Inklings...

Alright, time to write down all the "amazing thoughts" I had while I was stored-up inside this week.

...um...

Oh! Did anyone else think it was amazing when the snow came, then the ice, and then more snow, and we ended up with an ice sandwich? I loved walking on it. Soft-crunch-soft.

...uh....

Some people announced their favorite album of 2008- Bon Iver's For Emma, Forever Ago, which ironically was released in 2007, then re-released in 2008. You should check it out if you feel like some indie folk singer-songwriter stuff.

...so...

President-elect Obama announced that he would be having Rick Warren give the opening prayer at his inauguration. Many people were in an uproar about it, seeing it as a "slap in the face of the LGBT community". It is interesting to see how the language of tolerance and openness and unification is supported by almost everyone, but when it comes to action, and these values are made into facts...well not so appreciated or taken into thought then.

...ya...

I hope you will be continually praying with me for peace and reconciliation in various areas of the world. Tension between India and Pakistan seems to be increasing there, especially after the terrorist bombings in Mumbai. The war between Hamas and Israel continues into its fourth day today, and will probably only get worse. In the US we heard of the tragic murder of several at a Christmas party, and several hundred were massacred at Christmas celebrations in the Congo.

...hmm...

I miss everyone, and I pray that each of you had a wonderful last couple of weeks. Definitely looking forward to the New Year, what God is doing, and how we can join in!

-John

P.S. What amazing thoughts did you have over the last few of weeks?

Merry Christmas!

Today in the town of David
a Savior has been born to you;
He is Christ the Lord!

This Christmas we want to wish you all the best as we celebrate the birth of Christ - the gift of God’s own son to a world in need – a gift given for you and for me.

I am so thankful for the birth of Christ, the birth of life. A life not just of God's own son, but a life, a new life for you and I to be lived out in and through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Christmas is not just a day, a holiday, a season, a time of the year, a tradition, or a happening. Christmas is God's gift of love, grace and life to a world, a desperate world, in need of a savior; the SAVIOR.

THE PROMISE
"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will bge on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace".
-Isaiah 9:6

OUR RESPONSE
"Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods".
-Psalm 95:1-2

"Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
because he has come to his people and redeemed them.
He has raised up a horn of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David
(as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),
salvation from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us—
to show mercy to our ancestors
and to remember his holy covenant,
the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,
and to enable us to serve him without fear
in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High;
for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,
to give his people the knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins,
because of the tender mercy of our God,
by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven
to shine on those living in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the path of peace."

Luke 1:68-79

Come, Lord Jesus

Come, Lord Jesus

advent conspiracy - check it out

Christmas can [still] change the world

The story of Christ's birth is a story of promise, hope, and a revolutionary love.

So, what happened? What was once a time to celebrate the birth of a savior has somehow turned into a season of stress, traffic jams, and shopping lists.

And when it's all over, many of us are left with presents to return, looming debt that will take months to pay off, and this empty feeling of missed purpose. Is this what we really want out of Christmas?

What if Christmas became a world-changing event again?
Welcome to Advent Conspiracy.

[Worship fully]
[Spend less]
[Give more]
[Love all]

For more, go to: http://www.adventconspiracy.org/

Because it does not seem to want to stop snowing outside, I am considering some of my favorite things. Imagine what the next blog will be if the snow keeps comin'

After checking out my favs, we'd love to hear about your favorites too...

Candy bar: 5th Avenue

Artist growing up: Boyz II Men

Music: Jeremy Camp & Hillsong

Movie: Remember The Titans & The Pursuit of Happyness

Beverage: Coke Zero

Television show: House & Ultimate Fighther

Childhood memory: Riding bikes @ Sun River

Book: Wild Goose Chase & In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day

Verse: Romans 5:3-5
Doing right now: Watching the snow fall








Post: Andrew Anderson

Funky Friday: SNOW DAY!!

Alright kiddos, we sure have had a bizarro week. First snow, then more snow, a little ice, lots of ice, warming, cooling, snow snow snow, and more of it all coming soon!

With that in mind, here's your FUNKY FRIDAY quests:

Choose one of the following:
1. Write a haiku (5-7-5), about the last week.
2. Post a snow/ice/cold picture you took during the week.
3. Tell me your favorite Christmas tradition and why.

I will start by doing all three!

-My haiku:
The R.V. was cold.
My shepherd chased a poodle.
Christmas in six days!

-My picture is two posts down!

-Favorite Christmas Tradition:
Getting up at like 6AM check my stocking, then watching A Christmas Story on TBS till everyone else gets up. Then watching A Christmas Story another 3 times during the day because it's on for 24-hours!

Grace and peace,
-John

I hate snow...but it makes for an awesome chase shot.

The shepherd is my dog, the furball-poodle is my sister's.

Enjoy the weather, stuck inside, chasing poodles, or otherwise.

MAKE SURE TO POST YOUR SNOW PICS!

-John

The Inn Elves!

http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/0Yw9l1Su8LQ6BmvFFShp

Thanks to Kristin for this wonderful gift!

P.S. Andrew is the angriest looking Elf I have ever seen!

Funky Friday!! Time to philosophize...

Well, it's Funky Friday again!

Today's quest? Reflect on this quote from Tim Keel in his book "Intuitive Leadership":

We desperately need to discover, recover, learn and live out the ancient Christian practice of hospitality, which is the postmodern means of evangelism.

(Postmodern: of, relating to, or being a theory that involves a radical reappraisal of modern assumptions about culture, identity, history, or language" Basically it is the culture we live in now, after questioning the "progress" of the enlightenment.)

Do you agree with the statement that hospitality could be the means of evangelism in our postmodern culture? What other avenues do you see for evangelism in our particular context?

Also, make sure to try and see the moon tonight, it's supposed to be huge!

-John

ponder

exciting - these are exciting times! we serve an exciting God who is in the business of doing exciting things.

focus - much like daniel in the karate kid, i am interested in the art of catching flies with chopsticks; in other words, finding focus for the things that matter.

passion - paul says that it is good to be zealous about the things of God. it is amazing to me that we as people can expel passion about things that are trivial - sports, clothes, music, shoes, etc. passion is a gift from God and when put to use in and for the things of God...buckle up and hold on tight because i believe that we're in for the ride of our lives.

desire - desire to live life in and through God. after all, he is the author (creator) and perfecter of life. what better way to live life then in the arms of the one who knows the ins and outs like the back of his hand, literally?

persistence - "if at first you don't first succeed, try, try, and try again". paul says it best in romans; "not only so but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope". amen

~Andrew

Funky Friday

Every Friday in one of my classes we celebrate Spieltag, (which supposedly has something to do with sports or games or something); the gist of it what it means for us is that it is going to be a different type of class.

We don't celebrate Spieltag here at the Inn though, cause it's not a sweet alliteration like FUNKY FRIDAY! Guess what! TODAY IS FUNKY FRIDAY!

Today's Funky Friday task:

Come up with an amazing metaphor, story, object lesson, allegory, analogy, simile, symbol, idea etc. about/for unity that doesn't revolve around the body or a house.

I will start. The unity that Christians should have with one another is like a rainbow. We can see all of the individual colors, and yet the edges between them aren't definable, and ultimately they all come together to create pure white.

Funky Friday...go!!

-John

"Be transformed by the renewing of your mind." (1) This is the scripture passage from Paul's letter to the Roman church that has continued to rattle around inside my head for the last 48 hours or so. What does transformation look like? What does it mean? What form(s) does it take on? To help flush out this idea in my mind, I turn to the literary definition first.

transform |transˈfôrm|
verb [ trans. ]
make a thorough or dramatic change in the form, appearance, or character of : lasers have transformed cardiac surgery | he wanted to transform himself into a successful businessman.
• [ intrans. ] undergo such a change : an automobile that transformed into a boat.
• change the voltage of (an electric current).
• Mathematics change (a mathematical entity) by transformation. (2)

Now that's a mouthful, no?! It seems easy enough and yet we can make it so complex. To take it a step further, I sought another vantage point. Academia per my five year old boy.

One of my son, Kaedon's favorite movies in recent years is Transformers. When asked, his favorite part of the movie is, "Pretty much...how they shoot. Um. I also like how Bumble Bee is frozen at first, but then he breaks out and is changed and they win over the bad guys." (3)

Transformation is more than a Total Money Makeover (4) or being The Biggest Loser (5). Although these things are the end-goal, they themselves are not the means to an end. The transformation, while the results may produce fruit externally, must first begin internally - a process that begins with making a decision to be transformed - a process that begins in the mind.

So, what does this idea of transformation look like? Where and when does it begin?

We ask you to weight in...


(1) Romans 12:2 - NIV
(2) New Oxford American Dictionary
(3) Transformers; DreamWorks Pictures, 2007
(4) Total Money Makeover; Dave Ramsey
(4) The Biggest Loser; NBC Television

It's Wednesday somewhere

It's Wednesday somewhere...what are you doing?

Right now I am at Lil' Cooperstown; an amazing utopia of mostly autographed sports memorabilia that just opened up in Oregon City, near my office. It's one of a few, and how I didn't know about the others before now is beyond me. I do believe that I have officially found my second office...

I'm working on planning for The Inn tomorrow night. The message is mostly a lot of creative thoughts and interesting ideas - a bit of a mosaic - that I am trying to reign in on paper. Beyond that I am updating the blog, hitting people up on facebook all while trying to not allow myself to get too distracted by the wonderful beauty that surrounds me, aka, a bit of sports heaven.
I just got off of the phone with my buddy Chris Harrison after a ridiculously cool conversation about post-holiday workouts at the gym. Love ya, bro!

I am actively procrastinating about a whole bunch of administrative tasks that need to be done back at the office, namely processing & submitting receipts for the month of November, reading a text book for my licensing, organizing my filing cabinets, blah - blah, blah -blah, blah - blah. In the event that you were unaware, I don't necessarily care too much for most things administrative.

This week I finished the book, Wild Goose Chase by Mark Batterson. What an amazing book full of challenging reminders, phenomenal thoughts and what I would consider to be a touch of literary genius. In the realm of reading it tends to take a lot to keep my attention. Mark, on the other hand has done it not once, but twice - first with his book, In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day - love it!

Lately I have listening to Hillsong United. The lyrics, melodies, beats and the like have captured me for years, and so, like any faithful favorite I find myself repeatedly drawn to their bright, brawny music style.



One of my goals for the week is to follow through with the things that I say I am going to do. Man, if great ideas and good intentions could pay the bills I will be a rich man. In the midst of my mind, I far too often forget the finite details of what needs to be done or what I've committed to do. So, my goal for the rest of the week is to make a laundry-list of what I have before me, and to execute a follow through plan.

Was it for the TV or the vacuum?

(Disclaimer: This post does not necessarily represent the opinion of OCEC, the Inn, or its representative staff.)

You've probably already heard about it twenty times or so but I am still kind of shaken over the news from Black Friday. Two dead at a Toys-R-us in Cali (which may have been gang-related), one employee dead at a Wal-Mart in New York. Searching back it seems that Black Friday violence is more of a norm than anything. Some even began calling the day Black and Blue Friday over the years. 

I don't think Christians can participate in Black Friday any longer, as it stands, or even some of the things it represents.

Shock and awe? 

To me, at the point I am in my journey, from my perspective (etc. etc. etc.) it seems that Jesus would not have us participate.

Christ broke the Sabbath for the sake of life and a person's health. I think we are called to break away from Black Friday for the sake of life and health. He called for a radical love for God, and directly opposed that to the love of things and money.  I don't see Thrifty and Shrewd Shoppers being blessed in the Beautitudes, but a completely down group of people. 

Black Friday, and the things it represents (materialism, consumerism, the scarcity-mindset, win-to-win competition , giving-for-the-sake-of-anything-but-generosity, etc.) are not...are not of the Kingdom.  

Maybe this is too judgemental or hypocritcal, too topical or short-sighted, too reactionary or provoking. 

But doesn't Christ make a difference in how we shop and why?

Perhaps the Advent Conspiracy is part of the remedy (see below).
Are other things necessary?

What's your thoughts?



Questions, questions, questions, and the only answer is to look up. 

-John

Perspective

I am experiencing both, excitement and fear for what God is doing in, through and around me.

It's an awesome sense, knowing that God has a plan. My problem, if I can pinpoint just one, would be the simple fact that I wrestle with being in control. My tendencies lead me to pursue the things that I have control over, or at the very least, have some sort of leverage. Yah - not the case as of late. And that's okay, I guess.

It's an interesting place - a place that I have not made myself too familiar with over the years - a place that I am learning to appreciate and embrace. That doesn't make it any easier; just my reality.

That said, I am seeking God's will for my life, my family, my finances, my ministry, my future. Or is it His life, His family, His finances, His ministry and His future?

Perspective changes everything.

~Andrew

Happy Gratitudegiving-Day!

In honor of Thanksgiving day (which honestly deserves a little more than a day wouldn't you say?) I looked up "thanks" up on Wikipedia. Here is the gist of it (with a little bit of research cut out):

"Gratitude, appreciation, or thankfulness is a positive emotion or attitude in acknowledgment of a benefit that one has received or will receive. Even though our reactions to favors might not always be positive, researchers have found that people express gratitude often. Psychological research has demonstrated that individuals are more likely to experience gratitude when they receive a favor that is perceived to be (1) valued by the recipient, (2) costly to the benefactor, (3) given by the benefactor with benevolent intentions, and (4) given gratuitously....

Gratitude may also serve to reinforce future prosocial behavior in benefactors....

Research has also suggested that feelings of gratitude may be beneficial to subjective emotional well-being....

Although gratitude is something that anyone can experience, some people seem to feel grateful more often than others. People who tend to experience gratitude more frequently than do others also tend to be happier, more helpful and forgiving, and less depressed than their less grateful counterparts."

I love that gratitude seems to be so helpful to life! I think an entire blog could be written on about that alone, but what I really want to think/thank about is the four criteria in the quote, and how they relate to Christ's gift of himself to us.

Valued by the recipient: How enormously valuable Christ's giving was to us! Looking at Ephesians really helps me to see how much I should value what he gave. I mean, how much value can you see in being brought back to life! Or in when we were without knowledge of God, being enlightened with Christ! Or when we were metaphorically far off, being brought near to God! What a precious gift he gave to us!

Costly to the benefactor: To benefit us Christ had to give up so much! I think we sometimes ignore the initial cost of what Christ did to give, and focus solely on his suffering on the cross and his death. Just in coming to the earth Christ seemed had to pay a price. He emptied himself to come to earth, and then he humbled himself to become a servant, till he died! What a precious gift He gave to us!

Given by the benefactor with benevolent intentions: "For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life."[!] It's amazing to me that God would allow us a second-chance at what we could have had in the garden. And then beyond that he promises that this eternal life will be the 'fullest' life we have ever had! What a precious gift He gave to us!

Given gratuitously: I had to look up gratuitously, which means:

1 a: given unearned or without recompense b: not involving a return benefit, compensation, or consideration c: costing nothing : free

2: not called for by the circumstances : unwarranted gratuitous assumption>

Amen to both definitions! Counter to most religions of the world, and even the modern mindset, what we do does not ultimately affect how we end up in life! Christ gave us something we could never earn, without expectation of being 'payed' back, and did it even while we were breaking His instructions, sinners, separate from Him and God. What a precious gift he gave to us!

So on this Thanksgiving day, I hope you experience a sense of gratitude towards God for the precious gift He gave!

Thank you God for your Son and his life, death, and coming-back-to-life. Thank you for what you are doing here on earth, and may it continue in our lives. Thank you for what is happening within the Church, I pray that she would continue to love You and love people. Thank you for what is happening within our church, I pray that we can grow in you, and be continually bettering our community. We love you.

-John

P.S. We had prime rib for dinner. It was awesome.

The Inn-ja's second game, and reflections on the edifying each other.

I had the pleasure of seeing our Inn-ja's soccer team today, and let me tell you...

they...

well...

They have an amazing cheer squad behind them! (They also have amazing, dedicated, and vibrant players! Tim Alban had a great score tonight, Tim and Ryan had some awesome saves tonight, and I saw some really great teamwork and hard-play out there on the field!)

At the end of the game someone came up to me and mentioned that the other team wished they had a cheering section like the Inn-ja's did. It made me realize the impact that Christ makes on each and everyone of us as we live our daily lives. (Yes, this just turned into a devo, stick with me for a little while and see if you agree, disagree, or want to comment otherwise.)

Earlier today I went to a site called studentreviews.com to look up my school, and noticed that a large number of the reviews of other colleges on there, especially 'secular' ones, were not only incredibly negative, but nearly hateful and virulent. Now I realize not all the reviews were like this, but it seemed that a larger majority of the negative reviews coming from 'secular' schools were derogatory, mean, etc. than the ones coming from Christian schools. (I hate the term secular, because it creates an us-them mentality, but it is the easiest way to identify the schools I am speaking of.)

Then today, as I procrastinate on my homework, I read from Ephesians 4:1-16 on the unity of the body and giving of gifts to build it up. I can't help but note that there is something that brings Christians together for each other in a way that is different than the world. Yes, we still fight over and have division over inane and not so inane things but when we actively use our gifts to build up the body, to edify and love each other, something happens that is literally out of this world.

So when the other team noticed our cheer squad I kind of got excited, not in a proud kind of way, but in a "things are working the way they should" kind of way.

Finally, I look back at late this morning as I saw one of our own being baptized. Christ Tomlin was baptized while his fiancée Jessica Lowrie helped, and many from the Inn cheered. It was incredible to see the large amount of support behind him and to see the church encouraging and loving each other.

What do you think your gift is?
How are you using it build up the church?
How are you using it build up the world?

-John

P.S.

Congratz to Erin Gonzalez and Jamie Thames on their recent engagement, as well as Michael Thames and Sarah Parsons! Now we just have to wait and see if Emma-jo, Jamie and Michael's younger step-sister will soon be engaged too! Hehe.

Random Thought

It's amazing to me how God orchestrates things. I never cease to be amazed at the ways in which He will keep me on my toes; keeping me guessing and leaving me wanting for more. The crazy thing is that just when I think that I am getting a grip on the plot, the story takes off like a Rally car being run by a professional driver - God takes me through trails and turns at speeds beyond my comprehension - and I love it!

My thought on the subject? Hang on and enjoy the ride!

~Andrew

ENATION

ENATION - A band local here to the northwest, out of Battleground, WA. I just got their first album from a buddy and have not stopped listening to it since. Amazing to say the least. Unique in their styling, I am enjoying the vocals, the variation in songs and the heart behind their songs. When you get the chance, check 'em out.

www.enationmusic.com

~Andrew

Happenings...

We've had two new happenings at the Inn this last week:

1. Andrew and Stacy are going to have a little girl in March!

2. A certain couple got engaged! I will give you a cookie if you tell me who.

-John.

Digital Prayer

Lord God;

Thank you for your before-time love. Thank you for your giving of life. Thank you for your son and his self-sacrifice. We know that you hear these prayers and others, and ask that you would be in them and for them. We pray at the same time that we would be found in you and working for you.

-John.

I am John's eternal frustration with wifi internet...

Andrew asked me to write a little something here, and I told him I would get it done by Friday, so I figured late Sunday afternoon would be the perfect time to write...

My name is John Lussier, and I am the Inn-tern here at the Inn. Har har har.

Anyways, I just wanted to introduce myself and then give anyone out there reading this a chance to do the same in the comment section.

"I was born a poor black child. I remember the days, sittin' on the porch with my family, singin' and dancin' down in Mississippi...(1)"

Here's some quick stats about me:

-Born August, 1986 I can remember growing up as a child watching the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, G.I. Joes, and my all time favorite Adventure of the Gummi Bears(2). Knowing that should pretty much orient you to the rest of my life.

-I currently live with my parents and my two younger sisters. By live with I mean live beside...in an R.V (3).

-I am finishing up my junior year at Multnomah University, majoring in Bible/Theology and Youth Ministry.

-In my extra time (4), I love to read, listen to all kinds of music (5), make videos, take pictures, play mafia, go out to coffee, and just generally chill.

-I have been attending the Inn since its beginning, and I keep coming back because of the exciting things I see God doing there and with the people. The atmosphere is inviting, the messages are motivating, the worship is provoking, the people are loving, and I continually experience God there.

I would absolutely love to hear from you if you are reading this. Who are you, what you are about, why do you attend the Inn, etc. And please, please, please make sure to include your favorite 80's cartoon. SO COMMENT!!!

-John Lussier
__________
Footnotes:
1. That's a quote from the Jerk, one of the best movies of all time. Rent it, watch it, live it.
2. I can't forget to mentions Transformers, Dark Wing Duck, and Batman as well.
3. Long story... I have to tell you, it is pretty sweet; it's like I am constantly camping in my backyard. Without real heat, or a space bigger than 6' by 8'
4. All two minutes of it, with school, volunteering at the highschool, with the Inn, and working at home.
5. Except country. Bun-nu-nu-na-nu-nu-nu-nu-nah!

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE

During the past few weeks we have been exploring such faith issues as Image (Chris Farley Show), Distractions (More Cowbell) and Making A Difference (Matt Foley - Motivational Speaker).

So this week we're finishing up week four of our four-part series entitled, The Gospel According To Saturday Night Live; a comedic approach to relevant faith issues. That said, I am excited to see how God is going to move in the hearts and lives of His people. These messages, although funny and entertaining, have really been challenging us to exercise a life of faith in action - a life lived both in and through our faith in God. It's been awesome experiencing the significance of each decision to live out of faith both as individuals as well as in our ministry as a whole.

I invite you to attend this week. Mark your calendars now (Thursday, November 6th - 7:00 pm). Come ready to experience a night with other 18 to 30 somethings from across the area, engaged in worship through music, prayer, a relevant message, authentic relationships and more.

~Andrew Anderson

Gettin' dirty

Do you remember what it is like to take pride in gettin' dirty - when the messier the better was not only our mantra but a way of life? What happened to those days? Where did they go?

I was handed a subtle reminder of such times as I participated in our family's annual pumpkin carving extravaganza. With each pumpkin strategically picked and placed, it wasn't long before my son, Kaedon took to his child-safety knife and went to work on this years masterpiece - an extraordinary bat to light up the night.

Although excited about the carving, sculpting and lighting of the pumpkin, the thing that my son and many others like him look forward to the most is the opportunity they have to dive into a pile of soppy seeds and stringy, slimy madness. The look of total satisfaction as my son, with each dive bomb of the hand, captured more messiness than the time before; that's joy. That's satisfaction. That's gettin' dirty. That's the way it is suppossed to be!

So what's happened to us? Where has that passion for pumpkin-like moments gone? Why has gettin' dirty lost it's place in our lives?

I don't know where the excitement for gettin' dirty has gone, but as I sat by, pumpkin in hand, watching my son and company delve into thier perspective pumpkins, I got excited and engaged my childlike desires for gettin' dirty. It was awesome!

This leads me to my point. I think that our relationships with Christ are no different than our early childhood experiences. At first, we don't mind gettin' dirty. In fact, we seek out opportunities to do just that - get dirty. Unfortunately as we age in our faith, all too often we loose sight of the importance of gettin' dirty.

For me, I have been reminded and challenged to exercise a childish expression of my faith in gettin' dirty for the kingdom. And much like I was a proud Papa when my son called out with great enthusiasm and excitement at his mess, I believe God takes joy in his children when they are gettin' dirty for him.

And now I pray that you too may experience the joy of gettin' dirty!

~Andrew Anderson