last week at summertime thursday, we talked about growing up and realizing that some of the stuff that fit you all your life doesn’t fit anymore. for a long time, you were either adopting or rebelling against what your parents, coaches, teachers, or other role-models believed. eventually though, we’ve all got to take a look at exactly what we believe and why we believe it.

by the way, i know that “summertime thursday” might not be the best name for a weekly bible study and discussion for college-aged adults who want to connect with each other and grow emotionally and spiritually together… but it’s summertime, and it happens on thursdays. so, that’s what it’s called.

see you there.

1. really great service on sunday. i think that a lot of people connect with god in a very real way. very cool.

2. i stuck a mute math song into the prelude music, and i got really good comments on it. old(er) dudes love mute math when they hear them…they just have no idea who they are.

3. i gotta give a report at board meeting tonight. if i could do nothing but write reports, budgets, and schedules, boy i’ll tell ya, i would be in heaven…because i’d have died already…of boredom and self-loathing.

4. pastor riley taught us about samson and delilah yesterday. we were going to use this as a transitional video, but we were afraid that there would have to be a serious transition just to introduce the transitional video…which is supposed to act as a transition into the message…anyway, it didn’t work out, but it would’ve been funny.

5. we want our own house, our own space. we absolutely love living with dave and nancy, but it’s getting to be time. they just have so much nice stuff that ella could so easily ruin! that’s really my only issue, actually. they’ve really taken us in like family, and we love them. but ella is a destructive force to be reckoned with, seeking to destroy everything in her path.

6. dave and nancy’s house phones have songs that play when they ring. but if you’re sitting in earshot of two phones, you can hear that they are playing different songs…it’s pretty funny.

7. we went with our ohio family to mothers’ day dinner on sunday at the country club! i took care of feeding and entertaining ella so that gretch could focus on stuffing her face. the prime rib was the best thing there. really good. good times…

8. why…why…why…delilah?! (see number 4.)

9. i help with the student ministries band on sunday evenings. it’s tough getting in there after a long morning, but it’s pretty awesome, too. i don’t want to make them mad or insult them or anything, but i do want to push them. i think i’m gonna push them pretty hard. they have the potential to really rock if they’ll come along with the pushing.

10. ella decided that last night was the night to wake up at 2:30 and not go all the way back to sleep until about 5:15. gretchen and i each got up a couple of times, taking turns trying to calm her down and get her to go to sleep. when she finally crashed, g and i had each been up for at least an hour and a half. the only diff is that my girls are both still asleep as i write this, and i am…not…zzzzzz–snort! what?

11. one of my friends came home from college with dreadlocks on his head. his mom called him a hypocrite. i don’t really know how a hairstyle can make you a hypocrite, unless you’ve always said things like, “i’ll never have that hairstyle, because it’s wrong.” if you’ve always said that, and then you come home with that very hairstyle, maybe you’re a hypocrite. it’s pretty sad, actually, because i think this dude is closer to christ than he’s ever been, dreadlocks or not (he also has a nose ring…gasp). and he would love nothing more than to be able to talk through some of the things god is teaching him and dialog with his parents about the way it’s affecting his goals and vision for his life, but mom can’t see or hear anything but the dreads. that sucks.

12. off to work. gotta pick this week’s music, pick next week’s music, chart any music that i need to change, upload any new resources to my website, finish the paperwork on my credentials situation (nazarene denomination stuff), verify that the singers this week are in fact going to be there, notify my band of this week’s music, write my report for board meeting, find a transitional video for this week (that won’t require a transition of its own), finish my essay for my bible college application (yeah, i’m going to bible college), and find time for lunch and dinner…

here i go.

welcome home, dear friend.

2. getting to hang out with my brother’s family, too, this weekend. i love his family. they’re pretty awesome.

3. i didn’t remember to turn in my tournament bracket on time this year. but i’m pretty sure north carolina is gonna win. i was also disappointed to see indiana lose so early. i knew they wouldn’t win it all, but dang cousin…

4. west virginia vs. xavier. good game. but seriously, free throws, free throws, free throws, free throws, free throws, free throws, free throws, free throws, free throws, free throws, free throws, free throws, free throws, free throws, free throws, free throws. if west virginia had made the free throw with just a few seconds left, they wouldn’t have gone to overtime. seriously, folks, they’re important.

5. tonight i had ginger ale and lime for a delicious beverage with dinner. quite refreshing.

6. i’m a little bothered by the fact that we have a streaker in my neighborhood.

7. my wife is selling off a bunch of our old stuff on ebay. and she’s making a killing! (actually, it’s not really all that much, but it’s a lot more than the amount that the good will donation center will give you…)

8. my boy phillip is a pretty good blogger. maybe it’s just because i can actually hear him saying the things i read in his posts…with his super thick southern accent that makes all of his jokes that much funnier… but i get a kick out of him. he’s the real deal.

9. very sleepy. must go night-nights…after i watch more basketball…no…must sleep…but must watch…more…basket…ball… that’s why it’s called “march madness,” because it messes with your head.

10. again, wv vs. xav. wowwy.

have a great day!

i’m waiting for blood to flow to my fingers
i’ll be alright when my hands get warm

i don’t even like the buckeyes any more. i don’t like any other college teams in ohio, either. i don’t like the big ten conference. i don’t like the color scarlet. i don’t like the color red (because it looks too much like scarlet). i don’t like the color grey. i don’t like necklaces made with red yarn and buckeye nuts. i don’t like brutus. i don’t like beautiful orange october foliage. i don’t like charming, small-town street festivals like the bucyrus broughtworst festival or the marion popcorn festival. i don’t like cleveland, cincinnati, or columbus. i don’t like going to the short north district for gallery hop. i don’t like drew carey. i don’t like re-runs of wkrp or family ties. i don’t like warren g. harding…he was a crappy president. (i actually think most political analysts would agree with me on that one, too.) i don’t like the bible belt. i don’t like the exciting, world-record-holding roller coasters of cedar point in sandusky (where the movie tommy boy was set). i don’t like the flat-lands of northern ohio, and i don’t like the hills of southern ohio. i don’t like long, arrow-straight streets covered with shade from the old maple trees lining the curb. i don’t like sitting on my front porch swing at night during a powerful thunderstorm and watching the lightning flashes light up the entire street. i don’t like indian summers in january and amazing spring afternoons in may. i basically don’t like the state of ohio any more. check back in about a month, and i’ll be a buckeye again. i just need some time to myself.

well, i watched the game at my friend matt’s house, and my wife text-messaged me with about 1:20 left in the fourth quarter saying, “don’t come home mad.” (it’s like she knows me or something.) so here i am venting to whoever is crazy enough to read my blog. sorry for yelling.

i like how they use the racial diversity in the group to make a couple of strong comedic moves. nice. for more information about the group, check out their website or their myspace profile.

jim tressel and his conservative offense and powerful defense just made my day. and it was real fun to watch beanie wells run all over the field today. four years straight? five years straight? i don’t know, but that’s pretty impressive. i don’t really care whether or not the right combination of teams losing lets us go to the championship. beating michigan feels like a championship victory. if you’re not from ohio, then you just might not get it.

and i’m officially a loser…with a winning college football team.

wow.