Oubache Cohort

All That Is Yes

2008-07-23T15:32:00.003-05:00

My soul is a little sad today. My mom and dad, Jean and Don, are moved into the nursing home. It is certainly where they need to be because of the care that they require and were not receiving, but they are experiencing grief. I certainly can understand this because they are no longer in the home they loved, have less freedom, and believe this signals the road downhill toward death. They will most likely adjust over time and perhaps even flourish like a fireworks finale, and we will continue along with many others to offer much love and support. Yet, my soul is sort of sad because they are experiencing so much sadness.

Life is so very beautiful and precious but has times which are harsh. During all times, but especially during the difficult days, we must cling to the God who loves us so very much and to each other as well. And we must continue to believe...to trust that the Light is greater than the darkness or as Saint John proclaims, "The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."

My soul is a little sad but it continues to believe and it continues to lift my eyes to see the beautiful blue sky, the sun-filled green trees blowing in the wind, and all that is Yes!

In

2008-07-20T09:14:00.002-05:00

My parents are in the nursing home!!!!! It is the miracle many have prayed for.
My mom is glad but my dad is mad.
But they are in a nice room in a facility with a very caring staff.
This is day 2 of the next chapter of their life, and it will be a long transition.
I praise God from whom all blessings flow!
Thank you for your love and prayers.

Help Needed Please

2008-07-15T20:21:00.002-05:00

Dear brothers and sisters,

This coming Friday the 18th my family plans to place my parents in a nursing home. It is definitely time. But they do not know it is going to happen. My two brothers and I are very scared because we know that my mom will weep and my dad will be furious and probably put up a fight. Please pray for the presence of Almighty God and God's comforting Spirit be with my mommy and daddy on that day and the days to come. (and us too!)

My folks poured their love and ways into my life and the lives of many over the years. I pray that they may now reap what they have sowed.

I love U and pray that the Shalom of the One be with you and your family.

2008-07-11T16:28:00.007-05:00

We have some bushes out back which I go out to visit once in a while. When I stop to look closely, I see all sorts of activity and life. I've seen butterflies on the flowers, beautiful green and yellow berries, and tiny bugs munching on the big leaves and having sex with one another.

Jesus said God's kingdom is like the life on this bush. He used examples like yeast helping transform the dough and a seed becoming a tree where the birds come to find rest. God's rule of love involves life, interaction, love, hidden power, beauty, and a way of inter-conncectedness and dependency in God's creation.

Rarely do I slow down to see the hidden life all around me, but today I did. Besides slowing down to see the bush, I walked, read, trimmed some bushes, picked some green and yellow berries and some yellow and orange Iris's to put in a vase, watched a Monk marathon, and did some writing.

Today was Sabbath for the soul, and I am so very thankful.

Come!

2008-07-07T09:11:00.005-05:00

Off to Ft Wayne in the attempt to take my parents to see one of the new rooms just finished in the nursing home. We hope and pray to God that they will move in sometime in August. I feel somewhat alone in this effort today, so I am carrying my Bible with me. This makes me feel not so alone.

Part 2: Didn't go very well. Hard not to despair and keep the faith, but ....
Heard a radio report on the way home about the prisoners in San Quinten....talk about trying not to despair!

Come Good News Of God's Kingdom For Us All!

Tired Dude

2008-07-03T18:06:00.004-05:00

I am on vacation for the weekend of the 4th!
And oh man do I need it.
I've been pretty darn busy and I'm pretty darn tired.
But indeedy indeedy I am done for a while...for a sweet while
and officially on sabbath.
So far I'm watching sitcoms (soup nazi!) and eating stuff.
Tomorrow it's the 4th with family and friends.
Feeling sweet about taking it easy comes only by giving it your all
and by going at it day after day to do our part and trying to make a difference.
Go America!
Go Freedom!
Go Family!
Go World!
Go Sabbath of the Soul!
Now I'm watching Star Wars.

Happy Anniversary!!

2008-07-02T07:22:00.002-05:00

Craig and Joy Happy 30th Anniversary!! God bless you as you continue your adventures together and all you do advancing the dream of God. Have a joyous day!

Carlin

2008-06-29T20:29:00.003-05:00

OK, first Tim Russert and now George Carlin!
Two of my favorites have finished their course.
I always thought Carlin was the best.
I remember being a young man and laughing out loud when he did his thing.
My God, this life is brief, beautiful, and full of absolutely amazing people.
One of the things these two dudes had in common was their passion for life and for their craft. And they were both the best at what they did. Period.
So, I went out to the library yesterday and got one of his books titled something like When Will Jesus Pass The Pork Chops?
Pass one to George now will you Lord?

Rock On RockOm

2008-06-26T19:08:00.003-05:00

Hey Amados,

Check out my friend Trevor's new site www.RockOm.net

This is a new good path for the kingdom song.

Psalm For Today

2008-06-24T10:16:00.004-05:00

Beloved!
Whatzup?
God is good.
All the time.
All the time.
God is good.
I hope you're well.
I pray for your wholeness and shalom.
Peace Peace Peace!
My mom fell into the bathtub last night. There were family and neighbors present to respond. But oh Lord help us to get those two beloved ones in the nursing home! Save us Jesus and save the families and situations of those for whom we are concerned.
The good news is that God desires to be the king of our hearts, minds, lives and world!
May it be so.

To Life!

2008-06-20T14:45:00.006-05:00

So, let's see.
I'm getting about a half day off, but I am needing and enjoying it!
Watching the Cubs and Sox and eating junk food.
Got Shalom Community tonight, and Schnepps are coming for that as well as
the art show in FW where Kev will hang his photos.

I'm thinking that the love of life and fully living life is a very good thing.
Life is short and precious and calls for our full participation.
I heard someone described the other day as "a force of nature." Nice.
We've seen some pretty strong forces of nature lately that have devastated quite a few lives. But nonetheless, there is a lot of power in those storms, and folks know for sure that the wind has blown and the water has flowed. We know for sure we have witnessed a powerful force.
If we fully embrace life perhaps slowly yet surely we too can become more and more a force of nature. Folks will know for sure they have witnessed love, light, a serving heart, joy, peace, compassion for the broken, and love for God and all of God's creation.

I know things can get real stressful. We wonder whether we can get it all done, carry on, and continue to make a difference. But if right in the middle of it all we can remember that life is such an amazing gift which is to be fully appreciated and embraced with all we are, then I believe we will be able to move on with what needs to be done and do that with a sense of joy and perspective.

LeChaim!

Here's To The Man

2008-06-15T22:34:00.005-05:00

Went to Chicago this weekend to celebrate my birthday and life itself
with the family. Nice!
Joy and I got around town for the first on the elevated.
Watching the Lakers and Celtics tonight!

I miss Tim Russert. He was a hero to me.
Smart as a whip.
Came from the working class.
Thorough and tough yet fair and kind.
A devout Catholic.
Family man.
The #1 political voice!
A group of us pastors were traveling and were at the airport in New York. I recognized Russert and went over to tell him that I really appreciated his work. He asked me about my mullet, and I told him that it was business in the front and party in the back.
God bless his wife Maureen, his son Luke, and dad Russ today with your peace and power.

God Grant Us

2008-06-10T19:44:00.002-05:00

BEEN very busy lately, and I'm so tired tonight. But as my papa would say, so is the coal miner at the end of the day.

MY dog Jamie is 14 on Friday and I turn 54 on Saturday. How I love life and the life of knowing God.

CAN we help create some groovy neighborhood churches that bring light to the neighborhood?

IS God really greater than all the misery and senseless loss of life that happens in war, disease, storms, and famine? Yes! But!

I stand before God with naked trust.

I'M having a blast taking pictures with my cell phone, and it is so good for my soul. I think I'll put them in a book.

JOY is studying Speech Pathology like a warrior, and we all have calls on our lives. May God grant us what we need. May God grant us what we need.

I Know The Secret

2008-06-04T08:51:00.003-05:00

He's done it to me again!

Brian McLaren has totally changed the way I see the world and read Scripture. Since hearing him speak and reading Everything Must Change, my whole perspective has changed.

I'm more aware of the environment than I ever have. I'm sitting in Taco Bell thinking of all the waste that's generated with the wraps, cups, lids, straws, etc. from fast food. I think, what if every fast food restaurant had recycling stations instead of trash receptacles?

I'm reading about the high price of gas, and reading comments from people who think we should go drill for more oil no matter what the cost to the environment, because we Americans have a "right" to cheap gas. One commenter even said that high gas prices would lead to the extinction of the human race. But high gas prices are reducing consumption (according to this week's Business Week magazine), and therefore, reducing waste, which could be the REAL cause of human extinction. And Americans are finding ways to reduce consumption of other goods to pay for their gas, and turning in their gas guzzling SUVs and buying fuel-efficient vehicles. I can't believe I'm saying this, but if reducing consumption and waste means I have to pay a higher price for gas, then I'm willing to shell out the money. I even wrote a letter to the local paper saying essentially that.

We were reading Isaiah 5 in Sunday Bible study class. The class was discussing the "woes" verses. The question was, what were the sins of the people? Some responses were drunkeness, taking bribes, etc. I look at those verses and saw something else. I saw sins of over-consumption, hoarding wealth, inequality, and injustice. I spoke up and pointed this out to the class.

It's like I've heard a secret, the secret message of Jesus, and too few have heard it. I'm trying to share it. I hope someone is listening.

2008-06-01T18:04:00.005-05:00

My dad yelled at me today,
and I yelled right back...even more harshly.
We ended up ok though sharing a meal and getting groceries.
But the moment represents the barely contained struggle.
Anger and pain are part of love,
and the reign of God can happen none the less...I guess.
No, I know.

A Threefold Mark

2008-05-22T08:00:00.005-05:00

St. John of the Cross says that every quality or virtue which the Spirit really produces in our souls has three distinguishing characters- as it were a threefold National Mark- Tranquility, Gentleness, Strength. All our action- and now we are thinking specially of action-must be peaceful, gentle, and strong. That suggests, doesn't it, an immense depth, and an invulnerable steadiness as the soul's abiding temper; a depth and a steadiness which come from the fact that our small action is now part of the total action of God, whose Spirit, as another saint has said,"Works always in tranquility." Fuss and feverishness, anxiety, intensity, intolerance, instability, pessimism, and wobble, and every kind of hurry and worry- these, even on the highest levels, are signs of the self-made and self-acting soul; the spiritual parvenu. The saints are never like that. They share the quiet and noble qualities of the great family to which they belong.

From The Spiritual Life by Evelyn Underhill

God, may our action for others and the kingdom be carried out with Tranquility, Gentleness, and Strength understanding that our small action is part of the total action of God. Through the Spirit of Jesus, may it be so.

Everything Must Change

2008-05-16T15:57:00.003-05:00

Last weekend (May 9-10) I attended Brian McLaren's Everything Must Change Event in Goshen, IN with my friend Aaron. We met up with Craig and Joy, and their friends and family there. There is so much I could write about our trip - driving to Shipshewana, visiting the Menno-Hof Center, a museum of the history of the Mennonite church, having dinner with Tim Lichti, who founded the center and was its first director, and the McLaren event itself. For now I'll just write about the McLaren event.

On Friday night, McLaren outlined the global crisis we are in. He says that our global society has become a "suicide machine" that has only one outcome - desctruction. The machine exists inside the ecosystem, from which it draws resources and deposits waste. The machine is made up of a prosperity system, an equity system, and a security system, and all three overlap and are connected within the "suicide machine." The reason these systems don't work is because of the framing story that exists, that is based on consumption, greed, lack of concern for consequences, the gap between the rich and poor, spread of violence and war to achieve economic results, etc.

He compares the political/religious situation of today to be similar to the political/religious situation in Jesus' day. Different groups have their own framing stories that they operate with in response to, or in concert with, the "suicide machine." But Jesus had a different way of living - a new framing story - that was different from the framing stories of his day, and different from the framing stories of our time.

This is where I get overwhelmed. I'm just a guy trying to raise a family. In a way I feel that any positive impact I can have on my children's lives will have impact later on as they live their adult lives, hopefully in the way of Jesus. I do some things. I recycle. I buy free trade coffee when I can. I've planted trees in my yard. I donate my time to my church not only on "church work" but also "the work of the church." (McLaren made a distinction between the two.) I donate to good causes. I also do some things I should do, but I could change. I could reduce the amount of electricity I use (which is difficult to do with two teens in the house.) I could clean up the trash pit that's behind the garage. I could consume less "things."

Towards the end of the event, McLaren discussed things the average person could do in their lives, including some of the things I've mentioned above. In my journal I wrote, "We can't do everything, but we can do something."

McLaren took some time to dissect what the current Christian answer seems to be - just worry about getting yourself into heaven, because Jesus is coming soon, and you need to make sure you're taken up into heaven before Jesus destroys the world and everybody in it. Of course that's a fatalistic and self-fulfilling view of the restoration of creation, but it is a belief that many, many Christians hold to. McLaren notes that there seems to be two Jesus' - the meek and loving Jesus in the gospels, and the conquering King Jesus who comes again. McLaren pointed to the verse in Revelations 19, where the sword comes from Jesus' mouth, not in his hand, to bring truth, not violence. (In the Left Behind books, Jesus quotes Scripture while the armies of the anti-Christ explode in blood and guts.)

McLaren called for a revolution in the church. He says that churches need to start teaching the good news of the kingdom of God (read Secret Message of Jesus for more on that). There should be a maximum number of people doing the work of the church in the community (which he describes as "living out faith in the community") and a minimum number of people doing "church work" (which he says is important, but should not be the primary work).

In the book, McLaren put the differences between "the world" and Jesus like this:

The world says, "We can engage in pleasurable or profitable behaviors with undesired consequences and either avoid the consequences or clean them up later."

Jesus says, "The fulfillment of your desires can destroy you. You'd be better off cutting off your hand or plucking your eye out than taking everything you see? What good would it be to gain every possible desire, but lose your soul?"

McLaren ended with this:

We must awaken to a better dream - God's dream. The dream must deepen in our hearts and minds. We must embody the dream. We must live the dream.

I have to mention the wonderful worship times with great music written just for this event.

One thing I must mention - because God seems to be in this. I am heading up a group of people at my church who are part of what we call a "Dream Team" that is dreaming about the future of our church. I'm heading up a group to talk about Spirtual Transformation. A lot of what I heard McLaren say fits what we will be discussing.

The Message?!

2008-05-15T07:41:00.004-05:00

The Message that I believe in, proclaim, and seek to live out is
that God loves us and this world...and that God is like a King bringing about God Kingdom in our lives and this world...and that we can join God in this Revolution of Hope.
But this Message is in the midst of times of utter devastation in China and Myanmar...the loss of hundreds of thousands of lives.
In China a middle school collapses and 900 children die.
I have trouble embracing the good news in the midst of so much pain. I cannot fully understand how God has the final say...the ultimate "Yes!" of Love and Hope for the lives of those children and families and so many more who have walked the beautiful yet shaky paths on this earth.
But I have no other choice. I must continue to believe...to proclaim...and to do my little part to make the Message so.

A Trip to Cleveland

2008-05-08T18:17:00.002-05:00

Hey there. I just wanted to let everyone know that we are making another trip to Cleveland tomorrow to have Stacey checked out. She has been in pain again and it has surpassed the 3-day limit; thus, the surgeon wants to check her out.

We would appreciate any prayers from people who will be checking this blog out from tonight till the meeting 9 am.

Hey

2008-05-07T21:00:00.009-05:00

Hey.
Watching Juno tonight with Joy Ellen. Great movie!
Jamie is sleeping on the couch. Tired boy.
Trevor's last(I suppose) Pink Noise gig
and Christ Church worship service is this weekend. We'll be there.
Going to place my beloved mommy and daddy
in the nursing home in a couple of weeks. I love them with all my heart. So does God.
Ate one of my all time favorite deserts tonight
which is Graham Crackers broken up in milk. How sweet it is.
Bunch of us hanging with McLaren this week.
Not too excited but the man did change my life.
Read the story of Jonah tonight in The Message. I think one of the things those theologians and storytellers were trying to get at is for us to remember what "it" is all about...which is the call on our life to be Light to the confused world.(and that the Lord can use us dimwits to get the job done)
I love you all.
God bless you so very richly.

2008-05-01T19:50:00.003-05:00

Back from Mayo Clinic. I have been going there since 1972 to be hospitalized and have my skin cared for. It is my sacred healing place. They have knowledge. They work as team. It is a beautiful place where healing and hope happen for people around the world. I go in distress, but when I am there I get well both physically and in other ways, because I take my books and find times and places to read, pray, and just be.

We may be placing my folks in the nursing home this next week. I know I have said this before...so, we'll see. I was walking through the little cemetery next to the facility, and one of the stones had a woman's name, dates of birth and death, and the simple words
Have Faith
Be Happy
I feel like this precious saint was telling me something...to have faith that God will make a way for my parents and, in the midst of the fear and anxiety I am feeling, to seek to be happy. I hear her and am desiring to heed her voice and wisdom.

So whatever your lot right now
Have Faith
Be Happy.

The Question

2008-04-21T23:40:00.009-05:00

The old man knew he was nearing the end of his life,
and he gazed into the unknown territory called death.
The old panicky question screamed in his ear, "Is there anything on the other side?"
All his life he had been scared of death...scared of non-existence.
Teaching and theology about heaven made little impression or sense to him.
He loved life and his family so much that he could not imagine some other kind of "life" without them and without the ordinary yet absolute miracle of earthly existence.
But he knew and loved God for so many years now,
and he had lived the Jesus Way the best he knew how.
God had blessed him and proved to be so very real in so many wonderful ways during his days.
But still, was God really going to be there for him in some real way once again
when his body ceased to be.
And then as he lay sick and exhausted and ready to stop the fight for life
he remembered that which his life with God was really about.
It was about standing before the Boss and Beauty of the Universe and saying,
"Well, what's next God? What project do you have for me? How can I make a difference in the Story?
And so one last time, not really knowing how in the world it could be answered,
the tired and dying child of God quietly spoke in his mind,
"What project is next Lord? How can I make a difference? Use me to further Your Way.
And by the way, please, please help me somehow be with my family
and enjoy a fine spring day as well if you will.
Amen."

A Jesus And A Family Thing

2008-04-17T20:59:00.005-05:00

This afternoon Joy and I went to visit my folks.
We go once a week to get groceries, hopefully get them out, and lay some love on them.
Today we sat on the porch enjoying the beautiful spring day.
My dad asked why they couldn't drive anymore. I said the boys decided they were done.
He got mad, but I calmly and firmly explained that it is our time in this cycle of life to call the shots. He seemed to accept this...kind of.
Joy went to buy groceries. How I love this woman. She bought lots of good stuff.
One thing she bought was toenail clippers. I cut my folks toenails.
It is a Jesus thing...this holding a foot and clipping the old and long parental nail.
I have come to realize in the last few weeks that, even though these last two years have been pretty damn hard at times, it has also perhaps held the sweetest moments of our life together.
My mom fell tonight as she was getting dressed.
I heard a boom.
My dad yelled for me.
I rushed back.
My mom laid on the floor.
She had hit her head.
I bent down and picked my mama up to her feet.
She sat in a chair and rested for a while.
Finally, we all went to get pizza at Pizza Hut. It was a blast.
PS MY MOM HAS FALLEN AGAIN. WE HAVE DECIDED IT IS TIME FOR THEM TO BE PLACED AT HERITAGE POINT IN WARREN IN THE NEXT TWO WEEKS. PLEASE PRAY FOR A GOOD AND GOD TRANSITION. THANK YOU.

2008-04-14T07:12:00.003-05:00

Have a beautiful day!
(Photo by Kevin Schnepp)

2008-04-10T19:53:00.003-05:00

No more war
No more war
No more war

No More War
No More War
No More War

NO MORE WAR
NO MORE WAR
NO MORE WAR

And Jesus said,"Blessed are the peacemakers for they are children of God."