Yeah, I’m posting. Mostly I just wanted to post this.

NOw I have more than those 4 posts. I’ll probably update this again, someday. But maybe not.

Yeah, I suppose I’m a rambling man. Anyway, we’re two days away from Valentine’s Day. Those of you who know me know that I hate that day. It’s not because I’m single and bitter. As a matter of fact, my last girlfriend and I chose not to celebrate it. More correctly, I said I didn’t want to, and she agreed to it. Basically it’s one day a year when you treat your girlfriend (or wife, or whatever) the way that she deserves to be treated every day. But it’s almost Spring. And you know what that means: love is in the air.

Yeah, right: love. Whatever that means. Let me tell you something about love:
“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, rthat someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. These things I command you, so that you will love one another.
John 15:12-17

OK, I didn’t tell you anything. Jesus did. But it is Valentine’s Day weekend. Love means putting the other person’s interest before your own. If it was a situation where one of you was going to die? Would you be willing to put your life on the line for that person? I mean, really, would you? I can’t always say I would. But Christ did. Not just he would, but he did. Christ didn’t draw little hearts on a piece of paper and scribble some cheesy pun (I choo choo choose you). Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. Keep your conversation hearts. I want Christ and to be like him.

I realized something this morning: I’ve lived in Seattle for 7 months. I lived in Pennsylvania this last time for 7 months. I’ve been here as long as I was there. I’ve worked at Starbucks here a lot longer than there. I’ve been at Mars Hill Church for 7 months. The whole thing is crazy. God has done a lot of big, crazy, amazing things in the last 7 months, and I’m definitely expecting more. But there have also been some hard times in the last 7 months.

It’s crazy to look at it and realize that it’s been months. It seems like only yesterday I was getting off a bus, wandering around a strange city (and it’s still quite strange, but in a different way), having no idea where I was going to sleep that night. I wandered around with Angelie and Janelle, ending up at McDonald’s. Janelle and I walked around for about 6 hours more. That was my first time in Seattle. And now here I am.

In completely unrelated news, I loved this conversation that I had on Twitter a few days ago. This is a conversation between me (ilikedinosaurs) and fake Pastor Mark Driscoll (fakepastormark). Also at one point I mention Joel Fariss (joelfarriss), our facilities leader at the downtown campus. Enjoy.

fakepastormark It’s cold in Seattle. Hope Lifeway gets another big shipment of /The Shack/ soon. My stack by the fireplace is down to 3 copies.
ilikedinosaurs @fakepastormark What do you call a million Joel Osteen books in a land fill? A good start.
ilikedinosaurs Getting some schedule stuff changed at work, then helping @joelfariss mop and wax floors.
fakepastormark @ilikedinosaurs your comments demonstrate that you are not far from the kingdom of Mars Hill… I will send you a deacon application.
ilikedinosaurs @fakepastormark Awesome! And here I was, still working on Mars Hill membership
fakepastormark @ilikedinosaurs stop by Ballard tomorrow. I will fast-track your membership by putting you in a headlock for 6 hours, so wear a cup.
ilikedinosaurs @fakepastormark Man, if I need a cup, that’s probably the second most brutal headlock I’ve ever been in.

I didn’t go. I decided to do it the hard way instead. Doctrine videos? Check (though I plan to watch them all again). Everything else, yet to come.

I’ve been noticing lately that sometimes when I try to make a point I fail miserably. Either I make no point or I make the wrong point altogether. In my mind I know what I’m trying to say, so it makes sense to me. But if you don’t know what I’m trying to say, you’ll never get it.

Communication is stupid.

I’m making soup. I like my food to be cooked until it’s all falling apart. It’s more like stew I guess. A paste with chunks of corn, broccoli, and cauliflower. But the beans are all falling apart.

In Pennsylvania, soup is often made with ham. Ham is a pork product, as is bacon, which is Kevin Bacon’s last name. Six degrees of Kevin Bacon.

But seriously, folks. I have soup cooking right now and water boiling to make tea. I’ve had a really simple day. I mean, sure I’ve been doing a bit of onlining and listening to music on my computer, but mostly I’ve just been kicking it cooking and praying. It’s a beautiful simplicity.

OK, now I have a cup of Tazo Berry Blossom White Tea steeping. Again, simple and subtle tea.

Last night at community group I referenced Ecclesiastes 3. Then today my friend Jessica texted me and told me to read it, not knowing that. I also called Matt and talked to him briefly. Matt has a wife and a kid. I have neither. I try really hard not to be jealous. But in the end it all comes back to Ecclesiastes 3. There is a time for everything.

Sometimes I need to just step back and have a simple day. Make some soup. Because God wants us to take time to just stop and look at him and listen to his still small voice. If nothing else good comes of the copious amount of time I have off work this week, this is worth it: simple time to just stop and look at God.

I’m also pretty excited about my soup getting done. I’m getting hungry. Wait, we’re back to soup? Six degrees of soup. Mmmmm…

“You and I, in order to image God, need to be continually made more and more like Jesus.” -Pastor Mark

I was listening to an old sermon by Pastor Mark in which he said that. Specifically, it was the Image sermon from the Doctrine series. If you haven’t heard it, you should check it out here. It’s a great sermon.

Anyway, when he said that, it really struck me. After all, who doesn’t want to be like God, or at least a god? Isn’t that ultimately what every sin is about? In the end, it’s us trying to be god*.

Hey now, wait – I know the first commandment! Exodus 20:3 tells us to have no other gods. I am not my own god! Yeah, I hear you. I wouldn’t call myself a god either. If anyone knows I’m not a perfect, supreme, and sovereign being, it’s me. But even if I don’t say it with my words, what am I doing every time I disobey? Am I not saying, “Yeah, I know you told me not to do this God, but I know better than you do what’s good for my life.” And who ultimately has supreme authority? Whatever you answer, that is your god. And it certainly sounds like in my disobedience the answer has two thumbs (THIS GUY!).

So we’re all trying to be our own gods. Come, let us create God in our own image that we may worship ourselves. In the words of Voltaire, “If God has created us in His image, we have more than returned the compliment.”

But we can create something great, right? I wonder if Stephen Hawking has anything to say about that…
“I think computer viruses should count as life. I think it says something about human nature that the only form of life we have created so far is purely destructive. We’ve created life in our own image.

*Throughout this post, I will refer to the deity which we strive to be with a lowercase g (“god”) because we are obviously not trying to be the one true and living God by being a god unto ourselves.”

Good call. Nothing that we do as an act of making ourselves god is ever good. We can never become a god. We can only become like God by being conformed to the image of Christ, and only as an act of glorifying God. And that comes only from relationship to him. It’s sometimes a long and painful process, but it’s worth it.

“Dude, you know I don’t yell. Well, except at the tv earlier tonight. But it made me really mad.”

How I’ve neglected you, blog. I’ve also neglected my blog reading. But I’m going to try to make a comeback. I’m big and important, and I need to write about myself. But today I don’t really have that much on my mind. I promise something will come. Instead I’ll give you a list of things on my mind right now. Most of these probably won’t be worth writing about. However, they do interest me.

(1) What are the standards by which Starbucks sources their milk?
(2) How much of the produce at the Pike Place Market really is local? Which of the stores I frequent are best for local produce? (I suspect the answer is Madison Market) How can I change my purchasing habits to go more green?
(3) What is the proper balance of work/not work under current financial conditions?
(4) How much of my money should I be giving away? At what level should I be living, as luxury goes? When does comfort become opulence? Is comfort inherently bad?
(5) It would be cool to have my own reality show. At the same time, it would suck hardcore. Not that there are any offers out there or anything, but would I actually want this?
(6) Jesus is cool. Everything else sucks.

Somethign tells me that if I wanted to know this I wouldn’t turn to wikiHow. It is, however, an interesting write up on a postmodern utilitarian ethic and worth a peruse and consideration

How to Be Good – wikiHow.

Firstly, sorry about the lack of current event coverage. With work and trying to find an apartment, everything has been crazy. The news is as follows: War (1) US vs Iraq, and secretly we’re still at war with Afganistan; (2) Russia vs Georgia, the country not the state| Elections (1) Obama vs McCain. If you didn’t know, now you know. Who am I voting for? Ralph Wiggum. (2) Goodspaceguy Nelson. Google it. He’s the real deal| Olympics Yeah.

So I’ve been in Seattle for about 3 months. As you remember, I set goals when I moved here. I’m now going to analyze how I’ve been doing and create an updated list.

1) Be more social. Not only being social, but actively pursuing community.
Well, subleasing at the Goblin House has been great for this one. I’m still not amazing, but I have to say I’ve been dong better than usual.

2) Play guitar more.
Updated goal: buy a guitar. I didn’t bring mine when I moved cross country, and I’m poor.

3) Get a record player and listen to a lot more records.
Yeah. Big time check. A week or two ago, I actually got called an audiophile.

4) Work to pay down my student loans as fast as possible.
Umm yeah. I’m poor. I’m working on it, but it’s not going too well.

5) Take a chance with a girl.
I’m a little too transient right now to do this. But if I wasn’t, I’d love to see another purse over dinner. Not that anyone who reads this will have any idea what I’m talking about, but I’m rather glad that no one who would know what I’m talking about reads this.

6) Get more involved in a church.
Getting there. I’ve still got a long way to go.

7) Have people over to my house.
See #1. Not that I invite them, but they’re here.

Eight) Don’t be an idiot.
This one is a day to day thing.

New list:

1) Be more social. Not only being social, but actively pursuing community. (needs to stay)

2) Get a new guitar.

3) Work to pay off my student loans and credit card bill as fast as possible.

4) Take a chance with a girl.

5) Get more involved in a church.

6) Have people over to my house.

7) Buy an espresso machine.

Eight) Cook more of my own food.

9) Find the DVD I checked out the library and lost.

10) Find a long term place to live.

11) Find out the name of the girl that I mentioned above.

12) Don’t be an idiot.

There are a lot more short term goals this time since they’re things I need to do now. But yeah. Sorry for no real post.