From Michael

"That is why you should never put chicken in an omelet."

Shane and Shane

Okay... For as much as people are giving "Christian" music a hard time, I have to admit that I have been looking forward to August 28th and the release of Shane and Shane's new CD for a long time. After buying the album on ITunes and listening to it, I am feeling neutral. Whitney and I enjoyed a couple of the songs, laughed at a couple of the songs, and thought that the majority of the songs were mediocre. All people that reported on iTunes loved the CD and gave it 4 1/2 stars. I would give the CD 2 1/2 and Whitney gives it a 3. If you like Shane and Shane I feel like you should probably get the CD... If you have never listened, I would suggest going elsewhere for your next music purchase.

Preaching

I preached a couple of weeks ago at GPC... I have added the teaching onto my Teaching Portfolio if you would like to check it out at http://www.nickwarnesteaching.blogspot.com/. You can also listen to the sermon at http://www.glenpres.org/Audio%20Sermons/Archive%20Sermons%202007/2007-08.19.mp3.

Recently

Since I lost our Kodak digital camera, a long story, we got a new camera and have been to some fun places... I thought that I might throw some pics on the blog for viewing pleasure!


Pasadena Sandwich Company (The food is HUGE!!!)

















The Farmer's Market (Our favorite place to get veggies... Thanks Rene for joining!!!)

















Dancing Salsa Outside at Paseo

















The Craziness and Beauty of Santa Monica (We have recently enjoyed Sunday trips to the beach!)

More Than a Local Move

I have been helping Dr. Spittler, the former provost at Fuller Seminary, move his library out of his office. Dr. Spittler hasn't worked at Fuller since 2002, but the seminary has graciously given him a space on campus for the past 5 years. Recently Dr. Spittler was asked to move out of his office due to space restrictions on campus. He has a remarkable amount of books, what he called "40 years worth", surrounding the walls of his office. On my part, moving the books has taken some sweat, and on his part has taken tears. I stood and talked with Dr. Spittler today after we ran out of boxes to continue with the project. Tears filled his eyes as he was reflecting upon his life and work that was represented within the metaphor of his personal library. It was an intense moment as we spoke of the changing world that we dwell within. As Dr. Spittler was tearing over the lament of the boxing of his books, I have been reflecting that those moments of boxing his library probably also stood for a bigger shift with implications not only for the individual of Dr. Spittler, but also for the world.

A student in class was reflecting upon the modern architecture of Fuller's new library that has begun being constructed. He was disappointed that the ethos of the building did not contain more of a postmodern texture. I liked the thought, but the thought was trumped as the professor responded with another. He said, "We can question the architecture of the new building, but the real question is... Why are we even building a library?" I have proposed this thought to a mixed bag of people and the trend seems to be consistent. This question makes more and more sense to younger people. The older the individual, the less sense this question makes.

While Dr. Spittler shed tears this morning over the packing of his library, I think that he was authentic in lamenting over the ending moments of his professional work, but I also feel that there may have been more behind those tears. Maybe those tears also represented a shift that scares many and is being ushered in by a new generation of those who are now caring for one of humanities most precious of resources, information.

Congrats to the Bride and Groom!

Bryan and Katie got married two weekends ago in Michigan... I got to attend their beautiful wedding in Detroit. Be sure to give them a congrats on Facebook!

Moving Toward a Revolution

A fellow staff member of mine at GPC quoted Moltmann in an e-mail to me this afternoon...

"The symbol of the cross in the church points to the God who was crucified not between two candles on an altar, but between two thieves in the place of the skull, where the outcasts belong, outside the gates of the city. It does not invite thought but a change of mind. It is a symbol which therefore leads out of the church and out of religious longing into the fellowship of the oppressed and abandoned. On the other hand, it is a symbol which calls the oppressed and godless into the church and through the church into the fellowship of the crucified God.Where this contradiction in the cross, and its revolution in religious values, is forgotten, the cross ceases to be a symbol and becomes an idol, and no longer invites a revolution in thought, but the end of thought in self-affirmation"

Celeb Sighting

Whitney and I were walking through Paseo Colorado, a local outdoor mall in Pasedena, and I saw him from afar!!! His eyes twinkled, but he seemed more clean cut and skinny to really be him. As he approached I stopped dead in my tracks and looked at him and smiled. He stopped as well, looking at me as if to say, "What the hell are you looking at?". Whitney saved the moment, ran up to him and brilliantly asked him, "Are you Al?" He politely smiled and said yes. Then we awkwardly walked away.

After a Conversation with Mark Frens

My former college roommate and I were reflecting on MXC memories. MXC was one of our favorite late nights shows in college. We would stay up into the early morning crying in laughter. Our favorite parts were the sound effects that the show would add to the contestants as they were about to participate in the contest. Have a looksie...

For All Yankee Fans

It seems that NY has the upper edge going into this weekend's series with the Tigers. As of August 11, the Tigers were 11-18 since the All Star break. The Yankees, however, have gone 24-8 in their last 32, surging ahead of the wild card race. It is relieving to have the Yankees back into the race so I don't have to hear their fans complain and moan around Fuller's campus any more... There are many Yankee fans around here and they really don't know what to do without having anything to groan about. But don't worry Yankee fans, we'll move into fall, A Rod will start to suck, the Yankees will choke once again prior to the World Series, and you'll have another off season to make expensive acquisitions of free agents that will lead you deeper into both dept and death as a team. Maybe this weekend will be the start of this process, as the Tigers will unexpectedly take 3 of 4 from the Bronx Bombers, setting them into the tail spin of their repeated cycle of death.

Houseboats 07

From August 4th to August 8th I spent some time with my favorite high school students from Los Angeles. We ventured up north to Don Pedro Lake to hang out on houseboats. We spent a ton of time in the water... Wakeboarding, tubing, skiing, and just lounging in conversation. Everyday we also had club, cabin time, quiet time, and we ate TONS of good food. Here are some pics from the week.

Final Project

I have had a blast creating my final project for Theology and Pop Culture. Rather than doing a big/nasty paper, I was allowed to create an interactive blog that looks at some of the current shifts in advertising. I used a ton of videos and pics and thought that it may be fun to meander around for readers... If you get a chance, check it out at

www.shiftingadvertising.blogspot.com

I am off to be on a houseboat with kids from GPC for the next 5 days and then straight to MI for Veenstra's wedding... I proly won't have time to write until then.

Watching Hansard and Job Hug

Job 42

You have suffered enough
And what with yourself
Its time that you won

7 After the LORD had said these things to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite, "I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.

You have suffered enough
And what with yourself
Its time that you won

8 So now take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and sacrifice a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly. You have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has."

You have suffered enough
And what with yourself
Its time that you won

9 So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite did what the LORD told them; and the LORD accepted Job's prayer.

You have suffered enough
And what with yourself
Its time that you won

10 After Job had prayed for his friends, the LORD made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before.

You have suffered enough
And what with yourself
Its time that you won

11 All his brothers and sisters and everyone who had known him before came and ate with him in his house. They comforted and consoled him over all the trouble the LORD had brought upon him, and each one gave him a piece of silver [a] and a gold ring.

12 The LORD blessed the latter part of Job's life more than the first. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand donkeys.

You have suffered enough
And what with yourself
Its time that you won

13 And he also had seven sons and three daughters.

You have suffered enough
And what with yourself
Its time that you won

14 The first daughter he named Jemimah, the second Keziah and the third Keren-Happuch.

You have suffered enough
And what with yourself
Its time that you won

15 Nowhere in all the land were there found women as beautiful as Job's daughters, and their father granted them an inheritance along with their brothers.

You have suffered enough
And what with yourself
Its time that you won

16 After this, Job lived a hundred and forty years; he saw his children and their children to the fourth generation. 17 And so he died, old and full of years.

You have suffered enough
And what with yourself
Its time that you won