Awe and Awwwww 6:04 PM

I REALLY want to write about the Mississippi Mission Trip. It was an absolutely incredible experience, and I promise I'll get to it. But I had to put these up here first.

Meet Stockton Brown.


Middle name is still up for grabs :).

Too Tired to think of a Creative Title 8:39 PM

Hey friends,

Sorry for the lack of updates - I meant to post that I would be on a mission trip for a week. Unfortunately, I haven't recovered enough to make this blog worth your time. Suffice it to say God is awesome. To borrow a quote from my boy J. Aja - "God is much bigger than me."

I'm going to rest and talk to my wife. Post and pics to come.

Suffice this: Can words get around the blessings of ministry with adolescents? If they can - I don't have them.

Wesley witness with the wife 3:22 PM

One of the reasons I was so attracted to Dana was her moxie; her general unwillingness to accept anything without searching it for herself to make sure that it is true and trustworthy. Sometimes this bites me in the butt - like when Dana searches to see if I actually cleaned or not - but is a tremendous blessing to banter theology with my wife.

My intensive class on the theology of John Wesley sparked a recent conversation with the Awesome Lawsons (who always live up to their name) regarding Christian perfection (full-on orientation of love towards God and neighbor) and John Wesley the husband. More specifically, Dana, while acknowedging the contributions of John Wesley to theological thought, dismissed a great deal of John Wesley because he was a horrible husband. While I am not an expert on Wesley, the biography I am reading confirms Wesley abandoned and neglected his wife under the banner of ministry. For Dana, Wesley's treatment of his wife was a dealbreaker.

Realizing this is a Cliffs notes version of Wesleyan perfection and the dynamic between Wesley and his wife, I am curious as to what you faithful readers (both of you!) think. Does Wesley ruin his witness by neglecting his wife? While Wesley never claimed to reach Christian perfection, does his horrible relationship with his wife undercut him? (It is worth noting that John Wesley, at least to my knowledge, never repented of his treatment of his wife)

Very curious to hear your thoughts.

Just like old times... 11:59 PM

There are very few things in this world that make me wet my pants. If the Jazz win the NBA championship in my lifetime - bring on the Depends. If I am not out on the floor when my baby pops out, that splash (and whimper) you just heard was me. Not that the experience I had today would equal those things - but the combination of old school toys and cutting edge graphics nearly made me go wee.

Transformers the movie (and that cool sound effect that you made over and over again when you were playing with Transformers) is a visual feast. While the plot will not come close to changing your life or making you think, the robots are simply stunning. There are a fair amount of laugh out loud moments but the real point of the movie is finding an excuse to get the robots to go at it. This movie will not change your life - but as far as big explosions and ridiculous eye-candy (of the 80s toy variety) it can't be beat.

A few more thoughts (no major spoilers, but maybe a little)

First the good,

- Optimus Prime is sweet.
- Maybe the best air battle scene I have ever seen at the end.
- Bumblebee's interaction with Shia Lebouf (what kind of name is that?) is hilarious


and the bad

- my favorite guy wasn't in it (Soundwave if you're keeping score)
- the Autobots (good guys) are cars while the Decepticons (bad guys) are planes, radios, helicopters, and other cool stuff - Autobots got the short end of the stick dude
- the Autobots are good guys - but they are guilty of some ridiculous product placement, right down to the "GMC" on the grill of the Hummer
- sometimes you were so close to the battles, you couldn't see what was really happening


all in all - you should see it. you should DEFINITELY see it if you played with the toys.

Why I like the Jazz...part 2 11:00 AM

During one of my one hundred and twenty three checks for Utah Jazz information during the day yesterday, I discovered that the team had called an impromptu press conference. Teams don't just call press conferences to thank 25-year old dudes for pulling for them. Teams only call press conferences for big deals - major trades, coaches getting hired, fired, or resigning, and all the big moves in-between. This was not a good press conference...

Derek Fisher (Who could forget him?) is being released from his contract in order to move to a city that not only has an NBA team but also has a retinoblastoma specialist to take care of his baby girl. While Fisher's on-the-court production (10 points per game 3 assists per) can be replaced, his off-the-court class cannot.

Fisher is a class dude to put his family before $21 million and the Jazz are a class organization to let a guy potentially go to a rival for nothing. In a world of professional sports where it is so easy to wonder where the good guys are, it is nice to pull for an organization full of them and one in particular.

I'll be a Fish fan no matter where he goes. (unless he goes back to the Lakers...kidding!)

Don't Call it a Comeback.... 8:48 PM

Dana and I rolled up to the administration building of Asbury Theological Seminary at 12:58pm eastern standard time - just in time for me to jet up three flights of stairs in time for my 1:00 class. We are in Wilmore for this week (until Saturday) in order for me to become an expert on the theology of John Wesley.

It is weird to be in Wilmore and not call it home. The Subway that I kept in business is still there (Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki baby!) The Fitch's IGA is still here (you can only use your card if you're purchase is over 5 bucks - so I've picked up alot of stuff I didn't necessarily need just so I could use the card) but it is still different.

I don't handle change well. I started walking toward Apartment 10 as soon as I got done with class today, getting excited about playing a round of Playstation (not that I did that all the time, wink wink) but then I realized, my Playstation wasn't there. Apartment 10 is still there, the Marsh's still live across the hall, you can probably still here Lamech yelling at his Wii, but everyone is settling into a new normal - with Dana and I in BG. (well - not everyone, but some)

Other thoughts on the new normal -

- not everyone is here (paging Jeremiah and Lindsay...*sadface*)
- stinks when you can't run back to your crib for a bite during the breaks (how many times can you read the cartoons outside of professors' doors??)
- excited about 4th of July festivities....I talked to an ATF agent (!) to make sure my activities were legal (I will try to post some pics)
- question that has nothing to do with this post: am I a nerd because I requested friends with someone who plays for the Jazz? technically we met when I asked him for his autograph

Have a good 4th!