Seriously Jonesin'

As a general rule, I do not much care for sweets.

But the past few days I have been craving a Cadbury Creme Egg, original preferably but exceptions could be made for the caramel variety.

I MUST HAVE ONE! NOW!!

Seasonal treats be damned! I would move Heaven and Earth for Easter!

Digits

Mike: So how long do I wait to call?
Trent: A day.
Mike: Tomorrow.
Sue: Tomorrow, then a day.
Trent: Yeah.
Mike: So two days?
Trent: Yeah, I guess you could call it that, two days.
Sue: Definitely, two days is like industry standard.
Trent: You know I used to wait two days to call anybody, but now it's like everyone in town waits two days. So I think three days is kind of money. What do you think?
Sue: Yeah, but two's enough not to look anxious.
Trent: But I think three days is kind of money. You know because you...
Mike: Yeah, but you know what, mabey I'll wait 3 weeks. How's that? And tell her I was cleaning out my wallet and I just happened to run into her number.
Charles: Then ask her where you met her.
Mike: Yeah, I'll ask her where I met her. I don't remember. What does she look like? And then I'll asked if we fucked. Is that... would that be... T, would that be the money?
Trent: You know what. Ha ha ha Mike, laugh all you want but if you call too soon you might scare off a nice baby who's ready to party.
Mike: Well how long are you guys gonna wait to call your babies?
Trent, Sue: Six days.

I have a habit of referencing odd things. So unless one was raised on a steady and robust diet of Star Trek, an odd collections of films, music and British humour, you will undoubtedly think me a tad off kilter if you were to hang around long enough.

Yesterday evening had a bright little spot to it which I instantly referenced to one of my favourite films 'Swingers'. The main character of 'Mike' is very much me at a certain point. I'll of course elaborate more if/when anything comes of it after the industry standard two days.

Something Unexpected

I received an e-mail yesterday from someone that I did not expect.

It was from Her.

We were engaged, a five year relationship from the dark, distant past. Six years is an awfully long time to be silent. And for a few minutes of my typical verbal introspective, I actually had in mind my response to her, as I mentally prepare all written expression long before I actually put fingers to keyboard.

But no. I just can't do it.

She is from my past and needs to stay there, it took me long enough to deal with what happened in my mind and that little genie is not coming out of that bottle. This girl in her leaving had a starring role in the so far pivotal drama of my life. The part of urban Tokyo played by yours truly while She helmed the role of Godzilla with great aplomb.

Curiosity does tempt me though... what if in six long years she has changed? That she has abandoned her former self-centered ways or even if she has been saved? What then? Questions to toy with in my mind.

What concerns me perhaps even more is that she was able to locate me (even if it was only my e-mail address). I value my anonymity highly, I cherish it. And I do not like it intruded upon save for what I chose to disclose and to whom. (The internet notwithstanding, no one reads any of this.)

Go back to the shadows Aimee.

Matthew

Matthew 9

18 While he was saying this, a synagogue leader came and knelt before him and said, "My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live." 19 Jesus got up and went with him, and so did his disciples.
20 Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. 21 She said to herself, "If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed."
22 Jesus turned and saw her. "Take heart, daughter," he said, "your faith has healed you." And the woman was healed from that moment.

&

27 As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, "Have mercy on us, Son of David!"
28 When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" "Yes, Lord," they replied.
29 Then he touched their eyes and said, "According to your faith let it be done to you"; 30 and their sight was restored. Jesus warned them sternly, "See that no one knows about this." 31 But they went out and spread the news about him all over that region.

I was grazing through Matthew last night and had one of those "duh" moments. As if "figuring out" something incredibly plain and simple for the first time. A minor epiphany if you will. I recently finished reading John MacArthur's 'Twelve Ordinary Men' ; a brief little rundown of the apostles (more on this later). So I have been more focused on the Twelve than well, I ever have been. Which led me to the book of Matthew. My minor epiphany was that Jesus didn't traipse around healing people, raising the dead, and performing other miracles just because He could; just because He was God and had that sort of power. It wasn't just carnival tricks to visibly back up His statements of divinity... He was not a performer. See Matt. 9:30 where He actually tells those He has healed not to go out and blab it all over the place lest the masses mistake Him for a 'miracle factory'.

He healed those that had faith and cried out.

He didn't even have to be there to place His hands on the person (Matt. 8:5-13) but by faith alone it was done.

I am just so awestruck by this. Such earnest and whole-hearted displays of faith in Jesus are utterly fantastic and humbling.

Tract Boy

I saw her there, walking on the street I said "Excuse me,
there's someone you ought to meet" you ought to meet She came up to me, "Whatcha have to say?" I said "Jesus" and she turned and walked away She walked away and she said "no" "and I don't even want to know" "and I don't even want to know" "and I don't even want to know"

A certain corner has been turned, one that has run me smack-dab into a particular moniker of evangelical Christianity; Jesus Freak. With the tenth anniversary EXTRAVEGANZA of Mars Hill, attractive postcards were passed out to serve as invitations to the church and the new sermon series 'Vintage Jesus'. Sort of a primer for those who haven't heard about the fellow.

Side note: I saw a bumpersticker the other day which read; "I found Jesus! He was behind the couch the entire time!" This sounds hilarious as my inner monologue bounces it around the interior of my skull.

My building has the requisite community cork board to which is normally attached advertisements for events such as '5k run/walk to support gay, homeless former circus ponies who are traumatized by the colour lavender' and the sort of high-minded 'art' shows to appeal to those who stare at human excrement and seek to discern what 'truths' they may extract from the experience. So I deemed it the ideal place to advertise the church and the Jesus fellow. This idea (I reckoned) was the aces!, the absolute aces! As it was obviously a very loving, open and accommodating sort of venue.

Not eight hours since I pinned it oh so attractively on said cork board was it altered. Not removed, defaced or otherwise sullied but simply turned around so as to show it's rather blank, un-informative rather useless side.

Harumph. I said when I spotted this.

Harumph indeed.

So, I made the leadership decision to turn it back round again to showcase the aforementioned loving Jesus, loving people sort of glory. In what may turn out to be the opening shots of an all-out community cork board war. It is not as if I had posted something saying "Gay? Well, Jesus says you're going to Hell then!" sort of flotsam. It was merely an invitation to learn, to get a taste of something that perhaps the mainly young, hip denizens of my building have not been exposed to. The wording was not dissimilar to a craigslist posting (save those under the 'random encounters' heading). So my impression of someone that would do this sort of thing is that of a somewhat troubled, perhaps misinformed sort of miscreant with a chip on the shoulder about Christianity. And as far as a possible 'war' of ideas being waged....

Bring it.

I've been reading my Bible well enough, delved into a little Van Til and have a heckava' bar set by Driscoll. I am still a new-born calf of Christ but nevertheless I will kick your ass in a loving Christian sort of way.

In Jesus' name.

Soundtrack of the Week

I want to gush.

This past week, I've had basically five albums on heavy rotation:

Evanescence 'The Open Door'
The Killers 'Sam's Town'
The Weepies 'Say I Am You'
Lily Allen 'Smile, Pt. 2'
Persephone's Bees 'Notes From The Underworld'

Heavily commercial and a tad over-produced to nearly the polar opposite. I almost wish that I was blind so that I could more fully appreciate music. 

On The Fairer Side Of The Border?

Thank God Tie Domi just retired because I would have had a very difficult time cheering for him on the ice now that he has proven himself to be a First-Class putz. And as far as Liberal MP Belinda Stronach is concerned... it would seem that liberals on both sides of the border are pretty much the same. And this 'woman' expects to be PM someday?

Perhaps I speak a bit flippantly of political colours and moral fibre considering the RNC's latest exercise in disaster management; former Rep. Mark Foley. At least he had the good sense to resign immediately even if he had the worst possible sense in doing some very messed up things.

Mars Hill

Lately, I can't seem to go a week without tripping over either a news story or theology paper about 'My' church. Fortunately it is more often than not complimentary like this most recent one; http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/287214_marshill02.html?source=mypi

And generally I have found that when other pastors comment on Mark Driscoll they tend to chide him for his sternness and refer to him as "the cussing pastor". This amuses me greatly because firstly, I really wish he would cuss more because he is right with his saying of "Soft words produce hard people and hard words produce soft people" and secondly, if I had that pulpit to speak from you would be hearing quite a bit more "cussing" to the masses. Which is probably a very good reason why I am not in that position...