1.31.2005
1.29.2005
Definetly worth the read.....these two area a quote a minute.
CNN.com - Twins celebrate 100th birthdays - Jan 29, 2005: "They haven't made any plans for their 101st birthday yet, they said.
'We don't know if we'll still be alive then,' Gaellstedt said. 'We may fall down dead tomorrow.'"
CNN.com - Twins celebrate 100th birthdays - Jan 29, 2005: "They haven't made any plans for their 101st birthday yet, they said.
'We don't know if we'll still be alive then,' Gaellstedt said. 'We may fall down dead tomorrow.'"
waiting, waiting, waiting...
I'm sitting at the Cincinnati airport, anticipating that my flight may be cancelled. I was originally booked direct back to Baltimore (easier to reach from our place than Dulles or Reagan) but an ice storm on the eastern seaboard has given me an interest in flying to the TriCities in TN to help Kels drive back tomorrow. Now snow here may scuttle all that....flight has already been delayed once, but hopefully I'll get out of here in an hour or so.
Had a good weekend w/Sjogrens - wish I could have eeked out another day or so to drink coffee and fiddle with ideas. Steve is an ideameister. I like that.
Tomorrow we'll drive back to DC, try to gather our wits on Monday, and then rally the activists for a few days before we converge on Nashville with them, convoy style.
Sorry if my blogs have consisted mostly of logistics lately...it seems to be what I'm thinking about a lot. Where am I? Where am I supposed to be? Do I have the keys to the truck? Where is my mail? Are these socks clean or dirty?
I'm sitting at the Cincinnati airport, anticipating that my flight may be cancelled. I was originally booked direct back to Baltimore (easier to reach from our place than Dulles or Reagan) but an ice storm on the eastern seaboard has given me an interest in flying to the TriCities in TN to help Kels drive back tomorrow. Now snow here may scuttle all that....flight has already been delayed once, but hopefully I'll get out of here in an hour or so.
Had a good weekend w/Sjogrens - wish I could have eeked out another day or so to drink coffee and fiddle with ideas. Steve is an ideameister. I like that.
Tomorrow we'll drive back to DC, try to gather our wits on Monday, and then rally the activists for a few days before we converge on Nashville with them, convoy style.
Sorry if my blogs have consisted mostly of logistics lately...it seems to be what I'm thinking about a lot. Where am I? Where am I supposed to be? Do I have the keys to the truck? Where is my mail? Are these socks clean or dirty?
1.28.2005
Rules or no rules, this has lawsuit written all over it.
Suburban snowball fight aims for Guinness record : "Sal Saccomanno expects to find himself standing in a Wauconda park surrounded by at least 3,000 antsy people armed with snowballs. He can't wait -- after all, it's not every day you see a world record set right before your eyes."
Suburban snowball fight aims for Guinness record : "Sal Saccomanno expects to find himself standing in a Wauconda park surrounded by at least 3,000 antsy people armed with snowballs. He can't wait -- after all, it's not every day you see a world record set right before your eyes."
It was good to bounce around VCC offices today, where I was able to gab for a while with Donna "Cool Even When She Doesn't Try" Hern, Pamela Lucas (who no longer works for me, although I refuse to acknowledge it directly), Allan Fuller and others.
The Intensive started about 6 pm, with 140 guests from across the US. Steve taught the bulk of tonight while I fiddled with playlists for the break and operating the coffee machines. I taught the last portion and will do a greater portion tomorrow.
Hanging out with Steve and Janie tonight reiterated to me how much I miss being with them. I can trace a number of my 'finest moments' to conversations with Steve that ended with a sort of "I dare ya" from Steve. He has encouraged me into some of my favorite predicaments.
Oh yes - Sjogrens have a new addition to their family - Cocoa, a dog about the size of a pair of socks. They literally can't allow the dog out at night or the owls will get it. What sort of a dog is owl bait?!?!
The Intensive started about 6 pm, with 140 guests from across the US. Steve taught the bulk of tonight while I fiddled with playlists for the break and operating the coffee machines. I taught the last portion and will do a greater portion tomorrow.
Hanging out with Steve and Janie tonight reiterated to me how much I miss being with them. I can trace a number of my 'finest moments' to conversations with Steve that ended with a sort of "I dare ya" from Steve. He has encouraged me into some of my favorite predicaments.
Oh yes - Sjogrens have a new addition to their family - Cocoa, a dog about the size of a pair of socks. They literally can't allow the dog out at night or the owls will get it. What sort of a dog is owl bait?!?!
Thanks to the Jack Rabbit, I know to tell you that G I F T I N G I T: A Burning Embrace of Gift Economy is going to be shown - apparantly over and over and over - on Free Speech TV. If you manage to snag that channel, watch for it. Our 2000 Burning Man exploits were covered (albeit briefly!) in the film. I am the sunburned, bald one pontificating in the lawn chair.
1.27.2005
Just got back from the Supreme Court steps...never ceases to amaze me how people will try and enter into debate with someone who has red tape over their mouth. Must be the word LIFE scrawled on the tape that sets them off. It's such a controversial word....life.
I'm wheels up early tomorrow morning for Cincinnati, where Senior Sjogren has wooed me with promises of hot coffee. We're teaching an Intensive together. I'm excited to spend some time with him - he's been such a rich resource and good friend.
I'm wheels up early tomorrow morning for Cincinnati, where Senior Sjogren has wooed me with promises of hot coffee. We're teaching an Intensive together. I'm excited to spend some time with him - he's been such a rich resource and good friend.
1.24.2005
Yahoo! News - Top Stories Photos - AP
Well, we're in Washington. Check the link, and yahoo for Yahoo. Props to camps in Cinci and Houston who did the same.
1.19.2005
1.18.2005
ever had one of those moments?
Ever been sitting in the back of the conference, way in the back row at the top of the balcony with your laptop because the conference has turned into the Conference That Would Not End and you're tired and every corner of your introverted soul is crying out for your own personal Starbucks franchise and you're wondering what in God's name you have done and are doing and does anyone even know and if they did, would it matter at all when the music drops low and Jason Upton tells this funky little story about his son Samuel, telling the story the way he does so when it's over you wonder if he's even got a clue what the story was really about, and God says KA-WHAM! "I made you and I named you and you have always been Mine."
Hope you have a good day and get a shower. Let the reader understand.
Ever been sitting in the back of the conference, way in the back row at the top of the balcony with your laptop because the conference has turned into the Conference That Would Not End and you're tired and every corner of your introverted soul is crying out for your own personal Starbucks franchise and you're wondering what in God's name you have done and are doing and does anyone even know and if they did, would it matter at all when the music drops low and Jason Upton tells this funky little story about his son Samuel, telling the story the way he does so when it's over you wonder if he's even got a clue what the story was really about, and God says KA-WHAM! "I made you and I named you and you have always been Mine."
Hope you have a good day and get a shower. Let the reader understand.
1.14.2005
1.12.2005
Written Tues AM, posted when I get near the web...
Yesterday was an intense work day – I joined 8 others in the office on Capitol Hill while Kelsey, Paul and Cheryl stayed at Camp Bennett and led a crew in cleanup. I think it is wholly accurate to say that Camp Bennett had not seen this sort of activity in quite some time. The office team was going to work until about 7 pm (to leave at 5 pm is to sentence yourself to automotive purgatory) so rather than stay that long, I walked to the train station at 4 pm and rode to the end of the line, where I had Adam and Ashley – two of our prayer activists – pick me up and drive me on out to the camp.
My five block walk to the train station took be between the Supreme Court building and the Capitol....a sidewalk punctuated by serious looking people with sharp features, Blackberries in one hand and cell phones in the other. At one point I heard one say “well, we only had about 10 minutes with the senator but I am convinced he heard what we were saying.” I felt like asking if anyone knew Martin Sheen.
During the day, Kels and Cheryl took a foray to Sam’s Club in Gaithersburg. Gaithersburg takes about an hour to drive to and 30 minutes to drive home from. I know that makes no sense, but having done the same thing with Paul, I have a high amount of grace around the whole ordeal. They returned home with an SUV and minivan full of groceries to last the 40+ of us until the weekend. The official cook arrives in a few days and for this we all say “even so, come quickly” as it will alleviate a lot of headache for Kels and Cheryl.
I’m learning that time alone is hard to find around here. Both Paul and I have taken to getting up early and finding a quiet place for prayer. I have staked out the hallway just outside our fishbowl. He started in the broom closet but moved to the gymnasium, which lacks a certain ambiance but more than makes up for it with a lack of arachnids.
Well, time to go shift the laundry before putting out breakfast for the crew. Today I’m staying at camp to get some things done here. I’ll appreciate the time with my family and the 2 hrs saved in commuting.
Yesterday was an intense work day – I joined 8 others in the office on Capitol Hill while Kelsey, Paul and Cheryl stayed at Camp Bennett and led a crew in cleanup. I think it is wholly accurate to say that Camp Bennett had not seen this sort of activity in quite some time. The office team was going to work until about 7 pm (to leave at 5 pm is to sentence yourself to automotive purgatory) so rather than stay that long, I walked to the train station at 4 pm and rode to the end of the line, where I had Adam and Ashley – two of our prayer activists – pick me up and drive me on out to the camp.
My five block walk to the train station took be between the Supreme Court building and the Capitol....a sidewalk punctuated by serious looking people with sharp features, Blackberries in one hand and cell phones in the other. At one point I heard one say “well, we only had about 10 minutes with the senator but I am convinced he heard what we were saying.” I felt like asking if anyone knew Martin Sheen.
During the day, Kels and Cheryl took a foray to Sam’s Club in Gaithersburg. Gaithersburg takes about an hour to drive to and 30 minutes to drive home from. I know that makes no sense, but having done the same thing with Paul, I have a high amount of grace around the whole ordeal. They returned home with an SUV and minivan full of groceries to last the 40+ of us until the weekend. The official cook arrives in a few days and for this we all say “even so, come quickly” as it will alleviate a lot of headache for Kels and Cheryl.
I’m learning that time alone is hard to find around here. Both Paul and I have taken to getting up early and finding a quiet place for prayer. I have staked out the hallway just outside our fishbowl. He started in the broom closet but moved to the gymnasium, which lacks a certain ambiance but more than makes up for it with a lack of arachnids.
Well, time to go shift the laundry before putting out breakfast for the crew. Today I’m staying at camp to get some things done here. I’ll appreciate the time with my family and the 2 hrs saved in commuting.
1.07.2005
Good evening, dear friends...
I write this by the light of the my iBook monitor, enjoying Miranda Stone in my headphones and a few moments of the only downtime I’ve had in at least a week. For a notorious introvert, it’s been a wild time...I’ll try and be brief, but it takes a little explaining! :)
Many of you know we recently committed to directing the Justice Internship and House of Prayer with Lou Engle in Washington, DC. Along with our friends, Paul and Cheryl Amabile, we are taking our missionary journey to the nation’s capitol, to a prayer room within eyesight of the Capitol rotunda to make governmental intercession on behalf of our nation, particularly surrounding the issue of the life of the unborn children.
We worked a booth for The Cause / Justice House of Prayer at the OneThing conference the last four days of ‘04, and on New Years Day we finished loading our truck and headed east. With a truck, an SUV, a van, four adults and nine children, we made our way to Cincinnati where we enjoyed a service at the Cincinnati House of Prayer. As always, it was good to be with friends. Thanks to CHOP for being such a home for us.
Our target was Camp Bennett in Brookeville, MD, where we are to base for two or three months until The Farm, a rented property closer to DC, is available. We were all tentative as we rolled in – not sure what our living conditions would be like. Never in our wildest imaginations did we expect this....after surveying every building on the campground (which features 2 emus and some very vicious looking goats), Kelsey and Cheryl announced the only place fit for raising children was the foyer of the gymnasium. Yes, the foyer.
As foyers goes, it is nice – maybe 20x40 with three very large plate glass windows (we quickly dubbed it The Fishbowl), a counter along one wall, and a 10x40 loft. After scrubbing it clean, we hauled in beds for our three children and their six, then another four for us adults. Yes, it looks like a barracks. From the outside, it looks like the front of the gym, causing a number of confusing situations for ball players who, thinking they were entering the gym, entered our living space instead. Lou Engle inadvertently walked in this afternoon and said “Hey! This is your HOUSE!” For the next while, he’s right. And in this fishbowl we all live - Randy, Kelsey, Jackson, Grayson, Zion, Paul, Cheryl, Andrea, Brooke, Isaac, Allison, Hannah and James. Coordinating bedtimes with kids ages 15 to 3 and one light switch has been an interesting activity!
Tomorrow we’re all heading into the city, where I’ll be able to send this email. Camp Bennett does have emus, but it doesn’t have email. Our kids are excited to see the Justice House of Prayer and Capitol Hill. We’re excited to get to work, make a few deposits and set up a post office box. The office is being staffed now by a few interns, but we expect 100+ to arrive in a week. We will house them temporarily at Camp Bennett with the rest of us, then move to the Farm at the end of February.
We look forward to teaching and leading the interns, along with standing on the steps of the Supreme Court in prayer for the unborn that are targeted for abortions. A few weeks ago one of our guys was there praying as he is every day when we has approached by a couple with tears in their eyes. They said “Thank you for what you’re doing” and pointed to their own beautiful five year old girl. The went on to say “Five years ago, we considered aborting her...and now she’s the richest thing we have in life.”
We love you all.
Life....
Randy & Kelsey
I write this by the light of the my iBook monitor, enjoying Miranda Stone in my headphones and a few moments of the only downtime I’ve had in at least a week. For a notorious introvert, it’s been a wild time...I’ll try and be brief, but it takes a little explaining! :)
Many of you know we recently committed to directing the Justice Internship and House of Prayer with Lou Engle in Washington, DC. Along with our friends, Paul and Cheryl Amabile, we are taking our missionary journey to the nation’s capitol, to a prayer room within eyesight of the Capitol rotunda to make governmental intercession on behalf of our nation, particularly surrounding the issue of the life of the unborn children.
We worked a booth for The Cause / Justice House of Prayer at the OneThing conference the last four days of ‘04, and on New Years Day we finished loading our truck and headed east. With a truck, an SUV, a van, four adults and nine children, we made our way to Cincinnati where we enjoyed a service at the Cincinnati House of Prayer. As always, it was good to be with friends. Thanks to CHOP for being such a home for us.
Our target was Camp Bennett in Brookeville, MD, where we are to base for two or three months until The Farm, a rented property closer to DC, is available. We were all tentative as we rolled in – not sure what our living conditions would be like. Never in our wildest imaginations did we expect this....after surveying every building on the campground (which features 2 emus and some very vicious looking goats), Kelsey and Cheryl announced the only place fit for raising children was the foyer of the gymnasium. Yes, the foyer.
As foyers goes, it is nice – maybe 20x40 with three very large plate glass windows (we quickly dubbed it The Fishbowl), a counter along one wall, and a 10x40 loft. After scrubbing it clean, we hauled in beds for our three children and their six, then another four for us adults. Yes, it looks like a barracks. From the outside, it looks like the front of the gym, causing a number of confusing situations for ball players who, thinking they were entering the gym, entered our living space instead. Lou Engle inadvertently walked in this afternoon and said “Hey! This is your HOUSE!” For the next while, he’s right. And in this fishbowl we all live - Randy, Kelsey, Jackson, Grayson, Zion, Paul, Cheryl, Andrea, Brooke, Isaac, Allison, Hannah and James. Coordinating bedtimes with kids ages 15 to 3 and one light switch has been an interesting activity!
Tomorrow we’re all heading into the city, where I’ll be able to send this email. Camp Bennett does have emus, but it doesn’t have email. Our kids are excited to see the Justice House of Prayer and Capitol Hill. We’re excited to get to work, make a few deposits and set up a post office box. The office is being staffed now by a few interns, but we expect 100+ to arrive in a week. We will house them temporarily at Camp Bennett with the rest of us, then move to the Farm at the end of February.
We look forward to teaching and leading the interns, along with standing on the steps of the Supreme Court in prayer for the unborn that are targeted for abortions. A few weeks ago one of our guys was there praying as he is every day when we has approached by a couple with tears in their eyes. They said “Thank you for what you’re doing” and pointed to their own beautiful five year old girl. The went on to say “Five years ago, we considered aborting her...and now she’s the richest thing we have in life.”
We love you all.
Life....
Randy & Kelsey
1.03.2005
Stuff I learned today
1) When you're really tired, the whole family can sleep 'till 9 AM.
2) The Gap Outlet is at the Hebron exit. And the next exit is 2 miles down the road.
3) A five way and a cheese coney are best experienced at the Clifton location. Parking in the back, don't forget your card.
4) Everything takes longer with four adults and nine children. And the single gal who drove like crazy to join your caravan will bail and drive on without you when she gets a good look at the chaos. (We love you, Noella!)
5) Much of what you hear on NASCAR broadcasts can be applied to driving a Penske truck...the restrictor plate garbage, drafting, etc. When driving one of these babies, momentum is your best buddy. And it is possible to average over 65 for 3 hrs, but it takes a little planning, a strong bladder and some dumb luck on the hills.
Tomorrow, we invade the Capitol.
1) When you're really tired, the whole family can sleep 'till 9 AM.
2) The Gap Outlet is at the Hebron exit. And the next exit is 2 miles down the road.
3) A five way and a cheese coney are best experienced at the Clifton location. Parking in the back, don't forget your card.
4) Everything takes longer with four adults and nine children. And the single gal who drove like crazy to join your caravan will bail and drive on without you when she gets a good look at the chaos. (We love you, Noella!)
5) Much of what you hear on NASCAR broadcasts can be applied to driving a Penske truck...the restrictor plate garbage, drafting, etc. When driving one of these babies, momentum is your best buddy. And it is possible to average over 65 for 3 hrs, but it takes a little planning, a strong bladder and some dumb luck on the hills.
Tomorrow, we invade the Capitol.
1.02.2005
another day on the road
We drove hard today and arrived in Cincinnati about forty five minutes before the scheduled start of our service at the Cincinnati House of Prayer. Being here does my heart good. We rolled in tired and drained, and God managed to show up anyway. I shared the vision and did MC duties, Cheryl did a great original song, Paul did some prophetic ministry, and Kelsey flat preached. The last few times we've been on the road, she's preached more (and better!) than I have by far. I am excited about what God's doing in and through her.
It is good to be among good friends. Holed up in a house with all of them - including Noella Kim, another IHOPer-turning-JHOPer - feels right. Tomorrow we rest before pressing on to DC.
It's a time of the unknown. The kids are on pins and needles; wondering what to expect in DC. I'm not far behind them. This is the marginal loony fringe that we're on....and if it weren't for a sense of calling, I'd be crying. It's harder to watch my kids process the move than it is to process it myself.
We drove hard today and arrived in Cincinnati about forty five minutes before the scheduled start of our service at the Cincinnati House of Prayer. Being here does my heart good. We rolled in tired and drained, and God managed to show up anyway. I shared the vision and did MC duties, Cheryl did a great original song, Paul did some prophetic ministry, and Kelsey flat preached. The last few times we've been on the road, she's preached more (and better!) than I have by far. I am excited about what God's doing in and through her.
It is good to be among good friends. Holed up in a house with all of them - including Noella Kim, another IHOPer-turning-JHOPer - feels right. Tomorrow we rest before pressing on to DC.
It's a time of the unknown. The kids are on pins and needles; wondering what to expect in DC. I'm not far behind them. This is the marginal loony fringe that we're on....and if it weren't for a sense of calling, I'd be crying. It's harder to watch my kids process the move than it is to process it myself.
We finally left about 6 pm...four adults and nine kids in a van, an SUV and a Penske truck...gypsies with cell phones. We found the truck can track an easy 65 and hit 70 on the flats, which makes for decent travel. It's late now and we're chilling at a hotel in anticipation of a longer drive tomorrow....
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