Mennonites are 'Dam' Generous...
30 April 2007
Wall Street Journal: A Dam Connects Machakos, Kenya to Archbold Ohio.
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drew moser : : theological riffs, cultural rants, anecdotal quips
journal : : field notes
Guatemala Video...
Many of you have been tracking our adoption journey on our adoption blog. If so, sorry for the repeat. We worked up a little video from our trip to visit our daughter. It's a shade over 8 minutes.The recipe: 1 Canon Digital Elph Camera, 1 Macbook, Google Video's Free Uploading Service, and 1 Supercute Guatemalan Baby. Throw in pot, stir, and let simmer.
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And we're back...
29 April 2007
It was a crazy/amazing/saddening experience. . . well worth it, but an emotional roller coaster. Spending my free time catching up with my son, Ben, and unpacking. Back soon. . .
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"No new appointments..."
19 April 2007
At least that's what my Moto Q says, which means only one thing: I'm getting the heck out of this place. Bekah and I are headed to Guatemala to meet our daughter, Eloisa, for the very first time. We'll spend a week soaking up Eloisa and her culture. I can't wait.No blogging here, but we do plan on updating our adoption blog with pictures, reflections, etc. Our hotel boasts free wireless internet, but we've heard that it isn't exactly 'free'. It costs a boatload of time. Regardless, we'll try to get some pics up.
You can follow this exciting phase in our adoption journey HERE.
Hasta lluego...
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Name that author...
14 April 2007
(update: Max Lucado penned these words. Nice.)
Who wrote this? It may surprise you...
"There is a rawness and a wonder to life. Pursue it. Hunt for it. Sell out to get it.
Who wrote this? It may surprise you...
"There is a rawness and a wonder to life. Pursue it. Hunt for it. Sell out to get it.
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Jesus says the options are clear. On one side there is the voice of safety. You can build a fire in the hearth, stay inside, and stay warm and dry and safe. You can't get hurt if you never get out, right? You can't be criticized for what you don't try, right? You can't fall if you don't take a stand, right? You can't lose your balance if you never climb, right? So, don't try it. Take the safe route.
Jesus says the options are clear. On one side there is the voice of safety. You can build a fire in the hearth, stay inside, and stay warm and dry and safe. You can't get hurt if you never get out, right? You can't be criticized for what you don't try, right? You can't fall if you don't take a stand, right? You can't lose your balance if you never climb, right? So, don't try it. Take the safe route.
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Or you can hear the voice of adventure—God's adventure. Instead of building a fire in your hearth, build a fire in your heart. Follow God's impulses. Adopt the child. Move overseas. Teach the class. Change careers. Run for office. Make a difference.
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Don't listen to the whines of those who have settled for a second-rate life and want you to do the same so they won't feel guilty. Your goal is not to live long; it's to live.
Don't listen to the whines of those who have settled for a second-rate life and want you to do the same so they won't feel guilty. Your goal is not to live long; it's to live.
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Sure it isn't safe, but what is?"
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Whoever seeks to save his life loses it,
but whoever loses his life preserves it. Luke 17:33
but whoever loses his life preserves it. Luke 17:33
Labels: adventure, jesus, spirituality
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Thoughts on Switching to a Mac...
06 April 2007
So I'm about a month into my switch from PC to Mac. I was always very skeptical of those who would boast: "Get a Mac, and you'll never go back." It seemed a bit extreme to make such a big statement, but it's true. I'm never going back. Never ever.It took a while to get the hang of everything. Well, I should say that I still don't have the hang of everything. In fact, that's what makes the Mac so great: it's not a simple machine to master and lord over (my previous approach to PC's). It took me a few weeks to reprogram my brain from this type of thinking. Macs are a journey in computing. You could literally take it out of the box and start using it (it's that easy), and you could literally spend your entire life exploring it's capabilities and possibilities (it's that complex).
But the things I love? The way that it handles files is incredible...very different from Windows. The way you interact with the computer as a whole is genius. And quicksilver? Holy smokes. Who needs a mouse?And then there's the built in camera, and all the cool software.
All in all, I love it. In fact, this is how I feel about the switch.
Labels: apple, computers, mac, personal
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Where am I?
Right here! I'm just completely swamped with a number of things.1. It's Holy Week, which translates 'Incredibly Busy Week for Pastors'
2. Our church's fiscal year runs July-June, which means budgets are due NOW. I hate budgets. They are a tree-killing spawn of the devil.
3. I'm coordinating an area church-wide outreach effort to bring about some renewal in local churches and in our community. It's nearly a full-time job on it's own, as I've been leading evangelism seminars in local churches, meeting with area pastors, etc.
4. I'm taking 2 classes, both of which are fascinating: The World Mission of the Church and Introduction to Islam. I'll post some thoughts on the intersection of the two later...
5. We leave for Guatemala to visit my baby girl 2 weeks from this very day. It will be my first full week off since I started this job. Man, that will feel gooooood.
So, my life is full of good things (except the budgets, there is nothing good about budgets).
But there's a tipping point, where too much 'good' becomes 'less than good' across the board. It reminds me of the economic Law of Diminishing Returns. (Office fans, note the wikipedia link) You saturated something and the return on what's invested plummets.
To extend the metaphor beyond that gets pretty messy....supply...demand...and we're back to budgets, so I'll stop there.
But this is one of the biggest dangers of a pastor, cramming too many 'good' programs and people and services and books written and video curriculum produced and (insert here) into ministry. Isolated, each aspect looks good and productive. Throw it all into one job description, and you've got a recipe for burnout.
So, Guatemala is perfect timing for me, and I'll be taking a few steps back in May. More blogging soon.
Labels: church, ministry, personal
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Thanks for not pillaging my daughter's native country...
01 April 2007
Churches Go 'Green' for Palm Sunday. Did your church go green?Labels: church, Guatemala, justice, palm sunday
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