I have such mixed emotions about Christmas.  Here is the good and the bad.

Good:

The brokenness sort of sums up Christmas I suppose

Family
Friends
Christmas Parties
Christmas Music
Good Cheer*
Peppermint Mocha
Christmas Candy
Cookies
Snow+
Silent Night
Christmas lights
Christmas Carols
Jesus of course

*It's fake good cheer.  Almost nobody is really cheery at Christmas.
+I don't like snow unless it is ON Christmas.

Bad:
Pine needles on the floor all the time (real needles from real tree or fake needles from fake tree; doesn't matter)
Kids tearing apart decor
Extra Christmas services at church that everyone wants to enjoy but no one wants to help with
Christmas music
Greed
Entitlement
Ugly Sweaters (Not to be confused with its much more likable cousin the ugly sweater party.  If only the sweaters were reserved only for the parties...)
Distance from family
Snow

I suppose the good is still better than the bad, but sometimes I'm a real scrooge.  The bad, if looked at correctly, simply is another display of our brokenness and need for a savior.

Those are a few of mine.  What are some things you like and dislike at Christmas?

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Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is an odd holiday.  Don't get me wrong; I absolutely love Thanksgiving, however, isn't it weird that on the same day we go from talking about what we are thankful for around a table containing more food than the continent of Africa, then turn around and stand in line at Wal-Mart so we can get that $5 toy stroller and $10 waffle maker?  It's a little backwards to me, yet I still love Thanksgiving. I decided to do a list of 10 things I'm thankful for.  In no particular order...

I'm thankful for:

• Jesus 
• My wife Pam
• Mom and Dad
• My kids
• My church
• My job at my church
• My friends
• My in-laws
• Pam's job that allows us to fly to cool places
• Our new waffle maker (only $10 at Wal-Mart)

Those are just a few.  What are 10 things  you are thankful for?

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California

I am back folks.  I am blogging again.  I've decided it's time.

A few days ago I returned home from a trip to California where I visited my parents and some of my brothers and a sister that are still living at home (sheesh guys grow up.)  The trip was fun.  Here are some quick highlights:

We played in the ocean.  I boogie boarded with mom and dad.  The kids played in the sand and redefined the meaning of "SANDwich".  We found a sand crab and chased seagulls.

Dad and I went golfing for an entire day.  It was loads of fun.  It was also the most time that I've had with my dad for a long time.  It was great to spend the day with him.  Mom made an unsuccessful attempt at a heart attack that same day so there was plenty of excitement to go around.

Pam, Zaley, and I took a drive east to the Sierra Nevada mountains and visited Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Park.  The Sequoias make my must see list.  You feel so little and insignificant standing among these giants.  If more people would spend a little time in this forest entitlement wouldn't be the problem that it is today.  Humility is a wonderful gift received during a day with the sequoias. 

We were lucky enough to be present for the adoption of my cousin Austin.  He is the newest member of the Oliver family which as grown to a full baseball lineup.  What a great celebration.  It was so fun to see family that I never get to see.

Dad and I took Gabriel, Micah, A.J., and Brian to Boomers to mini golf.  The boys had a great time hitting into castles and gingerbread houses.  We then watched Cristian play football.

We had a fun trip.

Now we are home and dealing with all the consequences of a week long vacation.  Pile of work to get done, Pam going to 3am to 8am shifts, babysitting all day, etc...  It is quite the adjustment.

My parents took such good care of us while we were there.  I am thankful that we have such a great excuse to visit such a beautiful state. 

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In Response

I just read (watched) my brother Jake's post.  Not because I believe people read this other than him, but in case someone does I believe it important on many levels that you see this which is why I'm posting it on my blog.  PLEASE watch the entire video.  My response to it is below the video.



I can't put into words the good this did my heart.  I have many times felt like quite the oddball because of the way I understand music.  Have you ever felt strongly about something, felt like most people around you would disagree, but you knew deep down that if you could somehow articulate your feelings they would at least understand why you think the way you do?  Benjamin Zander has finally put into words so much of what I feel like I've known for so long, but never been able to make clear to the people around me.  I'm in no way saying anything along the lines of "I've known that all along" but rather "right on brother."


I once heard a speech by a man named Jeremy Begbie.  His presentation was similar, however, he took some of the same metaphors from music and applied them directly to theology.  If you are like me, you drew out much of that from Mr. Zander's speech as well.  He at one point says something like, "imagine how you would walk, talk, and act if you believed that everyone loved classical music they just didn't know it."  He could have said the same thing about Jesus I imagine.  Imagine how we would walk, talk, and act if we believed that everyone would love Jesus if they just understood who He was and what He has done?

I've been asked what kind of music I listen to.  It surprises many that I hardly ever listen to K-love and other Christian music.  I can't do country music either.  Unfortunately I often turn to bashing those forms of music behind closed doors to the closest ones to me.  This often pisses them off and the devil inside me takes a little pleasure out of getting a rise out of them.  Country music, Christian music, and no matter how hard it is to understand, even rap have their place, but when you begin to understand what many call "high" music you may understand why I get more frustrated listening to country than I do classical.

I believe we have a creative God and you can know a little more about him as you know a little more about the creativity he's blessed us with.  We create because we were made in His image.  Our consumer culture likes the quick, easy thing that doesn't take the work of understanding.  We don't like to chew on things any more and take the real time it takes to enjoy our food.  We'd rather quickly eat a burger that was just as quickly made.  I don't mean to belittle popular music, but I found this rather humorous and sort of to the point I'm trying to make.  Basically they in one song, sing a vast array of songs to make the point that we don't really need creativity to gain popularity.  Check it out.



In the end we just want to go home. Chopin understood this. I think we've forgotten that.

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What Are the Odds?

So I stumbled on this today.  Sometimes in moments of weakness and discontent I dream about winning the Lottery.  I list off the things I would do like rescue everyone on both sides of the family from debt, moving them to Park View, and buying my dad and John Lang  the biggest TVs I could find complete with NFL Sunday Ticket.  Well, sometimes it takes a visual to put things into perspective (or feel like crap).  Check out THIS link and then come back and share your thoughts.

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Worth Laughing At

The following was almost sent only to Holly, but then I realized that the select handful that reads my blog, Holly being one of them, would also probably get a kick out of this.

George: Condi! Nice to see you. What's happening? 

Condi: Sir, I have the report here about the new leader of China. 

George: Great. Lay it on me. 

Condi: Hu is the new leader of China. 

George: That's what I want to know. 

Condi: That's what I'm telling you. 

George: That's what I'm asking you. Who is the new leader of China? 

Condi: Yes. 

George: I mean the fellow's name. 

Condi: Hu. 

George: The guy in China. 

Condi: Hu. 

George: The new leader of China. 

Condi: Hu. 

George: The Chinaman! 

Condi: Hu is leading China. 

George: Now whaddya' asking me for? 

Condi: I'm telling you Hu is leading China. 

George: Well, I'm asking you. Who is leading China? 

Condi: That's the man's name. 

George: That's who's name? 

Condi: Yes. 

George: Will you or will you not tell me the name of the new leader of China? 

Condi: Yes, sir. 

George: Yassir? Yassir Arafat is in China? I thought he was in the Middle East. 

Condi: That's correct. 

George: Then who is in China? 

Condi: Yes, sir. 

George: Yassir is in China? 

Condi: No, sir. 

George: Then who is? 

Condi: Yes, sir. 

George: Yassir? 

Condi: No, sir. 

George: Look, Condi. I need to know the name of the new leader of China. 
Get me the Secretary General of the U.N. on the phone. 

Condi: Kofi? 

George: No, thanks. 

Condi: You want Kofi? 

George: No. 

Condi: You don't want Kofi. 

George: No. But now that you mention it, I could use a glass of milk. And then get me the U.N. 

Condi: Yes, sir. 

George: Not Yassir! The guy at the U.N. 

Condi: Kofi? 

George: Milk! Will you please make the call? 

Condi: And call who? 

George: Who is the guy at the U.N? 

Condi: Hu is the guy in China. 

George: Will you stay out of China?! 

Condi: Yes, sir. 

George: And stay out of the Middle East! Just get me the guy at the U.N. 

Condi: Kofi. 

George: All right! With cream and two sugars. Now get on the phone. 

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The Fast and the Awesomest!

So copy the following paragraph of this blog starting at the next paragraph.  Click the following link and paste this blog in the box, then hit the "spreed" button.  If there isn't a box you can paste in and only a video player, click the "new" link on the bottom and then paste it.  The link is HERE.

What you are experiencing now is speed reading.  I've always wanted to read this fast.  I tested this out on an e-mail that Holly Lang sent me about a baseball umpire who sucked.  If it is the same speed as what I was reading you are doing about 300 words a minute.  That means that you could read "Gone With the Wind" in its entirety in just under one day.  About 23 hours 54 minutes.  Which leads me to my next question.  If it takes that long to read it at 300 words per minute, how many hours were spent on my couch this summer between two women who read it?  Pam and Emily, I'm talking about you.  Anyway, if you didn't know about this tool before, be glad that you do now.  Emily, think about it, spark notes just got even shorter!  I hope you all enjoy it as much as I anticipate I will.

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