Moonlighting

Steve (my boss and pastor) and I have been moonlighting lately down in the seedy part of town. Someone caught it on tape. I figured I would expose myself now before the media got a hold of it.

http://www.dancesisterdance.com/myvid/index.php?v=0a493a77f4052

Unanswered Calls at VA Tech

From a recent update from my friends in Virginia:

The families are just beginning to experience their loss. One friend wrote me of a detail that deeply affected her police friend at the Crime Scene. Please allow me to share this "scene" so we can get another picture of the terrible horror these loved ones have experienced starting early Monday when they heard of the shootings...

"My hometown in VA is only 45 minutes from Blacksburg. A high school friend of mine is on the VA State Police. He was involved in photographing one of the classroom crime scenes after the massacre. He said it was horrible seeing those students, but the worst part was that the entire time he was in that room, all of their cell phones were ringing non-stop. It broke his heart to know that there were calls from loved ones desperate for them to answer. "

Those "unanswered calls" is where the horror began for these who lost loved ones. Please, let's keep these dear people in our hearts and prayers this month and weeks to come.

Pray for the victims at VA Tech

Some friends of mine are in campus ministry at the University of Virginia. Thought you'd be interested in a email I just received from them:

Friends,

I know you're aware of the tragedy at VA Tech. We in the college community of VA are completely numb. Tech is UVA's arch-rival. We love to "hate" them on the field or on the court... but that's in jest. Now... our "family" has been attacked by hate and the ugliness of fallen, human nature...and we are grieving deeply!

Over the past three summers I have led a Bible group for students in town. We have some Tech students regularly attend these studies. We know some of the students there. They are in great confusion today. Many are still waiting to hear from friends to know they're safe. Lots of chaos...

Prayer gatherings are popping up today (and this week) all around this Commonwealth. Our local community of faith plans to travel to Blacksburg later this week just to "be" with our family and grieve on-site with them. Blacksburg is about two hours away, in a sleepy little community... close to the back hills of southwest VA. Not where one would expect this sort of thing to happen.

What a picture of our desperate need for God. Our need may be "tucked" away and out of the mainstream of life. Our need often goes undetected until this sort of thing. Now we're forced into a head-on collision with our brokenness. We ALL are broken and have fallen short of the glory of God. Yes, you and me... all the families of this massacre... the gunman... the by-stander on the street.

We are the victims AND we are the one who pulled the trigger. We stand in solidarity with the family at V Tech. We grieve deeply with them. We moan and writhe in pain with them. Oh, who can deliver us from this ugliness...

... Yet our hope is in You, Lord. Our hope IS YOU! Meet us here. Meet our Loved Ones here... heal us and comfort us. Come, Prince of Peace. Come, Kingdom of God!

Thank you for your solidarity with us,
Lainie, Daniel and the entire college community of VA

My New Favorite Movie

We finally caught up with most of the moviegoers of America and saw "The Pursuit of Happyness" last night. I knew that I wanted to see it the first time I saw a preview for it months ago. But we don't make it to Movie Gallery often, much less theaters. Will Smith always does a good job so I knew this movie would be special. If you haven't seen it, go get it. It's based on the true story of Chris Gardner. If you want to know more about his story, here's a link to his website:

http://www.chrisgardnermedia.com/index.htm

It is an amazing story. I had a hard time going to sleep last night because I couldn't help wondering how many people were sleeping in subway bathrooms last night while I was in my warm, cozy bed.

For you TNC'ers, we're starting a new series of messages this Sunday called "The Pursuit of Happyness." It's based on Jesus' beatitudes found in Matthew 4. Invite your fish!

Put This On Your Fridge

I saw this on Mark Batterson's blog, www.evotional.com. I think I'll print it out and put it on the fridge for the whole family to see.

Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death. Set God-sized goals. Pursue God-ordained passions. Go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention. Keep asking questions. Keep making mistakes. Keep seeking God. Stop pointing out problems and become part of the solution. Stop repeating the past and start creating the future. Stop playing it safe and start taking risks. Expand your horizons. Accumulate experiences. Enjoy the journey. Find every excuse you can to celebrate everything you can. Live like today is the first day and last day of your life. Don't let what's wrong with you keep you from worshipping what's right with God. Burn sinful bridges. Blaze a new trail. Criticize by creating. Worry less about what people think and more about what God thinks. Don't try to be who you're not. Be yourself. Laugh at yourself. Quit holding out. Quit holding back. Quit running away. Chase the lion.

Final Four Thoughts

Thoughts on the Final Four after Florida's dominant win tonight:

1. Why does it seem that Billy Packer is always pulling against the teams from the South? He and Jim Nantz were pulling for Ohio State the whole time. I was getting sick to my stomach listening to them talk about how great the Buckeyes were while they were being hammered all night. And then, how Florida was making poor decisions during the game. Please! I've never been a Billy Packer fan. (And don't get me started on baseball commentator Tim McCarver...)

2. I was 3 for 4 in my final four pick. I thought UNC would beat Florida in the final game. I had UCLA and OSU in there too.

3. Joakim Noah's mom is a former Miss Sweden and his dad was a tennis star. You know they have some money. I wonder why they never considered braces for little Joakim?

4. Did you notice the story about Corey Brewer's dad who just had his legs amputated? His dad's nickname is Pee Wee. (I'm just reporting the facts here.)

5. You'll never guess what Cliff and I did during halftime of the game.

6. 24 was a little lame tonight. I watched it while keeping my eye on the game. President Palmer had a little too much adrenalin if you know what I mean.

7. Did you guess what we did at halftime? We painted a possum pink and took him down to the park. Ask me for details...

8. Now that March Madness is over, it's time for the Masters. Who do you think is going to win it?

My Faceless Car

Here's my car during lobotomy surgery.

I'm happy to report that the surgery was a success and I am now driving a complete car once again. Thanks to my father-in-law, shade tree mechanic extraordinaire, for the help!