My Worship Revolution

Also in the Santa Cruz news yesterday, Santa Cruz started taking appointments for same sex marriages starting June 17th. And of course the response was huge.

Now I’ve been thinking about weighing in on this whole issue, but withheld.  Here’s an excuse to go ahead now with a nice controversial blog post.

This has been a big issue in California again.  Many have discussed how we as Christians should react.
I received an email from a friend a few weeks back about a petition to sign to fight the decision and get same sex marriages overturned.  I deleted it.  (No offense if you sent me that email.)

Let me explain.  First of all, I have no problem admitting that I personally disagree with the homosexual lifestyle.  I have no problem saying that I believe it is immoral in the eyes of God.

I also feel that we can’t legislate morality.  That’s why I’m not a politician.  Laws don’t really change people.  Jesus does, one heart at a time.  Not into Christian clones, but into individuals becoming more like Him.  I’d rather spend my time sharing Christ with others and watch Him change us (me included) from the inside out than try to force change on people from the outside in.  That never works.  In Churchianity, it’s called legalism.

So do I agree with homosexual marriage?  No. Do I feel like it’s a hill worth dying on?  There was a time that I did.  Not so much anymore.

The big argument from Christians is that we need to “protect marriage.”  I have 2 thoughts to leave you with when it comes to that.

1. My marriage isn’t about the government definition anyway.  The legal benefits are great.  That’s why we do it.  But my commitment to my wife before God was a totally separate issue.  A faith issue.  That Can’t be changed.  I’m not suggesting that we start marrying homosexual couples in our church.  I just don’t see the California legal side as worth my time and energy to fight.
2. Above all, I can’t get past this one huge thought.  Our state government allowing same sex marriages is probably far less detrimental to the institution of marriage than the 50% divorce rate inside and outside of the church. (Read that again.)  Ouch.Why are most churches spending their energy outraged that the government is allowing same sex marriages, all the while continuing to marry and divorce each other inside the church at the same rate as the rest of our culture and not spending the time and energy we need to strengthening our own marriages?

Again, I’m not saying I agree with it.  And if it’s on the ballot in November, I may even vote to keep it traditional.  I honestly don’t know.  I just think there are more important battles to fight, and most of them won’t be won in the political arena.

Just my thoughts.
There ya have it.
Your turn.

Here’s an update from this weeks triathlon prep and weight loss effort.
Got about an hour run in at the gym Sunday.
Swam about 40 minutes Monday.
Did a nice jog on Wednesday morning.  Still need to map it to see how far I went.
Flaked on spin class Thursday since neither of my partners in crime were going.
Last night I swam about 2500 meters at the gym.

So theres the low-down.
Still trying to figure out my bike situation.
Have an old mountain bike I’ve been using for a while now.  Want a road bike for this stuff though.
Got a free one thats like 20 years old and needs to be fixed up.
Gotta figure out how to fix it and if it’s really worth it.

Anyway, check out the weigh in for the Raggamuffin Top Challenge.  Here’s the video to see how I did:

I know.  The last 2 videos have been pretty boring compared to past updates. 
It’s Saturday morning.
I’m tired.
Just bangin it out for the info for ya.
Maybe I’ll get more creative in the future.
Then again, maybe not.

So be sure to swing by Los’ blog and check out some other partners in fatness slimming down and see how they’re doing.
And join in, too. 
You know you could be healthier!

Dear UCSC AFSCME protesters,

I am a member of the local community here in Santa Cruz.
My wife called me to find out what was going on on Friday June 6th, 2008 at the corner of Mission and Bay.  I was at my computer.  She was trying to get to Longs with our son, but the only way she knew how to get there was blocked.
She was a bit frustrated, but I was intrigued to see what was going on.
I am all for peaceful protests to raise awareness and support.

It was down the street from our office and home, so myself and 2 friends walked down there.
You were protesting unfair wages.
Possibly a very just cause.  I don’t know.
I watched and listened as you chanted.
“What so we want?  Justice!  When do we want it?  Now!”
“No contracts, no peace.” (Thought that was an odd one.)

Then I saw a lady in a mini van approach the intersection from Bay.
Police were redirecting traffic several  blocks up on Mission, (closing off 4-5 blocks of businesses) but apparently she came from elsewhere.
Perhaps she was on her way to pick up a child from the preschool/elementary school across the street.  Who knows.
I watched as you refused to allow her to pass and used intimidation to make her turn around.
This is when my outlook and demeanor changed.

I imagined my wife and child alone in the car as you intimidated them.  That pissed me off.
You may call it kindly letting her know that she could go another way.  You may believe you were not intimidating, but friendly.
I define 15-20 students surrounding an innocent lady’s minivan intimidation.
I watched as three of “Santa Cruz’s Finest” stood in the middle of the street talking and not helping the lady at all.  Even after I pointed out the situation in case they had missed it.  Glad to know I could count on them to take care of my family.

As I walked away, I overheard the lady who works for Santa Cruz public transit talking to a student.
“We carry you back and forth here.  We never cross your picket lines.  We always respect you.  You could have given us some warning so we could reroute our buses ahead of time.  Not cool.”
I watched frustrated business owners talk with police.
I listened to local residents upset because they couldn’t get anywhere.

As I said, I’m all for activism.  I’m fine with protests.  I live in Santa Cruz.  I better be.
There are ways to get messages across and be heard without angering a majority of the community and cutting your support base.
You may have a very worthy cause.
It may be a cause worth my support.
Unfortunately, I don’t know.
Today, your methods unfortunately spoke louder than your message.

Sincerely,
A disappointed Santa Cruz resident

Read this!  Don't just notice another Twitter post and skip it!

First of all, I know I've neglected the blog this week.  I repent.  I'm sorry.  We'll try and turn that around.  And I'll get to those questions in the next week or two.  Really, y'all lobbed up some softballs.  Nothing too tough or intense there.  Now back to Twitter.

My Life Group has made fun of me repeatedly for my love for Twitter and desire to see them all get onboard.  This week, I came across some great post at my friend JVo's blog.  You've got to see what they are doing with Twitter at their church here, here, and here.

A while back I posted a Leo Laporte video on Twitter in Simple English.  But for those of you who still doubt it's usefulness, you have to check out this video of Twitters CEO shring all the ways Twitter is being used.  I liked it before, but now I'm really becoming a believer! 

Jack Dorsey Presents Twitter from biz stone on Vimeo.

You may not be willing to jump in yet, but you sure can't argue that it isn't useful!!  In fact, the way I see it, when we're willing to get creative and risky enough, I think we can leverage all sorts of new technology to work in our favor, whether it be for social reasons, a business, or using it to share our faith, connect our community, and enhance our worship and learning experiences.  And I love that Westwinds is willing to puch the envelope and try something crazy.

So, that being said, what other uses can you think of for Twitter?
Or what technology doesn't exist yet that you wish did?  Maybe you could create the next thing to revolutionize the way we do life!

HT: JVo – thanks for the video and the great info!

Alright Tim.  This one's for you.
And we'll try and keep em more consistent again, y'all.
We had a great gathering this past Sunday.
Check it out:

How bout you?
How was your weekend?

My birthday is coming up soon.
Most of you I do not expect to get me anything.
For close family and friends, however, my Amazon wish list has reappeared over to the left.
Unfortunately you can't add Jamba Juice gift cards from Amazon.

Seriously though, while I don't want people buying my stuff, birthdays make for a fun time of sharing wish lists and cool things that I've found.
The coolest being the waterproof nano box and headphones.  How cool is that?  When I save up the money these will make for a much more enjoyable swim workout!

So what fun items are on your wish list that I need to add to mine?

It’s been a while since Tri To Lose ended.
Haven’t been focused much n my weight.
That’s part of why I decided to do 2 Triathlons this summer.
I almost didn’t post this cause it’s kinda embarrassing.
But in the true spirit of authenticity and accountability, here’s the latest update:

I made it down to 155 before, but my goal is to eventually hit 150.  We’ll see how it goes as I get ready for some Triathlons.

This post is also part of the Ragamuffin Top Challenge.

To ask me whatever you want.
It's noon.
You ask, I'll answer.

You ask…I’ll answer.
I’ve seen 4 or 5 other bloggers give this one a try.
A few mega-blogs, others not.
Told myself I wasn’t gonna go there.
I changed my mind. So here’s how it works.

What better way to post what you wanna hear than having you ask me anything you want?
Whatever you want to ask, leave it in the comment section.
Whatever you want to know about me, my thoughts, or anything else you may have wondered about that I’ve never addressed.
And I will answer every question.
So bring it.
Be creative.
No holds barred.
(Well…kinda.  If it’s too personal, I’m sure I can come up with a sarcastic answer that doesn’t really answer the question.  But give it a try.  That probably won’t happen.)

Oh yeah.  Some of the other blogs gave 24 hours to ask.
I’m not that confident.  I’ll give you a little more.
It’s Thursday at 9am PST.
Comments turn off on Friday, 5pm PST.
If I get enough questions, I’ll start answering next week.
If I get one and that’s it, I’ll do a quick answer post buried among others and pretend this experiment never happened.

Ready…Go!

I wonder…
What was going through Caleb’s head between, or during these two pictures:

Your Thoughts?