Porch and Altar

Good Morning...

2007-10-01T08:22:00.001-04:00

I took my sister-in-law to the airport this morning. Its is
absolutely outrageous how many people are on the road at 6AM. I love
that my job is only 6 miles from my house. I would hate to make that
Atlanta drive every morning. It may just be that it interferes with
my routines because you never know what type of traffic you are going
to get.

I picked up the new David Crowder* Band CD this weekend via iTunes.
I think its amazing, but this is a matter that is being contested
amongst my fellow worship leaders. They feel that its a bit weak. I
would say I was disappointed in the mere 10 songs, but the content of
the music is fantastic if you like me. They are constantly pushing
the worship music realm with their electric fills and substantial
lyrics. Many worship songs are just repetitions of the same chord
progressions with simple barely melodic refrains. Crowder does so
much more than that. But thats only my opinion.

I am hoping to attend the Catalyst conference this week (pending the
completion of a promotional video for our new building). Any who, I
really miss writing here. I am going to make more time for it.

Back Again... And Married

2007-09-25T19:21:00.000-04:00

Well, it has been a long while since I have been on here writing. I
hope you can pardon my absence. A recap of the past 3 months...

I am married. Marriage is the best thing that has ever happened to
me. I could not be married to a more amazing woman... not to mention
her incredible foxiness. Its been weird however. We haven't had a
real hard time adjusting to living with each other. It seems like
most people have this problem. As to a reason why, I give credit to
living in the same apartment complex for most of our relationship.
But honestly marriage... doesn't suck.

We have a new addition to the family. No, its not human. We hope at
least for three years before that happens. We got a basset hound.
Her name is Bailey. She honestly was the best thing in marriage that
we have done. It really makes you communicate and it teaches you how
to care for something else together. I am sure it would be much like
having a baby... but you can crate a puppy. You can't crate a baby.

I am leaving in three weeks to go to Jordan with my church. I am
totally stoked about it.

Anywho, all is well here. I really want to start writing again. Now
that I have an office at work. maybe I can do it more often.

Please Read.... Laugh accordingly

2007-07-17T00:21:00.002-04:00

why would the locator not be available? best buy, blockbuster, target can find their stores anytime, but a government agency cant find their own office? no wonder we haven't found Bin Laden...

MoBlog NoWorkie

2007-06-29T10:39:00.000-04:00

So.... I am having trouble uploading to blogger via phone... But I can get flickr working really well. Head here for the MoBlog....

When In Clemson Its The Only Place To Eat

2007-06-28T16:00:00.000-04:00

On The Road

2007-06-28T12:04:00.000-04:00

This is my last time in Loganville single. Let the journey begin...

Introducing the MoBlog

2007-06-28T00:55:00.001-04:00

Hello my friends at PorchandAltar. I welcome you back to my blog via the MoBlog. I writing from my Dash and it will be my tool of telling my wedding adventure. I am currently about to fall asleep for the last time alone in my bed. Tune in for the pictures and random texts of the next 72 hours.

A Testament To God's Glory

2007-06-24T18:15:00.000-04:00

Every Day I will Pray

2007-06-03T18:23:00.000-04:00

Every Day I Will Pray That You Would Open Your Hand and Satisfy the
Desires of All Things

The God of All Things must be sufficent...

My prayer of late

Life Update

2007-05-31T11:20:00.000-04:00

I know that It has been a while. I figure I will give you all a post
on what has been happening in the world of Trey.

Lauren and I have been getting our new house into order. It has been
a crazy mess of boxes and randomness. Our house is so much fun, and
we have already painted our room! Come by anytime!

I have finished my first video for Grace! You can check it out at my
YouTube site here. It was pretty fun coming up with the concept.
The college pastor, Matt Reynolds, is so stoked about Jesus'
revolution that's happening here at Grace. Check out the video!

Currently I am working on a video for the new vision for houses
churches at Grace. I am really excited about this because of how
house church in Clemson affected me. Be looking for that soon.

Pretty much life is going really quick right now. We are 30 days out
until the wedding. I cannot wait! Really I can't....

Hope all is going well. I promise to update more regularly.

Wanting to Know

2007-05-15T08:59:00.000-04:00

"As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother's womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things." -Solomon

I got an email this morning from a friend who just recently headed out to Africa for two weeks. He is on the last leg of his journey adn will be arriving back state side on Saturday. In his email he said this:

"So, for now, I can say: there are relatively few things I know; many things I simply do not know; some things I thought I knew; and a few things I am perhaps on the way toward knowing."

What is it inside us that makes us think that we know everything? I have been watching, near obsessing, over the show Heroes. There is a devious villain known as Sylar who is an excellent example of our necessity to know. The producers allude to his obsession for knowledge and greed by using the sound of clocks every time he is around. His mind craves to know what makes the other characters he meets tick. He also will do anything thing to obtain that knowledge, including murder. I can't tell you how many times in my life I have told God, "I just want to know why, God! And I will do anything to know your reason." I too haev a necessity to know.

There is something inside us that needs to know everything, but this week I have realized as Solomon realized: The things of God are meant to be a mystery. We, His people, should find beauty in the complex God that He is. For in his complexity we find Glory.

I want to learn to just be caught in the Flood. The overwhelming and calm waters of Christ.

The Beginning

2007-05-14T08:45:00.000-04:00

I am writing once again. It has been a long while I know, but I am
now back into a sort of rhythm. I have begun my new life in
Snellville, GA. I am now working in full time ministry at Grace
Fellowship. At this moment I am sitting at my computer getting ready
to leave for staff meeting downtown at Midtown. I am currently
living in the basement of Buddy Hoffman my lead pastor. He is an
awesome guy. I live with 5 other guys in one room. He runs a
discipleship house out of his basement.

My first day was yesterday. It was awesome to think I am in the
position I am in. I am so blessed to be there. I just can't believe
God has placed me in such an awesome church, with an amazing outward
focused heart for the Middle East and the community around them.

Last night I ate with Buddy and the president of OM International.
OM is an organization that focuses on bringing the gospel to Muslims
in the Middle East. It was a really cool opportunity

I am so excited to see what the next week is going to bring. Send me
some love people!

Hey Guys!!!

2007-04-29T22:11:00.000-04:00

The bond fire is on us again!!! You can find more information here!! Or you can sign up right now by clicking here. FOr more events check our our calender.

Giving in to the calm

2007-04-26T13:26:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was a big day for me. I decided to finally get baptized. I have been wrestling over the whole concept for about two years now. When I told people that I had not been baptized, most would gasp as if i had committed a carnal sin. How could you be in you vocation and never be baptized? Do you realy understand the weight of following Christ? I was even confronted about stepping down from an intern position I held at a church one summer. I couldn't understand how a simple act of immersion could be so crucial to the decision to follow the way of Christ. I think I understood in the brief second I was starring at the flicker of the sun on the water's surface. Baptism is about the moment we stop breathing.

They say that drowning is one of the most painful ways to die. As your body gives in to the natural tendency to keep water out, the water rushes into your lungs. At this moment you begin to suffocate. Your body convulses and pain rips through every appendage. Your brain shuts down, because of a lack of oxygen, and you pass into the next life in the calm, quiet of water.

Baptism is an act of intentional drowning. It is learning how to quit breathing. It is a door way into death.

Yesterday, I gave into my theological stances. I let myself pass into the calm. I cannot afford to let myself breath any longer. My hope is that Jesus breathes for me and through me. I have been spiritually baptized for 8 years now; saved by the grace of the one who is and was and will always be. I have tried to follow the way of Jesus to the best of my ability. But yesterday marked a day for me to show to the world, as Jesus did, that I am going into the vocation of loving people. I welcome the calm and willingly submit my life to it. Giving the old life to death and start a new chapter closely following the way of Jesus

God vs Google

2007-04-23T20:47:00.001-04:00

God vs Google, originally uploaded by dcancel.

Wow... too funny...

Film Festival Results!!!

2007-04-23T13:08:00.001-04:00

Nathan Elmore and myself debuted our short film, Visibility, this weekend at the DCF Film Festival. There was plenty of competition. Ten films total were submitted. Brandon Loi's Everyday I Prayed for Katie, walked away with the well earned awards for Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor and Actress, Best Screen Play, and Best Supporting Actress. BreitMeichael Productions received awards for Best Comedy and Best Supporting Actor in their film Four The Love. Hats off to Jon Breitmeier to his stunning role as Dr. Mungolo. Justin and Erin Scott and Drew Norris won Best Music Video for Robot Cat . Absolutely fantastic!!!

Visibility was awarded for Best Editor and Best Soundtrack. Nathan and I were absolutely honored to receive such awards. Thanks to all those who helped!

6 Different Worlds

2007-04-13T10:55:00.001-04:00

I am currently living in 6 different worlds

College World - Soon to be ending... Sad but true. I will rejoice however when I am finally through. Two more classes via internet. I will celebrate appropriately when my speech class is over. Please let it come soon!
Married World - By far my favorite. I have loved this journey toward marriage. Engaged life is what you make of it. Lauren and I have had a lot of fun. Its a whole lot better than dating.
Church World - I have been working on researching a lighting rig for Grace. Its really awesome, but I hate the distance I have with the church. Its so far way. It will be nice to be back in Snellville working along side of them.
Teaching World - GET ME OUT OF HERE!!! Not really, but I am anxious to get into my real job. Teaching has been an amazing experience. I honestly could do it for the rest of my life, but its just no what I am made to do. I will miss my cooperating teacher. I will not miss my college's education program. Don't get me started.
Film World - My first short film will be making its debut next weekend. I am sworn to secrecy to not leak any information... Punctuation is the key to everything. I hope you all can come out next weekend to DCF's Film Festival. I will sure be a great time.
Home Owner World - I am in the throws of buying a house. There are a lot of 'big boy' stuff I got to be doing. I can't believe I own a house! Wow.

Six worlds.. I want half as much. Soon this will be possible, but until then pray for my sanity.

And Here She Is

2007-04-09T22:15:00.000-04:00

3074 Cooper Woods Lane

The Misses, soon to be Mrs., and I are quite excited. Just thought I would let you all know!

House Hunting

2007-04-05T11:13:00.000-04:00

Probably the most fun part about getting engaged so far has been the house hunt. Lauren and I have spent countless hours pouring over picture upon picture of houses in the Snellville area. We have been out three times to look in houses we like. I wish there was a house that had everything we liked... but only in a perfect world will you find something like that.

It has been an amazing Spring Break. Just to sit and spend time with Lauren and I doing grown-up things has be fantastic. I have gotten the chance to hang out with my closest boys and just have fun. It has been quite relaxing.

Tomorrow its back to the grind. I am heading to Bishopville later today and I have a boat load of work to do for Monday. Lauren and her mom are going out to shop tomorrow, so I will be at home writing a persuasive speech that will attempt to get students involved in social justice movements to prevent the use of child soldiers. Quite exciting....

Hope you all are doing great out there! Send me an email sometime!

I Got A Job

2007-04-01T22:54:00.001-04:00

As many of you may know, I now have a job!!! I know I am super
stoked about it. I am now officially the Arts Director of Midtown
Community Church and Video Director for Grace Fellowship Church.

Tonight, Lauren and I went to Midtown for their gathering. It was so
much fun. The church is in downtown Atlanta @ 10th and State. Its
in a church that was built in the 1910s. The building has been
completely renovated and is home to about 200 college students and
another mix of about 100 of all sorts of people, cultures and
ethnicities. I am excited to get down there an begin investing into
the volunteers. There is so much potential with SCAD and Georgia
State near by.

Grace in Snellville is pretty amazing too. It is the church that
originally planted Midtown. It is about 2,000 large. They are in
the process of adding on to their existing building. The people are
absolutely fantastic!

I'm going to staff meeting on Tuesday where I am going to be
introduced to the rest of the gang. I cannot wait!!!

New Blog URL!!!

2007-04-01T10:25:00.001-04:00

Hey guys... I just wanted to let you know that you should unbookmark
this URL and head over to:

www.porchandaltar.com

This is my new page that is much prettier. Now for you Type A
people The links on the side are being update with content. Be
patient it is coming!!!

Bookmark it! Subscribe to the feed! Get to reading!

Camden and I

2007-03-30T17:48:00.000-04:00

I Laughed When I Saw This

2007-03-30T12:48:00.001-04:00

Students give up social networks for Lent

Resurrecting

2007-03-29T20:46:00.000-04:00

I have been reading a book recently titled, The Irresistible Revolution. It is by a guy named Shane Claireborne. He is just a regular guy who wanted to write a book about being an ordinary radical. He started a small community of Jesus followers called The Simple Way in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In his book he has a chapter entitled Resurrecting the Church. I won't spoil it for you, but I will tell you about this principle.

Shane goes in depth to show how Christianity is about resurrecting the culture around it. Jesus was famous for this. He would take everyday normal situations and bring them to meet theological realities. He constantly makes the humanity of people much more important than the everyday dredge of life. Rob Bell says in his book Velvet Elvis that it is out job to call out the truth in the world around us.

I am currently looking into the business of resurrecting the things around me. How can I make a difference in little ways by claiming the truth of Gospel inside all parts of culture? I think a lot of just being intentional about thinking. I am so often completely thoughtless... blowing in the wind. I want to try and turn on my brain so I am aware of the things around me.

Here is a list of things I am currently resurrecting:

Environmental Awareness

I want to be more conscious about how I destroy the environment. How can I be better at conserving energy? How can I travel less or more efficiently? How can I single handedly stop the encroachment of the apartments in Clemson? More on this coming soon!!!

The Boy Scout "Do a Good Turn Daily"

How can I do this without being a cheese ball and/or responding like a TV evangelist? I want to be more in tune about helping out people in little ways. Wether it be a couple bucks here or returning the plastic baskets to the counter at a popular Clemson restaurant, I want to make a small difference in people's lives everyday.

Its a small list, but I'm working on it.

I what ways can you resurrect the culture around you? Leave a comment!

See

2007-03-28T22:42:00.000-04:00

I would say that the majority of people come to church because of the music they hear on Sundays. Growing up, music was a constant battle in my church. I remember the struggle of power between the pastor and the Staff-Parish Relations board. My mom would come home and vent about the ‘old fogies’ that thought that hymns should never be replaced, and that drums were not an acceptable form of worship. Music, among other superficial disagreement, has divided and ended countless churches.

Churches want to be identified for some reason. The first thing you see on church signs, despite the incredibly effective evangelistic messages, are the times for ‘traditional’ and ‘contemporary’ services. Some churches have taken it a step further and completely let go of the conservative traditions that defined ‘church’ in our parent’s generation. I have been in both situations, and I find myself in one word: disappointed.

Too many times I hear churches and parachurch ministries attempting to do something amazing in their weekly gathering to bring people in. I cannot ignore the fact the humans are inherently curious, but curiosity only goes so far without action. Not to be cliché, I believe that seeing is believing. I think much of the world works this way.

What would it look like if we decided to present ourselves as the Church to the people we are called to minister to? Advertising, videos, and skits are great and all, but what is the point if the church isn’t moving? I know with my bout in creative meetings, I have spent far too many hours thinking about how to bring people in instead of thinking about how to send people out.

My challenge to all those who work, or lead, creativity teams is to spend more time thinking about the how your faith community can meet the needs of the community that surrounds you. How can the Church be present? How can you communicate this mission to those who normally attend your gatherings? How can you provide a way to meet the needs of the people who filter in from the community to your gathering? I think these question have much more important answers than, “Which announcements do we announce?”

One of my good friends tells this story:

“I was thinking while sitting in my mom’s church in Pennsylvania during communion, ‘What if a homeless man was here taking this with me?’ He would pass the plate as he received a small wafer. He would take a small cup of juice as the silver-plated tray is passed around. On cue he would take part in the most holy sacrament in Christianity. In the end he would leave with nothing, but a bad taste in his mouth and a dissatisfied hunger for something more.”

Is this all the church has to offer? Stale crackers and a small cup of grape juice?
I believe that it is true: Seeing is believing. If we want to people to believe in Jesus, and his Church, we must show them the Jesus that’s in our everyday lives and ministry. I think it is time to give people more than tasteless crackers and bland grape juice. It is time to bring people the saving body and redeeming blood of Jesus.

Come

2007-03-06T23:26:00.000-05:00

I have been apart of way too many church meetings where we tried to brainstorm how to get people to come to our event/gathering. We would sit and rack our brains for hours on end trying to find that one thing that will burst the dam. A creative spark that result in the salvation for hundreds. Most of the time we came up with some pretty clever marketing campaign.

My roommate thought of this idea: In a few weeks FCA at Clemson will be in a series called Fight Club. People were tying their hardest to think of a clever way to get students from all over campus to come. Dan, who is always off in some distant island in his imagination, suddenly had an amazing idea. The idea was to stage a fight on campus in between class changes. The fight would last for about 2 minutes and then it would spontaneously break up. Those involved would then pass out cards to invite students to the gathering. I liked the idea and its creativity.

Do we have to sell the gospel in this way? Why is that we feel like we need to create a teaser for people to come to our event? Isn’t the gospel enough?

I am beginning to realize that people are not going to come unless we give them something they want. Do our creative ideas resemble that fact? Would most people come to a known ‘Christian’ event because of a comedic fight broke out in front of them? Some would… but I think many are going to laugh, put the card in their pocket, and never think twice about changing their Thursday night plans. The meeting isn’t meeting their needs, but it sure is funny to watch them try.

What do people need? I think this is a more suitable place to find how to creatively bring people into the doors to hear the gospel. College students are desperately in need of acceptance. They deal with loneliness and singleness. Often, students are blind to the cultures around them.

How do we solve this? I think in the creative arts realm we need to be more keen to ask the question, “What do they need?” Obviously people need Jesus, but even Jesus didn’t just give himself. He gave the blind eyes to see. He made the lame walk. He provided the party with wine. Jesus met the needs of people, and in response they found him as their Lord.

What are the needs of our communities? Maybe we even need to ask this question: Who and where is our community? These questions will answer our longing for people to come and know Christ. We should structure our planning around how to meet the needs of others. By doing this we will take the first step into creating meaningful environment. It will create a place that is simply irresistible.

Simply Irresistible

2007-03-05T06:49:00.000-05:00

The first time I heard this combination of words was last summer as I was preparing to work with the middle school of a massive church in Atlanta.

(Aside: Yes its me back from a weeks worth of craziness in the teaching world of US History)

I was taught last summer that it is our role to make the church seem irresistible. Students, singles, and married folk of all kinds should step into church and feel welcomed. They should see a church that is more appealing than going to a grand opening of an Ikea on a Sunday morning. As someone who was specializing in creative arts, my part of making things irresistible is providing videos, a setting, or lighting that will engage the audience. Provide mediums for people to feel safe and focused in on what the topic for the week has chosen to be.

Since my internship, I have learned quite a lot. That church is reaching thousands of middle to upper class white people. This is the culture that this church, and its campuses, are surrounded by. They are doing what they set out to do, and they are doing it well.

I am, however, starting to question if making things irresistible in this way is the way I see how church should be communicated to the cultures around us. Rob Bell, a pastor and teacher from Grand Rapids, Michigan, said that the church should be so ingrained with community around them that if they decided to leave the community will beg them to stay. I am starting to wonder if the church's "Presence" should be found less within a confined meeting space, but living, moving, and breathing among those around us.

During the week I am going to focus on three words: Come, See, Find. I think this is how I am going to start to wrap my mind around creating a gathering that is simply irresistible. The goal is to work out through this blog how a church's large gathering can be community oriented and focused while also providing a creative environment that is engaging to the culture at large. In the fourth post I will attempt to show how a church's gathering can be involved in the process of restoration that the Kingdom, thats us, has been called to do.

Quote of the evening...

2007-02-25T03:04:00.000-05:00

"Dude, do you wanna hear something nasty?" -KB 3:00AM

Props to Kyle, Tripppppp, Kev, Nathan, Austin, Ed, Larry, Austin, Brandon, Jim, Beach, and Barry... Thanks for the great night! Kyle is the man when it comes to performing with a particular 'box'. He and Trip's 'gift' stole the show...

Yet Another Rabbit Trail

2007-02-21T06:31:00.000-05:00

Mike Soltys... my long lost Aboriginal friend... wrote the following as a comment from yesterday:

a) I miss heatherwood

b) I know God is good because why else would he create watermellon?

Now, Mr. Soltys is in the Outback right now. Doing some amazing things. You can check out his blog here. And I would have to agree, God's goodness is most definitely found in the creation of the watermelon. This fantastic fruit is the staple of summer. It is most surely the messiest fruit to eat. It makes me feel like a kid. I would put it on my top ten fruit list.

Pineapple
Strawberries
Watermelon
Peaches
Cantaloupe
Apples
Grapes
Plums
Oranges
Tangerines

Mike I applaud your findings. I do believe that the watermelon in fact is one of the most perfect examples of God's goodness. Within it we find color and imagination. I mean pink and green don't even come close to matching. Thanks Mike for sharing such profound theological rhetoric with us at tboden's blog. We raise our glasses to you: May your journey be safe, and your experience be abounding. Sincerely, much love to all...

PS... I have still yet to receive a schematic on my Treo...

A break from the prayer...

2007-02-20T06:42:00.000-05:00

I have been having a great few weeks. I am not sure exactly why, but God has given me a few weeks to just enjoy the beauty of what he has given me. I just wanted to take some time and list the things I am thankful for / loving right now:

Lauren; She is beginning to look more and more like a wife everyday
My Classroom; Teaching is actually a lot of fun
Friends and Family @ Heatherwood; Nothing better than house church
My exhausted patience; Teaching me God is Sovereign
Gail Mahaffey; My co-operating teacher! She is the best!
My Dad; The greatest man I have ever known
Camden, Katie, and Jackson Elmore; Nuf' Said
Austin Booth and his 'Picnic of Music'
Working out; I have lost 10lbs in 4 weeks
The Groomsmen and Company; I get to hang with them all Saturday and Sunday!

I felt like I needed to list these things. In the midst of prayer I think it is important to remember the blessings God has given you. Jesus, thank you for your abounding grace and love. You alone are worth all the Glory!

6:30AM :: Prayer for Atlanta :: Part 5

2007-02-19T07:21:00.000-05:00

Atlanta has been on my heart. This is the beginning of week long series that will contain a prayer/scripture/comments for the city of Atlanta. I plan to wake up at 6:30AM for one full week and pray for the city. Please feel free to post your prayers in addition to mine. Maybe Atlanta isn't the city on your heart. Pray for your city... the one God has you hurting for. 1 Sentence... 2 paragraphs... Just pray...

Psalm

Come, let us sing for joy
Let us shout aloud to our King
Come, let us worship God
Lifting holy hands, bless His name

Lord, we come to meet with You again
To worship with one voice in adoration
You deserve our every praise
That echoes in this place
You’re the worthy One

Lord, we come with gratitude that flows
From deep within our souls
We rejoice in You
We will glory in Your name
With a shout our lips proclaim
The praises stirring in our hearts

Every creature in Heaven and Earth below
Bless His name, bless His name

- Bless His Name, Vineyard Music

Jesus, I want to be a psalmist. I want to dance in your presence. I want to sing new songs to you. I am not sure how that is supposed to work, but I want to be a part of your glory through song and praise. I am reminded this morning that you are the giver of all things. You brought me from yesterday to today. You woke my body from sleep. In a weird way you told me to rise this morning. I am overcome by your beauty in the sunrise. I pray this morning that Atlanta nurtures psalmists. I specifically pray for the arts crowd of Little Five Points. Bring Christians to this area. Let them be integrated into the local scene. Let your art flow from their hands. Draw people into your presence through art, poetry, and music. Let people know of that side of you. Let people know that worship music isn't the only art form that we can express praise and worship. Jesus, teach me how to become a worshiper that follows yoru posture. Teach me to lift my hands to the sky in praise. Bend me to my knees in humble worship. Prostrate me on the ground. I thank you and praise you for the great works you are already doing in Atlanta. These things I pray in your expected Glory, Amen.

6:30AM :: Prayer for Atlanta :: Part 4

2007-02-16T06:28:00.000-05:00

Atlanta has been on my heart. This is the beginning of week long series that will contain a prayer/scripture/comments for the city of Atlanta. I plan to wake up at 6:30AM for one full week and pray for the city. Please feel free to post your prayers in addition to mine. Maybe Atlanta isn't the city on your heart. Pray for your city... the one God has you hurting for. 1 Sentence... 2 paragraphs... Just pray...

Romans 8:39 - Neither height nor death, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Jesus Christ our Lord

What are the depths of your love? How high can it reach? Will it pull me from the depths of death? Jesus I pray that your word becomes a reality for me. Nothing can separate anyone from the love that you bring. I pray for those in Atlanta that do not know that they are caught in this kind of love. I pray for their eyes to see the love that you have for them. I pray that they find themselves in the presence of a stranger who is loving them as the gospel calls us to love. Jesus, I pray for your patience as I sit and pray in Clemson, SC. My heart needs to rest in the love that you have for me here. Soon enough you will place me where I need to be. I pray like Isaiah told you, send me... I want to go to Atlanta... Send me... Raise people up with me to go and serve those people to death. I pray for your patience and a peace of mind that allows me to sit in the arm of my savior. I love you Jesus. You are my hope, my strength, and my redeemer. Reclaim your city. Allow me to be a part of doing that. You are sovereign and I will go where you lead me. I pray these things in the Holy and Powerful name of Jesus, who is the giver and receiver of all glory and honor, Amen.

A Picture While You Are Reading

2007-02-15T06:50:00.000-05:00

Let your Glory shine around, Let your Glory Shine around
King of Glory here be found, King of Glory

6:30AM :: Prayer for Atlanta :: Part 3

2007-02-15T06:35:00.000-05:00

Atlanta has been on my heart. This is the beginning of week long series that will contain a prayer/scripture/comments for the city of Atlanta. I plan to wake up at 6:30AM for one full week and pray for the city. Please feel free to post your prayers in addition to mine. Maybe Atlanta isn't the city on your heart. Pray for your city... the one God has you hurting for. 1 Sentence... 2 paragraphs... Just pray...

Reconciliation

God off the nations, you are the creator of all things. I thank you for the beautiful world that you have given to us to tend to. I thank you that I have a part to play in the story of God. This morning I pray for a reconciliation between inner city Christians and suburban Christians. Build a soil group of people in Atlanta that burden for it's restoration. May it be a mix of those from different socio-economic levels and race. Teach us that we can have a local mission field. Where we live can be our Darfur and our home. I thank you for the things that are going on in Atlanta. there are places where we are seeing your reconciliation, but we need more of it. we are a chosen people of God, and our mission is to spread your love and gospel to all people. Not just people like us, but to all who surround us. Jesus, I pray for peace between the inhabitants of Atlantic Station and those of Bankhead Highway. I pray for investment. I pray for Christians who will embrace a missional living in both of these areas. That you would be the strength and provider for these prayers. God, I picture Midtown Community Church being a source of light to all nations and races. A home to all socio-economic levels. Your gospel does not judge or discriminate. Teach us to not do the same. May we embrace a missional life style. May it be pleasing to you. May the gospel be on our lips and on our hearts ever moment of the day. I pray these things in your expectant glory... Amen

6:30AM :: A Prayer For Atlanta :: Part 2

2007-02-14T06:33:00.000-05:00

Atlanta has been on my heart. This is the beginning of week long series that will contain a prayer/scripture/comments for the city of Atlanta. I plan to wake up at 6:30AM for one full week and pray for the city. Please feel free to post your prayers in addition to mine. Maybe Atlanta isn't the city on your heart. Pray for your city... the one God has you hurting for. 1 Sentence... 2 paragraphs... Just pray...

Hope

Jesus, my hope and salvation, the giver of peace...

Toward Atlanta I directly pray. Bring me to my knees for this city. I want it to be shining for you. Who's name is greater or more powerful than yours? Draw me into your presence so that I can pray for Atlanta more and more directly. This morning I pray specifically for those whom have lost hope or have never even seen it. I pray for the homeless on the street. Bring them people, disciples, to meet their needs of substance and safety. I pray for the Hispanic single mothers. Bring them a peace and rest about finances. Send them someone who can point them to you, the giver of all things. I pray for the politicians. I pray that you trump their self motivating interests. Jesus, that you plan would use those who follow the Way and those who do not. Your ability to be sovereign is one of my favorite traits about you. I can trust in the fact that you know how to bend the nations to do your will, despite if they know you or not. Come near to me Christ. Teach me to be a Christian, a lover of the gospel. Teach me to be a missional follower. Someone who has a purpose. May Atlanta be claimed in the Cross. May your people move toward reclamation and restoration in Atlanta. May your hope be our message and our song. Point our eyes toward the city.

6:30AM :: A Prayer For Atlanta :: Part 1

2007-02-13T06:33:00.000-05:00

Atlanta has been on my heart. This is the beginning of week long series that will contain a prayer/scripture/comments for the city of Atlanta. I plan to wake up at 6:30AM for one full week and pray for the city. Please feel free to post your prayers in addition to mine. Maybe Atlanta isn't the city on your heart. Pray for your city... the one God has you hurting for. 1 Sentence... 2 paragraphs... Just pray...

Restoration

God, the Holy One who has chosen me, you are beautiful and wonderful. My hands are lifted high because you have brought me out of the pit of sin. I am claimed by the grace of Christ and I am thankful. I ask that your freedom come to Atlanta. I ask that you are seen above all things. I confess of neglecting the homeless, and the despondent. Rework my view of the gospel. Jesus, as you taught us to pray, "Your kingdom come and your will be done on Earth as it is in heaven." We are in your kingdom now. We are the vessels, the hands and feet, the shakers and movers, of your active and living restoration. We stand in the midst of your restoration. Sometimes we see only ruin. Give us sight like you have. Give us the ability to see what you have begun to restore. Jesus, I want to be a curator of the world. I need a master to teach me how to bring art back to its original beauty. I need someone to help me paint, hand in hand, so that your work may be completed. I pray these things specifically for Atlanta. I pray for the suburban church; that they would have a unbridled passion for claiming the city of Atlanta. I pray that we may do it for the sake of the humanity of others, a representation of your Glory on Earth. May I see those whom are different for who they are and for whom they will be when restored in the merciful and graceful hands of the master. In Jesus' name, the one who was, and is, and is to come, Amen.

Latest Art

2007-02-08T23:00:00.000-05:00

Lauren took it. I edited it. Thoughts?

Cast into the fire

2007-02-06T13:37:00.001-05:00

"You "bind the sacrifice . . . to the horns of the altar" and see to
it that you don’t wallow in self-pity once the fire begins. After you
have gone through the fire, there will be nothing that will be able to
trouble or depress you. When another crisis arises, you will realize
that things cannot touch you as they used to do. What fire lies ahead
in your life?

Tell God you are ready to be poured out as an offering, and God will prove Himself to be all you ever dreamed He would be."

Feb 6th My Utmost For His Highest

I read this passage this morning. I don't know if I have the guts to put myself on the altar. I don't know what that honestly mean... It scares me to think of myself laid out on the altar. I wrote this in response:

The Lamb

The smell of burnt skin

Fills the room with a haze

Sitting, laying, hands stretched out

Eyes toward the altar within

Made of the purest cedar

The combination of smells

Both wonderful and putrid

Beautiful love and light

Focus upon salvation, redemption

Restoration

Standing, ablaze, he walks

Untouched by the flames no more

Midtown

2007-02-05T17:08:00.001-05:00

Well, yesterday I got to hang out with the senior pastor of Grace Fellowship. It was an awkward lunch at first, but it loosened up and I was able to really enjoy it. I hope he enjoyed it as well.

Afterwards, Lauren and I spent some time in Starbucks before heading down to Midtown Community Fellowship. Midtown is where i would possibly work in a few months. I was blown away at what was happening down there. God is moving in huge ways. The church is in an old Baptist church building. It has pews still, which is pretty amazing for its feel. It is primarily college aged, but there were a few people who were older.

I was blown away at the potential this church has. I was reading this morning in 1 Corinthians 4. This is what it said:

"It seems to me that God
has put us who bear his Message on stage in a theater in which no one
wants to buy a ticket. We're something everyone stands around and
stares at, like an accident in the street. We're the Messiah's misfits.
You might be sure of yourselves, but we live in the midst of frailties
and uncertainties. You might be well-thought-of by others, but we're
mostly kicked around. Much of the time we don't have enough to eat, we
wear patched and threadbare clothes, we get doors slammed in our faces,
and we pick up odd jobs anywhere we can to eke out a living. When they
call us names, we say, "God bless you." When they spread rumors about
us, we put in a good word for them. We're treated like garbage, potato
peelings from the culture's kitchen. And it's not getting any better."

This to me shows a radical type of living. It demonstrates a living for only the gospel. I want that. I want to be a part of the 'Messiah's misfits.' How do I do that? I'm not sure, but I am praying for it.

I see this type of living and presence possible at Midtown. Its a counter cultural living. In this passage I find people giving up what makes them comfortable for the sake of Jesus. Wow... I want to be like that.

Kyle's Blog

2007-02-04T22:26:00.001-05:00

I have a new blogging friend...

Kyle has been my closest friend for nearly all my life. He started blogging yesterday, and I know its going to be pretty awesome. Here is his link!

Get to reading.

As Promised...

2007-02-03T09:27:00.001-05:00

So, I was looking around today and saw a most innovative churches in America article. It brought me to LifeChurch. Now I haven't heard much about this church. I have heard about it in passing, but I haven't actually researched it.

I went to their website as I was supposed to be preparing for my lesson that i am teaching today on WWI. It is pretty insane. The web design is absolutely beautiful. The church seems pretty crazy too. Very very advanced in their technology.

An innovative idea: the internet church. They have a fully functional online campus. Here you can see the message live and participate in a "lobby" online before and after the service. This is very awesome. They also have video of every sermon in good quality. Wow...

Spike Jonze - GAP ad

2007-02-02T12:34:00.001-05:00

Funniest Gap Ad Ever... It would have been so much fun to shoot!

Teaching doesn't leave time for blogging

2007-02-01T22:39:00.000-05:00

Its really annoying. I can't access my blog during the day. The school doesn't allow it. I am going to start using this program that allows me to write the blog during the day and update it later. Its pretty cool.

This Sunday I am going to be semi-interviewing for a church in downtown ATL. This is not entirely true. The church is actually in Snellville, but they have a plant off of State Street and 10th in midtown. I'm really excited about it. I am going to lunch with the senior pastor and his wife.

The church is doing some pretty radical things. Their target outreach are Muslims. They travel to the middle east a lot and the church downtown was strategically planted next to the largest mosque in the South East. It has provided for some pretty awesome encounters apparently.

The community groups are supposed to be amazing. Its primarily a college aged churhc. Which is good because it won't feel very different from where I am now.

I'm going to miss Nathan and Amie... sadness...

Well leave some love. I'm not slacking I promise. Be looking for some more regular postings. Peace.

The Church @:15AM

2007-01-28T07:14:00.000-05:00

This weekend was a blast. I spent it with some of my closest friends. We talked about church planting for like 10 hours yesterday. It was really awesome.

I am sitting here eating my bowl of cereal about to go to church. I am leading music this morning. Our conversatiosn over the weekend made me think about what church really is. My friend Nathan describes one facet of the church with the imagery of a table. Its a very simple display of the unity of Christ through the fellowship we have in him. The breaking of food is so crucial to the gospel. I have more thoughts on this but I am running out of time. I'll be back with a clearer head...

Late Night Snack

2007-01-21T23:10:00.000-05:00

Peets is cooking steak @ 11PM... He ate cereal @ 6PM... He sat on the couch, slept on the couch, ate on the couch, for nearly 30 hours this weekend.

I don't understand...

This is just stupid...

2007-01-20T20:58:00.001-05:00

Stupid... Goodness...

2007-01-20T20:53:00.001-05:00

The dumbest thing I have ever seen....

The Ole' Switcharoo

2007-01-15T20:39:00.001-05:00

My roommate Dan is two years younger than me. He has a bit a learning to do when it comes to the apartment life of Seniors. We have gone through the whole deal about cleaning up our dishes, not leaving too much stuff around, and being mindful of each other spaces. Its really not his fault... these things just come with time.

So, we decided to send him to bootcamp... with Mr. Peets.

Mr. Peets (Which will most probably become a verb in my vocabulary sometime soon... you are such a peets, that is so peets, why do you have to be so peets, etc) is a sinister neat freak of our apartment. You would not be able to tell this if you looked in the mold of his bathroom... but when it comes to the living room, AKA his room, you better be mindful. The eyes of Peets is like the one of Sauron lurking over middle earth trying to find his next victim of the unclean. His hideous unmerciful laugh and that odd look in his eyes is a nightmare to those whom have heard it. For Mr. Peets a common room is not communal, but merely a place to establish his serfdom. We bow to the Peets because it is the peace of 312 that is at stake. This is whom we have sent Mr. Roge to learn how to become a man. If one can live in a room for a week they will learn the ways of right, because only Jesus can bring sanity in such darkness.

We decided after 24 that Dan should live with Peets for a week. We moved all of Dan's stuff into Peets' room and moved Matt's into mine. It was like a work of art. The detail was outrageous. Perfection...

Dan wasn't happy at 2AM when he found that Matt now is my roommate. We felt bad and told him it was a joke, but now he is cool and he is going to go along with it. What will be Mr. Peets' reaction? God only knows what lays in our near future.

LEGO Church

2007-01-12T09:27:00.001-05:00

This is pretty sweet. Its a massive LEGO church with occupants. Too much time on your hands. I'm in a student teaching seminar... someone please save me from the boredom and lack of creativity in educational technology practices...

Ahhh... Back at school

2007-01-10T11:46:00.000-05:00

Its good to be back in Clemson. My apartment sometimes feel more at home that that of my new house. Actually I am currently writing about it in an essay. I will publish it once its done. I am enjoying the Lord of the Rings trilogy these past two days. I am watching the Two Towers right now while I am typing. It is a huge distraction.

I hope everyone gets settled in well. I know I will. Talk to you all soon.

My Dad... Nuf' Said

2007-01-01T01:44:00.001-05:00

Off To Hilton Head I Go

2006-12-25T23:44:00.000-05:00

I am off to the wonderful beaches of Hilton Head. Expect a post. Give me a call between 9 and 1 to give me some company!

Freaking Awesome

2006-12-25T20:47:00.001-05:00

I know I am a dweeb when it comes to science and technology, but this is so cool!

Awkward Moments

2006-12-25T00:34:00.000-05:00

1. Greeters who bust you down to give you a bulletin

I am not sure if I am the only one who experienced this on Christmas Eve, but I was nearly chased down when I reentered the church by greeters who wanted to give me a bulletin. A) I think you are wasting paper giving me something that merely tells me what I am about to see. B) I just got finished being chased down by the other lady.

2. Unexplained Scripture

If you choose it use it! God's word needs to be talked through. At the church I went to this eve of Christmas we were read a passage from Isaiah that was full of God's judgment on his people. It was a very different way of hearing God speak, but it was never actually explained. If I were a first time comer I would have been lost in the words of a God who hates the wicked... Granted he does, but an explanation would be nice to have about why God despises the wicked and desires justice and righteousness for the oppressed. I have found that this lesson is one of the most important lessons to teach in the area I grew up in... but that is for a later time.

3) Archaic words without meaning

Define for me: Thither
Why is it that "swaddling" is reserved only for baby Jesus?

4) Hymns that don't go as planned

The generation that is growing up in church today is very distant from hymns. This is sad because many of them are beautiful. Its so awkward through when hymns are sung and the audience isn't sure how to sing it. They are all alone in their mumble.

5) "True God of True God"

What does this mean? I know its in the Nicene Creed, but its very perplexing

All of these things happened in one church service tonight. It also included a nice butt crack in front of me and my mom during Oh Come All Ye Faithful. My mom turned to be and laughed saying... "Oh I didn't come for that!" I am not being critical of this church. I just felt lost in the crazy awkwardness.

Jesus is born today... He came as normal human being, but divine in spirit. He died for me and you so that we may live eternally. God is near... He invites you to his table.

Come and eat the Bread of Life

Christmas Time @ The Bodens

2006-12-24T13:00:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone has been having a great holiday season. I have been having a blast. My parents moved into their new house. We now live in Cherokee County, just 15 minutes from the old house. The new house is pretty sweet. I like it a lot more than the old one. The only thing that sucks is that you have to drive 15 minutes to get nearly anywhere.

Lauren and I spent this whole week helping unpack. Her family came down on Friday and stayed the night. It was a lot of fun. You can see the schedule here. It was so much fun. She left with her family yesterday. Last night was a bit lonely without her.

I am really beginning to realize how much she is a part of me. The whole engagement process is so beautiful. I have always heard its supposed to be really tough, but what I have found is that it is just the prologue after the introduction. The book is just getting started. So to all of you out there who are about to get engaged or heading that way, it is whatever you make it. I doesn't stop me from counting down the days.

We went and looked at the church I will probably be working at. The job is being the Creative Programing Director for Cedarcrest Church. Basically I will be running Sunday mornings and thinking of creative ways to market (For a lack of a better word) the church to the community. I won't know until the end of January, but it looks promising.

That same day we went looking for houses. That was just crazy. I am becoming a married man. Wow... who would have thought!?!

Merry Christmas everyone... leave some love....

Google Campus Video

2006-12-19T23:49:00.000-05:00

This video is absolutely hilarious! I want to work at Google!

So Close... Yet So Far

2006-12-19T23:43:00.000-05:00

I saw this on a friend's away message...

"The city of Los Angeles once named a street after Jack Bauer in gratitude for his saving the city several times. They had to rename it after people kept dying when they tried to cross the street. No one crosses Jack Bauer and lives."

January 14th... Jack is Back

New Bloggers

2006-12-13T22:41:00.000-05:00

I have been laughing through every post that my friend Kevin has been putting up on his new blog. You have to know Kevin to get some of the humor. He sometime, a lot of the time, overly sarcastic when it comes to the uses of technology as social constructs. I am not alone in his worry. I think things like Myspace and Facebook are endangering the true meaning of community. That topic is for a later post. On to Kevin...

Kevin is just getting into his blog. He is a construction science major from Greenville, SC. He has a unique Southern accent that is often indistinguishable. He is an off the wall crazy person who loves to pick fun at anything he can get his hands on. And ladies he is in fact single.

All and all Kevin brings a good product to the table. His blogging is very simplistic, yet the sarcasm is extremely witty and complex. So, I raise this post to you Kevin Baynard. Keep up the good work!

Soy Milk... urggghhgghhh

2006-12-12T18:25:00.001-05:00

There is that word again... urggghhgghhh. I still don't know how to pronounce it, but its how i felt when I saw this headline:

Soy Makes You Gay...

Nothing makes me more frustrated than freaking stupid Christians who claim things that are so outrageous. There are reasons why people make fun of Christianity, and people like this prove their points. I am being critical of this guy and I wish someone around him would be critical with him.

ClemsonRave

2006-12-12T15:40:00.001-05:00

Friends went all out on this crazy event. It was pretty spectacular. I wish i was there to see it live. Watch and have fun laughing at the craziness.

An Ode To German

2006-12-12T10:27:00.001-05:00

An Ode To German

I am done with you

I hate you

May the snaps begin

Urguuhhh....

2006-12-11T07:20:00.000-05:00

I am not quite sure how to make that sound, but I know I am making it. I am sitting here trying to study. It has been more like trying to stay awake and studying in between. I have an exam this morning. Vietnam History... yuck. Here is what I saw all morning out of the corner of my eye. How in the heck am I supposed to study this this happening?

Well I hope I pass this thing. I have a lot riding on it. How do you regurgitate 10 years of history in detail? I am about the find out. Oh yeah funny pic of me and Lauren. We had a semi-formal last night for Mike Soltys. He is graduating and its sad.

Glad I can carry mine in my pocket...

2006-12-09T16:25:00.001-05:00

This is a picture of a 5MB hard drive in 1956... Thank God for technology...

Freaking Awesome Ad

2006-12-08T09:16:00.000-05:00

I have been on an ad kick lately. I found this one from Unicef and I thought it was beautiful...

My Newest Project

2006-12-06T00:55:00.000-05:00

I am working on some cool stuff right now. I have been taking a class called Advanced Writing Composition. I really dreaded this class. I mean realllllly dreaded it. But of course, I get into the class and the subject for the semester is: Creativity.

It has been really great. For our final we have to put together all of our writings into a portfolio. So, I thought it would be cool to create magazine design for the project. It has been a lot of fun. I can't wait to post some pictures for you. I will post just this little teaser!

Procrastination

2006-12-03T15:07:00.000-05:00

Oh Boy.... this has been a crazy weekend. I have to do a whole bunch of crap to finish up the semester. I have this 10 page or more paper of death for my Vietnam history course. Yeah, not fun at all. Actually we will just say it... it sucks. The prof wants me to basically give a doctoral thesis on the Buddhist Sect Crisis of 1963. I know I can hear you all cringing now.

Next I have a paper due on Tuesday that I have to write right now. It is about a specific lesson I taught in school. It won't take to long, but its not how I want to spend my Sunday afternoon.

Tomorrow I have to read an entire half of a book. About 220 pages worth of story about an African city called Segu. Its a easy read, but I read really slow.

So lets just say I have my work cut out for me.

This semester has been really hard, but it looks like it is going to turn out just fine. I hope all of you out in the blogosphere are having a great last week of school. Talk to you all soon!

I Love My Family

2006-11-29T09:05:00.000-05:00

I Love my family!!!

Whatever you say... Leprechauns are real!

2006-11-29T00:01:00.001-05:00

I was surfing the web via NetNewsWire @ digg.com and found this interesting article. Apparently an art student in Portland was expelled from art school for trying to tell a girl that her belief in Leprechauns could not be scientifically proven. The student is an Atheist while Mrs. Four Leaf Clover believes in alternate energy levels of existence. He gets kicked out of school for having a conversation she initiated in the first place. And to top it off the school has a bi-law that disallows any students to talk about spirituality.

What is the world coming to? Why is it so afraid of something bigger? Besides the ridiculousness of expulsion and the nature of the conversation, isn't this against our rights as Americans, to be denied the right to talk about spirituality? It irks me. Anyways, the article was very funny, but it really pained me in the end.

Crap... I hate it when good music comes out

2006-11-28T10:11:00.000-05:00

Sufjan Stevens came out with an amazing Christmas Album... dang it...

Fun Links

2006-11-27T09:27:00.001-05:00

Grow your own 1 Up-Mushroom from Mario Bros.

Why does music give you the chills?

Myspace is growing... Could it be the devolution of community?

It Is True

2006-11-21T08:25:00.001-05:00

Ladies and gentleman... I am in engaged. Lauren and I got engaged on Sunday night. She was totally surprised and I was the man. Everything went picture perfect. Literally picture perfect. I had three video cameras to prove it. Last night I got no work done and edited the three into one freaking awesome video. Lauren really wants to show all of you. Maybe one day it will be made avaliable online.

We don't know of a date yet, but we have a good idea it will be in June. Its really exciting and strange. A good strange... a really good strange.

Death Cab...

2006-11-18T23:15:00.001-05:00

Holy junk... Death Cab For Cutie freaking amazing. Now I have been told by other people that this was the BEST SHOW THEY HAVE EVER SEEN!!!! Well my friends I am sorry to let you down, but it didn't touch it. I will say however that this band can really rock hard and got into my top 5. They are incredibly talented. Ben Gibbard is one heck of a writer. I guess this was my problem. He is such a good writer, but I couldn't hear much of the words. Anyways... Go see them. They are ridiculous. Until later my friends here are my top 5 shows...

1. U2 - Boston - Vertigo Tour

2. Mae - Tremont - Charlotte, NC

3. Martin Sexton - Eddies Attic

4. Mute Math - Anywhere

5. Death Cab For Cutie - Little John Coliseum - Clemson, SC

Funny German Moment

2006-11-17T09:50:00.000-05:00

I took this picture... well Lauren took it... when I got excited to see the Goethe Institute in San Francisco next to the gate of China Town. German is almost over... to bad I am just getting decent at it.

I thought this was really creative

2006-11-15T15:10:00.000-05:00

For Your Reading Pleasure

2006-11-12T17:41:00.000-05:00

This is an essay that I wrote, edited by Nathan Elmore. It is basically turning into my thesis about how creativity can be used in reaching the needy.

http://docs.google.com/View?docid=dgp34g4w_0dhv686

Its been a week...

2006-11-12T17:24:00.000-05:00

So this week has been a week of getting back into the rhythms of school. Here is the thing... In San Francisco, I got a taste of what its going to be like when I am married. Now before any of you married types come down on me about a dream vacation in San Francisco, let me explain. I realized that there is something out past college that seems to feel a bit less heavy. For example this week I have started a 10 page Vietnam paper, this upcoming Thursday I have two tests, on Tuesday I have a German essay due... That is a lot of stuff looming over my head. I felt this past weekend what it was liked to have little outside stress and enjoy the one I love. I was a great weekend for relaxing.

I hope all is going well in the soace between Facebook and Cyberspace.

San Francisco :: Day 3

2006-11-06T12:00:00.000-05:00

Hello. This is Lauren. Yesterday Trey and I ventured into the neighborhoods of San Francisco. Our first stop was Chinatown.... Unfortunately, we realized that just because we are visiting this lovely city, stores still don't open until 10:00 A.M. So, this is Trey during our 1 hour wait in Starbucks for the Chinese people to come out and play with us...

Here is the funny looking monster on the gate to Chinatown...

And a picture of the main street (Grant) that runs through Chinatown...

Chinatown was interesting....lots of random stores with chopsticks and such and lots of people not speaking English. It was fun.

After Chinatown, we rode the Trolley car again (my favorite) and then we went to Haight Ashbury where I spent way too much money on fun jewelry and some clothes. We ate at a really fun place for lunch called Askew, where they put your food on a stick.....it was quality. This was a seriously cool neighborhood..good shopping and interesting people.

Our afternoon consisted of strolling through Golden Gate Park until we laid in the grass for a while. Once again, this is a very good place to watch interesting people. Then we decided to go and get our Scrabble game and sit in Union Square for a while. It was a lovely afternoon.

The highlight of the day was definelty dinner. For our 2 year anniversary, Trey took me to the Cheesecake Factory....This isn't just an ordinary Cheesecake Factory however. It is located on top of Macy's and has a terrace that overlooks Union Square. We had to wait for a little over an hour to get a seat on the terrace, but It was beautiful and well worth the wait. Here is Trey being silly.....

That is all for yesterday. Today, we have a few last adventures and then we will hop on our plane back to the east coast....

San Francisco :: Day 2

2006-11-04T21:38:00.000-05:00

Mmmm... crossiant

Today started with a day of hills. The hills here are really crazy

They Get you really tired. Here I am with my victory pose at the top

Look how far down it is.

It was really intense to climb up. Next we went to Lombard Street. This street is known for being the most crooked street in the world. Lauren and I got someone to take our picture on it.

My third flagship visit.

After we did this we rode the F-Line down market to our hostel on Taylor and Post. Its pretty sweet. Lauren and I are both nervous about meeting our roomates. I guess it will jsut have to be a surprise. We will have our iPods ready in case snoring insues. Next we rode our first trolley car. It was so much fun. The air here is so cool and the weather started to brightening up. We rode it all the way back to our old hotel newar the Wharf. Here is Lauren being silly.

Mr. Peets told me I had to try a bowl of chowder. Here I am enjoying that bowl.

Of course with Lauren, picture taking has to be part of the day. Here is one of the Golden Gate we took off of the pier.

Late afternoon we braved the public transit system and headed to the Alamo Square to see the victorians. We decided to be a little funny...

After the visit to the Full House row, we went to the neighborhood, Castro, where the gay and lesbian community thrives in San Francisco. It was a really cool experience. Be looking for a special storyline on it. After that we came back to hostel and thats where you find us. This place is beautiful. If you haven't been you ened to go.

San Francisco:: Day 1

2006-11-03T20:48:00.000-05:00

Its weird that I am posting this at 5:10, but its almost nine at home. We had a rough start this morning. The plane blew a circuit. I am not sure what that means, but it took a whiel to fix.

I saw the rocky mountains. That was so amazing. Now I really want to stand in front of them instead of flying over them. I told Lauren that maybe we should have went to Denver instead.

We got here and immediately boarded a train to downtown. When we got into the Bay Area we transfer to a street car. It was an interesting experience. Lauren and I had no idea what to do. We looked pretty funny. We made it to the Hilton @ Fisherman's Wharf and left as soon as we got there. Airtran doesn't believe in feeding you as you travel the country. We were starved.

In And Out Burger...

Basically its the Varsity of the West Coast. It doens't hold a candle to the Varsity, but it was nice to be able to think about your order before you get thrown to the back of the line after the second. "What ya' Have!" The rumors are true about this Varsity knock off... they can make a really mean hamburger.

Afterwards, Lauren and I went to tour the Wharf. Its a really cool place. There was a bunch of fog today. After about an hour of walking it began to open up. Lauren took some stellar pictures...

After taking pictures we walked the long way back to the hotel. We saw the old cable car routes and the photographer once again took an amazing picture.

Now we are back at the hotel blogging and waiting for time to go by to justify a good dinner time.

God Jesus Holy Spirit

2006-10-30T22:56:00.000-05:00

Who brought you to salavation? Which part of God brought you there? I have never thoguht about this. Dan brought it up tonight. Thoughts?

Freaking Awesome Links

2006-10-27T08:58:00.000-04:00

Next time you go have to share a bed with a friend you better ask if they are a Sexsomniac.

Moving Video even though im not sure what i think about it yet.

I want to pee in one of these.

Don't be a sleepy rectum.

No Explaination Needed

2006-10-26T11:00:00.001-04:00

LOST go try and find yourself

Kick Ball Sunday!!!

2006-10-26T00:18:00.001-04:00

Wow, we had a blast this Sunday kicing the House of the Lofts to the outfield. I am not going to lie, I did have a part to play in it. I did score the game winning RBI from my in the park homerun. This was also known as a single with 3 in field errors, but a home run none the less that scored us 2 points. The final score was 4-2. Church in Heatherwood takes the day.

Here is the winning team...

Here is me receiving the game ball in which I shared with Kevin Baynard because of his mad 3rd basemen skills. He also was quite the 3rd base coach heckler!

Go Heatherwood!!!

The Band Of the Century!

2006-10-22T17:01:00.000-04:00

Three weekends ago I got to play with one of the best group of people I have ever played with. We got to play for FCA's Fall Retreat. It was pretty stellar. If you ever need musicians these are the guys to have. Just give me a shout anytime.

A Wonderful Weekend Ahead

2006-10-20T09:08:00.000-04:00

I am so excited about this weekend. ESPN's College Game Day is coming to Clemson for the Georgia Tech game. Wow, there were a lot of capitals in that last sentence. I am super pumped about it.

I hope all is doing well with everyone. I have some thoughts brewing, but class is not a place to state them. See you soon.

I love Mike Soltys

2006-10-17T23:38:00.000-04:00

I just love him... He pretty much is one of the greatest guys ever and he wants to be able to open a beer with his thumb alone.

Besides that, nothing much new on the home front...

Lost: Season 3

2006-10-16T09:01:00.000-04:00

Too many questions... so little time

What A Weekend!

2006-10-15T07:58:00.000-04:00

I had one of the most amazing weekends ever...

First was the Sabbath. I have been structuring time out of my week to sit and rest for about six weeks now. It has been very awesoem for Lauren and I's relationship. Also, I have been a lot more relaxed during the week. Last week I decided I would be a bit more intentional with my Sabbath (Fri 12PM to Sat 12PM) instead of just sitting around loafing. I decided this week that Lauren and two of our friends would drive to one of the nearest towns outside of Clemson and drive towards the mountains. We would drive for an entire CD length of time. When the car stopped the music stopped. It was a blast. We actually made it all the way to North Carolina. The CD choice was John Mayer's new album and Nickel Creek's first for the return trip. I was agreat experience.

The rest of my weekend, besides a 4 hour paper writing break, consisted of watching the second season of Lost. It was incredible and best yet it was jsut me and Lauren. Lauren and I have been craving some space to be just by ourselves. It was so nice. Lost is amazing. If you aren't addicted yet, I'm sorry because it is a pain to get through them all. Lauren and I are watching the next two tmorrow and then we will be all caught up.

I hope you all are doing well. Send a comment... How was your weekend?

A Funny Thought

2006-10-11T22:54:00.000-04:00

Grammar is the anti-creativity
Turning ramble and messy into form and structure

A New Look And Some Friction

2006-10-11T16:25:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the new tboden.blogspot.com. Leave your coats at the door and stay awhile.

I ran across an article that was on the front of the New York Times today. If I were to ask you how many homeless people lived in the United States how many would you say? The number that came to my head was 8 million. I was surprised to find out that there are only 600,000 homeless in the US. This surprised me. The article goes on to talk about the rise of homelessness in rural areas, which compromise 9% of the total.

This produced friction...
And the wheels began to turn...

Why doesn't someone do something about this? There are 280 million people in the United States and 279.4 live with something over their heads. Why don't we find a way to put something over the heads of people. Why can't we find a job somewhere, anywhere to get these people on their feet. Why doesn't someone develope a community near large cities for homelss people where they can have housing and food in exchange for working for chain stores and/or corporate production facilities that allow advancement in leadership. Maybe upper leadership can have a choice to move somewhere else after they gt off their feet. 600,000 is a very insignificant number compared to 279.4 million.

We can be selfish bastards...
And I am not afraid to admit it like it is...

Film and Web Sites

2006-10-10T23:28:00.000-04:00

Came across a new website. Its called Church Marketing Sucks. It is a really interesting website with funny polls and great articles. It is especially great for the creative artist in ministry. It gives a couple of great ideas

ATM - Automative Tithing Machine???

I think Jesus would not be happy when he saw this...

Finally...

Also lately I have actually been enjoying German. I know its strange. I am actually enjoying my class. Today we started to watch a movie that was really good for a German film. It was called The Edukators: Fretten Jahre Sind Vorbei. Totally check it out.

Old Friends And Things

2006-10-02T00:00:00.000-04:00

This morning went great. I know that I told you all about the practice. It wasn't worth he worry. It was so much fun. Jesus is so huge when he shows up that way. I love me church and all the people that go to it.

Today was a big day. I lead music this morning, came back and read about John Paul Vann in Vietnam, then went and practiced for a retreat I am playing at in Atlanta. I am super stoked about it. I played with some crazy cool people. They are some of the greatest and most talented musicians I have ever played with. Practice was so much fun. I was also very relaxed and chill. The music just flowed out of us. I can't wait to see how God is going to use us this weekend.

Kyle stayed the night with me. He is probably one of my favorite people ever. We ahve been friends since tiger cubs. Those were the days. We hung out while he enjoyed a RockStar while Lauren and I downed a nice Sunkist. We then sat around and talke about Lost for a while. I realized that I need to finish the second season. Thanks to TiVo I wont be missing anything. It was a glorious evening which ended with Kyle and Dan going to go and smoke the hooka.

Well I will talk to you all soon. This week is hell week when it comes to school. Be thinking of me.

Pregnacy

2006-09-27T23:19:00.000-04:00

Today I had my first student tell us she was pregnate. It was heart wrenching. What do we have to tell kids inorder for them to be not so stupid? I mean I am the last person to preach about this, but why is physical intimacy so important that you would ruin your youth doing. The risks are so huge.

It is in moments lie these that I want to ask some one... anyone... to stop the madness

It is in these moments I know I need a savior...

Yuck

2006-09-26T23:56:00.000-04:00

I am leading at DCF this week and I am really excited about it. I thought practice was going to go better tahn it did. It is a hard thing you know leading people. The band is full of talented musicians. There is however a blend of personalities that one must pay attention to in order to be successful. It was a hard night and my title is how I feel right now. I love all the guys in the band. Its jsut hard to get a set together in 3 hours. I am way excited about sunday though. I know the band is going to work hard at learning the music. I need to work hard at remembering the words. Anyways... I'll Forest Gump out by saying... thats all I gotta say about that.

Bugged

2006-09-23T20:26:00.000-04:00

I think I may just be bugged tonight...

I for some reason feel really lonely. I think it's just becasue my parents weren't here today. I miss them. I understand they have a lot on their plate, but sometimes I just want more than what is practical.

Im just bugged. I have a lot to change in my life... I need to get serious about changing it.

Funny New Video I did...

2006-09-22T18:28:00.000-04:00

Why I Love My Church

2006-09-21T12:33:00.000-04:00

So I was up at seven thirty this morning in a meeting for our service programming. Basically its a place were friends and I get to be creative early in the morning. Well, I am leading worship in two weeks, and we were brainstorming a song that would point us to the lament of God through Amos (Chapter 5). I love my church because the song we chose was a Smashing Pumpkins song called Stand Inside My Love. Its amazing check it out. Here are the lyrics:

You and me
Meant to be
Immutable
Impossible
It's destiny
Pure lunacy
Incalculable
Insufferable
But for the last time
You're everything that I want and ask for
You're all that I'd dreamed
Who wouldn't be the one you love
Who wouldn't stand inside your love
Protected and the lover of
A pure soul and beautiful you
Don't understand
Don't feel me now
I will breathe
For the both of us
Travel the world
Traverse the skies
Your home is here
Within my heart
And for the first time
I feel as though I am reborn
In my mind
Recast as child and mystic sage
Who wouldn't be the one you love
Who wouldn't stand inside your love
And for the first time
I'm telling you how much I need and bleed for
Your every move and waking sound
In my time
I'll wrap my wire around your heart and your mind
You're mine forevaaaa.. now
Who wouldn't be the one you love and live for
Who wouldn't stand inside your love and die for
Who wouldn't be the one you love

So Far Away

2006-09-18T09:56:00.000-04:00

Have you ever ahd those moments were you just feel so far away from the heart of God? I am in one of those times. I am having at the same time a huge creativity spurt. I am trying to understand how I feel so far away yet I am so connected to my spiritual talent, gift, heart, mind, soul. I have not been forcing myself into the word. This is the week I am going to do it. I am going to try and scratch and dig for something. I am going toward the book of James. If you ahve any insight or thought let me know. Pray that i become connected again.

Glam Rock and Internet Video

2006-09-11T16:43:00.000-04:00

So my roommate Dan came out of his room this morning saying he wanted to be a glam rocker. For those of you who don't know what a glam rocker is check out these pics...

I think he can pull the Zoolander off really well.

Well here are some cool videos that I have seen online lately check them out...

Invisible Children Global Night Commute Highlight
Zefrank's thoughts on his 9/11 experience
What do you want to be when you grow up?
The beginnings of a documentary me and a friend are doing

Have Fun!

2006-09-07T13:51:00.000-04:00

Why did I take a freaking 400 level class. And why do they grade me on grammar and disregard content? Dumb PHD's! Anyay I thought I would vent.