Tomorrow, Stephanie and I (and some other people) are going to go see Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
I haven't been to opening night of a movie since Independence Day in 1994.
Should be fun!!
PB
Yes
9 years ago
Thursday, November 17, 2005
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Why do I have so many stinking interests. I want to do everything!!
My latest obsession?
<-------------
That's right: Foosball. Brad and I played non-stop foosball this weekend when we were in Wenatchee. It was great fun. Pretty sure I was up 2 games when we left? Right Bradley??
Anyway. I started to think I could get a foosball table. Then the fun would never end. Couple of problems: I don't have 300 bucks lying around waiting to be spent, and I think I would have to sleep or eat on the foosball table to make it fit into my apartment. So...the verdict is...not gonna happen (at least right now.)
Segway to...my lovely wife.
I'm so impressed with the way she puts up with my incessant dreaming. There's always some toy I want to buy, or some hobby I want to pick up. She calmly talks me back to reality and we usually end up making a wise decision. But then there are those times when I whine and constantly try to sneak the toy/hobby into our conversation. Then she has to put the smackdown on in order to overcome my "instant gratification" urges.
A wise and patient woman.
PB
Monday, November 07, 2005
Meek…
…such a simple little word that gets just a little airtime in the WORD. But even so, when it is used, it’s accompanied by a simply strong meaning. And I think it’s something I could strive to be a little more often. I imagine most people consider “meek” to mean submissive and weak. Half right. Submissive, yes. Weak, no.
Moses is called "meek" in Numbers 12:3. I immediately think of his initial unwillingness to go into God’s service and step up to Pharaoh. He was having a hard time mentally ditching his inadequacies and imagining what God could do through him. I think Moses became truly meek when he accepted his own weakness and became confident in God’s power. He was still a humble man…knowing that all the miraculous things surrounding him were not of himself. Then the rock/water/staff thing happened. And God rebuked him. He sidestepped the “power of God” issue and started allowing the great works to go to his head.
My problem applying “meek” is actually the opposite – its really an unwillingness to ditch pride. I have this thing about being right. Sometimes I get so caught up in having the right stance (on any issue) that even if I’m wrong, I can’t see it. And even if I’m right, why do I have to defend my position like it’s the Alamo? I (my flesh) can’t handle it when I make a statement and someone tries to correct me…I usually end up making a fool of myself trying to raise awareness of my “rightness.” Most of the time, when the air clears, the issue has been completely lost, and I’ve made a big fuss about myself…and my pride.
Moses didn’t get offended when Pharaoh said he (Moses) and his God were powerless. He patiently waited for God to bring judgment. I’m not saying that God is going to send plagues to prove my points…just that if I approach every issue a little more meekly, I’ll either be right and have been gracious about it, or I’ll be wrong and won’t have to eat my foot. Either one sounds good to me.
I guarantee it takes a lot more strength and courage to be meek than it does to go with whatever comes into my head. Submitting my own will/pride never comes easy…but I bet if I let it, “meek” will start taking over.
PB
…such a simple little word that gets just a little airtime in the WORD. But even so, when it is used, it’s accompanied by a simply strong meaning. And I think it’s something I could strive to be a little more often. I imagine most people consider “meek” to mean submissive and weak. Half right. Submissive, yes. Weak, no.
Moses is called "meek" in Numbers 12:3. I immediately think of his initial unwillingness to go into God’s service and step up to Pharaoh. He was having a hard time mentally ditching his inadequacies and imagining what God could do through him. I think Moses became truly meek when he accepted his own weakness and became confident in God’s power. He was still a humble man…knowing that all the miraculous things surrounding him were not of himself. Then the rock/water/staff thing happened. And God rebuked him. He sidestepped the “power of God” issue and started allowing the great works to go to his head.
My problem applying “meek” is actually the opposite – its really an unwillingness to ditch pride. I have this thing about being right. Sometimes I get so caught up in having the right stance (on any issue) that even if I’m wrong, I can’t see it. And even if I’m right, why do I have to defend my position like it’s the Alamo? I (my flesh) can’t handle it when I make a statement and someone tries to correct me…I usually end up making a fool of myself trying to raise awareness of my “rightness.” Most of the time, when the air clears, the issue has been completely lost, and I’ve made a big fuss about myself…and my pride.
Moses didn’t get offended when Pharaoh said he (Moses) and his God were powerless. He patiently waited for God to bring judgment. I’m not saying that God is going to send plagues to prove my points…just that if I approach every issue a little more meekly, I’ll either be right and have been gracious about it, or I’ll be wrong and won’t have to eat my foot. Either one sounds good to me.
I guarantee it takes a lot more strength and courage to be meek than it does to go with whatever comes into my head. Submitting my own will/pride never comes easy…but I bet if I let it, “meek” will start taking over.
PB
Friday, November 04, 2005
This morning I was attempting to find a perfect quote to describe my sentiments regarding our (Becky's and my) friendship with the Posenjaks. I considered Shakespeare:
"I count myself in nothing else so happy, as in a soul remembering my good friends. "
Emerson:
"The only way to have a friend is to be one."
Even Ali - Muhammed that is:
"Friendship is not something you learn in a classroom. But if you haven't learned friendship, you haven't learned anything."
But then I realized I don't need literary or pugilistic genius to back me up. I can say it best myself:
The truest test of frienship is one of resitance: resitance to distance and time, resistance to weaknesses and strengths, resistance to failure and to glory.
I can't wait to drive to Wentachee, Washington, next week and visit Brad and Lindsey (and Elliott and Wesley). I've always been amazed at God's providence in providing the friends at our deepest moment of need. Sometimes, that need is satisfied and those friends may fade away. But other times, those frienships are fired and fortified. They become a integral part of your being...so much so that you feel like an expurgated version of yourself without that connection.
Becky and I had many relationships in college. None of them made an impact or connection like the Posenjaks. Despite the miles and hours between us, the blemishes and health in our natures, the successes and demises in our lives...we will always have a need to be connected to Brad and Lindsey.
See you soon friends!
PB
"I count myself in nothing else so happy, as in a soul remembering my good friends. "
Emerson:
"The only way to have a friend is to be one."
Even Ali - Muhammed that is:
"Friendship is not something you learn in a classroom. But if you haven't learned friendship, you haven't learned anything."
But then I realized I don't need literary or pugilistic genius to back me up. I can say it best myself:
The truest test of frienship is one of resitance: resitance to distance and time, resistance to weaknesses and strengths, resistance to failure and to glory.
I can't wait to drive to Wentachee, Washington, next week and visit Brad and Lindsey (and Elliott and Wesley). I've always been amazed at God's providence in providing the friends at our deepest moment of need. Sometimes, that need is satisfied and those friends may fade away. But other times, those frienships are fired and fortified. They become a integral part of your being...so much so that you feel like an expurgated version of yourself without that connection.
Becky and I had many relationships in college. None of them made an impact or connection like the Posenjaks. Despite the miles and hours between us, the blemishes and health in our natures, the successes and demises in our lives...we will always have a need to be connected to Brad and Lindsey.
See you soon friends!
PB
Thursday, November 03, 2005
As you may have read, this was the “Summer of Completed Endeavors.” Fulfilling, exhausting, and…complete. It’s wonderful to revisit the memories of long dusty days with sweat, mosquitoes, and sunburns. I frequently peruse the collections of photos stored on my hard drive, and change the background of my desktop far too often just to squeeze another second of enjoyment out of those summer trips. But I hesitate to linger in those reflections…lest like Narcissus I fall into the beauty of what I see.
I long to look forward to what pleasures lie in wait…ready to ambush at any moment.
Today’s forecast calls for almost a foot of snow in the mountains. That’s good news for me. Not only will I be diligently pursuing the snowshoeing-caving-toe freezing that has come to be a tradition among the boys, but also, I hope to become proficient at another less “niche” snow activity – skiing. Becky and I have long talked about hitting the slopes, and this winter seems like a good chance for us to do that.
Someone once told me, “It doesn’t get any easier as you get older” when I complained of only being able to get outside once during the summer. I’m glad to say…that person was wrong…sort of. It may not be easy to schedule all the adventures on which we wish to embark. But I’m glad to be surrounded by friends who share the same desire to make outdoor activities a priority. THAT makes it easy.
For the last few days, my favorite website has been http://www.mthood.info/weather/index.html - a collection of webcams showing Government Camp, Mt. Hood Meadows, and Timberline Lodge. It feels good to slip back into habitual monitoring of snow levels. I eagerly await my friends - Gore-Tex, wool socks, and long-johns. They are calling my name!
PB
I long to look forward to what pleasures lie in wait…ready to ambush at any moment.
Today’s forecast calls for almost a foot of snow in the mountains. That’s good news for me. Not only will I be diligently pursuing the snowshoeing-caving-toe freezing that has come to be a tradition among the boys, but also, I hope to become proficient at another less “niche” snow activity – skiing. Becky and I have long talked about hitting the slopes, and this winter seems like a good chance for us to do that.
Someone once told me, “It doesn’t get any easier as you get older” when I complained of only being able to get outside once during the summer. I’m glad to say…that person was wrong…sort of. It may not be easy to schedule all the adventures on which we wish to embark. But I’m glad to be surrounded by friends who share the same desire to make outdoor activities a priority. THAT makes it easy.
For the last few days, my favorite website has been http://www.mthood.info/weather/index.html - a collection of webcams showing Government Camp, Mt. Hood Meadows, and Timberline Lodge. It feels good to slip back into habitual monitoring of snow levels. I eagerly await my friends - Gore-Tex, wool socks, and long-johns. They are calling my name!
PB
Tuesday, November 01, 2005
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