12.27.2011

Today's musings


What I learned from the Gospel of Matthew this morning:

- There is something more important than a temple (12:5)
- Anytime is a good time to heal, pray and be with someone (12:11)
- We have to decide whether we will have a good tree with good fruit or a bad tree with bad fruit (12:33)
- My words will acquit or condemn me (12:37)
- Beware of the dangers of spiritual emptiness!! (12:43-45)
- Have good soil. Digest, understand, cultivate and my production will be multiplied! (13:1-23)
- Peter let the littlest thing rattle him while on the water. Jesus never wavered. Just stay focuesed on Him and you wont' either. (14:22-33)
- Jesus tells us things hidden from the world in his parables. The question is: Are we listening? (13:35)

Sometimes you just gotta read the Bible. The place to go for answers. The book to read for entertainment. The document to buff up your history knowledge. The source of life!

Until next time, live today full of joy, love and courage. You have a partner in crime!

12.26.2011

2011 Year in Review

It's that time again, folks! Time to fill in the blanks from 2011 that went unblogged and time to recap some events that you may have already read about. Either away, join me on the 2011 year in review journey! Ready? GO!

January - kicked off the year in style with Molly and Will, had visitors Jamie and Chris (Black Butte, Neskowin, whirlwind-heck-of-a-good-time)and went to watch my mighty Ducks play not so mighty in the National Championship game. Worst day of my life.
February - and so begins my travels to DC for the "Dealer Academy" and the death of our favorite Portland restaurant, Belly. Son of a!
March - 2 major events: our 1st anniversary, which we celebrated on Maui! And Jamie's 21er, which was celebrated in the South, as it should be.
April - Alex to DC again, fun outings to the Tulip Festival, wine tasting, and being jealous of my Dad, who spent a week in Augusta for the Masters.
May - I was featured in the Statesman Journal "Young Professionals" section, and spent a wild weekend with college friends in Palm Springs for a bachelor party. Wild being golf, dinners out, and laying by the pool. Pretty crazy, huh?
June - DC, again, after another Bachelor party, this time in San Diego. June also saw the beginning of 5 weeks with Jamie, which took us to Seattle (Mariners and oysters!), Black Butte (hiking!) and lots of Portland! We polished it off with a Mary Poppins show with Mom...all in all, one of the better months of the year!
July - 4th of July in Neskowin, the happiest place on earth, and let's be honest - the real highlight of the year - the VICTORY at the Oregon Best Ball!!!
August - DC, for the 4th time, but this time was able to pair that trip with a trip to Georgia for a week. We got to go to Chris's lake house, the PGA championship, and spend much needed quality time in the humidity. Upon returning, I was in one of my best friend's wedding, which turned out to be an incredibly great weekend spent with great friends!
September - the return of the Oregon Football Season, a quick trip to Salishan for Ashley and I, and the start of Ashley's teaching career in Salem!
October - busiest month of the year! DC for me, planning and executing our 1st Annual Wine to Water fundraiser, a trip to Ruby Springs, and the grand opening of our brand new Toyota store. And the major highlight was the arrival of our new puppy, RUBY!!!
November - really highlighted by a trip to Oxford and Thanksgiving in Georgia. I wore shorts. You don't do that in Oregon at Thanksgiving.
December - sprinting to the end of the year, we had the final trip to DC, which Ashley and family were able to attend. Couple that with the 2nd Annual Ornament Exchange and many other parties, we find ourselves a bit exhausted but hopeful for a great 2012.

Lessons learned: love a lot, live a lot, travel often, and appreciate home!

Until next time, happy new year and blessings to you for the upcoming year!

12.17.2011

Meet Bob


I have a new friend and his name is Bob. I always admired him from a distance through stories I'd heard about him and from things he has written. But then I got to meet him. It took flying all the way to the East Coast (Washington DC) but by chance we met. He has a wild story, but in the end all he cares about is loving people like crazy. Bob inspires me to love better, to love more freely, and to do strange things for love. Here is what he has to say about it:

"I understand more about my faith when I think about my plane that leaks oil. We were made to leak as well; we were made to leak Jesus. We’re the ones who are supposed to love each other extravagantly, spontaneously, not just on Wednesday nights or Sunday mornings. And when we do, people might look at us a little funny, like there’s something wrong with us. But there isn’t. It’s what we were made to do. When we love each other extravagantly, our love gets on everybody and everything.

I know when I’m fearful, stressed out, distracted or hedging too. In those times, it feels like I’ve run out of love and what I notice always happens first, is that I stop leaking. My love isn’t as messy or spontaneous anymore. It doesn’t get on anything. It comes across as painfully polite, merely pleasant, barely tolerant, it’s somewhere in the mid-range rather that an explosion from a big engine and lots of blue smoke. When I stop leaking, I’m reminded that I’m not living the way I was designed to from the factory."

I love that statement that at times our love can come across as "painfully polite, mearly pleasant, barely tolerant". As Bob puts it, we are made to surprise people, do extravagant things, and go out of our way for love. That kind of makes life a little more exciting doesn't it? We get to think of ways to love people, whether they like it or not!

What can you do today to love someone like you've never loved them before? Until next time, meet Bob here and get creative in love!