July 30, 2008

So this is how I spent July 30th 2008
(there's a typo in the movie, I didn't realize it was already past midnight when I looked at the calendar, I really need to go to bed!)

how I spent July 31, 2008 from Matt Parks on Vimeo.

Pearl's new challenge

watch the video, it says it all
it's not the best video, but it works

Push up with Pearl from Matt Parks on Vimeo.

my top iPhone apps...

Whenever you meet someone who also has an iphone you can almost predict the flow of conversation. It usually starts off with a “how do you like it?” Followed by “how long have you had one?” (This is to size up one’s true commitment to Apple, were they crazy enough to by an original?) Then conversation turns to the new 3G phones, with the most important question of this verbal interchange finally taking place,

“What is your favorite application”

So to all my fellow iphone users out there, here is my answer to this very important question. My Favorite apps are, in no particular order:

AIM – don’t use it enough, but it’s still nice

Aurora Feint – Just got this one, Adam Hann loves it so it have to be good, something to do with breaking blocks.

The Bible – This App has multiple verses so I can finally have something other than the KJV

Box Office – not that I can afford to go the movies that often, it’s just nice knowing that if I was to go I’d know what was playing.

Exposure – links to my Flicker account, which mean I can show more pictures with more ease

Facebook – the basics of Internet relationship dynamics

Flashlight – get the one with the yellow light as it’s icon, it allows you to use different colors as your light!

iWant – you let it know what you want and it tells you where to go and get it!

More cowbell – enough said

iTunes remote – Another favorite of Adams – it controls your computers itunes, laziness wins once again!

Sudoku (free) – the word free is key, almost any game that is free is a good game

Twitterrific – stalking my friends has never been this easy!

WeatherBug – for those of us who like to see live satellite updates it’s a dream come true

But the best app by far was shown to me by the amazing John Wilkinson, the winner of this esteemed honor goes to none other than:

Shazam – Do you ever hear a song, wish you knew what it was call, well just pull out Shazam, put the phone near the source and with in seconds it will identify the song and (here’s the dangerous thing) link you to itunes so you can forever make this song your own.

Random question:

What is the weirdest thing one of your pets have tried to eat?

This morning I woke up to Captain trying to snatch a small sample bag of coffee. COFFEE, whole bean Starbucks, he’s definitely a coffee snob, only the best for him.

I cried yesterday…

In this season of life my thoughts have mainly centered around myself, then Pearl and then a couple on other people, but mainly myself. Selfish I know, but honest.

Questions about our future fill most of my days.
Questions as large as;
Where the heck does God want us and if He asked where would I say I wanted to be?

To as simple as “Where will we find a laptop and second car for life demands in the near future?”

These questions usually lead to a million other questions which lead to more which lead to some really exciting and scary conversations with Pearl.

But yesterday God sent a delightful gift, a nudge out of my own little world and into a glimpse of His beautiful work around us.

It all started almost a year ago as I was working on plans for a series we did in Saturate called “[dis]content”. The series focused on injustice issues that are happening around the world; asking some hard questions about us and our response to what’s happening.

This series started a now great friendship with Deb. She’s a young adult who is passionately and selflessly giving her life to those around her. She sees some of the huge injustices happening in our own back yard and has giving her life to making a difference.

Deb, does this through her leadership and love at Habitat for Humanity.
Shortly after meeting Deb I was plugged into a volunteer work day but more importantly into the vision she was casting.

Our work day came, we painted, and painted and painted some more (I love painting, NOT), but not by ourselves but with a delightful Dominican family. A mom, who was extremely pregnant and her sons, this was to be their home.

We worked, we left, no big deal.

Well yesterday her house was finished, she has now moved in and it was time to dedicate it. We where invited to celebrate with them.

It started with an amazing homemade Mexican meal, which true to Hispanic cultures involvement lots of food and lots of fun conversations. We meet some wonderfully amazing and great people just sitting around eating our rice, beans and other goodies.

The mix matched group of family, volunteers and Habitat employees finally made their way into the house where stories where shared of the work, the sweat, the tears, and the love.

It was an honor to observe this holy moment, this was a moment of grace, a moment of seeing what it means to love others, to see someone who just worked a day standing next to those who had worked months all for the purpose of giving this family a wonderful gift, a house, but more than a house a gift of love.

As I listened to the translator repeating, I cried, it was beautiful, it was holy, it was how I imaged God wants us to live

Deb - thanks for giving your life to something Great, you challenge me to live for more!

here's some thoughts about Czech

I wrote this last week sometime, but had not posted it. It's some of my thoughts from Czech.
_______________________________________________________
So I have been neglecting the blog for the last couple of days, well maybe even a couple of weeks now.

In a nutshell Czech was simply amazing. We had a wonderful time connecting with the local church, partnering with them in loving the students of their town and simply having fun together.

Here's my English class and their "American Smiles"

I have come to a place where I have lumped evangelism and discipleship into one really long process. Where if point “Z” is deeply knowing God, we then are all starting at different points through out the alphabet. With some farther along then others, some moving quickly through points and still others moving slower than molasses. Then somewhere between point “E” and “F” our faith moves into what Evangelicals like to call “saving” faith (which often means you can count them as “in” or “one of us”, a little sarcasm, sorry) yet we’re not done with point F we must still keep moving towards “Z”.

So with all that being said it was cool to see each student at camp making their own small steps toward “Z”.

Two students made it public that they had moved from point E to F, which is a huge deal in and of it self, but in Czech this is no small commitment, this step is often seen as a four year process if not more. So it was exciting to celebrate with them but it was equally exciting to see the individual steps being made by everyone, even the American students and myself.

I would say that getting over Czech has been harder then I expected, first because Jet Lag is simply kicking my butt. I’m now in this weird place where I want to sleep till 10 every morning and then around 8:30 I’m ready for bed.

But the main way that Czech is sticking with me is in my view of the culture around me. Some say this is normal, simply a case of “reverse culture shock” (this is where upon entering back into one’s native culture they reject it or condemn it in the comparison of the culture they where visiting).

I hope this is more then simply “reverse culture shock”!

Here's the class again, but with their "Czech smiles"

The thing that has been hitting me the hardest is the glaring examples of American’s (and my) incredible ability to be excessive and waste full.

I want to be less wasteful.

I want to figure out how to be a better steward of the natural resources God
has given us.

I want to stop feeding the cultural systems that push us farther along the waste continuum.

I want to eat normal portions of food (for my own health sake but also to avoid excess waste)

But when will I buy a bus ticket?

When will I actually be willing to part with my wonderful SUV?

When will I actually agree with Pearl and split a meal?

So theirs a couple of my reflections, more to come,

If you made it this far I didn’t mean to come across as bashing of American’s

I love America, I love Starbucks, I love SUV’s, I love big meals, I’m just trying to put things into perspective.

feelings put to a bad rhyme

I'm not a poet, nor try to be. But for some crazy reason this morning I woke up wanting to write one. So here's my thoughts of the last few weeks. To be honest the poem is quit bad but that's not the point.


To all those who follow my blog
Sorry for such a short log
The post have been few
Because we have so much new news

Jobs changing,
questions flying
Faith stretching,
hope trying

The Questions are many
The Questions are fierce
The Question are welcomed
The Questions are feared

Value has been doubted
Worth even questioned
God has felt shown
God has felt withdrawn

God is good
God is great
At least that’s what we say

Words and action
Faith and deeds
God help me to not be short on these

We walk with you
All the way through

We trust
We hope
And now we wait