It's a Start

Read This

2008-07-20T20:01:00.000-07:00

If anyone out there hasn't read this tour de force post from blogger/radio personality/public intellectual Brant Hansen, please do so right now.

PS if any of you reading this are tracking this for personal updates, I'm sorry for doing such a horrible job delivering. If we're not already friends on Facebook, please add me. I seem to be doing a little better over there with status updates.

Book Reviews in five.sentenc.es or less

2008-06-12T19:54:00.000-07:00

Inspired by the five.sentenc.es movement, I offer my thoughts on a few recent reads:

Family Driven Faith, by Voddie Baucham, Jr. - I didn't care for the writing style but I loved Baucham's reflections based on Deuteronomy 6. I was most impacted and inspired by his case for daily family worship. I was most put off by his strident (it even comes across as defensive) insistence that Christian parents home-school their children, no exceptions. All of his other points are made with grace and finesse, then he drops the only-home-school bomb. We are already enjoying a renewal in our family worship, with help from this timely book.

A More Perfect Constitution, by Larry Sabato - We all know this guy is brilliant and he's always being quoted in the media. It's evident from this book how steeped he is in the world of the Founding Fathers and in this wonderful document. I thought most of his proposals were wonderful. It would be so nice to see these implemented, but I'm not hopeful.

Blooding at Great Meadows, by Alan Axelrod - This is the story of George Washington's first military campaign, at the beginning of the French and Indian War. I loved immersing myself in the world of the young Washington, but there was not enough material about this particular episode to justify an almost-300 page book. Much of the content in the early chapters rehashed already-published accounts of Washington's early years.

Catching up - Links List

2008-05-07T20:49:00.000-07:00

Some things I've been reading and thinking about lately, in no particular order:

Pagan Christianity?, by Frank Viola and George Barna - this book has been rocking my world lately

Jesus Freaks, by Don Lattin - super crazy incestuous pedopheliac cult chronicled here

"Loyal to the Bitterness", by Peggy Noonan (link probably only good until she publishes her next column) - I've been wondering why I just can't get worked up about the whole Jeremiah Wright thing. I had explained it away as a product of my long exposure to black nationalism in high school and liberation theology in seminary, but Noonan's reflections hit home with me more than any other explanation I've come across so far.

Live Mocha - a great place to practice and improve my foreign languages

Bend Studios concerts in the neighborhood - I've been chewing on this one in light of community building, public spaces, support of local artists, mixed-use facilities, etc.

MySpace Mind-Set Finally Shows Up at the Office - one of the most noticeable changes after being away from the "office" setting for 5 years is the all-around acceptance of IM'ing in the workplace. This article makes the case that social networking will soon be similarly accepted ATO.

Traffic headaches follow ex-Houstonians into the suburbs - Why is anyone surprised by this?

Texas v. Ohio

2008-03-03T18:38:00.000-08:00

Here's a good summary of the contrasts between tomorrow's two big primary states.

Has Oprah done this before?

2008-02-20T20:02:00.000-08:00

I haven't been following the Book Club over the years, but I just noticed Oprah's current selection. Is this the first time she has chosen an "inspirational" book?

So powerful, so hard, so inspiring

2008-02-12T18:54:00.000-08:00

Kumar's story

"Him that pisseth against a wall ..."

2008-02-10T13:19:00.000-08:00

I've heard about preachers like this, but I always thought they were just straw men ...

HT: Tall Skinny Kiwi

Receiving and Displaying Data Effectively

2008-02-05T07:19:00.000-08:00

Great, thorough, long-ish slideshow from Luke Wroblewski on Form Design
Best Practices for Form Design
HT: happykatie

More about the Google Chart API
data visualization igoogle gadgets

Links of interest

2008-02-04T21:44:00.000-08:00

The last two posts (Jan 29 & 31) on this blog have been like a salve to my soul:
ON THE ONES WHO WOULD GO AND SEED MISSIONAL COMMUNITIES

A couple of articles from the Lausanne Committee
What Does It Mean to Be the Church in Specific Cultures?
Fresh Expressions of Church in England

And now for a little punditry

2008-02-04T21:42:00.000-08:00

John McCain seems to be shaping up to be the Bob Dole of the 2008 election.

Visual representation of data

2008-01-28T04:20:00.001-08:00

I spend a good amount of my time these days working for clients on how to creatively, visually present data.

Here are two examples I've seen lately that really stood out:

Chris Harrison: Visualizing the Bible

Travel-time Maps

On being a pallbearer

2008-01-28T04:00:00.000-08:00

I loved this reflection on service at the time of the death of a loved one.

What church looks like

2008-01-06T10:02:00.000-08:00

I've really been struck by this posting (We "Quit Going to Church" a Year Ago) on Letters from Kamp Krusty (one of my favorite blogs lately). I think it sys a lot about where my family and our collective ministry is headed.

2008-01-01T12:54:00.000-08:00

I saw this post and the amazing comment thread on the Channel 9 forum the day it started, and meant to link to it here then, then just got bogged down.

Alas, it's old, but I just had to post on this. It is an amazing view into the discussion 'in the trenches'. A lot of Christians don't hear this kind of candor from neighbors or co-workers who are not Christ-followers.

I don't get many hearers (at least among church leaders) when I suggest that there is a deep philosophical/ontological reason for today's North American church crisis (the one that has to do with shrinking church membership/attendance numbers, that is).

For most inside the church with whom I've brought this up, their answer is that the issue has more to do with societal and practical factors. This comment thread reinforces my belief that there is a much deeper reason, and it has to do with the fact that many of my peers and colleagues are thoughtfully and wholeheartedly rejecting the eternal claims of Christ.

Channel 9 is a forum for software developers. This is today's information worker, middle to middle-upper class business people, from the ranks who, in generations past, were the chief constituency of the 'mainline' churches.

(on a personal note, I know I've been incredibly inconsistent here on this blog, and there is little to no readership out there, but this is the kind of stuff I'd love to be in conversation about now and going forward.)

F

2007-12-18T21:18:00.000-08:00

I heard the F word about 9084583450982378624578645098569873459 times today ...

Baby Jesus

2007-12-17T23:09:00.000-08:00

I keep thinking about this scene as we prepare for Christmas. So wrong, and still so right ...

In the Christmas Spirit

2007-12-10T21:28:00.000-08:00

For the first time in years, I'm really into Advent. What a gift from the One "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty" (Revelation 1:8), as we read in family worship tonight.

Has it been the new house, the new job, the excitement of the kids, the vocational breathing room? (for sure) Has it been the temperatures in the 80s? (no) It's certainly been influenced by the wonderful Come As You Are gathering Saturday night, followed immediately by the amazing Lights in the Heights.

Then tonight, the kids and I took some time to settle down, read from Matthew chapters 1-2, and listen to some Christmas music on iTunes. I hope I never forget the peace, wonder, and joy I saw on my children's faces as we considered Jesus' birth, the rage of Herod, the obedience of Joseph, and the devotion of Mary. In that time I encountered the mystery of our Creator in new and fresh ways.

On pacing myself

2007-11-15T03:33:00.000-08:00

I don't want to offer too many posts about posting, but I thought I'd share the following:

Almost exactly six years ago I ran my first (and last) marathon - The Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, DC. I learned a lot about myself through the training process and the race itself. One thing I learned was how bad I am at pacing myself. I had learned that lesson many times before October 2001 and I've learned it many times since.

During my training, I ran enough to know pretty accurately how long it would take me to complete the 26.2 and what my sustained pace should be. That is, i could do simple arithmetic along the way to ensure that my pace was appropriate to deliver me to the finish line in respectable time and without injury.

Sounds simple enough, doesn't it? Not for this cowboy - no, when the race started, all of that planning went out the window, and I started flying down the George Washington parkway. It was amazing. My plans for a disciplined race were washed away by a surge of adrenaline. I had so much adrenaline coursing through me that it wasn't until the halfway mark that I realized how hosed I was. I had gone out so quickly that I knew I could never sustain the pace.

The second half of the race took almost twice as long as the first half. I finished, but it was pathetic. I walked a lot - the low point was when I barely ran for the entire length of the 14th St bridge over the Potomac.

Why do I tell this story now? Only because it came to mind as I'm starting a new job and wanting to get back into blogging. I hope to start with a sustainable pace this time.

Breaking through the (b)logjam

2007-11-14T04:28:00.000-08:00

It's been a long time since I've paid any attention to the blogs. More precisely, it's been awhile since I've posted. I've been loving the posts of others, and I've really come to rely on Bloglines on my phone and computers.

Over the next few weeks, I plan on posting with more regularity and commenting on some of he blogs I've been reading. I've been doing some neat work lately, reading lots of good books and articles, and having lots of blog-able thoughts. As happens with the breaking of a logjam , there may be somewhat of a torrent at first, but I will try to pace myself as set some patterns for regular posting.

Sufjan Stevens

2007-09-12T13:10:00.000-07:00

what's all the fuss about? I'm listening to him right now & I don't get it

moblogging

2007-09-09T18:56:00.000-07:00

look out world - now that I'm able to blog on the go!

On choices

2007-09-08T11:12:00.000-07:00

CityMama writes so beautifully on her decision to quit her job.

Which Theologian Are You?

2007-08-29T12:50:00.000-07:00

FWIW

You scored as Anselm, Anselm is the outstanding theologian of the medieval period.He sees man's primary problem as having failed to render unto God what we owe him, so God becomes man in Christ and gives God what he is due. You should read 'Cur Deus Homo?'

Anselm

100%

Karl Barth

73%

Jürgen Moltmann

73%

John Calvin

67%

Martin Luther

67%

Jonathan Edwards

60%

Augustine

40%

Friedrich Schleiermacher

27%

Paul Tillich

13%

Charles Finney

13%

Which theologian are you?
created with QuizFarm.com

HT: Achievable Ends and Tall Skinny Kiwi

Great Column on Astros Firings

2007-08-28T08:17:00.000-07:00

From Jayson Stark at espn.com [read entire column here]:

What we do know about the Astros is this: Drayton McLane created the monster that led two very capable baseball men -- not to mention two wonderful human beings -- to the gallows Monday. So if he sincerely wants to inject more "invigoration" and better leadership into this organization he cares so much about, then firing his manager and GM isn't the only change he should be prepared to make.

This time, he should try hiring good people and actually letting them do their jobs.

I had the NewsRadio station on yesterday afternoon and heard the press conference live. It was eerie how many times Drayton McLane used the word "leadership". Even in the way he was talking about leadership, it was clear that it was his own leadership that was in question, at least as much as his recently-fired Manager and General Manager.

It raises the age-old question of the role of equity-holders, executives, managers, risk, responsibility, etc. It seems that McLane wanted to direct the decisions, take credit in the case of success, but have a fall-guy/scapegoat in the case of failure. I certainly have some experience with this practice of 'leadership' in my history, as I imagine most people do.

Can't Wait!

2007-08-25T15:49:00.000-07:00

HT: Houston Chronicle TechBlog

I love being a dad

2007-08-14T21:39:00.000-07:00

So I just walked downstairs to get a drink, and I had to triple-take ... at the bottom of the stairs was a very realistic-looking (at least in the night-time shadows) toy toad. It looked just like the ones reproducing in our back yard, and my mind started racing about how the toad got inside, whether there were others, whether they were breeding, etc. But it was just one of the 9874359862458765234879459873569873456 toys we have around the house ...

Sociopaths as Church Leaders ...

2007-08-04T10:23:00.000-07:00

Wow. This is a great post from Bill Kinnon:

Sociopaths as Church Leaders - I'm Not Shocked

screen capture says it all ...

2007-06-12T07:10:00.000-07:00

As I was checking the standings this morning, I couldn't avoid a few embarrassing comparisons:

First, our hometown club has a worse record than the nationally-ridiculed Yankees and Cubs. They're even doing worse than the perennially-awful Devil Rays.

Second, the Astros have exactly the same record as the Washington Expos/Nationals.

At least we're not the worst team in the major leagues - at least the Rangers (bonus points here in Tejas), Royals (no surprise there), and Reds (central div. rival!?!?!) are doing worse. --I'd rather not be company to this misery--

No wonder we're calling them the disastros ...

What??

2007-06-05T13:50:00.001-07:00

HT: Tall Skinny Kiwi

... and to sin against him forever.

2007-05-16T12:19:00.000-07:00

So I've started working very slowly through the Shorter Catechism with our two older kids. It's a new addition to our (less-frequent-than-we'd-like) family worship before bedtime.

The first question asks, "What is man's primary purpose?", to which Silas (mixing in his memory the correct answer with a snippet from the Lord's Prayer), answered the other night, "Man's primary purpose is to glorify God and to sin against him forever" I think the literary critics call that intertextuality.

Not sure what to think about this ...

2007-04-06T14:00:00.000-07:00

The World Missions Visa Card

Not Interested

2007-03-19T07:28:00.000-07:00

Sour grapes? Yes. Fair-weather fan? Perhaps.

Interested in the NCAA tournament after the first weekend? No.

The Wahoos had a great year, a share of the ACC regular season title, a great group of players and an impressive new coach. But after yesterday's loss to the Vols, it's time to play ball!

Reality Check

2007-02-19T14:57:00.000-08:00

It was reality check time last week when we went to register the kids for tee-ball at the neighborhood park: there were only Spanish-language applications. It's symbolic of the make-up of the neighborhood, especially the families with tee-ball-aged kids.

It will be a great season.

Dying Alone

2007-02-19T14:21:00.000-08:00

Here's another story of someone who died in his home and his body was discovered over a year later, this time in Long Island.

I'm fascinated and saddened by these stories.

Wow

2007-02-15T08:50:00.000-08:00

How about this story? I mentioned it this past Sunday in my sermon. This guy's dead body was in his house in the middle of Beaumont, TX, for a year and a half!

Wow

Empty Inbox

2007-01-29T14:42:00.000-08:00

I know it's lame that this is a milestone for me, but I cannot remember the last time I totally cleaned out my inbox. To all who communicate with me via email, consider this the beginning of a new era - expect an empty inbox at the end of each (working) day!

(Long-overdue) update on the weight-loss

2007-01-02T13:09:00.000-08:00

What better day than Jan 2 to give a much-belated update on the blog-o-suction.

As you can see from the graph above, the next 10 pounds have taken longer than I wanted, but I'm still grateful for the loss. I obviously need to revise my goals and re-up on my dieting and exercise to get those last 25 pounds off. Thanks to all of you who are encouraging me on this drive to better health.

Ideas and their consequences

2007-01-02T13:05:00.000-08:00

I really enjoyed this review/summary/discussion of From Darwin to Hitler: Evolutionary Ethics, Eugenics, and Racism in Germany, by Richard Weikart.

It seems like Weikart has finally put the lie to the common line that shields Darwin from the consequences of Eugenics and Social Darwinism.

Plateau ;-(

2006-10-22T21:03:00.000-07:00

Don't seem to be progressing on my wait to a trimmer, slimmer me ...

202 lbs. (had been aiming for sub-200 by this time)

The New Morality: Monogamy, optional ... STD testing, mandatory

2006-10-14T21:29:00.000-07:00

You've got to read all the way to the end ...

'Not promiscuous' Johansson does question monogamy

quick update

2006-10-14T11:09:00.000-07:00

Slow week and a half: 203 lbs (only about 1.5 lbs in 1.5 weeks)

I'm very motivated to get under the 200 line, so check back here on Wednesday to see if I can make this short-term goal (I just felt like I was doing a fund-raising drive on NPR).

Back on track

2006-10-04T12:20:00.000-07:00

blog-o-suction update: 204.5 lbs

Slow week ...

2006-09-28T23:38:00.000-07:00

... in the blog-o-suction challenge: 207 lbs.

NB, I did meet my goal for the end of this month, but I hope I can pick up the pace in the coming weeks.

Shared outrage, different approaches

2006-09-24T08:37:00.000-07:00

Who can disagree with the need to combat the national and global injustices identified by John Kerry in his recent speech at Pepperdine University?

The disagreement surrounding these injustices centers around how to approach these seemingly insurmountable problems. Sen. Kerry appeals to a presumably-Christian audience at Pepperdine using Christian principles and attempts to translate his arguments to a national stage.

I buy in to much of what he's saying and the supports he gives for most of his proposals. There is a big problem with this entire project, though: a majority of Americans are currently disinterested and/or unconvinced by arguments based in the reality of the resurrected, living Jesus and his preaching of the Kingdom of God.

I believe that appeals to Jesus' Kingdom preaching as attested in the Bible fall on deaf ears unless the audience are already believers. This kind of a political speech to nonChristians is just another way of 'shoving your beliefs down my throat.'

Those who are outraged (because of our faith in Christ) by the injustices all around us cannot just appeal to our scriptures, expecting others to be similarly outraged. Without a commitment to Jesus Christ, his appeals in Matthew 25 and elsewhere sound like everyday moralizing.

I'm called to be in the evangelizing and persuading business - so are many of you. The transformation that Christ brings is total, and affects our thinking, our spending, our activism, our politics, and, yes, our eternal destiny.

Melting Away

2006-09-21T11:21:00.000-07:00

207.5 lbs.

New Comments Policy - No Anonymous

2006-09-19T13:29:00.000-07:00

In an effort to keep the ideas flowing here, I've decided that I will no longer post anonymous postings.

That may sound counter-intuitive, but let me explain. I've allowed every comment submitted up to this point to be posted in the comments section, but It's a Start received a comment today that I cannot post anonymously. I've come to the conclusion that if we are going to have debates in a civil and vigorous way, we need to at least be able to identify the participants.

So, instead of censoring comments, I've decided to stop allowing anonymous posts.

I want to encourage those who have commented anonymously to these blog postings in the past to continue to comment, only with a name or handle attached to your comments going forward.

-Corey (your humble It's a Start moderator)

Could there be more irony here?

2006-09-17T10:05:00.000-07:00

Pope Benedict's quotation of a medieval emperor concerning Islam and violence is prompting a worlwide violent reaction amongst offended Muslims.

Can anyone miss the irony? It's even thicker than during the Mohammed cartoons controversy.

On the move

2006-09-14T08:08:00.000-07:00

week-two update: 211 lbs.

Blog-o-suction update

2006-09-07T22:26:00.000-07:00

215 lbs

Blog-o-suction

2006-08-30T19:28:00.000-07:00

I had a shock when I was at the Y yesterday and stepped on the scale. I hadn't done so in a couple of months and I realized that I've now gained 15 lbs. since moving to Houston. Now, I've seen Supersize Me, and I knew I was coming to one of the fattest cities in the US. And I've enjoyed my share of our wonderful Tex-Mex food and all the other cuisines this great city has to offer. And now, I've got some work to do.

With the help of my friends at Houston Buyers Club and the Downtown YMCA (and any of my blog-friends who'd like to encourage me and cheer me on), I'll be working over the next 5 months to drop 40 lbs. (yup, 40) to get to the normal Body Mass Index for men my age and height.

I'm approaching this in a similar way that I approached the Marine Corps Marathon, Washington DC, October 2001. This will be a long slog and will take daily discipline, but I've got to move now on this.

I'll try to offer weekly updates on my blog-o-suction from now until the end of January.

Here's my baseline: Today, Aug. 30, I weigh 216.5 lbs.
Here are some major goals along the way ...
Sept.27 --- 208 lbs
Oct. 25 --- 200 lbs
Nov. 22 --- 192 lbs
Dec. 20 --- 184 lbs
Jan. 17 --- 176 lbs
Jan. 31 --- 173 lbs

How about these?

2006-08-23T21:14:00.000-07:00

American Christ-followers are paying a lot of attention to tried-and-true spiritual practices, many of which have their origins in Eastern and Roman monasticism, e.g. Centering Prayer, lectio divina.

As a devotee of the Reformed tradition within the worldwide Christian movement (meaning I take cues from Jean Calvin, John Oecolampadius, Peter Martyr Vermigli, John Knox, the Westminster Divines, Jonathan Edwards, and Mr. Rogers), I try to share the many wonderful, beautiful, Scriptural practices that are ours as a heritage of the Reformation.

So, it was a great joy to run across a summary of Reformed spiritual practices (he prefers the more descriptive term, "piety") sumarized by Sean Michael Lucas in chapter 6 of On Being Presbyterian (P & R Publishing, 2006):

the point of spirituality = spiritual/mysitical union with Christ

the primary practices = corporate worship, study of God's Word, preaching, baptism, the Lord's Supper, prayer (private, in families/households, in congregations)

other helpful practices = oaths and vows to God, fasting, thanksgiving, singing praise, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, sabbath-keeping, serving others, tithing & almsgiving, addressing/relieving physical needs of others

All of these are done not to grow closer to Christ (he's already drawn close to those whom he claims), but rather to respond to Christ's amazing grace and to grow in an understanding and gratitude for that grace that was, by defintition, freely given.

Burying Charlie

2006-08-09T21:07:00.000-07:00

It was so horrible to have to face the reality of Charlie's death at the funeral today. Charlie was the young adult son of my friends Larry and Sally. I know that death does not have the final say, but still, I can't stand the funerals of young people. As a relatively new father, I experience these funerals differently than I used to.

Having a flashback

2006-07-05T20:14:00.000-07:00

I just heard the end of the Astros game tonight. Stranded 12 runners, scored zero runs. I'm having flashbacks to my old days as a Braves fan - who for so long have been so good, largely because of their great pitching. It seemed like every year when the play-offs came around, the Braves would continue to have great pitching, but their bats would go cold, and they would lose 1-0.

I know I might seem like a fair-weather fan, but honestly, give me some credit. I was a loyal Braves fan for the first 29 years of my life (born in ATL and never lived in another big-league city - we lived in DC pre-Nationals). Now that I'm living in a new big-league city, I can't help but support the local team (it's merely a coincidence that the Astros made the World Series last year while the Braves are currently in last place).

This clears everything up ... finally

2006-06-01T10:53:00.000-07:00

Check this awesome post in response to Kingdom Coming: The Rise of Christian Nationalism, by Michelle Goldberg

The Interpretive Dance Theocrats

Because I Can

2006-05-30T20:09:00.000-07:00

I'm posting here from the Daily Grind, listening to Robert as he blows on his horn. Loving Wi-Fi.

Bunnies

2006-04-10T12:17:00.000-07:00

I'm confused. I can't seem to systematize the Easter Bunny story. I was with the kids at an Egg Hunt Saturday morning at the Castle Playground in the Heights. I overheard all sorts of snippets of the myth, and I'm having a hard time piecing all these things together. Overheard during the Hunt ...

He's very, very shy

He lays these eggs overnight for the children to find

He loves chocolate

He makes sure that every child gets enough eggs

He always has a balloon ready to give to a child

Concerning another kind of bunny, there's this article from yesterday's Outlook section of the Chronicle. It's a persuasive piece on the pervasive, obscene, and corrupting influence of Hugh Heffner's pornography empire. These professors share their thoughts on the occasion of Hef's 80th birthday. Robert Jensen, one of the authors, has gained a measure of fame as the atheist who joined a Presbyterian Church in Austin, TX, and has kicked off a good deal of controversy.

He did what to raise money for what?

2006-03-16T11:29:00.000-08:00

Anyone else confused by this story of Chico, the British pop star? He performed as a male stripper to raise money to send his grandmother to Mecca for a healing pilgrimage? Huh?

Hot Dog Eating a Hot Dog

2006-02-16T13:23:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Caroline and Silas for pointing out the implied cannibalism of the James Coney Island mascot.

Blogging the weather?

2006-02-06T12:54:00.000-08:00

I'll try not to do this too much, but I've got to post about the beautiful Houston weather. It was wonderful last night, sitting outside with some homies on the patio at Onion Creek, watching the Super Bowl.

According to QuizFarm.com, I am ...

2006-01-17T13:39:00.000-08:00

You scored as Cultural Creative. Cultural Creatives are probably the newest group to enter this realm. You are a modern thinker who tends to shy away from organized religion but still feels as if there is something greater than ourselves. You are very spiritual, even if you are not religious. Life has a meaning outside of the rational.

Cultural Creative

75%

Postmodernist

44%

Romanticist

38%

Idealist

31%

Fundamentalist

31%

Existentialist

25%

Modernist

19%

Materialist

What is Your World View? (updated)
created with QuizFarm.com

Thanks to The One Going for this link

Idolatry

2006-01-13T09:14:00.000-08:00

Talk about a loaded word. And I'm not talking about this, although it's the most pervasive use of the concept in our culture.

It's hard to bring idolatry up in normal conversation, but it's all around.

Idolatry is the practice of making anything in our lives more important than God. I do it all the time, how about you?

One of my New Year's resolutions (I'm even behind on making those!) is to be more aware of idolatry and more self-critical on that front. What do I give priority to in my life?

The Missional Church

2006-01-10T12:03:00.000-08:00

I enjoyed this summary of the Missional Church

Furniture

2006-01-03T01:07:00.000-08:00

I promise I don't normally read furniture catalogs, but yesterday I noticed the back cover of the Storehouse catalog and I couldn't resist. The blurb about the $800 chair blew me away:

Owen chair. The Rounded back says "movie theater," but the chair itself is the drama. The arms curve to the floor, mid-century style, in one long sweeping line. The seat cushion is square and plump, and the soft, gleaming leather is accented with top stitching around the seamsand welting. A little popcorn in the microwave, "Casablanca" on the DVD player, and nobody talking out loud in the row behind you. What else could you possibly ask for?

What else could I possibly ask for? How about the human interaction that comes with being in public? How about using a movie seat in a theater instead of buying one for $800 to gather dust in my house? (I'm impatient with the ways we import creature comforts into our fortresses, sorry "homes", at the expense of contributing to and experiencing community).

In the same catalog, I found something that I had no idea existed ... a sleeper ottoman. Where have I been? Here's the blurb:

D: Jack Leather Ottoman. Can you say multifunctional? In addition to doubling as a cocktail table or extra seating, this deceptively simple ottoman opens to reveal a single bed with a European slat system and a tufted top cushion. In full-grain brown leather, and obviously full of surprises ... $799

Wow. The ottoman at my grandparents' house is more the size of an Xbox with legs.

An ottoman that turns into a bed.

I promise I don't normally read furniture catalogs.

Not much of a start

2005-12-20T15:18:00.000-08:00

I've been focusing on the new church's blog

Missio Dei: A Church for the City

Check it out and pass along your comments.