I Love It When a Plan Comes Together

You could call it a goal, a desire, or a calling. I would like to retain my sanity as much as possible under impossible circumstances—four kids under 4 years old, all vying for the same loud toys the others have in a 960 square-foot house. This means minimizing the toy cacophony. How do you make toys quieter without raising the children's suspicions?

Enter: clear tape. I know clear tape’s cousin, duct tape, receives most of the accolades when it comes to fixing things, but let’s show a little love and give a little credit where it’s due. You see, kids can see duct tape pretty easily. Not so with clear tape. The clear stuff is incognito . . . covert silencing ops, if you know what I’m saying. You know it’s quieter, but the kids have no clue. That’s my kind of win–win situation. Merry Christmas and a quiet New Year.

The Day After

It’s amazing how much the day after Christmas in a house full of kids is like being in Vegas: out of nowhere, there are blinking, glowing, noisy things demanding attention, but there’s no real interest in any of it, and you can’t stop thinking, “Oh no! What have I done?”

New Type for IHOP–KC

My primary project here at the house of prayer for the past few months has been researching new typography. We’re picking new fonts to represent who we are. It has to feel as historic as prayer, but as accessible as God.

From working with bad fonts, I have also figured out that it needs to have all the right characters and options within the font library. Or else you get this:




Then it takes a talented designer to use the fantastic fonts. Or you get this:

This Is Why I Edit

No, this is not an ad for IHOP–KC, but we have seen some bad stuff go out in email blasts as well. Alas, we are still human.

Words from the Wife

My amazing wife has a brand new blog. I have agreed not to edit as I read, which is just fine because I do too much of that as it is. She has something to offer young mothers; she has experienced hurt, she has been broken inside, she has overcome, and she is wise. I can’t tell you how many times a day she takes calls from those with twenty questions at a time. She takes it all in stride and speaks from a position of having read from the breadth of book knowledge available, and from having lived through so much already. Her gracious tone and willingness to help brings people back time and again to draw from the well of her experience.

The questions often return to the theme of raising children who are in love with God amidst the busyness of life. Too many Christians withdraw into the safety of the religious bubble: four safe walls, too little interaction with the outside world, a lack of true life-long relationships—meaning having Christian and non-Christian influences in your life and not having any fear about that, but rising to the intellectual and spiritual challenge—that encourage and challenge each thought you entertain, studying themes that have extrapolation but not interaction with anyone but other Christians, and finally justifying this lack in spiritual terms. Sorry, but you won’t be coddled by Amy (or myself) if this is your stance. We must be able to live life with all its joy and pain, its suffering and exhilaration, and still be in love with God or the Gospel is of no use. The Gospel is for all people in all cultures at all times, in history and in the future, and in every situation of life. If this is not the outcome of what you believe, what you study or how you act, then it is not the Gospel.

No amount of egocentric excuses can justify a hands-off approach to the world or to refusing to interact with those who disagree with you. This bubble is antithetical to Christianity itself. And thank God that Jesus did not take an egocentric, hands-off approach to us.

Thank God.

Patting Myself on the Back

I have mowed the front lawn, but not the back. Instead, I pulled up the three- and four-foot trees by the roots that had planted themselves there. It took two days to rip them all out, but it needed to be done.

I scraped paint off some kitchen windows. Difficult to do with a dull blade.

The laundry is done, as usual.

I have held the hair of my puking daughter, and cleaned up the couch after we figured out she wasn't feeling so well. Three words: pro jec tile.

I have put together an oak table and chairs. This is the first time in almost seven years of marriage and family that we have all been able to sit down together for a meal.

I have taped off Samuel and Olivia’s room so I can paint it.

I have gotten shots and shot records for school, faxed several copies of things to the Nursing Division, completed a background check (not on any federal psycho lists. Yay!), and switched my classes around a few times.

I have been to visit the financial aid offices at school several times already. We need all the help we can get. We’re behind, I believe, by about a few hundred dollars per month, even with all the help from my military benefits. That’s why Amy and I are both working part-time. But even with that, we’re still not breaking even.

I have completed several exciting projects for the International House of Prayer in Kansas City, and am now assisting the Creative Director in revamping our choices of typography for the IHOP–KC brand. Right now, our main fonts are Perpetua, Gill Sans and Helvetica Neue Condensed Bold. We’re looking at getting two serif and two sans fonts (a loose and tightly kerned of each, giving us 4 total) that all work well together, and can translate easily to any media (Web, TV, print, postcards, etc.). It is a tough goal to hit, but I think we can do it.

Life is crazy right now. And my semester hasn’t even begun. This is gonna be nuts.

Lists

I’m supposed to be making lists of all the chores to get done over my two-week break from school.

Just wanted to give my summer school grades: C in Algebra and B in US History.

And Sam just had his first birthday. Here’s a before and after.

AfterEden Movie Trailer

Professional snowboarders discuss the pursuit of their significance, purpose and identity.

Check out the trailer.

http://www.afteredenthemovie.com/

Like Flynn

I received a call telling me I made it into the Nursing Program, so I am officially in. But I’ve been given a list of impossible missions to complete before then: lots of vaccines, CPR certification, background check, summer school . . .

They said they would meet me halfway on the slaying of the dragon though. I’m allowed to bring in a store-bought gecko.

Definition

Split-second: n

The time it takes Olivia to eat two hot dogs = the time it takes me to put a single piece of bread in the toaster. 

What Good Is The Internet If You’re Dead?

I feel sorry for all those third-world kids with the laptops who can now see the bazillion or so blogs of “What I Ate Today”.

Bazillion is so a real number. Google doesn’t lie.

. . . In A Handbasket

Breakfast: leftover chocolate chip pancakes.

Lunch: handful of marshmallows.

Dinner: unknown, but probably the leftover Orange Chicken concoction (which I love).

Yes, my amazing wife is out of town.

Yes, it is Finals week.

Yes, I have all four children.

Sure, we’re doing great. Pay no attention to that fire.

Why?

Why is it that as soon as we put the kids to sleep—and they actually are sleeping—the ice cream truck comes by with its annoying ringing bell, the mailman dumps junkmail in our box with a loud thud, the street sweeper truck takes his sweet time on our part of the street (not that I mind a clean street), and the neighbors have a friend who shows up and blares their horn?

Public notice to Kansas City: you are not an island; you do not live by yourself; you do have neighbors. I’m one of them, and my kids need their nap.

Thanks for listening.

Hard Hitting

Our four-year-old daughter, Kayla, fell out of her bunk-bed a few nights ago. I was concerned that she might have hurt herself pretty bad, so I asked her, “What did you hit?” Through her tears, she answered, “The floor.”

Which Store Was That?

I’m looking for an easy, enjoyable part-time job just to keep our family on the positive side of the bills. For the second time in as many days, my wife was talking with another woman about the transition. The chat went something like this.

“Josh is thinking about getting a small job at the Mac store.”

—“Really? That’s interesting.”

“Yeah, I’m just concerned he would buy a bunch of stuff and we wouldn’t see a dime of it on a paycheck.”

—“Why would he do that?”

“Because he likes all of their stuff. If we ever have extra money, he starts dreaming about what he can get from the Mac store.”

—“But . . . what does he do with it all?”

“He uses it. He doesn’t have much now, but if he worked there or if we had the cash he would.”

—[slight giggles] “But . . . what does he do with . . . makeup?”

“I meant the Macintosh store, not the MAC store.”

I don’t know, maybe my wife is onto a new model for a husband and wife business. We can call it “Fruit/Face,” a new Apple and makeup combo store.

Madeline’s Birthday

Our wonderful Madeline turns three on Wednesday. In the past few months she has turned a corner to become one of the most voluntarily loving kids that we have. She regularly kisses everyone within arm’s reach—even if they are too busy to be stopped in their tracks. She’s a great girl.

Happy Birthday, Maddie.

The “guess what I’m thinking” look

The “about to lick the zoo glass” look

The classic look

Heart and Wisdom: Thoughts From My Grandmother

I talked with my grandmother for several hours tonight, touching on many subjects.

Money quotes: “Too many people want God to be theirs, instead of being God’s.”

“More and more, I have stopped mentioning all the little details in prayer. I just pray that the Lord will fill up our family so full of His love—like a cup that will overflow if one more drop is added—so there is no room for anything else bad. The love of God makes no room for our bad stuff.”

My grandfather (D-daddy, as he is known to the family and a few outsiders) has the beginning stages of Parkinson’s, three microphones in each ear, a bad back, and prior cornea surgery. My grandmother (Mom-mom) is spunky, outspoken and thoroughly able to complete any task as long as it falls beneath the level of a triathlon. She has the particular gift of hospitality. Seriously, even a PB&J snack looks as if it was prepared for a king. And Thanksgiving? I’ll just say her meals are the only ones I know of that get five-star critics to make house calls. Visiting them was like going on a progressive dinner tour of Zagat’s.

My grandparents still love each other dearly. After mealtime prayers, D-daddy always pulls Mom-mom’s hand close, kisses it, and then waits for her eyes to meet his and for her to feel how his heart feels toward her. Always. Even considering the effects of Parkinson’s.

My grandmother related this story to me. One evening after dinner, she sat down at the table and announced to my grandfather that she would like some pie. The pie was right behind her on the counter, so she was fully able to get it herself. Grinning from ear to ear, my grandfather got up, made her some decaf coffee and brought her the dessert—as if he was the most chivalric knight in shining armor from age-old enchanted stories. He knew she still wanted him to be her hero.

Hedging Bets

Let’s say John McCain gets the nomination. His best bet is probably to get Huckabee as his VP to almost guarantee pulling in the evangelical nomination. If it’s the other way around with Huckabee as president, I would still say the same. Huckabee needs someone with strong foreign policy experience, and just experience in general. [Sorry, but at this point I just can’t see Romney being a viable . . . anything.] McCain is seen as a problem by the republicans. Gee, maybe it’s because when they had the democrats in a tight spot and were about to make a killer deal, he stepped in the middle and fouled it all up. Several times.

For democrats, the ultimate ticket just may be an Obama–Clinton clincher. I say Obama first because he is the visionary, while Billary has the experience and clout on the Hill to line up all the ducks in a filibuster row. They just have to get over their exploded egos and the tension that has built up over the past almost-year.

Of that ticket, the real problem is Billary. Even though she’s got connections, you’re just sure you can’t trust her. She’s like old toothpaste with new packaging; promising fresh and clean, but your intuition tells you there is a real reason why it hasn’t gotten the Dental Association’s seal of approval. Or like pharmaceutical companies; you know they’re scalping you and that you are bound to end up with more negative side effects than the original problem gave you, but you’ve got to take something for your ills.

This is pretty much the best positioning for each party as far as I can tell. And they each need to figure out how to get their side elected. From now until election day, electability is the game.

Beyond One Commonality

The first major round of primaries is done.

John McCain has over half of the delegate votes needed to get the Republican nomination. Mitt Romney, the Mormon sugar daddy, has spent more than $35 million of his own money to get to where he is now. At best, he could only hope for a VP appointment. But, you never know, maybe he could help America pay off its deficit. Between Clinton and Obama, a decided leader hasn’t really emerged.

Looking at the polls, we see that most people are initially attracted to a certain candidate based on one feature or a commonality the voter feels they have with the candidate: Hillary attracts the women; Obama attracts blacks; Edwards attracted the “sick of government business-as-usual” crowd; McCain attracts the veterans and strong military types; no clue about Romney; and Huckabee attracts the evangelicals.

Mike Huckabee has shown to be a resilient campaigner and evangelical front-runner. My only concern is that most evangelicals see him through rose-colored glasses: he was a pastor, so he must be an incredible politician. Not so. If I go in to have heart surgery, I don’t want someone who is “just a Christian”, I want a great surgeon.  If I go to record an album, I don’t want someone who is “just a Christian”, I want great musicians and producers. When it comes to politics, I don’t just want someone with whom I have a starting point to relate to them (religion, philosophy, issue agreement, etc.), I want a great politician. Whether they are Christian or not only lends me to attribute more commonality between us and more solid of a starting point from which to investigate them further. A single commonality does not a good __________ make.

The question—politically, for me—is not whether we should have a Christian leading America, but how the candidates stack up on certain issues. Obviously an atheist is going to feel the same way about how the country should be led, but from an opposite perspective (“The less god-freaks in government, the better.”). For Huckabee, I just hope we can look past his halo to see:

• his foreign policy with Iraq, China, the Koreas, the Middle East, Israel, etc.
  
• how he grants favored nation status to countries guilty of inhumanities to man
• how he will deal with terrorism and our security
• how he will deal with radical Islam
• his economic plans (mortgages, jobs, various stimuli, avoiding recession/depression, etc.)
• his social security, welfare  and healthcare overhauls
• his tax system overhaul
• his illegal immigration response

As with all things, politics has more to it than, “Do I have an item of significance in common with this person?” Somewhere famous there is a good quote about being as wise as serpents but as harmless as doves. As a whole, contemporary Christianity seems to have the impotent thing to a science; it’s about time we get wisdom.

Historical Imperialism

For those thinking I was not being reasonable in my assessment of evolution and slavery, do not forget that my very assertion was one of the main arguments for Imperialism in America in the mid– to late 1800s.

Immediately upon Darwin’s convergent scientific release, Imperialists seized upon it as such an elementary and obvious understanding of class, and, therefore, of inherent value, position and rights. Well, that should actually be in reverse order: they recognized it as such an elementary and obvious understanding of inherent value, that it gave weight to their bigoted system of position, rights and class structure.

What was that time like?

• The Civil War had just ended; Lincoln was still the BMOC, but VP Johnson was about to get a raise
• Reconstruction had begun; it was the president’s job to put the country back together and start the healing process between the north and south
• Darwin released his evolutionary theory in 1859
• Only 25% of the south owned slaves; early in my life I was led to believe it was almost 100%
• Only 8% of the south had more than two slaves
• When the slaves were freed, their numbers totaled between 4 and 4.5 million; definitely a lot of people, but still less than half of all the losses and murders of WWII
• Blacks and whites were not segregated until between 1810 and 1830; therefore . . .
• Slavery was not originally an issue of race, but an issue of economics; many whites were slaves
• Many who were anti-slavery (and fought to end it) were still not pro-equality

As slavery transitioned from an economic impetus to an ethnic impetus among the general population, Imperialism provided the necessary tools (yeah, um, that would be “prejudice”) to apply inherent value to certain groups and not to others.