. I am not sure of myself so much as how often my room is clean. I sing and live. I work hard. But I am still in transit, waiting for a place to sit down inside of myself. Settle in and drink a cup of tea. Trade glances with the ones you love. Know that you, for one moment in your life, are exactly where you should be. Then sing, sing again and loud. Let this moment surround us like air, and the thankful will approve. Yes, we have been given much. Much has also been taken away. For reasons some we will never find. Thankful and smiling in the mess that was made by living in love, in truth and weakness. So much that we find in each other branches of the same tree, just look at the veins in our hands. Humming now out of joy and in the presence of life. The living. giving way to closeness and gentle hands. Stop and breathe and feel the moving heart inside you friends. Merry Christmas

Salida...

Salida listed in America's top 10 outdoor towns at MSN City Guides!!! Check it out.

Even though the article doesn't mention it I'm sure the primary reason Salida made the list is because of our good friend Jon Fritz, his legs, and of course Simple Lodge.

Other notable towns that made the list, Livingston, MT and Ely, MN.

Today is a big day

Yo. Miss you all. Today is National Recycling Day! I think that is good. Did you know that before 1920, 70% of american cities had a recycling program? It dropped for a while after WWII. Now it is building back up, but I don't know the specifics. I do know that 10,000 cities have curbside recycling. However, composting is a lost practice that is gaining steam again. Hooray!

This is a picture of me supposed to be dressed like a woman who has slept over at a man's house and then in the morning has nothing to wear except the man's dress shirt...like in the movies. I'm not confused about my sexuality.

Urban Sun Club

Hey there kittens, we had a good time this a.m. along the river watching the sun come up and drinking a bit of coffee. Thought you'd like to see a pic or two.

On an unrelated topic, can 50 million people be wrong?...resist popular thought if it is not for a good cause...

New environmental challenge... unicycle everywhere you go for a week...

Hello House Church People,

I've talked to some of you about this but if you haven't seen the movie Into The Wild, you really should. I just found out it's playing at the Lagoon Cinema, and chances are it won't be there long. I would say it's probably one of the best movies I've ever seen... and I'm not just saying that, my lovely wife Rachel and wild man Jon Fritz can both vouch for me on this one. I know going to a movie is pretty pricey and all but this one is totally worth it. So check it out and let me know what you think. I hope everyone is having a fantastic week.

Later

Day 1 of this week's environmental challenge

Hey kids. Hope all is well. Last night we decided to make this week's environmental challenge a team effort. We rolled around varying ideas of showering only three times, only turning water on to get wet and rinse off, make it a month on one tank of gas, etc. But we decided on this:

Before week's end, get together with someone, go for a walk, and pick up trash along the way. There you go. Robert and I are going maybe tomorrow!

easy, good luck, peace out,

fritz

This is a picture of Julia and I.
She's nice!
She's a girl!

Hello everyone. I noticed no one has posted in a couple days so I thought I would throw a post up just for a change of scenery. Other than that I can't really think of too much to say at the moment. Hope you all are having a great week.

Opportunity to give

I thought I would directly paste the e-mail I received into the blog....Here is a need both the North and South house churches could help out with--lets round up s0me blankets and coats for our friends from warmer climates...

Hello Volunteers! We have an urgent need!

As I step outside, I am constantly reminded that the season is changing. Fall is here! I feel that no matter how many years I am out of school, I will always think of fall as being the beginning of a new year. For our recently arriving refugees, this fall is bringing many new changes. In fact almost everything has changed for them: familiar faces, food, types of shelter, transportation systems-everything. One of the first things that refugees notice is that MINNESOTA IS COLD! Many of our refugee populations come from very warm countries such as Somali, Burma, Thailand, and Liberia. They are chilly now with our 50 degree fall days; imagine what happens when January rolls around. Even now we have several families who are cold at night.

We are looking for people to respond to this need. It is time to raid your storage closets, garages, and attics. World Relief needs all the warm blankets and winter coats you can find! Help us extend a warm hand of welcome to our newest Twin Cities neighbors this fall. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Blessings,
Katy Ross

Office Manager
World Relief Minnesota
1515 E. 66th St.
Richfield, MN 55423
T: 612-798-4332
https://owa.wr.org/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://minnesota.wr.org

Mikhal got me all inspired

"As I did not know then but know now, the surface of the river is like a living soul, which is so easy to disturb, is often disturbed, but, growing calm, shows what it was, is, and will be."

-Wendell Berry

quotes...

To friends who I believe have all struggled at one point or another with the fallenness of some churches today... David Bosch's "eloquent description of our contradictory feelings about the church":

"We can be utterly disgusted, at times, with the earthliness of the church, yet we can also be transformed, at times, with the awareness of the divine in the church. It is this church, ambiguous in the extreme, which is missionary by its very nature, the pilgrim people of God, in the nature of a sacrament, sign, and instrument, and a most sure seed of unity, hope and salvation for the whole human race." (David Bosch, 1991, Transforming Mission: Paradigm shifts in Theology of Mission)

Even before he goes into missions there, I thought that was a great little bit on loving the church. I'm trying to hold onto that as I look for a church out here among the culture of wealth in the suburbs of Philadelphia.

Also an interesting thought on politics and social systems from Walter Wink:

"God at one and the same time upholds a given political or economic system, since some such system is required to support human life; condemns that system insofar as it is destructive to full human actualization; and presses for its transformation into a more human order. Conservatives stress the first, revolutionaries the second, reformers the third. The Christian is expected to hold together all three" (Walter Wink, 1992, Engaging the Powers: Discernment and Resistance in a World of Domination)

Love from the east

hello dear friends. it's so fun to see you've been posting on this! i am a historically bad blogger, but if you would like the update on life in PA, check out http://www.thenyouwillknow.blogspot.com/. matt sorry if some of it looks familiar.

a little plug for FCEAC, you should all go. i'm crying many sad tears over missing that experience this year. it never fails to be a good time.

i'm loving the pictures, and it sounds like you had a good house church last week. i hope everyone feels good about the decisions made.

much love to all.

William and Marta_ young lovers

look at these young "lovers".....aren't they cute?!? I think we have set a record for posts today...I had to add one myself. This one is for the new Shaw family :)

She's going the distance, she's going for speed. FCEAC goers on your marks

This is what I think of when I think of fall colors...

Fall Camping Trip

Friends.
You've heard the building hype...and hopefully it will deliver again. Please consider attending the 8th annual Fall Colors Extravaganza Adventure Competition (FCEAC) - pronounced 'cack', the f is silent.

Friday after work October 5 through Sunday afternoon the 7th. Superior Hiking Trail- North Shore.

no gear? NO PROBLEM!

hiking, art, problem solving, creative imagination, food, relationship building.

It usually costs $15 for everything and maybe $10 for gas.

peace

Potato Music!



Soupy Poop!

Chicken! Its a go...

Just to let you all know, we're doing a last-minute meal tomorrow (9/11) at simpson womon's shelter. The girls (Rachel, Marta, Jayme?) will be at the shelter around 6ish while another crew slaves over the stove, even if it's store-boughten rotisserie chicken. So if you can and want to get involved (especially serving and hanging out w/women @ the shelter) let me know. Peace to you all, and if I don't see ya tomorrow I will hopefully at the sunday-split-celebration! -Justin

Hello Friends,

I'm just sitting here at work checking the blog as I usually do this time of day, and I thought I would actually post something for a change. Also I wanted to reiterate what a great discussion we had last night about the future of house church. It all seemed to come together really well and it was cool to see us all come to a consensus about what's next. For those that weren't there we decided to split into a north group and a south group. Next weekend we will have an official "split" party at the Columbus house complete with banana splits and lots of friends and fun. After that, we will start meeting separately in north and south, and then plan on meeting all together once a month, perhaps on the 3rd Sunday of each month. So just a little recap of last nights meeting. I hope you all are having a great day. See ya soon.

Later

Darren

Hello Young Lovers

I hope you are all well. I just returned from some time with Julia in beautiful Telluride, Crested Butte, and Salida Colorado. The hostel is looking good! Julia and I had some time together hiking to hot springs, chillin' in mountain rivers, mtn biking, and socializing.
This week I'm taking my high school hockey team to Wyoming for a team building trip. Pray that they are challenged in their faith and that my guide and myself serve them well. Can't wait to catch up when I'm back. Welcome back Abby!

fritz

back to the motherland

OK, so I know most of you, but there are some of you that I haven't met (although I'm sure you're all great :) I wanted to let you know that I am coming back to the States to visit for a couple of weeks, starting August 12. I'm SO excited to see you and to come to house church. There are no English-speaking churches where I am, so I haven't been to a real church in over a year!!
See you soon....

a big hearty hello from rwanda.....

hey everyone! we magically have this amazing internet connection 2 blocks from the house we're staying in...... SO, here are a few pictures of the beautiful children i spend my days with. (if this computer lets me...)

im anticipating seeing you all real soon :) much peace and love from this amazing country.
abby



the lovely dorene

silly sabrina

Hey everyone, it's me as a Simpsons character...

Summer days on the North Shore

homegrown

have a nice monday.

Reduced waste challenge 6/17-6/24

We set forth a reduced waste challenge for this week at house church tonight. Everyone is challenge to not use any paper cups, etc or new paper or plastic bags throughout this week. Bring your own mug/cup/bag/backpack. We are tying into part of chapter 10's ecological community section. Next week we will also discuss our reflections from this week on building community. Think of some practical ways.

Longest day of the year is thursday. See you at 5:30 at Gold Medal Park!

This is a picture of my cousins and I on top of a mountain.

So, with the help of Darren, I finally figured out how to post on this blog! I just wanted to say "hi" and that I will hopefully have more to say in the future. Looking forward to Sunday :)

get pumped

Hey y'all. See you tomorrow. We're discussing chapter 8 of Colossians Remixed. I think we talked about doing one more chapter out of this book before we close it's covers. I think we still need someone to cook up some grub. Any takers? Meow. This is a picture of me getting a backrub. I like them.

Much love and chocolate

This is my best self portrait at the moment... :) I think I'll try and do the blog thing while I'm out west. If you are interested in an update of sorts, just click on my name, then "Wrestle in Hopes" is the name of the blog.

wow, our blog is beginning to look so... masculine ...

anyway, i just wanted to mention that we neglected to discuss next week's house church gathering at church last night. many of us (me included) will be out of town at a wedding this weekend, so house church will most likely be a smaller group next week. so, im just throwing this out there so it doesn't surprise anyone as sunday approaches.... i know matt, justin and billy will be gone so im not sure if the columbus house would be the best place to hold church? ok, i am only the bearer of information... do with it what you will :)

last night was really great. you are all amazing.

abby

Self Portrait

Here's my best attempt... the i just woke up look...

self-portraits: a collection

jon, so you think you have talent. well, get a load of these:










you may ask, "How can such untamed emotion be unleashed through each of these portraits?"... answer: years of practice have lead to sheer perfection. soak it in, jon. under my tutelage, i will make you a master as well.

Grown me do cry...grown men do cry

Hey y'all. Miss you these past few weeks eventhough I've seen most of you here and there throughout the week. I will be back in three weeks and hopefully will have some great stories about how God worked in the wilderness on people. Christine, sorry 'bout the table, throw it on my front porch if it is burning a hole in you.
peace.

this sunday

Would it be ok if I shared on a different sunday? This sunday I will super busy house sitting, and celebrating mothers day. Sorry guys!

Art Mentorship Gallery Show FAW

Hey Hey,

For those of you who didn't get a chance to come to the show at Franklin Art Works, I just wanted to let cha'll know that we have posted a bunch of pics on the Adamantine Arts website. Here's the spot: www.adamantinearts.org. Just click on the programming section and you'll find your way there.

Thanks again to all who helped out with this project. I wouldn't have been able to do it without you.

-Jayme Jo

Dinner at Fritz's this friday

Hey kids. You're welcome to dinner this friday at my place. Julia, Mikhal, and I's friend from TX is in town. Let me know if you're interested.
Also, the urban adventure race is this saturday from 11-8.

2pm next week

yo,

church will be at 2pm next sunday. brad will be leading a discussion on chapter 3 of colossians remixed. if you need a copy of the chapter, i am making some paper copies today... so let me know, and ill get one to you!

and don't forget... jayme jo's "holy crap i'm graduating" party at 5pm on saturday... her house.

AND... her kids art mentorship thing on thursday night - 6-7pm at Franklin Art Works, which is on Franklin and 11th in South Mpls.

i think those are all of the announcements from last night?

have a great week!
abby

party picts

here are some various pictures from the last few bday parties we have had. enjoy and have a wonderful hump day, matt (go blog)

Remembering Latarra's Prayer

"Dear God...I pray that they wouldn't waste their breath and just talk about boring stuff...I thought this party was going to have games, laughter, and we would all be drinking smoothies. Well, maybe if it's important to them that's OK, but I was just expecting more excitement. Amen"

For those of you who weren't able to make it this past Sunday, that's a paraphrased prayer of 11 year old Latarra (and an observant little girl she is, i'll leave the sleepers in the pic unnamed). She gets "mad props" in my book, reminding us all that anything we do which could be labeled "academic" is only a means to an end. Thanks Latarra!

On the other hand, I really enjoyed our discussion of "Colossians Remixed", and appreciated how everyone humored words like "cybernetic global optimism" and "postmodern disquiet". Try to work them into a conversation this week and see what type of reaction you get...or not.

--Justin

P.S. I'll bring the ingredients for smoothies next Sunday.

Urban Adventure Race/Photo Scavenger Hunt

Hey all.

Great to see you all last night. If you discarded the evite or didn't get one, you're invited to my friend and I's urban adventure race. It is tough to explain what exactly it is, but it involves one half day/night, includes creativity, physical activity, community building, insanity, and good food. The picture depicts how you spend most of the day...laughing & smiling. It is Saturday May 12. You and your team get blindfolded and dropped off at an undisclosed location in the area and then race back earning points for varioius tasks completed.

Let me know if you need more info. I believe people grow together in various ways and shared experiences facilitate that growth.

4 o'clock this sunday...

hey all,
here's a recap of the kids party for sunday:

time: 4-5pm (we'll have regular house church at 5)

who: invite the kids you know! matt - can you talk to the kids down the street? jackie- the girls downstairs at 3129? ill talk with kids on my block. and anyone else, bring whomever- the more the merrier. christine is going to bring some more ceramic pots so kids who weren't here last time can participate in the art activity

what: we'll be having 2 activities: 1 inside, one outside
outside: relay games (think egg on a spoon, clothes relay, three-legged race)
inside: kids will be painting the pots they made last time

food: billy and i are shopping on sunday for some food for the kiddos.

i think that covers everything. if you can, bring some old clothes that the kids can use in the relay. ideally, we'd have 4 or 5 "outfits" that we could use. so bring old shoes, hats, pants, shirts, wigs, glasses, you get the idea....

peace out-
abby

Stories

alright bloggers... here is the story timeline for house church. i have assigned two people to tell stories each sunday. if you cannot share one weekend, we will have a makeup day toward the middle of may. also, you can switch with others if you would like. if your name is not on the list and you would like to share, feel free to add yourself in. if you name is on the list and you would rather not share, feel free to take yourself off... we can be fairly flexible and do not intend to make anyone feel uncomfortable. i am pretty excited about getting into this again.

April 22nd--- Justin

April 29th--- Jackie and Billy

May 6th--- Brad and Emily

May 13th--- Christine and Jayme

May 20th--- Makeup Day

May 27th--- Jon and Mikhal

June 3rd--- Darren and Julia

June 10th--- Derwin and Matt

June 17th--- The Bergets (Newly Weds) and Rachel

have a wonderful friday and see youall on sunday. Go Blog!!! love, matt

Housechurch readings "remixed" :)

Hey all!
For any of you who don't have "Colossians Remixed" in book form, here are some scanned images of Chapter 1. They didn't come out as high quality as I wanted them, but it is readable. Also, this is much like a choose your own adventure book as the files are not in the correct order. So your adventure is to first find the page that says "Placing Ourselves" at the top, the next page being pg. 16; then read through pg. 37.
I'll work on fine-tuning this process...
Justin