So be on the lookout for a different appearance a new addy and some new projects!

1. Obvious: the rain from above
2. The drip from the canopy of a tree
3. The follow-thru of your tire (I had a muddy skunk tail by the time I got home)
4. Certain vehicles hitting the only muddy puddle on the road and splashing you… in the face!

So you can probably tell by now that I’ve been learning some of the practical lessons about making a commitment for Lent. When we go without a certain food we learn about the yearning for what’s missing, but we also learn to cope.

With my driving commitment I’m learning these practical lessons right now. It’s hard to carry heavy things on a bike, It’s really no fun to ride in the rain if your bike isn’t set up for it, and the planning that goes into making sure you have everything that you need before hand gets pretty ridiculous. Try riding a bike with a computer bag slung over one shoulder and a bass guitar over the other shoulder, or with the equipment for a little league baseball team; not easy!

I actually had a tough decision to make this morning. I needed to be to church with my laptop and some books which is easy enough to do with certain bags but today we do a music practice at 4:00pm and I needed to get my guitar to the church also! So what to do?

Picture this is you can. I was riding to church on my bike with a my over the shoulder computer bag draped over one shoulder and a bass guitar in a gig bag over the other shoulder. If they were guns and ammo you would have thought I was off to war but no, I was simply off to work!

These are the difficulties that we face when we make our Lent decisions. They are the things that we forgot to think about but at the same time if we want to stay committed to our Lent fast, we had better solve in a hurry. So I dealt with my predicament this morning and I’ve made a plan for the rest of Lent… the guitar is staying at the church!

And no more of this tom-foolery by trying to see how many bags I can carry while riding a bike! I wouldn’t recommend carrying two over the shoulder style bags while riding a bike. After a while they work their way around your neck and start to cut off important things like blood and air… it was like having an un-motivated boa constrictor around my neck, or maybe a shrinking turtleneck! Either way, not gonna do that again!

So what about my reflections? What have I thought about in my non-driving Lent commitment. Yesterday I walked to get something for lunch. While I was walking I started to think how Jesus wouldn’t have had an automobile to jump into and run around Galilee in. At the best he could have found some camel drawn cart but more likely than not he walked most places. Is there a benefit to walking? There’s the obvious health benefit. By walking, I’ll get my heart rate up and that’s supposed to be healthy, right?!

The biggest thing that hit me is the connection to the area that you’re walking around. I feel this all the time when I’m out on a hike in the woods or going through a meadow. You take the time to see things that are all around you and soak everything in. It’s the same when you’re walking around your neighborhood (just without the aura of romanticism). By walking down the street to get a sandwich from the shop, I see people at work in their yards, get to take in the condition of the neighborhood, notice the houses and apartments and in my case the physical rehab facility down the road. There are a ton of things that we zip right past when we are in our cars. Walking past them gives us the time to say hello to our neighbors and to begin to build the relationships that may last a lifetime.

That’s a good reason to take a few more walks during the week! And that’s a reflection for the day. Let me know how your Lent commitment is going so far!

Our church has a tradition of sharing in the word and then making our commitments one by one. Pastor Joe preached a short sermon about fasting and then as people were ready our small group made their commitments under the cross.

This year we had a particularly special service because we were treated to seeing a friend that hasn’t been able to make it to church. It was 106 days in the hospital and a few days after he got out before our church was able to see John Napier back and on his feet and in church for anything. What can I say? The guy looks good!

I’ll keep updating as the time of Lent continues, you keep checking in.

This year for Lent I’m doing two things, I’m giving something up and I’m adding something (aside from the reflection that is just a part of a Lenten Commitment).

This year I’m giving up driving motorized vehicles. I’m giving up the easiest way to get from point A to point B. And before you start freaking out Ash, I’m allowing some conditions with this Lenten commitment.

As some of you know I drive Ashley to and from the train every week day. I’ve made jokes about having her ride on my handlebars early in the morning. Hopefully some of you thought that it was funny because she did not! So I’m allowing that condition, I’ll drop her off and pick her up in the car.

And obviously there isn’t a whole lot of weather protection riding a bike. Depending on the importance of my presence at a certain venue and the quality of the weather, I may drive (this is starting to sound like a pretty weak commitment!).

What do I get out of it? I’ll have to work on my scheduling, I’ll have to bum rides from people for longer trips if I have to take them, I’ll wear out my shoes when I have to walk and I’ll have to go out and buy a bike chain! But it will also give me long opportunities to draw my attention to God while I’m taking the long way around transportation, which is important for me when I make a Lent commitment for myself.

I’m also adding something. I’m adding a time of written reflection on Lent and whatever comes to me through the day. I’ll be writing in many different places; journals, sometimes here at this blog, church bulletins, you name it I’ll be writing in/on it. So keep your eyes peeled!

Now it’s your turn, if you feel up to it let me know what you are doing for Lent. And this Ash Wednesday let’s start this time of fasting together.

1. Eat One Banana a day: This might not sound like a big deal to you but for me that would be a major deal. I’m the guy that gags at the smell of bananas. The last time I recall trying to eat a banana, I was living in a house on Monterey Way here in Fremont and Grandma was in town visiting. She did coffee and bananas for breakfast and at the time I was feeling like it was time to grow up and learn to eat a banana. That experience didn’t end well for anyone! Needless to say no one ate that banana after I was done with it! Eating a banana everyday would be an adventure for me and I anticipate that I would learn a great deal about perseverance through doing it… I might also develop an ulcer in my throat! Bleh!
2. An Exercise Routine: Lord knows that I need one! An exercise routine such as doing sit-ups, push-ups and pull-ups (whoever named these exercises didn’t put much thought into them) would work the body while teaching lessons in perseverance. That’s nice but I’m not certain that I would be focused on God as much as I would be on the burn and the lack of breath.
3. A Time of Focused Prayer: You could add a time of prayer in which you focus on something specific. Maybe to focus on a specific ministry of the church or to pray over certain friends, or to pray over an event that’s taken place such as the earthquake in Haiti. Basically, you devote a time of everyday to pray over (or meditate on) something that isn’t a part of my normal prayer life. This draws into focus the importance of whatever it is you are praying for.
4. Tithing: Maybe God has been talking to you about how you give to the church. Lent would be a great time to step up and give a full tithe to your church. Give of your time, your ability and your treasure to the church… excellent idea! You can learn a lot about stewardship through this.
5. Giving: I just came across a Facebook group called “Giving up something for Lent to help Haiti”. Maybe you can cut back on something so that you can give more to a cause.

I’ve really let myself go and now that I’m doing something about it I really wish that I would have been more concerned with my health through College. But alas, it’s that time in life where we make stupid decisions and let ourselves go in every direction. My experience in college wasn’t much different than any other. Girls, alcohol, hard drugs and procrastinating on school work… wait scratch that, I didn’t do hard drugs at any point in my life. That’s someone else’s story.

I did do some of the other things and as it is, everything that I did had consequences. A lot of relationships were messed up because of my inability to be a good friend to some, boyfriend to others. I let my selfishness get in the way of things that were probably more important.

And now I’m fat… are you happy?! To everyone I ever hurt, I want you to know that I’m out of shape and I feel miserable.

But don’t hang on to that for too long because I’m making a change. I’m working on this issue today and everyday hence forth (give or take a few days here or there).

Anyhow, it’s really got me thinking about the decisions we make and the times we need forgiveness. The general feeling in the Christian world is that all we need to do is repent and we will be made “White as Snow”. And for the most part it’s true, we can be forgiven by a Gracious and Powerful God. But when we are forgiven is that it? everything is forgotten? New page, new starting point?  Do we get to walk away unscathed? What happens after forgiveness?

What I’m learning comes from a lesson in my weight loss mission. My metaphor for forgiveness is found in the fat suit that I’m wearing. Just because I am tired of being out of shape doesn’t mean that I automatically become “in shape”. I am still carrying the extra weight even though it will gradually fall off (fingers crossed). The thing about it is that my extra weight is making my efforts to lose weight even harder.

I want to rock climb for exercise and in the past I’ve been a decent enough climber. But I was able to attain a certain level or difficulty through practice and the advantages of having an ideal “climbers body”. That’s all in the past now. I have two disadvantages now (one of them I’ve always had): I’m fat and I’m short. I can’t reach far enough and I can’t pull my weight. I’m climbings version of a Special Olympian! Getting back to that level I used to climb at will be an uphill battle. Every time I go to climb I’m amazed at how fast I get tired and how things that used to be “easy” and now really hard! And it’s all because of my weight.

I don’t want to be overweight and I’ve made a commitment to change, but I still have to deal with the fact that I’ve “been there and done that”. And it’s the same way with forgiveness. We can live a life of sin and then decide to change, but simply because we change and are forgiven doesn’t mean that we get a pass on our past. We still have to deal with “being overweight”.

Or for example, the person that takes advantage of other people. Because they stop and reform does not mean that those they hurt will not seek retribution for what’s befallen them. Those skeletons can come back to haunt us.

It really would be nice if we were forgiven and it’s “Tabula Rasa” time. But if we’re honest with ourselves we should be able to look ahead and see that there will be difficulties because of where we’ve been.

So as I eat my dinner tonight, I won’t be mad at the small portions or the lack of fatty goodness. I know that even though I’ve turned the corner, there is still a hard road ahead of me. And if I’ve scared you off from seeking out this forgiveness you should know that what lies at the end of that hard road is something pretty great and it’s totally worth the efforts.

Till next time…

It’s a hot topic over at my house. Last year it was meat. We went all vegetarian and Ashley freaked out about it. She made sure to emphasize that she would never… EVER give up all meat for anything.

Turn forward to this year I’d love to tell you that she was becoming a vegetarian again but she’s not. I think that she’s determined to go without red meat this year and leave an opening for chicken, fish etc. I’m giving her a hard time for not going all out this year but she’s not having it.

What am I going to give up? Ash has a lot of ideas for me but that’s another blog for another day. Here are some things that I’ve been thinking of doing for Lent:

• Driving: I’ve been thinking about giving up my car for the 46 day period of Lent. I’m not certain that I’ll be able to commit and Ashley isn’t very thrilled at the prospect of riding on my handlebars at 6:00am when she’s got to be at BART for her train into the city. So maybe giving up driving is not a valid option.
• Eating Out: With Ashley’s folk staying with us and paying for food, I came to realize how much money we spend on eating out every month. It’s a ridiculous amount of money spent on little pleasures here and there. I love Baldies. Boy do I love Baldies. And thanks to Byron for that rec! I’ve gained a ton of weight since I learned about that place. Maybe it’s a good thing to give up on eating out for a while… I’ll save money and lose weight. Sounds like a no brainer except that I’ve started meeting with a men’s group that eats breakfast once a week while we learn to be better men, friends, husbands and leaders in the church. So eating out probably won’t happen
• Meat: I could go back to this Lent commitment but that’s so last year! lol
• Exercise: No, I’m not talking about giving it up… you can’t give up something that you hardly ever do! I’m talking about adding a time of exercise to my daily routine. 46 days in a row of of getting in shape. That’s getting my temple in order!

I’ve thought about some other things that would be a little bit different and off the beaten path. Like, what if I gave up prayer for 46 days? That seems counterintuitive to the whole purpose of Lent but what could I learn from separating myself from God for that time? It’s a little scary to think about!

I’m still debating what it is that I’m going to give up for Lent. I like to give up something that has become integral to my lifestyle so that I think about it a lot. It forces me to consider what I’ve given up and why I’m doing it more often than if I gave up something mundane like chewing gum (FYI I don’t chew gum so it wouldn’t force me to think about anything… I’m not saying that you’re lame for chewing gum. I don’t think like that).

What do you think? What’s a good sacrifice for Lent? What are you considering giving up for Lent? What should I give up for Lent? Let me know what you think.

They could hire an administrator. They could focus more money on a specific ministry. They could offer a full breakfast buffet to people on Sunday mornings.

The point is, this church could do things with this money.

But what would I do? I love my wife and I readily admit that she makes more money than I do. She’s my sugar mama, for sure. But I think that not working and simply volunteering would push her to the limits of her understanding. I mean we already struggle some with what I make. If I quit drawing a check from the church we’d have to make a major change in our lifestyle. No more eating out, no more new clothes, no more electricity!

What would I do? And would I be able to balance the two things? Those are my questions.

Now there are examples all around us of ministers today that have a side business, do a little consulting, or even have a full time job to support their families. I know of a pastor that buys repo’d cars off auction and sells them online for a living. This is a fairly easy, though admittedly risky way to make money. And that’s almost what I’d need to do.

Probably the most common way to make some money as a minister is as a substitute teacher. Good hours, probably the perfect level of commitment and nice compensation. Unfortunately for me none, of the cities in the area are taking applications for substitute teachers right now. This dang state budget crunch!

There are also examples throughout scripture of Gods judges, prophets, apostles, and missionaries having different jobs to keep them in good financial balance while doing God’s work. For example, David was a shepherd/musician before he was the King of Israel. Peter was a fisherman. Jesus, himself was a carpenter. Paul was the tent maker.

So it shouldn’t be to big of deal to find some honest work around here and still be able to be a minister to God’s people… right?!

We’ll see! I have a desire to have a tent making income that will free me from being paid by the church. It’s a weird desire to try and make sure that you don’t get paid for what you do but that’s what I’m going through. Cottage/E-industry here I come!

Have you got any ideas? I’d be interested to hear them.

The change of this season is always exciting for me because spring means a lot of things: warm weather, BBQ’s, being able to get out into the community garden, and most importantly Baseball!

I’m a fool for baseball. Just ask my wife, I’m always doing something with baseball. Watching, going to games, coaching PeeWee’s, you name it I’m doing it! I love baseball, and I’m paying attention to it year round. Just because the season ends doesn’t mean that I’m finished. That time of year is just a transition into fall leagues, winter leagues, hot stove news, prospects, spring training and looking to the next year. Hope springs eternal for my San Francisco Giants!

Actually this time of year holds something of a little more significance than just baseball. The church calendar is turning and we are coming into a season that is known as Lent. What is Lent? It is not the stuff on that tray in your dryer that you have to clean off in between loads. That’s lint and it has no real significance unless it keeps your clothes from drying efficiently. Lent is the season building up to the most important day of the church calendar: Easter Sunday.

Here are the details:

• Lent is the 46 days building up to Easter Sunday starting on Ash Wednesday (February 17th this year).
• The time is spent reflecting on sacrifice and perseverance in relation to Jesus and his ministry.
• The vehicle for that reflection is the Lenten fast. A believer denies him/herself something from their daily life and when that missing element comes into focus, the reason for the fast is what we turn our focus towards.
• The reason we do this… well there are a plethora of reasons. To learn more of the nature of God, To draw our focus to God, To understand the sacrifice of God. All good reasons, you can take your pick or you can think about it and add your own in the comments!

So we are coming up on Lent and I’m starting to think about what my commitment will be. Last year I gave up  meat for Lent. It made some people mad (sorry family for making you push back our family birthday dinner!). Most people will look at the little indulgences in life and give those up (Starbucks, Facebook, Eating out, Going to the movies). Some people add something to their routine (working out, time of prayer, bible study). It’s really up to you.

This year as a Church we are going to be going through the 2010 “Seek God For The City” booklets. It’s something that we do with a number of churches around Fremont and helps us by adding a time of study and prayer everyday that’s focused on the Lent season and the commitments we make. Looking forward to it.

You should be thinking about it. What can you sacrifice? What can you give up or add that will cause you to think about your God and prepare yourself for Easter Sunday?

Think about it and get back to me.