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here are a variety of thoughts and reflections on current happenings with apparently little connection...

- i finished "Sex God" by rob bell...reading this book was an interesting experience for me. the content of the book is very deep...he's basically getting to the core of almost everything about us as human beings which is pretty serious. yet, it is an easy book to read (as rob's style is very conversational and fast moving, and also the way the book itself is constructed lends itself to a fast read)...i struggled with this...i found myself flying through the pages but at the same time thinking: "i need to stop and ponder this thought more." i think it is the kind of book that needs be read a few times over a long period of time to let it all sink in.

- in some ways the tension i felt about reading the book illustrates my favorite insight that rob provides. a few months ago i saw this interview with bono from U2. he talked about all the stuff he always talks about (africa, aids, debt relief, care for the poor, the church needs to be involved in it, etc). that was nothing new if you've heard bono before or know anything about his life over the last decade. however, there was one point where he started talking about great art...and he said the key element to all great art is being able to hold two truths in tension...his point was that bad art (and a lot of "christian" art today) tries to evade tension all together. here's something rob bell says about tension (in relation to his topic of sexuality and spirituality): "we were created to live in tension...[not stress but the ability to live between two truths that on the surface might seem contradictory]...and when you lose the tension, you lose something central to what it means to be human...one of the marks of someone who has experienced significant growth in their soul is the ability to live in the midst of tension." [i'll let you read the book yourself to discover the context for this quote]

- this week i was asked to join the board of directors at the manna house.

- my favorite song right now (and i feel guilty for liking the song and this band because i feel like i'm about 10 years too old to enjoy it) is "thriller" by fall out boy...i can't stop listening to it.

- i got be in the classroom for the first time this last week (bio at durango high school...a pretty easy day actually). one of the students i had is the sister of a girl who goes to our church...that was kind of fun...another student recognized me from the sunday we led worship at another church in town. small town life...got to love it.

- tonight we will be attempting to record our first ctk-durango podcast!

- last, but not least, when you achieve a certain level of success playing yahoo! fantasy baseball you gain eligibility for public "expert" leagues...i have achieved this level of success and will be participating in one these leagues...i'll be providing updates throughout the year, but for now i am already very excited about playing with some serious dudes (and dudettes for that matter) and not with...well, i won't mention any names =)

peace!