open minded like the ancient Greeks used to boast of the highest virtues. In fact, I consider my self to be pretty open minded, at least on some level, but as of late I'm struggling with what people really mean by it.

I believe most people would define open mindedness as the ability to be open to new thoughts, beliefs, people and experiences without prejudice. The idea of being inclusive and not exclusive - speaking of truth from a personal perspective, not a universal or absolute one. But can truth be personal? Can truth be subjective?

I get that our culture doesn't want to talk about who's right and who's wrong and instead focus on working together. I get that - but that can not mean that everyone is right. Can it?

Yet, regardless of how subjective you believe truth is, death is absolute - you will die. And upon your death absolute truth will be known - either it will be absolutely true that nothing happens, or absolutely true there is a heaven and a hell, or you'll be reincarnated or whatever - but it will be true. It will be reality - and not how we sought to define it or believed it should be, it will just be.

So there is a right and a wrong. I mean, we all believe what we do not because we think it doesn't matter but because it absolutely matters and we think we're right. We all grapple with our own existence and the existence of God because we want to know what is right - what it should look like, what we should do with it. We are all seeking reality, not our own form - we are seeking the truest reality we can find. But what we often find is our own form of reality, which is where I submit to the subjectivity of it all - but it does not rule out absolute truth.

Taking it a step further, if we assumed truth is at it's core subjective to the individual, then we could not punish crime. Evil would be only in the subjective eye of the beholder. Is rape ever right? The same person who argues that truth is subjective, also makes a stand for the wrong done them in life and the right they want to see. How is that possible if truth is really subjective? Being open minded can not mean that everyone is right.

But an acceptance of absolute truth, though subjectively and often wrongly interpreted into everyday life, make sense of this whole thing. We all seek the better because truth does exist, because there is a right and there is a wrong. That truth is Love. No one argues with Love - when you see it and when you experience it you know it is Right. Truth exists - we all just need to chase it, pursue it, live it, be it and seek its purest form. Because the believer in God can just as easily justify their actions 'rightness' as the non believer can. Maybe we're all just afraid to be wrong? But the Truth and Love I believe in transcends all my finite understandings and exist independent of them. I'm just trying to live within reality where love and truth best co-exist.

[Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3]

Yes, this is a real product - and I bet some of you are even saying, 'Hey, that's not that bad of an idea?' To which I say, 'You've gotta be kidding me?' Why is it we Christians love to make ourselves a subculture? Why do we rip off ideas from the world around us in an effort make 'our own' products? Maybe it's just me, but it bothers me and it's cheesey.

You can check out their site here.

Thoughts...

Since the last series of 'You've Gotta Be Kidding Me...' went so well [Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3], I thought I'd share what I found while perusing some flickr photostreams and had to laugh. Not only is it the wrong voice for Christians to have - it is a warning of impending judgment for 'Sports Nuts'?

So, I guess you can consider your self WARNED all you sports nuts!

I couldn't help myself and I couldn't fit all my hate on just one banner...

Fluidity is where all theology and practices of life begin. Like fluid, the journey of life takes us from origin to origin, from stage to stage, form birth to everlasting life. Life flows – whether we want it to or not. Time marches on and so we must too. We must learn to ride the flow of life, control what we can, accept what we can’t and appreciate each turn, bend and valley we travel through. Life is fluid.

The fluidity of life, like a river, encounters times of shallowness; times of deep waters teaming with life; times of rushing speeds and times of still, slow progression. And everything we encounter, every good and bad experience; everything we hear and see and feel; every painful memory and all the fun of life is absorbed in the fluidity of who we are.

So …where does a person being to process all they absorb? How does one begin to think through who they are and who they are meant to be? What is the origin of beliefs, religious thought and spiritual experiences for a person? How can I live the best life possible? How can I stand at the end of my life, looking back on my journey and hold the least amount of regrets possible? This question shakes me – it should shake you. As I flow through life I want to do it right, be better and correct my wrongs. I want to be living water.

...for people like Sylvester Williams today. Regardless of your political view, today is a great moment in our countries history. Sylvester Williams used to pick cotton and lived through all the segregation and hatred in the South during the first half the 20th Century. I'm glad he lived long enough to see the moment when an African American is sworn in as the President of the United States. Today is a proud moment for all of us in the U.S.

I heard there are 25,000 law enforcement agents on hand...
I pray nothing ignorant or racist happens today...
I'm praying for our next President...
I'm thankful that God's hand is on history...