s|ice: Last Tube of Toothpaste

Naomi and I will buy our last tube of tooth paste today before we leave for China... and while 74 days may seem like a long time to some, it really isn't. Naomi found out that she can do her practicum for TESL over there which will be great experience and hopefully won't stress out her husband too much.

I finally finished up Church History in Plain Language which I've been working on here and there for the better part of six months. I think it's safe to say that most Christians don't have a basic knowledge of the church's heritage, in both a positive and a negative context, and I thought that CHiPL was a great topical overview. One of the things that stood out for me about the early church was how many heresies came out of holiness movements. Apathy might our greatest weakness but Pride is our truest enemy.

The Imitation of Christ was the other book on my list. I had to do something with that book that I never do: read about 65% of it and then skim the rest. It was a defeat on some levels and a victory on others. It's the second most read book of all time and has some good stuff in it but I wasn't connecting with it alot... while I believe in man's wretchedness I couldn't continue to constantly read the self abasement phrases reinstated over and over again. That said, I would probably use the book as a resource for Lent liturgy and pull quotes from it for teachings. One of my paragraphs wasn't so much about human frailty as it was about Christ's Glory:

O Jesus, Splendor of eternal glory, Consolation of the pilgrim soul, with You my lips utter no sound and to You my silence speaks. How long will my Lord delay His coming? Let Him come to His poor servant and make him happy. Let Him put forth His hand and take this miserable creature from his anguish. Come, O come, for without You there will be no happy day or hour, because You are my happiness and without You my table is empty. I am wretched, as it were imprisoned and weighted down with fetters, until You fill me with the light of Your presence, restore me to liberty, and show me a friendly countenance. Let others seek instead of You whatever they will, but nothing pleases me or will please me but You, my God, my Hope, my everlasting Salvation.

Below are some picture from two occasions. The first is when Dad came to visit we headed to Vancouver Island for some ferry and moped action and then to the Diablo area for some hiking. the second is a 1,773 mile guy road trip which included visiting the Stand By Me town, hiking, swimming, camping, and In-n-Out Burger.

Dad Week '07

In N Out Road Trip