the searbys

As we were eating supper last night I felt very Italian. We had pasta with red sauce and steaks. Ok, so that's a pretty normal meal, but for some reason it felt like we were mobsters eating at Fat Joe's or something. I grilled steaks, crusted in crushed pepper and spices. Jen made pasta with red sauce. I sauteed some mushrooms to put on the steaks. It was a delicious meal. I love to eat and I love to enjoy food with other people. I'm so glad God created us to eat all different kinds of foods and enjoy them. It would be so boring if we only needed a pill or something to survive. Instead, we get to experience a vast array of beautiful foods!

Things continue to be great here in Gainesville. I was talking last night on the phone to a friend from Lincoln who said that yesterday when he woke up, he put on a sweatshirt and a hat as he went out since it was "chilly." I think I'll miss the fall and the distinct, crisp air that ushers in the new season. Here in Gainesville highs are still in the 90's. Mornings and nights are a little cooler but nothing like that cool fall air of Illinois. But, when all you Illinoisians are freezing your faces off in January and February, I'll be wearing shorts. You can't have it all I guess, so I'll take a warm winter.

Well, that's it for this morning. I suppose I better get some work done like, uh, sitting here until customers come. That's how most of my mornings go since it takes me about 15 minutes to get the coffee brewed, muffins wrapped and stocked, register ready, etc. Then I just sit and read and drink coffee and wait 'til the rush, which is usually around 7:15 until 9:00 or so. Then I read some more and go home. Then each week, somehow, they actually pay me to do this! It's great!
-joel

I think I make a list everyday....grocery list, to-do list, people to call or email list....etc. I just love to be organized. I organized the coupons tonight. There was a slot for car related coupons, burgers, scrapbooking items, and the biggest pile: pizza coupons. But, I really get excited over doing our budget. There is just something about putting all those numbers and categories into an excel spreadsheet and seeing it all balance out. I love it! Oh, and balancing the checkbook...what fun!

Well, call me a dork but at least I'm organized. :)

These were my random thoughts tonight so I thought I'd share.
-Jen

We spent the weekend in Auburn, Alabama visiting my brother, John and his wife Jessi. John works for Auburn basketball and is involved in athletics in other ways so naturally we went to the football game. Jordan Hare stadium is a really nice place to watch a football game, it was an overcast, breezy day and a generally good atmosphere so we had a great time. It was really great to spend some time with John and Jessi as we don't get to see them too often.

Yesterday I had a good laugh. I was driving home from work and passed two city buses. Their display screens on the front said, "full bus, please wait." I flashed back to Chile where the "micros" or buses were usually packed so full that people were practically hanging out the sides. The general unspoken rule was, if you can get on, its not full. Of course we have laws against all that here you know but its not nearly as exciting when there's a place to sit down!

Last night we went to the Christian Campus House to see a band called Alathea. They are three young women who play folk/ roots type music. The lead singer, Mandy, was a good friend of my brother while they both attended Milligan College. They are really great and have a new album that is great too. You can check them out at www.alathea.com and buy their CD!

We hope you're all well. Things are going great for us here in Gainesville and we are really enjoying all that this city has to offer. Hope to hear from you all!
-joel

Here's some fun pictures from the past week or so. Doesn't it look like we really are enjoying Florida? That's because we are!

Yes, that's us in Florida Gators gear. We had to go out and buy some because we got invited to the tailgating tent of a corporate sponsor. Our tickets for the Tennessee/ Gators game were from them so we thought we better show some Gator Nation pride. By the way, we got to sit on the second row! It was an electric atmosphere, the largest crowd ever for a UF football game, 90,716. Can you believe they put that many people in a football stadium?


Our first (and so far, only) cherry tomato! Jen ate it and said it was good. There's a green one on there now but let me tell you, they ain't lookin' so good.


This cardinal was in our birdbath. Is it a sign from Illinois? I guess we'll never know!



This is the FREE bedroom set we got from my boss. It was dark, dark brown so we painted it white. It looks pretty good now, I think.

Oh yeah, I wanted to let all of you who were concerned about my diet know that we are now swimming for excercise. Did you all know that swimming works every muscle in your body and leaves you sore for days? Why didn't you tell me? Honestly though, its been great. We have a junior olympic size pool at our complex which is great for swimming laps. I feel so much better now that we're excercising. And yes, I'll cut back on the "danger dogs."
-joel

This morning at 5:15 as I got ready to leave for work and stepped onto the parking lot I realized that someone had pulled in right behind BOTH of our cars. Hmmm. This was a dilema. Jen was, of course, sound asleep. This guy was parked more behind the Camaro than the Buick and I decided I could get the Buick out through the tiny hole he'd left. Ever heard that parable about the camel through the eye of a needle? I thought that if I could get the Buick out, there'd be enough room to get the Camaro out later. So, that's what I did. Since Jen is still sleeping as I write this I hope that she can get out when it comes time to go to work.

The bottom line here, though, is that some incredibly inconsiderate person just decided that they could park anywhere they wanted, irrespective of anyone who might WORK for a living and actually plans on leaving before 11:00 am because he's not hungover from the Thursday-night-pre-Friday-pre-Saturday-Tennessee/Florida football game party. Ok, so I'm a bit cynical. I am not unaware of the realities of living in a college town and quite frankly, I'll put up with getting blocked-in every once in a while to have all the great culture, excitement, restaurants and sports that come with Gainesville.

Hope you have a great weekend!
-joel

Just wanted to advise everyone against a steady diet of gas station "danger dogs" (with cheese inside) and fattening muffins. I realized what I'm doing to my body today. Guess I better start eating healthier, especially with the added but welcome stress of being a minister. Hope all is well with you today.
-joel

Yesterday I crashed. It was a long, exhausting weekend. But it was a good weekend. My dad arrived on Thursday evening to continue working with Harvest on church development issues in this time of transition. There were several meetings throughout the weekend and many were fruitful and positive.

On Saturday Jen was able to get us some tickets for the Gators game. Ok, so they weren't just tickets, they were on the fifteenth row at the twenty yard line! It was a lot of fun to be there with 85,000 screaming and yelling. We could see everything and were right behind the Gator bench. Now I have some insight into what this thing is that they call the "gator nation." It's crazy.

Sunday I preached my first sermon as the interim minister at Harvest. I think it went really well. I am preaching a two-week "series" on Jesus. I felt led to get back to the basics of why we even exist as a church. This week was "who is he and what does he want with me" and next week will be "snapshots of his character." This week was pretty heavy teaching and theology yet with application as well. Next week will be more practical, looking at how Jesus actually lived his life and how he interacted with people. If I believe in the power of living out our commitments to Him then I believe also in the power of His message to unite us. We are going through some tough times of division and questions about mission. Honestly, I think we all (Christians) spend too much time talking about things like worship (which Jesus did not) and not enough time focusing on the things He really calls us to do. I'm hoping that a return to our purpose will help to shift the focus and loosen us all up a bit on the "peripheral" things, as Cardinal Joseph Bernadine said. If, for any reason, anyone would want tapes of our services, I'll be glad to send you one, we make copies each week.

Today is another busy day for me. After work I have a meeting at church for an hour then a meeting at La Tienda Latina (a local store and restaurant) where I'm tutoring a doctoral student in Spanish as she prepares for her translation exam. She'll be doing research in Mexico but has to pass an exam to move on to that step. It should be a good way to stay connected with the language I love.

Stay in touch!
~joel

Yesterday was the most challenging day I've had since we've lived in Gainesville. Yet I came away at the end of the day knowing that all was well and God is good. Here's the story.

I had to finish hauling the rest of the furniture we'd painted from the house to our apartment. I was able to borrow a truck from Ken (an elder at Harvest.) The truck is an '81 dodge, a real "truck of a truck." Bobby helped me with the first load of larger pieces which went without incident. I then loaded up the truck again and headed back to the apartment. On the way the truck died several times, including on the corner of University and 13th, one of the busiest intersections in town. The guy behind me was nice enough to give me a push start and I made it a little further before dying again. When I finally got to the apartment I was already late for the 1:00 meeting at church so I unloaded as quickly as possible, dripping with sweat, took a 1 minute shower and raced to church in our Camaro so as not to risk breaking down again. After our meeting Ken determined that the truck would probably be ok so I should just finish up and bring it back to their house later.

I had to go to the bank and since it was 2:30 and I hadn't eaten lunch I wanted to eat something too. As I approached the ATM I saw a homeless guy with a sign standing on the corner looking very tired, hungry and dirty (as most homeless guys do.) I went through the ATM and as I passed him on my way out I asked if he was hungry. He said, "oh yeah man, I haven't eaten in two days." So I said, " walk across the street and I'll buy you lunch at McDonald's. He did and we went in together. I asked him if he'd like to eat with me. He declined. I told him to get whatever he wanted. So he said, "three double cheeseburgers and a sack of fries sounds really good." I said ok and began to order when the nice cashier told me they had regular cheeseburgers on sale so I got him five of those instead. We enchanged a few more words, he telling me that his bike tire had blown and he had to walk everywhere now. He said something about how tough it was to have no transportation, no food, no money and no home. Yeah, I imagine it is. I told him I'd been there once, not for very long, but I had. I looked him straight in his empty eyes and smiled at him, hoping to bring some glimmer of joy to his day. His name is Ed.

I went back to the apartment and got in the truck heading back to the house. It died on the way. By now it was 4:30. I called Ken and he came to where it had died and tried to get it going again. Looks like the fuel pump went out so at least its not my fault. He hooked up the truck to his little blue Ford Taurus using a fire hose that he keeps around for that purpose. He towed me back to their house. Man, I felt like I was in Kentucky (sorry friends from Kentucky.) Then I went and picked up Jen, late, and we headed home for about 15 minutes before going back to the house where Lee-Ann was meeting us with another truck to finish getting everything out. We grabbed Taco Bell on the way, which I didn't get to finish until after the moving, around 10:00 as we watched the news of the tropical storm that is headed our way. Did I mention that every light was red yesterday? Or that I hurt my back? But you know what, as I rode in the back of the truck (holding down my fourteen-foot long LCC bleacher boards so they wouldn't fly out) I looked out into the sky, with the setting sun turning it orange and shades of purple, and I remembered that none of that stuff that had happened to me really mattered, except that I gave Ed some cheeseburgers. I was so thankful to God as I rode through Gainesville, surveying the world behind a truck. We are so blessed and I do not ever want to forget that. I hope you get to sense God's blessings on your life today.
-joel

I can't seem to escape people in need. Not that I want to. They are all around and I can't do other than help them.

Today I was at Kash and Karry to get Jen and I a snack before I picked her up from work so we could finish painting our new furniture. As I returned to my car a guy about my age, shaved head, stocky, rough looking, said to me from the next aisle in the parking lot, "hey, I have a question for you....I'm really embarrassed (he was, his face was beet red)...I'm on my way from Tampa with my friend and I thought we could make it where we're going but we're almost out of gas. Could you loan me some money for a tank of gas. I'll get your name and address and send you the money as soon as we get there." This was thrown in among various expletives and facial expressions, all of which showed me that he was indeed extremely embarrassed. I didn't have any cash, I told him and then he asked if I could get some from an ATM, which I told him I would but I didn't have my pin number memorized yet (all of this true.) I really wanted to help him but didn't think I could. So, as I walked away, sorry, I thought, "hey, he could just follow me to the gas station and I'll fill them up with our card." I offered that and they were excited. I took them to a gas station, filled up their tank, bought them two bottles of water and two bags of chips and returned to their car. The guy asked me where I had written down my address because he was going to pay me back. I told him I hadn't done it for payback. He looked at me so strangely. When I handed them the drinks and chips he said, "what are these?" I said, for the trip, you'll get hungry." He was utterly confused. He actually said, "why are you doing all of this?" I simply responded, "because you need it." He began thanking me up and down and saying how he couldn't believe anyone would do that and God bless you and all that. Sure, I could have preached him a sermon or said something simple about Jesus but I didn't feel led to do that. They were on their way and I on mine. I hope the love they felt was sincere and I hope they make it safely to their destination.

-joel

I had another amazing conversation this morning here at the coffee shop. God is certainly working here in and through me.

This regular who comes through the drive-thru every day and gets a triple espresso with warm cream came into the shop today. Usually he's very grumpy, bossy and wants his drink now. Today, perhaps because of the holiday, he was laid back and looking to chat. Our neighborhood police officer, Elgin, was also in the shop so the three of us chatted a while about various things. Then when Elgin left, Ben (I later found out his name) asked me what book I was reading. He'd seen my bible sitting on the counter. I said, "the Bible," like an idiot and he said, "I know that, which book in the Bible?" I said I was reading in John. The ensuing conversation was amazing. He poured out his heart to me about his past with the church, in the military, as a hippie, and all sorts of other things. He said he loved Jesus and really believed in the way of Christ but hadn't been to church for a long time because people seemed so petty. I have to admit I was hesitant to share that I'm the interim at Harvest right now because quite frankly, we're dealing with a lot of that. But, I did. As we talked about those challenges and struggles he said, "you know, I think I'll bring my family. What you're talking about as the vision of who we should be as the church is really what I'm looking for." I hope they come. His heart was so open. This guy who I thought was so grumpy was just melted as we talked about the love of Jesus and the truth of his amazing life. That's what it's all about. I pray that Harvest can embrace that and we can begin to see how God works to heal, to grow and to impact lives all around Gainesville with hope and love. If you're the praying type, pray for us as we seek that end. My first Sunday is coming up and I'm excited, nervous, hopeful. I am going to preach a short series on the life of Jesus, focusing on the character traits that we can adopt as his disciples. I look forward to how God will work in peoples lives, not because of me, but because of the truth and magnetism of the person of Jesus Christ.

Have a great Labor day!
-joel

Well its the first home football game and we're told we shouldn't leave the house! Too late. I'm already at work and Jen is running a garage sale at the old house. We're hoping to pick up on some of the football traffic and unload some of the things we either don't need, don't want or can't fit in the new place.

Everyone in Gainesville seems to be talking about this football game today. I'm sure it will be crazy. As we drove home last night we passed the lot designated for RV's of fans who come in two, even three days ahead of time to tailgate. Crazy! I guess in this time of national crisis we can't just stop life. Actually, a diversion like sports might even be healthy. I just wish we could get all those refugees out and let them enjoy some kind of diversion. (by the way, I did see a pickup football game break out on the lawn of the astrodome last night.)

I've had some interesting comments in response to my last post. I appreciate all the different perspectives on God. He is so huge and amazing. After reading Brian McLaren's latest book, A Generous Orthodoxy, I have really been challenged to embrace different expressions of Christ as healthy, part of God's plan and representative of God's majesty. For example, while I am not "comfortable" in a pentecostal church, I want to embrace their desire to be intimately connected with the Holy Spirit, often in ways that my own traditions have been reluctant to explore. Or maybe I should learn from the liturgy and respect of traditions like Roman Catholicism and see the powerful yet mystical side of God. I'm not (and neither was McLaren) simply tossing aside important theological discussions but rather acknowledging that I do not have a corner on the god market. I want to be humble and open to the fact that I have much to learn about God. By observing and even embracing expressions of Christ different from my own I believe I can learn more about His overall character. For example, the mainline protestant groups, which have been labeled (or have labeled themselves) liberal have really led the way for many years in areas of social justice. If social justice was not a concern of Christ than I'm not reading my Bible right. What I'm saying is, we can learn from that. Jesus was greatly concerned about the actual welfare of the poor and socially outcast, not just their souls, as some evangelical groups have been guilty of assuming. Yet I see in our midst a great opportunity to meet real needs of real people in real crisis. A member of the congressional black caucus yesterday quoted, in a national news conference, Matthew 25, talking about the "least" of our brothers. Whatever his motives, he was absolutely right. Jesus is clear about it and so far, in what I've seen in the media, Christians are taking iy very seriously in response to this crisis. I'm thankful to God for that and continue to pray that the love of Christ can be shared through bottles of water and big pots of stew. Blessings.
-joel

I'm sitting in the coffee shop in the midst of a morning thunderstorm. This is the first time its stormed in the morning since we've lived here. I've come to expect afternoon storms but not in the morning.

Yet I cannot even begin to complain in light of the terrible disaster that has befallen the Gulf Coast. I was glued to the TV last night watching scenes of despair, of hope, of pure evil, of pure goodness. I heard one ethicist comment that "tragedy puts a bright white light on all of our traits as humans." It is so true. As crisis and despair set in, emotions run high and it magnifies each expression of emotion, show of strength or exposure of flaw. I pray that people of good intention, pure hearts and deep compassion will respond as thousands have needs to be met.

I had an interesting conversation with my boss yesterday about the hurricane and its damage. We were talking about the term "biblical" in reference to the proportions of the damage. I said I understood what they were getting at with that term but I didn't quite feel right about involving God in the equation of this disaster. I guess I take an almost deist view when it comes to nature. In my reading and study of scripture and my time in nature I have come to believe that part of God's creating the world was that He set it in motion. In terms of weather, I believe it is more or less "controlled" by the parameters set into motion at creation. I believe that the changes in weather or interventions in the Old Testament, for example, were truly miracles and "acts of God." He interrupted the "natural" course, which He indeed set in motion, in order to communicate something or intervene at a critical moment in response to His people. So I guess what I saying in broader terms is that we should be careful to "blame" God for disasters like this and understand that it will be beyond our comprehension why He created the world to work as it does until we can indeed be in His presence and know from Him. I also think we should be aware of this when we pray. I'll never presume to know how God works but I know that I hear lots of prayers that seem to have no understanding in them. We often ask for God to do things without thinking about how those things fit into His grander scheme. I heard people "praying" that the storm would go this way or that, miss this town or that. Do we really believe that if enough people in New Orleans had prayed for it to kill everyone in Biloxi instead of flooding New Orleans, that would have happened? I realize I'm sounding a bit cynical, which is not my intention. Rather, I'm saying let us concentrate on healing instead of blame. On prayer for souls to be whole instead of one town or another to be spared. In the meantime, we do have opportunities to intervene in individual lives in their personal times of suffering and bring them hope that in the face of death and destruction, there is joy to be found that is deeper than any circumstance. Let me know what you think.
-joel