really.... did that really happen?

Last night as Pearl and I arrived home from school we divided up what needed to be done so we could get to sleep as quickly as possible.  Since the temperature was below freezing Pearl took the inside chores and the more insulated of the two did the outside trash run (aka that’s me).

I walked down the side of the house, through our side gate, retrieved the first trash can and began my annoying wheel rumbling trek towards the street.  As I passed through our side gate I noticed some frozen water next to the house.

Humm? What could that be? I thought for a second, but then the cold snapped me back into reality and I continued on my way to the street.

I dropped the first can off and returned for the second, all the while still trying to figure out what the mysterious water was from. 

Now I was confused, and a little concerned.  The moon light reflected off the frozen stream, directing me back to it’s traveled course.  Eight feet of flow water about a foot from our wall, then a sharp right turn onto our wall, then a frozen mass of water about 3 feet up.  It was too far away from one of our stream pipes, so frozen condensation was out.  It also wasn’t near a faucet, so I couldn’t blame it on dripping pipes. 

I walked passed, letting my foot slip along it’s smooth frozen surface as I pondered it’s existence.

The second trash can was not as full or loud as I rolled it back towards the street.  As I sat the second can in it’s place a brilliant idea came to mind.

SMELL THE FROZEN MYSTERY

I eagerly walked back to my frozen pond of confusion, mapping it’s flow lines once again through the moon light.  After confirming it’s place of origin I moved my nose closer.  Got my face only inches way, placing my nose only a couple of hairs away.  Took a deep inhale analyzing the mixed aromas as they passed through my nasal cavities.

As the reality of what I was inhaling registered in my brain I jerked my head back, opened my eyes wide, and shouted

 

“Someone just pissed on my house!”

 

It's true I promise… I’m still laughing about it this morning. 

Here’s all that was remained after a little morning sun.

pictures on a tuesday... oh wait it's Sunday

Ok, So I know that it's not Tuesday, and yes I know that I did post this past Tuesday, but here's the thing I've had some of these pictures sitting on my computer since Wednesday and some since this morning and I just can't wait any longer, I've just gotta post them.

Here's the scoop (sorry in advance for the long post).

Wednesday - I went to a dear friends house to take some pictures of their family.  They recently became parents to an adorable little boy.  Their house is now a bundle of energy as they love and raise their 3 year old daughter as well as their now 3 week old son.  We took some pictures to capture this amazing time of life.

I love these guys deeply, I believe in them and the message of their lives and it was a huge honor to be able to bless them with a couple of pictures.

This morning (Sunday).  Pearl and I rolled out of the house at 6:59 am (not really, it was more like 7:03 but pre 7 am on a weekend sounds more dramatic!).  After a pit-stop at our local Starbucks, for a little but of heaven in a cup, we journeyed to north of Harrisburg.  Our destination was LCBC Harrisburg.  

LCBC is a local church in Lancaster that Pearl and I have committed almost 4 years of our lives to, it's a place like I've never experienced else where.  It's a community of people seeking Jesus and trying to figure out what it means to love him and love the world around them.  It's a church that's not about church but about people, hope, love, justice... sounds a lot like what Jesus was about.  I've seen this community love in amazing ways, and rally together to restore hope, justice and love across this globe.  Each weekend more and more people gravitate towards this, thus why Pearl and I where heading towards Harrisburg.

LCBC Lancaster is now almost 9000 people, that's alot!  They are running out of room, so they are now launching multi-sites where they copy what they are been doing in Lancaster, but now just closer to other people's homes.  So instead of driving an hour to get there, you can drive 15 minutes and get the same heart, quality, and purpose.  That allows more people to experience love, justice and hope, both at the multisite and also the empty seats that were created in Lancaster, it's a win win!

LCBC Harrisburg is quickly reaching a mile stone of being able to finally call a place home, no more trailers with equipment and set up teams!!  But as this dream approaches the reality of the lack of captured moments have became a reality as well, aka someone's not been taking pictures (hey, I like taking pictures, you got a need, I'm able to help.... hummm sounds like common sense to me).  Some of our friends called, told us what was needed, so we went.  so almost 7 hours, 1,500 pictures, and 114 miles of driving we made it back home. After a nap, we edited down to about 300 great shots, here are my personal favorites.

Hope you guys enjoy these shots, but I also hope you have had a truly wonderful weekend.  That you have found the rest needed, the fun longed for, and that you can face a new week with a smile that can't be beat down and a song in your chest that puts a little extra skip in your step.

Peace out from a southern boy, living in the north who's trying to love Jesus, people, and life!

grace and peace

early morning miscommunication

Here’s a of simple thought for this morning.

Are we all insecure in some way? Are we acting out of our insecurities, while misreading others insecurities based actions?

How many miscommunications have taken place because we fear ourselves or others and therefore really never honestly communicate?

All this comes form a early morning conversation with a friend who’s trying to figure out what her boyfriend is doing… all the while I wonder if he’s trying desperately to figure her out.

Pictures on a Tuesday... a day late again

This week was a good week.  This week's pictures include some some fun shots around the house, including a random shot of our lamp, some of the cutest Coonhound in the north, some blooming tea (Pearl's V-day gifts), some breakfast shots from our Valentine breakfast and some shots from a walk in the park.

a bus ride, a conversation, priceless

I’m sitting at A&M pizza, about to meet up with the some friends to do some Baby pictures.  But as you probably know by this point Pearl and I have only one car.  We live in Lancaster City, A&M pizza is in Manheim, Pearl’s at work… I’ll let your cognitive skills kick in and realize that I either just did a really long walk or I had a longer bus ride then normal.  I’m lazy, it’s raining/snowing, and my bags (camera/laptop) are not that comfortable… so the bus was my answer.

It was my longest ride yet, about an hour.

But for most of the trip I was the only one on the bus. 

The driver.  Me.  No one else (this could get awkward) 

I was going to read but I couldn’t pass up such a prime opportunity to get to know someone.  His name was John.  He’s from Long Island NY, moved to Lancaster about 20 years ago, started driving the bus only as a temporary job, but here he is now, twenty years later, driving a bus and talking with me.

It was a lot of small talk, how did he get here, how I got here, I’m in Grad school oh’ his daughter is about to graduate and wants to go to grad school, so on and so on.

Nothing huge… until… I went to get off.

As I was reloading all my bags, coats (yes, coat[S] one fleece, one wind breaker) back on and he paused, turned to me, looked me square in the eyes and sincerely said thanks for taking the time to talk and that he really enjoyed it.

I stepped off the bus onto a wet sidewalk, breathed deep the moist crisp air, and as the chill of winter air ran down my lungs and circled around my blood something seemed to click, a little extra life seemed to come alive in me.

Now after a little bit of reflection I’ll call that little snap of extra life a small reminder of being human, of seeing the value in someone else, of seeing the amazing stories worth sharing, of taking the time to (even for a short bus ride) to say with your ears “you’re worth knowing, your life is worth my time to hear about”

This makes me wonder when the last time John had a conversation with a rider.

Makes me wonder when was the last time a lot of us had a conversation with someone else, some one who didn’t have to, but still wanted to.

I deeply believe that we are all created in the image of God, that God has installed value in each human, and that because of that value YOU are worth knowing and loving.

So may we, in our own unique way, figure out how to acknowledge that value, in us and in those around us.

Maybe it’s a hug, may be it’s just a passing smile, may be it’s a free cup of coffee, may it’s…. you guys are creative so I’ll let you figure out what it is for you.

You’re worth knowing, you are valuable!

tired...

I am so tired today.

Let's just say my addictive personality has been fully released into an embarrassing amount of wasted time. 

The culprit of this costly expense? (I'm embarrassed to even write this)  is NinjaKiwi - bloon 3

It's like crack on the internet.  You start with one innocent little game and the next thing you know you and your wife have spent hours playing this stupid game.  You find yourself playing it on your breaks at work (mainly because everyone at works also playing and you've got to be better then them) and even staying up way past your bed time in pursuit of just one more defeated round of "BLOONS!"

So in the fun nature of this blog... "hey, My name is Matt and I'm addicted to bloons 3"

Voice recognition software

I was able to get a copy of a fairly expense voice recognition software through work.  I installed it tonight, and let's just say I don't think I'm giving up typing anytime soon.

here's what my ABC's looked like.

 "a be see DE Ave. GH I JKL am in oh PQ are as tea you the belly you ask why is the"

Swords…

This morning I read the story about how Jesus was seized in the Garden of Gethsemane.  How he somehow knew it was coming, went to the garden to have a heart to heart with God, and then when the seize began how he vigorously fought back. How the men coming to grab him where beaten with in an inch of their life; how they could not even get close to him to touch him due to the fact that he pulled out his “mad bow skills and combined them with his Xmen kick-buttness” and saved the day. 

Not really

It was more like an anticlimactic breakup.  Where the two parties look at each other, knowing what’s coming and just said “let’s get this over with.”

Jesus knew what was coming, he knew what this would lead to, and he still graciously and nonviolently walked into it.

But not those in his company.

He embodied all their dreams, they where interpreting (wrongly, might I add) years of writings into this man thinking he would be a military leader for the “kingdom of God” aka the “kingdom of Israel.”  They had dedicated the last 3 years of their life to this man.

Dreams, hopes, desires… crushed.

So one man grab a sword and started swinging.  In his madness he managed to miss a guy's head but delicately slivered off his ear (skill? No, just bad aim) 

The blood hits the ground.  Time freezes. The tension is thick, the next move will determine between a blood bath or something else.

Jesus speaks into the craziness.

“live by the sword…die by the sword”

 

In essence I hear Jesus saying, “I know what I’m doing, trust me, your ill aimed violence will not accomplish anything, trust me, not your sword”

Today he might say “Trust me not your….

… quick wittedness

… temper

… dominating presence

… skills

… looks

… bank account

… sheer will

…        "

I don’t carry a actual sword around with me (anymore), but I do carry other things I trust in, but may I learn to live not by ______ but by Jesus.

“live by the _______ …. Die by the _________”

 

Live by Jesus…. Live by Jesus

Pictures on a Tuesday... actually on a Tuesday

Here's some more pictures on a Tuesday.  

Just in case you haven't caught on by now, I'm trying to push myself to take pictures each week, then post my favorites (it was actually a new years resolution, yeah baby I'm still doing at least one of those resolutions!)

We had some good friends come over this past Sunday and after we had done enough of this thing called "talking" I pulled out my camera asked if we could have some fun.  They of course looked at me with that weird look of "what are you doing..." but then started laughing as their daughter started to "perform" her mad eating/crawling/talking skills for the camera.

It was a fun evening

And then of course we caught Zuri in a couple of shots.

Have a great week... See you next Tuesday

I still don't get it...

I’m still reading through the Book of “Matthew.”  I’m walking through the chapters that discuss the return of God’s kingdom; The wheat and weeds, the good and bad, the casting out into “utter darkness”, virgins and lamps and the like and I’ve got to be honest about something.  

Even through my major in college was directed towards understanding and applying the Bible, even through I’ve been around biblical teachings for 25 years, even though I’ve professionally taught the Bible for 3 years, even though I’m now working on a master degree in Theology, even with all that….

I still don’t get it.

I wish I did, but I don't.

I mean I can parrot back to you what I’ve heard others say, what I’ve heard quote unquote “experts” says. (I know I didn’t need to write quote unquote, I just thought it added to the “effect”) But I can’t say with all honesty that I’m a hundred percent convinced of what all these words mean.

But in the midst of all my unknown, my questions, my uncertainty, I do know…

God is good…

God deeply cares for mankind…

It pisses God off when he see’s the brokenness of this world…

He’s going to fit it all…

 

And

 

He’s invited us to be apart of that fixing

 

So for what the future holds I’m clueless, but I do know with certainty I long to love God and love others.  And if I can just get that “figured out” (quote unquote) I’m sure the rest will work its self out.

 

So here’s to figuring out the simple things… Love God, Love others

(quote unquote)