One day...

I was thinking today about some goals I'd like to achieve in the remaining months of this year, and one of them was to blog more regularly. I was thinking about Zoomtard and how it is the hit blog amongst young Irish evangelicals, and it's very well written and often pithy and witty, but some of the conclusions he draws I really have some reservations about, and I'd love to be another voice that is able to contribute to the thought life of that crowd... but then I thought of how much I suck at keeping self imposed deadlines.
I had a great chat with an acquaintance of mine last thursday about how we are totally able to perform well when there is a schedule to follow that other people are depending on you to complete, but when it's just extra curricular activities we rarely get around to doing them at all. And we agreed that it causes a lot of extra strain on our closest relationships because we are like that. So i'd like to grow out of it one day.

but speaking of deadlines, I have to have a sermon prepared to preach tomorrow morning and I would be a lot better off re-writing my outline than writing this blog.

I only ever write blogs when I am procrastinating...

...and today is no exception. I've got to get some notes hammered out for tomorrow morning, but instead I'm updating this thing.

I leave to go to the States next Thursday. I'm actually looking forward to it a bunch. My circle of friends is growing smaller and smaller, due to people moving away and also to my inability to keep in touch with people, but I still think it's going to be great to spend some time in Fallbrook. My family has been meaning more and more to me lately. On Christmas I phoned my mom 4 times I think. And I really am coming to respect my parents a lot in the past years. Having a three year old who is growing up without his grandma and grandpa around makes me think about them a lot. They really love Eoin so much and I am sorry that they don't get to see more of each other. So I'm looking forward to that.

I'm also looking forward to just going to church. I am definitely preaching one Sunday at CC Fallbrook, but apart from that I don't have anything else booked. Now, likely I'll end up preaching much more than once the whole time I'm there, but I know that for at least Easter Sunday and probably Palm Sunday I'm not going to be teaching, which means that I'll get to wake up, get dressed, get everyone ready and then just drive to church. I don't have to set up chairs or make sure the powerpoint is working right, don't have to coordinate anything with the worship team, don't have to make sure tea and coffee is set up, don't need to prepare the communion stuff, don't need to worry about the sermon... I'll just get to show up and attend church. I'll get to meet people and sing with people and enjoy sitting under the teaching of God's word. I very rarely get to just attend church and I'm really looking forward to it.

Rachel is gonna get one of her tattoos coloured in, and that's cool. I might get something done while I'm over there, I've got some ideas that I've been kicking around, but now that Clay has his gun I might just let him zap me.

I'm gonna buy some new shoes and eat tons of mexican food. I might even buy myself a pair of reading glasses. I'm gonna drink tons of cream soda and maybe even catch a hardcore show for old time's sake. But mostly I'm lookin forward to sittin on my parents front porch and watch eoin run around and play with the dogs and spending time with my family. The family that I was so ungrateful for for so many years. I'm looking forward to seeing them again.

Credo

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This Wednesday night I'm starting a series on the Apostle's Creed. I am really really looking forward to it, I don't think I've been this enthusiastic about a new series in a long time. Tomorrow morning I'm teaching 1st Corinthians 7, which is pretty complicated.
I've got some blog ideas written down in my journal. One of these days I'll type them out here.

This is a video I made, I'm going to show it before each study.

On this day in Irish history...

At 11.15 on December 5th 1921, the delegation led by Michael Collins decided to recommend the Treaty as proposed by the British to Dáil Éireann. They declared independence, so to speak.




(from Zoomtard blog)

I am Michael Scott.

I am Michael Scott.
Although I don't share all of his idiosyncrasies and flaws (Thank the good Lord) I do have one glaring similarity with him: I want everyone to like me.
I want everyone to be my friend.
And because of that my ability to lead is impaired.
Michael Scott has no friends or family so he looks to his employees to fill the void. I have family but no friends (at least in this country) and many times I look to the church to be my friend. Failing to make the distinction has cost me respect in their eyes and reduced my ability to effectively lead them.
Dear God give me mercy and help. Amen.

Malc and Amanda get Married