Early Tuesday Morning....
It's 5 AM on the Black Rock Desert. I'm sitting in my dome tent wonderin if the wind is going to sweep it into Utah. I keep looking out the vent of my tent to see how the rest of the camp is faring. It may sound worse than it is because none of our lawn chairs are tipped over, but I'm guessing that we'll discover we lost some things in the night.
Last night, Tom Mills and I wandered up to First Camp to sit and talk with Larry Harvey & Harley Debois. Larry is the founder of the event - Harley is responsible for camp placement. We invited Larry to visit the camp for a dream interpretation - he hopes to later in the week, and invited us back to First Camp any time. We shall take him up on it.
The day as a whole yesterday was exhausting - unloading in the heat really took it's toll. Last night's tacos were a huge hit...had a guest for dinner, in fact (they materialize at meal time!). The night was not as cool as I was afraid it might be (we were hearing 40's last week) so if the wind dies down, we should have a great day here.
Ron & Cookie Boyer's SpiritWind Cafe is a huge hit - Ron pounds the drums while Cookie serves up the latte's (and a high quality latte, I might add...). People are shocked at their generosity and it opens doors for some great conversation.
Hope to keep updating - wifi connection here is iffy and I'm trying to keep my gear out of the dust (good luck...). Thanks for everyone's help, support and prayers. If you're in the prayer room at IHOP - GO FOR IT! Today is a new day with destiny all over it....
8.31.2004
8.30.2004
8.29.2004
We Be Haulin'
We will give people truck envy when we hit the playa...
Check out the big yeller truck....water, camping gear, coolers, and stuff. No, it's not quite full...but it will feel like it when it's time to unload tomorrow in the heat.
Check out the big yeller truck....water, camping gear, coolers, and stuff. No, it's not quite full...but it will feel like it when it's time to unload tomorrow in the heat.
Grocery Store Grab
Gotta Eat...
We hit the grocery store when it opened with a 3 page spreadsheet and a wild eyed look in our eyes. We found almost everything. Can I substitute Milky Way for protein bars?
Here's a small portion of our Grocery Store Grab - much thanks to Mike Teel and Pat, the assistant manager of Raley's. We got the royal treatment - You guys ROCK!
We hit the grocery store when it opened with a 3 page spreadsheet and a wild eyed look in our eyes. We found almost everything. Can I substitute Milky Way for protein bars?
Here's a small portion of our Grocery Store Grab - much thanks to Mike Teel and Pat, the assistant manager of Raley's. We got the royal treatment - You guys ROCK!
8.28.2004
Twin City Surplus
Let the Burn Begin
Thanks to Danie Lou who was gracious enough to be up at 5 AM to give Hal, Tom and I a ride to the airport. I barely have the heart to tell her that we had to wait and didn't even board the plane until nearly 7:50 AM. This got us late into DFW, where we raced to make our 10 AM connect to Reno...after doing the terminal dash to our next gate, we discovered the plane to Reno had been held up 'till 11:30 AM.
At the Dallas airport, We met Burners from NYC and Boston...and more once we hit the ground in Reno. We're giving the shout out for free water and dream interpretation at Earth and 5:30.
Once we landed in Reno and snagged our rental car, we dropped our stuff off at a hotel and made like lemmings to Twin City Surplus. TCS is a man's store to the Nth degree....part army surplus, part camping store, part tons of junk salvaged from heaven knows where. Where else can you find camo misquito netting, a ship's anchor, and a coal car from an abandon coal mine (supply your own shetland pony). We bought heavy tent stakes and paint and rope and nifty rubber tubing that an be cut and rigged with end fasteners to make a poor man's bungee cord. Tom said "How much? How many?" I whipped out my slide rule and sent him for two lengths of tubing, twenty feet each, and forty ends.
Next was Home Depot for contractor's bags and duct tape and tarps and plastic cable ties and the like, then to Walmart for lanterns and batteries and stuff. Burners abound - many parked in the Walmart parking lot. The cow's skull bolted on the hood of the van was a big tip off for me.
On the way home we pulled by the drop zone and saw our semi rig setting with 15,000 bottles of water on it...it's a beautiful thing. If web service holds out, I'll continue to update the blog.
Email's down, so endure it, ya'll..Kels - I love and miss you! Love on J, G and Z for me. Have Z sing his song!
Thanks to Danie Lou who was gracious enough to be up at 5 AM to give Hal, Tom and I a ride to the airport. I barely have the heart to tell her that we had to wait and didn't even board the plane until nearly 7:50 AM. This got us late into DFW, where we raced to make our 10 AM connect to Reno...after doing the terminal dash to our next gate, we discovered the plane to Reno had been held up 'till 11:30 AM.
At the Dallas airport, We met Burners from NYC and Boston...and more once we hit the ground in Reno. We're giving the shout out for free water and dream interpretation at Earth and 5:30.
Once we landed in Reno and snagged our rental car, we dropped our stuff off at a hotel and made like lemmings to Twin City Surplus. TCS is a man's store to the Nth degree....part army surplus, part camping store, part tons of junk salvaged from heaven knows where. Where else can you find camo misquito netting, a ship's anchor, and a coal car from an abandon coal mine (supply your own shetland pony). We bought heavy tent stakes and paint and rope and nifty rubber tubing that an be cut and rigged with end fasteners to make a poor man's bungee cord. Tom said "How much? How many?" I whipped out my slide rule and sent him for two lengths of tubing, twenty feet each, and forty ends.
Next was Home Depot for contractor's bags and duct tape and tarps and plastic cable ties and the like, then to Walmart for lanterns and batteries and stuff. Burners abound - many parked in the Walmart parking lot. The cow's skull bolted on the hood of the van was a big tip off for me.
On the way home we pulled by the drop zone and saw our semi rig setting with 15,000 bottles of water on it...it's a beautiful thing. If web service holds out, I'll continue to update the blog.
Email's down, so endure it, ya'll..Kels - I love and miss you! Love on J, G and Z for me. Have Z sing his song!
Up and at'em....
With Kelsey and the boys gone, there wasn't a whole lot to do last night. It was weird to not have the sound of two competing Adenture in Oddysey cd's playing at bed time. I watched part of a dvd on Ernest Shackleton, my favorite leadership guru. I love Shackleton because everything that could go wrong did, yet he still managed to get everyone home alive. I watched 'till the point where he threatened to shoot the guy who was trying to mutiny, then pondered the leadership lesson I should take from this as we head to Burning Man with a team of 18, half of which I do not know....maybe should have watched something else.
Tom, Hal and I are booked on the 7 AM to DFW, then on to Reno, Nevada - 'the biggest little city in the world'. I tried to explain that to Jackson - that Reno is the 'biggest little city in the world'. I went to great lengths, in fact. "It's a city, but it's not a big city...it's the biggest little city in the world." He gave me that 11 year old boy look...the one that says is this some sort of punishment?
All that to say that I will try and blog from the road. I have a digital camera with me and shall take a few shots if I see anything interesting among the 30,000 cavorting in the wilds. Hope everyone brings their Mickey Mouse rain ponchos and extra bungees for the tents.
With Kelsey and the boys gone, there wasn't a whole lot to do last night. It was weird to not have the sound of two competing Adenture in Oddysey cd's playing at bed time. I watched part of a dvd on Ernest Shackleton, my favorite leadership guru. I love Shackleton because everything that could go wrong did, yet he still managed to get everyone home alive. I watched 'till the point where he threatened to shoot the guy who was trying to mutiny, then pondered the leadership lesson I should take from this as we head to Burning Man with a team of 18, half of which I do not know....maybe should have watched something else.
Tom, Hal and I are booked on the 7 AM to DFW, then on to Reno, Nevada - 'the biggest little city in the world'. I tried to explain that to Jackson - that Reno is the 'biggest little city in the world'. I went to great lengths, in fact. "It's a city, but it's not a big city...it's the biggest little city in the world." He gave me that 11 year old boy look...the one that says is this some sort of punishment?
All that to say that I will try and blog from the road. I have a digital camera with me and shall take a few shots if I see anything interesting among the 30,000 cavorting in the wilds. Hope everyone brings their Mickey Mouse rain ponchos and extra bungees for the tents.
8.27.2004
Two words: Chicken Run
Pocono Record Online: Chicken hauler fouls up Rt. 209: "MARSHALLS CREEK — More than 1,000 live chickens fell off a truck exiting Interstate 80 early Thursday morning on their way from a Pennsylvania farm to an upstate New York processing plant.
At least 100 plastic crates of Murray's Chickens toppled from the tractor-trailer as it rounded the tight curve of Exit 309 sometime around 3 a.m., heading to Marshalls Creek. The truck left a trail of chickens, feathers and crates for three miles up Route 209 as the driver continued on his way, not realizing he'd lost part of the poultry he was packing."
Pocono Record Online: Chicken hauler fouls up Rt. 209: "MARSHALLS CREEK — More than 1,000 live chickens fell off a truck exiting Interstate 80 early Thursday morning on their way from a Pennsylvania farm to an upstate New York processing plant.
At least 100 plastic crates of Murray's Chickens toppled from the tractor-trailer as it rounded the tight curve of Exit 309 sometime around 3 a.m., heading to Marshalls Creek. The truck left a trail of chickens, feathers and crates for three miles up Route 209 as the driver continued on his way, not realizing he'd lost part of the poultry he was packing."
The travels begin....
With Burning Man looming to the distant west, I loaded up my tribe and sent them east in the S.S. Family Truckster. Kels left with the boys this morning for St Louis, Nashville, and greater metro Piney Flats. The truck was piled high with essentials like bottled water, dvd's and the coveted audio splitter that allows two little boys to listen while forcing the third to yell "What's happening! Tell me what's happening!". Never mind that they've seen the movie so many times that they can recite the lines....
I worked 'til late into the night organizing menus and shopping lists - with direction from Kels, of course. I can only imagine what it would be like without her...."Beef jerky? CHECK! Pork Rinds?" CHECK! "Forty two cases of moch frappacino?" CHECK! "Let's roll...." Instead, we've got grilled chicken salad, tempeh tacos, etc. Once again, our camp will be most popular around meal times. Thanks to Chef Boy R Kevin, the 2000 trip saw dozens of burners wander in asking "Hey, what are you EATING!?!?!?" We tried to share as often as we could - it was always well worth the loss of food to spend time with these folks.
I'm off to IHOP to print menus and my diatribe, er, briefing for the entire team for Sunday night. Later I help host a picnic for our incoming interns and students, then home for a good night's rest before I meet up with the rest of the advance team at 5 AM for our ride to the airport. Who bought these tickets?!?!!? Oh. Never mind. That was me.
With Burning Man looming to the distant west, I loaded up my tribe and sent them east in the S.S. Family Truckster. Kels left with the boys this morning for St Louis, Nashville, and greater metro Piney Flats. The truck was piled high with essentials like bottled water, dvd's and the coveted audio splitter that allows two little boys to listen while forcing the third to yell "What's happening! Tell me what's happening!". Never mind that they've seen the movie so many times that they can recite the lines....
I worked 'til late into the night organizing menus and shopping lists - with direction from Kels, of course. I can only imagine what it would be like without her...."Beef jerky? CHECK! Pork Rinds?" CHECK! "Forty two cases of moch frappacino?" CHECK! "Let's roll...." Instead, we've got grilled chicken salad, tempeh tacos, etc. Once again, our camp will be most popular around meal times. Thanks to Chef Boy R Kevin, the 2000 trip saw dozens of burners wander in asking "Hey, what are you EATING!?!?!?" We tried to share as often as we could - it was always well worth the loss of food to spend time with these folks.
I'm off to IHOP to print menus and my diatribe, er, briefing for the entire team for Sunday night. Later I help host a picnic for our incoming interns and students, then home for a good night's rest before I meet up with the rest of the advance team at 5 AM for our ride to the airport. Who bought these tickets?!?!!? Oh. Never mind. That was me.
8.26.2004
CNN.com - The Jimi Hendrix of the ukulele - Aug 26, 2004
On this narrow point, we would have to agree.
"'I've always thought the ukulele was an untapped source of musical potential"
On this narrow point, we would have to agree.
It arrived this morning....
The Qualcom Globalstar. Just the thing for spending the week 60 miles off the cell phone grid. Thanks to Outfitter Satellite!
You know you had a good time....
...when you start here for dinner and migrate across the street for desert.
We went to the plaza last night with Billy & Maribeth. If you've never been to Kansas City, the plaza is an upscale shopping district in the midtown area...the sort of place where beautiful people park their expensive cars to walk around and buy fancy things. I am not entirely sure how we, poster children of the Walmart tribe, ended up there. Nevertheless, we had a fantastic time.
After our dinner and desert parade, we walked around for a while, although because this is Kansas City, all the beautiful people had gone home and the stores were closed. A lot of things in KC close at 9 pm. At 10 pm everything closes. By midnight, the city ceases to exist entirely.
One interesting thing was the presence of street musicians; particularly because the streets were nearly empty. On one corner, a guy was hammering away on an electric guitar and singing into a microphone while his buddy pounded on a snare drum. It looked like a postmodern Salvation Army outreach. A block down - in the middle of an area where literally no businesses were open and almost no one was walking (two words: poor location), a woman sat on the street with a clarinet, playing John Denver music. On a clarinet. To no one in particular. John Denver music. Who says this town has no soul?
We also walked down along a canal that snakes through the area, dodging goose proof (that is, proof that geese had been there) and hitting the street a few blocks further to wander back to our truck. We walked past a pretty amazing metal sculpture, which, of course, I thought would have been improved upon greatly if only they could plumb it with gaslines and hook up the propane. All in all, a good start, though.
As always, it was great to be with our friends. We have a lot in common with these two...years of youth ministry, each family has three boys, and we came into the IHOP world within a few days of each other. Some of the most entertaining times here have been exchanging observations of the IHOP world with Billy!
We are reinvesting them into the Atlanta area, although that's just a nice way of saying they're moving back. Our loss, Atlanta's gain.
...when you start here for dinner and migrate across the street for desert.
We went to the plaza last night with Billy & Maribeth. If you've never been to Kansas City, the plaza is an upscale shopping district in the midtown area...the sort of place where beautiful people park their expensive cars to walk around and buy fancy things. I am not entirely sure how we, poster children of the Walmart tribe, ended up there. Nevertheless, we had a fantastic time.
After our dinner and desert parade, we walked around for a while, although because this is Kansas City, all the beautiful people had gone home and the stores were closed. A lot of things in KC close at 9 pm. At 10 pm everything closes. By midnight, the city ceases to exist entirely.
One interesting thing was the presence of street musicians; particularly because the streets were nearly empty. On one corner, a guy was hammering away on an electric guitar and singing into a microphone while his buddy pounded on a snare drum. It looked like a postmodern Salvation Army outreach. A block down - in the middle of an area where literally no businesses were open and almost no one was walking (two words: poor location), a woman sat on the street with a clarinet, playing John Denver music. On a clarinet. To no one in particular. John Denver music. Who says this town has no soul?
We also walked down along a canal that snakes through the area, dodging goose proof (that is, proof that geese had been there) and hitting the street a few blocks further to wander back to our truck. We walked past a pretty amazing metal sculpture, which, of course, I thought would have been improved upon greatly if only they could plumb it with gaslines and hook up the propane. All in all, a good start, though.
As always, it was great to be with our friends. We have a lot in common with these two...years of youth ministry, each family has three boys, and we came into the IHOP world within a few days of each other. Some of the most entertaining times here have been exchanging observations of the IHOP world with Billy!
We are reinvesting them into the Atlanta area, although that's just a nice way of saying they're moving back. Our loss, Atlanta's gain.
8.24.2004
He speaks....
Mike Bickle is the founder and leader of the International House of Prayer. Thirty days ago, he went into his little cubby off the side of the stage in the prayer room and did not come out... Well, that's a bit of an overstatement, but it's close. A short while back, a woman who is an active part of the ministry had a dream involving Mike going through a period of 30 days of silence. Mike, sensing it was the Lord's direction, took a look at his calendar and told us "I can do this!" For the first time in years - perhaps decades - he only had two outside speaking engagements booked. He cancelled one, rescheduled the other and booked others of us on the leadership team to speak at IHOP. He called us each to fast in some way - some existed only on water, others on fruits and veggies, and no doubt some actually did the fast Allan Hood joked about: "Cheeseburgers only; no fries...".
Every day, seven days a week, Mike would arrive at IHOP by 6 AM and stay in his little cubby hole (he calls it an office) until 10 PM or later. It is immediately off the stage, although a partial Plexiglas door does separate it. He also has a window into the prayer room. He always reminds me of a DJ in the studio when he's in there. For thirty days, he spoke to no one. He studied the book of Daniel. He prayed. He worshipped. What he didn't do was talk.
Once in a while he would wander to the glass like he was in the Prayer Zoo, and wave at us. I remember a night when Kelsey and I went back to the prayer room about 10 pm. Mike was still there. I'm a morning guy - I'm usually in the prayer room most of the day prior to 2 pm or so. For me to be there that late is rare. When he saw us, he stood up and grinned, pumping his fists as if to say "Way to go! It's late and you're here!" Mike is oblivious to the irony of cheering my dedication when he had been there when I got there at 6 AM and was still there when I left...and would be so for a few more weeks.
Today was the 30th day. A team of 20 or so leaders met with him at 2 pm to connect before his scheduled 4 pm meeting with the entire IHOP community. We all sat around the conference table wondering what the first words out of his mouth would be...a story of an angelic visitation? A list of worship songs that he really never wanted to hear again? A new vision statement? None of the above. I nearly cracked up when he walked in, sat down, grinned and said "...Let's pray."
That, in itself, is Mike in a microcosm (Mike-rocosm?). After doing all he could do, fasting for 30 days and being silent, he's ready to pray. I loved it.
He shared a few funny stories with us - like how both his wife and assistant both felt they had to whisper to him, even though he kept writing them notes that said "YOU can TALK!". Or how his wife, on the third day of his 30 days of silence, went out and bought a new car. Dianne is a smart lady.
He also shared some touching moments - how he fell in love with IHOP all over again. He said "I got to see it for sixteen to eighteen hours a day - I saw every worship leader, every singer, and they're all beautiful." He was regularly writing notes to his assistant, Anne, asking her to find out the name of that new singer so he could address them by name (beginning today!).
Mike shared much more, but I'm out of time and space here...Regardless, I'm sure it will surface in coming blogs. Those thoughts are not the point of this post....The point is this: I'm grateful to be a part of a faith community led by a man who does exactly what he tells others is important, holding himself to a higher standard than anyone else. Mike is an inspiration. It's good to hear his voice...but we've been hearing his heart loud and clear for a month.
Mike Bickle is the founder and leader of the International House of Prayer. Thirty days ago, he went into his little cubby off the side of the stage in the prayer room and did not come out... Well, that's a bit of an overstatement, but it's close. A short while back, a woman who is an active part of the ministry had a dream involving Mike going through a period of 30 days of silence. Mike, sensing it was the Lord's direction, took a look at his calendar and told us "I can do this!" For the first time in years - perhaps decades - he only had two outside speaking engagements booked. He cancelled one, rescheduled the other and booked others of us on the leadership team to speak at IHOP. He called us each to fast in some way - some existed only on water, others on fruits and veggies, and no doubt some actually did the fast Allan Hood joked about: "Cheeseburgers only; no fries...".
Every day, seven days a week, Mike would arrive at IHOP by 6 AM and stay in his little cubby hole (he calls it an office) until 10 PM or later. It is immediately off the stage, although a partial Plexiglas door does separate it. He also has a window into the prayer room. He always reminds me of a DJ in the studio when he's in there. For thirty days, he spoke to no one. He studied the book of Daniel. He prayed. He worshipped. What he didn't do was talk.
Once in a while he would wander to the glass like he was in the Prayer Zoo, and wave at us. I remember a night when Kelsey and I went back to the prayer room about 10 pm. Mike was still there. I'm a morning guy - I'm usually in the prayer room most of the day prior to 2 pm or so. For me to be there that late is rare. When he saw us, he stood up and grinned, pumping his fists as if to say "Way to go! It's late and you're here!" Mike is oblivious to the irony of cheering my dedication when he had been there when I got there at 6 AM and was still there when I left...and would be so for a few more weeks.
Today was the 30th day. A team of 20 or so leaders met with him at 2 pm to connect before his scheduled 4 pm meeting with the entire IHOP community. We all sat around the conference table wondering what the first words out of his mouth would be...a story of an angelic visitation? A list of worship songs that he really never wanted to hear again? A new vision statement? None of the above. I nearly cracked up when he walked in, sat down, grinned and said "...Let's pray."
That, in itself, is Mike in a microcosm (Mike-rocosm?). After doing all he could do, fasting for 30 days and being silent, he's ready to pray. I loved it.
He shared a few funny stories with us - like how both his wife and assistant both felt they had to whisper to him, even though he kept writing them notes that said "YOU can TALK!". Or how his wife, on the third day of his 30 days of silence, went out and bought a new car. Dianne is a smart lady.
He also shared some touching moments - how he fell in love with IHOP all over again. He said "I got to see it for sixteen to eighteen hours a day - I saw every worship leader, every singer, and they're all beautiful." He was regularly writing notes to his assistant, Anne, asking her to find out the name of that new singer so he could address them by name (beginning today!).
Mike shared much more, but I'm out of time and space here...Regardless, I'm sure it will surface in coming blogs. Those thoughts are not the point of this post....The point is this: I'm grateful to be a part of a faith community led by a man who does exactly what he tells others is important, holding himself to a higher standard than anyone else. Mike is an inspiration. It's good to hear his voice...but we've been hearing his heart loud and clear for a month.
8.23.2004
Pamela
Yea for Pamela!
It was a big weekend at VCC...the debut of the new transitions girl, Pamela Lucas!
Pamela was my Chief of Staff at the Vineyard. Well, technically, my assistant, but the whole world knew the truth. She managed to usher me through the system of getting stuff done there, juggle multiple budgets, be pleasant to volunteers, and a hundred other things.
Pamela would work hard all day for a latte, and didn't even get mad when I misplaced mine and drank hers (SOS Week, 2003, thanks Pamela...). Of course, she also set the bar when it came to Burning Man organization. This year, we're using her travel binder(s) as the template.
Anyway, someone back at the ranch saw the light and put her onstage where she belonged. Got broadband? Speed through the clip to the twenty two minute mark or so and you can watch her do her stuff.
Pay no attention to the two guys lurking over her shoulder in the photo on the right. Stalkers kind of gravitated towards her.
Way to go, Pammy! YOU ROCK!
It was a big weekend at VCC...the debut of the new transitions girl, Pamela Lucas!
Pamela was my Chief of Staff at the Vineyard. Well, technically, my assistant, but the whole world knew the truth. She managed to usher me through the system of getting stuff done there, juggle multiple budgets, be pleasant to volunteers, and a hundred other things.
Pamela would work hard all day for a latte, and didn't even get mad when I misplaced mine and drank hers (SOS Week, 2003, thanks Pamela...). Of course, she also set the bar when it came to Burning Man organization. This year, we're using her travel binder(s) as the template.
Anyway, someone back at the ranch saw the light and put her onstage where she belonged. Got broadband? Speed through the clip to the twenty two minute mark or so and you can watch her do her stuff.
Pay no attention to the two guys lurking over her shoulder in the photo on the right. Stalkers kind of gravitated towards her.
Way to go, Pammy! YOU ROCK!
A year gone by....
Something that slipped by during my self-imposed blog exile was the recognition that we had been here in Kansas City for a year.
One morning in August, 2003, we woke up in upstate New York - having been there visiting Kelsey's family - and left about 4 AM, heading west. The plan was to drive early, while it was cool and the kids would sleep. Mid afternoon found us in Cincinnati. It was too early in the day to quit, so we picked up our second car and headed further west. We finally gave up at midnight, about 120 miles from Kansas City, because after 20 hours driving we came to an area of road construction that had no lines painted on it...my eyes felt bad anyway and it just didn't seem safe to go any further. 1000 miles in one day...a roadtrip only rivaled by the Burning Man excursions, but this one included kids and excluded a plush RV!
Having been here a year, we have grown - perhaps morphed is a better word - more than we ever imagined we would. So, in recognition of a year gone by, here is a partial list of:
Something that slipped by during my self-imposed blog exile was the recognition that we had been here in Kansas City for a year.
One morning in August, 2003, we woke up in upstate New York - having been there visiting Kelsey's family - and left about 4 AM, heading west. The plan was to drive early, while it was cool and the kids would sleep. Mid afternoon found us in Cincinnati. It was too early in the day to quit, so we picked up our second car and headed further west. We finally gave up at midnight, about 120 miles from Kansas City, because after 20 hours driving we came to an area of road construction that had no lines painted on it...my eyes felt bad anyway and it just didn't seem safe to go any further. 1000 miles in one day...a roadtrip only rivaled by the Burning Man excursions, but this one included kids and excluded a plush RV!
Having been here a year, we have grown - perhaps morphed is a better word - more than we ever imagined we would. So, in recognition of a year gone by, here is a partial list of:
Things I learned the first year after we up and moved our family half way across the country to join a prayer movement much to the shock of many and dismay of some of our friends.
- That whole thing about 'faith as a little child'? That's dead on. I know you never questioned it, what with it being scripture and all, but I'm telling you that I see it happening. Our kids are still very much their ages. We deal with the trials of having an 11, 7 and 3 year old. They are not angels...but the Spirit of God is all over them. Jackson loves going to the meetings to pray for healing. Grayson is radically disturbed by injustice. Zion straps on his guitar and sings the song of the Lord. Kelsey and I watch and are amazed.
- People are not looking for a convenience-religion. Much of the efforts of the church in America in the last two decades have been in making church easy. There's been very little room for a church that is profound. I am still a big proponent of church being made accessible to everyone - but the dumbing down of the faith is something that will haunt our generation. The culture that gave rise to McDonalds and Walmart is wretching over the commodification of big box religion, even if it is being driven by purpose.
- The ancient seer, Isaiah, spins my head. He is becoming the Old Testament character that I would most like to share a chia with (of course, I have a few questions for Noah as well, but most of those surround logistics). In the writings of Isaiah I find the full breadth of the emotions of God...and the stunning, dichotomous manner in which God can fully hate sin and love people. In January, I had a dream that I had an encounter with a well known person who was spewing vile words at a crowd, but doing it unknowingly. I stood and prophesied against their words, but not against the person...for just a moment, in the dream, I understood how God could make that separation. Moments later, fully awake, I went back to my old self - in other words, I have difficulty walking that out. I tend to fall off the beam, one way or another.
8.22.2004
then this one time at Burning Man....
And then this one time at Burning Man...
In 2000, I was interviewed by the very cool Renee Roberts in the making of her very cool documentary, Gifting It.
We made the final edit, but alas, I am still not very cool. Go figure. At least we were a little more recognizable on the playa in 2000. "Oh - dude...you're the guys with all the water!"
We look forward to reconnecting with all our thirsty peeps!
In 2000, I was interviewed by the very cool Renee Roberts in the making of her very cool documentary, Gifting It.
We made the final edit, but alas, I am still not very cool. Go figure. At least we were a little more recognizable on the playa in 2000. "Oh - dude...you're the guys with all the water!"
We look forward to reconnecting with all our thirsty peeps!
A week from tomorrow...the playa.
This week will be all last minute stuff....why don't my rechargable camera batteries hold a charge? Where is the sun screen? How many pairs of socks do I need?
Next Saturday, Tom, Hal and I fly to Reno, NV to get some final details settled...make a trip to a killer surplus store, plus the old staple. The rest of the team flies in on Sunday. We gather that evening for a briefing (we'll see if it's actually brief) then rendevous with the semi driver who will help get our camp to the lakebed.
I'm getting email daily from other burners wondering where we're camping (earth and 5:30, FYI). Looking forward to seeing those who we've built relationships with...Jess, Andie, Jim and the long suffering Roxanne, the man in the grey felt hat and others.
This week will be all last minute stuff....why don't my rechargable camera batteries hold a charge? Where is the sun screen? How many pairs of socks do I need?
Next Saturday, Tom, Hal and I fly to Reno, NV to get some final details settled...make a trip to a killer surplus store, plus the old staple. The rest of the team flies in on Sunday. We gather that evening for a briefing (we'll see if it's actually brief) then rendevous with the semi driver who will help get our camp to the lakebed.
I'm getting email daily from other burners wondering where we're camping (earth and 5:30, FYI). Looking forward to seeing those who we've built relationships with...Jess, Andie, Jim and the long suffering Roxanne, the man in the grey felt hat and others.
8.21.2004
D'oh
Drove to Science City with my three and one borrowed boy. Park truck. Get inside. Realize I left passes at home. Duh. Fortunately, a panicked call to Kelsey helped. She said "Go to the service desk." Uh....right. They had my membership number in 2 minutes and BANG!, we were in. Stick with me, boys, we're going places.
It was a big weekend in Hotlanta as Billy and Maribeth got down to bidness. They hosted the OneThing Atlanta conference and no doubt did a great job. Billy & Maribeth moved to KC a few days after we did. We hate to see them go back to Atlanta, but it's good for Atlanta and good for the kingdom. We're proud of you guys!
Drove to Science City with my three and one borrowed boy. Park truck. Get inside. Realize I left passes at home. Duh. Fortunately, a panicked call to Kelsey helped. She said "Go to the service desk." Uh....right. They had my membership number in 2 minutes and BANG!, we were in. Stick with me, boys, we're going places.
It was a big weekend in Hotlanta as Billy and Maribeth got down to bidness. They hosted the OneThing Atlanta conference and no doubt did a great job. Billy & Maribeth moved to KC a few days after we did. We hate to see them go back to Atlanta, but it's good for Atlanta and good for the kingdom. We're proud of you guys!
Off to the Museum...
The boys have a friend in from out of town so we're hitting a favorite haunt. It's located down in the old KC Union Station.
Last time we went, they were featuring a traveling exhibit on Ernest Shacklenton, famed British explorer who lost his ship, the Endurance, to the ice and led his men on an incredible across-the-ice-and-open-sea adventure to their own rescue - not losing a man, despite living for nearly two years at the mercy of the Antartic ice and sea. S
Shackleton is a great source of quotes - when he led his men across the sea to an island, only to discover that the settlement was on the other side of the island, he trekked across the 20+ mile glacier to summon help. At the pinnacle of the glacier, they stared down the steep slope into a thick, soupy fog. Not knowing what lay below, they were frightened. The slope was too steep to walk down...so Shackleton suggested they sit down and slide down into the foggy unknown. When one of his men protested that it was too dangerous, he simply said "Well, we cannot stay where we are. We must go forward."
Often the inability to endure the present situation is a perfect motivator to step into the great unknown. Three cheers for holy frustration.
The boys have a friend in from out of town so we're hitting a favorite haunt. It's located down in the old KC Union Station.
Last time we went, they were featuring a traveling exhibit on Ernest Shacklenton, famed British explorer who lost his ship, the Endurance, to the ice and led his men on an incredible across-the-ice-and-open-sea adventure to their own rescue - not losing a man, despite living for nearly two years at the mercy of the Antartic ice and sea. S
Shackleton is a great source of quotes - when he led his men across the sea to an island, only to discover that the settlement was on the other side of the island, he trekked across the 20+ mile glacier to summon help. At the pinnacle of the glacier, they stared down the steep slope into a thick, soupy fog. Not knowing what lay below, they were frightened. The slope was too steep to walk down...so Shackleton suggested they sit down and slide down into the foggy unknown. When one of his men protested that it was too dangerous, he simply said "Well, we cannot stay where we are. We must go forward."
Often the inability to endure the present situation is a perfect motivator to step into the great unknown. Three cheers for holy frustration.
8.20.2004
Humanists, take note.
there is no graceful end game when you've been the quarterback your whole life.
Retired 60 Minutes Exec Finds It Hard to Walk Away:
"'I'm not trying to be an egomaniacal maniac, but look,' he said. 'I don't want to lower the temperature. Where the h*** do you go? What do you do that's going to be like this? What I've got to do is feed my soul.'
"
there is no graceful end game when you've been the quarterback your whole life.
Retired 60 Minutes Exec Finds It Hard to Walk Away:
"'I'm not trying to be an egomaniacal maniac, but look,' he said. 'I don't want to lower the temperature. Where the h*** do you go? What do you do that's going to be like this? What I've got to do is feed my soul.'
"
ZB shows what he thinks about school....
A few weeks ago, I took the boys to a local facilitiy that is part farm, part mueseum, part petting zoo, part playground....and free. Gotta love it! While we toured the school house, Zion and Grayson decided to plop down in the desks (a novelty for home schoolers, I guess....). Z instantly struck the pose of a bored schoolboy while Grayson assumed the role of mischief maker.
Jackson is eleven now. Had you told me twelve years ago that my life would turn around the crazy actions of three little boys, I would have called you a moron. I wasn't interested in children, I was out to change the world. Little did I know that my only hope of accomplishing the latter involved the former.
A few weeks ago, I took the boys to a local facilitiy that is part farm, part mueseum, part petting zoo, part playground....and free. Gotta love it! While we toured the school house, Zion and Grayson decided to plop down in the desks (a novelty for home schoolers, I guess....). Z instantly struck the pose of a bored schoolboy while Grayson assumed the role of mischief maker.
Jackson is eleven now. Had you told me twelve years ago that my life would turn around the crazy actions of three little boys, I would have called you a moron. I wasn't interested in children, I was out to change the world. Little did I know that my only hope of accomplishing the latter involved the former.
8.19.2004
Put the remote on the ground and step away from the television, Long Hair...
Pair of Michigan Teens Set World TV Watching Record - 52 Hours.
Pair of Michigan Teens Set World TV Watching Record - 52 Hours.
"The teens set up their television inside an International House of Pancakes restaurant because it is open 24 hours a day and the management was willing to participate. One boy's father said "He has to be good at something, this is just as well. He set a goal and reached it.Can you say 'the dumbing down of achievement'? I knew you could.
playa shoes...
There's always the last week before the event when you sort of rush around thinking "uh....what did I forget?". This morning I realized that I hadn't seen my playa shoes since we moved. After checking every obvious place and a few less-than-obvious, I gave up and headed to the thrift store, where I found a killer pair of hyperglossy blood red vinyl high top Nikes.
Last night I raced around looking for the perfect hat...$3 at WallyWorld. Ironically, the exact same hat that I took to (and destroyed at) Burning Man in 2002. You can read the overall story here (of the trip, not the hat). My shade structures have been delivered to our contact in Reno - thanks Fran and the crew at the kickingist outdoor store in the west.
There's always the last week before the event when you sort of rush around thinking "uh....what did I forget?". This morning I realized that I hadn't seen my playa shoes since we moved. After checking every obvious place and a few less-than-obvious, I gave up and headed to the thrift store, where I found a killer pair of hyperglossy blood red vinyl high top Nikes.
Last night I raced around looking for the perfect hat...$3 at WallyWorld. Ironically, the exact same hat that I took to (and destroyed at) Burning Man in 2002. You can read the overall story here (of the trip, not the hat). My shade structures have been delivered to our contact in Reno - thanks Fran and the crew at the kickingist outdoor store in the west.
8.18.2004
Well, I'm back.
Thirty days, more or less, unblogged. It was not a blogstunt, as some might have thought, geared to drive up the number of hits and start some sort of internet paranoia. It was time to pray, fast, prepare, and clear my head. Much of the thirty days were spent with the view above. It seems like blogging is a placebo for a cluttered noggin. I needed the straight stuff, not the false sense of having communicated.
Not connecting this way every day really spoke to me....it spoke to me that this is really not connecting at all. At the time when I stepped off the grid, about seventy people were reading this daily. For a writer, that's a warm fuzzy feeling. Seventy people peeking in to see what I did that day - read what I thought - communicate with me. Then I realized that if those seventy were all in a room and I walked in, I'd know about ten of them...and it felt rediculous.
To further illustrate the illusion of electronic community, an online tribe that I have been a part of for 2+ years - wonderful people with great hearts - took a very strange left turn through some sort of acidic relational swamp. That wasn't the weird part. All relationships do that at some point. The strange part here was that three days later it emerged back onto the road and the unspoken consensus arrived at was "let's pretend we never hit the ditch!". The speed with which we all tried to do a mental end run around what was clearly disfunction just reiterated to me how uncommunicative electronics can be. After a long time of thinking about it, I realized I was spending entirely too much time thinking about the goings-on of this group. I remain in contact with some of them - and haven't written any of them off by any means...but I am choosing to step away from the whole before I fall in. Pun intended.
All that being said, I'm glad to be back, and curious about you. Lurk if you must, but comment if you have it in you. I think I've readjusted my expectations of what community can be via the internet, so I promise not to expect too much, and I imagine you won't dissappoint me.
Much has happened in the last 30 days. Rather than give you a day by day, here are the high points.
- Met Loren Cunningham, director of Youth with a Mission. Amazing guy - he's one of only a handful of people who have been in every nation on the earth...a task that got a little tougher when the USSR went kaput.
- Bought a house and moved into it.
- Celebrated my 37th birthday.
- Began preparation in earnest for Burning Man.
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