Peanut Butter Evangelist

My friend Adam Hartel is a missionary in Norway. Apparently he has been spreading (pun intended) the good news of PB&J sandwiches along with the gospel!

Been Living Under a Rock?

Just in case you have been, there is a great little service called tinyurl.com. It's great if you want to IM or send someone a link that is way too long to type or might get cut up by your email program. Just go to tinyurl.com and paste in the long url and you'll get a tiny one back in return. I've even added a converter on my page here.

Creative Chaos

My friend (via blogging) Carlos Whittaker runs a weekly post called Creative Chaos. I thought I'd jump in.
"Where do you find your greatest creative outlet takes place?" was the question this week. For me I find that I need to get away from the hustle of LA life every now and then. One of the places where I go to re-create is at a Benedictine Monastery Called St. Andrew's Abby in Valyermo, CA. I find that getting away and spending a couple of days living the monastic life re-orients me and allows creativity to flow more freely. I find that my writing and my thinking are much more fluid and intense when I've been out in the desert with the brothers.

Lent Check In

I haven't posted for a while on Lent, but that is not because it has been uneventful. I haven't participated in Lent for quite some time, but felt that this year I needed to. Giving up sugar has not been an easy task, but there is more to it. I have a morning routine which includes getting the kids ready for school, making lunches, and making a pot of coffee, usually Peet's Major D. Having sugarless coffee each morning has been a daily reminder to pray and to open myself to God's presence. I've been praying a lot more during Lent and I've had some seriously challenging time spiritually and relationally. It's not surprising. When we enter into what God calls us to, there is often a struggle, think about Abraham. These are the times that require something different from us. Not more determination, but a greater giving of ourselves to God's working in our lives. Following after Jesus is not an easy thing (yes I know all about Matthew 11:30). It's not supposed to be. But in the end there becomes the possibility for transformation, becoming less entangled in sin. That is where my struggles have been. I've become so much more aware of my sin and how far away I am from what God has created me to be. And that is the point of Lent: to allow God to reveal to us the severity of sin so that we can allow him to transform us and deliver us from the death that is sin to the eternal life that is found in embracing the presence of God with us daily.

Husbands: Want more sex? Do more chores!

The following is from an AP story. You can read the whole thing here.

NEW YORK - American men still don't pull their weight when it comes to housework and child care, but collectively they're not the slackers they used to be. The average dad has gradually been getting better about picking himself up off the sofa and pitching in, according to a new report in which a psychologist suggests the payoff for doing more chores could be more sex.

Free Coffee!

This coming Monday, 3/10, get to Peet's Coffee and get a free 1/2 pound. If you're a decaf person, Peet's is now offering decaf Major Dickason, their signature blend.

Doug Pagitt and Preaching

I just commented at my friend Tim's blog on his review of Preaching Reimagined.