nateperegoy

Blog Test

2010-08-25T08:36:00.000-04:00

This is a blog test. To see if macjournal will allow me to export directly to my blog. Stay tuned...

Save the Date

2009-10-24T19:07:00.002-04:00

Since my last update, Jacqui and I got engaged. Here's the story.
:)

Off the Grid at Home: the Update

2009-08-25T22:20:00.006-04:00

It's been about a month since I ditched my internet at home. Here are a few snapshots of life since then. The events that follow are blurry and probably out of order.

July 18 - Last blog post.
July 25- A week passes after my call to my cable provider. The internet has yet to be shut off. After a follow up call, I learn that I need to physically drop off my cable modem at a local store before the switch is thrown.
The next day I drop off my modem. Hibernation begins.
Late July - Bills are due. I stay after work to pay them online.
I complete several projects around the house, projects which have been on my list for months. I feel awesome.
Jacqui and I book tickets to St. Louis for Thanksgiving at a local Panera.
I read the entire issues of every magazine to which I subscribe: Golf Digest, Paste & Wired.
I no longer care about regularly checking Facebook and email. Meh.
For the first time in 10 years (before college), I'm in bed by 11 and up by 7am. It's glorious.
More mornings per week include breakfast and time in the Scripture. Even more glorious.
I discover an open wireless connection in my neighborhood, available to me only if I sit outside by the pool at night, type by the light of tiki torches, and slap at the mosquitoes biting my feet. Not worth it. After a few minutes, I go inside.
I return to the gym. Regularly.
Yesterday - I receive my cable bill. It's $30 cheaper. Sweet.

It may be the best decision I've made in a long time. Until next time. Be well.

Off the Grid at Home: the Experiment

2009-07-18T20:03:00.005-04:00

As you read this, I'm already disconnected. Thursday afternoon I called my cable provider and canceled my internet service at home. It could vanish at any time.

It feels like I'm losing my connection to the outside world - it's a bit horrifying. For a guy who listens to podcasts, has a blog, facebook, email, plays fantasy baseball, and owns a mac with regular software updates - this is quite a step. Truth be told, it's a decision I've been considering with for quite some time. After more than a few fruitless hours flushed away while flopped lazily on my sofa, I'm leaving the grid.

I'll keep you updated on my attempt to de-tangle myself from the web. While I continue to post from other locations, you can track my progress. It might last for 30 days. It might be 60. It might be permanent. But I'm guessing that before too long I won't miss it anymore.

Instead, I'll save $40/month. I'll read a book. Or swim in my pool. Or go to the gym. Or watch a sunset at the beach.

Maybe I'm not losing anything after all.

Ahhh... summer

2009-07-14T18:22:00.008-04:00

Jacqui and I are back from Colorado. We got back early last week and I've been trying to catch up ever since. I don't think the rest of my body realized vacation was over until Saturday. People keep telling me that it's a sign of a great vacation.

Click here to check out the Facebook album.

More good things await me in the next few weeks - visits from friends and family plus the debut of our new website, a project which has consumed hours and hours of my time in the last month. Perhaps the biggest blip my radar is a trip to New Orleans next week to talk with some talented people about the mass events for next summer's National Youth Gathering. It should be cool.

Tonight is Major League Baseball's 80th All-Star Game. In an hour I'm heading out to a local refreshment establishment to take in the event with some friends. I'm proud that St. Louis, home of my most recent mailing address, is the host city. I'm also proud to have Albert Pujols, my favorite player on my favorite team on my fantasy baseball team.

Here's a sweet article from Yahoo about Albert and his faith.

Though it's July 14, it feels like my summer has just begun. Life at church has slowed down to the point where I can get most of my list accomplished each day. I leave without returning for evening meetings. Best of all is that as I depart at the end of the day, I don't "feel" like I have a lot of work to take home with me.

And it's glorious.

Ahhh... it must be summer. I'm not sure which should have been my first clue; my stress-free spirit or the steamy 95-degree sauna outside. In either case, it sounds like a swim in the pool is in order.

Mission Trip Wrap Up

2009-06-22T23:14:00.002-04:00

I returned last night from an 8 day mission trip near Immokalee, Florida. It's hard to sum up an entire week in a single blog post, so I'll use a list to share with you some of the best snapshots from an amazing experience. Here are a few of my favorite memories...

Lots of hard work and sweat to help the I-Hope organization which has been aiding hurricane recovery in Collier County since Hurricane Wilma in 2005.
Playing "Light the Fire" and singing songs that reminded me of my days in Root 66.
Leading nightly Bible studies with my teammate Leslie, then discussing the study with the 8 young adults who joined us, followed by prayer and conversation with my friend Matt.
Going door to door to invite people to a Lutheran Haitian revival service.
Shooting a video for the Amigos Center in Immokalee.
Serving at the food bank at the Guadalupe Center with Juanita. There I met a young woman named Jennifer and her baby daughter. Jennifer shared with me that she was on drugs during her entire pregnancy and gave birth to a perfectly healthy child. So she named her Miracle.
Learning a ton of new card games.
Speaking at the Haitian revival service to a room of over a hundred people who spoke very little English.
A heart to heart conversation with one of my best friends.
After celebrating the Lord's Supper on Friday night, Leslie and I were approached by one of our students, who told us that she was rededicating her life to Christ. We prayed together in tears.
Talking to one of our students about her special opportunity to help another student who was struggling and telling her at the end of the week how proud I was of her.
Watching my first minor league all-star game and home run derby.
Seeing God grow the seeds of faith in our students and young adults.

There are lots more memories and countless stories. I can't wait for our next trip.

Mission Trip 2009.

2009-06-13T23:47:00.005-04:00

I'm leaving tomorrow afternoon on a mission trip with our young adults and high school students. It's been quite a busy week with staff members traveling, important voters' meetings, vacation Bible school, a couple of sermons, oh, and preparations for the trip.

I think I'm packed. I suppose I don't need much more than some old clothes and a blue and yellow Nerf football. But then again, I'm one of the people in charge so that means packing extra things when people forget stuff or those "just in case" situations. It's a new experience for me to help lead a trip like this. I'm looking forward to learning so that we can start other trips here. My teammate has been a great mentor already.

It should be a great trip. I haven't been on a mission trip since Juarez in 2001(?). [Shoutout!] I think the some of things I'm looking forward to include laughing with our students and young adults, working hard and sweating a lot, and watching God work in our lives to bring us together and shape us (and me) as his servants, and serving the people that God puts in our path.

We could use your prayers. Be back next Sun.

Random things I'm wondering about at 11:47 pm...
- Do I need to change parts of my sermon for tomorrow morning?
- When did TV all commercials with computers start featuring Mac laptops instead of PC's?
- Why did so many people think Gran Turino was a great movie? Jacqui and I just watched it and I felt totally depressed the whole way through.
- Do I have enough space on my DVR to record the opening rounds of US Open?

My Communication Malaise

2009-06-02T23:15:00.003-04:00

I'm getting tired. Tired of Facebook and texting and blogging and emailing. Even tired of reading. I'm not sure why.

I've been really busy lately - which is actually a very good thing. I've been praying lately that God would give me a love for Him, a love for our people, and a love for my work. He's answered all those prayers. In fact, I've been working more hours while being more focused and productive than ever before in my time here. It's been great. But I think it's also made me less inclined to write here.

Sorry, my friends.

If you read anything on the web, try my friend Eric's new blog. He's writing about the 5 chapters of the Bible he reads each day and adds a healthy dose of sarcasm to each edition.

Stay tuned. More to come.

Ray in Concert

2009-05-08T10:13:00.008-04:00

A few months ago Jacqui texted me to ask if I had seen Ray La Montagne in concert. I hadn't, so I jumped on his website and lo and behold, his tour was stopping in our area! With good news of great joy I wrote her back "HE'S COMING TO TAMPA ON APRIL 25!" and in so doing I ruined the birthday present she was planning for me. :)

So we went to see him at the Tampa Theater last week.

First - a word about the venue. For you readers and friends from the STL, imagine the Fox Theater at 1/5 the size. The Tampa Theater is very old and has a classic, almost gaudy feel to it. And it's very, very small. During slow moments of the show I could hear the rustling of feet from someone two sections over. [Andy and Adrienne, if you're reading this, we sat in the same place as I did with you at the Ben Folds/Guster/Rufus show - except that the same spot under the balcony at the TT was Row P].

It was the first show I've been to since I moved to Tampa a year and a half ago (excluding The Swell Season in St Louis a year ago, this week). Also on the schedule for us this year - Dave Matthews, Coldplay (Jacqui's other present for me/us), and U2.

We missed the opening act because I was teaching a Bible class. I was a little tense as we raced across the bridge, circled the theater on one way streets to find a parking spot, and entered the venue as the lights were blinking.

With beverages in hand, we took our seats as the house lights went down. Ray snuck onto the stage as the cheers went up. From the darkness, came the rhythmic sound of Ray's Martin guitar and the mournful sound of his harmonica, mimicing the strings from "All the Wild Horses." Game on.

It was apparent from the beginning that Ray was more comfortable standing on the sidelines than being the star. With his cap pulled low over his face the whole set, his eyes were hidden from his fans. He had little to say, instead he let his music do the talking. His raspy voice crooned into the mic through Jolene, Let it Be Me, Trouble, Be Here Now, Shelter, Burn and Empty. When the band joined him later in the set, I found myself paying more attention to his teammates than to Ray - which is perhaps the way he would have liked it.

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T05:26:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago when Eric was in town, the two of us and Jacqui went to see Shane and Shane play as part of a worship service/concert at a local church. They played this song.

Because He is Risen, now everything is different.

Happy Easter!

We need a slogan for Good Friday

2009-04-11T11:43:00.004-04:00

Our Good Friday services yesterday were awesome. Pastor Mike sang a song called "The Hammer" by Ray Boltz. In the chorus, the Roman centurion angrily asks "Who nailed him there?" and eventually realizes that he did. It was a great way to get us to realize that we, too, nailed Jesus to the cross.

I sat there thinking about my sins, and that each one put him there.

After the sermon was over, we were invited to come forward and place our nail in the cross as a symbol that Jesus took it. He bore it for us.

As person after person after person came up to place their nail in the (styrofoam) cross, I found myself thinking, "Jesus died for Justin. Jesus died for Pam. Jesus died for Alesha. Jesus died for Rich." It made me want to love each member of our church as much as Jesus loved them.

As we left the sanctuary, Mike and I were talking. If we say "He is risen!" on Easter, what do we say to each other on Good Friday? I think we should say, "It is finished!"

It is finished indeed, Alleluia.

Time with the Master(s)

2009-04-10T16:46:00.003-04:00

Hope you're enjoying Holy Weekend. I've been doing chores around the house with the TV tuned to the Masters on ESPN. I love it when the championship falls on Easter Sunday. It makes the day that much sweeter.

Blessings on your Good Friday celebration.

He is almost risen.

Lessons Learned while Shopping for a New Cell Phone

2009-04-08T09:02:00.010-04:00

I dropped my phone on Sunday and the screen broke. I was pulling it from my pocket as I left the sanctuary and fumbled with it. While it was spinning through the air in slow motion, my brain screamed "Nooooooo!" I knew this was not going to turn out well. Sure enough, I was right.

So I headed to the Verizon store and walked out with this phone - the Samsung Sway. I like it a lot so far. I thought about a touch-screen phone, but didn't like any that were in my price range. Maybe next time I'll get an iPhone, but I don't want a phone with a data plan. If I had one, I'd check my email and surf the internet all the time - and I already text enough as it is.

So there I was in the store, wandering around as I waited for the sales rep was able to help me. Little children were running around, playing with phones. Frustrated parents lectured them from the line at the tech desk. New customers came in and stared at the line with a glazed look on their faces. Phones were ringing. One of the clerks was checking his email on the big TV and kept turning around to see if anyone was paying attention. It kind of surreal. After an hour and a half of wandering, talking to the rep, purchasing and waiting for my info to upload to my new phone, I left.

As I was leaving, it hit me. Cell phone stores are like airports - small public places where large groups of frustrated people wait for long lengths of time.

Kinda like purgatory, only for real.

Can you think of anywhere else that's like this?

On Sports and Holy Week

2009-04-06T09:07:00.007-04:00

This is perhaps one of my favorite weeks, (and months, for that matter), in the whole year.

It's a big week in sports:
NCAA Men's BB National Championship - tonight, April 6
Major League Baseball Opening Day - today
The Masters (golf) - starts Thursday, April 9th

But all of those pale in comparison to the greatest days of the year - Maunday Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter. These are why we're here. Not to raise trophies and talk about defeat and victory but to lift high the cross and proclaim the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Ah, April...

Let's get started.

(Oh, and my birthday is later this month, too. :)

The Year of the Concert

2009-04-04T16:46:00.000-04:00

This year I'll scratch several items off my "bucket list," among them several concerts I've been waiting to see. It's especially cool because to attend the only show I've seen since I've moved here (the Swell Season last May), I had to travel all the way to St. Louis. Either bands just realized Tampa is a really sweet tour stop, or my girlfriend has made my life so much cooler. Just this week we purchased tickets to see a certain band from Ireland.

Here's the 2009 lineup:
February - Jerry Seinfeld
April - Ray LaMontagne
August - Dave Matthews Band
October - U2

Songs I've Missed

2009-04-03T16:40:00.002-04:00

Getting a new computer has enabled me to import to iTunes all the music backed up on my external hard drive. Adding songs to my iPod has been a long process (I think I'm through the "c's" so far), but it's enabled me to listen to a few gems that my ears have been missing for almost a year.

Straight from the playlist:
Frou Frou - The Dumbing Down of Love
Jimmy Eat World - Goodbye Sky Harbor
John Mayer - Slow Dancing in a Burning Room
The Killers - All These Things I've Done
Radiohead - Fake Plastic Trees
Coldplay - Yellow

Score 1 point if you own music by the artist, 2 points if you have the song. Leave a comment with your total.

Catching Up

2009-03-10T22:54:00.006-04:00

Eric's visit was awesome. I picked him up and we played golf before we even got home from the airport. Friday we left for Jupiter and Ft. Meyers. We saw the Cardinals and the Twins. We got to see Chris Carpenter pitch, and Bob Gibson and Lou Brock in uniform as they walked up to our section and sign autographs. But perhaps the most remarkable part of the trip was watching from 10 feet away as World Series winner and former manager Tom Kelly as well as current manage Ron Gardenhire pick up stray baseballs and spend time with rookies. They weren't above any of it.

On to the good stuff...

Sweet Lou

Bob

Carp, warming up right in front of our seats

Big Al

Choice is a dangerous paradox, and why you might not know it.

2009-03-02T14:23:00.001-05:00

I just got done watching this amazing talk at TED.com. Barry Schwartz makes the case that too much choice brings paralysis, claiming "It's so deeply embedded in the water supply that we might not know it."

The last 19 minutes have been fascinating. Perhaps because I love sociology. Perhaps because I'm preaching about simplicity on Wednesday. And perhaps because it's an insightful look at the human condition in Western society.

We tend to see choice as a good thing. After all, we're Americans. We love freedom. We love to vote - or at least knowing we have the right to vote should we choose to do so. We love lots of cable channels. We like options on our value menu. We even need to be able to choose our breakfast cereal (Think about it, how LONG is this aisle at the grocery store? How many varieties are there?)

Schwartz argues that so much choice in Western society leads to three things:

paralysis of action ("Which one to choose?")
lower levels of satisfaction (Once we do act, the slightest amount of disappointment leads to regret)
escalating levels of expectation ("Surely I can do better")

From my experience, I think he's dead on. Just recently I've noticed how this works in my own life. There are times when my to-do list feels too big and I'll just flip on the TV (cable, no less) and let the dishes in the sink pile up. There are other times when I'll spend a good 60 seconds flipping though the artist list on my ipod to find just the right song (and never do I put my whole ipod on "shuffle").

He also notes that this has significantly altered our self esteem because rather than have one option available to purchase or choose, we're more responsible for our choices, not the world. If you don't make the best choice, it's your fault. In his conclusion, he notes that this is a problem particular to affluent, Western society which is hindered by "too much" choice. Because there are so many people who suffer from "too little" choice, income redistribution would make us all happier.

Now whether or not you're a stimulus bill-loving Democrat, you've got to admit that Schwartz has a point.

I see implications of choice and satisfaction on our
- worship wars
- general level happiness in American society
- why In-N-Out is so popular (a simple menu with food that tastes remarkable)

What other implications do you see?

Jerry

2009-02-28T10:57:00.003-05:00

Last night I fulfilled one of my lifelong dreams - to see Jerry Seinfeld live.

Our evening started at Red Mesa, a great Mexican place in St. Pete. I ate the best chile rellenos I've had in a very long time.

We found our seats 5 minutes before showtime. Larry Miller (the dad from 10 Things I Hate About You -the movie title which also happens to be the most often used search term that drives readers to my blog from Google) opened for Jerry. He's very hilarious.

The show was great. Way better than I thought it would be. I'll admit that at one point in the show I found myself wondering if all the money I paid to be sitting there was worth it if I could have just watched clips on YouTube, but I forgot about all that sometime later when I noticed that my mouth was aching because I was laughing so hard.

For his encore, Jerry came out and took questions from the audience for about 5 minutes. That was cool. He comes off as very personable. I tried to take a picture with my phone to share with you, but an usher got up in my grill before I could snap it. Blast.

For more on Jerry I recommend:
this documentary about life on the road post-Seinfeld
this interview about stand up comics and writing material
and this stand up routine.

What pastors do on their day off

2009-02-27T13:40:00.000-05:00

It's Friday. I'm off today and writing this from my couch on my laptop at 10:10am. I just had breakfast - an English muffin with cheddar cheese, a grapefruit, OJ and a multivitamin.

Here's a random list of things on my mind today...
- Spring Training!!! Games started Wednesday. The Cards are 1-1 and looking good for the most part. Their rotation is a little dinged up but looks promising. Carpenter and Wainwright are throwing great stuff. Ankiel and Pujols both had RBIs in the first game.

- This time next week I'll be in a car on my way to Jupiter. My buddy Eric is coming down here for the weekend and we're gonna hit up games in Jupiter (Cards) and Ft. Meyers (Twins), play golf and drink a cold one or two.

- We handed out Lenten daily devotional books on Sunday. I'm reading A New Perspective, distributed by Lutheran Hour, and written by my friend Ryan. I like it a lot so far. Nice job, mate. You can download the .pdf and print it for free.

- Tonight I'm going to see Jerry Seinfeld - one of my life long dreams - and also my Christmas present to my girlfriend, Jacqui. We've been joking since then that we hope we'll still be together when the show comes. Just a few hours left to go. Things still look good.

- Speaking of live shows - Jacqui got us tickets to see Ray LaMontagne for my birthday in April. He's coming to Tampa - and also helping me check another item off my "bucket list". Stay tuned for a future post on said list.

- And finally, here's my to do list for today, pasted directly from the sticky note on my desktop:

scope dinner location
gather other tax docs
start tax worksheet
$ for danielle, text dian
call Angie & Greg
call jamie re ted
watch grey's & office online
grocery store - trash bags, milk, contact solution, hangars
read book
golf?

What are you doing today?

Why I didn't give up anything for Lent

2009-02-26T22:57:00.006-05:00

Well, that's not entirely true. I did give something up, kind of. I gave up going to bed after 11:00pm. More on that in a minute...

When Ash Wednesday rolls around every year, a lot of Christians sacrifice something from their daily life in order to enable them to focus on the sacrifice of Jesus. By his death on the cross, he gave all of himself, so a small sacrifice on our part is nothing in comparison. Those moments of usually reserved for indulgence now become opportunities for prayer, reflection, and appreciation.

Sounds pretty good, right?

Well, I'm not really big on it. Never have been. In fact, I can't remember the last time I gave something up for Lent. Not sure if it's because I don't have a whole lot of discipline or that in my selfishness, I can't do without beer (there's an ice cold Amber Bock on my ottoman right now) or cable (March Madness is just weeks away. Come on).

So instead of stopping something, I'm starting something - a new bed time and a better morning routine. Rather than deny myself of something and spend my time bragging about it to the people around me, I've found something else that adds clarity to my day and focused time to center on God's Word. So far, so good. Plus I'm sleeping way better.

It's 11:16pm. I guess The Wire will have to wait until tomorrow.

How about you - what did you give up? Why'd you pick that?

Changing the world, one white board marker at a time

2009-02-25T09:43:00.000-05:00

I <3 white boards, especially the new one in my office.

I regularly take my own trip down the hall to our conference room where I'll think, reflect, plan, write sermons, brainstorm, and study. I'll record my thoughts on the white board, take a photo with my phone and text it to my email. It makes recording the ideas a complicated process. I think I need some sort of electric board to save the image so I can start a new, then come back and edit an old image. It'd be like a digital sketch pad. The size of my wall. Sweet...

Since Monday morning I've already filled the thing up. Take a look. This was Tuesday afternoon.

Far left - list of friends for fantasy baseball
Middle - list of over 50 young adults connected to our church
Upper right - ideas for next steps in young adult ministry
Lower right - ideas for next Wednesday's sermon on simplicity

Is Slumdog Worth All Those Oscars? or Nate Goes to the Movies

2009-02-24T00:44:00.002-05:00

I saw Slumdog Millionaire tonight. It's probably got a lot to do with why I'm still up at 12:46am.

Worth all the Oscars? I don't know. It seems like most best picture winners in recent years have made a political or social statement of some sort. SM is true to form in that respect, but that's not what was most striking about the film; neither was it the cinematography nor the score.

For me the most poignant moments of the film were the most painful. I had a visceral reaction to several scenes. It felt like watching the opening montage of Saving Private Ryan for an entire movie. Stomach punch. More than once I found myself wondering if the ending of the movie could possibly outdo the rising action.

I also found myself hating Satan, for not the first time in the last few weeks. He's wreaked havoc on our lives. I can't wait until he stops feasting our our destruction.

In addition to all that, the movie was true to its name. After watching this film, I don't really feel like taking a vacation to Cancun and sitting in the sun with my feet up. With the poverty in the world, it seems like sponsoring mission work is a better use of my money than making sure the drink in my hand has an umbrella in it.

Cora, pt 2

2009-02-11T16:34:00.008-05:00

Hi friends. These days have been hard for us.

The funeral service was awesome. The committal was all about the hope of the resurrection and the recreation of all things.

It's been quite amazing to watch the response from the blogosphere. You've come out in droves to offer your support and prayers, written and unwritten. I've heard from people I know in completely different spheres who are some how connected to Jess and Joel. Truly we are one body in Christ by the faith we share. Some of you have left quotes like these on their blog.

"I know many, including myself, who have begun, renewed, or strengthened their relationship with the Lord all because of Cora. She served such a meaningful purpose in the short time she was here. Thank you for sharing your light with all of us! God bless you and give you unyielding strength during this time."

"I fell in love with Cora from the moment I read your blog 2 weeks ago. She has touched so many lives and will make a difference in so many lives. I want to thank you so much for sharing your story. I know it had to be so hard. I feel like I will be a better christian and mother to my children, thanks to Cora Paige."

"These past few weeks, Cora has changed our lives. Her little life has taught us lessons of love, of treasure, of God's power of our lives. Know that her life has meaning. She has reached many. You two, her parents, have taught us unbelievable lessons of love for each other and of love for the Lord. Know that hundreds, probably thousands, surround you and Cora today and in the coming days as you grieve for her precious life."

In his funeral message, their pastor shared that when Jess and Joel dedicated Cora on Mother's Day last year, it was their prayer that she would be a servant and that her life would glorify God. It appears that their prayer was answered sooner than any of us expected.

Soli Deo Gloria
To God be the Glory

Cora

2009-02-09T00:24:00.002-05:00

Hi all. Recently I asked for you to pray with our family for the very life of Cora McClenahan. This morning (Sunday) she left her brief battle with cancer and departed to be with Christ, which as Paul says, "is better by far" (Philippians 1:23).

I'll be in Kansas for the next few days with my family. Please pray for Jess and Joel.

In the HOPE of the Resurrection,
Nate

Omnipresence

2009-02-04T10:04:00.005-05:00

Next weekend I'm preaching on the omnipresence of God. It's part of an Old Testament series we're running from Epiphany to Lent.

During an absentminded trip through my blog reader this morning, I came across this morning's post from Stuff Christians Like. It's a humorous, and insightful take on the mystery and presence of God, the beauty of nature, and the (extra)ordinary majesty of Christian vocation. Check it out.

Side note: I'm thinking of using a hand held magnifying glass as a visual illustration. It'll be like an episode of Scooby Doo only without the monster. Sweet.

Live from Lakeville

2009-02-02T10:34:00.007-05:00

I'm sitting on the reclining couch where I slept last night. It's white. There are rumblings from upstairs. I think I hear someone waking up. The heater is cranked up and I'm fine in a tshirt and gym shorts, despite the snow I can see through the windows outside.

It's been great weekend in Minnesota. I've had lots of opportunities to spend time and reconnect with old friends from the church where I spent my vicarage (internship). Much in my life has changed since then. The two and a half years since I left feel more like five.

Surreal is a word that comes close to describing the weekend.

Three experiences stand out
- I made a hard decision to pass on an invitation to attend a party and see lots of people in order to spend the night at the home of friends I've known for 20 years. We laughed. Told stories. Talked about our lives. Ate together. Played Mario Kart. It was great.

- My friend Martin baptized the hell out of Lyla Jo Christoffer. And I became her godparent. As I stood beside some of my best friends in the world at the baptismal fount in the church where I once served, I had a front row view to watch God pour out his grace into the sinfulness of her life. It was pretty awesome.

- Perhaps the greatest moment was kneeling at the communion rail, with my hands open to receive, being served with the body and blood of Christ, as tears rolled down my cheeks, at the very same rail where I once served and the same body and blood of Jesus.

Full circle is another word that fits well, too.

Here's Lyla, moments after joining our family.

Prayers for Cora

2009-01-28T23:03:00.002-05:00

My cousin Jess and her husband Joel have a baby named Cora. She's 10 months old.

And she has cancer.

We just found out last weekend. Her chemo treatments began today. Please keep her in your prayers. From what I understand, the first treatment is the most dangerous.

You can keep up to date through their blog.

Eve and Steve (Jobs)

2009-01-26T17:50:00.006-05:00

I just bought a Macbook Pro. It will be here Wednesday, just in time for me to play with it during my flight to MN. I've been pining for one (and doing my fair share of coveting) for more than a year, and I'm pretty psyched. It will save me time (don't even get my started on this machine), allow me to read from the couch (something I don't really enjoy at the desk), enable me to edit sweet church videos, and make me feel cool and super-trendy when I take it to overpriced coffee shops.

Rock on.

I've got to admit that I'm looking forward to the happiness that will come into my life through a computer. It seems strange, if not borderline-idolatrous, especially when I think of the amount of money I'm spending to purchase it and the amount of time I'll spend using it over the next 5 years. You may say that's efficient or being cost-effective.

But I'm not so sure.

Adam fell for an Apple.

I think I am, too.

UPDATE: It's here. And amazing. Everything I hope it would be and more.

Catching You Up

2009-01-18T22:17:00.008-05:00

After an incredibly long couple of weeks, I'm exhausted as I sit down at my computer tonight. Here's a list of mostly random things in slightly chronological order which ought to bring you up to speed.

Christmas was great. It was awesome to have my whole family here. Mom and Sarah helped me decorate a bit. As a matter of fact, my tree is still up. When it comes down (soon?) I'll lose a bit of built in decoration.
Darn.
I got a mitre saw for Christmas. Lots of projects were accomplished. My dad and brother-in-law helped me build a workbench and shelves in the garage (where I can now park my car). I learned to install electrical outlets and light fixtures. We moved a thermostat. And built a fence around my pool pump.
It was very good to get up to Atlanta for a few days and spend New Years with my mom's side of the fam. All my aunts and uncles hadn't been together in years. It was a great time.
When I got home my pool was dark green. After two trips to the pool store and about $100 in chemicals, it's now blue raspberry. Awesome.
I don't think blue raspberry is the color of water coming out of my faucet.
Hmmm...
Next weekend the Discipleship Team which I lead is hosting the Walk Thru the Old Testament Seminar at our church. It kicks off a 30 day congregation-wide study of the OT. Countless hours of planning have already been put into this project. This week will be lots more scrambling for final volunteers and problem-solving last minute details. Please say a prayer for us.
I'm learning that I'm not really a planner. Or skilled at details. I'm thankful for the people around me who are good at both.
I really love chips, especially between the hours of 10pm and 12am. I just killed 1/2 a can of cheese pringles and it's sitting below my chin at this very moment.
Tempting...
I took homemade hot wings to a football party this afternoon. It's a recipe I got from Olivia, my aunt. Buy plain chicken wings at the store. Put them in an oven pan, covering each with a small amount of butter. Add a jar of Texas Pete Buffalo Wing Sauce. Cook at 325 for 2 hours, basting occasionally. Continue at a hotter temperature depending on your desired level of crispiness. They fall off the bone. And are hot.
Mmmmm...
The new Ray LaMontagne album was good at the first listen. It continues to grow on me like a fine, aged wine.
Mark my words - the Arizona Cardinals will win the Superbowl. Not only is Kurt Warner a Christian, but I've read that he promised his kids a puppy if they win it all. In the words of Bill Simmons, never bet against God and puppies.
Tonight I found out that one of the guys at our young adult Bible study also shares a love for The Godfather. A GF marathon sounds imminent.
In two weeks I'm heading to Minnesota for the baptism of my buddy's new daughter. I'm really excited, especially because I get to be called the "Godfather."

I owe phone calls to 6 of you who are reading this right now. Not sure I've emerged from my Advent foxhole yet. I'll get back to you soon.

Be well.

A Day in the Life...

2008-12-22T16:07:00.009-05:00

Merry Christmas friends and family!

This morning I rode to work blaring Vega4's Life is Beautiful. My life feels beautiful today. My family arrived at 1:30 am last night. I have a beautiful home. I love the work I do. And God has brought a beautiful person into my life. Because my new commute is only 1 mile, I had time to sit in my car and let the song finish before I walked into my office. It was one of those "this is a good song, I've gotta listen to the whole thing" moments.

Beautiful.

Waiting for me in the office this morning was a new turn in an ongoing problem I'm trying to solve for a study series we're trying to put together next month. A few hours later I received an email from a friend who is experiencing great struggle in his life. It broke my heart. After lunch I brought communion to a woman who turned 95 yesterday and recited poems she had memorized, each of which articulated her faith in our God who is always near us. Then I drove down the road to see one of our 4 year old preschool students who has suffered from the effects of meningitis. She screamed with pain in her legs as she tried to walk down the hall to her daddy. They're hoping to have her home for Christmas. On my way back to the office, just minutes ago, I called my friend Nick, whose daughter was born 6 weeks premature. They've been hoping to have her home for Christmas, too. When he picked up, they had just walked in the door to bring her home for the first time.

After a roller coaster of a day, I was in tears as I pulled into the parking lot for the second time. It was truly beautiful.

Beautiful because our God is called Immanuel.

Beautiful because He is with us when life is good.

Beautiful because He is with us when life seems ugly.

Beautiful because Jesus is coming to redeem and save flawed, sinful people like you and me.

Beautiful.

Merry Christmas from Largo, Florida.

Sick

2008-12-10T20:37:00.006-05:00

It's December. And that means my life gets super busy. Now it's catching up to my body. I've been home sick the last two days with strep throat. Bleh. It feels like I've got a golf ball in the back of my throat.

In my spare time, I've watched two of my favorite movies (the Usual Suspects and Garden State) and lot of Sportscenter.

And I had some time to take pictures of my new crib. Check them out here.

Thanksgiving +1

2008-11-28T09:35:00.007-05:00

Hey friends. I'm essentially done with my next post on vocation, I'm just letting it simmer for a while before I post it. You'll probably see it in the next few days.

In the meantime I'd like to share something that occurred to me as I prepared for the sermon I preached yesterday. [Once it gets posted to our website, the video clip I refer to which we also watched can be found here].

Thanksgiving isn't an awesome holiday for everyone. In fact, for many, it rings in the beginning of a season that makes us painfully aware that this year, things aren't the same way they were last year. "This year, (she's) not with us." "This year, that happened." These crosses in our lives make it difficult to give thanks.

When Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 5, "pray continually, giving thanks in all circumstances" he's not asking us to give thanks for just the good stuff. He says all. And while it might not be easy to thank God for the difficult, painful things we're in now, I believe that we have the opportunity to thank him despite our pain - fully acknowledging that for a season, at least we did get to enjoy her, or that thing, before it ended. It came from God, and we can thank him for it whether we enjoyed it in the past or enjoy it today. We can stand next to Job, who said "The Lord has given and the Lord has taken away. May the name of the Lord be praised."

May you give thanks and praise in all circumstances, too.

I didn't get to celebrate with my family yesterday. But I thank God that he has given them to me - and that he let me enjoy this.

Happy Thanksgiving +1

Adventures in Bachelorhood, Part 3

2008-11-24T19:58:00.002-05:00

Big moment tonight. Made my first nachos in the new microwave.

Santitas tortillas chips + sharp cheddar + Monterey Jack cheese + Tostitos medium salsa = dinner + awesomeness + a Peregoy classic

Adventures in Bachelorhood, Part 2

2008-11-19T08:50:00.004-05:00

Bed (aka living room sofa)

Note to self: When moving into a house without blinds, be sure to have located extra sheets before you use them as window coverings. Or be prepared to sleep on the couch until you do.

Adventures in Bachelorhood

2008-11-18T09:32:00.002-05:00

Blinds

Home Alone: Being without a Vocation Part 1

2008-11-07T08:33:00.009-05:00

[This post is longer than most. It's part of a series that's been in my head for a while. While you're here, join the conversation and leave a comment].

There is an odd feeling which strikes the man or woman who comes home to an empty house each day.

When I moved here last Summer and sat on my sofa, watching hours and hours of Grey's Anatomy, I didn't know at the time that I was trying to cover this feeling. After I moved into my rental house last Fall, I wondered about where I would find the motivation to pay the pile of bills on my table and wash the mountain of dishes in my sink. At times I questioned who was I benefiting while I watched Sportscenter reruns. I remember a single friend of mine who told me, just months into her first career, that she felt quite selfish living on her own. It seemed that her extra time and energy were spent on herself. I had begun to wonder the same thing.

We have our attempts to fill this hole. While the single person may throw themselves into a relationship or quest for a spouse to assuage this feeling, or may create lists and tackle the endless responsibilities of adult life (or not, feeling overwhelmed as the dishes in the sink continue to pile), or may over commit themselves with greater responsibilities at work and other places - none of these fill the void.

I was bothered by this feeling - until I identified it. I realized that God had created me to serve others, and I had no ability to do so when I came home to an empty house. Sure I had my vocations as pastor, and brother, son and friend - each of these existing in a relationship to someone else. But for those hours between work and bed? I was just Nate.

This feeling is not the pang of loneliness that single people may feel. This feeling is not the guilt of tasks left undone. This feeling is not the pride of a self-centered lifestyle.

I believe this feeling one experiences when he or she is vocation-less during a given number of hours in their week. It happens to the single person who must prepare meals for 1 each night. It happens to the man who has been without work for six months. It happens to the young woman who is reminded each month that God created her to bear children.

Each of these people is painfully aware that God has created them for something more - and that this "more" puts their God-given gifts to work in meaningful interactions with people and tasks. The ongoing transformation of the Holy Spirit moves us beyond ourselves to love and serve the people in our life. And sometimes we feel guilty when we can't. Perhaps it is our life situation that may limit us to do so. But perhaps it is the places we are choosing to put our focus.

The beauty of Christian vocation is not that we may feel guilty for not doing enough. The beauty of Christian vocation is that God has placed us where he wants us - at all times. And we are able to live by faith, in the freedom that his grace has given us, wherever we are.

Rather than focus on what God has not given to us, (for such pursuits are endless), perhaps the challenge and the privilege is to rejoice in the places that God has already put us, and among whom he has placed us. For there we find our true meaning and purpose.

Forgiven by Christ and free to serve others - there is no greater feeling than that!

[For this post I am deeply indebted to recent conversations at fourandtwentysomething and the blog of Dr. Gene Edward Veith. While they sought to explore the tension when one feels overwhelmed by too many vocations, I sought to explore the experience of one who feels like they have "too few" vocations. Feel free to leave a comment and stay tuned for the next post in the series sometime next week].

Election Day in Florida

2008-11-04T08:25:00.006-05:00

Apparently Florida is having problems with its electronic voting machines. And rather than make a fool out of ourselves once more, we're resorting to paper ballots - again.

So yesterday I avoided the long lines at the polls and drove my absentee ballot (above) to the election center. I just rolled down my window and handed it to a guy who was standing on the curb by the door. It was like drive-by voting. One can only hope that the large black canister into which he dropped my envelope was a ballot box and not a trash can.

As you're heading to the polls in your own state today, I encourage you to read this post from my friend Matt. He helps us ask a different set of questions, shifting from "what's best for me?" to "what's best for my neighbor?" It's a helpful application of the greatest commandment to our vocations as citizens in which we are responsible for loving and serving the other members of our community and nation.

Kid Rock, Wise Sage

2008-11-03T09:21:00.003-05:00

It's Election Eve. John McCain and Barak Obama have wrapped up their trips to Florida. Last night's Jimmy Buffet concert/Obama rally in Tampa is over. Now we're just 36 hours from the time when the first polls start to close.

For months people have been talking and writing and blogging and reporting. But one. One voice rises above them all. His "name is Kiiiiiid Rock" . Let me tell you, the man just earned points with me. Read this article from People Magazine online entitled, "Kid Rock Vetoes Celebrity Political Endorsements."

Not only do I agree that Tim Robbins and Oprah Winfrey should shut up(!), but I'm glad that Kid Rock knows the limits of his vocation. He's a musician, not a politician. And he's not afraid to say so.

After a long weekend of great stuff at church, I've got an extra day off. I have errands to run and kayaking to do. But most of all, today I'm living my vocation as a citizen and doing my civic duty. In just a few minutes I'll fill out my absentee ballot and drop it off at the library near my house.

Rock the Vote. I'm out.

Homeowning for Dummies

2008-10-31T11:27:00.002-04:00

It's official. I now own this house. Or rather, the bank owns it. They just let me sleep here. :) Yesterday afternoon I drove to the title company, signed a million documents and handed over my down payment check. Today I'm going to celebrate on the golf course with my friend Andy.

Apparently I'm living the American dream - owning a home in middle class suburbia. While it seems a bit anticlimactic because I've been living here for a week, it's still immensely satisfying to own a house. When I get the interior pictures up, you'll understand why it's so sweet to own this one.

In the meantime, here are a few things I'm learning as I'm unpack and make this place my home:

The difference between travertine and tile - apparently I have the former
The difference between brushed nickel and rubbed bronze fixtures - apparently I have both
There's very little difference between real wood and faux wood blinds, except the price
When changing at night in a house without blinds, it's best to use the hallway, but not when someone else is home
I like dark wood
You can't install a plate to cap the cable line that comes through an exterior wall, you just have to live with the extra feet that snake out to the middle of your floor
Your cable guy may be a recovering alcoholic who loves Jesus, but not the church
When decorating, the size of a piece of furniture is just as important as its position and color
That my favorite part of my house is the view of the pool from my couch
The seller, who flips houses in this area for a living, loves this floor plan and her changes more than any other house she's done
My neighbors are cool
The ones who I don't know, won't wave when I drive by.
Once I thought waving to strangers was weird. Now I miss it. Apparently this is not the Midwest.
Moving across town is only 1/3 less stressful than moving to a new time zone, even with 3x as much stuff
It's very possible that I may never park in my garage
That God has given me SO MUCH stuff. I know our economy is as hard to live in as it's been probably in my whole lifetime, but as Americans 99% of us live better than all but 1% of the rest of the world.
We're so rich.

Pictures are coming, just soon as the boxes are gone.

More Fireproof

2008-10-28T23:00:00.003-04:00

Did you know there's a Fireproof blog?

[Well, technically all blogs are fireproof because they exist in a virtual place called the blogosphere, which is neither a blog nor a sphere, just an abstract reality called the internet].

Apparently they quoted a portion of my recent post about the movie. I saw all this traffic to that one post in my stats and traced it back to a bunch of referrals from their site. Crazy.

Anyway, you can read what they said here.

I still maintain that it's an important movie for you to see, no matter what your relationship responsibilities are. It's still in over a thousand theaters across the country. Certainly one of them is near you. Go see it with someone you know and talk to them about it on the ride home.

Home, Sweet Home

2008-10-26T08:24:00.005-04:00

I'm in. Last night I spent my first night in my new house. I felt immense joy and exhaustion as I collapsed into bed at 11:30pm.

I have no cable, or internet or blinds - all of which are a bit inconvenient, especially when you want to watch the Rays play the Phillies in the World Series, or when you want to change your clothes and your room faces the street.

But I do have 3x as much stuff as I did when I moved down here. I have feng shui issues to resolve in my living room. And I have a pool. Life could be worse.

Lots of unpacking and and trips to Home Depot await me.

Pictures will follow later this week.

Jesus and Playboy

2008-10-22T18:07:00.004-04:00

Pop quiz kiddos: where would Jesus hang?

a) on a cross
b) in a raunchy tshirt shop
c) at the Playboy mansion

Check out this picture:

I took this photo with my phone at a beachside tshirt shop in Daytona, right outside the hotel where I attended a conference last month.

It seemed weird and very out of place, both because I own a different tshirt with that same face (maybe it's not not copyrighted?), and because it was hanging right next to a Playboy "tshirt" (tube top?). In fact, in order to get this photo from rated-R to PG-13, I had to turn around every pair of underwear on the left because each contained raunchy words too dirty to repeat.

Something didn't seem right. Given a quick survey of other merchandise in the store (including a fetal shark in a bottle. What?), it was obvious the owners knew how to make a buck.

But as I circled this shirt in the middle of the store, it became ironically obvious. This shirt was right where it belonged.

You see, there's a Pharisee in me that doesn't want to let Jesus get dirty. A part that doesn't think Jesus deserves to hang next to playboy bunnies and underwear with dirty innuendos. But I think that's right where Jesus belongs. If Jesus of Palestine, who ate with "tax collectors and sinners," were living today, he'd hang out with with pornstars and their pimps. He'd spend his time with people who talk dirty. And I don't think he'd have a problem with it.

Where would Jesus hang?
a) on a cross
b) in a raunchy tshirt shop
c) at the Playboy mansion
d) all of the above

Perhaps the problem is with me, and my picture of the Gospel and those who truly need it. Perhaps rather than take pictures of this shirt and its surroundings, I can be this shirt, at home in every surrounding, with the cross with me wherever I hang.

Another one about Baseball

2008-10-20T21:43:00.003-04:00

I moved back to St. Louis in the Fall of '06, when the Cardinals went on to win their 10th World Series. On Thursday, the day the Rays were 7 outs from the World Series in Game 5, my friend Bo left this message on my Facebook wall, "It seems like where ever you are the baseball team is good. Please move to Colorado."

Sorry Bo. I'm not leaving Florida. Because the Rays need my mojo.

We're going to the World Series.

Sure we almost became another statistic, nearly becoming the third team since 2003 to go up 3 games to 1 against the Redsox in the ALCS and blow the series. But we didn't. We squeaked by with a 3-1 victory in Game 7. The score could not have been more perfect.

In case you haven't heard the story, in their 10 year history, the Tampa Bay Rays have never had a winning season. At all. This year they won 97 out of 162 games, catapulting from their last place divisional standing at the end of the regular season in '07 to first place in '08, becoming one of only two teams to do so in the history of baseball.

Some have said that with a $43 million dollar payroll, an amount which is only only 1/5 of that of the perpetual divisional champion NY Yankees and still just 1/4 the salary total of the Redsox, the Rays represent America's favorite hero, Joe the Plummer, the underdog of the sports world.

As if this fairy tale couldn't get any better, now we find ourselves with home field advantage. I've always despised baseball commissioner Bud Selig for a number of reasons, among them his recent ruling that the league which won the All Star Game would secure home field advantage for the club that would represent them in the Series. It's unfair on a number of levels. But now that the AL won the All Star Game in NYC in July, I can forgive him. A little.

Heck, the way they're playing right now, the Rays don't need any home field help from Bud Selig, or any mojo from me.

World Series here we come!

***************
[And yes friends from cities I used to live in, I can say "we" because I live here. And the Rays are not in the same league or division as any other team I've cheered for. It's perfectly acceptable to root for more than one team, as long as true loyalty is maintained. For me, that loyalty would lie with the Cardinals. Sorry Jenn and Becky].

(Un)Packing

2008-10-17T21:36:00.007-04:00

It's Friday night. Godfather II* is playing in the living room of the house that I will call home for only 2 more weeks. Tonight I've begun packing in preparation the big move next weekend.

I've started the with half-open boxes that live in the closet of my guest room. Minutes ago, in a box that once contained diapers, I came across an old pad of paper I kept with me during my 4th year of Seminary.

Blog post outlines. Brilliant quotes from professors. Lecture notes. A journal entry just before a breakup. Some notes and list of book recommendations scribbled during a meeting with a homiletics professor. Notes passed in an Old Testament class with Greg and Will that still make me laugh. Thoughts as I was processing Call Day and a to-do list from that week. Diagrams and arrows and keywords as I sat at the feet of Leonard Sweet during the Day of Homiletical Reflection.

It doesn't make me miss Seminary. But it does bring me back to the stories from a year of life that was very difficult, and very, very good.

As the story we live in moves forward and to the future, we continually revisit the boxes of our compartmentalized past. Some make us cringe. Some make us smile. All of them help us heal and grow.

Packing by unpacking.

*Godfather II will always be in my Top 5. Vito Corleone's rise to power. Michael's attempts to legitimize the family business. Fredo's betrayal. Classic.

Hold That Thought

2008-10-17T00:27:00.003-04:00

It's 12:31 am and I'm so amped up right now. I can't go to bed. I'm angry. Shocked. In disbelief.

If you were here earlier tonight, you read my post gloating about the Rays clinching the AL pennant. I blogged about it while we enjoyed a 7-0 lead during the 7th inning of Game 5.

Now that post is missing. I take it all back.

No lead is ever safe in Fenway Park. Our bullpen blew the lead, allowing the Red Sox to come back and win 8-7.

Crap.

So I took down my post. And this post is my retracted statement.

Game 6 is Saturday. Shields is on the mound. He's lights out at home. Bragging about the pennant will have to wait 48 hours.

Hopefully I won't have to wait that long to fall asleep.

Bleh

2008-10-14T14:08:00.004-04:00

I'm home sick for the second day in a row. I've got something that's in between a head cold and a sinus infection. I seem to get a cold every year, but never before have the symptoms come this quickly or so severely.

Between the pressure in my head and at least one plugged nostril at all times, it's not fun.

I wish I could tell you that I've been using my free time to pack boxes or write studies that I'm leading this week. Instead I've been watching a lot of baseball, and reading On the Road by Jack Kerouac. I'm about 1/3 of the way through and I'm losing interest in the meandering plot line.

I picked up the book from our local library after countless listens to "Couches in Alleys," an acoustic cover by Death Cab for Cutie frontman Ben Gibbard. According to some, the song, whose lyrics Ben also penned, could be considered a letter to Kerouac in which he bemoans the reality of the problems that remain when we return from life on the road, or just plain avoiding them.

It's currently in heavy rotation on the "Soundtrack of my Life," not because it holds any particular lyrical meaning for me, but just because I love the song.

I posted it for you to listen, too. Download it here:
Ben Gibbard - Couches in Alleys (Live)

Christmas Cards are for Couples

2008-10-12T20:11:00.001-04:00

The other day I got an email from shutterfly.com, advertising a new holiday promotion for customized greeting cards. Last year I thought about reaching out to all my homies with Christmas letters, but was a bit overwhelmed with by my first holiday season as a pastor.

"Next year!" I vowed.

Until I got that email.

It got me thinking about what a Christmas letter from Nate might contain. "I did this." "I did that." Shallow and self-focused.

It's part of the curse of bachelorhood. My life, my schedule is all about me. Pretty lame. Sometimes I wonder if getting married would be good for me just so that I could learn more about selflessness.

Then I got a new idea. You know how people send out magnets when they get engaged or little photo cards when they have a kid? Maybe I'll send out something after I move into my new house. Kinda like a bachelor's birth announcement. Nice.

No More A/C [?]

2008-10-10T09:19:00.002-04:00

[Note: I wrote the beginnings of this post the other day and saved it to clean up later. But then everything changed, so I broke it into two parts.]

Last night I turned off the A/C and slept with the windows open for the first time since May. It was glorious. While most of you are adoring the advent of autumn, the rest of us in the tropics are celebrating the cessation of summer.

When I was in Nashville a couple weeks ago, I couldn't believe that we were able to sit outside during the afternoon. Even more was the weirdness as I watched baseball fans at playoff games in Boston and Philly, wearing big jackets and scarves.

And here I was just opening my windows...

*****************************
Well last night I came home after work and my house was a sweltering, humid vat of 84-degree soup. The air was so thick you could stir it with a spoon. I put every fan in the house at high speed and sat on the couch to fold clothes. "Just wait it out," I thought. "It will cool down after dark."

10 minutes later I was using mismatched socks to wipe the sweat from my forehead. Not good.

So I closed the windows.

The Peregoy Casa is back to A/C.

Much better.

Fireproof this Blog!

2008-10-07T23:38:00.010-04:00

You need to go see Fireproof.

Really, you do. I went tonight and was so glad I did.

You've got to understand that I'm not big on Christian subculture. I don't listen to much "Christian music." I didn't see Facing the Giants, another Christian film produced by the same church. So I was a bit hesitant to go see this movie. But our church is doing the 6-part Bible study on it beginning this weekend, and our young adult group decided to go together to see it this coming Sunday afternoon (and I'm missing half of it because I'm committed in meetings) then discuss it over Coldstone afterward. So with nothing to do tonight, I went with my friend Tami.

I had heard that you should see it soon because it won't be in theaters for long. But I was surprised to see that the theater was nearly full. On a Tuesday night. But that might have been because it was free popcorn night. I put peanut M&M's in mine. My friend Will taught me that.

On to the movie...

You really should go. In fact, I think every Christian should see it (just like the movie Saved). Here's why:

Two words: Kirk Cameron. Need I say more? Between Fireproof and Left Behind, the guy is a lock for a spot in the Christian movie hall of fame[1]. Seriously though, let's get one thing straight right now: the acting isn't great. There's a lot of dialog. The movie was made for $500,000, so let's be realistic here people. Don't expect any Academy Awards.
Having said that, the acting isn't strong but the script is well-written. For instance...
it's real. I am thankful that I grew up in what is all too atypical today, a healthy family with great parents. This movie helped me experience life in a family where people yell, disconnect, lie, avoid their issues and each other. For that matter, it showed me what I'm capable of.
You hear the objections of a normal person who is quite content to live their life apart from God.
You watch the transformation in people's lives as they come to grips their short comings and their need for grace[2].
You learn about being a better spouse (or a potential one).
Most of all, it's for everybody. Kids, parents, older couples, singles. Everybody. Each viewer learns about forgiveness. The movie speaks to all relationships and has application for us all as we accept and serve each other unconditionally. I'm usually not very good at this. But the movie helped put human skin on grace and helped us enter into the opportunities we have to bring love and peace to the lives of the people around us.

And if you're lucky, during the climactic scene in the movie, the person sitting in front of you might get a phone call, sharing with the entire theater a ringtone which sounds remarkably like "When The Saints Go Marching In." I'm not sure which was more poignant, the gut-wrenching scene or the irony of the ringtone.

[1. Wait. We don't have one of those? Why not? We have our own Christian Music Hall of Fame. Our own Grammy's. Why not our own Oscar's? Does anyone else see a problem with this? No? I didn't think so].
[2. There were lots of "this is why we're here moments"- we, meaning the church. I get teary when I listen to people's transformation stories. This movie had several. And yes, I cried. Several times].

Soundtrack of my Life, Vol. 2

2008-10-06T13:15:00.007-04:00

3 cheers for another edition of the "Soundtrack of My Life." Part window into my soul and part reader competition = tons of fun.

Score one point if you own the artist, two points if you own the track. Leave a comment and post your score. Deadline is Friday.

[Click picture to expand].

2008-09-23T14:18:00.005-04:00

[Sometimes pastors have to write newsletter articles. It's not a task that brings me great joy. In fact I'm way past our deadline right now. In lieu of a normal post, here's the article which I finished this afternoon. It's the story I mentioned in my last post].

A Comedian, Haiti, and my Birthday

“Oh my gosh! Check this out!”

There I was, standing at the front of our sanctuary before a packed audience gathered to “Laugh All Night” with comedian Mike Williams. In my hand was a picture of Kenson, the 13 year-old Haitian boy I had just selected to sponsor. As I read his profile and introduced him to the congregation, the numbers jumped off the page: 4/14.

“We have the same birthday!” The words of surprise flew out of my mouth. You see, not only do Kenson and I share the same birthday, but I had selected the profile of different boy just minutes before. I made a switch at the last second.

As I spoke about Kenson, it was very apparent to me that God was working in the room that evening. Minutes earlier, I was cut to the heart as Mike described the nation of Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, where 1 of 2 people are illiterate and 4 out of 5 people live in poverty. Something inside me leaped as Mike invited us to join him on one his monthly trips to the serve churches and schools which New Missions, his organization, runs in Haiti.

God was working. That night, 16 of us took home a child. What’s more, all of us took home the invitation to journey to Haiti. We saw pictures and heard stories. We learned about the of the overwhelming life situation of thousands of people who live just 919 miles from Largo - the distance of a round trip to Atlanta.

Most of all, we learned how we can help. I’m eager to join Mike and his team on a trip to Haiti, where we will meet Kenson and learn about the ministry that’s taking place there. I’m excited to join you and begin to explore ways that we, too, can help children like Kenson. Most of all, I’m energized to go and serve Kenson, bringing him the hope and love of Jesus Christ.

God still is working. Please prayerfully consider how you may join us. Perhaps it’s sponsoring a child yourself. Maybe you already are supporting a child and would like to meet him or her. If you would like to go, but are unable, perhaps you can help make it possible for someone else to go and serve in Haiti. Above all, you can pray for Mike Williams, New Missions, and especially Kenson.

For more information, check out the New Missions website at www.newmissions.org. Stay tuned or ask me about the details for an upcoming journey to change the lives of families in Haiti with the hope of the Gospel!

Catching Up

2008-09-22T00:02:00.000-04:00

Life in Florida continues to be quite full.

A couple of cool stories from last week. One story involves a comedian, Haiti, and my birthday. It was one of those experiences that made me stop in my tracks and say out loud, "Oh my gosh!" Details to follow.

The other story happened in Orlando. I attended a conference put on by my new friends at Threads, a subdivision of Lifeway publishing. Threads centers on reaching young adults in the 18-34 age bracket. It was just what I needed. If you work with anyone near this age range, check them out. Their materials are very good. I've been nothing but impressed with what they're producing. After months of intensive research and years of publishing, they seem to have a very accurate feel for the pulse of our generation.

Today I had lunch at Panera with 4 people who are a part of our y.a. ministry. I invited them to be part of a leadership team. I shared some of my "takeaways" from the event. They talked about their needs and ideas. It was a great conversation.

Ministry gets easier when you share it.

As I journaled with my coffee and generic raisin bran in the sun room this morning, a new image about my role at church appeared in my head. Since a year ago in July, I've felt as if I've been trying to keep 4 big plates spinning in the air, desperately keeping them from crashing to the floor. Today I realized that it now feels like I'm pushing a giant ball (remember that big one in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom?) across the floor and it is slllooowly gaining momentum.

So that's good.

I'm off to Daytona Beach on Wednesday for our district church workers' conference and then spending a long weekend with Megan in Nashville. Back next Tuesday. Stories to follow.

Team Microsoft: Seinfeld and Gates

2008-09-12T18:27:00.003-04:00

You may have heard that Jerry Seinfeld has been paid $10 million dollars to do a new series of ads for Microsoft Vista. As both a diehard Seinfeld fan and member of the Apple bandwagon, I was disappointed to hear the news. And surprised. There's little that even Jerry could do to pull Microsoft out of the grave they're digging for themselves.

Until I saw the ad.

The first commercial recently debuted and featured Jerry running into Bill Gates at a shopping mall. It wasn't too bad. Lots of subtle humor.

Then today I came across the second ad. It's got a lot of good moments. Take a look.

UPDATE: Now that they're pulling the Seinfeld ads Microsoft appears even more confused about itself.

I don't get the new commercials. "I'm a PC"? What?

Even using a star like Jerry, whose sitcom ended ten years ago, makes them appear a bit dated. I know they've got billions to spend on marketing research. But I think it's only a matter of time before Seinfeld reruns become the new M.A.S.H. I can't stand M.A.S.H. But I'm sure that one day I'll be on my couch, laughing hysterically at Seinfeld reruns while my kids stare at me and leave the room in confusion.

Way Behind

2008-09-10T15:34:00.002-04:00

So the other day something happened.

I found out that Weezer just released a new album.

This was wrong on two levels. One, I did not own it. And two, I had no idea when it was released.

It happened like this. My friend Adrienne hooks me up with a link to WXRT, her local indie station in Chicago. There I am, clicking around, and what do I find? The cover art for a group of guys that look like Weezer, but they're standing in front of a red background. Huh?A quick jump to iTunes and a jog through the store and sure enough, it's The Red Album. A quick check of the release date? It's been out since June. That's three months.

Normally this would be good news. But oh, not today.

You see, I love music. And I love Weezer. I still remember the day Heather Tolbert handed me the headphones to her CD player and let me listen to The Sweater Song after school in eighth grade. My life hasn't been the same since.

Weezer will always be a member of a select number of artists in the "Nate Peregoy Pantheon o' Music." This status entitles an artist to produce a record which I will buy without having listened to a single track. [a few other hall o' fame members include, but are not limited to, the Postal Service, Death Cab for Cutie, Damien Rice].

That a member of the Pantheon would release a record without my knowledge was a crushing blow to my musical ego. I had a brief moment that included this inner monologue, "Whoa. I have no idea this happened. What else have I missed? I know I'm losing hair, could this be a sign that I'm losing my cool factor, too?"

Neurosis aside, I will blame my ignorance on the fact that the sports talk coming through my car speakers during my commute on Monday was the only radio I've listened to in a year. I won't apologize for my disdain for commercials and DJs. I won't hide my love for my best friend, my iPod.

In fact, I think I'll post the most recent soundtrack of my life. Stay tuned.

TED

2008-09-08T09:15:00.002-04:00

Whoa. So the other day I came across this.

It's an amazing site with video of presentations done by dozens and dozens of brilliant people about new research and learning and all kinds of crazy-cool interesting stuff. If you like learning about anything, there's probably something related to your interest on this site.

I find it utterly fascinating.

Here's the description from their "About TED" page.

TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from those three worlds. Since then its scope has become ever broader.

The annual conference now brings together the world's most fascinating thinkers and doers, who are challenged to give the talk of their lives (in 18 minutes).

This site makes the best talks and performances from TED available to the public, for free. More than 200 talks from our archive are now available, with more added each week. These videos are released under a Creative Commons license, so they can be freely shared and reposted.

So far I've been exploring the "Master Storytellers" content. I've watched the Esquire columnist who underwent the "Year of Living Biblically," reading dozens of Bibles from every faith he could find and taking every rule literally. I'm currently watching author Amy Tan on creativity.

This is great stuff.

UPDATE: Their stuff is also available in audio and video podcasts via iTunes.

The Dentist Chair

2008-09-04T14:47:00.001-04:00

The other day a friend of mine was telling me that she doesn't like going to the dentist because she feels guilty for the things she should have done to take better care of her teeth.

I wonder if a lot of people feel the same way about going to church.

And then Jon at Stuff Christians Like pulled together this post and said it way better than I could.

Read about here.

More Updates

2008-09-02T22:03:00.009-04:00

Hi Kids,

I've been reading a really good book called Abba's Child, by Brennan Manning - the guy who wrote The Ragamuffin Gospel. I'm finding myself in every paragraph he writes. It's so good that I can't decide whether to stop and write down quotes or just keep reading and soak it all in. My own copy just arrived from amazon so I can read a little more efficiently. In true Nate-style, I'm sure to have some gems to share before too long.

I was glad to have the extra day this weekend. I spent it at the beach with Josh and Kristin, some friends who have recently moved to FL. Then I hosted a barbecue for a bunch of young adults at our church. I'm slowly building momentum to begin a Bible study at my home. It starts this month. I'm hoping get it off to a better start than last fall (When do you capitalize the seasons? I don't know this...)

Oh! So thanks to my buddy Gustav, the waves here on the west (again...) coast Florida were AWESOME. I bought a bogeyboard. I can't remember the last time I bogeyboarded and bodysurfed. "It was transformational." Or as Ted would also say, "It was a good day, for Nate." I'll go take a picture of my bogeyboard. Hold on a minute...

Can you see the logo? It's a cross with a palm tree. How sweet is that? How much will they give me if I get it as a tattoo? I'm guessing millions.

If you've been reading for a while, you might notice a shift at the ole blog. Most of my posts these last few weeks have been pretty "news" oriented. Nothing thoughtful or reflective lately. Things have been pretty busy at church. And Sunday I submitted an offer for a house. I'm waiting to hear back from the seller while I talk to lenders and compare spreadsheets and read wiki articles about terms like amortization. Fun stuff.

More to come in the next few days...

Storm Update 2

2008-08-24T21:32:00.003-04:00

Well Fay came. And left.

All of Monday we were checking the radar. We chose to our preschool on Tuesday, delaying their opening for another day. The teachers were happy. The office closed at noon, and to be honest, we didn't really need to bother.

Fay ended up passing way to the east of Orlando. From what I've been told, the worst part of the storm is its NE quandrant. So being on the west side, and far removed at that, we were fine. In fact we ended up with 5 minutes of rain on Tuesday afternoon. That was it.

I spent part of the afternoon at the office, had an appointment off campus, and then did a couple of hospital visits. Perhaps the best part was sitting at Starbucks as the wind blew, sipping my green tea and writing in my new Moleskine journal. I met up with some friends for dinner at our favorite Mexican place and we had a (non)hurricane party. It was a good moment.

Things continue to be full for me here. We're still in the midst of staff transitions as we roll into the fall. I'm house hunting. I'm loving my friendships.

God is good.

Storm Update

2008-08-18T11:43:00.008-04:00

Hey Kids,

I had a really great weekend. My friend Megan was down to visit from Nashville. I had a great time showing her the city.

So Fay is headed our way. As of tonight, it's still a tropical storm and has yet to reach hurricane rate winds.The storm tracks are changing constantly, but right now it looks like it will head somewhat east of the Tampa metro area and won't be a direct hit.

I've been surprised at how nonchalant everyone down here seems about the storm. The Yankee in me is a bit freaked out, but it's really no big deal. Everyone's kinda like, "Okay, we'll just check the weather in a few hours and wait to see if they call off school."

In a lot of ways, it's like a snow day in the midwest. If the government closes their offices or school (tomorrow is the first day too, those lucky kids), or issues an evacuation (each area of the county is in a different evac zone), then people respond. Otherwise it's pretty chill.

Or so I thought...

Until I went to Walmart today. The place was a zoo. I stopped in to pick up a few supplies. There was no water to be found. No propane. Whole aisles were bare. People were swarming. Checkout clerks had that glazed over look in their eyes. Crazy.

I don't have much to do. Just move a couple chairs and my grill to my garage. Then I'll throw a tarp over the couch in my Florida room and call it good. Oddly, I was really restless tonight while with friends for dinner. It was 10pm and I still hadn't been home all day.

The big thing is that the hope that we don't lose power. Aside from all the fridge issues, it'll be nasty and gross without A/C for days or possibly even weeks.

The storm should pass through here tomorrow night around 8pm. Locals are saying that it doesn't look that bad. Rain and wind. Lots of people have offered me a place to stay and ride it out.

We'll see. I'll update later this week.

Bleh

2008-08-13T09:44:00.007-04:00

Does eating ever seem like a hassle to anyone else? Like a waste of time to prepare something, much less eat it? I was having this conversation with Tami yesterday. You see, Tuesday, August 12, 2008, I did something for the first time ever. I ate out three times.

I almost skipped breakfast, but as I pulled into the parking lot at 9:13 and noticed that no one else was there yet, I kept driving and headed to McDonald's. 15 minutes later I was in my office with my sausage egg mcmuffin, bacon egg and cheese biscuit, and small OJ. In retrospect, I'm not sure which would have been healthier, skipping the meal or eating from McDonald's.

Three hours later, I wasn't hungry for lunch. But I knew if I didn't eat, I'd never make it through our staff meeting at 1:00. I've learned that hungry Nate = cranky Nate. So I went to Wendy's and ordered the 5 piece chicken nuggets for 99 cents and washed it down with a Frosty float.

As if that wasn't enough grease for one day, while in a time crunch between a hospital visit and an evening meeting, I pulled into Checkers for a hotdog with ketchup, mustard and onions, a medium fry (they're SO good), and large Coke.

Here's to eating better today.

Time for an Orange Creme yogurt.

Oh the Humanity

2008-08-09T21:47:00.004-04:00

I'm back.

I just got done watching the replay of the Opening Ceremonies.

As a production, they were impressive. My mom told me it took $300 million to put them on. What?? That's a bit ridiculous, especially for a country in which half of a billion people live on $2 US a day and is guilty of countless human rights violations.

During one shot of the artistic section, I realized that probably all of the performers do not know Jesus. That floored me, too.

The Opening Ceremonies amazing, too, in a good way. There's something beautiful about billions of people from around the world coming together to celebrate the fact that they belong together, that they're united by something bigger than themselves.

It's good to be human.

Updates

2008-08-07T23:06:00.006-04:00

It's hard to believe that it's already August.

I shopped for houses again today. There's a front runner so far, but nothing I absolutely love yet. I'm still getting over some of my first-house expectations. I can't help that I'm idealistic sometimes (see paragraph 4, below). So I imagine that soon I'll reach a threshold, give up and just grab something that seems decent.

My realtor's kids are going back to school next week. What? Where did July go?? It seems like I just got back from vacation, and yet, that it was a millennium ago.

The five weeks since I've returned from Colorado have been difficult. I've found myself on my knees, or at other times tired, in tears, angry, or confused.

The last time I played golf was 3 weeks ago today. Perhaps there's a correlation there...

At the same time I have felt moments of extreme joy, satisfaction, healing, laughter, love, and been proud of people I care about.

Tomorrow am I leave Largo to spend a couple of days in Orlando. I'll play golf with an old friend in Lakeland on my way there. Then arrive in O-town to hang out with with friends and stay the night. On my return leg I'll share lunch with another good friend, also in Lakeland.

Connecting. Learning. Getting away. It should be good.

Right now I feel exhausted. Maybe that's because I spent my evening hauling bags of cypress mulch around the preschool playground. I think I'll go to bed early.

Back Saturday night. Peace.

Farve

2008-08-05T16:22:00.003-04:00

This whole story about Brett Farve is utterly fascinating to me. It's a bad soap opera with a plot which is spinning out of control.

In case you're not a sports fan, let me get you caught up. Brett Farve is undoubtably one of the best NFL quarterbacks of all time. If I could remember stats, I'd throw a bunch at you right here. So the guy had career numbers last year and retired at the top of his game last March. Since then he's been hinting at a return. Last week he requested reinstatement from the NFL, hoping to return to the Green Bay Packers, who still have rights to his contract.

But they don't want him back.

They've got a new quarterback who's been waiting for years for his chance to play everyday. They've committed millions of dollars to existing players. To bring back Farve would put them way over the salary cap. And they don't want to deal with a whole season of bad chemistry and trouble in the lockeroom. Imagine being on the team if he came back. It would be like when your parents got divorced, and then a few months later, your dad, who had an affair, wants to come home again. Awk-ward.

So they've offered him $20 million to stay retired.

$20 million to walk away.

But Brett won't take it.

Now at this point I've got to admire the man. There's no amount of money that will keep him from doing what he loves - the thing God created him to do. I applaud the man. Like a good Coreleone, he cannot be bought.

But that's where my admiration ends.

You see, he already pulled a stunt like this a year ago, considering retirement and taking most of mini-camp to decide to come back. Now his wife and his agent are encouraging him to practice with the team today, but he won't have it. Fully aware that the team doesn't want him back, he's asking to be released from his contract and traded to another team in the division.

Seriously Brett?

It's as if he's trying to stick it to them. Trading an MVP player to another team in the division is like sticking a knife in your own belly. No way would any team in any sport go for that.

Brett's like a man who can't get over his ex. He misses her. He remembers the good times. He can't help himself, so he goes back for a little post-breakup makeout, and he's surprised when it blows up in his face. So he throws a fit, and dates her best friend.

This is just too weird.

I'm all over the metaphors today.

Music Para Tu

2008-07-30T18:21:00.005-04:00

Hey, so you really need to buy James Morrison's album "Undiscovered." Sarah and Andrew introduced me to him last weekend.

The first two tracks, "Under the Influence" (with an amazing piano line) and "You Give Me Something" (which you've probably heard on the radio), are worth the price of the entire record. Seriously.

Just do it. Trust me.

They're He-ere

2008-07-24T10:44:00.004-04:00

They're here. Not the ones in grey. The ones in red. That's my sister and brother-in-law.

They flew in yesterday afternoon. And we're already having a great time. In the words of Frank Costanza, "Let the Festivus, begin!"

Our family Christmas picture. Lake Dillon, CO. July 4, 2008.

Sabbath

2008-07-20T23:52:00.003-04:00

I just had a great weekend. Lots of good things happened...

Saw Batman. Amazing.
Hung out with young adult friends at church (good things are happening) and had farewell fiesta for Ted
Habitat for Humanity all day Saturday. I spent most of the morning and the afternoon working a mitre saw, measuring and cutting lengths of soffit and siding.
Got an air hockey table for free from my old roommate. The bachelor fiefdom in my sun room grows.
Church. Ted preached one of the best sermons I've ever heard. Listen or watch here.
Farewell party for Ted #2. Took home leftovers.
Smoked cigars and drank the beer I learned to brew last weekend (appropriately named "Fat Collar") and hung out with great friends.
Led Bible study and preached at a local church.
Lunch and dinner with friends.
Impromptu movie and beers tonight.

Lots of good things happened, but I think it was great because I was busy. Sundays are usually very slow for me after a very busy morning spent interacting with a lot of people about the Gospel, the thing that matters most to me. I like being full of things to do and people to see.

I hope you had a good Sabbath.

UPDATE: the full album of my trip pictures can be found here. Ignore the link in the post below.

The Dark Knight

2008-07-18T15:27:00.006-04:00

We went to see the midnight showing of Batman: Dark Knight last night.

Typically I don't read movie reviews because I want to walk in with a completely blank slate and simply enjoy the movie for what it is. Moreover, I don't want to read a review that will over-hype the movie and leave me disappointed. But my hubris feels compelled to jeopardize all that for you as I give you my reactions to the film.

Whoa. It was amazing. One of the best movies I've seen in a long time. Really. I was riveted as the final credits rolled. I think I might even see it again when my sister and brother in law come into town next week. It's that good.

Heath Ledger was unrecognizable. There wasn't a single moment I could have looked at him and said, "oh yeah, there's Heath," which was slightly creepy considering the circumstances surrounding his death. He did a superb job playing the role of the Joker. I told one of my friends that if he doesn't get an Oscar, I'm never seeing another movie again.

I like crime movies. Heat. Goodfellas. Godfather. This is one of them. And it's good too.

Be advised - it's not a kid-friendly movie. There are a several scenes which are quite dark and creepy that made me grimace.

Do go see it. And do not wait until it leaves theaters. It's outstanding. No amount of hype from my blog could set you up for disappointment.

Election '08

2008-07-17T16:10:00.006-04:00

Thank you all for reading. It's been quite a long week already. Many of you have called or written to offer your support and for that, I am grateful.

It is to you, my loyal blog readers, who deserve to hear the news from me first. I'm taking this opportunity to announce my candidacy for President of the United States of America.

Click here.

Post-Trip

2008-07-15T23:44:00.003-04:00

So I'm back. And it's taken me over a week to adjust. Funny how that works. The readjustment period almost negates the entire trip.

Things have been full since returning. I've been learning lots of lessons. All of them good. And humbling.

Ted is leaving soon. That's no good.

My sister and brother-in-law are coming a week from today. That should be great.

Here are pictures from the trip for you to enjoy.

Proud Papa

2008-07-07T16:48:00.003-04:00

Hi. I'm back from vacation. It was great. Pictures and stories to follow.

In the meantime, go here. http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/index

During my fourth year at Seminary, I played on the basketball team. The Concordia Preachers are featured on the Men's Basketball page at ESPN.com. Wow. Right now there's even a link and a picture from the home page.

Wow.

Article Link: http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/columns/story?columnist=oneil_dana&id=3462805

On Vacation (Leavin' on a jet plane)

2008-06-26T07:21:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow morning I'm going on holiday. And I need it.

I don't need a break to relax. Unlike other trips I've taken in the last 12 months, I'm not stressed or feel like I'm near my breaking point. This week, while busy and brain-numbing at times, has been pretty stress-free.

But I do need a break. To fish. To read Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and a random magazine from the overpriced newstand at the airport. To smoke cigars with my dad. To roast perfect marshmellows with my sister. To sleep in a tent. To visit good friends in Denver. To breath crisp mountain air of the Rockies. To paddle in a tandem kayak for the first time.

I need a break to do something different.

Most of all, I need a break to reflect. To let my mind change gears. To write. To think. To pray. I'm making the transition from my first year to my second, and I need to do some assessment.

So I'll be gone for about 10 days. In the meantime, here's a picture of the sunset last night.

NT Wright on the Colbert Report

2008-06-24T10:34:00.004-04:00

Living on "this side of the cross," I think the Second Coming is almost as important for Christians as it was for the Jews to look forward to the (first) coming of the Messiah. It's the core of what we call "hope."

NT Wright has recently written a book entitled Surprised By Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection and the Mission of the Church, in which he lays out the breadth of the New Testament (NT) case for the new heaven and earth in a very clear way while providing the reader with plenty of application. As the title suggests, he hits a number of topics and demonstrates how all-encompassing the hope of the Resurrection(s) is (are) for modern day Christians.

So he was on the Colbert Report last week. Check it out. There's some classic Colbert banter and a joke about Hillary. Cookie Monster even made an appearance later in the episode.

What do you think about the Second Coming?

Playlists are the modern mix tape

2008-06-23T09:21:00.001-04:00

It's time for another edition of "Soundtrack of My Life." Here's a pile of songs I threw together on a playlist and titled "Songs I Love Right Now." You can bet it's going to be on repeat during my trip to Colorado this weekend.

As always, score one point if you own the artist, score two more points if you own the track.

-Wild Horses - the Stones
-Details in the Fabric - Jason Mraz
-In Repair - John Mayer
-The Answer - Shane and Shane
-I Will Possess Your Heart - Death Cab for Cutie
-Stoppin the Love - KT Tunstall
-You Ain't Goin No Where (Bob Dylan Cover) - Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova
-Say It To Me Now (Live) - The Swell Season
-Everything'll Be Alright (Will's Lullaby) - Joshua Radin
-Jolene (Live) - Ray LaMontagne
-Blue in the Sky - Joe Purdy

Friday Night

2008-06-21T10:42:00.004-04:00

Yesterday was unbelievable.

A friend of mine from St. Louis is in town with his family. I met up with him at a golf course in Clearwater and I had the game of my life. I shot a 90, bettering my previous score by 3 strokes. And what's more, it was a rough 90. I could have been in the mid 80's if I had just one or two shots back. On the second hole, a par 3, I chipped in a 40 foot shot over a bunker for birdie. It was great.

[For those of you who are non-golfers. Par for that course is 69. With a 90, I was 21 over par. So if there are 18 holes, I averaged about a bogey (one over par) on every hole].

Running a bit late, I drove home like a crazy person. Waiting in my driveway were some people from church. We carpooled down to Tropicana Field (a poor excuse for a major league ballpark) in St. Pete. We worked the Papa John's concession stand as a fundraiser for our new building. I was on my feet for hours, working the register. It was a ton of fun.

I like serving. I like helping others. There's something really cool about opportunities to serve that enables you to get to know the people serving next to you in a new way.

Pictures:

Live, from my office (sort of)

2008-06-19T20:42:00.004-04:00

This afternoon I did a home visit and stopped at one of my favorite drinking establishments to get some work done on my sermon. Here's a picture of my "desk."

Contents clockwise from left:
1. NIV study Bible open to Ephesians 4 - the text I'm preaching from for the second part of our sermon series on the Body of Christ.
2. My secretary Frank, as in Franklin Covey Planner, with his new REI sticker.
3. The remnants of my strawberry lemonade drink. Why doesn't Starbucks sell smoothies? Honestly, they could be making millions - just off of me.
4. Notepad and blue file folder for recording thoughts of brilliance and Sunday planning stuff.
5. Folded advertisement for the Starbucks frequent drinker program. (I'm in).
6. Wallet and keys.
7. iPod, probably playing the latest version of the "Soundtrack of my Life" (stay tuned).
8. Notes - a technique I like to use called "mind mapping" that helps me make connections with things the text brings to mind.

So there you have it. Live, from my desk.

Up Early, Again

2008-06-18T06:28:00.004-04:00

[Scattered thoughts in the morning....]

Dang.

It's 6:28am. My brain cranked up to overdrive in the middle of a good dream and now here I am.

I've been awake for an hour.

I was going to get up early and work on some stuff. But not this early.

As I type this, the sky in the window to my left is changing from gray to blue. Above my head, a rat or a cat is running around my attic. (This should bother me more than it does). The birds are singing.

I had a great workout yesterday, and I still feel it today. Ahhh, it feels great.

I'm not a morning person, at all. But today, I'm awake. Maybe I should take advantage of it.

Maybe I'll make some coffee. Maybe I'll work on a Bible study that I'm teaching later this morning. Maybe I'll meditate on the text I'm preaching on this weekend (Eph 4:1-16). Maybe I'll eat some breakfast. Eggo's or bagels today?

Time to get started.

Too Busy or something

2008-06-17T16:58:00.002-04:00

One of the things about Florida is that the seasons don't really change. Well, they do change, a little. Our weather changes from nice to really hot. Before you know it, it's boiling hot and you can find yourself sweating through your undershirt somewhere between the car and the office door.

Lately, I've found myself in an interesting season of life. (I find this use of the word "season" hilarious, both because "Stuff Christians Like" made fun of it, and because it slipped out of my mouth twice during a conversation with a friend the other night. But at any rate, the word works, so I'll keep it there for now).

It's a season of discontent, and it's just now catching up to me. You know, like when you've been having this feeling of restless anxiety boiling under the surface, and you can't understand why or where it's coming from, or that you're even discontent??

The other day, I was driving past a beautiful golf course, (where I shot a 93 last Friday), and it clicked - the reasons why. I wasn't even thinking about anything related to being discontent and these two things just popped into my head. Duh.

I think both of them are due, at least in part, to my lack of time spent reflecting, or sitting and thinking, or praying, or meditating, or just playing sitting still. I've had people tell me that my blogs are deep, but honestly friends, this is about the only time I think very hard. Most of my time is spent doing other things that add busyness and noise to my life.

I think I need to make some lists and begin to eliminate some things I do which distract me from achieving what I want in those two areas. I think I'll put at the top of my list: stop and make a list...

Bring on the seasons. I'm ready for this one to change.

The Power of the Gospel

2008-06-13T22:32:00.004-04:00

Dang. I was all ready to post this video from a church in Texas. But in the time it took between viewing it and my cranky laptop pulling up Blogger, it was removed.

It's called Cardboard Testimonies. And a string of people at this church came forward with a few words on one side of their sign, and then flipped it. The first side briefly described horrible place they were at in life, and then showed the change the cross had made since. Words can't really do it justice. Amazing. Humbling. Brought me to tears. Weeping tears. Maybe the video will come back up soon...

I want to see lives transformed at my own church and in the lives of the people around me.

I love the Gospel. Ben Harper might, too.

House Hunting Part 1

2008-06-11T20:19:00.004-04:00

So I've started looking for a house to buy. Though I love the house I'm renting, at the advice of my realtor, I'm probably not going to make an offer. So far, most of the houses in my price range are about 40 years old.

Here's the thing - it's weird to get through my head that I'm buying a house that is older and smaller than any house in which I've lived since I was 6. It's like down-grading my own standard of living. I have to keep telling myself, "This is my first house. That means it's a starter house."

It's humbling. I realize that I've grown accustomed to my parents' standard of living. What's more, that standard of living is one that I'm unable to afford.

In the words of Blink-182, "I guess this is growing up."

My Weekend, in Pictures

2008-06-09T23:02:00.005-04:00

Dan and Ted, playing on my new ping pong table. You'll notice that Dan is fast - fast as lightning.

A friend I made at the mall.

The sunset on Saturday, from Fort DeSoto Park. Here you get a glimpse of why it's rated one of best beaches in the country.

Qorrespondence Cuirks

2008-06-06T12:06:00.000-04:00

What is it about emails that makes them more personal when you leave out the personalized touches?

As in - instead of: beginning an email with Hey [Name]! and ending with Have a good day, [Me], you just start talking and end your email with a period.

Less personal is more personal.

Funny how that works...

Tipping Points

2008-06-05T11:43:00.000-04:00

[Currently listening: Damien Jurado. Currently in my stomach: two hot dogs with cheese and a slice of bread for a bun.]

Malcolm Gladwell has this book called The Tipping Point, where he points out social phenomena that were accidental catalysts for a string of events that followed. He argues that small things make a big difference. I had never heard the term before I read the book. I finished half of it before I got bored. I really liked Blink, which is all about snap judgments and decision making.

Lately I've become aware of a few tipping points in my own life. Here's the list so far:
- leaving just a few dishes in the sink quickly leads to a giant pileup
- making my bed promotes overall room cleanliness and better sleep the following night
- evenings when I don't watch TV or email before bed lead to better nights of sleep
- mornings when I don't email when I wake up, but read Scripture, eat breakfast, and pray lead to way better days
- working out in the afternoon makes me feel great, and huge.
- I get cranky and impatient by 10:43 when I don't eat breakfast

I'm sure there are more. How about you - any tipping points in your life? Do you see any in the world around us?

This is when I ask for your help

2008-06-03T14:54:00.007-04:00

I don't normally talk about work stuff on my blog. I'm a pastor. And I work with people all day, everyday, except for the one or two hours a month when I close my office door. Working with people means issues and joys and frustrations and decisions and planning. While I could share the joys or vent about the daily life of a pastor, this really isn't the place. Those things are for are conversations with my senior pastor and good friends, not the blogosphere.

But there is one thing that's happening right now and I need your help. Or rather, there's a family that needs your prayers.

Sunday I got a call from a funeral home asking for a pastor to do a funeral. A family from our local community lost their 21 year-old daughter in a car accident. The tragedy isn't just her age, or the manner in which she died, but that it seems she and her family probably don't know Christ.

Tonight I'll be with the family for the visitation and we'll close the casket. Tomorrow morning will be the funeral service.

I don't really need your encouragement, though you're welcome to leave nice comments of affirmation on this post. I don't really need your prayers, though I would appreciate them. I have everything I need in the power of the Gospel, which will accomplish everything for me.

Please don't mistake my humility for arrogance. I'm simply trying to make a point about where you may direct the aim of your prayers. Don't pray for me, but for this family. They need your prayers. They need the Spirit's help to be open, not closed, to the work that Christ can accomplish in their lives.

[I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are at Rome. I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith." - Romans 1]

Amen. Come quickly, Lord Jesus.

The Movie Column, Part 3: Prince Caspian

2008-06-02T16:23:00.000-04:00

So I loved the movie. If you love Narnia, go see it before it leaves theaters. It was more exciting than the first movie (which you must see first) - the pacing was better. And the kids did a better job too. There are at least two significant departures from Lewis's plot in the book, but otherwise it seemed pretty close to the story.

The parallels are endless. Forgetting Aslan like forgetting God. The crash of the river over the advancing Telemarine army like the Egyptians and the Red Sea. The destruction of the castle at Cair Paravel and the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem and succeeding exile. The list goes on.

Now I want to rewatch the other movie. And reread the whole series. You know it's a good movie when it moves you to research the story behind the film.

Gene Veith has a better treatment on his blog found here. There are lots of good comments.

Did you see it? What did you think? Find any parallels?

As an aside, I think it's great when art imitates the narrative of Scripture, especially the redemption narrative of the Gospel. I love to view films that bring it out and let us chew on it. It makes for great conversation, over a beer at a bar or ice cream at the beach.

The Sabbath

2008-06-01T21:41:00.009-04:00

Ah, what a day...
Want to hear about it?
Okay, I'll start at the beginning.

Church was this morning. Waking up for the 8:00 service was pretty rough after a great evening at a friend's birthday party last night. There was live music. I got to play one of these:

It's a cajun washboard. Did anyone say more cowbell?

Anyway. Good things happened at church today. It was a great morning.

Then I went to see Prince Caspian with a bunch of people. I met my friend Drew at the theater, he's a pastor at a local Lutheran church. We got together with still another congregation and had a bunch of people watch the movie together. We packed out the theater. And it was great. I really dug it. Check out the review tomorrow.

But perhaps the best part was after the movie. I took a couple of high school kids back to church, and then met up with three friends at this place called the Kooky Coconut. It's on the beach, right near where I used to live. I ordered "Jerk Chicken Soup" and two scoops of "Superman" ice cream to go (It's red and yellow and blue. It looks like a crayon but tastes like vanilla). We sat on the sand and talked about the movie - as we watched this:

Just another Sabbath in paradise. :)

During the Day Off...

2008-05-30T13:53:00.003-04:00

It's Friday, which is like my Saturday.

It's been a lazy day so far. I started some laundry. And I've spent most of the morning watching the semifinals of the National Spelling Bee on ESPN. I'm not sure what makes this so fascinating to me. Maybe it's because it's a sporting event and I love competition. Maybe it's the HD picture. Maybe it's because I'm jealous that 12 year olds are way smarter than me. But honestly, I've had it on for 3 hours while I've been making lunch and wandering around the house. In fact, it's on in the other room as I write this.

I'm playing golf with Ryan in an hour. It's a new course I haven't played yet but have heard good things about it. Tomorrow morning I'm playing in a tournament for a local Lutheran school. So hopefully I'll be ready to go tomorrow. I tried the same thing the day before a tournament a couple weeks ago. No dice.

Anyway, I just got off the phone with Ryan because we're meeting at my place to head to the course (I'm all about carpooling now that gas costs about a million dollars a gallon in southern Florida). I was googling the directions, and surprised to find that now my very street is included in Google's Street View database.

Have you heard of this? Google hires people to drive around equipped with special cameras to get a 360-degree view of the city streets. These street views are uploaded to their map database and available for the whole world to view. I thought it was a little creepy at first, when they only had a few cities mapped. Now that it's my "in my back yard" I'm a little weirded out. Fortunately my car wasn't in the driveway, so I can't tell if they've been by since I moved here in November.

Check out this list of the top 15 street sightings.

Check it out George Orwell, I think Google may be the next Big Brother.

Return of the Movie Column: Indiana Jones

2008-05-29T22:51:00.007-04:00

So about Indy...

[Warning: spoiler alert]

Crowds all across America have had a full week to get to the theater and see the final chapter in the Indiana Jones saga. They have emerged from dark rooms, rubbing their eyes in disbelief with one of two reactions: love or hate. There is little in between.

To my surprise, after last Friday's 8:15 showing at the Regal Cinema's Parkside 16, I found myself in the latter category.

I wanted to like Indy. I really did. I love Raiders. I like Harrison Ford.

But I didn't like the Legend of the Crystal Skull. Not even an exciting theme song could save this plot from blinding lameness. I was able to suspend my disbelief and enjoyed the far-fetched story features - like when Indy survived a nuclear blast in a lead refrigerator, the glimpse of the Ark of the Covenant in a beat up warehouse crate, that he sired a kid with Miriam, the fist-fight on the speeding amphibious boat, and that they survived falling from multiple waterfalls. But it was the ending that did it for me.

Alien skulls? Mind reading? Discovering a portal to a spaceship? Honestly, the movie felt it could have been called Indiana Jones and his Close Encounters with the Third Kind. I think George Lucas is out of creative ideas. And Spielberg? I'm just as disappointed in him, too.

Most of America loves this movie. I don't.

The verdict: two thumbs way down.

Save your $9.50. Don't go unless you love Indy, aliens, or movies that suck.

Post-Game

2008-05-27T10:03:00.002-04:00

What a weekend.

-I saw Indy. Um, yeah... Review to come.
-Nick and I worked out 3 times. He's a personal trainer and manages a fitness center. He hooked me up with a bunch of exercises. Pretty much, you can expect me to be huge in about 12 weeks. Maybe I'll put up some before and after pictures. Ha. jk.
-We played racquetball twice. It's my new favorite sport.
-I preached. It went great. Thanks for your comments and thoughts. You were with me in spirit! -Sunday afternoon we spent all day at Clearwater Beach, one of the top 10 beaches in the country. It was packed. But awesome. Lots of nice scenery.
-Nick left at 4am on Monday. I got up and took him to the airport. I think we were both only half-conscious when we said goodbye.
-I went back to bed, then got up and paddled with some friends in the awesome kayak I'm borrowing for the summer. I should put up pictures...
-I had 19 people over for a barbecue. It went awesome.
-I watched the Grey's Anatomy season finale. Whoa.

It was a GREAT weekend. I think Memorial Day is my new favorite holiday. Summer here we go!

The Brain: Right vs. Left

2008-05-25T12:37:00.002-04:00

Derek Zoolander couldn't turn left. I can't turn right.

The nature of my work is mostly creative. More pointedly, my most important work is creative in nature. Writing Bible studies and sermons requires quite a bit of reflection and right-brained thinking.

Most of my work, however, is left-brained. I attend meetings, I plan, problem-solve, listen, talk, make copies, respond to emails, analyze and make lists. I can close the door and blast the Jimi Hendrix blues album.

But when I'm crossing things off my to-do list and get ready to start something new, I'm finding that it's difficult to switch back and forth. To go from right to left is easy. Snapping my train of thought is as easy as pie. But to move the other way, from a task that requires analysis to one that requires creative thinking is difficult.

It takes more than a few minutes. Sometimes it takes a conversation. It always takes discipline. And quiet.

Do you experience this at work? In life? What works for you? I know that checking my gmail every 4 seconds does not help.

Maybe I should give Derek a call.

More Stuff Christians Like

2008-05-24T09:24:00.002-04:00

#246 - The Smell of Old Hymnals.

As a Lutheran pastor, I thought this was pretty funny - especially the Ducktales reference at the end of the post. Enjoy.

Confession: I stole a hymnal once. During my impious days as a student (of course, those are all behind me now) I borrowed one from the balcony of the Seminary chapel. I didn't think anyone was going to miss it up there. Plus it was for a class assignment. I always intended to return it. But never did. In fact, it's sitting next to my desk at this very moment. The black ink of the "Property of Concordia Seminary" stamp is calling out to me, convicting me of my sin.

I always felt guilty. Until they changed the hymnals. Now I have a blue hymnal and a clear conscience. Mostly.

Dale Meyer, if you're reading this, I owe you one buddy.

Indy baby

2008-05-23T10:03:00.000-04:00

So my buddy Nick is in town from Minnesota. Tonight we're going to see the new Indiana Jones movie and celebrate Dan's birthday. I've been trying to stay away from the reviews. In fact, the trailer before Iron Man on Monday was the first glimpse I had seen. I love going into movies with a blank slate and getting caught up in the moment.

I downloaded the theme song yesterday morning and now I'm pumped! It's got to be one of the most inspirational songs in film. I can't wait for the opening credits to roll and John Williams' french horns to belt out the "Raider's March!"

But every time I listen, I can't help but hear last year's VBS theme in my head. CPH totally ripped off the Indiana Jones melody for it's Quest for Truth curriculum (which, I didn't think could get any cornier until this year. And seriously, how many more ecosystems do we have left before we've conquered the entire globe for Jesus?). I'm not an expert on copyright infringement, but I'm sure they were close.

Anyway, here's to hoping that John Williams and Harrison Ford will rewire the neural pathways from eardrums to my brain and restore the proper theme song to its rightful place.

The Chase

2008-05-22T09:44:00.002-04:00

Ted and I were talking the other night and I shared with him my new theory about dating. To me, it all comes down to whether or not a girl (or guy) allows herself to be emotionally available. You can be friends with a girl, you can try to flirt, you can even have good conversations, but if she's not returning the favor or chasing back, forget about it. I wish I realized this when I was 17. It would have saved me a lot of heartache.

I need you

2008-05-21T08:29:00.004-04:00

Hey, I'm still listening to your thoughts on my post about faith, below. Take another look and write something.

Who knows, I might just quote your brilliance in my sermon. "I was blogging about this the other day and someone left a comment that made me think..."

UPDATE: What experience or image from your everyday life demonstrates how faith receives/is passive/trusts/depends?

At it again

2008-05-20T08:15:00.003-04:00

So I got up early again. And by early, I mean, 7:30. That's a stretch for me. Being single, and working at a church with an office that opens at 9:00 (maybe it's a FL thing), I'm still living in the bizzaro world of a college student who stays up until midnight. Last night I didn't watch any TV, and was reading in bed by 11:30. Lights were out 10 min later.

So I've already made coffee, checked my fantasy baseball team, and put away some laundry. I'm pumping some John Mayer Trio through the house. Now I'm writing this. Maybe I should go read Scripture. Yeah, I think I'll do that now.

Oh, before I go...

Yesterday was Ted's birthday. Ted, Ryan, Dan and I ate at Firehouse Subs and then saw Iron Man. I'm not a comic book reader, so I had no idea what the story was about. (My friend Jack hates all comic book movies, with a passion). I was surprised. It was way better than I expected. Remember how Spiderman had several moments that were very cheesy? IM had none of that. Robert Downey, Jr. did a great job. And Gwyneth Paltrow is beautiful, as always.

My recommendation: If you're on the fence, go see it in the theater. When you do, make sure you stay until the end of the credits.

Now about that Bible... I know I got up early to do something besides sit here and talk to you...

"Frrreeeeeeddommmmmmmmmmm!"

2008-05-16T09:50:00.003-04:00

[Name the movie. Win 5 points.]

On this very day, one year ago, my slavery to books, papers, essays, tests, lectures, and group projects finally ended. I graduated from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, thereby completing 22 consecutive years of school.

While there are a few things I'll miss, I'm glad I'm done. There's no way I'd go back and do it over again. Being on campus last week was very eerie, much like going back to high school after graduation, lots of awkward bump-ins and strange memories.

So I'm done. And I'm happy. And today I celebrate the anniversary of my emancipation.

Here's a shot of the home team just moments after graduation.

More pictures here.

I <3 Whiteboards

2008-05-14T07:00:00.000-04:00

I love whiteboards. I use them every chance I get, just ask Ted. We'll be in a meeting in the conference room, and I'll hear things that sound like they need to be written down. Before I know it, the board is a swarm of key words, boxes and arrows of visual genius and the room reeks like that weird chemical they put in markers. This happens regularly: classes I teach, meetings I lead, etc. I even write my sermons on the whiteboard. In fact I just did it for the two sermons I had to write last weekend.

There's something about the visual, linear way I think that was born for whiteboards.

Lately been following this guy's blog. His name is Ben. He's hosting a whole conference called The Whiteboard Sessions. The idea is to bring together 8 church leaders and give each of them 30 minutes to present a single idea - the kind of idea that could be communicated on a whiteboard. I wish I could go.

So yesterday, when I found this, I was in heaven. "What, a whole wall of whiteboard?" "Wait, you're telling me it's like whiteboard wallpaper?!?" Brilliant!

Let's talk about faith

2008-05-13T16:57:00.002-04:00

I'm preaching next weekend, probably on the Gospel text - which is the teaching in Matthew 6 about not worrying, seeking first the "reign" of God. Two questions have me thinking. I'd like your thoughts...

1. The first question is more of a theory that I'm testing. When we talk about faith, it's harmful to talk about levels of faith (this part is not really my idea). As well it's harmful even to talk about "strong faith" and "weak faith." Though we have the words of Jesus "Oh you of little faith..." modern piety has abused these terms to refer to our closeness to God based on our subjective feeling, etc.

This leads to a slippery slope of doubt. A subjective modifier begs for a rule by which it must be measured. Either we measure it externally, based on our actions (i.e. sin) or internally, based on our feeling. Both are harmful.

-So I'm starting to use the term "grow in knowledge and love of Jesus." Seems to take away the strong/weak trappings. What do you think?

Whether or not that language is better, (and certainly it has its weaknesses) I think we need to make a switch in our language which is long overdue. Rather than talk about what faith "is" (whether it be the content/teachings of our faith, or if it's strong/weak on any given day), I think we should talk about what faith "does" (that it trusts, depends, receives what God gives).

2. What does it look like when a grandma the pew next to you seeks the kingdom of God? Or a working father? Or better yet, what does it look like when you do?

New Music Tuesday

2008-05-13T09:14:00.005-04:00

I have a top 10 of good life moments. At #7 is the first time I listen to a new album.

I just walked into the office and downloaded the new Death Cab record.

So far it sounds great.

UPDATE: Half through, I've already found tracks that I'm hooked on, without forcing myself to replay the album a few times to let it grow on me. This is a good sign.

More St. Louis...

2008-05-12T13:20:00.003-04:00

Oh yeah, I almost killed a kid last week. But his parents were nice enough to post pictures of me holding him anyway. Aside from feeding a 10 month old a French fry and nearly causing him to choke, I'd say we had a good visit.

Visit Erika and Zach and check out the pictures.

nateperegoy

Blog Test

Save the Date

Off the Grid at Home: the Update

Off the Grid at Home: the Experiment

Ahhh... summer

Mission Trip Wrap Up

Mission Trip 2009.

My Communication Malaise

Ray in Concert

Happy Easter!

We need a slogan for Good Friday

Time with the Master(s)

Lessons Learned while Shopping for a New Cell Phone

On Sports and Holy Week

The Year of the Concert

Songs I've Missed

Catching Up

Choice is a dangerous paradox, and why you might not know it.

Jerry

What pastors do on their day off

Why I didn't give up anything for Lent

Changing the world, one white board marker at a time

Is Slumdog Worth All Those Oscars? or Nate Goes to the Movies

Cora, pt 2

Cora

Omnipresence

Live from Lakeville

Prayers for Cora

Eve and Steve (Jobs)

Catching You Up

A Day in the Life...

Sick

Thanksgiving +1

Adventures in Bachelorhood, Part 3

Adventures in Bachelorhood, Part 2

Adventures in Bachelorhood

Home Alone: Being without a Vocation Part 1

Election Day in Florida

Kid Rock, Wise Sage

Homeowning for Dummies

More Fireproof

Home, Sweet Home

Jesus and Playboy

Another one about Baseball

(Un)Packing

Hold That Thought

Bleh

Christmas Cards are for Couples

No More A/C [?]

Fireproof this Blog!

Soundtrack of my Life, Vol. 2

Newsletter

Catching Up

Team Microsoft: Seinfeld and Gates

Way Behind

TED

The Dentist Chair

More Updates

Storm Update 2

Storm Update

Bleh

Oh the Humanity

Updates

Farve

Music Para Tu

They're He-ere

Sabbath

The Dark Knight

Election '08

Post-Trip

Proud Papa

On Vacation (Leavin' on a jet plane)

NT Wright on the Colbert Report

Playlists are the modern mix tape

Friday Night

Live, from my office (sort of)

Up Early, Again

Too Busy or something

The Power of the Gospel