Sunday is the new Funday. Or something???

So tomorrow should be cool. I'm getting up early (not so cool) to go visit Newport Beach Church and then at night visiting Fusion, Christian Assembly's version of the Mill. Newport is a Hillsong plant that has been around for about a year or so. They actually have 3 evening services at 5, 7, and 9! But I'm going in the morning so I can visit the other church at night with a couple guys from the apartment here.

I'm really excited about Christian Assembly, cause a certain guy who graduated from Fuller a few years back who I read and listen to a lot used to go there. He describes it as a community exploding with creativity and life, full of people who seemed to like nothing better to do on a Sunday morning than go to a church service. This church helped him and his wife to start dreaming about what a church could be (Tassels 097). Sounds pretty good to me.

And in between, I think I'll grab lunch and watch the Chargers play, then play guitar or read something that isn't a school book. I'm determined to relax on Sundays now. No excuses or emergencies. No unpacking (yes, I'm still digging through boxes) or studying. And no stress pr frustration even if the Chargers fall apart again!

I think that is a big reason why God led me here. I knew for a couple years that I needed to implement more balance and rest in my life, and even though I was exhausted and overwhelmed I kept adding more and more to my schedule because they needed me or it was a good thing. I loved all those opportunities I had to serve and love people, but I'm still trying to recover. It almost burned me out. Maybe sometimes it did... And since I couldn't learn moderation, maybe now that I have nothing extra to do and no way to take on new responsibilities I can figure it out.

Hail to the Master Chief

MIT has a long tradition of pulling complex yet harmless pranks. And their favorite victim tends to be Harvard. So being the geeks that MIT students are, they decided to celebrate the release of Halo 3 by "decorating" a statue of Harvard's founder. Pretty awesome. Read more about it here.

sacred

So have you ever noticed how we treat some things a s sacred and others as normal. Who doesn't act different in the WPC chapel than the Furnace Coffee House? It's so deep in us that we don't even think of it. (By the way, I thought of this while I was walking from school over to an open church building so that I could get some quiet and pray for a bit...)

And have you ever noticed how you can "feel" God more in the chapel than in the coffee house? Or am I the only one?

Now we all know and say that God is everywhere, but we go to places designed to connect with God. We ask God to come to us. Why do we do this? Is it just habit? Does God really physically come to a certain time and place? Is it just the only way of putting into words our desire to be in fellowship with God?

But then why do some places feel different? You know, those holy, sacred places that demand hushed voices and focused hearts and cell phones on vibrate. Is God really more present there? Are we more aware? Is it because of expectations, or past experiences? Or is it that God is worshiped often there and there is a resonance of his presence? And some times during a worship service everyone is like "Man God just showed up and it was powerful" and other times it isn't like that. Are we all somehow more aware of God and other times we collectively are disengaged?

Please take a second and think about this and pray about it, and then leave a comment with your thoughts. Cause this is something I am genuinely wrestling with right now. I don't just want a theologically correct answer, ya know? What do you think?

Remedy

If you didn't know, the new Crowder cd came out yesterday. It's pretty fantastic. I was never a big Crowder fan until Desperation actually. Then I started listening more and more to get ready (cause you have to!) and was impressed. I thought they were great at Desperation, although I know not everyone thinks so. I have no problem with mixing a video game loop with an 80s beat and "worship music", cause I think joy and fun and laughing are pretty pleasing to God... Except that worship music is sacred and all... Ow, sometimes the inside of my cheek is so raw from rubbing against my tongue all the time...

So Crowder cds are typically pretty experimental, and this one is, well, not so much. And they often have a huge amount of songs and intermissions and such. This one has 10 songs. OH MY GOSH CROWDER SOLD OUT!!11! Instead what you get is a set of songs that are cohesive, feature really simple yet profound lyrics, and music that is interesting, catchy, fun, deep, fast, slow, and all over the place. It's so real. He makes an effort over and over to get people to engage in worship instead of just watching the band play. And then hits on the Church needing to follow in Jesus footsteps and be the remedy to the world.

I love this cd. I'll be listening to this for a long time!

books

I just got back from the bookstore. I finally bought some of my books. Not all, because I'm waitlisted in a class and want to see how that works out. I still just dropped $175. And that was for 2 classes. I have 10, yes, 10 books in 2 classes. That's a lot of reading.

Since I'm sure you are so interested, here is a list of the books:
For my Pentateuch class
Understanding Genesis by Nahum Sarna
Reading the Old Testament by Lawrence Boadt

For my Postmodern Theology, Film, and Youth Culture class
Postmodern Youth Ministry by Tony Jones (interestingly, my brother bought this same book while visiting me a couple days ago, and it looked really cool. I'm actually excited about this one!)
A Matrix of Meanings by Craig Detweiler and Barry Taylor (my prof)
Teenage: The Creation of Youth Culture by Jon Savage
The Postmodern God by Graham Ward

Well I guess I better start reading. Now I'm never gonna finish those books I started before Desperation...

here

Hey friends, sorry it's been a while. I am now in Pasadena and getting ready for classes. I have an 8am class (gag) tomorrow so I won't be writing much. The last few days have been full of driving, moving furniture, unpacking, school orientation, and exploring. So nothing too time consuming or stressing...

My parents drove out with me (they towed the Uhaul trailer!) and my brother flew down for a couple days, which was great! Brilliant, even. That is my new favorite adjective. I listen to a podcast of someone who uses it a lot and it stuck... Anyway, I loved having them here. It helped make the transition as smooth as possible, although yesterday and today were full of teary goodbyes as they are now gone. It is gonna be hard for a while but when I get discouraged and want to call this whole thing off (it's too late, but...) God has been faithful to meet me where I'm at and bring hope and life and a promise of things being good. I need that so much.

So if you think of me, pray that I will be able to connect with people really quickly and make good strong friendships. I can never replace the friends and family from the past, but I can't live in the past either and want to make the most of now. That is a really struggle for me, so please remember me in your prayers. The cool part is that the apartments I am living in are designed to foster community, and there are about 10 people I am already building relationships with, including my roommate Jonathon and 2 other single guys, Matt and Darrin, who live right next door. I'm excited for what could develop.

Well I have my first day of school in like 3 years, so I better get to bed. Much love.

not the end

Monday was my last day in the springs. Most of the day was spent packing, but tonight I got to hang out with so many of my best friends in the world. I am so blown away by you guys. You mean so much to me. Thank you for making this one of the best nights of my life. It was beautiful- i will remember this forever.

It's been so hectic lately getting ready for this, plus making the drive out to Missouri for Drew and Kendra's wedding. I usually get pretty overwhelmed and emotional when I'm stressed, and there are times where I have just wanted to call the whole thing off. But God really encouraged me through some things that this is not the end. It's not a new chapter, closing the old one. It is just a new day. And the sun is rising bright.

I have always lived in the past, either wishing for the good old days when something (whatever was hard at the moment) was different or holding on to past mistakes as reasons to not expect victory today. It's been a process over the past few years, but I now understand that if we live in the past, we never live in today. We can't go back and relive yesterday, but we can live and enjoy and love- today. That simple truth put so much peace in my heart and joy for the future that I've been dreading as it's crawled closer. And because of that, tonight was a wonderful time of celebrating with my friends, not a time of sadness.

So to all of you who have been in my life over the last few years, thank you. I can never find the words to share my gratitude for your love, encouragement, faithfulness, and genuine friendship. Please know that you mean so much more to me than I could ever convey! Living life with you has been so much better than I ever imagined it could be! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH! This isn't the end, and we will continue to share life. You are too special for me to lose just because of a thousand miles.

As I said goodbye to the last guys at the house, climbed in my car, and drove away, I happened to glance at the clock. 12:00 exactly. A new day.

cool video of the moment

Makes me wanna drive really fast. This is what introduced me to Snow Patrol. They rock!

woah

Here's a quote I just heard on a podcast in a discussion of our identity and purpose. I don't know who originally said it.

"Your job is the relentless pursuit of who God made you to be. There is a word for when you do things other than what God has called you to do and be: sin. Are you trying to please people or are you being true to who you are?"

I so quickly fall back into a people pleasing mentality, even though I know better. Even though I've heard this same message in different ways so many times. Why is this so hard for us to understand and live?

Something interesting

You should check out this video sermon (scroll to the bottom, click the "watch" link on the right hand side). It's Rob Bell speaking at Willow Creek a few years ago. He compares Jesus and the Roman Emperor Domitian. Very interesting, challenging, and even funny at times. It's sure to mess with some ideas you have as well. If you watch it leave a comment with your thoughts. Aight?

To my good friend Ryan Edwards- sorry about your Bears buddy. It was a tough game and they are a good team. Hope to see ya in February.

I had a blast watching the game with my brother. It was nerve wracking but at least it ended well. Next week will be a test, but it is good to survive the Bears. I'm excited! Bring on the Patsies!

To everyone else- this will not just be about football. I promise. It's just the opening week, and I'm stuck in a holding pattern for a little while longer. It feels like I'm going sky diving. I'm up in the plane, the door is open, but I have to wait and stare out into the air. You either want to to jump and get it over with, or not do it at all. It's good to have the last little bit of time to enjoy my friends and say goodbye, but it's tough too...

subscribing

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football team name

So I thought of a decent name for my fantasy football team: WhenLightningAttacks. Thoughts? Suggestions? Venomous Smacktalk?

bet you never expected this.

Yep, just wanted to say, again, that I'm really excited about football! GO BOLTS!

it's the most wonderful time of the year

It's the first Thursday of September. The air is starting to get that crisp snap. Starting, because in Colorado it goes from crisp to hot to hailstorm all in an hour. Do you know what all that means? That means today is OPENING DAY! WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Today, every team is undefeated. Today, everyone has dreams of holding up the Lombardi Trophy in about 5 months. Well, everyone except Detroit and Oakland... Today, everyone is convinced that their fantasy team is unstoppable. Today is a day of optimism and excitement and joy. This will last for about 80 more hours. Then we'll start complaining about players who are worthless, ranting about coaches who should be fired, and wondering "why did I ever draft that guy"...

With that said, I just want you all to know that this is the Chargers year! And my fantasy team really IS good. But I need a good name. If anybody has some good ideas, let me know! It will be better than "Luke's Unnamed Team"